Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia'

Grug

Grug

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The trailer has just been released:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/australia/

Not sure what to make of this, something about Nicole Kidman's performances tend to pull me out of movies I watch with her in them. Hugh Jackman's work looks solid as always. That said, the trailer gives you almost no idea as to what the movie's about (other than giving it a time, date, and location).

I hope this is good, though I still can't quite get over how pretentious it sounds to name a movie after a continent/country (James Michener is about the only artist I'll give the benefit of the doubt, as far as naming works after countries is concerned).

What do you guys think?
 
Trailer didn't get my attention but Baz can do "spectacle" like no one else. I'm sure he'll bring it.

I agree about Kidman pulling you out of a film though. Her performances are sometimes so ethereal it's like she's not really there...
 
Since Baz's "Moulin Rouge" is one of my favourite movies of all time, this is a must see for me- even though the main storyline doesn't feel at all attractive...
 
I'm interested in how it pans out. I think Baz has a lot of merit and people surrounding the movie just have some great things to say about it. And the trailer makes the film look good, whether or not the story or the actors will pull it off, we'll have to wait and see.

Having said that. I'd go see it in Nov.
 
Evan S said:
Would have preferred a more appropriate title, such as "An American Wolverine in Australia"
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What a typical American comment! Like the world revolves around you.
And, if we're really luck, in the not too distant future the world will be presented with the epic of all time epics:

America - Directed by Steven Spielberg

"A film bigger, better and more expensive than everything else, ever!"

haha - I can actually imaging that happening, but I hope not... :dankk2:
 
Jared Meyer said:
Trailer didn't get my attention but Baz can do "spectacle" like no one else. I'm sure he'll bring it.
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I hope so, with a but. Watching this trailer at the Indy show I was very confused. (I'm slow that way sometimes). But then at the end I saw Baz's name and went WHAT??

The story looks great... what I HOPE is that this might be his "Big Fish". A departure to show us he can make an honest film without the glitz. I need to do some reading on the story. I just hope it isn't Rabbit Fence, The Musical.

CaptM

EDIT: Uh-oh... African Queen meets City Slickers??? Let's hope not!! (I'm jumping to conclusions based on a short paragraph I read ONLY)
 
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Slinkii said:
What a typical American comment! Like the world revolves around you.
And, if we're really luck, in the not too distant future the world will be presented with the epic of all time epics:

America - Directed by Steven Spielberg

"A film bigger, better and more expensive than everything else, ever!"

haha - I can actually imaging that happening, but I hope not... :dankk2:
Click to expand...

I know, I was kidding. I just think it's weird to see Hugh Jackman in anything but tight x-men spandex. I think it's good he's making other movies, he's a pretty good actor. On the other hand I would think of the movie differently if they had called it "faraway downs" or something. Which is the name of the ranch in the movie. I just think calling something after a freaking continent - ridiculous. It's like calling Gone with the Wind, "AMERICA!"

And remember even Baz says it's a remake of gone with the wind for australia.
 
Woah, take it easy Slinkii :smile:.

As for the movie, not sure what to make of it. I'm very interested to see how this goes at the US box office (and internationally).
 
Almost release time. Wondering what the buzz is... I havent been thrilled with past representations of Australia as they tend more on the literal side, this could be something different and Im hoping it is.
 
I'm curious: Has anyone seen this?

I watched it and, in a sense, it turned out the way I tought it would be.

This movie is basically Baz's declaration of love to Australia- his way of showing the world what the essence of the country is about.

It doesn't avoid to be overly emotional, melodramatic, even, because that's how he feels towards the subject. Does it work? I guess not in the same level as Moulin Rouge!, mainly due to the subject matter.

He tried very hard to expose Australia's heritage, unique blend of cultures- the natives and the colonialists, as well as the mixed, but by over simplifying everything for audiences to understand this, he had to make the characters symbolic- 2d, even- and I can see people not being able to enter Baz's Australia because of this: its not about the characters, or the individuals, per se, but about what they represent.

Personally, I tought it was enjoyable, but its not in the same league as Moulin Rouge! Moulin Rouge!, for me, was a masterpiece of modern cinema, because it utilizes a similar formula but in a flawless manner: the characters are the same, very simbolic, but the whole subcontext, the lyrics, the music and what they represented on our Zeitgeist where brilliantly applied in a way that trully translated the Bohemian premise of the movie. Australia's flaws where, for me, in its script, which reflect Baz's limitation and even a certain sense of guilt towards the colonial past of Australia, as well as casting and, surprisingly, in the selection of the key " music". Let me explain better.

Casting. Hugh Jackman was just not convincing, for me, as the Rover. One could see that the role was written for Russel Crowe. Hugh just doesn't have the presence and imposing frame to carry the role as Crowe. Him being one of the main characters in the film really was a big flaw, and took out some of the film's " power" . The rest of the cast, however, was excelent. Everyone was bashing Nicole Kidman, but I tought she was solid and did a good job. Same for the rest of the cast, including the " kid" .

The " music" - to avoid spoilers, I don't want to say the name of the song, but it really just didn't work for me. It made sense to make the plot move forward, but the problem is that I'm part of an audience that didn't felt the " magic" of the original film where this came from- its not part of my memories, I'm not a part of that film's generation- so I couldn't feel the " magic" that probably worked for people, probably from Baz's generation, that could probably relate to it in a stronger sense. Like I said, it made perfect plot sense and it was a clever way to move the story forward, but that particular song is probably too heavily connected to something else.


Last but not least SPOILER ALERT AHEAD! was the mixed kid's plot. While touching, it ended up being the most inconsistent of the film. The final resolution of his " destiny" was flawed, in my opinion: if he his mixed, as in he is the result of both East and West cultural mix, then why, seeing the ending, does he ends up opting for one- going with his grandfather on the walk, saying goodbye and with the Rover saying " he belongs out there" or something like that? Isn't this western culture part of him, also? This was probably Australia's own colonialism trauma that reflected in Baz's storytelling, but, as a mixed (albeit from a diferent country and heritage), it is my own understanding that our cultural richness is of having this cultural blend- neither one or other, but both. Well, maybe I'm taking it in a personal way, here.

What did you guys thing of the movie? Funny no one posted any comments, including our very own Australian members here...

In the end, I found the film enjoyable, and nowhere near the train wreck painted by most critics. Flawed? Yes. Cliched? Yes (but people should understand that behind the apparently simple and cliched story lies a subcontext of the traumas and the unique heritage of a country- not an easy thing to show in a film). It was, however, enjoyable and entertaining!
 
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For me, Australia was very beautifull movie. I don't care about plot gaps, because movie is ment to SEE and to FEEL. If you want some smart words go and take some boring book!
 
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