Haha, Reckless Kelly! Actually, I think I will mention that one later.
Anyway, I guess it all depends on the sort of film you are into really.
The Australian film industry is really up and down, and whilst Aussie films do get distribution in cinemas, most of the time however [especially for the 'good' classy ones] they get shown only at selected cinemas instead of across the board like most other films. Also there is the issue of funding, with many big budget Australian films being financed partially from overseas, so it really depends on how you classify it [for example the recent Ned Kelly film with Heath Ledger had alot of overseas investment, I think.] Also I'm not too sure whether Dark City is classed as an Australian film as such along these lines as well [but it's great, there's no denying that!]
That being said, I'm not exactly a constant Australian film watcher, though there are some good ones out there: it just, depends on what you like! I have been getting into more of the recent releases.
Boy, I'm going to crap on here for a while, since there's quite a few great films out there, so be prepared I guess...
Anyways, yes Scottie, I'm a little annoyed we didn't watch more Australian films [though I did see a few more in other classes that I haven't mentioned yet] and that I didn't do an Australian Cinema and TV subject at uni [they did run one, it just clashed with some other subjects so I couldn't do it.]
Here's the subject description from the uni website for interests sake: "This subject explores the relationship between national identity and international film culture and specifically questions how filmic structures operate in Australian cinema to produce identities which have both local and international resonance. Students will examine the success of films such as Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max within the context of mass culture; The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dallas Doll, and The Sum of Us within the context of queer theory; Romper Stomper within a context of teen films; and Strictly Ballroom within questions of multiculturalism and ethnicity. The representation of race will form an additional focus of study. The films of Australian directors working in Hollywood such as Gillian Armstrong and Baz Luhrman will also form an area of study."
It sounded interesting, especially those on race, but unfortunately I couldn't fit it in. Anyway I'll list off a few good films; though I am by no means the best person to talk to about this stuff [I don't have too good a grasp on many of the older Australian Cinema classics]
Rombles has a pretty good list of classic Australian Films, and a fair share of silly ones as well. I mean really, Yahoo Serious!?!?! Who I consider The Australian Carrot Top? Maybe not classed as 'best filmmaker ever' but certainly Reckless Kelly is a bit of fun! I'll mention a few that Rombles already has, but I'll try not to go over too many of the same ones, especially those he listed that I haven't seen yet.
Ok let's see [deep breath]:
Mad Max and its crappy sequels are lots of B-grade fun. As you well know.
I also really like Undead. Yes, not enough Australian zombie films!
So is
Wolf Creek which I found a lot of fun, and well made thriller [and as Rombles mentioned, one of the cases the movie was based on recently finished, with a guilty verdict too mind you]
Romper Stomper is a great film with Russell Crowe, about skinheads and such.
I've heard good things about
The Rage In Placid Lake though I haven't seen it myself.
In terms of popular Australian films, one is
The Castle, which is good, but maybe doesn't appeal that well to an international audience. It is a very 'Aussie' film. Though I've heard it didn't go too bad in the UK so who knows really.
Another film by the same makers of the Castle that I enjoyed [and actually went to see at the cinemas by myself] was
The Dish with Sam Neil about Australia's part in the Lunar Landing. Not as out and out funny as the Castle, but it was a good film nonetheless.
Other popular [as in mainstream] Australian films include
Muriel’s Wedding [which I found ok, but many others liked]
Crocodile Dundee and its sequel are ok, but stay the hell away from number three. I hate the series, however, for the fact that it's probably one of the most recognizably Australian films out in the international market [but as a movie itself, it's ok!]
The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is interesting fun, with Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce in it, as two of three cross dressing performers who trek across the Australian outback.
Strictly Ballroom is another romantic film which is fairly popular, by Baz Lurhmann of Moulin Rouge.
Those sorts of films above are, in a sense, regular Australian staples when it comes to films that many Australians have seen, though there are plenty of brilliant Australian films which haven't had such a widespread audience.
Recently there has been an upswing in the cinema industry [or at least that's what they all like to tell us] with the market seeming to be occupied with quality lowish budget serious dramas, targeted at what I like to call the 'Rivoli Crowd' [basically for the chardonnay 'classy movies' set] Not that there's anything wrong with quality dramas, but I'm personally a little annoyed that the gory low budget horror films haven't taken off quite like these films:
Recent films like
The Proposition and
The Trackerare great, Australian westerns/period pieces. The Proposition is nice and violent in parts too [though not in that 'hey cool, lets all shout and woop because that guy got his head blown off' way.] The Tracker is an excellent film about an aboriginal tracker helping find another aboriginal who has supposedly killed a white woman. Great film which touches on Australia's racist roots, and both the Proposition and the Tracker have great soundtracks [though many have said that some of the songs should have been cut from the Tracker.]
Some others that have been well received are
Look Both Ways which won quite a few awards. I haven't seen it personally so I don't really know how it is specifically, though it is rated 8/10 on imdb [though not really with that many votes overall]
Lantana is another acclaimed Australian film: 'A must see for mature realists into serious drama.' according to one reviewer at imdb.
Alexandra's Project is another recent film I saw not long ago which I enjoyed. It's about a man who comes home on his birthday to find a video tape made by his wife in the house [no one else is around] and the 'shocking' things that happen as he watches this video. I was engrossed by it as well, and Alexandra is pretty harsh to her husband in these videos so it makes for good viewing.
I've heard great things about
The Bank Which Rombles mentioned, though I haven't seen it.
A Japanese Story is another critically acclaimed Australian film, and yes another drama/love story [though no, I haven't seen it.]
Rabbit Proof Fence is a great film which was nominated for a Golden Globe and touches on the issue of the Stolen Generation and is about the true story of three aboriginal girls escaping from the domestic life they were forced into, and trying to get home.
There's also a genre of Australian films which basically are the stupid larrikin comedies, and those trying to be like American Pie and such. Many are made by famous/semi famous Australian comedians. Many are terrible, and can never be classed as Best Australian Flick, but still, there's a few entertaining gems that are good for a laugh at the least.
If you want stupid, silly fart jokes and such, and know a bit about Australian culture and history, the film
'Ned' is great. Like Reckless Kelly, Ned is a parody about infamous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, though it's complete and utter low budget rubbish the film is hilarious, with no sense of realism at all [not that you care] and a hell of a lot of stupid jokes that are just fantastic. My friends and I quote it often, and it's definitely up there on my favourite Aussie films list.
One film which pretty much started the larrikin comedies was
'The Adventures of Barry Mckenzie' which is 'the shameless saga of a young Aussie in Pommyland,' and as such is a classic Australian comedy, though I'm not too sure how many people my age actually know about it.
There's also the action-type crime films of which there are a few good ones.
Dirty Deeds is good [I enjoyed it] but I wouldn't go so far as to say best Australian flick. It has John Goodman and Bryan Brown in it, and basically centres on some Gangsters in the 60s or something and has some Americans trying to move in on Australian turf and the trouble that comes from that.
Two Hands, with Heath Ledger and Bryan Brown, is a great Australian film as well, basically a crime movie/love story.
Gettin' Square is a great Australian heist film, with the excellent David Wenham [Faramir in Lord of the Rings] as a lovable criminal. This one also won many awards, which is good [I really liked this film]
Others films in general which deserve an honourable mention are Walkabout, Shine, Travelling North, Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, Breaker Morant, He Died with a Falafel in His Hand and They're a Wierd Mob.
But by far one of my favourite Australian films is
Chopper starring Eric Bana in his first serious role. Based on the story of infamous criminal Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read. This film is fantastic, and Eric Bana is great in it as well, especially considering his previous background was in comedy, not drama.
It's just brilliant how Bana went from this, A bogan called Poiter:
To this scary mutha:
It's great to see actors mix things up a bit, and although opinions about his style and skill is different now, at the time it was truly a big difference in Eric Bana's style of acting. Also the film itself is well put together, which is also important, highly reccomended!
Anyway I better leave it at that, or my brain will explode. There's a hell of a lot of great films I left out, either due to me not having seen them, or just because I couldn't remember them off the top of my head, so if I missed any great ones, oops!
I also hope this gives you a vague idea of how the cinema industry is going in Australia, in terms of what sort of films are being produced here, and which ones are gaining critical acclaim, despite not very incredible box office success. Also, sorry for the length of this, and I'm sorry, I know there's a bit of additional reading to get the proper information on many of these films, since I didn't really explain the films properly and just added on a link to imdb or what-have-you, in most cases.
