Camera Obscura Blog: All
19 June 2010
I suspect that my slight hangover is also playing its part in my current state of muddled distraction. Was worth it all the same. Watched the marvelous England game at a friend’s flat (I’m definitely going to be following that bird, I think it’s got a bright future ahead of it no matter what goal post it chooses to perch on next season) and had a few scoops. The chat veered into the world of film after my “friend” made me listen to Tommy Live by the Who. Ok, let’s get one thing straight, I really, really, really do not like musicals. I loathe them, lots of people waving fingers in each others faces and shout-singing “NO NO NO!” over and over again, awful! The most palatable I can think of is Mel Stuart’s 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. What’s not to love? A brilliantly crazed and mischievous Gene Wilder, annoying children being dispatched off in the most inventive ways, creepy painted midgets and an acid trip scene set on a chocolate river! I do often think that kids films (and movies in general) in the late 60s and 70s were a little bolder than they are now. If anyone thinks I should open my mind on the musical front then post your suggestions below.
After hearing the ‘See Me Feel Me’ motif for the 5th time I pleaded with my beer accomplice to ditch Tommy, he obliged and treated me to some Pentangle. We recommended a couple of Australian films that we’d both seen recently to each other. Mine was Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 (OH what a year!) Wake In Fright which I notice is filed under “Foreign/Negative portrayal of Australia” in Wikipedia’s ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ film reference section. Not without good reason. This film is a cracker! I saw it at the Glasgow Film Festival, noticing a Nick Cave comment on the programme about it being “the scariest film ever made in Australia” or something like that. It is pure sun bleached grainy small town horror, absolutely depraved and reeking of alcohol. It’s got possibly the best homo-erotic, drunken kangaroo culling, bar fighting, foul mouthed insult slinging scene I have ever witnessed. A true lost classic. Also, Donald Pleasence tears it up, he is fantastic! You simply need to see this film although it seems to only exist on the film festival circuit right now, but hopefully that will change. For you literal-minded Americans this film is titled “Outback”, imaginative. In addition to the musical plea above, I’m also taking recommendations for Australian films. Can you tell I’ve got some time on my hands?
Final Score – MacTavish Final – Kingussie 5 (Ryan Borthwick 2, R Ross 3) Kilmallie 4 (L MacDonald 2, J Stewart, M Rodgers)
Paulina Peaches
said:
20 June 10
Hey Lee,
Though I have not seen the film you mention, (i’m about to rectify that!), I think it is worth checking out Puberty Blues.
As an Australian, I loved this film growing up and adopted the catch phrase “you slack-arse mole” as a favorite derogatory term. Plus who could pass over expressions such as “rootable” when describing a potential lover!
My advice is to get yourself a good Australian slang dictionary (or better yet, have a good Aussie friend on standby), to fully appreciate some of the language used in this movie.
Hope you like it!
Mike Morone
said:
28 June 10
Lee,
I, too, detest musicals. But I recently got dragged to see “Jersey Boys” which is about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The group encounters some nasty potholes on the road to fame. And the rivalry among some of the members makes for an interesting storyline. Most important, the sound track is made up of genuine pop music, not the crap normally associated with musicals. If I never hear Barbra Streisand or Liza Minelli sing again, I will consider my life blessed.
Chris
said:
1 July 10
Please make sure you come to DC next time you tour the east coast of the USA!!! Richmond is not close enough for all of the DC Fans!
Michael Seto
said:
10 July 10
“The Castle” is the quintessential Australian Film.
Søren Kragh Lindbo
said:
31 July 10
Haha TJ Hooker….ahh the fond memories, we used to meet up at a friends place and watch TJ. Really fun and engaging series, William Shatner had some great lines in that series. here is one for example
“The feds couldn’t hit water if the fell out of a boat!”
“Romano!”
Bruce
said:
31 July 10
G’day cobber (that’s you, Lee),
It seems you’ve found “Not Quite Hollywood”, which is a great resource for alot of the
independent/underground films made in the 70’s and 80’s, but there’s one they missed…
“Pure Shit” (sometimes known as “Pure S”) – Lovable Cockney and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver once said that Melbourne was the only city in the world where he had seen kids jacking up heroin in the streets. Personally I’ve found that to be true of Amsterdam (I only go there for the clogs), but that’s not to deny the long association between Melbourne and heroin (or its relatives). Shortly after the city was founded, the goldrush of the 1850’s brought waves of Chinese migrants, who brought opium with them. Opium dens spread across the city and lasted into the 1900’s, and for those whose standing meant opium dens were taboo, there was the comfort and medicinal virtue of over-the-counter laudanum ie. opium latex dissolved in strong alcohol. And so it was that, in 1975, a bunch of (ex)junkies got together (a feat in itself I’d imagine) to make a movie, “Pure Shit”, about the heroin subculture in Melbourne and the pinball-ride that is the desperate quest for the next fix. Many of the main actors may have been users, but such was their relentless pursuit of authenticity and dedication for their newly found art, they insisted on jacking up for real in some of the shooting scenes. It’s grainy, gritty, raw and very funny. Later films such as “Trainspotting” and “Drugstore Cowboy” owe more than a casual nod-and-a-wink to this movie. Highly recommended.
Others that might be of interest –
“The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith” – this is a period drama set in the 1800’s and it’s supposed to be based on fact. It’s about an aboriginal lad who does all the right things to fit into white, Victorian-era society, but he gets screwed by The Man, and that’s when the trouble starts. The bush setting is as tranquil and lush as the outback is barren and harsh, and the violence and drama being played out around it only seems to be intensified by it. There’s some really nice
cinematography here too.
“BMX Bandits” – this one’s got flies on it, which is a polite Australian ..(there’s an
oxymoron).. way of saying it’s shit, but that’s probably part of the joke. If nothing else, it does leave me with a warm sense of wonder at how a teenage bogan with a head like a used Brillo pad can grow up to become one of the most beautifully elegant women in the world (keep up cobber, I’m talking about Nicole Kidman here). And as a pop culture reference from one of the finest and most influential bands to ever come out of Scotland, this deserves at least one viewing. To quote Jimmy Page, “You can’t escape your roots”. Do it for Francis.
“Proof” – this stars one of my favourite Australian actors , Hugo Weaving, and it’s one of the few films to feature Russell Crowe that doesn’t come with it’s own sick bag. It’s about a blind man who builds a reality based on the descriptions given to him of his surroundings by those around him. It may or may not raise questions about the validity of the consensual reality most sighted people accept, or the extent to which reality is merely a product of sensory input. One for the interlectuals, perhaps.
“Les Patterson Saves The World” – Australia’s cultural attache, Dr Sir Leslie Colin Patterson, would have to be the ultimate comic grotesque. Barry Humphries is a razor sharp satirist who does a few characters, Dame Edna included, but I don’t think any of them are as viciously complete as Sir Les. This movie was made for general release so it’s quite toned down compared to some of his other stuff. Humphries reckons most of the good stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, but this is the only Sir Les movie available. If you like “The League Of Gentlemen” I think you’ll love Sir Les.
“Bad Boy Bubby” – I wasn’t sure whether I should mention this, and I do so only on the premise that most people slow down and have a good look when they pass a car crash, not necessarily because they want to see a severed head by the side of the road, but in the full knowledge that they very well might. For a clean-cut, clean-living pop kid such as yourself, this could just be a bit too much. I have never seen anything like it. In short, this movie makes “Wake In Fright” look like a romantic comedy. I dare say no more of it.
P.S. Next time Kenny or Gav complains about your drumming (har har), go up to him, pretend to brush something off his back and say “Och, ya gort flays orn ya!”
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