Cool News
Another Reader Is Back From AUSTRALIA!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Merrick here...
Mallrat sent in this look at Baz Luhrmann's AUSTRALIA, to follow-up on/in response to a review we posted earlier today (HERE). You can find trailer for the film, in various forms of Glorious QuickTime, HERE.
Here's Mallrat...
I was also in attendance to the screening of Australia and I am in agreement with the first review, to some extent. It was a truly epic film and is going to be beautiful once it is all buttoned up. However, it is worth mentioning that this movie needs a lot of attention/TLC. This is not due to the unfinished visual effects or temporary soundtrack, but more of the flow or rhythm of the movie. The run time was a shade over three hours – which in some cases is fine. However in this case there was a solid 45min, if not a whole hour that could have easily been shaved off.
The previous review touched on this a bit, but honesty – the first hour or so of the flick all led up to this cattle drive and everything we knew hinged on this. The drive was successful, everything was all squared away, and there were about 5 or 6 scenes showing the Drover heading out for more cattle drives and returning home to Lady Ashley – ect ect. I was shuffling around in my seat ready to start my survey, and then a few more scenes - The little boy leaves to go with his real grandfather on his “Walkabout”, The Drover leaves Lady Ashley (her world falls apart at least 5 times in this flick), and eventually the local authorities catch up and arrest the boys grandfather (who is accused of murdering Lady Ashley’s husband), and sends the boy (Nulla, I believe his name is) out to Mission Island. And then the camera pans out into the clouds and everyone once again was thinking “Holy shit, that is a fucked up ending, but an ending none the less” Honestly at this point if felt as though this movie ended and now a whole new movie has started.
We end up switching gears and Japanese bombers come in and tear up Mission Island and main harbor city (can’t remember the name). You are strongly led to believe that Lady Ashley is dead, and you kinda figure Nulla will survive. However, The Drover comes back to find everyone and learns of Lady Ashley’s supposed death and the fate of Mission Island. He and his right hand man, along with the drunkin bartender (who is hilarious at times) lead a rescue mission to Mission Island – which turns out to be a fantastic sequence in which I look forward to seeing again. He rescues the boy (and a handful of other Aborigine children) and heads back to the main land in a hurry (as they found out shortly after getting to the island that it was in the process of being occupied by Japanese land forces) Lady Ashley is there waiting for them and yada yada yada. Then David Wenham’s character (Fletcher) decides he is going to fuck up the movie and draws down on the boy. In a few flashy sequences the grandfather of the boy spears Fletcher, Fletcher shoots The Drover (who dives in for th e save, if you will) and Nulla / Lady Ashley collapse on The Drover. The Drover dies and long story short Nulla leaves with his grandfather in the end of the flick. Lady Ashley is once again alone.
Now, we were told before the movie that we were going to see a “romantic, action filled epic”. I saw an “action filled tragedy”. And if they can tastefully tie this movie up into a solid story, with a nice pace – Baz will have a winner here. And there is no reason to kill off Wolvie in this one - come on.
One other beef with the cut we saw – There were way too many references to the Wizard of Oz in this thing and if I have to hear the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” again, I may claw out my eyes. A few hints here would have been fine. But - ok, we fucking get it – Lady Ashley is the “Rainbow” that will save the Aborigine’s and “Oz” is slang for Australia. Now I am all about symbolism in movies and what not, but there is no reason to continuously beat us over the head with this one. I was even cool with the ruby red slippers amidst the rubble after the bombing, but hearing that song hummed/sung throughout the movie was damn near intolerable.
Call me Mallrat if you decide to throw this up.
The previous review touched on this a bit, but honesty – the first hour or so of the flick all led up to this cattle drive and everything we knew hinged on this. The drive was successful, everything was all squared away, and there were about 5 or 6 scenes showing the Drover heading out for more cattle drives and returning home to Lady Ashley – ect ect. I was shuffling around in my seat ready to start my survey, and then a few more scenes - The little boy leaves to go with his real grandfather on his “Walkabout”, The Drover leaves Lady Ashley (her world falls apart at least 5 times in this flick), and eventually the local authorities catch up and arrest the boys grandfather (who is accused of murdering Lady Ashley’s husband), and sends the boy (Nulla, I believe his name is) out to Mission Island. And then the camera pans out into the clouds and everyone once again was thinking “Holy shit, that is a fucked up ending, but an ending none the less” Honestly at this point if felt as though this movie ended and now a whole new movie has started.
We end up switching gears and Japanese bombers come in and tear up Mission Island and main harbor city (can’t remember the name). You are strongly led to believe that Lady Ashley is dead, and you kinda figure Nulla will survive. However, The Drover comes back to find everyone and learns of Lady Ashley’s supposed death and the fate of Mission Island. He and his right hand man, along with the drunkin bartender (who is hilarious at times) lead a rescue mission to Mission Island – which turns out to be a fantastic sequence in which I look forward to seeing again. He rescues the boy (and a handful of other Aborigine children) and heads back to the main land in a hurry (as they found out shortly after getting to the island that it was in the process of being occupied by Japanese land forces) Lady Ashley is there waiting for them and yada yada yada. Then David Wenham’s character (Fletcher) decides he is going to fuck up the movie and draws down on the boy. In a few flashy sequences the grandfather of the boy spears Fletcher, Fletcher shoots The Drover (who dives in for th e save, if you will) and Nulla / Lady Ashley collapse on The Drover. The Drover dies and long story short Nulla leaves with his grandfather in the end of the flick. Lady Ashley is once again alone.
Now, we were told before the movie that we were going to see a “romantic, action filled epic”. I saw an “action filled tragedy”. And if they can tastefully tie this movie up into a solid story, with a nice pace – Baz will have a winner here. And there is no reason to kill off Wolvie in this one - come on.
One other beef with the cut we saw – There were way too many references to the Wizard of Oz in this thing and if I have to hear the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” again, I may claw out my eyes. A few hints here would have been fine. But - ok, we fucking get it – Lady Ashley is the “Rainbow” that will save the Aborigine’s and “Oz” is slang for Australia. Now I am all about symbolism in movies and what not, but there is no reason to continuously beat us over the head with this one. I was even cool with the ruby red slippers amidst the rubble after the bombing, but hearing that song hummed/sung throughout the movie was damn near intolerable.
Call me Mallrat if you decide to throw this up.
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+ Expand All
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interesting
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It's 'Harry, open your email, please.' Ignorant cunt.
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i feel like i am in a DAMN FREAKOUT after reading that review. force10 you are an impolite bastard.
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What the hell, diude? where yo manners!
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Try "thewholefreakingmovie" Geez!
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sounds too much like those A.I. and JPIII reviews from back in the day where they took some vague details and then essentially went on to write their own version of what they would have happen. Read that synopsis and tell me it isnt' just a tad too melodramatic. That fake A.I. review out months before the movie had Jude Law's Gigolo Joe fighting Will Hurt's Prof Hobby who was trying to kill Haley Joel Osment with giant bionic arms which, I believe they said, increased his strength tenfold or some BS. Point is, I think this reads like a breathless freakout because they are making it up in the same way a parent makes up a bedtime story for their kids. Or this really is the movie,and this reviewer is completely incapable of writing something coherent.
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Those might be spoilers if i had any idea to what they were referring.
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Keep in mind that he/she is touching up on the previous review here - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37283
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what I question. I believe they reference that previous review. That one also laid out the structure, which would make a fake review with that gonzo silent movie-esque ending easier to make up. Then again it is Baz Luhrman and he has partaken of that kind of melodrama before.
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Those early reviews of A.I. were better than the feature film that was ultimately delivered... I especially enjoyed the fight scenes! Now, if you'll excuse me, Robocop is on.
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Jun 30, 2008 2:47:36 PM CDT
Oh yeah post links to those bizarre A.I. review...
by troutmaskreplicant
http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/9167#comment_298330
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won't read this article, or the talkback.way to be, AICN. serving your readers by letting them know what not to read. i thank you.
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I just took a huge dump
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Rather have dioreah than watch another Baz Lurpac movie.
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You whingy little bitch, it's got a spoiler warning, what more do you want? And at the end of the day, it's only a fucking Baz Luhrmann movie. It's hardly spoilers on the next big geek movie of the year, is it? Sheesh.
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Skip
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That was a play by play.
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i have no idea.
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What I REALLY want to know about is what John Hillcoat is up to in regards to THE ROAD. After seeing the brilliant THE PROPOSITION (and reading a shit-ton of Cormac McCarthy over the years) the pairing of Hillcoat and McCarthy has me jazzed the fuck up. I could give a shit about how Luhrman fucks up his eighth post-Moulin Rouge project in so many years. He's lost his mind and I don't want to see the end result. Bring on the new, exciting Aussies!
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by all the people who put 'If you use this, call me ______' at the end of their emails. Have they never read a freakin AICN user submitted review? Do they not notice how lame it makes them sound to not have the balls to sign their reviews with whatever alias they want? Bloody hell, stiffen up.
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You will ruin this movie for us all, once more, you dirty foreigner.
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that review made me see swirls of colors which i could taste
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Australia 2: Gday 'Check' Mate. Coming soon to a toilet near you.
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Heh.
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Blinking text! Haven't seen that for awhile. I wouldn't even remember how to do it. What nostalgia.
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Sounds like a bullshit "stolen generation" movie. Its been proven a lie but people continue to believe this crap without proof!!
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So you want it shorter and with a happy ending? fuck you.
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just so I could tell them that test screenings are bullshit.
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Why does the drover leave Lady A at one point (right before the bombings according to this review)? And does he say he'll come back for her, he just has to leave for a little while, or is it more of a "goodbye" not able to be together? I would really appreciate anyone who can answer! =)
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"First time reviewers" slip in outrageous spelling errors intentionally to come across as sincere fanboys. Posers! We are not fooled.
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and neither can put together a comprehensible sentence.
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Andrew Bolt is that you?
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That whiney right wing ratbag moaning and regurgitation about the 'evil' leftist lies we have had 'thrust' on us..Of course, they never get off their lily white asses to read anything that challenged that talkback radio ignorance.
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To those who have seen the movie (or wrote the reviews) please go onto IMDB to the "Australia" forum. I really want to ask some questions. Thanks!
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