Snowtown

Australia has always made great independent films, although they don't tend to bring in the masses. That is until recently.

After the success of Animal Kingdom and Samson and Delilah people are starting to take note. More risks are being taken and the public are thanking them with bums in seats.

The latest Australian film to grap my attention is Snowtown. Based on the horrific South Australian murders, the look and feel of the film is reminiscent of Chopper and Animal Kingdom.

“Snowtown is a sophisticated character drama with an engaging yet horrific twist. In this chilling and compelling true story, we go behind the headlines and experience one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s modern history, a gruesome series of murders known as ‘the bodies in the barrels’. Australian filmmakers have a rich history of creating socially relevant cinema based on true-life crimes, as in The Boys, or larger-than-life criminals, as in Chopper, and Snowtown continues in this vein,” said Ruth Harley, Chief Executive of Screen Australia.

Snowtown looks terrifying, if advertised well, this film will do very well and undoubtably propel the actors careers.

I wouldn't be surprised if Cinema Nova have a Meet the Filmmaker Q&A for this one!!

Coincidence?

Please do me a favour and watch the three previews below.

There is something about them that has been bugging me.

The Fighter: Paramount/Relativity Media/Mandeville Films - 2010

The Adjustment Bureau: Universal/MRC - 2010

Mildred Pierce: HBO - 2011

I am a lover of movie previews, I can spend hours engrossed in them. I was intrigued to discover that the same piece of music had been used in three prominent releases over a span of 10 months. These three films all received large amounts of publicity and where expected to have successful releases, so why choose the same music?

I have a few theories.

1. It is a great piece of music.

This piece of music, which remains nameless due to the internet being difficult, is perfect for previews.  Not only is it dramatic, but the rhythm pulls you in the story and somehow made me feel like something unjust was taking place. It may just be me, as I am a sucker for string instruments, but I wanted to care about this characters.

2. It makes things familiar, so it's easier to connect.

Unlike a popular song this piece of music is not instantly recognised. The preview for The Adjustment Bureau was released first in May 2010 and it instantly stood out to me, by the time The Fighter preview came along in September, I couldn't automatically connect the two. However I do remember watching it repeatedly and feeling a sense of familiarity, I put it down to The Fighter being a great film but now i'm not too sure. I think they wanted me to think that.

After the success of The Fighter at the box office and during awards season, I think the people behind Mildred Pierce decided to stick with a good think. By using the same music it gives the impression that their film is of the same class, a winner!

It is a risk, as you don't want to associate your film with a stinker, however it is possible that instrumental music it is subtle enough to go unnoticed by the majority of viewers.

3. It was purely accidental.

This speaks for itself. It is possible that all the parties involved stumbled across the music and simply thought it was nice. Maybe they don't like watching other companies previews and didn't notice the repetition.


I like to think it was all part of a plan for Mildred Pierce and The Fighter. And I guess The Adjustment Bureau got in on the game accidentally due to the film being released last. So everybody wins!!

Crazy, Stupid, Love Love Love Love

Ryan Gosling what can I say...

So amazing!

This movie looks wonderful, great cast and great abs. I will even overlook the recycled joke from Knocked Up and gush about it for months. 

This Makes Friday Look So Good!

This is so fantastic. However I think it will most likely be taken down by the powerful multicoloured  peacock..
We will just have to wait and see

Meet the Filmmakers

Another month another Cinema Nova Meet the Filmmaker, this month (being April) will see the hubba hubba Dan Sultan grace us with his presence. Cinema Nova will host an advanced screening of Murundak: Songs of Freedom followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham, Dan Sultan will also play a live acoustic set. This event has the potential to be fabulous. 

Murundak: Songs of Freedom invites us into the heart of Aboriginal protest music following The Black Arm Band, as they take to the road with their songs of resistance and freedom. The Black Arm Band was formed by some of Australia's finest musicians including Archie Roach, Shane Howard, Dan Sultan and the late Ruby Hunter. 

A while ago I blogged about two upcoming Meet the Filmmaker events, one for 127 Hours and the other The Way Back. Although I did attend, I never managed to blog about them. Oops!

So here they are, my opinions.

In February I headed to my local cinema for an advanced screening of Danny Boyles new film 127 Hours, followed by a Q&A with adventurer Aron Ralston.

The film follows the true story of adventurer Ralston and the events that led him to amputate his own arm in order to survive. James Franco stars as Ralston and gives a surprisingly powerful performance.

I found Ralston to be very funny, personable and a wonderful storyteller. He spoke of how this experience has changed his life for the better and if he had his time again he wouldn't change a thing. I was interested to learn that Ralston had had a large part in the production of 127 Hours, he originally declined Boyle's request to make this film, as he wanted to create a documentary similar to Touching the Void, he reconsidered once Boyle explained his vision.

Ralston was not afraid to share the painful elements of the story, he wanted the film to capture the days he endured with as much realism as possible. Ralston even allowed the personal and emotional footage, he had shot for his family during the fateful days, to be viewed by Boyle and Franco.

Ralston stated how he had maintained contact with the danish family who had found him walking the canyon after amputating his arm. And as fate would have it, the now 18 year old boy who had witnessed a man clinging to life in the Utah canyon was now picking fruit outside melbourne and was sitting in the audience. Very cool!

The Way Back is the new film from Australian filmmaker extraordinaire Peter Weir. About a group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian Gulag during World War II and walk the 4000 miles to freedom in India, the film stars Ed Harris and Jim Sturgess.

It is a mesmerising film with an incredible attention to detail. The film was shot in Bulgaria, Morocco and India and the cinematography takes advantage of the impressive surroundings, bringing the viewer into the journey. This is a very powerful film, exploring human strength and kindness.

I was very excited to hear from Peter Weir, I've seen The Truman Show a few too many times and studied Picnic at Hanging Rock last year at uni. The Way Back is his first film since 2003.

The Way Back is based on true events, however Weir commented on how there had been controversy over the accuracy and ownership of the walk. It is now known that the walk and similar walks took place, however the people involved are debated. Weir decided to create fictional characters and concentrate on the events and the spirit of the journey, similar to his film Gallipoli. He simply wanted to capture a moral truth.

A number of detainees and survivors from the Siberian Gulags were present in the audience. They all spoke of their gratitude to Weir for shedding light on a little known element of WWII and with such grace and compassion.

Mr Weir

Thank you for The Way Back, however please don't leave us waiting another 8 years for your next film.

Your sincerely,

LaDash