Tag Archives: Australian films

Movie Reviews

Mystery Road Movie Review

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Featuring: Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Tony Barry, Ryan Kwanten, Tasma Walton, Jack Thompson, Jack Charles, Damian Walshe-Howling
Director: Ivan Sen
Writer: Ivan Sen
Website: mysteryroadmovie.com
Australian release date: Thursday 17th October

Reviewers’ verdicts:
rolanstein: Stylish and well-acted, but uncomfortable in its skin and let down by a narrative shot through with logic flaws.
Karen: Mesmerising, masterful.

Story:
When Aboriginal detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) returns to his home town in outback Queensland after years in the “big smoke”, the first case he is assigned is the murder of a young indigenous woman, found in a culvert outside town with her throat slashed and canine bite marks on her body. Swan soon joins the dots with similar previous killings, which he links with a drug network operating a meth lab on a remote farming property. The stakes are raised when his estranged daughter’s name comes up as a possible drug user treading the same path as the murder victims. Regarded with suspicion by the local community and unable to trust any of his fellow officers, he is forced to go it alone, heading inexorably for a showdown with the drug crims.

Review 1: (rolanstein)
Familiar western setup here: straight lawman from the city encounters bad forces in small town, including corrupt fellow cops, and fights lone battle to take out the trash. Detective Swan’s aboriginality isolates him in this case, which of course is a distinctly Australian take, but any number of American flicks of the genre spring to mind: Shane, Who Shot Liberty Valance, virtually anything starring Clint Eastwood…and, of course, there are obvious similarities with the Australian contemporary western/thriller of a couple of years back, Red Hill.

Unfortunately, while Mystery Road is a few notches up on that disappointing national predecessor, it falls way short of the impressive standards set by director/writer/cinematographer/musical score composer Ivan Sen in previous works such as Beneath Clouds and Toomelah. Continue reading Mystery Road Movie Review →

Movie Reviews, Perth Film Festival 2012-13

Satellite Boy Movie Review

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Featuring: Cameron Wallaby, Joseph Pedley, David Gulpilil
Director: Catriona McKenzie
Writer: Catriona McKenzie
Website: www.satelliteboymovie.com/
Australian release date: 25 November – 2 December (Perth)
Reviewer: rolanstein (one-word verdict: slight)

Story:
Young Aboriginal boy Pete (Cameron Wallaby) lives with his grandfather Jagamarra (David Gulpilil) on an abandoned drive-in cinema site in a remote area in the far north of Western Australia. On learning that the cinema site has been purchased by a mining company and marked for demolition, Pete convinces older best mate Kalmain to accompany him on a trek south to ‘the city’ to seek a face-to-face meeting with company management. However, en route cross country, the boys become lost in the glorious but inhospitable terrain of the Kimberleys. In danger of perishing of thirst, starvation and exposure, Pete falls back on the skills and knowledge his grandfather has taught him, and embraces the faith of the elders that country will take care of those open to its messages.

Ultimately, the experience in the wilderness informs a choice that changing circumstances subsequently force him to make between the contemporary and the traditional, and where he fits best.

Review:
Opening shot: the clear night sky of outback far north Western Australia showcasing the star-crammed galaxy as smog-bound light-blinded urban dwellers never see it – in astounding full high definition! – with the voiceover of an Aboriginal elder singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in language. This stunningly poetic intro to Satellite Boy ingeniously melds ancient and modern Aboriginal culture, momentarily resolving the dilemma that is central to the life of the young protagonist, Pete, and indeed, to the generation he represents: that is, finding a way to straddle two cultures without compromising either out of functioning existence. Big ask. Is it even possible? Continue reading Satellite Boy Movie Review →

Movie Reviews

The King Is Dead! Movie Review

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Featuring: Dan Wyllie, Bojana Novakovic, Gary Waddell, Luke Ford
Writer/Director: Rolf de Heer
Australian release date: July 19, 2012
Website: www.pinnaclefilms.com.au
Reviewer: rolanstein

Story:
When professional couple Max (Dan Wyllie) and Therese (Bojana Novakovic) move into their new home in a leafy suburban street, they are given a friendly welcome by the neighbours on one side. Those on the other are less accommodating, blasting out gangsta rap on a huge boombox in their grotty backyard, dealing drugs to unsavoury drop-ins and partying all night. Turns out the place is occupied by a single brain-fried tenant, The King (Gary Waddell), who is unable to control his iced-out visitors. As the noise and disruption becomes intolerable, and conventional avenues of imposed control such as lawyers and the police prove useless, Max and Therese decide to take the law into their own hands. Alas, they soon find themselves way out of their depth as things go disastrously awry. Continue reading The King Is Dead! Movie Review →