Movies We've Just Watched discussion
Foreign Films
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Flicks from Down-Under
It's not a movie, but has anyone seen the TV series Underbelly?In particular the first series?it's totally amazing. It follows the criminal underworld in Melbourne from 1995-2004. It's all based on pure fact, and is an engrossing show, if you ever get the chance, I recommend to watch it. It dividers on the criminal side, portraying them as real humans with emotions, unlike those American crime shows, which are so tacky in comparison. Anyone seen it?
not me Jess ... but I've heard very good things about it
Sam wrote: "what is it that you think makes Aussie films distinct? what three words would you choose to describe them?"cinematography.
cinematography.
cinematography.
I can't remember who the first cinematographer was to really kick it into my head that Australian cinematographers were the best in the biz (perhaps the guy who did The Road Warrior? Can't remember his name...), but "they grow 'em big down there" has been a pretty solid refrain in my reviews at least since the mid-nineties when I see a gorgeously-shot flick, check in IMDB, and see that the cinematographer and/or DP was born in Australia. Y'all must have a Fight Club-style underground photography school in the middle of the desert or something...
I missed the original Underbelly series but I'm following Underbelly Razor and find it absolutely fascinating. It's made me want to learn more about the real life characters at that time in Sydney.Cinematography.....the first name that springs to mind for me is Dean Semler.
Kim Marie wrote: "Cinematography.....the first name that springs to mind for me is Dean Semler."That's the guy!
This thread is hilarious. Totally takes my mind off my job when i finally get a chance to read it.Sam, dunno an exact definition of why i like Aussie films and the people. I think my first Aussie film as Mad Max and/or The Coca Cola kid and i'd noticed that i liked Aussie Cinema, and then came The Man From Snow River. All great films and characters in the films that i liked.
Robert wrote: "Sam wrote: "what is it that you think makes Aussie films distinct? what three words would you choose to describe them?"cinematography.
cinematography.
cinematography.
I can't remember who the fi..."
ah Rob - you've discovered one of our national secrets
but you make a great point ... I have a theory - a good portion of our landscape demands excellent cinematography and that's what our guys cut their teeth on
I quite like Greig Fraser ... first sat up and took notice of his work when I saw a film called The Last Ride ... loved his stuff in Bright Star
Jim wrote: "This thread is hilarious. Totally takes my mind off my job when i finally get a chance to read it.Sam, dunno an exact definition of why i like Aussie films and the people. I think my first Aussie..."
fair enough Jim - I can live with you just do ... lots to fall in love with in Mad Max ... I remember seeing The Man from Snowy River the first time - stars some pretty iconic Aussie actors ... and it's also fantastic poem
http://www.lancescoular.com/the-man-f...
Kim Marie wrote: "I missed the original Underbelly series but I'm following Underbelly Razor and find it absolutely fascinating. It's made me want to learn more about the real life characters at that time in Sydney..."Im watching Razor as well, and whilst its certainly enjoyable, its nothing compared to series one. I totally recommend going to the library of DVD store to see if you can hire it. My problem with Razor is its too glamorous. The first series was so realistic it was scary.
★ Jess wrote: "It's not a movie, but has anyone seen the TV series Underbelly?In particular the first series?it's totally amazing. It follows the criminal underworld in Melbourne from 1995-2004. It's all based ..."
I'm going to search online for UNDERBELLY--sounds intriguing.
Have you seen THE WIRE--that was a pretty terrific American crime show.
Jess, my son owns the Underbelly DVD series and has promised to bring it with him when he visits at Christmas so I'll be looking forward to that :)I'll also have to track down Animal Kingdom on DVD since I missed that one too.
i found animal kingdom on netflix ... i didn't think to look there for underbelly ... it's probably not there.
Since we've been discussing TV shows I thought I'd mention that the TV series adaptation of The Slap is to premiere next week. Since I had mixed feelings about the book I'm looking forward to watching the series....it seems to have a well chosen cast, of which the author approves.
I'd be interested to hear what you say about it Kim Marie ... I started the book but just couldn't connect with the main character - i just didn't care at the end of the day ... it's one of those books that i could finish but probably won't
I found it a difficult book to rate....I certainly didn't love it (I'd expected to enjoy reading about characters living in suburban Melbourne but found I couldn't relate to or like any of them). On the other hand it was interesting to read a book from the point of view of what the characters were really thinking,apart from their outwardly polite and politically correct socialising, and how each reacted to the situation from their own perspective. The Slap has definitely provoked an emotional response and although I didn't care for the language I did find myself thinking and talking about the book afterwards, which I assume is what the author intended. I'm wondering if I'll feel more sympathetic towards any of the screen characters.
i watched THE PIANO again tonight after not seeing it for ... years! probably since it came out. some parts hold up very well - the general tone and poetic nature of the imagery - and the mythical storyline is nice - some of the acting feels strained - sam neill in particular - but hey, it's hard to play emotionally constipated characters, i imagine. and there are moments when holly hunter is a little too gestural (i don't mean when she is signing - it's more the way she moves her entire body). but by the time you get to the end you've gone on an interesting journey across the battlefield of the sexes and ms campion - like mizoguchi and other filmmakers who have been mistakenly deemed misogynist - may put her female subjects through the ringer, but they make it to the finish line with their souls in tact. and anna paquin, while being the kid you want to smack at times, is really pretty brilliant - good direction with her.
awh The Piano ... I haven't reached that point where I can critically watch this flick yet, PG - even when I haven't seen it for a long time I get all caught up in it ... consciously I know there are issues with it - portayal of emotionally constipated characters (ow!) and all - but I just can't help it ... and I couldn't tell you what it is that sweeps me away ... it just does ... I get lost in itthanks for writing about it ... anything in particular that made you visit it again?
I'm surprised so many people liked that film. Maybe i missed something, i was maybe 21 when i saw it and was looking for an academy award winner film not of the meryl strep variety. I just thought it was terribly depressing about a blind or deaf woman with child marrying a man and cheating on him or something like that and feeling sleazy watching it and thinking, gee, this isn't going to end well. And I remember being haunted by Harvey Keitel crying like a woman, to put it nicely.
you made me laugh Jim ... nice synopsis ;o)
Jim wrote: "And I remember being haunted by Harvey Keitel crying like a woman, to put it nicely. "If you want to go from "haunted" to "scarred for life", I highly recommend Bad Lieutenant. Specifically, the scene where he wanders around nude in a coke-fueled haze for five minutes just staring at everything. I still have the occasional nightmare about that.
I caught the original Bad Lieutenant a few weeks back Rob - that vision is so very fresh for me
Glad i made you laugh. Yeah, i remember that Bad Lieutenant film Abel Ferrara. I agree, I saw way way way too much of Kietel in that film and his cry and moan are pathetic. I caught the cage version out of boredom, and found the new one tame by comparison and the new version attempted to have a plot instead of a day in the life of a bad cop.
Sam wrote: "awh The Piano ... I haven't reached that point where I can critically watch this flick yet, PG - even when I haven't seen it for a long time I get all caught up in it ... consciously I know there a..."i also got way caught up in it, sam - the criticisms i have are minor, but they popped up, so i noted them. but as i said, for whatever faults the film has, you rarely get such a finely nuanced battle of the sexes - the dynamics of emotional exchange are rich in this film.
possibly more than 88 SPOILERS from this piano ... beware.
campion is often concerned with situations where men are attempting to silence women. on this outing the metaphors are a bit more obvious, but that doesn't make them any less palpable - for me anyway. i have had two saxophones and a flute stolen over the years and i understand completely how it feels to have your voice torn away. if i ever find the person who stole my selmer mk 6 soprano saophone - as ving rhames says, i'm gonna get a ball peen hammer and a blow torch and get medieval on their asses.
so, the existential stakes are high in THE PIANO - and holly's husband just can't figure it out that he needs to give his wife a bit of power to get power in return - which keitel is able to do. he gives her a voice and in turn she not only offers him her body, but her heart - because she realizes he possesses the kind of passion she has for her music. he gets her - and in the end, isn't that what we all want? - someone who "gets" us? she loses a finger and a husband (who can't really offer her much when it all comes down to it, other than a marriage certificate - it's clear he doesn't get her at all) but she retains her soul and her life in the end. a part of her has died and is still connected to a piano that is at the bottom of the sea ... damn, thank you very much jane - i get it - we all make sacrifices. her new husband (keitel) buys her a new instrument, rewarding her for returning to him from the depths of despair and she finally begins to regain the voice she had lost so long ago.
the big a-HA! that went off for me last night was a new appreciation of the anna paquin character - and her role as "angel" - she is often wearing wings in the last half of the film. what i noticed, that i had not noticed previously is how she acts as a kind of angel - in that, despite the fact she makes a mess of her mother's relationship with her husband by revealing she is having an affair, she is the catalyst that brings about her mother's spiritual transformation ... dang.
jim - if you haven't seen this film since it came out - i would recommend seeing it again. i don't know how old you are now, but i know i wasn't emotionally mature enough when i was 21 to appreciate all the complexity of this narrative. i've said this before on other GR threads, especially the literary ones - we change over time and our opinions change as well. i have revisited countless books and films and had greater appreciation of them as i have matured - or changed.
sam - not sure why i went back to see it again - apart from the fact that i love holly hunter and haven't seen her in much recently and the film just sort of magically popped up and presented itself to me on netflix.
and, finally - yes, i've seen BAD LIEUTENANT - both of them - and like them both a lot. no one was going to out-do the "bad" of the original, so i like where herzog took the remake - in a very different direction. and, if i'm not mistaken, i believe i saw that film with sam - and my friend tim - and i remember we all walked out really liking the remake. the original is awesome, mind bending, gut wrenching - but hey, i'm not saying that like it's a bad thing.
i was feelin lazy yesterday and so didn't do a very good job of explaining myselfI think your comments about emotional exchange and battles between the sexes are tied into what draws me in PG ...
that and that I identify with so many of the characters and the situation they're in ... not literally but I've felt what they've felt and would probably react in a similar way ... no matter who had the stage - poor old emotionally constipated husband; obsessed, manipulative lover; mute, willful wife; naughty, selfish child - I am right there ... and I get lost
interesting point you make about Anna's character and her wings ... I'm going to need to keep that in mind next time I watch it
I like Holly too - she sometimes makes strange role choices but I enjoy her work just the same
and yes - we did see Herzog's The Bad Lieutenant together - Tim too ... and as I said - it's a neat flick ... seems like a lifetime ago ...
Wow Phillip--great review of THE PIANO! I haven't seen that film in a long time, but I'm tempted to watch it again now. I remember loving it at the time and cherishing it because it depicted such a strong passionate woman. I loved the elements of nature and the Maori content too.I'm a big fan of Holly Hunter; I love the way she embodies each role. Did you watch her cable show SAVING GRACE? I thought she was wonderful in that. She should have won an Emmy.
Anna Paquin was so young in The Piano. Watching her now in HBO's TRUE BLOOD is surreal!
thanks!somebody asked me the other night what films anna paquin has been in, and apart from the X-MEN films, i sort of drew a blank - and i know she's been in quite a few. i have only seen part of one episode of TRUE BLOOD, it looked interesting, i might try to see if they have it on netflix.
i have never seen SAVING GRACE. is HH the main character?
Phillip wrote: "somebody asked me the other night what films anna paquin has been in, and apart from the X-MEN films, i sort of drew a blank - and i know she's been in quite a few."She was the female lead in Darkness, the film that almost put me off Jaume Balaguero forever. And I have vague memories of seeing her in something else from around that time, but I'm totally drawing a blank. I just remember a scene where she's hanging out on the ledge outside her apartment window talking to a guy...
Phillip wrote: "thanks!somebody asked me the other night what films anna paquin has been in, and apart from the X-MEN films, i sort of drew a blank - and i know she's been in quite a few. i have only seen part o..."
Yes, Holly Hunter was the main character in SAVING GRACE, a very under-rated but superb show. It really hit its stride in the second season when the viewer finally learned more about Grace's dark past and why an angel (yes, an angel) was sent to help her. This is no cheesy TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL; it's a detective program on the surface, but explores the main character's inner demons. As usual, Hunter was intense and gave some really raw performances. She had great supporting actors too, with Kenneth Johnson from THE SHIELD (another excellent show); Leon Rippy as the philosophical angel Earl; and Laura San Giacomo as her best friend (and what a friendship that was).
TRUE BLOOD is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's full of sex and violence but so well-written, with well-defined and memorable characters (I'm watching season 3). I love the Louisiana swamp setting, really adds to the program's sultry tone. And there's a lot of eye candy (for either gender)!
i tried to watch THE BLACK BALLOON a few days ago but the DVD froze up at about the one-hour mark and it refused to play. i was getting into it, but it seemed a bit like recycled material from the other films i've seen that try to deal with this general subject matter. i felt the script wasn't developed enough - wanted more from the characters - so i was particularly frustrated that i couldn't get to the end, because i was very curious to see where it was all going.
yeah - i'm going to have to see if i can get another copy
I just watched The Black Balloon, I liked it, really nice little film, although Phillip, you're right about the 'recycled material'. But The Square really kept me on the edge!! great movie!!
Next one on my aussie list: The Year My Voice Broke
i pulled on netflix' cyber-sleeve and they sent another copy of THE BLACK BALLOON, so i finished it and i was glad i did. the second half of the film was better than the first, but i still had some problems with the closing "theatrical" sequence. didn't ring true for me. but the escalation of emotions seemed very real and i did like the way the girlfriend stuck by her beau. does that happen in real life? i hope so.so, i think i read that the young woman (gemma somebody?) is some australian fashion model or something? was that annoying to australians or did you cheer her for making a career move? 's the sort of thing that would be met with a lot of skepticism over here. i wish they had developed her character a bit more, but she did a fine job with the part, i thought.
do girlfriends stick by their beaus? i think that may depend on the girlfriend Gemma Ward is the young woman ... yep she's a fashion model ... everything I've seen and read about Gemma tell me that she's a nice, down to earth girl ... and so based on that I'm willing to give her a chance ... i'd like to think most other Aussie's would have the same attitude
and I agree - she doesn't do a bad job - I liked her performance in The Black Balloon ... she's also been in The Strangers (although you wouldn't know because she is wearing a mask and doesn't say a lot) ... and she was a mermaid (psycho man killing mermaid) in the last Pirates of the Carribean ... locally, here in Perth, she's also done a play earlier this year called The Ugly One - which I didn't see but read some good things about it
and she's from Perth - all the nice girls are ;o)
fantastic, thanks for the update, sam
she's also been in The Strangers (although you wouldn't know because she is wearing a mask and doesn't say a lot)Ah, I thought the name sounded familiar. IIRC, though, doesn't she deliver the most important line in the entire movie? ("You were home.") 'cause whichever one of the three did that nailed it...
i did see THE STRANGERS as well ... yeah, what robert said regarding the creepy deliverance of that simple line.but is gemma a real name? :)
Phillip wrote: "but is gemma a real name? :)"You gotta watch more Sons of Anarchy, man!
Robert wrote: "she's also been in The Strangers (although you wouldn't know because she is wearing a mask and doesn't say a lot)Ah, I thought the name sounded familiar. IIRC, though, doesn't she deliver the mos..."
she was cast as Dollface ... I can't remember which one said the line though
Robert wrote: "Phillip wrote: "but is gemma a real name? :)"You gotta watch more Sons of Anarchy, man!"
nice one Robert!
Phillip wrote: "what's that?"TV show currently airing on FX. Gemma is the female lead's name. (Played by Katey Sagal from Married with Children.) Some of the best writing currently on television.
Phillip wrote: "thanks for the info"And we'll see her soon in Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, yey!!
Sleeping Beauty. I liked the story, art direction is great and also good photography, I'm no fan of Emily Browning but it was ok. Buuuut the movie in general didn't quite delivers, IMO, on the other hand it's the first directing work of Julia Leigh. What does it means "Jane Campion presents" her name was nowhere in the credits.
Anyway, Phillip, this was the only thing I could manage watching on vacations =( but it was a great trip thanks for the tips!! Weird how I ended up watching an aussie movie in the US, I really wanted to see Martha Marcy May Marlene...
Phillip wrote: "thanks for the info"Damn!! I just saw your post on the Movies we've just watched discussion about Martha Marcy...damn!! If only I had more time!!!!
Ariadna wrote: "I really wanted to see Martha Marcy May Marlene... ..."check it out when you get the chance - i think you'll like it.
Movies We've Just Watched
Books mentioned in this topic
The Slap (other topics)The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (other topics)
and that shyness on film is also what i love about aussie cinema ... excuse me, my PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK light just went off.
and then just unforgettable characters. like SWEEETIE, THE PLUMBER, or PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT.