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McFrenzy looks at Australian film you never heard of!!!
Hey folks, Harry here with a film that noone heard of before. APparently there is a film called CHOPPER that was shown last night in Australia and it was utterly good, and McFrenzy says we will here much more about it in the future... but for now... this is the word, and the word is good....
Ok Harry, here it is, my first story for AICN. I was lucky enough to be invited to a test\advanced screening of a new Australian movie last night, and was compelled afterwards to write up a summary of my thoughts. Although it will probably be a while before you guys in America get to see it, believe me when I say that this is not the last you will hear about “Chopper”. Anyway, here’s the story, I don’t know if you should bother about putting this in an “Ausie AICN” section, as it is unlikely I’ll get the chance to regularly chace up any film goss from my little corner of the globe, but I’ll leave that in your capable hands.
“Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction”, and in the case of “Chopper”, the new Australian movie depicting the life of one of our most infamous criminals, this statement sums it all up. We’re told from the beginning that this isn’t another “Bio-Pic,” that events have been changed to make a compelling story rather than a factual account of Chopper Reeds life. How fitting this is for a tale about a man who has risen to a cult status by selling highly exaggerated books about his feats of crime.
Mark Brandon Read was bourn in one of Melbourne’s northern suburbs in 1954. His father was a war-stressed soldier, and his mother was a strict Seventh Day Adventist. He was first arrested at the age of 17, and has spent 23 years of his life behind bars on charges of shootings, stabbing, assault and arson. He rose to fame in 1991 when in one of his brief times out of prison he wrote the now famous book, “From the inside” which has topped sales of over 300,000 copies. This book is filled with tales of greatly exaggerated crime and became the inspiration for writer and director Andrew Dominik to write a script on his exploits.
Dominik, spent many years researching and rewriting the controversial script, and was constantly confronted with opposition to the film every step of the way. It became clear that the basis of the film be shifted from a “romp through the crime world”, to focus on the personality of the real Chopper beyond the “Australia’s number 1 hit man” persona that was the image presented in his books.
“Chopper” stars Eric Bana, a renowned Australian comic, who shows that his grasp for the dramatic is as strong as his comical abilities, and indeed both skills are needed in this offbeat movie.
Unlike other movies of a similar vain such as “Natural Bourn Killers,” about the portrayal of murderers who’s actions gain the attention of the media, “Chopper” doesn’t glorify the criminal world, nor does it hold any punches.
I recently saw “Three Kings” for the first time, and at the start was a warning that certain cinematic methods such as un-naturalistic lighting and other film techniques were used to heighten the mood of certain scenes, and if “Chopper” ever makes it to the U.S, they will need to put a similar warning at the start of the film.
The directors of photography, Geoffrey Hall and Kevin Hayward make use of a variety of different film stock and methods that emphasises many scenes, giving this world that Chopper lives in a strange hyper-reality that leaves you unsettled perhaps more so than the excessive amount of gore.
Did I mention the gore yet? Well if this movie gets past the MMPA as I saw it, I’ll be a dead dog’s donger. If you think having seen “The Shawshank Redemption” has taught you all you need to know about prison life, think again. And if the sight of a man being stabbed 10 times by his best friend doesn’t make you squirm, then the same guy getting his ears chopped off will.
But don’t let me put you off, this isn’t a movie that sets out to be an instructional video on the human anatomy, this is a story about a confused young man in prison, and how the psychological stress of such an environment can affect an already unbalanced mind.
This film challenges you to look beyond the man we think we know as Chopper, the one that he and the media painted of him; the ruthless, remorseless torturer, and hopefully see beneath that to a frail, apologetic man, driven more by paranoia and fear than any evil desire.
In the end, this movie is as much a contradiction as the man it is about. At the same time you see a brutal murder you will find yourself laughing uncontrollably. At the same time you are shocked by the ferocious nature of Chopper, you find you laugh along with his story and empathise with his plight.
“Chopper” is not a movie I would take my Grandmother to see, but nonetheless it is a movie I can’t wait to see again. If you are in Australia, see this movie now, and if you are in the states, start writing letters to your President to get it there fast.
Ok, that’s all I have to say right now, I’ll see you freaks and geeks later.
“McFrenzy” signing off.
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Jun 29, 2000 5:57:43 AM CDT
If Chopper ever gets out of prison perhaps he could chop up the
by removed_user
Lets also hope that more kewl movies like this from abroad get the distribution that they deserve in America(if they even reach here). By the way, the content of CHOPPER in the article has given me, well lets just "inspiration" and also a erection.
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hey everybody!! i havent got a clue what that harry head is. damn wierd though! oh yeah that reminds me, HARRY!!! WHERE THE 'F' IS YOUR 'F'ING REVIEW OF 'F'ING 'F'!...er, i mean FANTASIA 2000. where is it buddy??? i luv this site but i need to see your review of fantasia 2000 because i am thinking of thinking of putting it at the top of my favourite animated movies list (i didnt luv iron giant as much as everyone else, and im not into anime. sorry dudes) and i wanna hear what u have to say about this brilliant moive.oops sorry, this page whould be to celebrate aussie movies. where is my patriotism??
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firstly the harry head is from un chien andalu, or an andulsion dog, which is a french surrealist film by luis bunel with the infamous eyeball slicing scene as the head demonstrates. secondly chopper is gonna rock, any aussies who saw him interviewed by elle mcfeast will know what a character this guy is, and bing played by bana, well an unlikely choice maybe but it looks like he pulls it off. his comedic skill is very obvious from first and foremost the castle and of course full frontal. rock on chopper, hope you yanks get this one i hear the castle didn't go over too well. chow for now
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...even if I am physically repulsed everytime I see a pic of Chopper Read. Hey, do any of the other Aussies remember what happened with that song he had coming out? And about the Elle McFeast thing, what exactly happened on her show? I know some shit went down that caused McFeast/Libby Gore to lose her program, but that's about it.
Now, about Aussie films...have you seen 'LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI'? You're probably groaning but I thought it was great. A nice change from the vain US teenage movies we are saturated with (not that I dislike all of them though).
Also, I'm pretty sure the bitch chick who gets her nose broken from ALIBRANDI is one of the Aussie actors to be cast in EPISODE 2 as the 'highly skilled bounty hunter' or whatever. I wonder what Rose Byrne's role will be like...she was great in 'TWO HANDS' with Heath Ledger(yet another great Aussie flick, has it been reviewed here??). At least we'll be able to gaze at her pretty face. -
Just a quick note. Eric Bana sucks. Full Frontal must be one of the worst sketch comedy shows Australia has ever had, superceded only by Totally Full Frontal. Then he had his disastrous talk show. And now he's on a crappy Country Practice rip-off on the ABC. What a star!
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G'day.
I'm fucking stoked about this movie, but I hate Eric Bana. Yes, Totally Full Frontal was indeed the shittiest Australian sketch comedy since the Comedy Sale (remember that?) and isn't a patch on the completely brilliant Micallef Programme.
However, I'd love to see this movie do well, even if it is shit.
The Chopper / McFeast interview is a television moment that will forever be etched into my memory. Chopper was given a shitload of Melbourne Bitter in the green room and came out (in his own words) as 'pissed as a parrot', and proceeded to tell Elle a few stories about past crimes, including one time when he was trying to kill a bloke by feeding him into a cement mixer - "The bastard kept trying to climb out!" I seem to remember him saying.
It was the most bizarre and entertaining piece of Australian TV I've seen since Jon Spencer went nuts on the recovery set.
Now THAT was entertainment.
Bob Wombat. -
McFrenz-ay was in the chat room yes-ta-day asxin oll uh've us to petition Harry to run his stow-ray. Torns aut, ya did't need ah help afta ahl. hahaha
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I don't fucking hardly think so!
If they were going for a comedian to play Chopper, I would have liked to see Wil Anderson in the roll. Can you imagine? Chopper would have to stop half way through a murder to touch up his nail polish.
Or maybe it could have been Matt Elsbury. Melbourne's "Bile Boy" of the comedy scene should so have a wider audience. -
Umm, just a little note to point out that this sounds just like a review that would come from a PR flack. Would a test audience really take the time to note who the directors of photography are? Not likely. He/She seems to think that if you throw in some deliberate spelling mistakes it will look like an 'authentic' review.
Anyway, I saw the trailer for it and it does look good. Who would have thought Eric Bana would go against his image and comedy background to protray Chopper. A big risk but he did look real in it. Should be interesting. Can't wait until the ABC shows Blue Murder in NSW either.
And coming from a guy who thought that it was just for girls, Looking For Alibrandi is probably the best Australian film released so far this year.
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sheesh, if ya want to know how i found out about the d.o.p or the friggin directors name, the answer is easy, "research". Actualy, they handed out a fact sheet with shit like the cast and crew listings ect. ect as i would imagine they do at many advanced screenings. So there.
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McFrenzy,
my sincerest apologies. I unreservedly retract any statements that may have offended or caused emotional distress to you.
You are no PR Bitch. You are an individual.
I am looking forward to this movie and The Dish too. -
...thank you very much! It was a good comedy sketch show, until it turned into FULL FRONTAL, which featured Bana. The early days of 'Fast Forward' with Glenn Robbins, Steve Vizard, Jane Turner, Gina Riley and Madga Szubanski (before she became annoying), among others, were hilarious!
And I'd just like to add, it's good to see that someone else thought LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI was great too! -
...that was paid out and called shit, so that's ok. Disregard my previous post!!!!
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Jun 30, 2000 12:42:31 AM CDT
Your all forgetting the far superior "Comedy Company"
by mckenziefrenzy
with con, "ahhhhwww bwetiful""couple of days!" and by the way Glen Robins is australias funniest man, fuckin uncle arthur had be on the ground with laughter every time. And like i told you in the chat room Mr Sinister, i just cant like Looking for alibrandi, we had to read it in school, and it gave the whole story a bad tase in my mouth. Not to mention that i auditioned for one of the roles and was knocked back. Sheesh, some people just cant tell real tallent when they see it.
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Don't be swayed by what australia has put out just yet. sure there has been some crap and the likely hood is that there will be more crap...but you hear it here first, there is an australian Movie in the works right now to be released in the next year or two that will kick the ass of ever Hollywood movie you thought would never be surpased. This thing will be huge and it will stand the test of time for decades to come. Keep an ear out for it.
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Jun 30, 2000 1:03:28 AM CDT
Eric Bana as Choppe Reed = Ally McBeal's Greg Germann as Geoffre
by photon_wordsmith
That is how unlikely a casting this is. Still, I'm a Bana fan, so I'd almost be willing to see this film.
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Have you seen that picture floating around or Bana in his chopper get up? It looks so friggin great. Anyway, while the story of chopper doesn't really do much for, I will enlighten the uninitiated about what people have been referring to in regards to his performance on the Elle McFeast show shortly after he was released from prison. Firstly, the producers got him blindly drunk, its the only way he'd do the show, he'd had around 10 beers as I remember it? Anyho, He began telling the story of one of the people he helped in killing, describing how he kept pushing a guy into a turning cement mixer.. "He just kept trying to climb back out, so we kept shoving him in there, He took ages to die.. yeah.. that was funny that" The Mcfeast show was cancelled shortly after... Well, as you can see, he certainly is a colourful guy. Also, whats up with the full frontal bashing? Those guys had some truely inspired sketches of comedy going.. what about the Telestubbies? That had me in stitches.. and there was one kickass bit with Kim Gygnall doing Raquel Welsh.. that still makes me smile... Bana doing Ray was always fun to watch also..
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I agree about Fast Forward - that fuckin' show killed me. I've forgotten the names of most of the cast. Didn't the writers from Fast Forward go on the write @The Castle' as well. THAT film . . . is the best Oz film I've seen since Strictly Ballroom. "THIS is goin' straight in the pool room." and "Why would you wanno go to a restaurant when this keeps comin' out night after night." and "Dad . . . I dug another hole . . . " Fucking GREAT!!
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Jon Spencer going nuts on recovery was great, do you think he actually injured a few of those camera men and audience members that he ran into? Chopper was good too but lets not forget some of the other great Aussie TV moments. The Kangeroo that had a go at Marny the Monster, those two blokes having a biff-on on the midday show (who were they again?
Molly Meldrum pissed on the final Countdown, Bert Newton calling Ali a `boy'. Come on Aussie's lets count em down............... -
I can't remember any Aussie ones, i didn't live there long enough, but I know a few NZ ones, my favourite being millionaire property guy and boxing fan, Bob Jones, understandable annoyed at having his fishing holiday interrupted by a helicopter bearing a fearless reporter and a TV crew. He came out of the bush like and enraged (or horny) bull elephant and proceeded to beat the crap out of all and sundry. Public sympathy did not lie with the news people. I mean, a man has to be allowed to fish.
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Did not go on to make the Castle. You're thinking of the D-Generation, creators of the far superior sketch comedy, The Late Show, who have now mutated into working dog.
The only sketch show as funny as the Late Show since is the Micallef Programme.
Eric Bana definately looks to have pulled a Jim Carrey/Truman show sized image pullover off if this review is accurate.
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funny thing - i was walking down through the hobart business district yesterday and almost walked into chopper himself. i nearly shat myself. he didnt seem to give a shit, but he is a frightening man. for those that dont know, chopper is out of prison and is a free man living in tasmania now. he is part owner of the only strip club in tassie - the mens gallery. although he has stayed clear of crime in the past few years since his release, he has just recently release his 8th sequel to the original book. so before you bag him out too much, just know that he is out of gaol and out to get you !
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of course, it was the d-generation. I remember those guys from the time when I was living in Oz back in the mid-eighties. Are they still going? Good news, they were genius even then. Hope they make another film sometime.
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For all you William Gibson fans..Mark "Chopper" Read was the guy he based that bodygaurd guy in Idoru..BTW Full Frontal was the funniest show Ive ever seen on tv. Unless it was meant to be a comedy, in which case it was crap.
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For all you William Gibson fans..Mark "Chopper" Read was the guy he based that bodygaurd guy in Idoru..BTW Full Frontal was the funniest show Ive ever seen on tv. Unless it was meant to be a comedy, in which case it was crap.
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So Mcor, why the secrecy? What is this Australian film that will kick our asses all over the place in the next year or so? Tell us NOW!!!!
And McFrenzy, I remember what you said in the chatroom, but just because you didn't enjoy the book doesn't mean you won't think the film is any good. ALSO, I want to know which role you auditioned for!!!
Now, 'Comedy Company' was just ok. Marika ('me no complain') was better than Con the Fruiterer, and the only other funny thing on that show was that Dolly-Did-It Girl. Uncle Arthur was ok, as was Col'n (lol) Carpenter. BUT, the skits on 'Fast Forward' were waaay better. Cheryl and Bob Ugly...the receptionist women...SBS lady...Jane Turner and Glenn Robbin's as the dancing teachers...hilarious!!!!
Someone was asking about what happened to the D-Gen. Well, like somebody ELSE said, they are now Working Dog productions. They did a great current affairs satire called 'Frontline' and now do a weekly panel show called...'The Panel'!!!
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"Raiders Of The Kidney Stone". Good Norwegian kiddie-flick. Have a look at it if you fell like it!
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aussie aicn? that'd be fucking new. bout time there was one. but then, im an aussie myself, and i find most aussie movies shithouse. toodles.
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its good to see all the Aussie AICN regulars raise their ugly heads and unite together finaly. With our inteligence, rugged good looks and lightning pacced wit, we could do a George Spate and hold a coup on Harrys arse. Lets band together my brothers and work towards a better and brighter future for all humanity. "Red! the blood of angry Men!, Black! the dark of ages past!......", come one, sing it with me. .................... But seriously, Ausie AICN can happen if we all pool our resources together, Keep in touch fellow men from the land down under.
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