The Official Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Challenge - April 2019

[zzzorf]

SpoilerShow

1. Crackerjack (2002, Australia) - 7/10
2. Jedda (1955, Australia) - 7/10
3. Dying Breed (2008, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
4. The Craic (1999, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
5. Somersault (2004, Australia) - 9/10 (rewatch)
6. Fat Pizza (2003, Australia) - 10/10 (rewatch)
7. Alice Through the Looking Glass (1987, Australia) - 6/10
8. Oakie's Outback Adventures (2011, Australia) - 6/10
9. Housos vs. Authority (2012, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
10. Roadgames (1981, Australia) - 7/10
11. Storm Boy (1976, Australia) - 6/10
12. Somewhere in the Darkness (1999, Australia) - 10/10
13. Caddie (1976, Australia) - 8/10
14. The Black Balloon (2008, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
15. Sweet Country (2017, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
16. Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
17. Dumb Criminals: The Movie (2015, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
18. My Brilliant Career (1979, Australia) - 5/10
19. 40,000 Horsemen (1940, Australia) - 3/10 (double)
20. The Rats of Tobruk (1944, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
21. Babe (1995, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
22. The Coolangatta Gold (1984, Australia) - 8/10
23. The Alice (2004, Australia) - 5/10
24. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
25. The Great Gatsby (2013, Australia) - 6/10
26. FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
27. The Dragon Pearl (2011, Australia) - 5/10
28. Hounds of Love (2016, Australia) - 7/10
29. The Last Wave (1977, Australia) - 7/10
30. Buddies (1983, Australia) - 6/10
31. The Wog Boy (2000, Australia) - 7/10
32. Attack Force Z (1981, Australia) - 6/10
33. Wolf Creek (2005, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
34. Travelling Light (2003, Australia) - 5/10
35. Parklands (1996, Australia) - 1/10
36. Cosi (1996, Australia) - 7/10
37. Mystery Road (2013, Australia) - 7/10
38. The Removalists (1975, Australia) - 3/10
39. Spotswood (1992, Australia) - 3/10
40. Goldstone (2016, Australia) -5/10
41. Son of a Gun (2014, Australia) - 7/10
42. Les Patterson Saves the World (1987, Australia) - 3/10
43. The Sapphires (2012, Australia) - 7/10
44. Tudawali (1987, Australia) - 5/10
45. The Dish (2000, Australia) - 4/10
46. Bran Nue Dae (2009, Australia) - 4/10
47. Next of Kin (1982, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
48. Dr. Plonk (2007, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
49. Long Weekend (2008, Australia) - 5/10
50. Opal Dream (2006, Australia) - 7/10
51. BMX Bandits (1983, Australia) - 7/10
52. Smithy (1946, Australia) - 9/10 (double)
53.The FJ Holden (1977, Australia) - 5/10
54. The Time Game (1992, Australia) - 4/10
55. Wolf Creek 2 (2013, Australia) - 5/10

56. Razorback (1984, Australia) - 5/10

57. Muriel’s Wedding (1994, Australia) - 6/10
This is a movie I have always actively avoided, something I just never thought I would want to watch it. Due to albajos giving it to me for the bonus challenge I thought it was about time to suck it up and watched it. You know what, it was definitely not the movie I expected. While I still didn't thoroughly enjoy it it was still far better than I thought and I'm glad I got around to it in the end.

58. Sweetie (1989, Australia) - 2/10 (double)
I'm sorry OldAle1, I gave this movie a try but it just wasn't for me.

59. Red Christmas (2016, Australia) - 1/10
60. Kenny (2006, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
61. Always Another Dawn (1948, Australia) - 4/10 (double)

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand

30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand



There is a decent amount of splatter here as the teen protagonist and his friends have to kill everyone in town who has become possessed as a result of listening to their "demon music". Many of these scenes are darkly comic too as a box of so-called "church items" prove to be useful weapons and a man without pants is attacked in a vulnerable spot. There is also a well-dressed man out to summon demons too, but this subplot is not very well developed or fleshed out. Milo Cawthorne is very empathetic in the lead role though and his voiceover works well.

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand

31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia



The first third of this sci-fi entry is weak with too much exposition via title cards and lots of action but no character development. Things become very interesting towards the middle though as the protagonist becomes a lone survivor with echoes of Sam Rockwell in Moon (his only companion is an artificially intelligent computer; see above). There are, however, so many great ideas dropped in this section though that the film does not really get to flesh them out in depth before the action disappointingly returns towards the end. And yet, if a bit of a mess, this is an undeniably intriguing one.

[weirdboy]

SpoilerShow

1. Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988) - Mark Lewis 7/10
2. Sleeping Beauty (2011) - Julia Leigh 6/10
3. Sherpa (2015) - Jennifer Peedom 7/10

4. All This Mayhem (2014) - Eddie Martin 6/10
5. The Overlanders (1946) - Harry Watt 5/10
6. Chopper (2000) - Andrew Dominik 7/10
7. Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - Rolf de Heer 7/10

[jeroeno]

27. Fortress (1985)
28. Venus of the South Seas (1924)
29. Mega Time Squad (2018)
30. Tickled (2016)

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia

32. Fair Game (1986) Australia



Sometimes described as Australia's answer to I Spit on Your Grave, this is actually rather different with limited sexual elements as the poacher antagonists act more like cats playing with their food. In fact, the film brings to mind The Most Dangerous Game. It takes a while to cross the point where she becomes convinced that the only way out is to kill them first, but Andrew Lesnie provides many ironically beautiful shots throughout, while the editing (especially a montage of animal eye reactions and part with a snake crawling up her dress) adds oodles of tension.

[albajos]

57. Muriel’s Wedding (1994, Australia) - 6/10
This is a movie I have always actively avoided, something I just never thought I would want to watch it. Due to albajos giving it to me for the bonus challenge I thought it was about time to suck it up and watched it. You know what, it was definitely not the movie I expected. While I still didn't thoroughly enjoy it it was still far better than I thought and I'm glad I got around to it in the end.

Yes, I saw it in cinema when I was 18. Could probably be quite different to see it now.

But of course, we were raised on ABBA.

[blocho]

11. Summerfield (Australia)
I'm putting my comments from the triple challenge page below:

SpoilerShow

Interesting movie that I have some split feelings about, but overall I'm glad I watched it (so hopefully that judgment will help arrest Sol's totally unnecessary Plonk-related shame spiral -- we want your recs, Sol!). My overall verdict would be: Enjoyable moody mystery/thriller that some people will find too slow, with plenty of tangents and details that in retrospect don't really make any sense. It's impossible to discuss the movie further without spoilers, so here we go ...

SpoilerShow

What I really enjoyed about Summerfield was the way it slowly built a sense of weirdness. I'm talking about the repeated close-up of a mandolin, the totally random shot of a poster showing the Cyclops trying to kill Odysseus, the odd hostility of the townspeople, the constant theme of menacing birds (I was definitely getting a Bodega Bay feeling). At the same time, I think those elements are what frustrate a lot of people when watching this movie because all these interesting tidbits don't really lead anywhere. Nothing develops narratively from the mandolin or the birds, or even the bizarre play-hanging at the beginning of the movie. Nothing develops from the guesthouse love triangle. And perhaps most egregiously, nothing develops from the missing schoolteacher (Peter Flynn) story -- it's all just a red herring, and I think the appearance of Flynn at the end was a mistake, his fate should have been left a mystery or only hinted at.

And now, in order to totally give away the ending, I was a bit underwhelmed by the big reveal. People mentioned Wicker Man and Picnic at Hanging Rock as comparisons, so I was kind of expecting some sort of big community secret weirdness or evanescent break in reality. Instead, all we got was a brother and sister banging. By the way, I thought the lead could have handled that revelation a lot better. I would expect some more maturity, no matter how shocked he was.

Anyway, overall, I enjoyed the movie, but I have mixed feelings about it, and I understand why some people dislike it.

Last thing, here's something from the imdb trivia page about how people involved in the filmmaking feel about it in retrospect:

SpoilerShow

The movie was racked with controversy upon theatrical release. Director Ken Hannam condemned it to the media of the day. Producer Patricia Lovell has said that "It was one of those films that has caused me a lot of sleepless nights since". The lead actors have also spoken of their mixed feelings about the movie. Interviews with them can be seen on the DVD. Nick Tate has said that "It's a film that, I think, was before its time in Australia" whilst John Waters maintains that "Its one of the Australian films that really has stood the test of time". Moreover, Elizabeth Alexander has said of this film: "I'm very sorry for everyone who was involved that it wasn't finally as great as we all hoped it would be. Because it certainly had the makings of that, the potential to be that and, of course, everyone wanted it to be that. But for me, it was just off the mark. I'm sorry to say that."

Actual last thing: Is patient confidentiality not an important rule in Australian medicine? I couldn't believe how glibly the town doctor told the lead about another patient's private medical condition.

12. Sunday Too Far Away (Australia)
Underwhelming. I was promised a labor movement movie (which I'm always interested in), and instead I got a sheep shearing movie with a five minute strike thrown in at the end. Most notable for a competitive naked clothes-washing scene. The movie could have used a little zombie dugong.

[sol]

11. Summerfield (Australia)

Glad you liked this one (and nice to know that you appreciate my recommendations). Oh, and I'm totally with you on Sunday Too Far Away, which I thought was pretty 'meh' when I saw it too.

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia

33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand



In between Sleeping Dogs and Smash Palace, Roger Donaldson directed this nutty comedy about an "anti-gravity" device and a group of European criminals who hold Auckland to ransom. The plot is pretty nonsensical and the villains are too silly and cartoon-like (bursting into song at a couple points no less; see above) for the film to drum up any sense of impending doom or danger. The project is filmed with oodles of energy though. All the cast members give it their all, Donaldson effectively plays around with film speed and direction and the special effects on a budget are nifty.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

Hi and thanks for hosting, zzzorf!

A few from Down Under have come my way, but I've rather been focusing my attention on the 1940s this month.



1. 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' / 1978, Fred Schepisi / 8.5/10 / Australia
2. 'Country Life' / 1994, Michael Blakemore / 8/10 / Australia
3. 'Predestination' / 2014, Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig / 8/10 / Australia / USA
4. 'The Gift' / 2015, Joel Edgerton / 7.5/10 / USA / Australia / China
5. 'Ladies in Black' / 2018, Bruce Beresford / 7/10 / Australia

[flavo5000]

63. Deathgasm (2015)
Watched this one on The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. Joe Bob's still got it!

64. Not Quite Hollywood Extended Trailer Reel (2008)
I was going to watch Ozsploitation Trailer Explosion but noticed this was even longer, clocking it at over 3 hours!

65a. BabaKiueria (1986)
65b. Monster (2005)
65c. Saw (2003)
65d. Two Cars, One Night (2004)
66. The Overlanders (!946)
67. Boy (2010)
68. Puberty Blues (1981)
69. Backroads (1977)
70. Erskineville Kings (1999)
71. The F.J. Holden (1977)
72. The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)

SpoilerShow

1. The Big Steal (1990)
2. Letters to Ali (2004)
3. Australia (2008)
4. Radiance (1998)
5. Cargo (2017)
6. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
7. Looking for Alibrandi (2000)
8. The Pack (2015)
9. Proof (1991)
10. Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)
11. Lemon Tree Passage (2013)
12. Japanese Story (2003)
13. Once Were Warriors (1994)
14. Wyrmwood (2014)
15. Angel Baby (1995)
16. BMX Bandits (1983)
17. The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)
18. Kung Fu Killers (1974)
19. Day of the Panther (1988)
20. Goodbye Paradise (1983)
21. The Year My Voice Broke (1987)
22. Love Serenade (1996)
23. The Lighthorsemen (1987)
24. Snapshot (1979)
25. Felicity (1978)
26. The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style (1978)
27. Evil Angels (1988)
28. Alvin Purple (1973)
29. 40,000 Horsemen (1940)
30. The Getting of Wisdom (1977)
31. Ten Canoes (2006)
32. Bush Christmas (1947)
33. The Sentimental Bloke (1919)
34. For the Term of His Natural Life (1927)
35. Two Hands (1999)
36. Black Robe (1991)
37. Dr. Plonk (2007)
38. The Club (1980)
39. Stone (1974)
40. The Stuntmen (1973)
41. Dangerfreaks (1989)
42. Deathcheaters (1976)
43. Stunt Rock (1980)
44. Dead End Drive-In (1986)
45. Return Home (1990)
46. Australia After Dark (!975)
47. Better Watch Out (2016)
48. Eureka Stockade (!949)
49. The Interview (1998)
50. Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)
51. Don's Party (1976)
52. Storm Warning (2007)
53. The Dreaming (1988)
54. Animal Kingdom (2010)
55. Wolf Creek 2 (2013)
56. Initiation (1987)
57. The Survivor (1981)
58. Bliss (1985)
59a. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)
59b. Kokoda Front Line! (1942)
59c. The Lost Thing (2010)
59d. Abiogenesis (2011)
60. Turbo Kid (2015)
61. All This Mayhem (2014)
62. End Play (1976)
63. Deathgasm (2015)
64. Not Quite Hollywood Extended Trailer Reel (2008)
65a. BabaKiueria (1986)
65b. Monster (2005)
65c. Saw (2003)
65d. Two Cars, One Night (2004)
66. The Overlanders (!946)
67. Boy (2010)
68. Puberty Blues (1981)
69. Backroads (1977)
70. Erskineville Kings (1999)
71. The F.J. Holden (1977)
72. The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)

[weirdboy]

SpoilerShow

1. Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988) - Mark Lewis 7/10
2. Sleeping Beauty (2011) - Julia Leigh 6/10
3. Sherpa (2015) - Jennifer Peedom 7/10
4. All This Mayhem (2014) - Eddie Martin 6/10
5. The Overlanders (1946) - Harry Watt 5/10
6. Chopper (2000) - Andrew Dominik 7/10
7. Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - Rolf de Heer 7/10

8. Roadgames (1981) - Richard Franklin 7/10
9. Sweetie (1989) - Jane Campion 7/10
10. The Plumber (1979) - Peter Weir 7/10

[jeroeno]

31. Mushrooms (1995)
32. Housos vs. Authority (2012)

[peeptoad]

8. Summerfield (1977) 7

Radio BirdmenShow

*rewatch
1. The Reef (2010) 7
2. Harlequin (1980) Dark Forces 7
3. Wake in Fright (1971) 10*
4. Daybreakers (2009) 5
5. In the Winter Dark (1998) 7*
6. Night of Fear (1973) 4
7. Next of Kin (1982) 7

[zzzorf]

SpoilerShow

1. Crackerjack (2002, Australia) - 7/10
2. Jedda (1955, Australia) - 7/10
3. Dying Breed (2008, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
4. The Craic (1999, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
5. Somersault (2004, Australia) - 9/10 (rewatch)
6. Fat Pizza (2003, Australia) - 10/10 (rewatch)
7. Alice Through the Looking Glass (1987, Australia) - 6/10
8. Oakie's Outback Adventures (2011, Australia) - 6/10
9. Housos vs. Authority (2012, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
10. Roadgames (1981, Australia) - 7/10
11. Storm Boy (1976, Australia) - 6/10
12. Somewhere in the Darkness (1999, Australia) - 10/10
13. Caddie (1976, Australia) - 8/10
14. The Black Balloon (2008, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
15. Sweet Country (2017, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
16. Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
17. Dumb Criminals: The Movie (2015, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
18. My Brilliant Career (1979, Australia) - 5/10
19. 40,000 Horsemen (1940, Australia) - 3/10 (double)
20. The Rats of Tobruk (1944, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
21. Babe (1995, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
22. The Coolangatta Gold (1984, Australia) - 8/10
23. The Alice (2004, Australia) - 5/10
24. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
25. The Great Gatsby (2013, Australia) - 6/10
26. FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
27. The Dragon Pearl (2011, Australia) - 5/10
28. Hounds of Love (2016, Australia) - 7/10
29. The Last Wave (1977, Australia) - 7/10
30. Buddies (1983, Australia) - 6/10
31. The Wog Boy (2000, Australia) - 7/10
32. Attack Force Z (1981, Australia) - 6/10
33. Wolf Creek (2005, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
34. Travelling Light (2003, Australia) - 5/10
35. Parklands (1996, Australia) - 1/10
36. Cosi (1996, Australia) - 7/10
37. Mystery Road (2013, Australia) - 7/10
38. The Removalists (1975, Australia) - 3/10
39. Spotswood (1992, Australia) - 3/10
40. Goldstone (2016, Australia) -5/10
41. Son of a Gun (2014, Australia) - 7/10
42. Les Patterson Saves the World (1987, Australia) - 3/10
43. The Sapphires (2012, Australia) - 7/10
44. Tudawali (1987, Australia) - 5/10
45. The Dish (2000, Australia) - 4/10
46. Bran Nue Dae (2009, Australia) - 4/10
47. Next of Kin (1982, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
48. Dr. Plonk (2007, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
49. Long Weekend (2008, Australia) - 5/10
50. Opal Dream (2006, Australia) - 7/10
51. BMX Bandits (1983, Australia) - 7/10
52. Smithy (1946, Australia) - 9/10 (double)
53.The FJ Holden (1977, Australia) - 5/10
54. The Time Game (1992, Australia) - 4/10
55. Wolf Creek 2 (2013, Australia) - 5/10
56. Razorback (1984, Australia) - 5/10
57. Muriel’s Wedding (1994, Australia) - 6/10
58. Sweetie (1989, Australia) - 2/10 (double)
59. Red Christmas (2016, Australia) - 1/10
60. Kenny (2006, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
61. Always Another Dawn (1948, Australia) - 4/10 (double)

62-67. Mystery Road (2018, Australia) - 8/10 (Mini-series 6 episodes)

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia
33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand

34. Tickled (2016) New Zealand



Researching an online tickling competition, a New Zealand journalist and his computer hacker friend are plunged into the middle of something more bizarre than they could have ever imagined in this intriguing documentary. The film benefits from a very gradual release of information, making it feel like we are only discovering things at the same time as the duo. A stakeout outside a Starbucks is particularly intense. There is also a lot to like in how the documentarians avoid name-calling and manage to keep their anger out of the picture while coming across some very nefarious things.

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia
33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand
34. Tickled (2016) New Zealand

35a. The Tickle King (2017) 21min New Zealand
35b. The Amber Amulet (2013) 22mins Australia
35c. Night Cries (1990) 17mins = 60mins Australia



The Tickle King was really interesting to watch as a follow-up to Tickled; the whole thing felt incredibly short though and I would have loved to have more unedited footage of the surprise guest at the film's screening. The Amber Amulet was less interesting; mostly just notable for an early performance by Ed Oxenbould (who played the brother in The Visit and the best friend in Better Watch Out). Oxenbould wanders around his neighbourhood at night in superhero gear posting questionnaires in letterboxes and waxing poetic about gemstones. As dull as it sounds. Night Cries was pretty great though. Certainly visually with the deliberately stagy sets and all the childhood flashbacks and so on. The ending felt a bit abrupt to me, but otherwise it was an interesting meditation on reverse carer roles with some ethnic issues thrown in.

[maxwelldeux]

Lloyd Christmas, Austrian AmbassadorShow

1. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) - 1 list
2. Romper Stomper (1992) - 3 lists
3. All This Mayhem (2014) - 0 lists
4. Long Weekend (1978, AU) - 2 lists
5. The year My Voice Broke (1987, AU) - 2 lists
6. Dr. Plonk (2007, AU) - 0 lists
7. Oddball (2015, AU) - 0 lists
8. Don's Party (1976, AU), 1 list
9. Harlequin (1980, AU) - 0 lists

10. Sirens (1994, AU) - 0 lists
Well, this was unexpected. Come for the nudity, stay for what is a remarkable film. Set in the 1930s, a priest is sent to convince a local artist to submit something else, as his paintings are "blasphemous". But when the priest and his wife arrive, they are taken aback by the models. While the priest is steadfast in defending the church, the wife slowly discovers herself working with the models. And I thought it was spot on - Tara Fitzgerald killed it as the wife, bringing a subtle burn to the role that elevated the film. Fascinating and worthwhile.

[Knaldskalle]

2. The Land Has Eyes (Hereniko, 2004) Fiji. Very meh, to be honest. While I love the landscape and the cultural experience, the movie itself is pretty pedestrian.

Bonus Challenge 3 count: 2 (Cook Islands, Fiji).

SpoilerShow

1. Shorts from Cook Islands:

SpoilerShow

a. Little Girl's War Cry (2013). 17 mins.
b. Dog Save the Queen (2013). 15 mins.
c. Mou Piri: A Rarotongan Love Song (2013). 13 mins.
d. Footsteps: The Legend of One Foot Island Aitutaki (2013?). 14 mins.
e. The Offshore Pirate (2013). 28 minutes.

2. The Land Has Eyes (Hereniko, 2004) Fiji.

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia
33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand
34. Tickled (2016) New Zealand
35a. The Tickle King (2017) 21min New Zealand
35b. The Amber Amulet (2013) 22mins Australia
35c. Night Cries (1990) 17mins = 60mins Australia

36. For the Term of His Natural Life (1927) Australia



This pioneer Australian silent film has some nifty practical effects and sets, but is let down by a second-rate story with character motivations that make no sense. George Fisher confesses to a murder that he didn't commit, gives a false name, is sent to Australia (no death sentence for murder?) as a convict, is mistaken for a prison who leads a mutiny, winds up saving a girl who then conveniently forgets him... and then it's hard to keep track. Fisher tries his best for sure, but is not even given too much chance to act with the film very heavily reliant on title cards to tell the convoluted story.

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia
33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand
34. Tickled (2016) New Zealand
35a. The Tickle King (2017) 21min New Zealand
35b. The Amber Amulet (2013) 22mins Australia
35c. Night Cries (1990) 17mins = 60mins Australia
36. For the Term of His Natural Life (1927) Australia

37. Chocolate - Strawberry - Vanilla (2014) Australia



Glenn Maynard is great as the timid protagonist here who almost seems like a dead ringer for Adolf Hitler at times and his camera confessions are rather heartbreaking. There is not a lot else here that works though. There are some amusing vignettes as he has to put up with customers who are short on money and who order ice cream during angry business calls, but the vast majority of the film sways less interestingly between him fending off a bully and pining for a soapie star. The film takes a bit of a horror route in the final ten minutes, but a little too late. Nice poster though.

[jeroeno]

33. Stunt Rock (1980)
34. The Time Guardian (1987)
35. The Chain Reaction (1980)
36. Wyrmwood (2014)

That'll be it for me. Thanks to zzzorf for hosting this challenge.

[albajos]

26th
37. Summerfield (1977) Australia 18 checks [double]

Today
38. Maslin Beach (1997) Australia 6 checks
I own 18 movies on DVD/BR that are eligible for this challenge. This is clearly the worst rated by imdb of them.

Off. list progress
+10 100 Greatest Films of Australian Cinema (27,0%)

Eat your shrimp, Barbie!Show

01. Australia (2008) Australia | UK | USA 1 official list 16 055 checks
02. The Lovely Bones (2009) New Zeland | UK | USA 12 168 checks
03. Around the Block (2013) Australia | USA 28 checks
04. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia | UK 133 checks [double]
05. The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990) Australia | USA 24 checks
06. Gallipoli (1981) Australia 5 official lists 3 903 checks
07. 'Breaker' Morant (1980) Australia 5 official lists 1 416 checks
08. My Brilliant Career (1979) Australia 6 official lists 784 checks
09. Oddball (2015) Australia 47 checks
10. Red Dog (2011) Australia | USA 408 checks
11. Red Dog: True Blue (2016) Australia 14 checks
12. Evil Angels (1988) aka A Cry in the Dark Australia 1 official list 531 checks
13. $9.99 (2008) Australia | Israel 228 checks [double]
14. Raising the Bar (2016) Australia 45 checks
15. Going for Gold (2018) Australia 11 checks
16. Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001) Australia | USA 1 677 checks
17. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) Australia | USA 5 official lists 1 999 checks
18. Flirting (1991) Australia 287 checks
19. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) Australia 4 official lists 3 331 checks
20. Paperback Hero (1999) Australia 73 checks
21. Animal Kingdom (2010) Australia 1 official list 4 629 checks
22. Romper Stomper (1992) Australia 3 official lists 4 095 checks
23. BMX Bandits (1983) Australia 288 checks
24. Meet the Feebles (1989) New Zealand 3 official lists 1 882 checks
25. Stone (1974) Australia 1 official list 108 checks
26. Eliza Fraser (1976) Australia 4 checks
27. High Tide (1987) Australia 42 checks
28. Sleeping Beauty (2011) Australia 2 421 checks
29. The Tracker (2002) Australia 2 official lists 247 checks
30. Tanna (2015) Australia | Vanuatu 1 official list 298 checks
b]31. Bush Christmas (1947)[/b] Australia | UK 199 checks [double]
32. Next of Kin (1982) Australia | New Zealand 92 checks [double]
33. The Pirate Movie (1982) Australia 145 checks
34. The Year My Voice Broke (1987) Australia 2 official lists 263 checks
35. Following the Way (2010) Papua New Guinea 2 checks
36. O le tulafale (2011) Samoa | New Zealand 17 checks

!seen 38

[zzzorf]

SpoilerShow

1. Crackerjack (2002, Australia) - 7/10
2. Jedda (1955, Australia) - 7/10
3. Dying Breed (2008, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
4. The Craic (1999, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
5. Somersault (2004, Australia) - 9/10 (rewatch)
6. Fat Pizza (2003, Australia) - 10/10 (rewatch)
7. Alice Through the Looking Glass (1987, Australia) - 6/10
8. Oakie's Outback Adventures (2011, Australia) - 6/10
9. Housos vs. Authority (2012, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
10. Roadgames (1981, Australia) - 7/10
11. Storm Boy (1976, Australia) - 6/10
12. Somewhere in the Darkness (1999, Australia) - 10/10
13. Caddie (1976, Australia) - 8/10
14. The Black Balloon (2008, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
15. Sweet Country (2017, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
16. Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
17. Dumb Criminals: The Movie (2015, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
18. My Brilliant Career (1979, Australia) - 5/10
19. 40,000 Horsemen (1940, Australia) - 3/10 (double)
20. The Rats of Tobruk (1944, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
21. Babe (1995, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
22. The Coolangatta Gold (1984, Australia) - 8/10
23. The Alice (2004, Australia) - 5/10
24. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994, Australia) - 7/10 (rewatch)
25. The Great Gatsby (2013, Australia) - 6/10
26. FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992, Australia) - 6/10 (rewatch)
27. The Dragon Pearl (2011, Australia) - 5/10
28. Hounds of Love (2016, Australia) - 7/10
29. The Last Wave (1977, Australia) - 7/10
30. Buddies (1983, Australia) - 6/10
31. The Wog Boy (2000, Australia) - 7/10
32. Attack Force Z (1981, Australia) - 6/10
33. Wolf Creek (2005, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
34. Travelling Light (2003, Australia) - 5/10
35. Parklands (1996, Australia) - 1/10
36. Cosi (1996, Australia) - 7/10
37. Mystery Road (2013, Australia) - 7/10
38. The Removalists (1975, Australia) - 3/10
39. Spotswood (1992, Australia) - 3/10
40. Goldstone (2016, Australia) -5/10
41. Son of a Gun (2014, Australia) - 7/10
42. Les Patterson Saves the World (1987, Australia) - 3/10
43. The Sapphires (2012, Australia) - 7/10
44. Tudawali (1987, Australia) - 5/10
45. The Dish (2000, Australia) - 4/10
46. Bran Nue Dae (2009, Australia) - 4/10
47. Next of Kin (1982, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
48. Dr. Plonk (2007, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
49. Long Weekend (2008, Australia) - 5/10
50. Opal Dream (2006, Australia) - 7/10
51. BMX Bandits (1983, Australia) - 7/10
52. Smithy (1946, Australia) - 9/10 (double)
53.The FJ Holden (1977, Australia) - 5/10
54. The Time Game (1992, Australia) - 4/10
55. Wolf Creek 2 (2013, Australia) - 5/10
56. Razorback (1984, Australia) - 5/10
57. Muriel’s Wedding (1994, Australia) - 6/10
58. Sweetie (1989, Australia) - 2/10 (double)
59. Red Christmas (2016, Australia) - 1/10
60. Kenny (2006, Australia) - 5/10 (rewatch)
61. Always Another Dawn (1948, Australia) - 4/10 (double)
62-67. Mystery Road (2018, Australia) - 8/10 (Mini-series 6 episodes)

68. Sons of Matthew (1949, Australia) - 7/10 (double)
69. In Like Flynn (2018, Australia) - 6/10
70. In the Wake of the Bounty (1933, Australia) - 5/10
71. X (2010, Australia) - 4/10

[3eyes]

3. Strange bedfellows (Oz 04)
Two small-town middle-aged men register as a same-sex couple for tax purposes but have no idea how to go about acting gay. I laughed aloud quite a bit. Pete Postlethwaite is the tax man.

SpoilerShow

1. Walkabout (Oz 71) - rewatch
2. The last wave (Oz 77) - rewatch
3. Strange bedfellows (Oz 04)

[mightysparks]

1. Lion (2016) 6/10

I've only ever heard two convincing fake Australian accents, and Patel takes the number one spot. Didn't spot any slips.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

6. 'The Rats of Tobruk' / 1944, Charles Chauvel / 6/10 / Australia
7. 'Hot Target' / 1985, Dennis C. Lewiston / 6.5/10 / UK / New Zealand
8. 'Swimming Upstream' / 2003, Russell Mulcahy / 7.5/10 / Australia / USA
9. 'The Man from Coxs River' / 2014, Russell Kilbey / 7.5/10 / Australia

[sol]

Wizards of Oz and NzShow

1. The Dressmaker (2015) Australia
2. The Infinite Man (2014) Australia
3. The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Australia
4. All This Mayhem (2014) Australia
5. The Loved Ones (2009) Australia
6. Sweet Country (2017) Australia
7. Young Einstein (1988) Australia
8. Peter Rabbit (2018) Australia
9. 40,000 Horsemen (1940) Australia
10. Hercules Returns (1993) Australia
11. Sleeping Dogs (1977) New Zealand
12. Smash Palace (1981) New Zealand
13. Mr. Wrong (1984) New Zealand
14. Dark Age (1987) Australia
15. Kenny (2006) Australia
16. OtherLife (2017) Australia
17. Little Fish (2005) Australia
18. Wyrmwood (2014) Australia
19. Angel Baby (1995) Australia
20. The Subjects (2015) Australia
21. Brothers' Nest (2018) Australia
22. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Australia
23. Storm Warning (2007) Australia
24. Man of Flowers (1983) Australia
25. 100 Bloody Acres (2012) Australia
26. Berlin Syndrome (2017) Australia
27. The Back of Beyond (1954) Australia
28. Kill Me Three Times (2014) Australia
29. Eagle vs Shark (2007) New Zealand
30. Deathgasm (2015) New Zealand
31. Arrowhead (2016) Australia
32. Fair Game (1986) Australia
33. Nutcase (1980) New Zealand
34. Tickled (2016) New Zealand
35a. The Tickle King (2017) 21min New Zealand
35b. The Amber Amulet (2013) 22mins Australia
35c. Night Cries (1990) 17mins = 60mins Australia
36. For the Term of His Natural Life (1927) Australia
37. Chocolate - Strawberry - Vanilla (2014) Australia

38. Erskineville Kings (1999) Australia



This is the last Australian film that I had lined up to watch this month and it turned out to be a very strong note to end off (certainly one of the better films on the Official AU list). The film initially seems like a pretty formulaic look at a man reconsidering what he left behind. From the moment Hugh Jackman enters the scene though as an estranged older brother, the film turns into an emotional rollercoaster as the two siblings immediately clash. It is a talk-heavy affair, but innovatively photographed, full of nifty shots of one brother in close-up while other can be seen in the distance behind him.

[flavo5000]

1. Lion (2016) 6/10

I've only ever heard two convincing fake Australian accents, and Patel takes the number one spot. Didn't spot any slips.

What's the other one?

[flavo5000]

73. Dying Breed (2008)
74. The Water Diviner (2014)
75. Attack Force Z (1982)
76. The Dead Room (2015)
77. Nightmare at Bitter Creek (1988)

SpoilerShow

1. The Big Steal (1990)
2. Letters to Ali (2004)
3. Australia (2008)
4. Radiance (1998)
5. Cargo (2017)
6. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
7. Looking for Alibrandi (2000)
8. The Pack (2015)
9. Proof (1991)
10. Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)
11. Lemon Tree Passage (2013)
12. Japanese Story (2003)
13. Once Were Warriors (1994)
14. Wyrmwood (2014)
15. Angel Baby (1995)
16. BMX Bandits (1983)
17. The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)
18. Kung Fu Killers (1974)
19. Day of the Panther (1988)
20. Goodbye Paradise (1983)
21. The Year My Voice Broke (1987)
22. Love Serenade (1996)
23. The Lighthorsemen (1987)
24. Snapshot (1979)
25. Felicity (1978)
26. The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style (1978)
27. Evil Angels (1988)
28. Alvin Purple (1973)
29. 40,000 Horsemen (1940)
30. The Getting of Wisdom (1977)
31. Ten Canoes (2006)
32. Bush Christmas (1947)
33. The Sentimental Bloke (1919)
34. For the Term of His Natural Life (1927)
35. Two Hands (1999)
36. Black Robe (1991)
37. Dr. Plonk (2007)
38. The Club (1980)
39. Stone (1974)
40. The Stuntmen (1973)
41. Dangerfreaks (1989)
42. Deathcheaters (1976)
43. Stunt Rock (1980)
44. Dead End Drive-In (1986)
45. Return Home (1990)
46. Australia After Dark (!975)
47. Better Watch Out (2016)
48. Eureka Stockade (!949)
49. The Interview (1998)
50. Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)
51. Don's Party (1976)
52. Storm Warning (2007)
53. The Dreaming (1988)
54. Animal Kingdom (2010)
55. Wolf Creek 2 (2013)
56. Initiation (1987)
57. The Survivor (1981)
58. Bliss (1985)
59a. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)
59b. Kokoda Front Line! (1942)
59c. The Lost Thing (2010)
59d. Abiogenesis (2011)
60. Turbo Kid (2015)
61. All This Mayhem (2014)
62. End Play (1976)
63. Deathgasm (2015)
64. Not Quite Hollywood Extended Trailer Reel (2008)
65a. BabaKiueria (1986)
65b. Monster (2005)
65c. Saw (2003)
65d. Two Cars, One Night (2004)
66. The Overlanders (!946)
67. Boy (2010)
68. Puberty Blues (1981)
69. Backroads (1977)
70. Erskineville Kings (1999)
71. The F.J. Holden (1977)
72. The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)
73. Dying Breed (2008)
74. The Water Diviner (2014)
75. Attack Force Z (1982)
76. The Dead Room (2015)
77. Nightmare at Bitter Creek (1988)

[blocho]

13. Two Hands (Australia)
This was a decent police action crime caper with a young Heath Ledger, a young Rose Byrne, and a younger-than-he-is-now Bryan Brown.

14. The Club (Australia)
A sports movie with very little sports and tons of arguing. The backstage melodrama felt overly contrived at times, but there were some moments of sublime comedy, mostly centered around the young hot shot player's detour into smoking hash (in the middle of one game, he stops playing and instead stares at a seagull). Reminded me a lot of North Dallas Forty, and I wonder if it was influenced by it to some extent.

And that's mostly likely it for me this month. I saw far more movies than I thought I would. Before this month, I knew very little about the whole Australian cinema revival of the 70s. I'm glad I know a little more now.

[mightysparks]

1. Lion (2016) 6/10

I've only ever heard two convincing fake Australian accents, and Patel takes the number one spot. Didn't spot any slips.

What's the other one?

Glenn Howerton in that ep of It’s Always Sunny where he pretends he’s Mad Max.

[weirdboy]

SpoilerShow

1. Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988) - Mark Lewis 7/10
2. Sleeping Beauty (2011) - Julia Leigh 6/10
3. Sherpa (2015) - Jennifer Peedom 7/10
4. All This Mayhem (2014) - Eddie Martin 6/10
5. The Overlanders (1946) - Harry Watt 5/10
6. Chopper (2000) - Andrew Dominik 7/10
7. Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - Rolf de Heer 7/10
8. Roadgames (1981) - Richard Franklin 7/10
9. Sweetie (1989) - Jane Campion 7/10
10. The Plumber (1979) - Peter Weir 7/10

11. The Back of Beyond (1954) - John Heyer 6/10
12. 40,000 Horsemen AKA Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940) - Charles Chauvel 6/10

[flavo5000]

1. Lion (2016) 6/10

I've only ever heard two convincing fake Australian accents, and Patel takes the number one spot. Didn't spot any slips.

What's the other one?

Glenn Howerton in that ep of It’s Always Sunny where he pretends he’s Mad Max.

Ha! Nice

[blocho]

Glenn Howerton in that ep of It’s Always Sunny where he pretends he’s Mad Max.

I had no idea that was a good Aussie accent. It always sounded so exaggerated to me. I remember him using it mostly in the "Charlie Rules the World" episode when Dennis imagines himself as an Aussie hairdresser/turtle spacegod, and in the various Lethal Weapon episodes, when Dennis does Mel Gibson.

[Straka]

7. The Interview (Craig Monahan, 1998)

SpoilerShow

1. Boy (Taika Waititi, 2010)
2. Cargo (Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke, 2017)
3. Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005)
4. They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson, 2018) (If this one actually counts as NZ)
5. The Tracker (Rolf de Heer, 2002)
6. Little Monsters (Abe Forsythe, 2019)
7. The Interview (Craig Monahan, 1998)

[mightysparks]

Glenn Howerton in that ep of It’s Always Sunny where he pretends he’s Mad Max.

I had no idea that was a good Aussie accent. It always sounded so exaggerated to me. I remember him using it mostly in the "Charlie Rules the World" episode when Dennis imagines himself as an Aussie hairdresser/turtle spacegod, and in the various Lethal Weapon episodes, when Dennis does Mel Gibson.

Don’t remember it much now and I haven’t watched the show in a long time so I’ve only seen the one Lethal Weapon episode, but I actually thought they had dubbed Mel Gibson’s dialogue because it was so convincing. I think there were a couple of slips but it was overall pretty good. There’s not just one Aussie accent though and Gibson has more of the Eastern g’day mate accent which always sounds sillier than our more muted western accent. Patel was more convincing because he captured that muted-ness.

[OldAle1]

I thought Oz was a prison with flying monkeys?Show

1. 40,000 Horsemen (Charles Chauvel, 1940)
2. Long Weekend (Colin Eggleston, 1978)
3. Australia (Baz Luhrman, 2008)
4. They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson, 2018)
5. Alvin Puprple (Tim Burstall, 1973)
6. Dr. Plonk (Rolf de Heer, 2007)

7. Summerfield (Ken Hannam, 1977)

Watched a surprisingly excellent copy on YT. sol describes this perfectly as a cross between The Wicker Man and Wake in Fright which gave me very high expectations, too high I thought but... astonishingly enough they were met and perhaps even exceeded. A teacher at a remote school starts to delve into the mystery of the disappearance of his predecessor, gets involved with a strange family - a young woman, her daughter and her brother - who live isolated on an island accessible by a gated causeway - and ultimately of course gets much more than he bargained for. It is really hard to say much about this without spoiling what ended up being a quite singular film - despite it's obvious similarities to the two films cited above, especially the first. I doubt it's a coincidence that the island is called Summerfield given that The Wicker Man took place on Summerisle. And yet it's very much it's own film as well and the references to a rare blood disease and certain other elements point both to some obvious plot points that get sorted out later - and also I think some deeper underlying meanings that might take more viewings to sort out. I never quite figured out the significance of the cannon, for example, apart from it's appearance in some pictures that our protagonist stares at incessantly, trying to figure out a secret. And the ending - what we think is the ending - is powerful and dark, and then....nope, that's enough. See for yourself.

8. AUSSIE SHORTS 19 + 16 + 15 + 11 = 61 minutes

a) Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (Tracey Moffatt, 1990)
b) Nice Coloured Girls (Tracey Moffatt, 1987)

Two experimental shorts about, broadly speaking, Aboriginal-rights issues. The first is a piece of individual/family history, about a middle-aged Aboriginal woman caring for her white mother - or stepmother, or foster mother, it's never made clear - in a deliberately artificial, stagebound setting, and with intro and outro musical numbers performed by an apparently fully assimilated Aboriginal singer, Jimmy Little. The second contrasts recitations of historical records of first encounters - how the white conquerors viewed the natives two centuries ago - with modern-day young Aboriginal women picking up men in bars and essentially exploit their drunkenness and lust. I liked both but the second worked better overall - maybe it's just more accessible for me as an outsider.

c) The Lost Thing (Andrew Ruhemann/Shaun Tan, 2010) - A nice little piece of animated whimsy, visually feeling to me like a cross between steampunk, Terry Gilliam and Salvador Dali, about a kid who finds a "lost thing" on a beach and befriends it. Feels a little too sentimental - and I often like sentimental - and doesn't add up to much in the end beyond the wonderful visuals, but those are enough to make it worth one watch anyway.
b) Bear (Nash Edgerton, 2011) - wild, intense little ride about a man and his girlfriend, their fight and the incredible consequences, about which you should know nothing about beyond what I just wrote. Edgerton has a bunch of similar work, I'm going to have to watch more.

9. End Play (Tim Burstall, 1976)

Very much in the Hitchcockian vein, this to me was an only partially successful thriller, about a couple of brothers, one of them a paraplegic and the other his brother who has come for a visit, and a series of murders that the police apparently think the work of the able-bodied brother - this is all information we get early on, no real spoiler. It evolves into something more interesting and complex, but ultimately didn't work for me beyond the momentary pleasures of "how is he going to get out of this" and the acting by George Mallaby and John Waters as the siblings. It tries to be twisty and unpredictable, but really isn't, and while it starts off with a fairly strong sense of realism it really derails in the third act, in particular

SpoilerShow

the absolute idiocy of the police in the last scene beggars belief.

10. Harlequin (Simon Wincer, 1980)

I guess Robert Powell was one of the go-to guys in the 70s and early 80s when you wanted a magnetic personality, piercing eyes, tall and handsome, and mysterious and radiating power. Mahler, Jesus of Nazareth and now this film make me wonder why he didn't become a bigger star; even though I don't outright love any of the three, there's no question of the power of his presence in the central role in each film. Here he is the "harlequin", the trickster, a clown perhaps, or a spy, or a con-man, but seemingly a faith healer of some sort who comes into the lives of an unhappy married couple, a politician (David Hemmings) and his wife (Carmen Duncan) when their young son is dying of leukemia. Powell's mysterious curative powers convince the wife - and his magnetism convinces her that his healing hands might be put to other uses for her own sake - but there are mysterious powerful forces playing out against him as well, and this in the end has much of the feel of a conspiracy-thriller, with a Machiavellian power (Broderick Crawford in one of his last roles) who seems to know some things about the trickster/magician and wants none of it in his world. And interesting film, nice looking and generally well-acted that in the end just doesn't quite add up to what it promises in the beginning, feeling all too prosaic by the end despite a rather obvious OOH GOTCHA final shot.

11. The Cars That Ate Paris (Peter Weir, 1974)

Enjoyable but minor schlock from a director who soon moved out of Ozsploitation territory into prestige productions with variable results. Apparently an inspiration for the Corman production of Death Race 2000 - the wildly modified and painted cars that increasingly take over the rather ridiculous story - and also perhaps on Mad Max and a lot of other car-centered violent films over the next decade, so we have to give it some points there, but it didn't add up to a lot for me. Basically this young man ends up in the town of Paris, out in the middle of nowhere apparently with just one road that goes through it, after the car he's in crashes and kills his brother, and he slowly finds out that this was apparently no accident and that this weird town makes a living, or several kinds of livings, off the deliberate "accidents". How to get out? And also slowly fractures in the town between young and old - hot-rod enthusiasts and the town fathers - become apparent, leading to a violent finale. It's not a bad concept but just not that well executed, not violent enough or with good enough action or FX to be terribly exciting, and not really funny or meaningful in its satire of car-crazed youth or redneck life either. Very meh.

[jdidaco]

With a little tribute to the late NZ film pioneer Geoff Murphy, I end my meager but significant participation in the challenge; thanks again for hosting, zzzorf!

5. Kokoda Front Line! (Ken G. Hall, 1942) 5/10 (9 min), Indonesia Calling (Joris Ivens, 1946) 7.5/10 (23 min), Tank Busters (Geoff Murphy, 1970) 8/10 (31 min) (Total: 63 min)
6. Wild Man (Geoff Murphy, 1977) 8/10

The great Bruno Lawrence ( ) acting all wild!,



!seen 6

SpoilerShow

1. Bush Christmas (Ralph Smart, 1947) 7,5/10
2. Eureka Stockade (Harry Watt, 1949) 8/10
3. The Story of the Kelly Gang (Charles Tait, 1906) 7.5/10 (32 min), BabaKiueria (Don Featherstone, 1986) 7/10 (29 min) (Total: 61 min)
4. 40,000 Horsemen (Charles Chauvel, 1940) 7.5/10