Long Weekend

Aristotle taught that if one way be better than another, that would have to be nature's way. He obviously never saw this movie. Mother Nature ain't so motherly in "Long Weekend". Nature isn't anyone's friend. Nature is the enemy: wildlife, weather, and, most importantly, the wayward ways of man (and woman). But there is no need to go ballistic with interpretation to enjoy this movie. It's essentially an old-school drama, despite some of the mysteries. It definitely works on several levels. At face value, it's the story of Peter and Carla who can't make their marriage work, least of all during what is supposed to be quality time, away from home and everyday chores. On another level, it's a tale of an awe-inspiring, yet unwelcoming wilderness conspiring against urban intruders, both by attacking them directly and by bringing out the worst in them. Giving little context and almost no explanation, Jamie Blanks takes us on a very wild ride. "Long Weekend" is not funny, but who says everything has to be? Of course there's no happy ending either. Not a big bang, but explosive enough.

I have never seen a more annoying role in a movie than Jim Caviezel in this one.

She: "what are you doing to that tree..?"

He:" ...uhh.. chopping it down"

She: "why?"

He:"...uh....why not..?? ..firewood..." oomph. Facepalm.

________

She: "what is that?"

He: "oh yes, look at that. I bought, I got a spear gun..." picks up the spear gun and smiles to it.

She: "what the hell are you gonna do with that??"

He: "I don't know...... shoot a fish?" points the speargun at her and grins.

She : "be careful where you point at...". Etc. Etc.

If you don't have a problem watching such an obnoxious guy who annoys the viewer every time he is doing something and every time he speaks, then you might like this movie. Because, actually it is not a bad thriller.

. .

An unhappy couple in Australia--Peter (Jim Caviezl) and Carla (Claudia Karvan)--decide to go camping one long weekend in a remote wooded area near the ocean. Along the way Peter (accidentally) hits a kangaroo and casually shoots at birds within range. They argue and he wanders around a lot with his shirt off. That's about it until an abrupt change of events during the last 30 minutes.

This film has goos acting by the leads, Caviezl looks good with his shirt off, has some gorgeous cinematography, nice music...but that's it. This is pushed as being a horror film but it's really just a domestic drama with horror kicking in during the last 30 minutes. The horror itself isn't particularly scary and doesn't make much sense. All this has going for it is acting, scenery and music--nothing else. I give it a 4 just for that.

There are very few things in life that are more annoying than feeling like you've gotten the old bait and switch. That's kind of what this movie delivers. I realize it's not the movie's fault that IMDb has "horror" as a tag for this movie, but still...no. No to this being in any way a horror movie. I think calling it a thriller is even a bit of a stretch. There's a few tense moments, but on the whole it's just a drama about two people who can't stand each other.

The premise of the movie follows a husband and wife over a long weekend getaway to the beach in Australia. The problem is that the friends they are trying to meet up with never arrive. Oh...and they hate each other. That too. The whole running thread of them constantly pissing off nature is hardly even a subplot, but somehow manages to be the impetus of all the bad things that happen. I get it...it's bad to litter and be a general prick towards nature. I wholeheartedly agree. But then again I seriously doubt nature has time to waste being a vengeful jackass to two small time folks when there are...say...millions of other people harming the environment in much more serious ways. But I guess that's the point (maybe); if John Everyman isn't kind to nature, nature will quite literally kill him. Or something. Regardless, Long Weekend manages to be middle of the road at best in just about every aspect. There's nothing here I'd even remotely call horror, it fails to foster any sort of paranoia or even cheap jumpy thrills like a good thrill, and pretty much everyone involved is thoroughly unlikeable.

That's pretty much how I would sum up the whole movie...thoroughly unlikeable. Which is really a shame since I really like some of Jim Caveizel's (or however you spell his last name) other work. I wouldn't say you should avoid this movie, but there's certainly better movies with similar themes.

A couple with severe relationship problems go on a camping trip in Australia with their dog Cricket. Things unravel fast, as the couple bicker and treat nature poorly... and before long, it seems as though the very forest turns against them.

"Nature's Grave" (as the film is called in America) is a good film with wonderful visuals and a steady pace of disintegration. The limited number of characters keeps the development strong, and there is a a decent level of gore for the horror fans. Yet, there's something really fishy about this movie.

Presumably, the message is that we shouldn't abuse Mother Nature. Yet, this is not really made clear. While the couple does mistreat their surroundings, it is largely unintentional, and the bulk of their time is spent yelling at each other. The message is further confused when considering the other group of campers, who end up in dire straits for no reason that we are aware of.

Jim Caviezel is a strong actor, though he doesn't really stand out in this film. His character's wife is equally bland. There is some confusion, at least to me, of their nationality. She seems to be Australian, while he does not have the accent. Yet, when confronted with a beached manatee, it is Peter (Caviezel) who knows the history of the local creatures. This was odd.

Aside from the ending, the manatee was for me the most interesting -- and creepy -- part of the film. If you're interested in good shots of wildlife and scenery, this film has plenty of that. But the acting is average and the plot isn't really clear, beyond a fighting couple. Another reviewer writes, "I would not call this a movie where nature strikes back, I would call it a movie where a moron angry at his wife makes a lot of boneheaded decisions." That really sums it up.

This film is remake, and I unfortunately have not seen the original and cannot compare them. However, as a solo film, I found this one to be for the most part enjoyable and I would recommend it to others. To not see this film would be a crime against nature. Be sure to check it out, because you will not find another like it.