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Capone lets Baz Luhrmann's AUSTRALIA get under his skin and into his cold, dark heart...dammit!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
The films of Baz Luhrmann (STRICLTY BALLROOM, ROMEO AND JULIET, MOULIN ROUGE) continue to get bigger and grander in both scale and visionary prowess. I think it's fair to say that no other director working today mounts the kind of massive exercises in Big Film-making that Luhrmann does. His latest, AUSTRALIA, feels like three movies packed into one enormous undertaking, and somehow he manages to do justice by all of its many plots and subplots, primary and supporting characters, large and small emotional moments. In an unfortunate turn resulting from a collective attention deficit disorder, many of today's movie-going audiences have become resistant to epic films, but Luhrmann reminds us how to piece one together and make the experience not just enjoyable but damn near transcendent (most of the time). In the end, it doesn't really matter if Luhrmann is making the Australian equivalent to GONE WITH THE WIND or LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or RED RIVER or even PEARL HARBOR, AUSTRALIA fills every inch of the screen with something magnificent, and while the story isn't always compelling 100 percent of the time, it's still nothing short of a treat to watch such an excellent filmmaker get a chance to stretch his visionary wings and really tell a story with no restrictions of size or scope. There are few directors I'd want to see do something that expansive, but Luhrmann is definitely one of them.
I wasn't kidding when I said there are three films packed into this one. The film has fairly clear break points in its two-hour 45-minute running time. The first story is a plain and simple Western, set during Australia's early involvement in World War II, featuring Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), a fish-out-of-water English aristocrat, who arrives in the outback to meet her cattle-driving husband only to find he's been killed just before she arrives. The locals all believe that the native Aborigines have slaughtered him, but most suspect this might not be the case. The Ashley cattle must be driven from their land to the docks at Darwin, where army ships await them for wartime meal rations. Lord Ashley had a contract with the army, but rival cattle rancher King Carney (Bryan Brown) and his devious right-hand man Neil Fletcher (David Wenham, Faramir from Lord of the Rings and the one-eyed Dilios from 300) have been systematically stealing unbranded cattle from Ashley and making it generally impossible for them to drive the cattle the long route to the seaside. Hugh Jackman plays Drover, a sweaty cowboy who earns a living driving cattle and spent many of his earlier years living among the Aborigine. Lady Ashley hires him to pull together just enough people to move the cattle, and thus our story begins.
But AUSTRALIA is also the story of a young mixed-race boy named Nullah (newcomer Brandon Walters), who lives on the Ashley's ranch and whose mother works as a housekeeper for the family. In fact, Nullah is our narrator and the movie is as much his story of growing up amidst these extraordinary events, attempting to stay true to his roots while still living in the world of the whites. His grandfather is a magic-man called King George (David Gulpilil, from WALKABOUT, RABBIT PROOF FENCE and the recent TEN CANOES), who is suspected by some of killing Lord Ashley. Luhrmann lives as much in George's mystical world filled with incantations and walkabouts as he does in the very real world of the whites that inhabit this land. One of the film's many subplot involves the nation's practice of removing half-caste children from their homes and putting them in missions where they can learn Western ways and eventually, as one character puts it, "have the black bred out of them." It's a deplorable practice, to be sure, but this particular story point seems a bit forcibly wedged into the movie.
After the cattle drive, Luhrmann concerns himself with a love story between Drover and Lady Ashley. When the rain comes and the land turns green, Drover runs the place like the man of the house, but when the seasons change, he leaves for six-month stretches to do what he was raised to do — drive cattle and break horses. But with war coming, Australia is destined to get pulled into the conflict due to its proximity to Japan and its allegiance to Great Britain. The sequence in which Japan does invade is merciless and phenomenal to watch unfold, especially when you realize that the first target of the Japanese planes is the small island where the mixed-race children are being housed.
Because of the film's emphasis on race relations and the shameless treatment of these children, the comparisons between AUSTRALIA and GONE WITH THE WIND make the most sense. Luhrmann goes almost too far out of his way to comment on the unenviable position the Aborigine people were in at the time (not that their world got much better any time soon after WWII), but if that nation's preeminent filmmaker doesn't address the issue in a film of this scale, it's unlikely anyone else will. The problems I had with AUSTRALIA were fairly minor. When we first meet Lady Ashley, Kidman plays here a bit too prim and proper, almost to the point of being unbearable to watch. But once she gets into the swing of things on the ranch and begins the cattle drive, she's much more fun to watch dive into this character. Along those same, over-the-top lines, Wenham's evil Fletcher portrayal is far too mustache-twisting-bad-guy obvious. And even when we get a limp attempt at a psychological explanation for Fletcher's deep-seated resentment of those better off than himself, it doesn't ring true and eats up unnecessary time in an already lengthy endeavor.
But Jackman and Kidman are pretty damned exciting to watch, and Luhrmann keeps things moving along, as well he should. There are some truly spectacular set pieces, including a bull stampede on a cliff's edge and the aforementioned Japanese attack on Darwin. But where the film really shines is in capturing the pulse of a nation during a time of one of its greatest transformations and transitions. AUSTRALIA isn't meant to feel completely real and authentic. There's certainly a surreal quality to the work, the way there is in all of Luhrmann's films. The Aborigine spiritualism is the primary source of this other-worldly vibe, but it's not the only source. And Jackman and Kidman have a strong enough collective presence to make it all seem believable and exciting. This film is unabashedly romantic, passionate and spiritual. If you consider these bad words, stay the hell away from AUSTRALIA. But if you want to be truly swept away by a film, this is the clear choice.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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yay?
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Australia
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Nov 28, 2008 12:45:14 PM CST
I will see this because I'm Australian...
by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for
and it would be un-Australian not to.Nice review again(along with the Milk one), but your article could use a little tool called spellcheck, since you incorrectly spelled Australia in your headline. And Walkabout in the article.
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I'm Australian and I have no desire whatsoever to see this. Condescending shit about "Aboriginal spirituality" that's so cynically designed to attract tourists isn't my idea of a good time, and I usually like Luhrmann's movies
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I'm Australian and I have no desire whatsoever to see this. Condescending shit about "Aboriginal spirituality" that's so cynically designed to attract tourists isn't my idea of a good time, and I usually like Luhrmann's movies
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I was being a little facetious with the un-Australian bit, but I will probably see it. I'm not sure about Luhrmann yet. Moulin Rouge is not my most favorite flick in the world.
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was pretty much incredible
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should be "deep-seated"
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This was such an awesome movie.
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This sounds like a chick flick, sort of Legends of the Fall mixed with Out of Africa but all 'Atonement-ed' up. If you want doomed romance mixed with war, then you can't do much better then Enemy at the Gates, in my most humble but perfectly formed opinion.
Having said that, I won't enjoy Austrailia, despite it's merits, as I regard Baz as the Ozzie equivalent of Joel Schumacher.
Where's the Austrailia I know and love - Mel Gibson running over radioactive punk rockers in his V8 Interceptor.
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I'm not even sure I'd watch something like this in an airport lounge, never mind shell out for a ten dollar movie ticket.
I had trouble making it through its four minute trailer...this looks like the epic you might see sent up in TROPIC THUNDER than a real movie, but I guess there's still a market there for this type of schlock. -
This just looks lame. And I hated Moulin Rouge (!).
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That would be the only movie of his I would pay to see.
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The stand-off in the final scenes between the fugitive director (played by Gerard Depardieu) and Interpol could be filmed at EuroDisney.
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Last King of Scotland
This is England
Once Upon a Time in America
Brazil
From Russia with Love
The China Syndrome
7 Days in Tibet
Good Morning Vietnam
And probably many more, but I can't be asked (arsed) as I'm off to the pub. -
...But this is Crocodile Dundee played with a straight face, with some Aboriginal and Japanese talking points thrown in for the kids to discuss when the film gets added to the english curriculum in Australian high schools.
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Baz is just not my idea of what cinema's about. He's a stage show guy, right? Probably excellent at that. He should stick to what he knows, 'cause he sure as shit knows nothing about movies.
I was forced to sit through "Strictly Ballroom". I walked out of "Romeo & Juliet". Tried to watch "Moulin Rouge" a couple of times, but it's like it was edited in a blender. That's not style; it's desperation in a cutting room. As for "Australia", 2.5 hrs of goofy cliches, tacky mysticism and Nicole Kidman's Michael Jackson like plastic head..? No thanks. If I want a horror movie, I'll choose more wisely.
The good news is that he's hardly prolific, and "Australia" looks to be a flop (given the low opening numbers Stateside and in Australia itself). We can perhaps breathe a sigh of relief that we won't suffer any more of his indulgent excesses for a while. Fingers crossed, never again. -
It would outdo Springtime for Hitler for laughs.
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Why on EARTH does Kidman keep making these $15 million paychecks when she has NEVER, *EVER* opened a movie on her name alone? She's made more box office mega-bombs in the past five years than any A-list actress I can think of. And she isn't even hot anymore, thanks to all the botox freezing her face into this eerie, expresionless mask.
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I'd agree that the beginning isn't the greatest, but once the story gets going all the characters really grow and are fun to watch. Brandon Walters is awesome as the little boy, but Wenham (who I normally like) is a little two dimensional here. This was my first Luhrmann experience, I'll have to check out Moulin Rouge sometime soon.
***1/2 (out of 4) -
Michael Bay's SPLODESVILLE
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The $2 million you refer to is solely in the Australian market, no other country opened AUSTRALIA on Wednesday. In Australia, from 600 screens - $2 million in ONE day is GREAT!Having said that, Nicole can command a $15 million dollar paycheck from a little something called the INTERNATIONAL market. You know, that thing you've clearly never heard of. The same place where AUSTRALIA will make its money. AUSTRALIA won't do well in the states - it wasn't made for the USA. It won't make it's money back and will be declared a flop. But mark my words, it'll do really well in UK, Asia and Europe. This movie was a safe bet, as was Kidmans involvement in it.So put hyperbole aside and go back to class.
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The $2 million you refer to is solely in the Australian market, no other country opened AUSTRALIA on Wednesday. In Australia, from 600 screens - $2 million in ONE day is GREAT!Having said that, Nicole can command a $15 million dollar paycheck from a little something called the INTERNATIONAL market. You know, that thing you've clearly never heard of. The same place where AUSTRALIA will make its money. AUSTRALIA won't do well in the states - it wasn't made for the USA. It won't make it's money back and will be declared a flop. But mark my words, it'll do really well in UK, Asia and Europe. This movie was a safe bet, as was Kidmans involvement in it.So put hyperbole aside and go back to class.
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for half the attention span :)
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...he just lives in France now, it's like saying Baz Luhrmann's Los Angeles.
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Correction: it opened on 300 screens in Australia. It opened Wednesday, a day ahead of the norm from what I understand of down under (a common studio tactic to artificially inflate the weekend tally). But it took 1.3, not 2 mil. on Wednesday in Oz. That's not completely terrible, but it's not good at all. Bond on Wednesday, in its second week of release, took over 2 mil.
It'll be interesting to see how the film does outside Australia. I wouldn't get your hopes up for a smashing success anywhere. Also, the film is very clearly aimed at the USA, backed by a major studio to the tune of 150 mil + a hefty P&A cost (prints and advertising). The return out of each dollar, when all's said and done, when exhibitors have taken their slice etc. etc., even after anciliary sales via DVD, Blu-Ray, whatever, it will be an uphill battle to break even.
...And last time I checked, the USA is part of the international market. -
Nov 28, 2008 5:37:19 PM CST
The next film I wanted to see Hugh-san and David Wenham in is...
by anna valerious
...a sequel to "Van Helsing". Because I sure as hell didn't ask for this snore.
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After reading Latauro's review I thought I would be giving my money away, but was pleasantly surprised. I don't think it will do well box office wise in US as I don't recall being advertised ad nauseum and running time will scare people away. The local theater shows it only 4 times a day.
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In my opinion, Luhrman creates magical, transformational films that inspire people to believe that their dreams can come true enough if they are willing to fight for them. Fighting through the the fear, the doubts, criticism, shame, complacence or whatever it is that holds you down or back is needed in order for one to be transformed. Baz's films explore this theme in such an amazing way. How some movie critics get so cynical just baffles me.
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I'm an Australian too but in no version of reality do I suck down this populist puke brained 'un-Australian' shit that morons equate as some kind of phony ass patriotism. I loathe you, just the fact you can peal off that dumb ass shit we hear regurgitated on morning talk shows by braindead morons and our former PM..
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calling shit when it is shit...never sucking down hype like a drone, and certainly never accepting that calling shit for what it is is 'cutting down tall poppies'. We have plenty of successful Australian film makers, but most of them need to leave this fawning mediocrity so prevalent in our culture that spawns movies like this shit.
Capone, you are dead to me! -
You're right - 304 screens, 600+ prints (that's what I meant). 1.3 IS very good for a non-sequel or original story. I believe that is the 7th largest opening (for Wednesday?) in Australia... And Bond didn't take over $2mil on it's 2nd wednesday, it was under a mil which in itself is a troubling 50+% drop. Not sure where you got the $2mil figure from. I guess I could be wrong but I get the figures directly from nelsons.Of course the movie is being sold big to the states but it wasn't made for them. USA isn't exactly an audience dominated by culture vultures. That's where Eurpoe and Asia come into it. It will be very interesting if it can recoupe it's massive budget. But, I guess if Mr Bean 2 can rake in $186mil from international sales alone than anything is possible.
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This is only the second film I've ever walked out of. The other was ..cofcof... Battlefield Earth.
Seriously - Kidman - when will the execs realise that she's got nothing left. Here she's doing a Kira Knightly, without the charm, or even the acting ability, and I don't rate Kira as being much of an actress, except in costume dramas (she was BORN to play in the 18th century)
Overblown, trite and almost buttock-clenchingly twee, with politics laden on so thick it could be used as cement.
Maybe with a better edit and a serious look at cast it might have been worthwhile.
Even Jackman couldn't save this one.
2.5/10 (and that's generous - the cinematography is really quite good) -
But then, I hate Baz Luhrmann films. I might point out that the widespread practice of removing Aboriginal children and putting them in missions etc (called The Stolen Generation now) ended nearly a hundred years ago now, although there were cases of it happening as recently as the 60s. -
Nov 28, 2008 6:40:35 PM CST
Quantize... You are a Class A FUCKWIT
by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for
When did irony and sarcasm get lost on Australians? Or is it just you?If you weren't such a fucking retard, you could tell I was being facetious. I even said so in a subsequent post.And no one on this TB mentioned "cutting down poppies", so who the fuck knows why your crapping on about that.To spell it out for you because you are obviously a fucking moron... I couldn't give two shits if you "loathe" me.I also like to call shit when it is shit, so I'll say this...Quantize, you are full of shit.
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but I mostly agree with you too. Weird. I thought the problem was that Baz just went too far this time. I mean we really need to establish some sort of slo-mo rehab facility for directors. You overuse it and it seems like you want every second of every scene to be superimportant and then none of them are because half the damn movie is in slow motion. You hit the nail on the head with the list of movies it's reminscent of. I thought of all of them as I watched it but I swear if you played it right after 'Pearl Harbor' it could pass for a sequel. Another gripe is that as long as it was I felt like a lot had been cut out or they just never got around certain parts of the story. Like okay (spoilers) Nicole and Hugh are looking at each other, thats enough for everyone to think they're in love. Okay Hugh says he's not going to the ball, that'll be enough to make people actually think that he's not going to show ;). Come on. I can go for a sappy love story but this was just too too much. And David Wenham was the worst villain ever. That was bad casting. And my biggest gripe of all, how do you stuff every Australian who ever acted into a movie and not find a place for Paul Hogan?
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I saw this last night. Yes it dragged in a couple of parts, and the start is more stylised than later, but all in all its a wonderfully entertaining movie, and I encourage anyone to go and see it. Don't know what this 'slo mo' crap is about? I saw slo mo used about TWICE. And as for Paul Hogan... do you know what he looks like at the moment? If you saw all the plastic surgery he's had, you wouldn't WANT to put him in a movie, you'd have to rename it Freddy Kreuger VIIIII or something....
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Thought this was a decent movie in the first half, then when I realized it wasn't done for another 1 1/2 hour, started to like it less. I was more entertained in a shorter time by 4 Christmases.
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It's not an epic film... to much CGI makes the film feel prosthetic along with the often over the top and zany Melodrama. From the bad green screen work while driving to the ranch and that same sequence has dodgy CGI Kangaroos... not very epic!
The film attempts to be epic by connecting three stories together and presenting part of it against the bombing of Darwin.
The bull stampede on the cliff's edge is not spectacular at all because it is all a lot of obvious composite work and CGI Cliffs/landscapes. Yeah, the film has lots of shots of characters standing on CGI cliffs. CGI animals and CGI sunsets. CGI is not epic! For a film presenting the beautiful Australian outback as it's back drop the film seems to prefer ugly CGI more than often throughout the course of the film than show the real thing. Epics are supposed to be visually epic!
I'd give the film a 5/10 for being enjoyable overall but the film is not in the slightest the work of art it tries to be. It does nothing new and is just a mixed bad by a director who loves the old school epics but just doesn't understand them. -
oh FUCK OFF jerk off
you've fucking shoved your apologetic nose up this turd of a movies arse since the last AICN review..you've fooling NOBODY buy yourself. -
Certainly not the best thing I've seen, but it was enjoyable. I never got bored. With all the bad press, I figured I'd hate it, but I didn't.
Nicole Kidman is godawful, but she doesn't ruin the movie. -
Nov 28, 2008 9:29:30 PM CST
Stolen Generation was far far far less than a century ago.
by weresmurf77
The removals occurred in the period between approximately 1869 and 1969, although, in some places, children were still being taken in the 1970s. I grew up around aboriginal families in the Gippsland area in Victoria in the 1980s and even as recent as then they were being poked and prodded as far as their children went by do gooders. The fact is, that the stolen generation was far far less than a century ago as claimed by a previous talkbacker and as recent as 35 - 40 years ago. I don't know anyone on a friendship level who had this done to them, but I do know people with relatives who had this done. It's a deplorable thing, something we aren't proud of here in Australia. America had it's Indians who they treated much the same way, Africans too, and we're part of that dark, dirty piece of history called Racism that we're still struggling to make ammends for. There's still a deep division between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginal Australians these days, it'll be there for a long time and it'll eventually heal, but not today or tommorrow, not even next year. Probably a century or two.
And I hate that term 'Lets breed the black out of them' that's taken directly from a politician in the 30/40s era who stated that publicly here. Shameful. -
My bad on Bond, sorry; I had been cutting and pasting and mixed it up. Bond opening day was over 2 mil, and still had legs on its second Wednesday. A 50% drop is not unexpected. QOS box office won't be impeded overall. I just checked its first week and it did 9.75 mil in Oz. The #2 movie only took 500K. That's an uber front-loaded turnout for 007, hence the 50% drop mid-week no biggie. Interesting to see how the final weekend tally. Fox made a blunder releasing "Australia" one week out from a successfully re-booted franchise on its sophomore outing. The Bond release dates were locked in a long time ago. Fox shuffled "Australia" around, so it's not like they didn't know what they'd be up against. Given the scope of the "Australia" release, they couldn't have been thinking in terms of counter-programming. Doesn't make sense. Pure madness.
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I fell asleep TWICE in AUSTRALIA today. It's nigh unwatchable. Coupled with his hate filled (and entirely off the mark) review of FOUR CHRISTMASES, I've come to the conclusion that Capone doesn't really know what the hell he's even talking about anymore. Shame.
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Nov 28, 2008 9:40:31 PM CST
Consumer Warning Australia Is One Of The Worst Films Ever Made!!
by media messiah
The last 3rd of the film is very good, but before that, there is no movie whatsoever, just a series of largely disjointed and over-long scenes, and I honestly can't tell you what the plot of the film is, because there is no plot, just characters with a lot of separate personal agendas and back history. It is obvious that Baz Lurhmann has no clear understanding of proper story structure, although he has good intentions, as he struggles to make this film a cross between historical docu-drama about Australian racial discrimination against the native populace...with a Titanic and Gone With The Wind like love story thrown into the mix. This is really a pointless musical absent the musical or dance numbers, well save for many repeated references and sounds of the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow".If they could have just dumped the first 2/3's of this film and created a linear plot to replace the various dead end scenes that came before, that...and, if they gave us a good villain, then maybe they would have had a classic on their hands, one worthy of being called a good or great film, however they didn't do that, and hence, this film s just a mess along the lines of Heaven's Gate. Trust me, the first 2/3rds of this film are so bad I almost walked out on it multiple times. Jackman is Jackman, and Kidman, is Kidman, they do their jobs and are very likable--it is just too bad that they failed to force Luhrmann to deliver a plot, and a good one at that!!! And then there is the case of the many false endings, too numerous to mention, from mid point of the film, on.Do not be fooled by the trailers or the commercials which make this film look wonderful. The film you will see is not that film, as it does not exist, no, they just assembled pretty parts of the movie to make it appear great throughout, and it is anything but that.Finally, the long running time of the movie needs to be address. You'll find yourselves praying for this film to end beginning after the first 20 minutes, but it won't, it just goes on, and on, and on...for almost 3 hours...which feels like 6 hours, plus!!! Baz Luhrmann was a director and writer out of control here like a kid in a candy store, who's gotten into all the candy, is over fed and over stuffed, and who wants to over stuff you too...although you are full, and begging for a rest from the relentless feeding!!! This is just an exercise in watching a self styled exhibitionist masturbate in public. That would be fine if we were watching a sexy woman do that in reality, but instead it is Baz Luhrmann doing it in every frame of this film, from just out of camera frame...but you see the results of his ejaculation in every shot, and it would be offensive even for a porn movie!!! Australia is truly a horrible, horrible film!!! Consumer Warning: Save Your Money!!!
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generally delivers. The Fountain sucked, but has he done anything really bad besides that?
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Nov 28, 2008 9:50:44 PM CST
Consumer Warning: Australia Is One Of The Worst Films Ever Made!
by media messiah
The last 3rd of the film is very good, but before that, there is no movie whatsoever, just a series of largely disjointed and over-long scenes, and I honestly can't tell you what the plot of the film is, because there is no plot, just characters with a lot of separate personal agendas and back history. It is obvious that Baz Lurhmann has no clear understanding of proper story structure, although he has good intentions, as he struggles to make this film a cross between historical docu-drama about Australian racial discrimination against the native populace...with a Titanic and Gone With The Wind like love story thrown into the mix. This is really a pointless musical absent the musical or dance numbers, well save for many repeated references and sounds of the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow".
If they could have just dumped the first 2/3's of this film and created a linear plot to replace the various dead end scenes that came before, that...and, if they gave us a good villain, then maybe they would have had a classic on their hands, one worthy of being called a good or great film, however they didn't do that, and hence, this film is just a mess along the lines of Heaven's Gate. Trust me, the first 2/3rds of this film are so bad I almost walked out on it multiple times. Jackman is Jackman, and Kidman, is Kidman, they do their jobs and are very likable--it is just too bad that they failed to force Luhrmann to deliver a plot, and a good one at that!!! And then there is the case of the many false endings, too numerous to mention, from mid point of the film, on.
Do not be fooled by the trailers or the commercials which make this film look wonderful. The film you will see is not that film, as it does not exist, no, they just assembled pretty parts of the movie to make it appear great throughout, and it is anything but that.
Finally, the long running time of the movie needs to be addressed. You'll find yourselves praying for this film to end, beginning after the first 20 minutes, but it won't, it just goes on, and on, and on...for almost 3 hours...which feels like 6 hours, plus!!! Baz Luhrmann is a director and writer out of control here, like a kid in a candy store, who's gotten into all the candy--is over fed, and over stuffed, and who wants to over stuff you too...although you are full, and begging for a rest from the relentless feeding!!! This is just an exercise in watching a self styled exhibitionist masturbate in public. That would be fine if we were watching a sexy woman do that in reality, but instead it is Baz Luhrmann doing it in every frame of this film, from just out of camera frame...but you see the results of his ejaculation in every shot, and it would be offensive even for a porn movie, let alone a mainstream film offering!!! Australia is truly a horrible, horrible film!!!
Consumer Warning: Save Your Money!!! -
Nov 28, 2008 10:08:24 PM CST
Of course the audience is split....just like on Moulin Rouge
by quantize
Retards who think this kind of campy overdressed pretentious waft makes a watchable movie..and the rest of the planet who have some vague grasp on what constitutes real drama
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Nov 28, 2008 10:31:09 PM CST
Before this movie came out people were comparing it with...
by power_girl
Pearl Harbor. It every way they are right... except that movie was better Directed and used CGI to perfection.
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You know you f*cked up when Bay does better character work than you.
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WTF with the comparisons to Pearl Fucking Harbour? A city gets bombed by the japs. Thats about the only thing similar to it.
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Nov 28, 2008 11:31:13 PM CST
Consumer Warning: Australia is a hugely entertaining movie!
by player 1
The last 3rd of the film is possibly one filled with mainstream Hollywood moments, but before that, there is a fantastically surreal yet engaging movie, an adventure story and high romance, with the plot revolving around the destiny of a young half-caste aboriginal boy. It is obvious that Baz Lurhmann has a great deal of love for the characters and the Australian outback, and clear understanding of Australia's place in history at this time. Although comparisons have been made of this film to to historical docu-dramas, Titanic and Gone With The Wind, 'Australia' stands on its own two feet as nothing like the above, yet drawing thematic elements from them. This is really a beautiful movie which will entertain you, and yet it is a little long and the constant references to 'The Land of Oz' do grate - although Nicole Kidmans faux rendition of the Oz story is amusing.
The first 2/3's of this film and focus on the humour of Lady Ashley's situation, however if you're looking for a completely linear plot, perhaps Michael Bay is more to your taste. One weak point is the villain, but David Wenham does a reasonable job with an underwritten role, however they didn't do that, and when his denoument comes it leaves feeling a little flat. Never the less the film is a lot of fun. Trust me, the first 2/3rds of this film are will leave you grinning but the last 1/3 of melodrama may not suit some. Jackman is Jackman, and Kidman does her best work for a while, her comic timing fantastic. You won't forget her first foray into cattle herding. And then there is the case of one or two false endings which they could have easily finished on, some plot to tie them into might have been better.
Do not be fooled by the trailers or the commercials which make this film look bad. The film you will see is not that film, as it does not exist, no, they just assembled 'Hollywood' parts of the movie to make it appear more like Pearl Harbour, and it is anything but that.
Finally, the long running time of the movie needs to be addressed. You'll find yourselves praying for this film to end, beginning after the first 2 hours, but it does drag a bit. You will forgive them, because you want to see what happens to Nullah and the Drover and Lady Ashley. Tragedy is a distinct possibility throughout the last third. Baz Luhrmann is a director and writer, like a kid in a candy store, who's gotten into all the candy--is over fed, and over stuffed, and who wants to over stuff you too...although you are full, and begging for a rest from the relentless feeding!!! ITS THAT GREAT!
Australia is truly a great, enjoyable film!!!
Consumer Warning: If you want to be entertained, SEE THIS MOVIE!!! -
thank for that review...clearly you are an idiot.
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Simple much? OMG they don't look(key word is "look") the same so they mustn't be the same? They are just both retarded films masquerading as epic love stories, with two dimensional characters and set during the exact same time period. Lets not forget that Baz and Bay both suffer from the same shortcomings as directors.
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Sadly movies like this just don't do well. This movie was fantastic and really made you love going to the movies again. Sadly it's an easy movie for virgin nerds to hate so of course people will say "it's horrible" and whatever. Just take a chance if you feel like it and see it then make a review.
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If that made you love going to the movies again then your taste is wedged firmly up your sphincter and thank fuck is not shared by most movie goers.
Im married and been laid plenty thanks, so casting people with taste as 'virgin nerds' is both desperate and lame. -
Go suck a dick, you faggot.
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Good review. Fucking good review mate. Nice to see someone not swayed (or even at all interested) in the bullshit (hype, negativism or blind faith) surrounding this film - just a good, plain and simple personal review. I don't agree with you on the issue of Luhrman over-focusing on the Aboriginal Stolen Generation issue but so tha' fuck what? You have your opinion and I have mine - no problems there. This is one of the first reviews (mainstream or otherwise) that I've read in which the reviewer didn't sit down and either blow luhrmans cock or chastise him for not being sensitive/realistic/"put schmuck negative reason here". You judged the film sir, you judged it on its own merits, you gave it a fair trial and I salute you.
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Kept thinking the whole time, damn I'm glad I didn't go see Australia.
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Nov 29, 2008 2:08:35 AM CST
Quigley Down Under Is A Very Good Film About Australia!!!
by media messiah
Quigley Down Under is a good to great film!!! I am not a fan of Tom Selleck, but Quigley Down Under was a major, major surprise. It is everything that Baz Luhrmann's Australia wanted to be, but isn't.
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And the states only. Its a retarded tourism commercial. No one else in the world will buy its cliched and dull view of Australian history. It's clearly aimed square bang at the U.S. market and anywhere else is a bonus.
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Miramax used to be good at this. They'd estimate how much they thought a film would make (and they would be very conservative) and from that work out how much they should at most spend on the total budget. Often they'd make very big profits because of this approach but also just as importantly minimise losses.
Spending this much on a film was extremely high risk especially when it doesn't easily fall into the few brackets of (relatively) guaranteed success. Ie 1) Pixar 3-D animated films 2) Well known with the general public superhero films 3) Major inbuilt fanbases (eg: Harry Potter) 4) Long standing popular series eg: James Bond 5) Will Smith.
The film should have been shorter (keep it under 2 hours) and the budget should have been rigidly kept at $40 million at the most.
At the end of the day, a film pushing 3 hours with two leads who are not guaranteed box office draws (well, who is these days except Will Smith?) and subject matter that isn't by any means sure of being widely popular - this was ridiculously high risk financially and more than likely fail to reach the extremely high bar it set for itself to break even. -
I refer you to my previous posts that clearly state that i will see the film.Now explain to me how that can disallow me from making an ironic or sarcastic statement.Quantize, you've obviously put yourself up on an angry little pedestal where your fuck this and fuck that attitude makes you feel good. Maybe your wife wears the pants and this is your way of building up your self image. Who the fuck knows?Bottom line is, we're all entitled to our opinion, but just as in the last review TB, your opinion isn't worth shit to anyone but yourself because you haven't qualified it with reasoning. All you have the brain capacity to come up with is "if you like it you're a retard" etc etc. Obviously Capone is dead to you because he can string a sentence together explaining why he liked/disliked something.And don't bother responding to me unless you have something to say that doesn't sound like you have Tourette Syndrome.
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Yes you are entitled to your opinion..however if there was the slightest hint of irony in your original post then its off to comedy school for you...total reprogramming..apart from the fact that using the 'un-Australian' thing here would be completely lost on 99% of the TB'ers the irony would be lost on 99% of aussies who are used to hearing this drivel..In fact, i keep reading it everywhere..mostly in the Murdoch press who of course funded this stillborn turd of a film. Again, i will enunciate for you again why this film is so horrid, and it comes back to how much you like this director's obviously artifical view of what constitutes entertainment..some people are happy to go along with a frozen faced Nicole Kidman intoning somewhere over the rainbow..to me that is fucking retarded on a level that makes me wish you AND Baz went off to comedy school to have your idea of irony reprogrammed.
And finally a message from the Tourettes Society of Quality Cinema
FFF ffffff fffff FUCK YOU -
instead of Nicole - Kidman is box-office poison at the moment, no charisma whatsoever. She should just concentrate on popping out Urban spawn.Jackman was a good choice to replace Crowe, total polar opposite of Kidman in terms of charisma.I'll wait til the dvd hits my store before I see the movie though. Honestly, they over-saturated us here in Oz with the promotion for the film. Here's a hint Baz, tone it down next time, you flamboyant fuck.
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So you have a fundamental dislike of Baz Luhrmann? I don't. I didn't like Moulin Rouge, but his others were ok.I haven't seen the film because it's not out here yet, so will pass judgement on it when it is.My sincerest apologies for not living up to the lofty comedic standards you've set on this talkback.Ironic enough for you? Or do I need another semester at comedy school?
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Your posts are nauseating and just plain awful to read. Some element of your life may hold meaning to others somewhere, but on this talkback, Droid is correct when he highlights that you offer no reasoning to justify your (ridiculously angry) opinions. Please, just give it up.
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I can promise you its not nearly as painful and nauseating to read slack-jawed morons like you who cannot read..ive given my reasons here clearly...and in the previous review. I dont give a shit if you agree..ignore me..ill ignore you..the world will be the same.
Oh and so nice to know Droid fart is an expat..thats right..talk it up buddy just come back a live here under the marketing onslaught of this shitty movie and you wouldn't be so smarmy. -
In that same space of time FOUR CHRISTMASES pulled in near nine million and Twilight over five million. Quantum and Bolt made near double that with Australia landing in at number five on the list.
It is expected to be the fifth of sixth highest grossing film this weekend in the United States market.
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I might even watch this thing! Thanks CAPONE
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Is it true they changed the ending..?
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6 endings were scripted, or at least planned. 3 were filmed and tried out and they went with what they thought was the best one supposedly, if the reporting on this over here in Australia is to be believed.
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Ditto on everything you said about Quigley. It's a western in Australia, and a must see for western fans whether or not they like Selleck.
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I love epic films, Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge over the River Kwai, Ben Hur, The Searchers, etc. I also like Baz's stuff, he made me enjoy Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo Dicaprio for christ sake, and I loved the hell out of Moulin Rouge.
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This movie seems like if you like one kind of movie you will hate it and if you like another you will love it. One persone liked the first 2/3rds and hated the last and another liked the last 1/3 and hated the other 2/3ds
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Sorry, GREENWICH. As that's where he REALLY lives, yeah right. He's got a choice of making Deptford Dykes, or Gay Gangsters of Greenwich. Heh, I'd rather watch that then Colonel Lugz's Shitheads of Shoreditch, or Papalazurman's Cunts of Catford. Make a killing at the bank. Say the word with me dickfus - E P I I I I C C C !!!!!!!
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It's gotten so many bad reviews, and I can't see it for free. For 12 bucks, I can see SLUMDOG, or I recommend MILK, but I won't throw away good money for 3 hrs of mediocrity.
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I havn't seen this movie and have no opinion on this film. However, I do think it is funny that you have mistaken Tourette's Syndrome with stuttering. Cheers mate!
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He's Australian. And a good movie reviewer. I trust him more than Capone.
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Baz Luhrmann. If you like a movie made by this man; you are gay. Take it from me, Milk will be Capone's favorite movie of the year. Sorry for outing you, buddy. But it was time.
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I bought that film, Quigley Down Under, for my Mom, and she told me that out of the many films that she has, Quigley Down Under is one that she will keep because it is such a wonderful film. She referenced Quigley due to seeing Australia, a film that we were both perplexed by...and one she said that she kept hoping would end.
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or 'Home and Away', if you will.
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Bring back the Third Reich for an afternoon, just to get rid of this shitbag... so we won't be subject to his fucktard reviews ever again...
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at primary school was one of these kids, but the weird thing is they keep going on about it only being mixed-race kids, when this schoolmate is full-blood, blue-black Aboriginal. So I don't think it was only the mixed kids. And even though Australia is a mess, and I'll sound gayer than Baz for saying this, that kid is one of the most gorgeous people I've seen on the screen for a long time, without ANY help from botox! I hope we're all secure enough in ourselves to admit he's a bloody good-looking young man.
On the truly gay side of things though, the scene with Jackman washing himself was more self indulgent for Baz than a Tarantino foot fetish shot, and more camp than a row of tents. -
I'm both Australian, and pretty cinematically cynical. And I was sure "Australia" was going to be an overblown mess. The thing has been so idiotically over-hyped down here it's not even funny. In the gym every morning this week they've run an extended 10 minute(!) trailer for it. And I've been see Australian tourism ads all over the place - though why exactly they're trying to convince Australians to come to Australia I'm not quite sure.
But in spite of all of my doubts and assumptions, I actually enjoyed the hell out of it. It's not a perfect movie, but it is a sweeping and engrossing one. And I'd recommend it to anyone. -
Baz put that shot in for the women. You know those other half of the human race which you may not spend much time with? Stop framing interaction with mens bodies from a male perspective. It makes you sound... gay.
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Im in. U in? He cant fuck this one up.
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Im in. U in? He cant fuck this one up.
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"The locals all believe that the native Aborigines have slaughtered him, but most suspect this might not be the case." Huh?
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... I seriously thought I'd hate this movie with a vengeance before I walked in, but it was a really enjoyable film. I really liked it.
It's interesting to see no review mentioning the (blatantly obvious) parallels that Luhrmann draws between "the wizard of oz" and his movie. But yeah, it's a quite nostalgic peace and a tribute to the old melodramatic epics of old hollywood, and kudos for that, because no one has made a movie like this in a long time. -
Shit.
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Nov 30, 2008 11:53:09 AM CST
Player 1, M reporter and how the movie should've ended (spoiler)
by half vader
Yep you keep telling yourself that Player. You really have no idea about Baz, do you? Ever met him? To be fair to you, Hugh looked that way because he was full-on training for Wolverine (a drover would be lean not pumped - even Fight-Club Pitt physique would have worked). And then to be fair again, it's not like they didn't take full advantage of it. Every woman in the cinema I saw it in laughed in that "he's so hot but that's so blatantly gay" unbelieving way!
M Reporter, one thing that irked me was that for a movie generically called "Australia", the whole thing hinges on an American pop culture reference and shallow joke on the Aus/Oz & Over the rainbow/rainbow serpent thing. Whatever.
SPOILERS! No-one seems to bring up how patently obvious it was that the whole thing was constructed around the Drover dying at the end. And then they wussed out! Even the fact that he doesn't have a name tips you off to the fact that everything is written with the view of the Drover as a mythic figure. The whole "we don't say their name" thing - the Drover doesn't have one - he's immortal, and will fade into the dust of legend and the outback. The kid is telling his story in voiceover/flashback for this reason. The whole confusion thing as to who got shot. And on the flip side, the fact that it was in the script and when Baz recently did an interview he took a reporter apart for saying they "couldn't" kill the character in a big Hollywood movie. Baz said how ridiculous that was and that another Fox movie had killed the male lead right before our eyes and then gone on to make the most money ever. It would have been a lot more poetic that way. END SPOILER.
M, they STILL didn't really make an old melodramatic epic. Between the ultra-modern editing and histrionics (as opposed to stylised reality) of the first half and Nicole's ultra-modern fish lips & Hugh's male model/salon haircut - no, it's more like an ad that uses those old movies for reference than the real deal. It's just surface gloss here, and the stolen generation stuff is telling. If you're going to make that such an issue, it's not really fair to take such a camp tone with the general feel of the film. Maybe if they'd had 6 more months to fine-tune the atrocious editing so that there was more of a slide into a more serious tone, both with the stolen thing and the bombing, it would have worked and given more than surface 'scope' because the mood of the film might have shown it too. Hey, I liked the second half, but it really is an unfinished mess.
But it DID have Bill Hunter (Aussies will get that)! -
... and I liked it, never said it was perfect.
The Drover not dieing isn't such a big deal, he represents the heroics and adventure of Australia. Killing him off would project a completely different image of the film, and it would scrutinize the "happy ending" that most classic melodramas rely on. The biggest issue I'd have with the film is that it really starts to drag in the middle, right after the cattle drove. But the pace picks up soon enough. Anyway, I see why lots of people dislike it, it's really old-fashioned and melodramas are really a tough sell these days.Also, the best thing about it is the cinematography which is jaw-dropping at times. -
have problems with it, and not ignorable problems either.
Think I'll just watch it the same way I've seen Gone With The Wind - with commercials on midday TV. -
You saw this movie.
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Dunno why you're bashing Capone's Four Christmas's review seeing as how every review I've seen for that movie equates it to dog shit.
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Err, dude, there was a reason I put a spoiler warning there. Most people haven't seen it yet y'know. Also, having restated your opinions I think you missed my point about that entirely and also the one about the "old-fashioned" melodrama thing. Ah well.
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I coined it, you can use it.
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That The Drover doesn't die? Big spoiler indeed. Let me fill you in on a little secret, in 99.9% movies made the main character survives. Whoopdy-fuckin-doo. Hope I didn't spoil some movies for you with that one.
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Look, if you don't want to take my warnings about this movie, Australia, fine, burn your money and your time by going to see it...but it is not a good film at all, save for its last third...but previously, there is no real linear film...and no linear storyline, in fact, there is no story...just a series of incidence that are poorly strung together. The final third of the film creates a very good conclusion to a film, the first 2 thirds, that never showed-up, except to confuse, bore and serve us with camp.
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Look, if you don't want to take my warnings about this movie, Australia, fine, burn your money and your time by going to see it...but it is not a good film at all, save for its last third...but previously, there is no real linear film...and no linear storyline, in fact, there is no story...just a series of incidence that are poorly strung together.
The final third of the film creates a very good conclusion to a film, the first 2 thirds, that never showed-up, except to confuse, bore and serve us with camp. -
The end.
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I thought you said ' series of indulgences ' designed to push Oscar bliss buttons, or something. We've had enough shit like that now. Gay diseases like ' Chicago ', ' Titanic ', and ' Shakespear in Love '. Dear crap, ' Shakespear in Love '. Who the stupid fucking hell remembers that atrocity more than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN ?!?!?
God, if anyone would dare do something as sleazily transparent to win a damn award, at least try emulate ' No Country for Old Men '. -
mashup. 3rd hr: Pearl Harbor.All told...pretty uneven and crummy.
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They were really trying to push the Oscar buttons here, yes, but with no script, and four writers, no less, to make that happen...and I suspect that is a major part of the problem here with this film and its lack of a rudder to steer its plot, whatever the plot was, something which anyone asked to do just that, would be hard-pressed to explain??? But I digress, back to the writers.One...to two writers...is more than enough, no need for four different people to write a single movie--because when you do that, you lose direction and focus on that very story overall. Hugh Jackman was playing Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind, meets Tom Selleck from Quigley Down Under, and Indiana Jones meets Bogart from Casablanca--all cut and paste moments and likenesses, to try and win that all mighty Oscar. The problem is, they didn't give him a good script to act out any of these stollen similarties in???!!!
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They were really trying to push the Oscar buttons here, yes, but with no script, and four writers, no less, to make that happen...and I suspect that is a major part of the problem here with this film and its lack of a rudder to steer its plot, whatever the plot was, something which anyone asked to tell us what the plot is/was, would be hard-pressed to do just that, and merely explain it, even in the least??? But I digress, back to the writers.
One...to two writers...is more than enough, no need for four different people to write a single movie--because when you do that, you lose direction and focus on that very story, overall. Hugh Jackman was playing Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind, meets Tom Selleck from Quigley Down Under, and Indiana Jones meets Bogart from Casablanca--all cut and paste moments and likenesses, to try and win that all mighty Oscar. The problem is, they didn't give him a good script to act out any of these stollen similarties in???!!! -
Biggest piece of shit, ever. With the exception of the one I just left in the bowl. Hooo-boy!!
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you're right...
fffff FUCK you, cunt cocksucker wank shit
thats both asshole -
Now I know what the m stands for...
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good come back retread
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Actually quite enjoyed it. The beginning was a little rough, but once it found its footing, it was quality.
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TVYYLLgO tzekDzy
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amQgxuh kGlMHdo
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