Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with our man downunder, Latauro. He's got a ton of stuff for ya' this week, so I'm not gonna take up any more time... just be sure to read his NORTH COUNTRY review. That's all!
You got a lot of pet elk in your house?
AICN-DOWNUNDER
When I'm not obsessively watching films or making up HULK casting rumours, I try to get out there and diversify my interests a bit. It's easy to blow all your money on Amazon (less easy when you can't afford to pay your electricity bill and can therefore no longer log onto the site), but sometimes other things jump out at you.
Last week I went to see Billy Connolly live. I took my father (the ticket was my Christmas present to him), and he was determined to find a phone book to test his age-old theory that Connolly would be dead-set hilarious even if he just the A-to-Ks. Needless to say, my face was in a lot of pain. Between laughs, I tried my best to frown, just to give my cheeks some relief. I think I burst a lot of blood vessels, but it was worth it.
The other night I went to Moonlight Cinema for the first time ever. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's basically a Summer-long screening of new and old films, out in the Botanical Gardens here in Melbourne. I finally caught LOOK BOTH WAYS, an excellent film (but it wouldn't have cracked my top ten) which was only enhanced by the Australia Day fireworks that started twenty minutes in. Nice touch.
This weekend should be a blast. Tomorrow night I'm seeing the White Stripes in concert. The following day I'll be at Big Day Out, seeing Franz Ferdinand (yes!), Iggy Pop, Mars Volta, End of Fashion, Sarah Blasko, Hilltop Hoods (hands-down the greatest hip-hop ever), and -- once again -- the White Stripes.
This is particularly exciting for me. I used to be -- and this will come as a shock to anyone who met me in the past couple of years -- very frugal with my money. It was a while ago now, but I'd put it aside, save what I could, and not even contemplate buying things or going places. These days, I'm broke, but much happier. I usually try to avoid giving "sage" advice (because it usually sounds trite when people do it, especially on the net), but if you're a rainy day-type saver, try breaking that rule, just briefly, and spending it on something you really want and don't in any way need.
There it is. Now to the stuff you actually care about...
NEWS
First of all, Eric Bana is signed to the HULK sequel. Whether it gets greenlit or not is another story (I loved Ang Lee's first film, so if they can maintain its integrity, I'm there), but if it does go ahead, Poider will be front and centre. I know this was clarified by Harry and, well, Avi Arad last week, but I was a little embarrassed at having submitted such a bad bit of info in the first place, I thought I should mention it. I can, however, say with absolute certainty that the film will feature a cameo by the Fantastic Four, and they'll all be played by Gillian Anderson.
Lord knows I never ignore a scoop from a Big Large Monkey -- any monkey big and scary enough to put a tautology in its name deserves my attention. I therefore pass on the very interesting (and, a quick Google informs me, pretty exclusive) information that Walden Media (who did that NARNIA film) and Revolution Studios (who secretly pull the AICN strings) will be filming THE WATERHORSE in New Zealand. Not surprisingly, Weta Digital and Weta Creature Shop have been employed to handle the effects (and what would be the point in shooting in NZ if you weren't going to use those guys? Oh yeah, the pretty scenery). So, what's it about? WATERHORSE is all about the Loch Ness monster, apparently. Barrie Osborne, he of LOTR fame, will be producing the film, which is slated to begin filming this May. I tried to bet Big Large Monkey ten bucks that Sean Connery would be the voice of Nessie. He wouldn't take that action.
Way back in 2005, I made mention of a New Zealand-made fantasy series called MADDIGAN'S QUEST. As I mentioned then, I don't usually report on TV, but the stills they sent me looked awesome. Well, the series has been completed, and has started screening. If you're lucky enough to live in the UK, you'll be able to see the show on BBC1, no less. Given the kamikaze-like way the BBC are refusing to advertise the show, I thought it was worth mentioning again. If you go to maddigansquest.com, you'll be able to check out clips, stills, and a podcast behind-the-scenes doco. Those of us in the colonies (Australia and New Zealand) will be able to see QUEST on Channel Nine and TV3 respectively when it airs next month. Cancel that DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES download, free up your bandwidth, and go take a look. Now.
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: THE TRAVELING FILM FESTIVAL
I haven't given this thing the coverage it deserves, but in the fifty weeks that MIFF isn't delighting all of us in Melbourne, it makes its way around the country, showing films to those who would otherwise not get to see them. TFF will next make its way to Warnambool from February 17 to 19. The best news? Robert Connolly will make the trek to introduce his vastly underrated film, THREE DOLLARS. Go to This Site for juicy details.
AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY CONFERENCE
I got the subject line "The AIDC Melbourne Conversations Debate", and instantly thought someone had misspelt AICN-D, such is the weight of my ego. No, it's part of an Australian documentary conference taking place in Melbourne. Still reeling from the mega-success of the World Series Comedy Debating (and its many clones) from the early 1990s, AIDC has joined the fray with its somewhat dubious debate, "Documentary Is Better Than Sex". Hm. The "For" group will comprise Robert Thirkell (Producer, UK), Brian Nankervis (RocKwiz, SBS TV) and Peter Wintonick (Producer, Canada). The "Against" group will be Matt Price (journalist, The Australian), Courtney Gibson (ABC Arts and Entertainment) and Alan Hayling (BBC Head of Documentaries). Chairing the debate will be Captain Snooze himself, Rod Quantock.
AUSTRALIAN SCREEN DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
The ASDA has announced that one of the directors it will be honouring at its awards ceremony on April 6 will be Phillip Noyce. Noyce will receive the ASDA's Outstanding Achievement Award for, well, being so gosh-darned handsome! Noyce was a founding member (and, at one time, a President) of the ASDA, and has assured us that news of the award has made him Phil Noyce. Thank you. Try the veal.
2006 FLICKERFEST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
The Sydney film festival (which, for some reason, I always hear about days after it's over) awarded its op honour to TAMU TU, a dialogue-free film about six Maori soldiers in Italy during WWII. Meanwhile, the audience vote for Most Popular Film went to THE PRODIGAL SON. The film is the "emotional story" of a forty-something year old gay man who is reunited with his Macedonian family after fifteen years of estrangement. Rumours abound that the DreamWorks Animation remake will feature a twenty-something year old talking hamster who is reunited with his Macadamian family after fifteen years of strange adventures.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS AWARDS
Nominations were recently given to two local boys. Andrew Lesnie ASC, ACS was nominated for his work on KING KONG, and Dion Beebe ASC, ACS was nominated for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. Other jerks round out the list.
35TH INTERNATIONAL ROTTERDAM FILM FESTIVAL
Rotterdam will screen three Australian films at the first big European film festival for the year. Sarah Watt's LOOK BOTH WAYS, Peter Cattaneo's OPAL DREAM, and short film ECTASY OF GARY GREEN by Jack Feldstein will all play at the festival this coming time period. Go to Europe and check them out.
56TH BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
NO. 2, the New Zealand film that received standing ovations at its Sundance screening, will now open in Berlin this February. It will be in competition against Sidney Lumet's FIND ME GUILTY, Iranian film OFFSIDE, and, for some reason, Lleyton Hewitt.
AUSTRALIAN FILM WEEKEND... IN CANADA!
Finally, the Australian Trade Commission in Canada has announced that February 10, 11 and 12 will see the first annual Australian Film Weekend held in Toronto. The Commission, which seems to think that weekends take place over three days, will feature award-winning shorts, documentaries and feature films from the country that has previously given you annoying battery commercials, tired seafood-related catchphrases and, to our credit, Naomi Watts. While this Toronto-based event promises to be the biggest meshing of our two cultures since Hugh Jackman played Wolverine, I really only mentioned it because my dual-citizenship-possessing girlfriend grew up in Toronto, now resides in Melbourne, and gets excited whenever I mention her home town. Also, it's important to put personal information like that up on the internet.
BOX OFFICE
The middle-aged crowd that enjoys "serious" films so long as they aren't too taxing, came out in force to see Rob Marshall's bland Oscarbait motion-through-goer. Everyone else was looking at Kate Beckinsale in tight gaffer tape.
1. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
2. UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION
3. NANNY MCPHEE
4. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDDROBE
5. CHICKEN LITTLE
RELEASED IN THE TIME IT TOOK ME TO BANG OUT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE TIME-CONSUMERS
Paul Provenza mishears the original pitch concept of having one comedian tell a hundred jokes, Martin Lawrence makes a convincing case for euthenasia, rampant over-referencing prevents me from using the "eatin' pudding" line I'd been looking forward to for over six goddamn months, 50 Cent proves to be worth every bit of his name as he stars in a film he wouldn't be able to pronounce without aide from a dialect coach and an eventual revoicing by Glenn Close, the Brits make another film based on the idea of having Rowan Atkinson looking worried on a poster, the opening monologue "Mine is a story that should never be told" proves to be accurate for unintentional reasons, Spielberg finds a use for Darabont's abandoned INDY IV script, and Len Wiseman angers the Christian Right by suggesting that vampires and werewolves were not the product of Intelligent Design.
THE ARISTOCRATS
BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN'
KEEPING MUM
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MUNICH
UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION
REVIEWS
NORTH COUNTRY
NORTH COUNTRY was one of those films I wasn't wild about seeing. Nothing I'd seen about it had grabbed me, and it was one of those films that looks like it *should* have more critical acclaim than it does. When it debuted Stateside, there wasn't really a flurry of reviews. It seemed to be a slight blip on the radar, and then it disappeared.
To hell with it, I thought. I'll go. Charlize is supposed to be there in person, she's supposed to be good in the film, and even though I missed WHALE RIDER, I hear great things about director Niki Caro. Plus, thanks to the bloke who ran into my car a few weeks ago, I don't have easy transportation, and therefore spent a lot of my Summer indoors when all my friends were working. Sure, I'd been making a dent in my backlog of unwatched DVDs, but I hadn't really left the house in days. My mind was made up: I was going.
Then I discovered I'd misplaced the tickets. I'm usually pretty organised, I usually know where everything is, but these tickets just up and vanished like a fart in the wind (as Bob Gunton might say). I considered going along anyway and taking my chances that Georgina, the lovely Roadshow publicist who knows me by sight, bless her, would let me in anyway. Then again, thanks to that aforementioned hot weather, I didn't really want to trek over to Camberwell only to find I couldn't get in.
So I stayed in with my housemates and we watched STAR TREK III instead.
STAR TREK III gets a bit overlooked when the films are discussed. It has that unfortunate Middle Child Syndrome, sandwiched as it is between WRATH OF KHAN (easily the best in the series) and VOYAGE HOME (easily the most popular). It's a bit unfair; watching it the other night, I was amazed at how much better it was than my memory had recorded. Christopher Llyod, whose portrayal of a renegade Klingon is still overshadowed by the legendary Ricardo Montalban, does a pretty decent job. He's a pretty threatening villain, and ends up doing more direct damage to those close to Kirk than Khan managed.
It's also the first time in the films that the cast gets to really shine as an ensemble. In the MOTIONLESS PICTURE, they're set dressing, given much less to do than Decker and Ilia. The second does better (giving Checkov a meatier role and Scotty some nice moments), but once again they had very little to do. SEARCH sets them all up brilliantly, giving them each a role in the gotta-get-a-starship heist that Kirk initiates. Even Uhura, who disappears for most of the film, has a much greater presence than she would if she had simply sat on the bridge the entire time. It's McCoy, however, who steals the show. DeForest Kelly is incredible, both as a man unable to deal with his grief (which is the obvious subtext to the effects of the whole "remember"thing), and in his Leonard Nimoy impression. It could have easily descended into parody, but Kelly avoids doing a send-up of Spock and instead inhabits him totally. It's a fantastic performances, and one of the most overlooked.
The plot and resolution may not be as powerful or satisfying as its predecessor, but it's still an impressive effort. There are times where you honestly believe that there's no way out, that Doc Brown has them. The tension is strong and the escapes convincing. All in all, an overlooked classic; a joy to watch.
I recommend you all go and see NORTH COUNTRY.
NEXT WEEK
- Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal to star in Wong-Kar Wai's BITCH CASSIDY AND THE SLAMDANCE KID
- After a quick rewrite by Stan Lee, political intrigue documentary THE HALLIBURTON STORY becomes musical movie star biopic THE HALLIE BERRY STORY
- Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken reunite for Shawn Levy's THE BEER HUNTER, about a married couple who are visited by the ghost of their departed friend who tells them about a secret map that leads to a magic brewery
Peace out,
