whiteman-3

I first saw this movie when I was in High School in about 1964. Now, almost 40 years later, it still manages to hold my interest and take me back to those wonderful days of being a teenager and the romance that so often gets lost in the mists of time. 10 out of 10 for me.

I expected a lot better from this director but frankly this film is the greatest load of rubbish I have seen in a long time. Plot? What plot? Story? What story? For the life of me I cannot even guess WHY anyone would want to release this crap!

I really expected better from Nicholas Cage... not this mish-mash of gratuitous violence. Cage speaks about 3 words in the whole movie... the rest of the time he looks uncomfortable trying to convey the impression that he is a tortured soul. I enjoy a good war movie but this rubbish is a load of claptrap and hopefully will sink without trace.

Long time bank teller (Charles Victor) learns he has only 2 years to live due to an illness. He decides he wants to enjoy his remaining time so embezzles a swag of money from his employer and plans to travel to Europe. But the cops are on his trail so he heads for a British seaside guesthouse where he blends into the social scene. But a fellow villain spots him and the blackmail begins.

Standard 1950's British drama and not bad entertainment for a rainy Sunday afternoon. You could do worse.

Sleeping Car to Trieste is pretty much a standard post-war British spy thriller set on The Orient Express with all the usual sets and train mock-ups. Nothing too cerebral but light entertainment when you have nothing better to do.

The Farm is not perfect but at a time when banks and big business are increasingly in the spotlight, it shows that the little guy can fight back, and win. Follows the story of a typical Australian farming family and how in the heady days of the '80s the banks threw money around and encouraged investment in foreign currencies. Then the balloon burst leaving financial devastation. Instead of admitting they were wrong, the banks start calling in the loans, forcing farming families off the land and creating enormous social problems in the rural communities including suicides and family dispossession. Colin Freils plays his normal polished role as the farmer who stands up to the banks and, despite it taking seven years, finally forces them to take responsibility. Unfortunately in real life the banks won more times than they lost, mainly due to collusion and corrupt bank executives. It is still happening today. All in all, The Farm is great viewing and a great insight into rural Australia.

Forget time wasting rubbish like Jimoin's The Craic and see what Aussie filmakers are REALLY capable of. The Dish has genuine Aussie humour, which might stump some of the foreign viewers, a liberal sprinkling of 60's nostalgia, and small doses of Kleenex Juice. Like it's stablemate The Castle, this finely crafted and well acted film is a wonderful glimpse of Aussie larrikinism and 'can do' philosophy at it's best. It also shows that us Aussies can 'get on with it' when things go wrong and not make a big fuss about it. There's no gratuitous sex scenes, no mindless violence, no unbelieveable car crash scenes... it's just a simple story of an epic event, extremely well told. 10/10

Ok... so you don't need to many brain cells to watch this movie but it doesn't pretend to be War and Peace. It is just a pleasant way to spend an hour or so with an unbelieveable theme, lots of good action, great gags and a good guy who sticks it up the bad guys. This movie is so off-beat that it works beautifully as pure entertainment. Highly recommended.

I looked forward to this Jimoin movie with great expectations. After all, Jimoin is a great stand up comic and should be able to deliver the goods on screen. But when the credits rolled up I felt I had wasted an hour or so and indeed I felt cheated. This could have been a great opportunity for Jimoin and Co. to dish up a truly funny Aussie movie. All we get is a disjointed collection of scenes, none of which are well acted or well structured, and a bevy of second rate one-liners. I really expected better of Jimoin and I am sure the veteran Aussie actor "Bud" Tingwell regrets ever being a part of this load of rubbish. Minus 5.

Somewhat dated at the turn of the century but a wonderful look back at outback life at the end of WWII. There is no pretence in this movie... it is an honest insight into the life of the drovers who, before road trains, faced the outback with their vast herds of cattle and drove them for months through all conditions. Rafferty is of course the perfect image of the young drover of those days. There is even some dialogue relevant to the changing country and things that we would understand 50 years later. A must see for all Aussies.

I've watched this movie several times and each time I see something more. Sure it will upset some... the language and the sexual references... but folks, that is what goes on out there, even in the dreary suburbs. But this movie is more than that. It is a reflection on contemporary western life at the turn of the century. What Lester confronted and experienced is happening to 'middle-aged' men all around the world, not just in suburban America. Call it mid-life crisis or what you will, but I'll bet there are thousands of men who identified with Lester, even though they may not openly admit it. 10/10.

As an Australian I was a little reticent before watching this movie. Hollywood often goes overboard when it comes Down Under and tries to capture our old west. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the whole movie... the characters were believeable and Sellick was just right. Of course our magnificent outback scenery almost stole the show. The only uncomfortable thing was the portrayal of the treatment of Aboriginals, something none of us can be proud of, but it was a different age and different people. But the movie showed it like it was, and for that alone this movie should be compulsory viewing for Australians. Sellick was spot on when he told the British Major that his country (the US) had thrown the undesirables out... all the way back to England. Not only a great western but a good history lesson as well. Well worth the effort.