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.
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.