Best Australian flick

[trekgeezer]

Here's a short list of the ones I like:

Priscilla Queen of the Desert - Hugo Weaving is one ugly-ass chick and Terence Stamp does too (his character is actually a transexual

Muriel's Wedding - My wife and I quite enjoyed this one

Proof - I posted about this one before. Very good early work of Russell Crowe and Hugo Weaving.

[Scott]

Thanks Herodotus. THE QUIET EARTH is the one. You have lived up to your namesake this day.

[Mitch McAfee]

As a fellow Aussie, I'd have to nominate Houseboat Horror as the best Bad Movie!!! It's incredibly bad, shot on tape in the late 1980's & was trying to cash in on the slasher films from the early 80's! (yep us Aussies are real quick in cashing in on movie trends).

Also there was another Aussie slasher film released in about 1990 called Blood Moon - shot in Queensland. The only memorable thing about it was the producers adopted the old William Castle gimmick of having a "fright break" just before the climax... a title card came up on screen offering the audience a full refund if they wanted to leave the cinema due to the horrific nature of the film (or something like that)... if you chose this option you'd have to stand in "chicken corner" which was set up in the lobby. For the record, my friends & I were the only 3 people in the cinema & decided to stay to watch the very questionable & tame climax. Dean - this was at the Belgrave Cameo theatre btw)

But with out doubt the best Aussie film of recent years would be The Proposition. Stunning cinematography, superb performances & very violent. And it features the most number of flies in a motion picture in living memory!!! Highly recomended!

As for Wolf Creek, its very over rated. (For fellow Aussies - it looks like a 90 minute TAC commercial.) And its full of horror cliches. Though John Jarrat, as usual, is very good!

[Rombles]

Mitch - Buddy - Maaaate!  Someone else that knows Houseboat Horror!   I'm glad I am not the only one!  What a fantastic piece of crap that movie is - I loved it!


After reading Dean's post, I figured that maybe I should do some explaining as well.  So back to my original reply:


Rombles Wrote:
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> Hmmmmm are you talking best good movie, or best
> bad movie?
>
> A few that I loved that come to mind (And to make
> it interesting I won't specify which category they
> each come into!).....
>
> Hercules Returns  - This was written (and voiced) by Des Mangan, who used to host the cult movies on SBS TV here in Australia. He has exactly the same sense of humour as I do - every movie that he introduced and raved about, I loved. The ones he wasn't so keen on, I didn't like as much. Scary really.   This movie is basically a bunch of people re-voicing an Italian print of an old Hercules movie - adding innuendo and cracking me up while doing so. Personally 10/10 from me, but it isn't what I would call a classical "good" movie.

> Picnic At Hanging Rock - Chilling, eerie, creepy.  Based (I believe) on a true story, certainly a real place - about the unsolved disappearance of a group of girls in the 30's (?). Early Peter Weir movie, will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up (and try to slink out the door) - Another 10/10 from me, but definately a "good" movie - does not belong on this site in any way.

> Dogs In Space - Michael Hutchence (INXS singer) as a drug-f@#%ed singer in a punk band in Melbourne in the late 70's/early 80's. Based on the real experiences of the director, Richard Lowenstein. Lots of very quotable lines - my 7 year old son quotes it despite not having seen it (and will not see it for a long time yet!). Proves that drugs are bad for you.  Leonard Maltin's book ranks it as a "Bomb" - I give it 8/10.

> Chopper - What Dean said.

> Body Melt (see Andrew's review) - Bad and I loved it.

> Undead (not enough Australian Zombie movies!)  Requires no explanation if you have seen it. If you haven't, see it!

> Pandemonium - Weird. Very weird. Think Rocky Horror Picture Show (and maybe it's sequel, Shock Treatment) on bad drugs.  And then some more worse drugs.  Doesn't mean I don't love it though.  Between 4-8/10, depending on my mood.

> Malcolm - hilarious movie about a tram-obsessed gadget-building simpleton who teams up with a couple of crooks. I think it won the AFI award for Best Film in about 1986 or whenever it was - the fantastic art direction (by my aunt!) was no doubt a big factor in that!    "Good" movie - 9/10.

> Idiot Box - couple of young losers stuff up their lives. 7/10.

> Dirty Deeds - what Dean said, again.

> Babe - talking pig movie, good for the kids. Still fun. 8/10.

> They're A Weird Mob - based on the book about an Italian migrant trying to fit into Australian society in the 50's and 60's. Funny and charming. 8/10.

> The Dish - what Dean said. Extremely "Good" movie - 9.5/10.

> Muriel's Wedding - Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths - both now known to Americans - as a couple of "uncool" girls, one of whom is desperate to get married, whatever the cost. Warning though - contains Abba songs.  Still good, though. 9/10.

> Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert - see several other posts in this thread. 8/10.

> Romper Stomper - disturbing movie about skin-heads in Melbourne. I didn't like seeing what was happening on screen, happening in places I was familiar with.  If I didn't know the area, it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much.  Not sure what I would personally rate this one, but I would definately recommend it to anyone interested in Australian movies.

> Young Einstein - Yahoo Serious (the guys name!) plays young Albert as a Tasmanian apple farmer turned genius. Invents Rock And Roll along the way. Inspired lunacy from the man also responsible for the gems "Reckless Kelly" (updating the Ned Kelly story - Sort of) and "Mr Accident" (I won't even try to describe this one!). 7/10.

> The Cars That Ate Paris - I didn't like this as much as I was told I should have. Still good though - should be watched at least once.

> Running On Empty - I was actually thinking of a movie called "Midnight Spares" when I put this one on the list - but I like both!

> Houseboat Horror (!)  Heh, heh, heh. Be warned.

> The Bank - clever movie about David Wenham figuring out a way to screw the banks - and I'm sure everyone would support him in that goal. 8/10

> Don's Party - movie about a very specific time in Australian history - Election night after the sacking of the Prime Minister in 1975. 7/10.

> Patrick - psychological thriller, about a telekinetic man in a coma.  Spooky. 7/10.

Hope this helps.

[dean]

Des Mangan wrote Hercules Returns?  I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that one then, since I also like his sense of humour [remember when he used to commentate over Eurovision?] and I still have some cult movies on tape, recorded from sbs lying around here somewhere, in which he did the intros for them.


Oh and hi Mitch!  It's a shame not as many cinemas have William Castle-style scare tactics anymore.  Won't anybody make a horror film with electric buzzers insterted into the seats of the cinema please??

Whilst Wolf Creek may be a bit over-rated, I still highly reccomend it.  Sure, it's not perfect and yes at times does look like a TAC ad, but that's not really a problem for me; it's just great having a good Australian thriller, with an excellent 'killer' performance from John Jarrat.

As for Houseboat Horror, I'll have to look out for that one as well, Australia needs more crappy B-movies!

[Mitch McAfee]

Houseboat horror is extremely hard to track down. Years ago, maybe in about 1992 the old Fountain Flicks video store in Carnegie (Victoria Australia) had a copy of it, so maybe try there. It's the video store near the railway crossing - might be a Video Easy now. What am I thinking???? Do Video stores still carry VHS???

Over the years I've worked with many of the "stars" from Houseboat Horror. Alan Dale, Gavan Wood, John Michael Howson & Brian Mannix (well he did the music) have all crossed my path... I just regret not getting them to sign a Houseboat Horror poster or something - that would be worth a mint now!!! ;-)

Rombles, lets not forgot respected producer/writer/cinematographer David Parker directed Hercules Returns - a film he usually ignores on his credit list!

And if we're talking about Bad Aussie films - it would be rude & disrespectful not to mention the films of John Lamond. Particularly Pacific Banana & Sky Pirates (a really bad Indiana Jones rip off starring the late John Hargreaves)

I completely forgot to mention a film from the 80's called The Year My Voice Broke - produced by George Miller. It's by no means a Bad film, but a true classic Aussie coming of age film, filled with drama, melancholy & humour. Highly recommended!

[Mitch McAfee]

Forgive me folks...my brain isn't firing on all cylinders due to the silly season!!! How could I have neglected to mention possibly the best BAD Aussie film of all time...

THE TIME GUARDIAN

Made in 1987, The Time Guardian was trying to cash in on the sci fi boom created by Star Wars - except it was about 10 years too late! The producers even imported Carrie Fisher to play the female lead opposite Tom Burlinson. I still remember reading the articles in TV Week which made a big deal of the fact that this was the very first Aussie film to have motion control photography & highly detailed miniatures (which were all quite lame BTW).

As for other Aussie B films, lets not forget…

Razorback (a killer pig in the outback)

The Howling 3 (a terrible follow up to a horrible sequel)

Dark Age (a killer crocodile film starring John Jarratt).

And keep an eye out for Rogue – Greg McLeans follow up to Wolf Creek about a killer croc currently shooting in Victoria. (again starring John Jarratt)

[Scottie]

I've seen Razorback. It was decent. I really liked the scenery (Australian outback of course), but some things were just hokey about it. I should go find it and see it again along with some of the ones from these great lists of films. Three cheers for this board!

Hip Hip- Horray!

Hip Hip- Horray!

Hip Hip- Horray!

[Rombles]

Mitch - was Pacific Banana the one where a couple of guys convince their sick father (? older male relative) that he is on a round-the-world trip, when he has actually not left the house?

Thought of a couple more.... Outback Vampires - good bad movie, starring John Doyle - better known as Roy Slaven from Roy & HG.

and.....

"Cut".  I can't believe I forgot this one!  Molly Ringwald and Kylie Minogue (briefly!) in a slasher movie - made here in Adelaide. And I didn't even go and declare my adoration for Molly while she was here :-(   I bought this ex-rental on VHS for $1 a couple of weeks ago!

[dean]

I haven't seen 'Cut,' yet for some odd reason I do have the soundtrack.

What's it like?

[Archivist]

I've mentioned a couple of these ones before, but they are worth mentioning again:

- Bloodmoon.  A slasher flick set in a remote Australian high school, where the students are killed one by one by a sadistic nutcase.  Razor wire nooses and axes are used to varying effect.  One rather neat scene involves a couple of teenagers getting it on in the woods, at the school prom.  There's a nice bit of boobage while the hapless guy gets whacked by the killer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096954/

- Kadaicha.  I only barely remember this, as I saw it on late-night television in the early 90's.  I recall a group of teenagers finding some kind of cursed Aboriginal artifact, and they suffer horrible deaths along the way.  Not a bad movie at all from a teen horror perspective; I might see if I can get it on DVD somehow.  It also gets uniqueness points for being Australian.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095423/

- Death In Brunswick.  Sam Neill stars in this local comedy made in about 1991.  He plays a wimpy guy who works in a pizza parlour, which is hooked up with the local crime gang.  I don't remember that much of this movie, even though I saw it in the cinema with my girlfriend at the time - come to think of it, that's probably why I don't remember that much of it.  Notable scenes include Sam Neill getting 'revenge' on the crime gang by making them pizza and embedding it with cockroaches, and an absolutely wild scene where a dessicated corpse in a coffin is stomped to dust to make room to hide a body!  You have to see that to believe it!  The entire cinema went into a kind of spasmodic laughter and shock at that scene.

Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne that was kind of rough in past years, but is now quite a trendy place with a lot of pubs, cafe's, live bands and clothing shops.

And in a weird coincidence, Zoe Carides is in both Kadaicha and Death in Brunswick.

Edit: come to think of it, I remember the posters to Razorback.  Weren't they of a demonic pig with glowing red eyes charging towards the viewer?  Never saw that one - I wonder if it's still around?


~Archivist~

[Rombles]

dean Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > I haven't seen 'Cut,' yet for some odd reason I
> do have the soundtrack.
>
> What's it like?
>



Wellllllll  Molly Ringwald is in it, so I am kinda biased. Yeah, I loved it.  But I think that even normal people (to the extent that such a thing exists, particularly on this forum!) would enjoy it too!

[Archivist]

Mitch McAfee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Houseboat horror is extremely hard to track down.
> Years ago, maybe in about 1992 the old Fountain
> Flicks video store in Carnegie (Victoria
> Australia) had a copy of it, so maybe try there.
> It's the video store near the railway crossing -
> might be a Video Easy now. What am I thinking????
> Do Video stores still carry VHS???

Some do, especially the 'independent' stores that have been around for a long time.  You have to be careful of those tapes, though, because they can be so full of dirt that they clog up your machine.

> I completely forgot to mention a film from the
> 80's called The Year My Voice Broke - produced by
> George Miller. It's by no means a Bad film, but a
> true classic Aussie coming of age film, filled
> with drama, melancholy & humour. Highly
> recommended!

Also see the sequel to TYMVB, called 'Flirting' (1991).  It stars Noah Taylor, with Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman!  Naomi Watts is supposed to be in there somewhere as well.  That's three actresses who went on to much bigger things, but then there's poor Noah.  Wonder what happened to him?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101898/

And speaking of Nicole Kidman, last year I managed to pick up a super cheap copy of one of her very early movies, called BMX Bandits!  She plays one of three kids on BMX bikes, cruising around and foiling a bunch of criminals.  This movie was made in the early 80's, on the wave of BMX mania.  There's a lot of (now almost tame and normal) stunt cycling, which was very exciting back in those days, I can tell you!  It's great as a kid's movie, and worth a look even if you're seeing it for the first time now.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085204/

~Archivist~

[Kev]

Hi.

Most have already been mentioned. Year My Voice Broke is my favourite film.

But onto the Bad ones ...

Sky Pirates - "I don't believe in curses." Johnny H at his finest! Directed by Colin Egglestone.
Outback Vampires - Bargearse and Rampaging Roy Slaven in one third of his 1987 screamaganza. Again, directed by Egglestone!
Contagion - Rampaging again!
Rock'n'roll Cowboys - Yep, Slaven.
Kadaicha - its like a bad version of 'The Dreaming'
The Dreaming - its like a bad version of 'Kadaicha'
Lady Stay Dead - Chard Hayward (!!!).
Pacific Banana - Worth it for the title song alone.
Coda - Penny Cook in her best movie since ... The Dreaming ...
Dust Off The Wings - with Kate Ceberano!
Holidays On The River Yarra - with nobody!
S.N.A.K. - The only one of these I couldn't actually finish watching.
Lets Get Skase - well I guess its not too bad, really.
Body Melt - great to see its got a gig on the video shelf down the road here ... in California!!!
Bloodmoon - Before bagging this too much, note that many mainstream horrors these days are pretty much EVEN POORER versions of this general premise.
Bloodlust - plenty of scary stuff, mainly direction, props, cast, crew, fact anybody wanted to do it ...

Oh and the Carnegie video store next to the Railway Line on Koornang is umm a Blockbuster I think ... it doesn't have Houseboat Horror anymore ... they sold off HEAPS of VHS in the late 1990s/early 2000s ... I live in Carnegie when not over here in the states. I found Houseboat Horror once, think it was the Elwood Video Ezy ... but Video Ezy have all been offloading their VHS for years now.

Cheers,

Kev