I would like to say that the real star of Scott Hicks' latest movie, The Boys are Back, is the Fleurieu Peninsula because it is absolutely stunning. The rolling hills, the waving golden grasses, the glimpses of blue sea, not to mention wonderful stands of gums are enough to entertain even if the rest of … Continue reading The boys are back
Australian film
The gritty viewing gets grittier…
A few months ago I wrote a post called A day of gritty viewing. Since then I've blogged about more gritty Australian films: Disgrace, Beautiful Kate, and Balibo. And these aren't the only gritty films to have been produced in Australia this year. The latest to hit the cinemas, though, is Blessed (directed by Ana … Continue reading The gritty viewing gets grittier…
Balibo – the film
What to say about a film that is so close to the heart of Australia? Balibo is one of those films that leaves you sitting in the cinema for a while after it is over. This is not so much because it is stunning cinema but because of its emotional power. For those who don't … Continue reading Balibo – the film
Beautiful Kate?
[WARNING: SPOILERS, PROBABLY] Well, I haven't read the 1982 book by American novelist Newton Thornburg - in fact I hadn't heard of it - but Rachel Ward has managed to produce out of it a stylish and engrossing film, aided by an excellent cast and gorgeous, often eerie, cinematography. It helps too that the film … Continue reading Beautiful Kate?
Disgrace-ful
Well, I finally got to see the film adaptation of J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace today. Before seeing it, I was a little surprised that it only had an (Australian) M rating. From my memory of the book I was rather expecting an MA rating. I was slightly disappointed in the film: it's not that I want to watch … Continue reading Disgrace-ful
Cute but not cutesy
Cute has become a much maligned word but it originated as a shortened form of acute and meant "keenly perceptive or discerning, shrewd". This, I think, works well as a description of Sarah Watt's latest film My Year Without Sex, particularly when combined with more recent meanings of the word such as "charming". (WARNING: SOME SPOILERS) The basic premise … Continue reading Cute but not cutesy
A day of gritty viewing
I went to two films today: Mary and Max this afternoon and Samson and Delilah this evening. Hmmm...both films are named for their two main characters. What an interesting coincidence. Both films are also slow-paced aiming, I think, to give a sense of "real time" but, while Mary and Max is a highly verbal film, Samson … Continue reading A day of gritty viewing
