Soon Lords and Ladies we shall lauch a full scale assault and lay waste to all that lie in our path!

Until then, I'll provide a few morsels for your consideration!

New Zealand


Once Were Warriors
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
The Piano
Fractured
Scarfies

...I'll wait for Arch and them compile a better list! Didn't want to disappoint my dear sweet Dolce! I'll be joining some of your other cultural festivals soon!

Ta!

*Participants so Far*
Mirûvor
Archangel Supreme
dolcevita
andaroo
slowreader

Hmmm. Well I've never actually seen the piano, but I have yet to hear a single bad thing about it, and I do remember Anna Paquin hyperventilating up on the Adademy Awards stage....so I think I'm in on this one.

We were Once Warriors was a book first right?

I'll try to post a more comprehensive list and include some Aussie films soon enough.

Ta~

The Piano is brilliant, you should watch it immediately. If Schindler's List didn't exist, The Piano would have been locked for the win (and we would have had our first woman director award too!).

Picnic at Hanging Rock
Gallipoli
Shine
Whale Rider
Mad Max
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Meet the Feebles
Brain Dead
Oscar and Lucinda
Muriel's Wedding
The Devil's Playground
Forgotten Silver
Heavenly Creatures
Rabbit Proof Fence
Lantana
The Year of Living Dangerously
Dead Calm
Moulin Rouge!
Ned Kelly
Strictly Ballroom
Romper Stomper
Gettin' Square

and the best film of all time:

BMX Bandits!

So you're in on this one andaroo? I'm going to make sure to see the piano...and let me tell you, Strictly Ballroom is one of my absolute faves!

-Dolce

I'll join this one. I've seen quite a few of the early Peter Jackson films (Braindead, Meet the Feebles), Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom, and the Mad Max trilogy.

I know the video store has Heavenly Creatures, Ned Kelly, and The Piano which I will watch.

Cheers slowreader,

In addition to you list I'd like to add

Shine
Chopper
Breaker Morant
Danny Deckchair
The Castle
An Angel at My Table
Spooked
In My Father's Den

and yes, yes , yes

definitely

Heavenly Creatures

I don't know which films would be readily available to people in other parts of the world, but I'd think that perhaps the more popular ones will!

Ta!!

Are all the above from Australia or New Zealand?

Where is Archangel?



-Dolce

They are both.

Despite the fact that we are all aware that they are different countries, we all view Australia and New Zealand as inheriantly connected.

Yes they are all from Oz or NZ my dear, though I don't know what will be available to you outside of Oceania!

Archangel? He had mentioned last week that he had upcoming exams and may be taking a brief hiatus from the forums. I take it that he's engaged and will pop in when he has a momemt...I hope! :?

Achy...we miss ya already man! :wink:

Well andaroo mate...the defining difference, is that Kiwi's came to NZ by choice! :wink:

All right mates,

I think we should all start off with Whale Rider or Heavenly Creatures or Mad Max, since most video stores should have it!

Ta!

Hiya,

So has anyone had a chance to give any of the films a watch?

Just got my hands on Heavenly Creatures yesterday. I thought it was excellent, and I finally see why production studios had faith in PJ's ability to pull off LOTRs. This movie was VERY intense, and I have yet to see anything like it! The Way he used those figurines and blew them up to build their fictional land, merging it with real backgrounds, really was explorative of their obsession. That kmelding in and out from one reality to the next, so seamlessly, is something few directors have, IMO, accomplished. I don't think Howard did it well in Beautiful Mind at all, and he got best director oscar for that. This was a far more worthy example. Really refreshing from Jackson, since previously I had only seen Meet the Feebles, and knew he had a big gore/horror background. It always made me wonder why studios put such faith in him, but now I see.

Also, the two actresses were amazing. I'm surprised that was Kate's role, she did such a good job being snotty and open at the same time. I king of already knew about what they do at the end (don't want to give it away), but I still wasn't bored watching. Its one of those movies where even if you know the ending the movie should be viewed scene by scene and really explored for every moment. I will say there was still some trouble with the Mother's construction, and I know it was a true story, so I don't know if Jackson was trying to be historically accurate, but somehow I had the same problem with the mother's shortcomings and weak insight that I did with Turner's role in Virgin suicides. Mothers are always depicted as the last to evolve, and ultimately the detrminants of their own faith in a sort of "She should have seen it coming" sort of way. It kind of always makes for the weakest charcater of the whole film.

A-

What did you think of it Miru?

-Dolce

Dolce,

Did you have trouble watching the ending? I know many who said that they couldn't watch it the first time and they got incredibly tense when they did!

I thought it was a brill film and I am glad that you were able to recognize why some had faith in this director to make the LOTR.

Both very good films, though I was quite young when I watched The Piano so it dragged a bit to me.

Those I've seen:

1. The Piano
2. Shine
3. Moulin Rouge!
4. Whale Rider
5. Muriel's Wedding
6. Dead Calm

By the way, has anyone seen Paradise Road? I'm sure it's an Australian film with Cate Blanchett, Frances McDormand, and Glenn Close. Not too bad. It's a WWII drama about a Japanese prison camp for women.

Also, what about A Cry In The Dark with Sam Neill and Meryl Streep? I think it's one of Streep's best performances. Not only that, it's responsible for that line from Seinfeld - 'Maybe a dingo ate your baby". Seriously, it's a very good movie.

I really need to watch Heavenly Creatures sometime. I'll try to find it at a rental store here somewhere.

I'm so sorry, i totally forgot my duties to get this thread moving.....here's one movie you might have heard of.....

STRICTLY Ballroom



The critically acclaimed Baz Lurhman introduced us to the fantastical world of ballroom dancing back in 1992 and its success could be seen in both the box-office and reviews.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/strictly_ballroom/

Central to the movie is the choreography, focusing on each individual steps instead of the whole performance......this was a fast paced, edge of your seat excitement......something you don't mind seeing many times over.....

With a joyous tone the audienced is guided through the cut-throat world of competitive dancing and the transformation and development of performers/characters.

It featurs elaborate dance routines, lavish costumes, and outlandish characters; blending comedy and romance so wonderfully.

Produced for just $1m (compared to Moulin Rouge's $50m), Strictly Ballroom is Baz's directorial debut and when combined with Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge....becomes his Red Curtain Trilogy.



BOX-OFFICE: Australia

Back in 1992, this was the highest grossing movie of the year, edging out the equally outlandish Sister Act.

Released Aug 20th, it grossed $789,027 on opening weekend......with a super lengthy run that would result in a $21,760,400......a total which places it #44 on the All-Time charts......matching Oceans 11, Austin Powers 2 and Bridget Jones

YEARLY: 1992

1 STRICTLY BALLROOM PG Ron 20 Aug 789,027 3.63 21,760,400
2 SISTER ACT PG BVI/Touch 19 Nov 1,555,850 7.59 20,505,775
3 HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK PG Fox 10 Dec 1,158,177 8.97 12,914,433
4 BASIC INSTINCT R Road 14 May 1,479,022 11.59 12,756,984
5 HOOK PG Tri 26 Mar 1,574,670 13.34 11,805,836
6 LETHAL WEAPON 3 M WB 03 Sep 1,962,973 17.39 11,286,218
7 A FEW GOOD MEN M Col 17 Dec 875,719 7.93 11,040,257
8 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST G BVI/Dis 11 Jun 455,456 4.17 10,928,798
9 BATMAN RETURNS M WB 19 Jun 1,863,810 19.64 9,491,634
10 WAYNE'S WORLD PG UIP/Para 02 Jul 1,050,097 11.27 9,315,645

ALL-TIME:

30 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL BVI 2003 11 Sep 25,429,449
31 CROCODILE DUNDEE II Hoyts 1988 26 May 24,916,805
32 SPIDER-MAN 2 Col/Tri 2004 30 Jun 24,263,992
33 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN UIP 1998 19 Nov 24,172,708
34 TROY WB 2004 13 May 23,447,161
35 TWISTER UIP 1996 30 May 23,438,404
36 THE FULL MONTY Fox 1997 16 Oct 23,197,810
37 THE MATRIX Road 1999 08 Apr 23,104,709
38 MEN IN BLACK Col 1997 11 Sep 22,789,539
39 WHAT WOMEN WANT Road 2001 08 Jan 22,533,750
40 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 UIP 2000 01 Jun 22,478,131
41 BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY UIP 2001 26 Jul 22,404,421
42 AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME Road 1999 17 Jun 22,380,168
43 OCEAN'S ELEVEN Road 2002 10 Jan 22,234,443
44 STRICTLY BALLROOM Ronin 1992 20 Aug 21,760,400
45 FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL REP 1994 05 May 21,471,077
46 GHOST UIP 1990 25 Oct 21,311,049
47 MEET THE PARENTS UIP 2000 26 Dec 21,221,469
48 LIAR LIAR
UIP 1997 12 Jun 21,117,778
49 NOTTING HILL Poly 1999 10 Jun 20,831,399
50 SISTER ACT BVI 1992 19 Nov 20,505,775

Yay Archy....I LOVE Strictly Ballroom, its one of my favorite movies. There is not one line, look, or step I would change in that movie. I wish it had wider reception here, but it came out when people didn't know Baz or before ballroom dancing craze swept the nation.

"I kept asking myself why?...Did I wrong him as a mother?" Bwahahahaha!

I know that entire movie word for word.

LANTANA (2001)



Australian Director Ray Lawrences second movie and his first for 17 years is an articulate, intelligent and totally compelling examination of human relationships, as well as a thought provoking thriller. Award winning and critically acclaimed, this was one of the hottest movies of 2001.

Not only is Lantana well-written and well-directed but it has depth. At its core are the central themes of trust, grief, fidelity, betrayal and redemption. Anthony LaPaglia (The Client, So I Married An Axe Murderer), Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey and Kerry Armstrong all give great performances, subtly conveying a broad range of emotions throughout the course of the movie.

It deals with real people facing realistic problems, and does so in a blended, global way. It's not a nostalgia trip like The Dish or Moulin Rouge, it's a hard, close look at people today.



Awards:

On the Awards front, Lantana didn't receive any Oscar Nominations; however, it battled ferociously at the 43rd AFI (Australian Film Instititue) Awards in 2001 with Moulin Rouge.......winning most of the major categories as follows:

Best film: Lantana
Best direction: Ray Lawrence, Lantana
Best actress: Kerry Armstrog, Lantana
Best actor: Anthoy LaPaglia, Lantana
Best supporting actress: Rachael Blake, Lantana
Best supporting actor: Vince Colosimo, Lantana
Best costume design: Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie, Moulin Rouge
Best sound: Guntis Sics, Roger Savage and Andy Nelson, Moulin Rouge
Best editing: Jill Bilcock, Moulin Rouge
Best original music score: Cezary Skubiszewski, La Spagnola
Best production design: Catherine Martin, Moulin Rouge
Best original screenplay: Robert Connolly, The Bank
Best adapted screenplay: Andrew Bovell, Lantana
Best cinematography: Don McAlpine, Moulin Rouge
Best foreign film: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

BOX-Office:

With the Australian film industry bombing badly, one has to look right back to 2001 to get a local hit, that of course being Moulin Rouge and Lantana.

Lantana opened on 4th October and had one hell of a lengthy run. It was inside the Top 20 for 21 weeks before exiting in late February........and all of this was built on a puny $430,696 opening weekend.

This was an exciting period for Australian cinema, movies like Moulin Rouge, Lantana, Chocolat and Captain Correli's Mandolin created a quality, arthouse feel to the Box-Office.....one which i remember quite vividly.

AUSTRALIA: Yearly 2004 (AUD$)

1 LOTR: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING M Road 26 Dec 9,757,556 20.75 47,035,700
2 HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPH.. PG WB 29 Nov 9,254,659 21.87 42,313,847
3 SHREK PG UIP/Uni 21 Jun 3,546,724 11.07 32,045,840
4 MOULIN ROUGE M Fox 24 May 3,658,466 13.22 27,678,121
5 MONSTERS, INC. G BVI 26 Dec 3,701,090 14.44 25,623,079
6 WHAT WOMEN WANT PG Road 08 Jan 5,124,769 22.74 22,533,750
7 BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY M UIP/Uni 26 Jul 3,926,141 17.52 22,404,421
8 CASTAWAY M UIP/Uni 18 Jan 4,543,333 22.42 20,261,501
9 MISS CONGENIALITY M Road 15 Mar 4,317,890 21.54 20,049,198
10 PEARL HARBOR M BVI 07 Jun 5,239,676 27.91 18,773,788
11 THE MUMMY RETURNS M UIP/Uni 10 May 5,438,989 29.88 18,204,297
12 CATS AND DOGS PG Road 20 Sep 2,770,127 16.73 16,560,693
13 LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER M UIP/Par 21 Jun 4,894,061 30.78 15,902,078
14 SWORDFISH MA Road 28 Jun 3,085,859 21.30 14,489,080
15 AMERICAN PIE 2 MA UIP/Uni 06 Dec 4,282,408 31.85 13,444,847
16 RUSH HOUR 2 M Road 27 Sep 3,664,040 28.64 12,791,892
17 LANTANA M Pal 04 Oct 430,696 3.51 12,286,683
18 TRAFFIC MA Road 08 Mar 2,615,910 21.63 12,092,802
19 PLANET OF THE APES M Fox 09 Aug 3,982,438 34.20 11,645,152
21 HANNIBAL R UIP/Uni 15 Feb 4,247,648 37.65 11,282,930
22 CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON M Col 04 Jan 318,988 2.86 11,143,572
23 THE OTHERS M BVI/Mira 08 Nov 2,564,337 23.88 10,738,127
24 LEGALLY BLONDE PG Fox/MGM 11 Oct 2,540,276 23.77 10,684,839
25 JURASSIC PARK III M UIP/Uni 30 Aug 3,742,739 35.13 10,654,035
26 DR. DOLITTLE 2 PG Fox 05 Jul 2,015,546 19.64 10,261,620
27 THE FAST AND FURIOUS M UIP/Uni 20 Sep 3,300,893 32.23 10,242,746
28 CHOCOLAT M Road 14 Feb 836,631 8.31 10,062,504
29 RUGRATS IN PARIS G UIP/Par 05 Apr 484,379 5.20 9,314,691
30 A KNIGHT'S TALE M Col 23 Aug 2,233,389 25.02 8,927,556

AUSTRALIA: All-Time (AUD$)

One of the strong Australian hits of All-Time and to past $10m is not an easy feat.....it joys a very elite group which also includes Crocodile Dundee, Babe, Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, The Dish, The Man from Snowy River...etc

170 THE STING UIP 1974 01 Jan 12,642,000
171 THE TRUMAN SHOW UIP 1998 24 Sep 12,630,139
172 PULP FICTION Road 1994 24 Nov 12,601,028
173 BEACHES BVI 1989 20 Apr 12,599,361
174 JOHNNY ENGLISH UIP 2003 10 Apr 12,525,983
175 THE BIRDCAGE UIP 1996 18 Apr 12,387,553
176 LANTANA Pal 2001 04 Oct 12,286,683
177 OUT OF AFRICA UIP 1986 06 Mar 12,271,000
178 KINDERGARTEN COP UIP 1991 03 Jan 12,258,199
179 GONE WITH THE WIND MGM 1940 01 Jan 12,254,000
180 BRAVEHEART Fox 1995 01 Jun 12,234,989

Thanks for the Lanatana info Archy. It actually was very well received over here, I watched it and only came out thinking it was so-so. I guess ala mystic river this movie uses a dissappearance/death to explore relationships and alientation, but I think it was a little bit too direct in its parallels, and that the way she did die was a teenie bit of a cop-out. Still Mystic River suffered from similar arguements, which makes me remind myself what the point of the movie actually was. Here, it is marital relationships. Lapaglia actually did a very good job in his policeman role, and the film pretty much follows the events through his eyes with some addition narrative sections woving in which he is not part of. A little too much focus on extra-marital affairs, but a decently crafted movie.

B-


*w00t! 1000th Post in the Foreign/Indie Forum! Yaaaaaaay*