Father Geek here with Latauro and the brand spanking new issue of our weekly report from Australia & New Zealand, soooo if keeping up on their filmmaking news is your cup of tea, or lager, then check it out below in this week's edition of...

THE DOWNUNDER REPORT

New York Herald Tribune! New York Herald Tribune!

AICN-DOWNUNDER

You know what's really funny? Going to a street in the city for a screening, discovering that you're on the wrong street, going to *another* part of the city with the same street name, discovering that's the wrong one as well, and by that time you've completely missed the film. Then, you write to the publicist and apologise for accepting the invitation and then not showing up, you tell her the whole story, and then you get a reply saying 'Oh, I thought you lived in Sydney!'. The moral of the story? If you're an internet journalist, don't assume that people know which city you live in.

NEWS

* One hundred and fifty protesters were blockading a road in the Blue Mountains, two hours west of Sydney this week. Why? 'Cos Rob Cohen likes to blow shit up. Filming on STEALTH was delayed due to the protesters, who claimed that the explosions would 'degrade and compromise' the environmental integrity of the site. While NSW Premier Bob Carr is nervous that the negative publicity will keep other Hollywood productions away, it's expected that the filming will continue regardless. Can't they do that sort of thing with fancy computers these days?

* Australia's film, television and theatre writers are furious over plans by the Australian Writers Guild to close its Melbourne office (leaving the only remaining offices in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth). It probably didn't help that the announcement was made via email to Sydney-based Guild members, who then informed their Melbourne colleagues.

* Guess what the project I'm asked to chase up on, more than any others. Go on, guess... Those of you who guessed POST-HUMAN were sadly mistaken. Yes, the "Farscape" mini-series designed to wrap up the plotlines has been shooting in Sydney of late. Guy Gross, composer of PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, will direct the Sydney Symphony in their first ever recording of a film score. So there you go. It's meagre, but it's fact.

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

REAL LIFE FILM FESTIVAL

The documentary festival playing at Melbourne's ACMI recently held its opening night, which included unexpected and unannounced awards for four filmmakers. Peter Hegedus, Sacha Ettinger Epstein, Bentley Dean and Elise West received the awards for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking for their achievements in (and I'll have to check my sources on this one) documentary filmmaking.

ACS NATIONAL AWARDS FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY

Anyone attending the Australian Cinematography Society's bash at the Gold Coast Arts Centre (my old stomping grounds - go you Wildcats!) this May 15, will be in the company of Russell Boyd. Boyd, who just won an Oscar for his work on MASTER AND COMMANDER, has just been announced as Guest of Honour at the event.

BOX OFFICE

Thank God for Tarantino. Despite the bastard canceling his trip to Australia, he saved us from a barrage of crap (aside from ETERNAL SUNSHINE, of course), with VOL. 2 rocketing to top spot. Also, mixed blessings with STRANGE BEDFELLOWS doing so well. Sure, we want our local films to do well, but does it have to be *this*?

And the top five are...

• 1. KILL BILL VOL. 2
• 2. STARSKY AND HUTCH
• 3. STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
• 4. SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED
• 5. THE CAT IN THE HAT

RELEASED THIS WEEK

Bertolucci finally caters to the under-appreciated arthouse/teen sex comedy crowd, Mathieu Kossvitz proves he should go back to robbing Bruce Willis at gunpoint, the first film out of Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban curiously name-checks the terrorist whose shadow they are trying to get out from, director Nicholas Philibert makes a documentary set in the country of Freedom, and Ray Romano shows his diversity by playing a character with a different name.

This week's releases are...

• THE DREAMERS
• GOTHIKA
• OSAMA
• TO BE AND TO HAVE
• WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT

REVIEWS

THE DREAMERS

There is a scene in THE DREAMERS, one often singled out by critics, where the three main characters run through the Louvre in an attempt to break the record set in Godard's BAND À PART. It was at that moment that I realised I loved this film. Up until then, I'd been enjoying it, both viscerally and academically. But, similar to my description of KILL BILL VOL. 2 last week, there is a moment where the film hits a plateau and you give over to it completely.

But haven't critics been rather indifferent to it? They have in Australia. It's been mostly three star reviews, two-and-a-half. So what is Latauro seeing that they are not? Or, possibly more accurately, what are they seeing that Latauro is not? It's tough to say. Most critiques I've read or seen have said that the film isn't relevant. That Bertolucci is trying to be hip and youthful and relevant, and is falling short. I'm not sure what critics aged 50+ think is hip and youthful and relevant, but I can tell you that I turn 23 on Monday and I consider this film very relevant. I don't care that Bertolucci has been trying to make a film along these themes for the past twenty years, I don't care if he has a personal Buddhist philosophy. I've read far too many criticisms that are based on nothing to do with the film whatsoever. We are at war, and it's a war that is dividing public opinion, and people of my age are protesting it, and some of them are pacifists and some of them (a small number) have become violent in their protests. Regardless of your personal political ideology, to claim that this film is not relevant to the youth of today (or, for that matter, to anyone today) is blindly ridiculous.

Admittedly, the film isn't solely about protesting the Vietnam war. The war is merely a backdrop for the story, which focuses on the relationship between the three main characters. And *that's* where the relevance lies. In the days and weeks and months following the terrorist act that kicked off Gulf War II, it felt strange to carry on with my life, with my personal relationships. We still do so, though. We're all continuing with our lives, for what choice do we have, but we're doing so against the backdrop of war. And we become consumed by our personal lives, only pausing to watch reports on the TV or read articles in the newspaper. This isn't an indictment, mind you, it's how we live. It's perfectly reasonable for us to live like that. But when Matthew challenges Theo on why he's not out there protesting instead of sitting inside discussing trivial matters, he's challenging us as well. Why aren't we out there more? Why aren't we protesting and marching in the streets to voice our views, regardless of what they are? Why aren't we doing anything?

To touch on some other points: Michael Pitt, despite having no control over his genetics, is often maligned as being a second-rate Leonard DiCaprio, purely because of the physical similarity. I, myself, have been guilty of doing this as well. But can you blame me? All I'd really seen him in was "Dawson's Creek" and MURDER BY NUMBERS, and neither of those performances were anything to write home about. Unless, of course, you were writing home to talk about all the ordinary performances you'd seen in TV shows and movies. No, here he gives a performance that - to continue and perhaps put an end to the cliché - DiCaprio couldn't. Or, rather, wouldn't at this stage of his career. Pitt is one of the most inspired pieces of casting, and I hope he continues with films like this.

This is also a glory for film lovers (not film academics). It's hard not to love the reference to ABOUT THE SOUFFLÉ; it was even appreciated by my two friends with whom I constantly argue about French New Wave (I love it, they don't). But then, they're both big fans of Sam Fuller's SHOCK CORRIDOR and constantly tell me how great it is, and I could sense their pleasure when Matthew narrates his love for the film. And the debate about Chaplin versus Keaton! Sure, people have been arguing about them since the beginning of time, but who cares? These characters have a genuine and passionate love of cinema, which may only be appreciated by filmgoers who share it.

I walked into the cinema to see THE DREAMERS less than twelve hours after I'd seen KILL BILL VOL. 2. That any film could grab my attention when my head was still full of The Bride's Revenge is impressive enough, but this does more. This film shows us ourselves, with all of our horrible secrets and intense passions and political guilt. The most relevant film to come out this year.

NEXT WEEK

- Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Leslie Caron, Helen Mirren, Brenda Blethyn, Julie Walters, Faye Dunaway, Oprah Winfrey, Blythe Danner, Julie Christie and Diane Keaton sign on to DEIDRE'S 11, described as a 'heist film with old ladies'

- Scientists apologise for their claims that THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is scientifically inaccurate, announcing they made an error when they all simultaneously forgot to carry a one

- Dreamworks unveil their next three computer animated features: superhero comedy THE INVULNERABLES, followed by TRUCKS, followed by RAT WHO LIVES IN A CAFÉ

Peace out,

Latauro

AICNDownunder@hotmail.com