bovril

I can remember watching this before I was even in high school. It seemed cool and realistic at the time. Although, I could've been mistaken on either point. And 'The Takeaways' soundtrack is still out there if you look hard enough (in 2nd-hand Australian record shops). Basically, if you're looking for a version of Degrassi where the members of Zit Remedy were were Spike, Heather, Clutch, Snake and Yik, then this is the gritty Australian music drama for you.

Perhaps a little before its time, the Star Wars Holiday Special was George Lucas's brave leap away from the tired, Bible story re-hashing of Episode IV into the avant garde universe of variety television. Just as the box office takings for 'American Graffiti' were nothing more than a means to an end as far as 'A New Hope' was concerned, it is said that on the set of Episode IV, Lucas was constantly preoccupied with thoughts of the Holiday Special and was heard to mutter "...it'll all be worth it -- I just have to get through this, then my Holiday Special extravaganza will be a reality."

Literary aficionados maintain that Dostoyevsky cannot truly be appreciated until you read his work in the original Russian, so to with SW: HS. Fortunately, I attended a University which offered "Introduction to Wookie" as a first year course and subsequently I was able to pick up on much of the dialogue as it was originally intended. Subtitles or (God forbid!) dubbing would simply not do justice to George's vision.

Unfairly maligned by critics and fans alike, SW: HS will some day find its place in the history of television as a turning point from which there can be no return. A new yard stick for cinematic art and quality entertainment.

Move over 'Unzipped', move over 'Catwalk'. Aussie crim' style is the past, present and future of fashion. I loved this movie. Well acted, good story and a tight finish for the sub-plots. But, of course, the stand-out feature of the film was the unerring fashion sense of the criminal element. Give me mullets, give me collared t-shirts, scoops and thongs -- that's flip-flops in American 8~P -- and you've got all the ingredients you need for a great looking movie.

Apart from the look of the film, special praise should go to David Field who stole more than a few scenes. Special praise should also go to him just because he rules. Check out his work in 'Ghosts of the Civil Dead'.

The only criticism I'd have would be of the narration by the dead brother. This makes the movie seem as though it was adapted from a book, even though I don't think it was.... Anyways, this is a minor gripe and doesn't really take anything away from the movie.

Finally, I'll admit my bias and say that I loved 'Two Hands' because it was made in my home town. A few of the tense/scary scenes were rendered more so for me because I knew exactly where they were being shot.

Suffer in yer jocks, anyone who doesn't live in Sydney.