Snowtown Dir. Justin Kurzel Year: 2011 Aus Rating: MA15+ Running Time: 120mins
Revelling in its lower class miserabilism like a pig in shit, Justin Kurzel’s debut feature Snowtown - a dramatisation of the events surrounding the famed “bodies in the barrels” murders - is a dark, dank, depressing experience that does nothing but shove an endless parade of grotesquery in the audience’s face. Paedophilia, animal cruelty, incest, rape, incest rape, drug abuse, torture, homophobia, gruesome murder and, to top it all off, screaming bogans screaming at each other about screaming and stuff. Wanna feel dirty? See Snowtown!
Set in the years between 1992 and 1999, Snowtown plays out like a filmed nightmare. Director Kurzel along with his screenwriter Shaun Grant, cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, editor Veronika Jenet, sound design by Frank Lipson and a startling original score by Jed Kurzel, help create an ominous and oppressive atmosphere that suits the suburban fringe setting. Unfortunate thing is, people don’t actually like nightmares, do they? People wake up from them and try to shake the feelings that come as a result of them. Yes, Snowtown is a strikingly made picture, but that doesn’t stop it from being a numbing, repulsive experience.
Australia has been making this grungy, kitchen sink style of film for yonks. I don’t have a problem with them if they do something unique with it, but the makers fail to do so here. Snowtown’s obvious cousin is the far superior Rowan Woods drama The Boys, which was electric and so inspirational 15 years ago, but the subgenre of suburban bogans being miserable and/or unpleasant is overflowing with titles: West, Little Fish, Em4Jay, Last Ride, Candy, The Horseman, Romper Stomper, BlessedBad Boy Bubby, Men’s Group, Mallboy, Praise, Head On, Tom White, Suburban Mayhem and Somersault all tread similar ground, right on through to obvious genre interpretations of Wolf Creek and The Loved Ones. It even traverses similar ground to iconic Aussie flick Wake in Fright, which investigated the often dangerous ways “mateship” can form amongst men. Some of these movies are indeed incredible, powerful pieces of cinema that have something to say about the ugly acts found within them. Others are not, and Snowtown belongs in the latter camp with them.
There isn’t anything fresh here; nothing being said is particularly revelatory. The cult-like charm that the murderous group’s leader, John Bunting, holds over his accomplices is never explained nor questioned. Kurzel has bled all the urgency out of this horrifying series of events by preferring to spend his time crafting painterly representations of gruesome acts in slow-motion. The lighting is delicately handled, the score is craftily inserted and the bogan gothic art direction is suffocating, but then when it’s all over and done with what have we learnt? That a group of bad men did some horrible stuff and then they got caught. Brief scenes showing Bunting’s methods of manipulation are lost amongst the repetitious scenes of people fighting and shouting in dingy kitchens lined with unwashed pots. The admittedly creepy storytelling device of allowing a murder to be represented by the victim’s own farewell tape recording is eventually muddled by its sporadic use.
All of this and Kurzel isn’t even particularly interested in the actual murders. By the time we finally see the infamous bank vault of Snowtown, the terror that it encapsulates has been all but castrated by the parade of vile acts that come before it. When the easily manipulated Jamie Vlassakis, who eventually went on to become the star witness in the court cases that followed, is seen sitting alongside the barrels that Australians have read about and seen in crime television programs they have been overshadowed by Kurzel’s unrelenting freak show of societal horrors.
The cast is filled with mostly newcomers and nonactors. Daniel Henshall is suitably malevolent as John Bunting, the killing group’s dictator, but Lucas Pittaway is not much more than a blank slate as the easily corruptible Jamie. For me it was Louise Harris, discovered in a supermarket by Kurzel, that gives the film’s best performance as Jamie’s mother Elizabeth Harvey. Much like Lynette Curran in The Boys, Noni Hazelhurst in Little Fish or Linda Cropper in Blackrock and Teesh & Trude, she does the downtrodden single suburban mother routine as if she knows it like the back of her hand. The film suffers greatly from her absence in the later half of the movie, as Jamie falls deeper under Bunting’s spell and Kurzel figures we don’t do much care about Elizabeth’s own bad decision. Unfortunately, nobody can wring a true filmmaking performance out of the threadbare screenplay, especially amidst all of Kurzel’s style stuffing.
There’s no denying that Snowtown is one of the most divisive local films of the year and I guess there’s something in that, but the Australian film industry only needs so many Alkinos Tsilimidos’ and Ana Kokkinos’, okay? D+
An Australian presence at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival hasn't exactly been loud and proud for many years now, although the occasional Samson & Delilah (un certain regard) and Bright Star (in competition) do surface to make local media take notice ever so briefly. So it's great news this year with four Australian productions screening at the festival, including in competition for the Palme d'Or!
Julia Leigh's "erotic fairy tale" Sleeping Beauty takes pole position amongst the Australian contingent having been given a competition slot despite being Leigh's first film as director. The screenplay, also by Leigh, is apparently a masterwork and was featured on the famed "Black List" in 2008 (alongsideEasy A, Bad Teacher, Going the Distance, The Beaver and I'm with Cancer) so we could have a potential screenplay winner here? We'll certainly see, but the trailer (below) is a mixed bag. The idea of Jane Campion jumping on the "presented by" bandwagon that Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth have been on for years is certainly exciting, but this sort of incredibly arch-looking arthouse to the extreme film can be hard to swallow. It reminds me a lot of Corroboree, which is not something I care to do very often. Sleeping Beauty stars Rachael Blake doing a knockout Charlotte Rampling impersonation, and Emily Browning. Surely it can already be considered more of a success than Sucker Punch, yes?
Featuring in Un Certain Regard - the same platform that won Samson & Delilah the Camera d'Or for Warwick Thornton - will be Ivan Sen's Toomelah. I remember hearing this film announced at last year's MIFF screening of Sen's experimental Dreamland, but didn't expect it to arrive to quickly. Especially since Sen and his producing partner David Jowsey are still tinkering away at an official cut of Dreamland to be released in 2012. Toomelah is about a young Aboriginal boy who wants to be a gangster, and it stars all non-actors from the director's community. No trailer yet, but we'll bring it to you when it arrives!
Less exciting, however, is the inclusion of Justin Kurzel's Snowtown amongst the Director's Fortnight selections. Having seen it a couple of weeks back, I can't say I particularly enjoyed the experience. I'll surely have more to say closer to the release date, but I think it's one of the best made bad movies I've seen in quite a while. Wait, does that make sense? Yes. Yes it does.
Australian filmmakers have a strong history with short film success and this year Nash Edgerton will feature amongst Cannes' official short selections with Bear. The film, in which he stars, is Edgerton's followup to award-winning short Spider and his debut feature The Square. According to the press release Bear was co-written by Edgerton and David Michôd, who you will all know as the director of Animal Kingdom. Perhaps the rising profile of Blue Tongue Films, the production company behind Kingdom, The Square and more, gave it a leg up, but it's exciting nonetheless.
Stay tuned to the blog during the Cannes Film Festival to see how these films are being received by the press from France and around the world.
Just like I've done in 2009 and 2010 prior, I'm here to have a look at the Australian films that audiences will hopefully get the chance to set their eyes upon in 2011.
As always, local distribution can leave many films in limbo.
As always, local productions can tend to be a lot longer.
As always, local films will go direct-to-DVD, incredibly limited, festival only or just never get released. You'll hear of a lot of these titles next year, too.
As always, local productions that I never knew existed will suddenly appear. I mean, can you believe in last year's roundup I didn't even include Joffa: The Movie? Say it ain't so!
As always, take this list with a grain of salt. Not all of these films will be 2011 releases - whether that be because they're not finished or because the distribution just won't occur until then. There are many films on this list that were on here last year, too, and they'll appear next year as well I am sure since, as I've made it quite clear, Australian distribution can be a tricky thing to work your head around. For every Bran Nue Dae that seems to get funded, made and released all quite easily, there is a title like Ektopos that I hear about for years and was seemingly made and yet has vanished into thin air.
Some titles, such as Mark Lewis' Cane Toads: The Conquest, Bill Bennett's Uninhabited, Josh Reed's Primal, Daley Pearson and Luke Tierney's $quid: The Movie and James Rabbitts' The Clinic that I've all mentioned in previous years will, I doubt, ever get a theatrical release outside of the film festivals they have already appeared at before, at one point or another, appearing on DVD. It's a shame, but with such a large roster of local films (and it is large when you consider that it equals at least one every two weeks) it is inevitable. And then there's product like In Her Skin, which is sad and will probably never be seen due to legal wranglings. I'm not even going to mention Wolf Creek 2, The Sapphires, Lore or A Few Best Men, which have no hope of coming out this year.
Shall we take a look at what 2011 has in store for us?
A Heartbeat Away (dir. Gale Edwards) A young musician must become the leader of marching bad after his father dies four weeks out from a big competition. I can almost see the quotes on the movie poster: "Inspiring", "Joyful hymn to life!" (er, let's not compare to Slumdog Millionaire, okay?) and so forth. It stars Sebastian Gregory, Isabel Lucas, William Zappa, Kerry Walker, Colin Friels and Roy Billing, plus it's bound to have some nice musical sequences (well, we should hope so, anyway), so maybe I should put my cynicism aside. A Heartbeat Away on IMDb
Bait in 3D (dir. Russell Mulcahy & Kimble Rendall The first of two killer shark movies on this list, although this one could very possibly be moved to 2012. It has a cast of full of recognisable names and faces like Xavier Samuel (Twilight: Eclipse), Sharni Vinson (Step Up 3D), Lincoln Lewis (Tomorrow When the War Began), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Fiona Tonkin (Tomorrow When the War Began), Martin Sacks (Underbelly: The Golden Mile) and Dan Wyllie (Animal Kingdom) as well as a pack of pesky sharks in all their 3D glory after a tsunami traps a group of Gold Coast tourists in a shopping mall. It sounds like a hoot! The film's Facebook page has been great at keeping up with behind-the-scenes footage, images and TV appearances. I personally like this video I found that includes storyboards and test footage, which gives us a good look at what we can expect. Bait on IMDb Bait on Facebook
Big Mamma's Boy (dir. Franco di Chiera) I had completely forgotten about this title, but then when my eyes glanced upon it I remembered: "THIS IS THE HOLLY VALANCE MOVIE!!!" The poster - which I'm not even going to show you it's that awful - looks so blatantly direct-to-DVD and yet, bless 'em for trying, it boldly states "IN CINEMAS 2011". Good luck with that.
**Edit: Turns out this is a legitimate movie getting a legitimate release through a legitimate distributor and legitimate people have legitimately seen it. Okay then. Apparently set for release in June.** Big Mamma's Boy on IMDb Big Mamma's Boy on Facebook Big Mamma's Boy on Twitter
Blame (dir. Michael Henry) Was supposed to get a release last year, but was scrapped until - as its Facebook page says - early 2011. Stars Kestie Morassi, Sophie Lowe, Damian de Montemas, Simon Stone and Mark Leonard Winter. Got polite notices at Melbourne and Chicago film festivals last year. Blame on IMDb Blame on Facebook
Burning Man (dir. Jonathan Teplitzky) Just a hunch, but I have a feeling that Jonathan Teplitzky's first film since the ace Gettin' Square in 2003 could be a real king hit of a movie. It certainly helps with the cast that he has amassed; Matthew Goode, Rachel Griffiths, Bojana Novakovic, Essie Davis, Kerry Fox, Anthony Hayes, Kate Beahan and Gia Carides. The buzz has been building before the film's Sundance and Sydney Film Festival screenings for this "reckless, sexy, provocative and ultimately tear-jerking father and son tale." Australia/UK co-production. Burning Man on IMDb
Caught Inside (dir. Adam Blaiklock) I went searching for titles and I came across this one, which I'd forgot about since it won the IF "Independent Spirit" award. So, welcome to the list, Caught Inside. You star Ben Oxenbould, Harry Cook (who I liked in Accidents Happen last year), Peter Phelps and Leeanna Walsman. Caught Inside on IMDb Caught Inside on Facebook Caught Insideofficial website
The Cup (dir. Simon Wincer) "From the director of Free Willy" reads the poster. Whether "From the director Harlequin" was considered is unknown to me. Either way, Simon Wincer's The Cup is surely aiming to be one of the big box office hitters of 2011. With a cast that includes Stephen Curry as the famed jockey Damien Oliver, plus Daniel McPherson, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Burlinson (who hasn't acted in 15 years), Alice Parkinson, Kate Bell, Bill Hunter, Martin Sacks, Jodi Gordon, Rodger Corser and Shaun Micallef. That's quite an enviable ensemble, you've got to admit. I imagine this film will come our way around October when the Spring Racing Carnival amps up, peaking on the first Tuesday of November with the Melbourne Cup.
Sports movies are a genre that I've always felt Australian cinema has underestimated, so it's good to see one like this. Let's hope it's good and that audiences go. The Cup on IMDb
The Dark Lurking (dir. Gregory Connors) The be perfectly honest with you, this Doom meets Alien (ish) local sci-fi horror flick looks dreadful. It was filmed in Queensland, but looks like a basement anywhere. It has already received an American DVD release and, I suppose, will get one down here too at some point. The Dark Lurking on IMDb The Dark Lurking on Facebook The Dark Lurking on Twitter The Dark Lurkingofficial website
Dreamland (dir. Ivan Sen) I am already a massive fan of Ivan Sen's experimental soundscape art film and I so hope it receives a release of some kind. And a cinematic release at that since it is a film that needs to be experienced on a big screen. I read that it's screening in Melbourne in February as a part of a festival, but I can't remember what it was exactly. Gah! The film's producer mentioned at MIFF that Sen had another film all ready to go, but there's nothing out there about it so we'll leave that one for now. Dreamland on IMDb Dreamland on Facebook Dreamland on Twitter Dreamlandofficial website
Eliminated! (dir. Dee McLachlan) Local "terrorist comedy" from the director of buzzy 2007 arthouse hit The Jammed. There are stunts and explosions and action and who knows what else. I hope to see it pop up at some point this year since it filmed in 2009. Eliminated! on IMDb Eliminated! on Twitter
Exit (dir. Marek Polgar) I confess to not knowing much about Exit other than it exists and that it's written by awesome Melbourne filmy type @Martyn Pedler. Exit on Facebook Exitofficial website
The Eye of the Storm (dir. Fred Schepisi) A local film from Fred Schepisi, starring Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis and Charlotte Rampling. I signed up long ago and I reckon this could be a solid mid-range hit if older audiences catch on to it. It's being distributed by Transmission Films so I have no doubt they'll work their magic with it. The Eye of the Storm on IMDb
Griff the Invisible (dir. Leon Ford) Definitely one that we've been anticipating around these parts is this local sorta-noir, sorta-romcom, sorta-superhero movie starring Ryan Kwanten, Maeve Dermody and ASHKA!!!! ...I mean Heather Mitchell. If we have to have yet more superhero movies then why not have them a little bit more niche and unconventional, yeah? Griff will be screening at Berlinale and has already had some special screenings here in Australia so there's a few reactions out there. It's set for a March release, so not long to wait yet. Griff the Invisible on IMDb Griff the Invisible on Facebook Griff the Invisible on Twitter Griff the Invisibleofficial website
Hail (dir. Amiel Courtin-Wilson) A blending of documentary and drama from the director of Bastardy. There was an open call casting session for this a while back I remember hearing about. It will screen at this year's Bigpond Adelaide Film Festival. Hail on IMDb Hail on Facebook Hailofficial website
Happy Feet 2 in 3D (dir. George Miller) The sequel to George Miller's tapdancing penguin Oscar winner from 2006 will arrive in November 2011 to the delight of children and the chagrin of anyone who hates the thought of tapdancing penguins. I enjoyed the first one a lot, so I'm looking forward to it. It appears most of the cast is returning, although Brittany Murphy will sadly not. Sofia Vergara is on the cast list too, which means more Spanish penguins! ...okay then. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt are also on the list of voice talent so you can expect to hear a lot about Happy Feet 2. Happy Feet 2 in 3D on IMDb
Here I Am (dir. Beck Cole) One of the titles I am most intrigued is this film about an imprisoned Aboriginal woman trying to deal with life on the outside. It sounds tough, but so was Samson & Delilah, ya know? Speaking of that breakthrough film from 2009, Beck Cole was the director of Making Samson & Delilah, the behind the scenes documentary that screened at MIFF and on ABC Television. It's produced by the same producer (Kath Shelper) and cinematography is by Warwick Thornton. Could be a big breakthrough for both Cole and her star, Shai Pittman. Will premiere at BAFF. Here I Am on IMDb
The Hunter (dir. Daniel Nettheim) Tasmanian Tigers return in this film starring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor, Sullivan Stapleton, Jacek Koman, Dan Wyllie and young Morgana Davies from The Tree. One of the cutest moments from the recently AFI Awards was seeing Morgana cheering wildly from the audience when Dafoe walked out on stage to present an award. The Hunter on IMDb The Hunterofficial website
Jucy (dir. Louise Alston) I was a big fan of Alston's last film, All My Friends are Leaving Brisbane, and her next is another comedy. Screened at Toronto International Film Festival and should pop up at some point down here in 2011. Considering Brisbane was so good and could barely mustre any release of any kind outside of its home state makes me, shall we say, cautious that Jucy will receive anything other than a similar fate, which is a bit sad. The people who've seen it seem to really like it, so... Jucy on IMDb Jucy on Facebook Jucy on Twitter Jucyofficial website
The Killer Elite (dir. Gary McKendry) The Australian media have already claimed it as "our" movie, so why not throw it on here? Besides all the big Hollywood names (Robert DeNiro, Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Jason Statham's Abs) there is a whole swag of talented local actors like Ben Mendselsohn, Yvonne Strahovski, Michael Dorman, Firass Dirani, Lachy Hulme and Grant Bowler. The Killer Elite on IMDb
Life in Movement (dir. Sophie Hyde & Bryan Mason) Documentary about dancer/choreographer Tanja Liedtke. Life in Movement on IMDb Life in Movement on Facebook
Little Johnny: The Movie (dir. Ralph Moser) Oh my lord, what is this? "You've Heard The Jokes - Now Meet the Legend" - I am officially terrified. Will screen on - wait for it - April Fools Day at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival before... some other sort of release? Who knows. Wow. Little Johnny: The Movie on IMDb Little Johnny: The Movie on Facebook Little Johnny: The Movie on Twitter Little Johnny: The Movieofficial website
Mad Bastards (dir. Brendan Fletcher) Another film - alongside Here I Am - that looks at the indigenous cultures of Australia. This time it sounds a bit more upbeat with music and comedy thrown into the tale of a "an urban street warrior who meets his match in the form of a local police officer." Mad Bastards on IMDb Mad Bastards on Facebook Mad Bastardsofficial website
Mei Mei (dir. Pauline Chan) I hadn't heard of this film, but it stars Guy Pearce, Claudia Karvan, Rhys Muldoon and Lincoln Lewis so I better mention it. Mei Mei on IMDb
Moonlite (dir. Rohan Spong) I recall Rohan Spong's acclaimed documentary, T is for Teacher, as I read about Moonlite and can't quite see how he got from there to here (apart from the queer element), but isn't that the magic of cinema? This - and I quote - "graphic noval style depiction of the life and times of queer Australian bushranger Captain Moonlite" was filmed in green screen and stars various names like Tasma Walton, Ian Roberts and Barry Crocker. Even if it fails, it certainly sounds like it will be a fascinating failure. This isn't exactly the usual type of Australian film, yeah? Moonlite on IMDb Moonlite on Facebook Moonlite on Twitter Moonliteofficial website
Mrs Carey's Concert (dir. Bob Connolly & Sophie Raymond) Music documentary, screening at BAFF, that's noteworthy for Bob Connolly's name. He of Oscar-nominated First Contact as well as Rats in the Ranks and Facing the Music. Tells the story of Mrs Carey, a school music director who puts on a concert at the Sydney Opera House with all 1200 of her school's students. Mrs Carey's Concert on IMDb Mrs Carey's Concert on Facebook Mrs Carey's Concertofficial website
Needle (dir. John V Soto) To put it kindly, I was not a fan of Soto's last stab (oh haha!) at horror, Crush. His latest - this time going it alone - is Needle, which has been creating a bit of buzz on the horror sites. Not really enough to get me excited, but I'm intrigued by its cast that includes recent AFI winner for Animal Kingdom, Ben Mendelsohn, as well as Jessica Marais, Michael Dorman, Luke Carroll and John Jarratt. Needle on IMDb Needle on Facebook Needle on Twitter Needleofficial website
Oranges and Sunshine (dir. Jim Loach) A film by Ken Loach's son, this UK/Australia co-production stars Emily Watson, David Wenham, Hugo Weaving and Tara Morice. It sounds a bit like Romulus My Father, as it deals with immigrants, but that's probably where the similarities end. It was filmed in Adelaide and will be released in April. Hey, if it's marketed as British then maybe people will go and see it! Below is a video of Loach and Watson at the Rome Film Festival. Oranges and Sunshine on IMDb Oranges and Sunshine on Facebook
Red Dog (dir. Kriv Stenders) An adaptation of Louis de Bernieres' best-selling novel that I can see being quite successful is done well. Kriv Stenders is a director whose films I can be very hot or very cold on (Lucky Country, Illustrated Family Doctor for examples, respectively), and I hope he does good work here. Acting in it will be Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylor, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Luke Ford and Noah Taylor (where has he been lately?) People love movies about animals, don't they?
I dare you to watch the "screen test" of Koko, the dog hired to play "Red Dog". It's great! Trust me! You'll be "awww"-ing all the way through. Red Dog at IMDb Red Dogofficial website
The Reef (dir. Andrew Traucki) I feel like I have been talking about this movie for years. And that's because I have! It's finally set for a March release (conveniently at the end of summer? hmmm) and I can't wait. As much fun as I expect Bait to be, my experience with Andrew Traucki is that he makes bonza fright flicks. If you've never seen it I suggest you get your hands on a copy of Black Water immediately. The Reef is already out in some countries, including on DVD, so keep a look out. The Reef on IMDb The Reef on Facebook The Reef on Twitter
Sanctum (dir. Alister Grierson) A co-production between USA and Australia, "James Cameron's Sanctum" (as the poster calls it) is everything you'd expect a James Cameron movie to be, except not directed by James Cameron or made on a James Cameron budget. There's water (a lot of it, it's set in underwater caves), there's 3D and there's action. Some people weren't too impressed by the trailer, mostly because the dialogue and the acting looks quite direct-to-DVD, but I think it looks quite good if nothing else. I'm not sure how Alister Grierson got the job - his last movie was Kokoda - but it's hardly James Cameron's mission to hire dodgy directors to make his movies, is it? Stars Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, Dan Wyllie and Alice Parkinson. Sanctum on IMDb Sanctum on Facebook Sanctumofficial website
Say Nothing (dir. Keiren Darcy-Smith) Say Nothing is the feature directorial debut for Keiren Darcy-Smith (so good in films The Square and September amongst others) and stars Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer. It's the story about four friends who go on a holiday to South East Asia and only three return. It's a thriller and started filming in December. Almost certainly a 2011 release, but if I didn't include it how could I include this image? Say Nothing on IMDb Say Nothing on on Facebook Say Nothingon Twitter
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure (dir. Matthew Bate) A documentary about "two Gen X slackers" who record a neighbour's quarrel that ends up going viral on the internet. Could be fascinating. Screens at BAFF. Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure on IMDb Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure on Facebook Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventureofficial website
Snowtown (dir. Justin Kurzel) Feature film dramatisation of the events that surrounded the famous "bodies in the barrels" serial killings in South Australia between 1992 and 1999. Could be something really special, although the unknown director and unknown actors suggest it will be minor is other aspects. The teaser looked like a bizarre and disturbing, but we'll wait and see. Will be one of the big premiers at BAFF since it's the story's home state. Will be released in May. Snowtown on IMDb Snowtown on Facebook
The Tall Man (dir. Tony Krawitz) The director of JewBoy directs this documentary about the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee at Palm Island.
The Tunnel (dir. Carlos Ledesma) a groundbreaking production in that they raised their budget by asking regular, ordinary folks to purchase frames of film for $1 (or, a second of film for $50 and so forth), which is a very nifty idea. Furthermore, The Tunnel will skip theatrical release and DVD and will, instead, premiere on torrent services. It's been one of the most fascinating productions to follow and I look forward to the movie, especially since the trailer makes it look like it's got its wearing its Blair Witch Project / [rec] inspirations with pride.
Wasted on the Young One of the earliest Australian releases of the year will be the tough teen drama that screened to high praise and high scorn at festivals such as Toronto and Sydney. I'm definitely intrigued by it, that's for sure, and it will be interesting to see how Paramount markets it. Wasted on the Young on IMDb Wasted on the Young on Facebook Wasted on the Youngofficial website
Wrath (dir. Jonathan Neil Dixon) Another one I was completely unaware of, but it seems to have been made. Appears to be a thriller set in the outback. 'cause, ya know, there aren't enough of those. They say "mid 2011". I see Prey fortunes for this one, unfortunately. Wrath on IMDb Wrath on Facebook Wrathofficial website
X (dir. Jon Hewitt) The director of Acolytes and Bloodlust is always bound to get people talking, and with his latest film being touted as a chase thriller about call girls you can bet X will be no different. I love the poster, although the NSFW teaser trailer left a bad taste in my mouth (oh, gross - can we forget I typed that?) Due to its subject matter it will be another title that will definitely be worth following. X on IMDb
If you have any other titles that you know about - if you're involved in any yourself and can confirm release dates/timelines, too - then feel free to speak up in the comments section.
The AFI Awards showed a small teaser on Saturday night for the new local film Snowtown. The movie will be premiering at the Bigpond Adelaide Film Festival and released next year. Here's the footage, looks like it could be an incredible disturbing film in more ways than just it being about a group of serial killers who chop up bodies and hide them in barrels inside in a vacated bank vault. There are several bits that look like they were lifted right up out of Animal Kingdom, which at first I wasn't surprised about because I thought it was produced by the Blue Tongue Films crew, but it turns out that's not the case.
Revelling in its lower class miserabilism like a pig in shit, Justin Kurzel’s debut feature Snowtown - a dramatisation of the events surrounding the famed “bodies in the barrels” murders - is a dark, dank, depressing experience that does nothing but shove an endless parade of grotesquery in the audience’s face. Paedophilia, animal cruelty, incest, rape, incest rape, drug abuse, torture, homophobia, gruesome murder and, to top it all off, screaming bogans screaming at each other about screaming and stuff. Wanna feel dirty? See Snowtown!
