Scene 1, Take 1.... and Action!

With a bit of spare time, it's the perfect opportunity to take in some Australian films!  Before I had come  I would have barely been able to name any Australian films, let alone list the ones I had watched. Australia would have made the list....and only now scrolling through a listing of Australian films can I add Happy Feet. I haven't even seen Crocodile Dundee or Moulin Rouge!...I know-deprived!

The first Australian movie I've watched since being here was Beautiful Kate. It's not the happiest of stories and involves death and sex (two recurring themes), but overall wasn't bad, although it doesn't exactly end on a high note. That movie was rented by my landlord from Blockbuster because the actress portraying "Kate" is in another upcoming film, so he thought he'd check it out.

Later in the week he came back from the University library with 3 more Australian films he thought I might like to see. Lantana starring Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia was viewed first because he said he had enjoyed it when he'd seen it. It was an adult murder mystery...of course involving sex and death. I'm told that many Australian films are a tad on the depressing side which was the case once more, although the movie was quite fascinating.

I watched the other two movies in the same sitting, since they were only borrowed for 3 days.  The Dish was probably my favourite as it follows the Australian side of things as man walks on the moon. If you were unaware, the images of Neil Armstrong taking his first steps up there came through a satellite dish in Parkes, New South Wales. That movie definitely was a lighter, feel good type movie and starred Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Patrick Warburton (who has a very distinctive voice and voices many cartoon characters).

The final movie, Japanese Story, was another film involving the same old themes. It was a bit lighter than the other two, and although it had a sad moment, it didn't end on quite the same note as the other two. It did seem to play up the very different western Australia scenes that are in the film as well.