10 Aussie films better than AUSTRALIA

It's important to mention that because if I hadn't seen that line I would have wondered why in the hell wasn't Gallipoli listed?

Or Chopper?

Or even Priscilla.

"...You Probably Haven't Seen".

I was going to say The Quiet Earth but, while you probably haven't seen it, turns out it's New Zealandian.

Yeah, don't confuse the two. Believe me.

Where's Razorback, damnit?

Dark Water all the way. For such a cheap movie it's impeccably shot (by the future cinematographer for LotR), and unlike Australia, it's actually entertaining.

Mad Max

The Jennifer Connelly vehicle?

I thought that was filmed elsewhere.

I've seen Love Serenade and Bra Boys. Of the two, I can only recommend Love Serenade.

Oops, I meant Dark Age.

"The Boys" with David Wenham, was shown on IFC not too long ago. Pretty intense film, and worth another watch. After reading this thread, I'm now trying to find it on disc.

Death in Brunswick.

Yeah Death in Brunswick is gold. Love Serenade is fantastic. It's a weird list actually there are shitloads of better Australian films that need more love than the ones mentioned here. He Died With A Felafel in his Hand needs as much love as it can get!
Not Quite Hollywood is a must see however.

I remember a little seen australian film called 'Envy' about a middle aged woman and a young female thief playing a dangerous back and forth game of tit for tat, I've never seen it all the way through, but it was intriguing enough that I'd like to see it again.

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home...5379&s=Reviews

The Interview is fucking awesome.

Yeah, the absence of Priscilla, Mad Max (1 or 2) or even the slightly-uneven-but-affecting Muriel's Wedding is kinda baffling. I haven't seen Australia but if it's anywhere near as good as the 5 films I've mentioned (not counting Gallipoli from Hocken's post) it would have to be pretty good.

Proof, starring Russell Crowe and Hugo Weaving. Great film.

If we are going to list Australian films that more people should check out, Noise has to be one of them. Probably one of the better films from the last handful of years or so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u8KxEf4A3M

There are some films that are made in Australia, with Australian crew and actors, but have overseas funding. I'm not sure which are which.

Anyway, some good Australian films:
- The Castle
- The Dish
- Babe
- Dark City (I assume this had overseas funding)
- The Proposition
- Crackerjack
- Two Hands
- Hercules Returns (I loved this movie when I was younger)

And I haven't seen Australia, so it's hard to comment. It may be that Baz's own Red Curtain Trilogy are better than it.

Does Dark City count as an actual Australian production though? I know a lot of films are shot in Sydney because of the tax breaks, but that doesn't make it any less Hollywood.

Peter Weir's THE LAST WAVE is the best Australian movie you haven't seen.

And that CUNNAMULLA doco is an amazing look at the Aussie underbelly.

It's not regarded as an Australian film in Australia put it that way, anymore than the Matrix or Superman Returns is.
The Last Wave is greatness. The Magician is something everyone should give a look; it's a fantastic DIY flick made by a couple of guys in Melbourne about a hitman who invites a film maker to hang out with him for awhile and make a film about his exploits. Black Comedy, terrific stuff

Yeah, that was the point I was trying to make with my inital sentance. Proyas is an Australian director though.

I thought a lot of the funding for Luhrman's Australia was from overseas.

I'm not sure what the key factor is that sets a films country of origin... Perhaps where the production company is based?

Let me echo more love for The Interview, one of my fave homegrown films that seemingly nobody has seen.

Bra Boys on the other hand can suck my dick, that film is apologist bullshit for a bunch of mindless fucking thugs. Hated every minute of that little piece of excuse making propoganda.

Another great film that not many people may know is one of Russ Crowes first proper dramas with a young Hugo Weaving called Proof - fucking brilliant little drama

Of the old school, I personally think The Club, starring The Iconic 70's Aussie Male Jack Thompson, to be one of the best film to come out of that classic era of aussie films.

...and although it's technically a mini-series and not a feature, the greatest piece of narrative drama ever produced in this country is called Blue Murder, which is the true story of how a bunch of high-up corrupt Sydney detectives basically ran the New South Wales criminal underworld through much of the eighties. Starring Tony Martin from The Interview and Richard Roxburgh it is simply unparalleled in my opinion. It's our masterpiece.

And fun fact about Dark City (which really really isn't an aussie film, anymore than the Star Wars prequels or Matrix films were) - it was the first film ever shot at Fox Studios in Sydney.

I've seen The Interview and it is very good. I'm sure it won a lot of local awards at the time of release.

Rolf de Heer has made some interesting and well regarded films (which I've hardly seen). Dr Plonk is a silent film. Ten Canoes and the The Tracker are both well regarded. And infamously, he made Bad Boy Bubby which is a pretty screwed up film.

Rolf De Heer is one of the best film-makers our country has ever produced - and certainly the best one who's never 'gone Hollywood' so to speak.

I also recommend Alexandras Project if we're talking DeHeer, one of the most brutal shake-you-up film experiences I've had in years.

DeHeers fucking amazing.

Not a De Heer fan I have to be honest. I like what he is trying to do with most of his work but for me it never really "works". Didn't like Bad Boy Bubby, Dr Plonk or The Tracker. Willing to give Ten Canoes a go because everyone I know has celebrated it, but his name on a project generally urges me away from it.

What about the LOTR films, shot in NZ, directed by a Kiwi, written for the screen by Kiwis, a lot of the crew and some of the cast were Kiwis. Yet I don't call it a NZ film, 'cos it looks monstrous next to our regular low-budget output.

So I guess it comes down to where the money comes from.

This I totally get and you're not the only person I know that feels this way about him too Matt.

Thats the thing, DeHeers stuff is oftentimes a lot easier to respect than it is to love.

or Russell Crowe kicking ass in Romper Stomper.

also:

The Year My Voice Broke

Shame (starring Mrs Wolverine)

I'd like to throw 'High Tide' (1987) into the pool of excellent Australian movies. Judy Davis is stellar in this.

Somebody mentioned RAZORBACK (and even SHAME!), but what about DEAD-END DRIVE IN? Now that's a film!

There's BREAKER MORANT(yeah, it's noted, but still not enough people have seen the damn thing!)...and THE LIGHTHORSEMEN for that matter.

The stunning OSCAR & LUCINDA? An all around beautiful film and a must for Fiennes and Blanchett fans.

Another vote for this one.

On the subject of De Heer, I really enjoyed Dr. Plonk, but I don't know how it would go seeing it without a crowd (it was a small cinema but packed and everyone really got into it).

Anyone seen or remember Praise? Depressing but great.

I saw Bad Boy Bubby At a fest here, and I kind of enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of Being There strained through the mind of David Lynch.

Love Praise. Great stuff. Spookily accurate depiction of Brisbane share house culture in the 90's. The relationship between the mains is one of the most convincing I have seen on film in a long time.
Love the Tex Perkins cameo.

Nice to see Australian films getting some props, I think our film industry is generally overlooked but there are some great films, I'll be honest I've only seen a handful of australian films, there are loads I haven't seen either due to lack of time or money.

I think it's notable that Australia has produced a handful of really great female directors compared to the rest of the world, Gillian Armstrong, Jane Campion, Cate Shortland, Jocelyn Moorehouse, Kate Woods etc

And don't you fuckin' forget it, mate.

Bruno Lawrence FTW.

And, as Sackley already mentioned it, Proof is probably my alltime favourite Aussie film, ever. Either that or Mad Max (1).

They got a screening of Mad Max 2 at the Media Center in the city tomorrow. I've never seen a Mad Max flick on the Silver Screen. Can't wait.
One thing I've always been unsure of: do overseas folk think Mad Max 2 is the first film and it's called The Road Warrior? Is the first film known or is primarily the two sequels that people are aware of?

Just rewatched this the other day...talked about a missed opportunity! It's a great concept (and one that doesn't really lend itself to a remake, unfortunately) but I'm guessing that budget limitations really tied one of Brian Trenchard-Smith's arms behind his back in terms of 'vision'.

Still, Natalie McCurry is '80s big-hair bogan-chick hotness personified. And you can't get much more Aussie than a hero who yells "Bewdy!" as he makes his great escape.

Further proof that this movie is 100% fair dinkum: The opening credits state 'And Wilbur Wilde as Hazza'. That's Aussie as!

In its defence, DEAD-END DRIVE IN does have a cool '80s soundtrack, including that synth-heavy Machinations track at the start, a couple of Kids in the Kitchen tracks and Hunters & Collectors' mighty 'Talking To A Stranger'.

You want some good Trenchard-Smith, check out THE MAN FROM HONG KONG, a '70s piece of chop-socky that still gets the job done today.

Shit yeah! RIP Bruno.

Phillip Noyce's HEATWAVE is a tense little thriller with Judy Davis and the terrific Richard Moir.

And the nuclear-spill thriller THE CHAIN REACTION is gold - MAD MAX's George Miller shot some of the second-unit stuff, something that's evident during the fantastic car-chase sequences. Cool cast too - Steve Bisley (who is to Australia as Bruno Lawrence was to NZ), the afore-mentioned Richard Moir, the great Hugh Keays-Byrne (the Toecutter!) and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from Mel Gibson.

Fuck; my sincere apologies for letting this thread get this far without mentioning Turkey Shoot.
This thing was a fucking legend in the early VHS Stoner days.

I know they're NZ films, but the way I see it, if they had been more well known, Australia would've claimed them as their own anyway, right?

Utu
Smash Palace
Goodbye Pork Pie

The Bunyip forgives you.

Speaking of TURKEY SHOOT (AKA ESCAPE 2000), any other Oz-ploitation recommendations?

Is Kenny on the list? I fuckin' love Kenny.

There's the mentioned classics like Dark Age and Turkey Shoot. Lots of stuff that Everett De Roche had a hand in writing e.g. Patrick, Long Weekend, Harlequin, Road Games, Razorback, Fortress (excellent thriller containing scrummy 1980s Rachel Ward goodness)

Other horror/thrillers:

Night of Fear

Next of Kin

Thirst

The Survivor

Strange Behavior

Cut

The Stephen Hopkins flick Dangerous Game

And of course Greg McLean's Wolf Creek. His first film got a fair amount of attention, but it seems like nobody saw his killer croc movie Rogue, which was actually really decent.