My Top 10 Australian Movies

Australian films get a bad wrap, if it isn't the hatred of hearing our own voices, it's the comparing to Hollywood big budget films. I think it is very hard for the average Australian moviegoer, in a society surrounded by American film and TV content to embrace our own product. It is quite a shame really, yes, our film's can be quite morbid or tacky at times, but why can't we embrace that? An what really annoys me is that an Aussie film can gain some success.. only if an American is cast as a main actor, or half of the film is funded and produced with American assistance. Red Dog, The Great Gatsby, Australia, really? These films had a major American influence and to be honest, I really can't see how Red Dog is portrayed amongst the Australian public as a decent film. I will leave my rant for another time because I have a lot to say. 

Anyway....

Regardless of the film budget funding these films have helped shape Australia, creating jobs, shape the Australian identity in a world wide scale or are just so fun loving. The tacky to the attempted films of sophistication, these films all have a special form of art that makes them so iconic and memorable to be in my top 10!

10. Take Away (2003)

9. Tomorrow When the War Began (2010)

8. Crackers (1998)

7. Beautiful Kate (2009)

6. Cosi (1996)

5. Kath & Kimderella (2012)

4. Wolf Creek (2005)

3. Animal Kingdom (2010)

2. The Wog Boy (2000)

1. The Castle (1997)

Speed (1994)

I'm incredibly slow when it came to catching up on the 1994 classic and I still have not quite caught up to the sequel yet! However, I'm glad I did view this film as it was very different from my expectations. Assuming this film was going to be a lot like Jaws or Duel I was mistaken and THANK GOD! The acting is pretty good, the 90s is clearly reinforced and the concept is slightly different to your typical car chase film... in fact it's more of a thriller than an action. Thrillers have really grown on me and surprisingly so have hybrid action-thrillers! I love a good storyline or plot which is usually omitted from an action genred film. Unfortunately action films (especially these days) are loaded with special effects and shooting and neglect to show any intelligent scripting or interesting plot and I find nil interest in the genre whatsoever. When I have given the genre a chance I've just been disappointed. 

When viewing Speed I am glad that this film took a different path and encouraged a vested interest to be had. I must admit the first part of the film relating to the lift scenes did leave me a little hesitant as the gray and steel colour palette really doesn't sit with me well and led me to believe that this was a 'boring mundane stupid film'. I'm ever so glad those scenes just set up the storyline motivation and didn't reflect the entire movie.

I was humoured when words were uttered but lips weren't moving and some obvious continuity errors. I am not sure if I was over watching the film or they were just so obvious! Despite that I thoroughly enjoyed this film and am looking forward to viewing the sequel!  3/5 rating for me but worth the lengthy watch! 

Paranormal Activity 4

The fourth installment to the Paranormal Activity franchise was obviously ridiculously predictable, a very weak plot and left me disappointed. I am a bit of a horror and comedy fan and I did like the first 3 films for that reason that they left me feeling a little jumpy and laughing at the ridiculous shots and 'pool cleaner'. I watched this film by myself at home in contrast to the prior screenings where I was in a packed cinema and I thought this reception context would 'scarify' the film a bit more- I was mistaken.

The film follows a teenage girl's suspicion that her neighbour's kid is strange and has brought in a bad vibe into her family home. This time to capture the establishing shots of the living room, bedroom and kitchen, her boyfriend uses a recording program easy to set up on each device. The other films had me guessing a little bit more than this one trying to piece together the relationship to the demon a family member had however not in this film. The footage of the abducted boy was the first thing we as a viewer see on the screen and then it goes straight to the main plot where we instantly elate the boy to the missing child. I hope I haven't spoilt..what was only to spoil but it was an editing mistake and should of been shuffled at least a bit later into the film.

However, a major disappointment was when Hunter was reunited with the demon and a group of people suddenly appear and then CUT! Pitch black, The End. Despite my major disappointment I did get a few jumps in this film, yet it wasn't enough to resurrect my hope that the movie would pan out more interesting.

However, in saying this..somehow I am interested to see the 5th instalment of the film set to be in cinemas around October this year. Why??? I really don't know why! I might have got sucked into this franchise, you know it's bad but you still wanna see it.

The Call

Directed by Brad Anderson, The Call is a film about a 911 operator's determination to save the life of a kidnapped teenager. Whilst in the car park of a shopping mall, Casey is stuffed into the boot of a car by a strange man and calls for help. After a phone attendant struggles to assist the girl, Jordan takes over. Played by Halle Berry, the passion and determination of the fighter personality of the 911 operator is reflected in her role and benefits the realism of Halle's performance. I also admire the use of camera and speed in this film capturing scenes in a modern and futuristic manner. This is achieved through a combination of close up shots and speeding up the pace of a small moment in a scene to create significance of its role in developing the plot of the film. 

When the first girl was kidnapped she was dragged out from under her bed and I was reminded of the scene in Taken (2008) when Kim is kidnapped. I was able to evoke the same emotion of shock and by quickening the footage I felt like the exact shot was mirrored in The Call. 

With that in mind, if you liked Taken and Taken 2, then you will be on the edge of your seats watching this thriller.