MattsMovieReviews

Here is a film that works on multiple levels; thrilling action adventure, detailed period piece, moving romance, stirring war movie, and it also continues the resurrection of the western.

As a result, the sum of its vast parts make for a long running film (165 min), yet every minute is filled to the brim with captivating detail.

What Luhrmann does well with Australia is tap into the majestic allure of the outback, and amplifies it. This is no surprise, since he is a master at approaching his material with a fantastical bent, creating truly memorable and often surreal sequences, which Australia provides plenty.

Aboriginal culture and its relationship with nature, in particular, have fuelled Luhrmann's imaginative vision. The heart and soul of Australia lies within the mythology and customs of Australia's indigenous people, and their often tumultuous relationship with European settlers.

This is made flesh in the form of young Nullah, a mixed race Aboriginal boy on the run from the authorities, who want to forcibly remove him from his home, and place him in a "civilised" environment. He is played by Brandon Walters, who is impressive in his debut performance.

With Nullah playing narrator, the viewer is introduced to Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat who inherits her late husband's cattle station, which is located in the Northern Australian city of Darwin. Caught in a rivalry with fellow beef exporter King Carney (Bryan Brown), Lady Ashley enlists the services of The Drover (Hugh Jackman) to herd 1500 head of cattle in order to fulfil a contract with the Australian Army.

Both Kidman and Jackman – two exceptionally gifted actors who, with the help of Australia, have overcome recent rocky patches in their careers – provide noteworthy performances and believable on screen chemistry.

Tall, pale, and thin, Kidman plays regal very well, courting an in full force stiff upper lip, that gives way to several funny moments, while trying to break out of her icy exterior. Of particular mention is her vain attempt to herd cattle; and a woeful rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" to a clearly amused Walters.

Jackman, meanwhile, evokes Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, and Humphrey Bogart to fine effect as the no nonsense, hands on Drover, while also providing eye candy for female viewers.

Supporting roles are superbly fulfilled by top shelf Australian talent: Bryan Brown is effective yet given a disappointing limited amount of screen time; Jack Thompson seems to be gleefully enjoying his role as an alcoholic lawyer; and a scene stealing David Wenham is all evil smirks and nasty attitude as the films key villain.

Yet the most impressive character in Australia has to be its awe inspiring and vibrant landscape, which is captured magnificently by cinematographer Mandy Walker.

Unfortunately, the films use of artificial visual effects does clash with the natural beauty that the outback projects.

Australia is a film which clearly parades its influences on screen. References to The African Queen, Gone with the Wind, and Big Country are particularly notable.

Yet it is no mere carbon copy of the films from decades past. Rather, Australia is an enchanting throwback to an era of film-making which strived to entertain its audiences with dazzling spectacle and melodrama, coupled with a historical snapshot of circa early 1940s Darwin, and all of the beauty and ugliness that comes with it.

Ten Empty is a film which Australian actors Brendan Cowell and Anthony Hayes had been developing for over several years. It stars long time Australian TV and theater actor Daniel Frederiksen (in his lead film debut) as Elliot, a big city player who returns to his childhood home in Adelaide 10 years after running off to Sydney to fulfill the wishes of his father Ross (Geoff Morrell) and his step-mum -formerly Aunt- Diana (Lucy Bell) and become the Godfather of their new baby, his half-brother. Almost immediately awkwardness driven by bitterness sets in when he returns. Diana – plagued by Catholic guilt for marrying his sister's husband– tries to accommodate Elliot with the best of intentions. However Elliot does not want her generosity, nor does he care much of his half-brother, who he casts aside like a bad disease when asked to take care of him. The fireworks really go off when Elliot comes face to face with his father. A culture clash of sorts ensues between the blue-collar dad and the big city son. The most trivial of gestures leads to colossal arguments, such as when Ross offers his son home brewed beer, only to be defiantly turned down because he only drinks red wine. A subsequent dinner scene turns into an even bigger argument, and a backyard BBQ highlights the widening gap between old school sensibilities and new school sensitivities. At first it feels like a cynical look at Australian suburbia that ventures dangerously close to becoming satire. But soon it becomes apparent what is happening. This is not a family story: This is an exorcism. A purging of guilt and remorse for past atrocities that has crippled the spirit of one family. On top of it all hangs the black cloud of mental illness, which took away the mind and life of Elliot's mother (who suffered from bipolar syndrome). Now it is Elliot's brother Brett (played by burgeoning actor Tom Budge) who has succumbed to a (unspecified) mental illness. In turn he has willingly gone mute, will not leave his room, and has become dangerous and suicidal. The family is faced with limited options as to what to do with him, crumbling under the prospect of countless pills on top of a mountain of medical bills for private care. It is a damning commentary on the Australian Governments attitude towards mental illness, and is the films strength. As can be imagined, Ten Empty is a distressing and sad film to watch. Co-writer/director Anthony Hayes sets up tense altercations for his actors, and captures the carnage in several scenes that are held in a single frame, not flinching from the conflict before him. With such heavy material (written by Hayes and Brendan Cowell), powerful performances were needed and are given by its cast. Supporting roles by the amazing Jack Thompson and Cowell lend much needed laughs to counter its heavy moments. Yet for all of its promise, it is a choppy conclusion that stops the film from becoming that something special. This is due to a major flaw in the screenplay which prompted me to question: Why is a man who is clearly mentally disturbed (with suicidal tendencies) left alone without adequate supervision? The answer, of course, is to create a shock drama moment that will have the audience reeling. The problem is that moment had come and gone in the middle of the film, and the fact that the films characters did not take precautions to make sure it would not happen again reeks of poor story telling. It is drama for drama's sake, feels predictable, and undercuts the emotional value expertly built before hand. So while Ten Empty dos contain a lot of good points, it fails to capitalize on the promise felt in its first hour.

Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews

Hancock is a superhero movie which holds a more interesting concept compared to its comic book inspired contemporaries, for while those films hold the usual tales of hero's with dual identities who continue to fight the eternal fight of good VS evil, Hancock's main protagonist is a crude superhero living in a PC world who must make amends for the disastrous consequences of his heroic deeds. Former Fresh Prince and current reigning king of the summer blockbuster Will Smith plays the tile character Hancock, a boozing loner and all around prick whose often well intentioned heroism leads to often catastrophic results and a spiraling out of control collateral damage bill. During one of his heroic exhibitions, Hancock saves the life of bleeding heart public relations agent Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) who believes that Hancock is in need of a dire image change and offers his services as payback for saving his life. Hancock begrudgingly agrees and is convinced to voluntarily turn himself over to the authorities (who have several hundred outstanding citations against him) and do time in prison in a bid to win public affection and clean up his act. His stint in prison gives way to one of the more hilarious scenes thus far this year involving one prisoners head being thrust into another prisoners rear end! It is crass, but it works. With the first half passed what has been presented is an entertaining urban superhero movie which comes dangerously close to having already shot its load. However, with a switch of genre and some nicely placed twists, a love triangle is established between Hancock, Ray, and Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron) which adds some more spice to the unconventional superhero film. And so it goes, as the film jumps from comedy to action to drama and does so quite nicely. Throughout it all the films three leads adapt very well to the shifts in genre, especially the versatile Will Smith who hits all of the right notes. Charlize Theron – who I usually do not look forward to watching due to her often pretentious and dour portrayals of late – seems to be having the most fun on screen that I can remember, and low key comedy maestro Jason Bateman continues to forge a reputation of becoming quite the scene stealer, ala Bill Murray. Keeping the film on a steady register is Michael Mann protégé Peter Berg, who was brought in after several directors attached to the film before him moved on to different projects. Berg's gritty tones and shaky cam styling blends very well with the films big budget fodder, most notably the special and visual effects which are a visceral treat. Since Hancock does not play slave to a source material, it does not come off as generic. The only film which comes close to matching its concepts would be the excellent animated film The Incredibles. Yet while its script may be shaky – especially with its talk of Gods walking amongst men – the films performances and Berg's spirited direction make up for whatever flaws are present.

Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews