Beaks here...

Whew! My brain is finally back online after getting severely overtaxed at the 5D: The Future of Immersive Design in Long Beach this weekend. More on that later. Right now, let's check out our first reader review in a while for Baz Luhrmann's 'roo-boxing epic, AUSTRALIA. The reactions we posted last June were very enthusiastic. How's it playing closer to release? Read on...

Well that was interesting; I just had a rather unusual and incredibly cool screening experience here in lovely Aliso Viejo getting to see a pre-release cut of Australia by Baz Luhrmann. Unusual in that the guy handing out the invite had no idea what the film was. And cool in that I will go see this AGAIN when it's playing for real.

This isn't the movie you might expect from Baz Luhrmann. It isnt Moulin Rouge and certainly isn't Romeo and Juliet, instead it's (at least to me) an epic, dramatic story of love set against a visually stunning backdrop with a surprisingly strong performance from Kidman and a refreshing change of pace performance from Jackman. That's quite a mouthful and fitting because this movie is quite a mouthful, actually a stomach full that I'm sure will take me a couple days to fully digest…and it's GREAT!!

Even though this isn't necessarily a special effects kind of movie, some of them (especially the war scenes in the second half) are important because they convey the scope and scale of the story. Makes it feel bigger than just a love story between the rugged, outdoorsy, horseman and the sophisticated city lady.

I found the aboriginal kid (who facilitates the thawing of Kidman's character through latching on to her as a mother figure) very genuine and believable, in fact that could be said of the whole cast. I really got into the story.

One side note …Lurhman, Kidman, and Jackman are all Aussie natives and because of that I had the sense that this film meant a little more to them than their standard work. I think this is especially true of Kidman who (fairly or not) has been criticized for coming off as an emotionless automaton or just bad in her recent films. Granted there is a nice symmetry between the chillier aspect of her personality and her character in the early parts of this film, but what separates this from other things I've seen her in is that this character's turn or evolution away from the cold British aristocrat is incredibly believable and arguably her best work. Jackman is fantastic as a brawler cowboy with a bad attitude, the cattle drive and bombing scenes are really well done, and I laughed out loud a couple times when Jackman/Kidman first meet and he takes great pleasure in messing with the city priss. It's a complete film and real cinematic experience, and one of the best times I've had at the movies since I can remember.