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Flicks from Down-Under
message 51:
by
Sam
(new)
Apr 14, 2009 05:13PM
I'm so in love with Kate Winslet ... just for the record
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great - let's you & I marry her Phillip ...but I bags Sunday breakfast in bed with her :o)
damn, those are tough terms but kate is worth it. you realize this means i get her on friday and saturday night though....
waaaaaait a minute ... just how does a Sunday morning equate to Friday AND Saturday night? ... only if my Sunday breakfast can be a progressive until after dinner time AND I want us ALL to visit cool Jazz bars in San Fran AT LEAST twice a month ... I've got a spangly dress I need to trot out every now and then ...
poor Kate is gonna be worn out ;o)
I'm also thinkin' we need to lure Kate to Las Vegas - (nods) you know what I'm thinkin'
i'm in "cool jazz bars in sf" constantly. keep up if you can.
Haven't seen that many Aussie films, other than "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" and "The Sum of Us"...
ah Alex thank you for reminding us we're waaaaaay off topic ...i loved Priscilla ... Hugo weaving is such a great actor ...
The Sum of Us is a lovely little story - and one of the few (early) movies where I don't feel all weird watching Russell Crowe - but I'm not sure he quite nailed the whole gay thing
what did you think?
i have fond memories of priscilla queen of the desert and saw it before i got to know any of those actors (hugo weaving, russell crowe) before they became well known for other roles. i remember liking the film a lot.
Sam - the Aussie arsehole wrote: "but I'm not sure he quite nailed the whole gay thing"I loved Priscilla as well, and I do like "The Sum of Us". I don't know about Crowe, though. But it's more about how he doesn't seem to be that into the guy than he wasn't "gay enough" in general...
It's quirky. But you know me, Phillip, I loved it! Here's the IMDB synopsis:"In Sunray, a backwater town on Australia's Murray River, there's little to do but fish or listen to the local radio station. D.J. Ken Sherry arrives from the hustle of Brisbane to run the station; he's mid-40s, detached, thrice divorced, hatchet faced. But both sisters next door find him attractive: awkward Dimity, only 20, who works in a Chinese restaurant with few patrons, and perky Vicki-Ann, a hairdresser with a hope chest who invents a happy future with Sherry based on little but his arrival. First Dimity then Vicki-Ann spend the night with Ken, one concluding he's her boy friend, the other her fiance. Then Dimity begins to smell something fishy."
LOL! They are so sneaky with their spoilers!
I watched this shortly after "Muriel's Wedding" which I love, but I have an issue with the packaging and marketing. Some of you may disagree with me, but "Muriel's Wedding" is NOT a romantic comedy!! It is NOT a feel-good movie. It's an AWESOME movie with great ABBA songs that examines serious issues and makes you applaud the growth of Muriel.
thanks for the blurb, becca. much appreciated.
Dunno how I've missed this link, I don't operate well in an organized environment.I like Australian films. A few more that I don't see above:
Rikky and Pete
The Man From Snowy River
Danny Deckchair
Becca wrote: "How about Love Serenade?"oh Becca - I thought this was a gorgeous little film - thanks for mentioning it ... noice spoiler - I loved to hate Ken Sherry
and kudos for Muriel's Wedding too ...
Jim wrote: "Dunno how I've missed this link, I don't operate well in an organized environment."me neither Jim ... I struggle with lists in particular
awwwww Man from Snowy River ... lemme just say awwwww again ... and oldie but a goodie
I haven't seen the other two - I'm wondering if you would tell me why you liked Danny Deckchair?
i totally forgot man from snowy river. as sam suggested, well done, jim!
I am with Sam and Phillip, Man From Snowy River was the best western around at the time it came out. Take nothing from Clint Eastwood's westerns, but they are not Classics in my mind.Sam, Danny Deckchair was mindless fun to me, that's the kind of film that I watch these days that requires little to no thought. It's no Quigly Down Under and it can't touch the shoes of the Coca-Cola Kid.
I'm still marryin' Kate ... and I also still have a Freddo Frog fer the first person who can gimme a line outa Crocodile Dundee ... geez it's a Freddo people - and not your dinky normal size - I'm talking GIANT here
where can I buy a DH?
well, you can have kate....she stopped returning my phone calls, and a guy has to have some dignity....even if it is kate.a DH?
how about a DQ?
you give up far too easily Phillip ... Don Quixotte??
DH was reference to Dear Husband comment from Jenn - better late than never
Jim - I looooooved Quigley ... nothing like a bit of Tom Selleck action (do I have that right?)
DQ: Dairy Queen....you have to be from the states, conceivably the west coast, to get this one....Dairy Queen is a chain of little drive-in places that feature desserts...but not particularly good ones. soft-serve cones, milkshakes, that kind of thing. there was one in my neighborhood where i grew up, and you still see them here and there. they bring on patent nostalgia for this old dog.ah, yes, of course....DH. how could i forget?
ahhh Dairy Queen - of course ... we had Mr Whippy here ... he'd come down the street in his little van with Greensleeves playin' and all the kiddies would come runnin'
hmmmmm, DQ was not a van with icecream, it was what we call a drive-in in america. a place you could drive up and order and eat in your car, or, get out and sit at the picnic table-styled outdoor seating. i ate countless ice creams with dates in my teens there.
How about The Castle? I watch this one as a comfort movie. :-)
the castle?is that australian?
i don't know it...
Becca wrote: "How about The Castle? I watch this one as a comfort movie. :-)"I'm wondering if you are an Aussie Becca ...
The Castle is iconic in my book - would you like to write it up?
go for it, becca!i'd like to know more about it.
No, alas, I'm not an Aussie. I'm an Anglophile and Aussieophile (not sure what the proper term is). Thanks to the software biz, I work with a LOT of Aussies. They are just great people!Australia produces some great actors and films. Some of my favorite films are the little independent films from foreign countries.
The Castle is a film about this family who lives in a small house next to the Melbourne airport. The government is trying to force them out of their home to expand the airport. The father of the family goes all the way through the court system fighting for his family to keep their home because, as you know, a man's home is his castle. :-)
Way OT here: I recently had the extreme pleasure of getting to meet Harlan Coben (the thriller writer) who had Missy Higgins (an Australian singer/songwriter) touring with him. Read Harlan's Tell No One (there's even a French film of it--although I loved it, Alex didn't like it as much) and go listen to "Peachy" by Missy Higgins.
thanks for the tips, becca, i'll look for the castle. i agree with you, just about every australian i've met has been lovely. i had a great time in melbourne a few years ago. and there are a lot of really fine films to come out of australia, and if it's anything like the rest of "world distribution", i'm sure there are a lot of gems that don't make it over here due to bad distribution deals...a pity, but it's that way all over.
oh George ... I don't know quite what to say to that ;)
in certain circles, just admitting you've seen it is an act of bravery. however, I was a college student at the time.
that makes me smile George ... I was only a kid when this came out - but I've seen small snippets since ... I've met Australian men exactly like Barry - exactly! ... not many of them around these days but it was certainly a statement about the culture here during the 70s ...
Found these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdYGh...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PfDro... (we still handle our immigration exactly like this - but we've deleted section 24, sub section b)
George, I wonder what you learnt about Australia watching Barry?
Oh, I suppose that they were a lot like us, with a bit more colorful vocabularly. although I grew up in the Deep South, and I've known a few folks who would give them a run for their money on talking and drinking. I met an Aussie professor a year or two after it came out, and we were talking about film and he asked me if I'd ever seen any Australian films and I said I had indeed, including Barry Mackenzie. He turned a bit green, even though I did refrain from singing the ditty about the trouser snake. I'd been in London studying not too long before so Barry's visit to London and the taxi into town from Heathrow that took him out to Stonehedge was a giggle for me. Anyway, I've seen all the other films mentioned and a few more, so I'm not entirely dependent on BM for my views of Australia, so no worries.
how lovely - i came across The Castle while channel flicking the other night ... contains a whole pool room full of spoilers
this film is about the Kerrigan family and their struggle against a large corporate developer looking to acquire their home ...
it starts by firmly establishing the family character ...
even though their home is built in a nearly empty housing estate, on toxic landfill, beneath powerlines, and directly overlooking an airport runway - it's their home
and despite their many (hilarious) faults and quirks - the Kerrigan family is one that has nothing but love and support for each other
all are blissfully unaware of their lack of style or sophistication and busy themselves simply with being true to who they are ...
When Darryl (the father) and his neighbors all receive notices that their homes will be purchased for $70,000 to be cleared for the expanding airport - they decide to band together to fight the eviction
Darryl hires a local taxation lawyer acquaintance to argue his case - that the eviction goes against the "vibe" of the Australian Constitution ... needless to say things do not progress well - but all is not lost!
The humour in The Castle centres around the self image of Australians and makes many references to common perceptions / stereotypes of working class Aussies in particular ...
it's full of classic lines - which I'll leave you to discover yourself
you can't help but love each character - and as an Australian I have encountered them all in some shape or form ... heck I probably represent a good portion myself!
and at the core it's a very simple story - that's the beauty of it
6 outta 5 drop bears for this one
don't tell me we've exhausted all Aussie flick possibilities?I know I have been a little - well - absent ... but surely someone has seen a decent Aussie flick lately?
Freddo is still up fer grabs ...
oh Christy ... that simply won't do my dear ;o)Summer Heights High is not our finest ... if i give you the Freddo will you go out and watch something else? - anything else!!
I'm not quite sure what a Freddo is, but I'll take it!Give me your best suggestion ever and I'll Netflix it.
oh my - it's more dire than i thought ;o)Freddo (the chocolate frog) was invented in Melbourne in 1930 ... they are - without a doubt - the best chocolate treat going ... http://www.freddo.com.au/
hmm ... now as for my best Aussie Flick suggestion. ever. that's a tougher question ... there are heaps mentioned in the thread above ... but i'm thinkin' ... ummmmmmmm ... Priscilla Queen of the Desert as my first suggestion ... give that a go darlin' (yay!)
I'll get on that ASAP.Let me impress you before I go though, I know what Tim Tams are.
I don't know if those are only sold in Australia but an Australian friend gets me some once a year.
that has impressed me Christy ... my heart is more at ease now ;o)
Did anyone mention (and I missed) CANDY starring Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish? Another one is SOMERSAULT starring Abbie Cornish.
Okay, I watched the movie! I remember now that my mother had told me to watch it a while ago, but she tells me to do a lot of things. Some of which are contradictory.I did really like it, but I'm biased because I like LGBT entertainment.
I'm not happy that Abba will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day though.
I don't think anyone has mentioned Candy ... i actually really liked it for the performances but the story made me sad ...is Somersault good?
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