walking_cliche Reviews

The New Boots (2004)

Lovely short

[8/10 · 13 November 2005]

I saw this early this year at Flickerfest and quickly became a huge fan. I haven't seen an Australian short with so much heart since 'Lamb.' 'The New Boots' is a loving look at the relationship between Miko and De Lisle, two young outcasts (Japanese and Aboriginal respectively) who somehow find a way to love each other despite their conflicting interests of photography and rugby league, with the language barrier seemingly causing no troubles. A truly genuine look at what it means to care for someone that only the Australian backdrop could provide, the loving gesture of De Lisle to forfeit his dream for a great photo was truly heart warming. 'The New Boots' gave an honest, real portrait of rural Australia with two lost souls coming together within that painting for one of the most beautiful Australian shorts I have seen.

Highly recommended with 8 stars.

The Inside Story (2001)

Great Script, Poor Acting (7/10)

[7/10 · 29 December 2004]

I watched the Inside Story on Showtime...the Foxtel movie channel in Australia...and from the opening 10 minutes or so, I wasn't expecting anything too great. Awkward acting, cheesy sound effects (creaking doors anyone?) and a bit splotch of the lame almost saw me flick channels. But I kept watching, and I'm glad I did. The Inside Story was superbly written, every progression in the plot was stunning, with a roller-coaster of twists throughout keeping me interested and at times amazed through it's entirety.

While some scenes don't seem to fit, and the acting is often terrible, by the end you'll be wanting to see it again. If this film was produced on a bigger budget, with better actors it could have been a massive hit, but unfortunately, it went straight to cable TV. Congratulations to Robert Sutherland for a superbly crafted piece of work.

See this for: the storyline, Michael - the full-of-himself musician specialising in schoolboy toilet humour, Bud Tingwell, the twists.

Dirty Deeds (2002)

Another Excellent Aussie Film

[8/10 · 28 December 2004]

'Dirty Deeds' is a great Aussie film on par with top Aussie films such as 'Gettin Square' and 'Swimming Upstream' that hasn't received the respect that it deserves. This film is thoroughly entertaining, perfectly representing Australian culture and giving insight into 1960's Australia. Veteran Aussie actor Bryan Brown puts in a strong performance as hard arsed Barry Ryan with great performances by Toni Collette and John Goodman.

Why the Australian people are so critical of films made in their own country continually shocks me. Yes, at times 'Dirty Deeds' was a tad predictable and the characters in the film were mere extensions of the actors themselves, but to the man on the street, this is a clever film with a strong sense of Aussie humour highlighted by it's setting in 1960's Australia.

'Dirt Deeds' deserves an 8 out of 10. Two marks deducted for it's predictability and it's slightly disappointing ending thrown in as a 'feel good' denouement.

See this for: the superb camera work, the bush jail, Toni Collette and Bryan Brown, the romantic tension between the four mains.

Gettin' Square (2003)

It's Hip To Be Getting' Square

[8/10 · 28 December 2004]

'Gettin' Square' is one of my favourite movies of the last few years. It's copped a fair bit of flak from critics, but in my opinion it's one of the best Australian films going around today.

The Australian film industry unfortunately doesn't have the support of local audiences that it deserves, on top of this, Australian humour doesn't seem to be very funny at all to overseas audiences and 'Gettin' Square' will undoubtedly suffer the same fate as superb Aussie films like 'Swimming Upstream'.

In an era of Americanisation in the Aussie film industry (see 'Blurred' and the soon to come 'Deck Dogz') 'Gettin Square' has strong Aussie flavour with biting humour and a smart storyline. David Wenham's performance as 'Spit' was hilarious, as was Timothy Spall's performance as Darren Barrington. While Spall and Wenham provide the humour, Sam Worthington, David Field and Gary Sweet provide the stinging taste of Australia's underworld, rehabilitation system and police corruption.

As a whole, 'Gettin' Square' is an excellent film, superbly directed by Johnathon Teplitzky that mixes comedy, drama and crime/thriller flawlessly.

See this for: David Wenham's Johnny Spit, the Weight Watcher's jokes, the soundtrack, the clever plot, the twist at the end.