For some reason this week I haven't been reading my books at all. Lots of newspapers & magazines (I am a magazine fiend) and of course the interwebs.
I have also been watching a lot of Australian films on DVD. I try to see them in the cinema, but a few have gotten past me for various reasons, so I'm having a fest at home.
See these:
Noise, written and directed by Matt Saville. This has just been released, and I saw it at the cinema. It is a wonderful brooding meditation, compelling, wrenching, ambiguous as our lives are.
The Propostion, written by Nick Cave (yes, that Nick Cave) and directed by John Hillcoat. I was reluctant to see this film for a long time because I knew it was extrememly violent. But the evocation of Australia & Australianess elevated this "Western" to a more thoughtful realm. Though set Back Then, the film talks of the Australian character today, and our uneasy relationship to the land we inhabit.
Look Both Ways, written and directed by Sarah Watt. This is a quiet and compelling film, treating grief, inarticulacy, and the strange ways of strange loves. Beautiful.
6 comments:
Love Nick Cave, especially The Mercy Seat. The Johnny Cash version rocked as well.
I haven't seen too many Australian films outside of Muriel's Wedding & Romper Stomper.
What else would recommend?
I saw The Proposition - an excellent piece of work, but oh so violent. More than I could take, really. I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to violence. I'm fine with what I think of as "comic book" violence. I can watch over-the-top Tarantino-style violence. But when it's what I think of as real violence, the depiction of violence that comes from and with more genuine emotion, that mirrors the true "man's inhumanity to man" type violence in the world today, I have a really hard time watching.
I'll see if I can find the others you mentioned.
And as for the reading, I go through phases like that. Times when I don't want to read a book, but will devour other things. I'm just coming out of a couple month phase where I couldn't read fiction, only non-fiction.
A.Man: You said it brother.
C: For a hoot, see "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". If you have strong nerves, "The Boys" is absolutely brilliant, but tough to watch.
Pheebs: I'm with you on the violence. Just because something is happening in another room, doesn't make the film less violent. In fact, like the ear-cutting-off scene in Reservoir Dogs, not showing is often more powerful. I think what makes The Proposition watchable for me is the thoughtfullness at work in the script, direction & performances.
Reading ruin your eyes. That's why we are taking over.
LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!
Interesting to know.
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