The breakdown of a family serves as a microcosm for a country in despair in the closing days of World War II in the mesmerising ‘Lore’.
Archive | Australian films RSS feed for this section
Review – Make Hummus Not War
11 Sep
As the saying goes “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” but filmmaker Trevor Graham may have discovered that the path to world peace may also be via the stomach in the documentary ‘Make Hummus Not War’.
Review – Kath and Kimderella
7 Sep
Whenever a television series makes the jump to the big screen it’s worth pondering; why didn’t they make another series? A big budget film version of a television show should give the creators and cast an opportunity to pull off grand ideas that were never conceivable on television. ‘Kath and Kimderella’ completely fails to capitalise on a cinematic jaunt. Instead, it’s a tele-movie that accidentally got a cinema release.
‘The Sapphires’ trailer
21 May
The Australian film ‘The Sapphires’ has premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2012.
The film played out-of-competition and following the screening it’s reported to have received a 10 minute standing ovation.
The film stars Jessica Mauboy, Deborah Mailman and newcomers Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell who play four women that were plucked out of country Victoria to become an Australian version of The Supremes.
The film has been acquired by the powerful US distributor The Weinstein Company, that is known for championing films such as ‘The Artist’ and ‘The Kings Speech’ and, we’re predicting it could be the next ‘Red Dog’ at the Australian box office.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer.
First clip and poster for ‘The Sapphires’
15 May
We’re waiting on the first trailer for the Australian film ‘The Sapphires’ but for now we have a poster and a clip.
Set in 1968, and based on true events, the film tells the story of four young Aboriginal sisters from a remote mission who are discovered by a talent scout. The girls are put together as a musical act and billed as Australia’s answer to ‘The Supremes’.
The film is directed by Wayne Blair and stars Jessica Mauboy, Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell.
Hit the jump to check out the poster and clip.
We’ll update with the trailer as soon as it goes live.
Review – Wish You Were Here
1 May
WARNING: POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS IF YOU’RE SENSITIVE
Australians love to flock to Asia like the British to Bondi Beach on Christmas day. It’s an unofficial rite of passage for Australians to explore the region more than any other. Unfortunately, rather than respect the customs and beauty of places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, most visitors decide to treat their trip like a sinful adventure. There is nothing wrong with letting loose while on a holiday but the members of the Bali Nine or Shapelle Corby might beg to differ when it comes to flaunting the law in Asian countries. ‘Wish You Were Here’ is a brilliant Australian film that examines Australians abroad, relationships and the consequences of having a bulletproof attitude when travelling.
Interview – ‘Wish You Were Here’ director Kieran Darcy-Smith
24 Apr
Thanks to Hopscotch Films we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to send film writer and critic, Chris Elena to catch up with Kieran Darcy-Smith; the writer and director of the new Australian film ‘Wish You Were Here’.
Darcy-Smith (pictured below) has been in the business for many years starting out as an actor in a handful of Australian television shows including ‘All Saints’ and ‘Blue Heelers’ but has now turned his attention to screenwriting and directing.
As a founding member of Blue Tongue Films (with Joel and Nash Edgerton) his feature film debut, ‘Wish You Were Here’ (in Cinemas 25 April) stars his wife Felicity Price and Joel Edgerton.
‘Wish You Were Here’ tells the story of two couples on a holiday in south-east Asia. The trip takes a dark turn with the mysterious disappearance of one of their friends. As they return home many questions are raised, secrets are revealed and relationships are left hanging in the balance.
In a Q&A roundtable Chris asked him about the writing and directing process as well as shooting on location in Cambodia.
Hit the jump for the interview.
Review – ‘Any Questions for Ben?’
10 Feb
Working Dog Productions is the closest thing Australia has comedy royalty. From their roots in sketch comedy on ‘The Late Show’, to the satire of ‘Frontline’ and the brilliant film ‘The Castle’. They’ve made a huge contribution to the entertainment industry in Australia and have kept us laughing since the mid-80s. For the uninitiated, Working Dog is comprised of writers/directors/performers Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner and Michael Hirsh. These names may be foreign to anyone outside Australia but people have come to expect quality from Working Dog. Unfortunately, ‘Any Questions for Ben?’ is a huge misstep and is more like a cheap knockoff of a well-known brand.
Movie loot!
13 DecWe’re always on the lookout for awesome movie gear to joyfully spend our money on. There is nothing better than having people come over for dinner and the interior design of your house screams at them YES I AM A MOVIE NERD!
Around Christmas time so many books flood the market with the hope of being that random stocking filler for that difficult to buy for yet well-read person in your inner circle.
We’ve found a movie book that is perfect for the hard-core film nut or the casual cinematic weekend warrior. Say hello to my little friend ‘That Movie Book’.
Movie critic, mischief-maker and purveyor of black t-shirts, Marc Fennell (ABC Local Radio, triple j, Hungry Beast, The Circle) has cunningly programmed and reviewed more than 260 movies to fill every weekend of the year.
Each weekend has a theme – a genre, filmmaker, actor or trend.
Examples include – movies based on true stories (that aren′t really true), a weekend with Walt Disney′s most racist characters and the many disturbing faces of Santa Claus.
You start with an easy introductory movie on Friday night, go a little further on Saturday and then things become downright freaky on Sunday afternoon. It’s like your own personally selected film festival minus all the snobby film hipsters.
The book is wonderfully written and well thought out featuring a good mix of old films and a few newbies. There is something fantastic about discovering films and ‘That Movie Book’ provides you with the perfect mix of so many great movies and a few hidden gems.
You’ll become an instant David Stratton in a year – just add ‘That Movie Book’.
Buy it now via Booktopia
Read an extract from ‘That Movie Book’ here that features films that come under the heading ‘why messing with DNA is bad’, ‘all night benders’ and ‘movies that have had their endings changed’.
Review – Red Dog
9 AugAustralians are the best storytellers on the planet. Australian men love to sit around at a bar and exchange tall tales of sporting triumphs and romantic conquests. Australian women meet at coffee shops and gossip for hours about nasty in-laws and new additions to their wardrobe. Despite our narrative skills, however, we seem to have a problem converting our talent to the greatest storytelling medium of all – film.
The Australian film industry is more miss than hit, with most films being a diabolical mix of drugs, murder, incest, rape and more drugs. I worry that the United Nations might send a peace keeping force to quell the unrest in Australia after seeing our latest crop of new releases.
It breaks the heart of any film lover when they see a bad film, but it’s crippling when that film is from their homeland, and Australian audiences are scarred. Luckily, those wounds are somewhat healed by the new Australian film ‘Red Dog’, which is undoubtedly the best locally-produced film of the year.
‘Red Dog’ tells the story of a stray kelpie-cattle dog cross that wanders into the mining town of Dampier in Western Australia in the 1970s. Soon, the dog becomes the official mascot of the community and changes the lives of everyone.
Loosely based on a true story, ‘Red Dog’ captures the unique Australian spirit of a small mining community. Essentially, it’s a microcosm for the entire country and everything that’s great about Australia.
Director Kriv Stenders touches on themes of multiculturalism, mateship, love and loss. He does a great job of establishing an ensemble of lovable characters and letting their stories play out while pushing the overall story forward.
Not a moment is wasted and each frame is dripping with beautiful scenery from locations across Western Australia, which is shot brilliantly by cinematographer Geoffrey Hall.
Like the population of Australia, the cast are a mixed bunch from all around the globe. The performances are all excellent and are never overplayed. Josh Lucas and Rachel Taylor make a nice romantic pairing, while the supporting cast revel in the fun roles they’ve been given, including Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen, Rohan Nichol and Arthur Angel – who almost steals the show as an Italian miner. The real scene-stealer though is the Red Dog himself, played by Koko – a charming and enthusiastic canine performer. Full credit goes to the all the dog trainers for working hard to make Koko a superstar.
The soundtrack is full of pub classics that will have you tapping your feet and rocking along to Daddy Cool, The Angels, Stevie Wright and more.
‘Red Dog’ is a film everyone should see, even if they don’t fall into the family audience demographic at which the movie is being pitched. It showcases the importance of community and the ways we bond together to get through good and hard times. ‘Red Dog’ is a heart-warming piece of great Australian filmmaking and one of the year’s best.
4/5
The Popcorn Junkie
‘Red Dog’ is now showing in Australian cinemas.
No release date has been set for the US or Europe
Roadshow Films
LAMB member #1105
Rotten Tomatoes critic
