Phar Lap 2.0

With the current, ongoing success of Kriv Stenders' Red Dog, there certainly feels like there's a buzz back in the Australian film landscape. After half a year of dud after dud - only Sanctum 3D and the UK co-production Oranges & Sunshine seemed to make any dent whatsoever at the ticket booth - Dog has become quite a hit and now we look towards the rest of the year hoping for a few more. One of the most likely contenders is The Cup, a dramatic retelling of Damien Oliver's ride of his life to win the Melbourne Cup after a tragic accident befalls his brother.



The newly released trailer for Simon Wincer's The Cup features a title card that says "FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PHAR LAP", which just seems a little bit too much like pandering. But, then again, they couldn't have put down "from the director of Harlequin", could they? Still, at least Phar Lap is a good movie! As for the trailer itself (below) it all looks like suitably rousing stuff and photographed gorgeously as all horse racing movies seem to be. Alas, also like any horse racing movies it can't eliminate the fact that it is, without fail, about horse racing. It amuses me greatly that Secretariat still hasn't received a release of any kind in Australia! Colour me impressed by Daniel McPherson though, and it will be sad to see Bill Hunter in his final role.



Take a look and let us know what you think?

Review: Oranges and Sunshine

Oranges and Sunshine
Dir. Jim Loach
Year: 2011
Aus Rating: M
Running Time: 105mins

When Phillip Noyce’s Rabbit-Proof Fence – his searing portrayal of the plight of the stolen generation – was released in 2002 it had a vast and immediate impact. Thankfully, it was also a great movie made by a director at the peak of his talents and was made at a time that allowed it to have the strongest power. Now, in 2011, we get another socially conscious movie attempting to publicise a horrible injustice inflicted upon children, this time by the British government’s forced relocation of children to Australia. Oranges and Sunshine, based on the non-fiction novel Empty Cradles by British social worker Margaret Humphrys, is not the exceptional piece of filmmaking that Rabbit-Proof Fence was, but it is nevertheless a moving film about a disgraceful act that had been forgotten to the annals of history for far too long.

Read the rest at Onya Magazine
It's been good to see this movie do well at the box office, alongside the more boutique successes of Snowtown (review) and Mrs Carey's Concert (review) has been good to see in a year where so many other local product has floundered. Let's hope it continues.

Griff Now Invisible in America

I was surprised to learn that Leon Ford's bittersweet superhero movie Griff the Invisible had been acquired for an American release. Surprised because it's no longer 1995 when this probably would have done gangbusters over there. Instead, it's 2011 where Animal Kingdom can barely gross $1million and where foreign films (in a "foreign language" or not) take a lot of time and effort to reach half of that.

Still, released it will be on 19 August. In to how many cinemas and in what cities I am not sure, but I really liked it so I'd suggest going to see it. And that's even if you are burnt out on superhero movies like X-Men: Born This Way, The Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America. Plus, it's got Ryan Kwanten being adorable so, ya know, there's that.

I always find it curious to note how differently movies are marketed in America compared to Australia, whether they're Australian films or American films. The American poster to the left there has gone for an obvious mass-quirk concept with the hand-drawn images that are such commonplace these days amongst independent dramadies like Griff. It does, however, get the superhero message across better than the local poster, although the very first, Cannes festival poster by Jeremy Saunders is still my favourite. I'm not sure why that one was never used in any official release capacity.

The trailers, on the other hand, are very different and yet essentially the same. Although the US trailer doesn't include the image to your right, which is probably my single favourite shot from a movie so far this year. And for a year that has had Meek's Cutoff, Jane Eyre and The Tree of Life amongst its visual splendours that's quite a big call.


Australian vs American
So, do tell American, will you be seeing Griff the Invisible when you get the chance?