Well, its time fo Father Geek to post another of our AICN-Downunder Column from Tamsin and Norman soooooooo...
Here is this week's report...
DOWNUNDER REPORT #10
NEWS
Another film for Russell
Some more good old Russell Crowe news, with a report that he has been offered the lead in Lasse Halstrom-directed THE CINDERELLA MAN, playing the real-life heavyweight boxing champion Jim Braddock. The story will be based on the controversial fight between Braddock and Max Baer in 1935, where Braddock came from virtual obscurity to take on the reigning champion in a gruelling 15-round fight in New York. Apparently the film has been in development at Universal Pictures for several years.
MOULIN ROUGE winning awards
The soundtrack to MOULIN ROUGE has won three out of six prizes at the World Soundtrack Awards, presented at the closing night ceremony of the 28th Flanders Film Festival. Director Baz Luhrmann, composer Craig Armstrong and Musical Director Marius De Vries were presented with awards for 'most creative use of existing material on a soundtrack.' Armstrong was named 'discovery of the year', and the film's "Come What May", by David Baerwalk was honored as best original song written for film.
Congratulations also to MOULIN ROUGE choreographer, Australian John O'Connell for his American Choreography Award win. He is the first Aussie to win an American Choreography Award in the film category.
Another Aussie Actor...
Critics in LA are divided over the performance of Aussie actor, Adam Garcia in his latest role as Drew Barrymore's son in RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS. For a start, it is a little strange that 28 year old Adam, (two years older than Drew), is starring as her son but hey, that's Hollywood. Here are some quick reviews... "Garcia does a fine job as Bev's likeable college-age son, who both loves and resents his mother," said USA Today critic Claudia Puig. And reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum, from Entertainment Weekly, commented that "Australian-born Adam Garcia plays the 20-year-old Jason with a combination of fortitude and simmering resentment". The New York Times reported that Garcia "puts on a credible American accent" but critic Stephen Holden, also described him as one of the serious flaws in the film. "In mother-son scenes that cry out for an emotional connection, Mr Garcia can manage only a bland, shifty-eyed discomfort." Garcia's next film is called THE FIRST $20 MILLION.
PUBLIC INVITATION
The Aussie public (Sydney) is invited to the live presentation ceremony and after-party of Australia's "people's choice" film awards. The if Awards (created by Independent Filmmakers magazine) will be presented by a high-profile line-up of local film stars including David Wenham, Nick Giannopoulos, Sophie Lee and Peter Phelps.
* The 2001 if Awards and after-party are on November 7 at Wharf 8, The Rocks, Sydney. Tickets are $90, conc $75. Bookings: (02) 92664800.
NEW ZEALAND NEWS
The nominations for the Nokia New Zealand Film awards were announced last week with Gillian Ashurst's road movie, SNAKESKIN, Hamish Rothwell's pool hall caper comedy STICKMEN and Christine Jeffs' coming-of-age drama RAIN garnering the most nominations. All three are nominated in the best picture and best director categories.
The nominations in full are below:
COOL AUSSIE WEBSITE OF THE WEEK - Australian Soundtracks
http://users.bigpond.net.au/nodette/AussieST/index.html
"Australian Soundtracks: A discography of soundtracks and associated recordings relating to Australian Film and television productions"
If you are desperate to find a soundtrack related to an Australian film or television project this website has it all. It is well set up and easy to access. Perfect for film buffs.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE NOKIA NEW ZEALAND FILM AWARDS:
Best Film: Stickmen (producer Michelle Turner); Snakeskin (Vanessa Sheldrick); Rain (Philippa Campbell, John Toon, Robin Scholes).
Best Director: Gillian Ashurst (Snakeskin); Hamish Rothwell (Stickmen); Christine Jeffs (Rain)
Best Actor: Karl Urban (The Irrefutable Truth About Demons); Scott Wills (Stickmen); Temuera Morrison (Crooked Earth);
Best Actress: Melanie Lynskey (Snakeskin); Sarah Peirse (Rain); Vicky Haughton (Her Majesty).
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Glover (Snakeskin); Lawrence Makoare (Crooked Earth); Alistair Browning (Rain).
Best Supporting Actress: Luanne Gordon (Stickmen); Nancy Brunning (Crooked Earth); Liddy Holloway (Her Majesty).
Best Juvenile Performer: Emily Barclay (No-One Can Hear You); Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki (Rain); Sally Andrews (Her Majesty)
Best Screenplay: Snakeskin (Gillian Ashurst); The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (Glen Standring); Stickmen (Nick Ward).
Best Cinematography: Snakeskin (Donald Duncan); Stickmen (Nigel Bluck); Rain (John Toon).
Best Editing: Snakeskin (Cushla Dillon and Marcus Darcy); The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (Paul Sutorius); Stickmen (Owen Ferrier-Kerr).
Best Original Music: Snakeskin (Leyton & Joost Langveld); Exposure (Bruce Lynch); Crooked Earth (James Hall).
Best Contribution to a Soundtrack: Snakeskin (Dave Whitehead): Stickmen (Mike Hedges); Her Majesty (Tony Johnson).
Best Make-Up: Snakeskin (Vanessa Hurley); The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (Kareen Donalson); Stickmen (Debra East); Her Majesty (Debra East).
Best Costume Design: Stickmen (Nic Smillie); Rain (Kirsty Cameron); Her Majesty (Lesley Burke-Harding).
Best Design: Stickmen (Neville Stevenson): Rain (Kirsty Clayton); Her Majesty (Kim Sinclair).
Best Computer Generated Images: Snakeskin (Peter Hurnard); The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (Nigel Streeter); Stickmen (Oktober).
Best Digitally Mastered Feature Film: The Shirt (John Laing and Ross Bevan); Back River Road (Peter Tait); The Waiting Game (Robert Rowe and Cristobal Araus Lobos).
Best Short Film: Falling Sparrows (Murray Keane); Junk (Greg King); Camping With Camus (Alan Erson).
Best Script for Short Film: Falling Sparrows (Murray Keane); Cow (Michael Bennett); Room Tone (Charlie McClellan).
Best Technical Contribution to Short Film: Junk (John Chrystoffels); Cow (Robert Gillies); Like An Angel (Dave Whitehead).
Best Performance In A Short Film: Jonathon Hardy (Camping With Camus); Lee Hartley (A New Way Home); Jed Brophy (Room Tone).
Tamsin
tamsin@aintitcoolmail.com
Father Geek back, this time with Norman's part of this week's report...
Imagine a gritty epic set in a savage, distant land. Peopled by big, rough-hewn, Irish-bred outlaws riding in a gang, led by a man with shabby clothes but the bearing of a king. The gang slice through the police traps until one final, foolhardy, endgame where the king goes forth clad in steel and is finally brought down by a torrent of bullets.
Australia and the world is ripe for a really good Ned Kelly film, and it seems as if according to the law of odds we might finally be due one. Heath Ledger is shaping up as the likeliest candidate for Ned, in a film adaptation of the stage play OUR SUNSHINE - which is also a school text in some Australian schools.
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG is ever more anticipated now that author Peter Carey has won the prestigious Booker Prize for his original novel. Neil Jordan is helming this one, which I have to say disappoints me a little - it would be lovely for an Australian voice on a project like this, especially after the right royal cockup that UK director Tony Richardson turned in on his NED KELLY back in the 1970s. Casting rumours - you want some? They're strictly fantasyland right now, but two names stand out - Russell Crowe as Ned, and Nicole Kidman as his romantic interest. Russell is just about rough enough for the role, but this is a starmaking role and it'd be nice if Jordan and co. went out on a limb with some of the hungry young local stars that deserve more exposure. Simon Lyndon (CHOPPER) is surely due a break?
On an exciting note, locations are apparently being scouted right now for the TRUE HISTORY... Kelly project - here's hoping they get good, rough Australian bushland. Just thinking about it makes me heart flutter. I do hope Jordan gets it right.
DIRTY DEEDS
This month local filmmag Encore highlighted writer/director David (MULLET) Caesar's retro Ozcrime flick DIRTY DEEDS, the front cover featuring stars Bryan Brown, John Goodman (yes, John Goodman) and Sam Neill dressed in sharpie 70s suits. The article features the first day of shooting, in a graveyard. Toni Collette, also starring, is unfortunately not pictured. Director David Caesar, better known for more gritty, independent fare, concedes that DIRTY DEEDS is written and directed to be a hard-hitting commercial flick. I've been excited by Caesar's filmmaking style for a long time - and I've got faith DIRTY DEEDS should find a wide audience.
GADGET TIME
Further information on that much-anticipated INSPECTOR GADGET sequel. It'll be a straight-to-video affair. The predominantly Australian crew has been locked in and the Brisbane-based shoot is expected to kick off from November.
OZ TORONTO RECAP
Nightmare? Ask the organisers of the Toronto Film Festival about it. You want something that'll totally wipe film out of a punter's mind, you couldn't get something more dead-on than the terrible events of September 11. For the filmmakers, too, the puncturing of the speedy, adrenaline-rush atmosphere of the fest led to many prospective deals blowing in the wind. SILENT PARTNER was left high and dry, and THE BANK was affected by the re-scheduling demanded by the tragedy. Bigger films, Scott Hicks' HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, and Ray Lawrence's LANTANA, luckily had deals in place before the events. For some films, September 11 added extra resonance. Paul Cox's THE DIARIES OF VASLA NIJINSKY, a study of ballet artist Nijinksky's so-called madness, played well to the hushed Toronto crowds. For a couple of hours, in the worst of times, film mattered again.
AUSTRALIA SHOOT REPORT
Reports from Encore columnist David Pratt that security concerns have not been a factor in the cancellation of any Australian-shot USA projects - although apparently "content" has been a factor in getting some "shelved". Hmmm.... Pratt also notes that some projects apparently scheduled for Morrocco have been shifted to Australia - with concerns that Morrocco is in the wrong region of the world... This situation is likely to shift along with world events, so I'll keep you updated on the Australian end of things.
WHO YOU CALLIN' CHICKEN?
Word from the set of THE NUGGET, the latest film from Mr INCREDIBLE HULK, Eric Bana, is that an enterprising KFC Store Manager offered the free use of his outback Mudgee store for a daytime shoot. The result? Fantastic product placement for KFC, and a possible commercial tie-in for THE NUGGET later on.
BLURRED
I featured some word on this schoolies/sex/drugs flick a little while back, and now a synopsis has popped up - "School's out, and it's 200 miles to the party of a lifetime. At the end of every year, more than 70,000 Australian teenagers head for the sun-drenched beaches of the Gold Coast to celebrate their release from High School. Blurred is about getting there." No word on casting yet, although I wouldn't be surprised if some young soapie stars scored a few of the key gigs...
TAKE AWAY
An interesting project has popped up from the producer of MURIEL'S WEDDING, Bryce Menzies. Titled TAKE AWAY, it's the work of local stand-up comic Dave O'Neil (THE NUGGET) and notorious comedy writer Mark O'Toole. The synopsis reads "Tony Silano and Trev Spackneys both own, live, and work in adjoining take-away fish shops in Melbourne. Although they have fallen into a habitual rivalry based on a cause long forgotten, the pair unite when the multi-national fast-food outlet "Burgies" opens a new store directly opposite the twin fish & chips shops".
WORMTONGUE WATCH
Brad Dourif (LORD OF THE RINGS) has turned up as a cast member of the prequel TV series to BONANZA, PONDEROSA - which is being shot in regional Victoria right about now.
Further poop... pop it over to old man Gunston, awlright?
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