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JonathanLB
Jan 13th, 2003, 08:22:17 AM
There are not very many Australian films really, considering that the United States has used the great film industry in Australia (and it is very good) for its own purposes, but not so much have the Australian filmmakers made their own movies. Even so, the level of expertise and sophistication that many people in Australia have in filmmaking is equal to the United States, which is why Fox Studios even has their giant production facility in Australia. Actually some day I'd really like to visit Australia, more than I would want to go back to Europe or anywhere else, except perhaps Japan, which interests me.

Rabbit-Proof Fence is really a good Australian movie, though. It's a bit of a downer, but it has a message of hope, I think, and is not entirely depressing at the end. The cinematography is beautiful (understandable considering the vast landscapes in Australia) and the story is quite powerful. It is not a movie for everyone and perhaps the subject matter is too serious for mainstream audiences who would rather just enjoy themselves at the movies (nothing wrong with that), but it raises awareness of something that at least I did not know and found interesting.

The music is really good, the story just seems to flow well, and I felt the journey was worthy of a movie and of my time. It is not one of the best films of the year, as some people have claimed (that is ok, I can see them saying that), but I definitely found it worthwhile and would give it 3.5 stars, as Ebert did.

I recommend anyone with a chance sees it. It's not one of those weird foreign films, but just a good movie that happens to be made in another country (the kind I like -- I don't need "weird" movies, I prefer meaningful ones, haha).

Well now I don't have too many more 2002 films left to see, relatively speaking. I'm going to Adaptation tomorrow, just opened here Friday, and I'm going to Nicholas Nickleby next week (opened Friday but no time this weekend). I am looking forward to The Quiet American and to a lesser extent The Hours (not my type of film I don't think), but I also have about 10 movies to rent that I've heard about and didn't see in 2002 because they never played in theaters here or maybe I missed a few of them.

jjwr
Jan 13th, 2003, 09:13:29 AM
I don't know why but for some reason I was expecting instructions on how to build a rabbit proof fence :)

Taylor Millard
Jan 13th, 2003, 09:18:39 AM
or a story about a Rabbit-Proof Fence atleast ;)

JMK
Jan 13th, 2003, 09:23:29 AM
Or a story about rabbits getting caught in a fence.

Darth Viscera
Jan 13th, 2003, 10:22:17 AM
Or a story about squirrels. I like squirrels. Except for the ones that bite you. I hate them.

JMK
Jan 13th, 2003, 10:31:57 AM
I have a FAT squirrel that comes to my back door every saturday. This thing is hardcore. It eats barbecue peanuts stright out of my hand, and if I were to ask it in the house, it would march right in and make itself at home. I like squirrels.

JonathanLB
Jan 13th, 2003, 10:34:29 AM
Sweet, JMK :)

We don't have many squirrels at this house (we did at the last one) because of all of the coyotes around here -- they get eaten. Haha, I'm sure the coyotes love them. ;)

As for Rabbit-Proof Fence, I didn't exactly know what to expect when I saw it, but basically it's not about the Rabbit-Proof Fence, but rather about the struggle between the Aborigines and the Australian government and specifically the journey of three young girls from a school 1,500 miles away from their home (they were taken away from their mother) back to their homeland. They follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence during their journey, which really was built to keep rabbits out, lol, and that is how the movie gets its name I guess.

ReaperFett
Jan 13th, 2003, 10:42:21 AM
Is it a prequel to Bulletproof Monk? ;)


It came out over here ages ago IIRC, so doubt I'll see it in the near future.

JonathanLB
Jan 13th, 2003, 11:06:18 AM
It's a 2002 release, so it cannot be ages ago. In fact, it just opened in your country recently, so I'm not sure you are thinking of the right film...?

It opened in the United States on November 29 in limited release, but opened in the U.K. on November 8. It opened in the U.S. in several film festivals as early as October. It's first premiere was of course in Australia on February 4, so it's about a year old technically but we over here in the rest of the world did not get it for quite some time.

ReaperFett
Jan 13th, 2003, 11:55:40 AM
2 months ago = ages ago. Same as you got The Transporter ages before us :)

JonathanLB
Jan 13th, 2003, 01:19:38 PM
lol, ok if you think 2 months is ages ago ;)

Bulletproof Monk looks awesome! Almost as good as Shaolin Soccer, hehe.

Taylor Millard
Jan 18th, 2003, 03:04:41 AM
Well Rabbit Proof Prince has at least one good actor in it (I know it's got more...but one that makes me normally go out and see flicks) Kenneth Branaugh.

And it seems like an interesting concept for a film.

YOu say it be good Jon?

JonathanLB
Jan 18th, 2003, 11:29:07 AM
It's a very powerful film, but it is a bit depressing, I mean it's somber subject matter. It's not good in the way that, say, The Fast and the Furious is good, haha. It's a serious movie and tells a real story. Some people simply won't like it because they go to the movies for entertainment only. The film isn't very entertaining, but it is very well done and meaningful.