Australia, or How only Baz could make a film like this

Australia

Directed by Baz Luhrmann 

Written by Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Hardwood & Richard Flannagan

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters, David Wenham & David Gulpilil

How do you follow a threequel of sorts (Strickly Ballroom, william shakespeare's romeo+juliet and Moulin Rouge!) with a film so confident/ambitious you've named it after an entire country? Well, if you're Baz Luhrmann what you do is explode the 'epic movie', add a pinch of the theatricality that marked your earlier work, stylize it to extremes, enlist a great tech team, a couple of gifted Aussie thesps (and an unknown!) and you head to the outback to shoot Australia. Is the result an accomplished success like his 2001 Oscar-nominated musical wonder? Not particularly; but you have to give Baz & co. props for aiming so high with a project as expansive and unconquerable as the land it tries to portray.

What works:

- Nicole as Lady Sarah Ashley. To those who say that Ms Kidman has no range and little facial mobility I dare you watch her scene with Nullah as she explains the plot of The Wizard of Oz and not be moved (Kidman attempting to sing 'Over the Rainbow' is probably one of my favourite scenes in cinema this year)

- Hugh as the Drover. Need we say more?

- The cinematography. So gorgeous. It almost... almost made me think again about packing everything and going walkabout. But then, Y: The Last Man memories kicked in and well... we all know how that ended, right?

- Brandon Walters. Such a natural thesp... or maybe such a thesp because he's a natural.

- The costumes. Need I say that Kidman's dress is this year's green-library Keira gown for me? (Though Kate's Revolutionary Road's yellow city dress might tie for it)

What almost works

- The CGI backgrounds. Too painterly to be taken seriously and too realistic-looking to be taken George-Lucas-ey. 

- The length. A clip here and a clip there... though where? I still wonder.

There's plenty more to say about this film, but I think I need a couple of more views to be able to critically assess it. For now, let's just say it's a film I would recommend to anyone who loves film-making and who relishes the grandiose nature of The Baz. B+

2008 Watch Out For List or How Star Wars, NYC and WallE are coming our way

Good Premises

Sure, star-power and franchise-frenzy will make me indulge in the capitalistic world we live in by blindly purchasing a ticket for certain movies, but sometimes I think of good stories, and follow good writers wherever they'll lead me. Here are a couple that have sparked my curiousity:

Fanboys
Release Date: (TBA)
After watching several clips at Comic Con and hearing the cast and crew talk for an entire panel I cannot wait enough for this movie. Not only does it look hilarious but it takes up one of the most fascinating aspects of Pop Culture and turns it on its head: Star Wars. Any movie that gets the blessing of George Lucas to a) make fun of him, and b) allow them to film at the Skywalker Ranch MUST be worth watching. Premise: Four friends try and hunt down a copy of Episode One before it hits screens. Hilarity ensues. (And yes, they all agree it sucked!)

Iron Man

Release Date: May 2, 2008
I am a big supporter of Robert D. So it is only fitting that here I am waiting for his latest foray into Hollywoodland with the newest Marvel hero to join the pantheon of comic-book-to-movie character translations. After seeing the trailer all I can say is: can't wait!


Speed Racer
Release Date: May 9, 2008
Wachowski Bros + a 1960s cartoon that I loved as a little kid + Matthew Fox in spandex? What could be better?



WALL•E

Release Date: June 27, 2008
As an obsessive Pixar fan, I cannot wait to see what Andrew Stanton & co have come up with for next summer. What if man left Earth and forgot to turn off the last robot? What if that robot was a Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-class robot who is utterly adorable? Only Pixar knows and will let us in on the secret next summer.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Release Date: November 26, 2008
After this year's Zodiac, I am even more excited for this movie whose premise still tickles my fancy (an expression I never have nor ever again will use): The movie tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences. (Based on Fitzgerald's story)




Synecdoche, New York
Release Date: TBA 2008
What has Charlie Kauffman written that I haven't enjoyed? Exactly. Nothing. Every movie leaves me so tantalized I am forced to watch it over and over to get the full effect. Don't know what movies I'm talking about? Wondering who Kauffman is? Please refer to Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind but in particular to the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The deceivingly simple premise: A theater director (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play. Kudos for using 'synecdoche' in the title, maybe now more people will know what it means and use it correctly.

Australia
Release Date: TBA 2008
What do you need to make a star-powered Australian film? Get Nicole on the line, sign up Hugh, have Baz write and direct, assemble a number of recognizable aussie faces (including 300's David Wenham, and 'acting legend' Bill Hunter - Nemo, Muriel and Priscilla on his record? awesome!) and shoot right in the heart of Hollywood's idea of Australia - Bowen, Sydney and Kununurra as far as I've read. I expect some yobbos, sheilas and some walkabouts to make an appearance.