Father Geek out in the rolling hills of Central Texas with the latest word from...
If I can survive this movie, I can survive anything.
AICN-DOWNUNDER
AICN-DOWNUNDER
There's no further development on the inevitable battle that will rage when the Office of Film and Literature Classification announces the rating for Michael Winterbottom's NINE SONGS, due for release early next year.
Don't forget that your voice can be as loud as those with an opposing view and itchier pen fingers. The more articulate and passionate you are, the more impact you will have.
Let the powers-that-be know how you feel: oflcswitch@oflc.gov.au
NEWS
* LITTLE FISH, the dramatic Australian-set prequel to the Tim Burton fantasy, has started its eight week shoot. Lensing in Sydney from now until Christmas, the film stars Cate Blanchett, Martin Henderson, Sam Neill, and Hugo Weaving, is written by Jacqueline Perske ("The Secret Life Of Us") and directed by Rowan Woods (THE BOYS).
* Ex-pat John D. Robinson is over in the States, and has begun pre-production on his film DEVOUR. The film follows the exploits of the three most popular girls in high school as they eat their competition. Yes, it's a cannibalism high school comedy, and who isn't even a little turned on by that? Learn more by going to www.roadramblerfilms.com
* Local horror is the order of the month, with LOST THINGS getting its first release this coming week. Written by Stephen Sewell (THE BOYS) and directed by Martin Murphy, the film follows a group of teens who go away to the beach for a weekend of surf and sex, only to find that they're not the only ones there... (dramatic sting!) The film comes out in New South Wales and the ACT on November 11th and Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland on December 9th.
* If you're after some KING KONG news, you should really bookmark www.kongisking.net. Xoanan has been putting up regular video diaries from the production (including Jack Black attempting to lip-read Peter Jackson's directions). If you don't think you'll be too freaked-out by a de-spectacled, slimmed-down PJ, it should keep you satiated for KONG news.
* Tasmanian-based filmmakers, pay attention: Screen Tasmania is asking Launceston filmmakers to make appointments with project manager Andrew Ross, who'll be in town on November 5. Invitations like this don't come along every day, so all of you down in Hobart? Time to forge some Launceston addressed ID.
And, finally, a bunch of super-hero news from a super source...
* Clayton Watson (The Kid in the second two MATRIX flicks) looks like he will be appearing in GHOST RIDER, which films in Melbourne early next year.
* THE PUNISHER 2 looks like it, too, will be filming in Australia. Who's the bad guy? Rumours point to Michael Keaton as Jigsaw.
* Bryan Singer's love of the original Donner Superman films may be echoed in his production schedule. There's talk of the sequel shooting directly after the original.
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
12TH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE OF THE FILM AND HISTORY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
If you want to see a brand spanking new print of Bruce Beresford's 1977 film THE GETTING OF WISDOM, you'll want to be a part of the 12th Biennial Conference of the Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand (or BCFHAANZ when they're at home) in Canberra this December 2 through 5.
2004 APRA-AGSC SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS
Elizabeth Drake picked up the Best Feature Score for her work on JAPANESE STORY in Sydney on November 1st. Pick it up on DVD if you haven't seen it yet, it's a superb piece of work.
BOX OFFICE
The top five remained fairly unchanged since the previous week, with newbies EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING coming in at number seven, and limited-release SAVED! debuting at number ten.
And this weeks winners are:
- 1. SHALL WE DANCE?
- 2. COLLATERAL
4. THE NOTEBOOK
- 5. RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
RELEASED THIS WEEK
Cole De-Porter is played by Kevin De-Kline, HERO's fortieth anniversary is celebrated by a first-run release, a comedy manages to combine the two funniest things in the world (period films and Sweden), another comedy manages to combine two things we see far too often in combination (Australia and no-jokes-whatsoever), Gina Gershon cheats on Jennifer Tilly, the first rule of Razor Eaters is I do not talk about Razor Eaters, and the leader of North Korea is the bad guy for not the first time this year.
Soooo the ones are:
- DE-LOVELY
- HERO
- KITCHEN STORIES
- A MAN'S GOTTA DO
- PREY FOR ROCK AND ROLL
- RAZOR EATERS
- SILMIDO
REVIEWS
RAZOR EATERS
RAZOR EATERS
I initially wasn't going to review this film. See, I have a policy (note: I'm pretty sure I ripped it off someone else, but can't remember who). I get sent a lot of low budget Australian films (is there any other kind?). If I like the film, I sing its praises and do what I can to help it. If I don't, I keep my mouth shut. It's hard enough to get a film made in Australia without some jerk on the internet ripping it to shreds before anyone's had the chance to see it.
So, after watching RAZOR EATERS, I'd decided not to review it. I was impressed by the work put it, and there was a tremendous amount of skill involved, but it made me uncomfortable and there were many parts I just didn't like.
Then I realised that was the point.
RAZOR EATERS is about a detective tracking a group of men who have become fed-up with corruption, hypocrisy and everything they consider bad in life. Tailgaters are punished, ad executives are kidnapped, parking officers are tied up. They videotape their exploits and send the tapes to the police.
So why would I first choose to not review it, only to change my mind? The film is uncomfortable, but not in the oh-my-god-I-can't-believe-how-bad-this-is. It's uncomfortable in that you start off agreeing with many of the things the Razor Eaters do. You feel a sense of personal justice; this is, after all, ROBIN HOOD meets FIGHT CLUB. But then they go too far. There's an element of corruption as the characters begin to completely buy into their own hype, and get bolder and bolder.
The more I've thought about this film, the more the varying elements have lodged themselves into my brain. Its shock impact is effective, but it's also a slow-burn film that stays with you. How you feel about the film as the credits run is very different to how you'll feel about it a day or a week later. This film's been with me for a week now, and it's only in the past day or two that I've realised how impactful it's been.
At very least, this film deserves to spark up some heated arguments. You're not going to know exactly who to root for going in, and the filmmakers don't make it easy on you. There's no completely good character, there's no completely bad character. There's actual complexity and nuance to the characters, and a decent amount of surprises and twists in the plot. See this film with someone you disagree with.
NOTE:(This film is on a limited release at the Sun Theatre in Melbourne.)
NEXT WEEK
- Renny Harlin brought in to perform reshoots on UNTITLED WOODY ALLEN PROJECT
- If successful, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS may spin-off into MARY VS ELIZABETH, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Cate Blanchett starring in the Akiva Goldsman script for director Wolfgang Peterson
- Australian comedy to contain jokes
