# Recommended Australian Films?



## imposs1904 (Apr 14, 2010)

Just watched the Phillip Noyce's 1982 film Heatwave last night and I thought it was excellent.

I was hoping that the film buffs on Urban 75 could recommend some other Australian films from that era. (Late seventies to mid eighties.)

(Thanks in advance for the Crocodile Dundee recommendation but I've already seen it, thanks. )


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## Stoat Boy (Apr 14, 2010)

"Patrick".

Nice little pschyological horror film film with perhaps one of the most 'shit your pants' endings I have ever seen. And also staring the ever fragrent Susan Penhaligon.


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## Orang Utan (Apr 14, 2010)

the last wave
the cars that ate paris
razorback
rabbit proof fence
sweetie
lawn dogs
bad boy bubby
two hands
wolf creek

check out not quite hollywood, a doc on ozsploitation films from that era. it's on F4 on Friday, but will be repeated ad nauseum


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## Melinda (Apr 14, 2010)

Not in your stated time frame, but I laughed fit to burst at _'Kenny.'_

His "_There's a smell in here that's gonna outlast religion'_ line has been trotted out on more than one occasion since.


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## butchersapron (Apr 14, 2010)

Last wave
Wake in fright


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

From the novel by Peter Carey (who wrote the screenplay)... Bliss (1985)


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## phildwyer (Apr 14, 2010)

_Ghosts of the Civil Dead_ starring Nick Cave.  One of the greatest prison movies.


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

Where the Green Ants Dream by Werner Herzog (1984)


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## Orang Utan (Apr 14, 2010)

and how could i forget the long weekend? bickering couple go on holiday and are set upon by mother nature


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## Orang Utan (Apr 14, 2010)

phildwyer said:


> _Ghosts of the Civil Dead_ starring Nick Cave.  One of the greatest prison movies.


it's great!


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## N_igma (Apr 14, 2010)

Chopper.


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

Dogs In Space (1986)


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## Fedayn (Apr 14, 2010)

Picnic at Hanging Rock
Gallipoli
The Hard Word
Romper Stomper
Chopper
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
The Castle
Breaker Morant
The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

The Last Wave (1977)


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

Razorback (1984)


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## marty21 (Apr 14, 2010)

The Castle  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118826/

If you live in London, the Barbican has an excellent Australian Film Festival every March.


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## DJ Squelch (Apr 14, 2010)

already mentioned but Wake In Fright & Picnic At Hanging Rock are both excellent


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## ernestolynch (Apr 14, 2010)

Malcolm


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## DaRealSpoon (Apr 14, 2010)

The Proposition 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421238/plotsummary

e2a - Oops, sorry. Didn't fully read OP, wrong era but still a good film..


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## miss minnie (Apr 14, 2010)

The Devil's Playground (1976)  .... which featured Thomas Kenneally (Schindler's Ark, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith) in a role as a priest. 


Newsfront (1978)


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## vogonity (Apr 14, 2010)

Jindabyne. Magnificent film.

Oh, for heaven's sake - I've only just properly read the OP. All right: try Sleeping Dogs (1977). From New Zealand, I'm afraid, but an interesting political story.


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## Melinda (Apr 14, 2010)

marty21 said:


> The Castle  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118826/
> 
> If you live in London, the Barbican has an excellent Australian Film Festival every March.


I think it was you who alerted me to this years festival marty


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## marty21 (Apr 14, 2010)

Melinda said:


> I think it was you who alerted me to this years festival marty



did you go this year, I've seen some great films over the years there, this year's choices weren't great


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## blairsh (Apr 14, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> Malcolm



I remember that film! Made me want remote control everything when i was younger  and it had a mad little title tune


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## Riklet (Apr 15, 2010)

The Dish
Kenny

New film out i read the review of in the Big Issue about two Aboriginal kids heading to the "dangerous wilderness" of the city from the sticks, looked good.  Can't remember the name, sorry


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## DaveCinzano (Apr 15, 2010)

_Blue Murder_ - bent NSW cops and robbers.


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## ernestolynch (Apr 15, 2010)

Seeing as most people have totally ignored the OP's 1975-85 remit, I'll say my favourite Australian film of all time is Two Hands.


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## DaveCinzano (Apr 15, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> Seeing as most people have totally ignored the OP's 1975-85 remit...



Including you!


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## ernestolynch (Apr 15, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Including you!



I was only 1 year out!


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## MrSki (Apr 15, 2010)

The Club. 

Seventies film set at an Aussie rules football club.


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## miss minnie (Apr 15, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> _Blue Murder_ - bent NSW cops and robbers.


Aaaaaaaaah, 1995... based on a true story,   Blue Murder.

I vaguely recall seeing a movie late one night here in the UK, on the same theme of NSW police corruption in the '70s, it might have been the same one but I *thought* it was earlier and focused on the relationship between the police and the mafia.

Movies just can't do that entire episode of Australian history justice... the police helping the Mafia grow marijuana, the Mafia double crossing them, the cops shooting their dealer in the back in a Sydney alley way, the soft drugs drying up and the heroin taking over with the help of the Mr Asia drugs cartel funded by the CIA amongst other US military types and Aussie business tycoons.

On the sidelines of all this were the cop paedos, the disappearance of Juanita Neilson, the 'eugenics' doctors (giving out free scripts to kids in a bid to rid the world of *scum*, 4 of them struck off) and a blind eye turned to all sorts of stuff by possibly the most corrupt police in the world.

On top of all that came the collapse of the Nugan Hand Bank which revealed the depth of some of the crime, the money laundering and the CIA/Mafia involvement, the funding of arms for Laos and Iran.

The whole lot came out in the Royal Commission and other investigations in the early '80s.  Which is when I left Sydney with a 1-way ticket to get away from the horror that had become the city where a lot of my friends had started using the cheap and incredibly pure heroin that was abundant.

It was difficult to not brush up against the corruption.  I had signed a lease on a house with a bunch of punk friends.  One night I was sitting doing my hair getting ready to go out see some bands when I heard a lot of heavy footsteps on the stairs and turned to find a gun pointed at me.  I was taken down to the station where a senior detective had a nice chat about moving out of the house asap as it belonged to Mafia supremo Abe Saffron's *right-hand man* and he wanted us out.  If we didn't oblige the police then sadly it was out of their hands.  We were all out by 9am the next morning, no questions asked.  I was told the name of this particular goon and never forgot it, never came across it in the news or on the internet until two weeks ago when I saw him on Facebook... on a friend of a friend's friends list.


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## miss minnie (Apr 15, 2010)

Wow, apologies for the derail, I'd just woken up and the first thing to hit me was this thread and memories just ran away with me.   Sorry for all the wikipedia links too,  tons more good sources out there its just too early.


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## ska invita (Apr 15, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> bad boy bubby








was going to say this - a great slice of crazy cult oz.





The director does really varied work - including a film called Dingo co-
starring Miles Davis of all people (great soundtrack but not exactly great film) - 




and also a reallly great unique film called Ten Canoes, a story of aboriginal life before the british showed up <really worth seeing.





One other that springs to mind is a thing called The Castle - comedy about ozzy family i guess


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## DaveCinzano (Apr 15, 2010)

Interesting stuff, miss minnie!

You might be interested in the third season of _Underbelly_ that's just started, _The Golden Mile_, set in Kings Cross 1988-99, with lots of bent NSW cops...



miss minnie said:


> Aaaaaaaaah, 1995... based on a true story,   Blue Murder.
> 
> I vaguely recall seeing a movie late one night here in the UK, on the same theme of NSW police corruption in the '70s, it might have been the same one but I *thought* it was earlier and focused on the relationship between the police and the mafia.



Could it have been _The Clean Machine_ with Steve Bisley? Directed by Steve Cameron, who also did _Bangkok Hilton_, _Joh's Jury_ and _Police Crop: The Winchester Conspiracy_, amongst other things. I saw it once late on UK telly, remember it being rather good. There's a review in _The Age_ from its original airing that might jog your memory.


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## Nanker Phelge (Apr 15, 2010)

Ten Canoes is a great film -good call Sk-Invita...

I'm a big fan of this......(it's a kiwi film....but close enough to count!)


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## fredfelt (Apr 15, 2010)

I've enjoyed most of the Australian and NZ films I've seen so thanks everyone for these other recommendations, I'll be updating my Love Film list later today!

I'll give a +1 to recommendations of Bad Boy Bubby and Two Hands.  

I also really enjoyed Picnic at hanging rock, but mostly because I had a bit of a fling with someone who took me to the hanging rock, near to Melbourne, for a picnic before taking me to see the film.


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## kabbes (Apr 15, 2010)

Wot no Mad Max?


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## miss minnie (Apr 15, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Interesting stuff, miss minnie!
> 
> You might be interested in the third season of _Underbelly_ that's just started, _The Golden Mile_, set in Kings Cross 1988-99, with lots of bent NSW cops...
> 
> ...


Hmm, not sure, don't recall the one I saw as being *all that good*, just interesting subject matter.  Would like to see it and Blue Murder though, out of interest.  

Thanks for the heads up on Underbelly.... can't believe I've never heard of it!


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## krtek a houby (Apr 15, 2010)

Walkabout

Wolf Creek


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## skyscraper101 (Apr 15, 2010)




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## Sir Belchalot (Apr 15, 2010)

Another thumbs up for Long Weekend, an eco-horror classic (avoid the remake though).
Check out the Not Quite Hollywood doc on Film 4 tomorrow for more ideas.


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## fredfelt (Apr 16, 2010)

I'm surprised how many of these films are not available on Love Film - 'The Long Weekend' (1978) for example


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## Sweet FA (Apr 16, 2010)

_Stone_ (1974), possibly my favourite biker film.


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## miss minnie (Apr 16, 2010)

Oh My Lord!  Forgot all about that one.   Not one of my fave movies actually but I did a roaring trade in 'Stone' temporary tattoos on school mates that year.


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## DaveCinzano (Apr 16, 2010)

Did anyone ever watch the _Boney_ TV series? With James Laurenson (later the dodgy energy minister George Fergus in _State Of Play_) as a half-Aboriginal police detective? Worth trying to track down? What about the later adaptations?


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## Sweet FA (Apr 16, 2010)




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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Apr 16, 2010)

The hard word. 
Does 'Walkabout' count?
The first 'Mad Max'
Chopper
Malcolm
Romper Stomper
Japanese Story
Wolf Creek
The Dish

In other news . . .

BMX bandits.
Babe.
Young Einstein

Nobody say Dogs in Space FFS


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Apr 16, 2010)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Ten Canoes is a great film -good call Sk-Invita...
> 
> I'm a big fan of this......(it's a kiwi film....but close enough to count!)



Great film. If kiwis count then you can have whale rider and Eagle Vs Shark.


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## DaveCinzano (Apr 16, 2010)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> BMX bandits



Its director, Brian Trenchard-Smith, is one of the few (with extensive professional credits) whom I have noticed engaging with posters on the IMDb boards.


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## miss minnie (Apr 16, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Did anyone ever watch the _Boney_ TV series? With James Laurenson (later the dodgy energy minister George Fergus in _State Of Play_) as a half-Aboriginal police detective? Worth trying to track down? What about the later adaptations?


Yes!  I used to love that series, I was pretty young though so no idea what I would think about it these days, if it has dated etc..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159157/

http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/Boney.htm

No clue about the later adaptations.


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## miss minnie (Apr 16, 2010)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> The hard word.
> Nobody say Dogs in Space FFS



Too late


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Apr 16, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Its director, Brian Trenchard-Smith, is one of the few (with extensive professional credits) whom I have noticed engaging with posters on the IMDb boards.



Christ, even I don't do that.


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## DaveCinzano (Feb 15, 2013)

Sir Belchalot said:


> Check out the Not Quite Hollywood doc on Film 4 tomorrow for more ideas.


 
It's an excellent overview of (certain sections of) the Aussie film industry of a particular time, lots of fascinating insights, and plenty of tips of titles to chase.

http://magnetreleasing.com/notquitehollywood/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0996966/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Quite_Hollywood:_The_Wild,_Untold_Story_of_Ozploitation!


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## DaveCinzano (Feb 15, 2013)

miss minnie said:


> Aaaaaaaaah, 1995... based on a true story, Blue Murder.
> 
> I vaguely recall seeing a movie late one night here in the UK, on the same theme of NSW police corruption in the '70s...Movies just can't do that entire episode of Australian history justice...
> 
> ...


 
In this vein, how about the 1983 three-parter _Scales Of Justice_? Looks at corruption first through the eyes of a young probationary constable, then a drugs squad detective, and finally a state Attorney-General. Everyone is to a bigger or lesser degree compromised. Everything is fucked. No one isn't bent.

Compares very well to GF Newman's UK mini-series,_ Law And Order_, which similarly explores the interconnected worlds of a professional blagger, a 'noble cause' detective, and a bent brief.


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## Dandred (Feb 15, 2013)

*The Hard Word is great. *


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## de_dog (Feb 15, 2013)

I would count Walkabout and I've always liked_ Muriels Wedding_



(will accept flames as you might see fit)


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## zoooo (Feb 15, 2013)

Orang Utan said:


> lawn dogs


How is that Australian?

I see the director was born in England and later moved to Oz. Is there more to it than that? Otherwise, I'm not sure that makes an American film particularly Australian.


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## Idris2002 (Feb 16, 2013)

No Australian film ever was anywhere near as good as the New Zealand smash hit _Goodbye Pork Pie._


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## Spanky Longhorn (Feb 16, 2013)

Samoan Ninja if we're doing Kiwi films as well


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## DaveCinzano (Feb 16, 2013)

Spanky Longhorn said:


> Samoan Ninja if we're doing Kiwi films as well


We're not  but seeing as rules mean nothing to you people, _Utu_.


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## peterkro (Feb 16, 2013)

In my Fathers Den,if we're recommending Kiwi films.


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## Disjecta Membra (Feb 16, 2013)

not the right era,but last train to freo i thought was good. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848592/?ref_=fn_al_tt_10


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## peterkro (Feb 16, 2013)

Fuck the rules:
Good Kiwi films:
Footrot flats: The Dogs Tale.
In My Fathers Den.
Once were Warriors.
Whale Rider.
Heavenly Creatures.
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.
There are quite a few others but those give the heart of the Kiwi experience.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 16, 2013)

The Quiet Earth is the best NZ film I have seen, unless The Race For The Yankee Zephyr doesn't count


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## krtek a houby (Feb 16, 2013)

Goodbye Pork Pie


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## Spanky Longhorn (Feb 16, 2013)

What's that film where something happens with the sun and everyone vanishes except people on the point of death?

That was a good one


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## Orang Utan (Feb 16, 2013)

That's The Quiet Earth!


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## Gingerman (Feb 16, 2013)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073765/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080546/
Two goodies from the '70s,Sunday Too Far Away and The Club.The first two Mad Max films are excellent as well.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 16, 2013)

I've never seen the Mad Max films. Just bits of them. Saw the last bit of the third one on telly recently and liked the look of it. Must have a Mad Max sesh soon.


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## Gingerman (Feb 16, 2013)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079652/ 
The Odd Angry Shot is watchable as well.


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## Dan U (Feb 16, 2013)

Couple of others for you

Animal Kingdom
Lantana
Snowtown (this is a fucking bleak film)

The Aussie film industry is really good imo, they make some really interesting films.


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## Dan U (Feb 16, 2013)

ska invita said:


> One other that springs to mind is a thing called The Castle - comedy about ozzy family i guess


 
The Castle is my father in law and his partners favourite film.

they quote lines to each other all the time and she is not always  the best cook in the world and many meals are accompanied by 'its what you do with it darl'

when i first saw the film i was properly wtf


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## Spanky Longhorn (Feb 16, 2013)

Orang Utan said:


> That's The Quiet Earth!


 
ah cheers


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## Reno (Feb 16, 2013)

*Jindabyne* is an excellent adaptation of a Raymond Carver story, which also popped up in Robert Altman's Short Cuts.

*The Square* is worth checking out. It's a sunny neo-noir, a little reminiscent though not derivative of the Coen's Blood Simple.

*Rogue*, about a giant crocodile terrorising a group of tourists in the Northern Territory, is the most fun monster movie of the last ten years. Basically a Jaws rip off, it's far better made than it has any right to be.


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## de_dog (Feb 16, 2013)

I watched *Rogue *last night - agree, it holds it's head up quite well.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 16, 2013)

Jindabyne was excellent. The director, Ray Lawrence, also made Lantana, which is pretty good too.


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## weltweit (Feb 16, 2013)

Yes, as already mentioned:

Wolf Creek. (Grisly but worth watching)


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## Frances Lengel (Feb 16, 2013)

Dan U said:


> Couple of others for you
> 
> Animal Kingdom
> Lantana
> ...


 
Those three are all great.


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## weltweit (Feb 16, 2013)

What was that Aussie film? I forget the name, two kids, dad kills himself in the car and they are left to wander the outback until they meet with an aboriginal boy who helps them survive. Quite surreal moments in the film. In the end, rejected by the girl the aboriginal boy hangs himself.


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## Gingerman (Feb 16, 2013)

weltweit said:


> What was that Aussie film? I forget the name, two kids, dad kills himself in the car and they are left to wander the outback until they meet with an aboriginal boy who helps them survive. Quite surreal moments in the film. In the end, rejected by the girl the aboriginal boy hangs himself.


 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067959/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


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## weltweit (Feb 16, 2013)

Gingerman said:


> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067959/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


 
Oh, Ta. I was just looking at a summary of that Walkabout and it said after a plane crash which was not right. Anyhow that seems to be the one. Thanks.


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## PandaCola (Feb 16, 2013)

MrSki said:


> The Club.
> 
> Seventies film set at an Aussie rules football club.


 
The Club is great.
 "He's been up his mum and his legless sister and he thinks he's killed his old man!"


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## albionism (Feb 17, 2013)

Ghosts of the Civil Dead
http://www.nickcave.com/films/ghosts-of-the-civil-dead/


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## sunnysidedown (Feb 17, 2013)

Castor & Pollux (1973)
Pure Shit (1975)
Breaker Morant (1980)
Rats In The Ranks (1996)
The Boys (1998)
Hail (2011)


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## oryx (Feb 17, 2013)

Celia. Wonder if anyone else saw this. Still remember the Hobyahs!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094849/


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## Orang Utan (Feb 17, 2013)

Japanese Story is rather good


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## Nanker Phelge (Feb 17, 2013)

The year my voice broke


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## moody (Feb 17, 2013)

Gingerman said:


> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067959/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


 
that ıs a great fılm.

what is the one where a couple are camping and all the creatures in the woods turn against them, in the end I think one of the couple make it out alive to a road only to be run down by a truck.

quite a dark film.


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## Frances Lengel (Feb 17, 2013)

moody said:


> that ıs a great fılm.
> 
> what is the one where a couple are camping and all the creatures in the woods turn against them, in the end I think one of the couple make it out alive to a road only to be run down by a truck.
> 
> quite a dark film.


 
Long Weekend. Which I downloaded last night on the strength of it already having been mentioned on this thread. Now you've saved me the bother of having to watch it, cheers for that


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## Belushi (Feb 17, 2013)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Ten Canoes is a great film -good call Sk-Invita...
> 
> I'm a big fan of this......(it's a kiwi film....but close enough to count!)


 
Cheers. I remember watching that on TV back in the late Eighties but never could remember its title.


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## Idris2002 (Feb 17, 2013)

I watched the first forty minutes of an NZ flick called Smash Palace last minute: I had to turn it off at that point because of the marital rape scene.


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## DotCommunist (Feb 17, 2013)

Muriels Wedding ftw


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## DotCommunist (Feb 17, 2013)

also: Mad Max


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## zenie (Feb 17, 2013)

Sleeping Beauty - it's odd, but I really liked it 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588398/

Animal Kingdom is fucking bleak!!!


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## Dan U (Feb 17, 2013)

If you think that's bleak, watch snowtown zenie

Good film. But tough. True story too


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## moody (Feb 17, 2013)

lol. sorry Frances Lengel


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## Gingerman (Feb 17, 2013)




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## weltweit (Feb 17, 2013)

DotCommunist said:


> Muriels Wedding ftw


 
Yes, that was fun.... what was the other Abba worshipping film that came out of Oz ...?

Yea: Priscilla Queen of the Desert!!


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## redsquirrel (Feb 18, 2013)

DaveCinzano said:


> It's an excellent overview of (certain sections of) the Aussie film industry of a particular time, lots of fascinating insights, and plenty of tips of titles to chase.
> 
> http://magnetreleasing.com/notquitehollywood/
> 
> ...


A massively overrated movie IMO, nothing more than a glorified clip show. No real attempt to look at why/how the industry developed.


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## Reno (Feb 18, 2013)

redsquirrel said:


> A massively overrated movie IMO, nothing more than a glorified clip show. No real attempt to look at why/how the industry developed.


 
I thought it was good fun. Plenty of interesting interviews with film makers, there was an explanation how this developed (generous film funding and a relaxation of censorship) and it did progress chronologically, so there was a good through line of Oz exploitation cinema. There is only so much you can cover in a feature length documentary.


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## DaveCinzano (Feb 18, 2013)

redsquirrel said:


> A massively overrated movie IMO, nothing more than a glorified clip show.


 
It rattles through about sixty films in a hundred minutes, what do you expect? 

Obviously for an expert like yourself it doesn't go into enough depth, but for a novice like me it was entertaining, illuminating and inspired me to go out and watch some of these movies


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## jelavicroad (Feb 18, 2013)

havent read the whole thread but romper stomper with a young mr crowe in and chopper


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## jelavicroad (Feb 18, 2013)

was going to say once were warriors but realized its a nz movie


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## Dr Nookie (Feb 18, 2013)

Has anyone mentioned Strictly Ballroom? Don't be fooled by appearances. It looks like it's going to be a pile of shit but it's very funny!


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## sim667 (Feb 19, 2013)

Dr Nookie said:


> Has anyone mentioned Strictly Ballroom? Don't be fooled by appearances. It looks like it's going to be a pile of shit but it's very funny!


I was literally just coming in to say that and romper stomper.


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## sim667 (Feb 19, 2013)

Oh, how could I forgot - Crocodile Dundee


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## Reno (Feb 19, 2013)

For some reason I could never get on with Australian comedy. Since the 90s at least it's been either self-consciously camp or IRONY in capital letters. Before that it played up Australian stereotypes for laughs.


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## 2hats (Feb 19, 2013)

peterkro said:


> Fuck the rules:


 
Oh in that case, Bad Taste


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## ice-is-forming (Feb 19, 2013)

the castle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_(film)


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## Reno (Feb 19, 2013)

2hats said:


> Oh in that case, Bad Taste


 
Bad Taste has its charms, but Jackson's later Braindead is far more outrageous, looks professionally made and it's probably still the most gory film ever.


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## Dr Nookie (Feb 19, 2013)

Bad Taste is from New Zealand isn't it?


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## Reno (Feb 19, 2013)

Dr Nookie said:


> Bad Taste is from New Zealand isn't it?


 
There is a "fuck the rules" disclaimer above. Several Kiwi films mentioned already.


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## Dr Nookie (Feb 19, 2013)

Reno said:


> There is a "fuck the rules" disclaimer above. Several Kiwi films mentioned already.


 
Ooh you crazy anarchists!


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## Reno (Feb 19, 2013)

Talking of New Zealand, Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table is her best film, not counting her shorts.


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## butchersapron (Feb 19, 2013)

The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey



> Men seeking relief from the Black Death, guided by a boy's vision, dig a tunnel from 14th century England to 20th century New Zealand.


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## butchersapron (Feb 19, 2013)

Nice little late Powell: They're a Weird Mob


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## butchersapron (Feb 19, 2013)

Malcom


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## Johnny Vodka (Feb 24, 2013)

Watched Snowtown last night - very intriguing film.

No mention for The Loved Ones (not in the period specified by the OP) yet?  Deeply fucked up but brilliant film.


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## Wolveryeti (Feb 24, 2013)

Somersault is terrific Aussie film


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## cypher79 (Feb 25, 2013)

Reno said:


> Bad Taste has its charms, but Jackson's later Braindead is far more outrageous, looks professionally made and it's probably still the most gory film ever.


 
Both are great, but I always preferred Bad Taste tbh. Actually I heard Jackson has been considering doing a re-make of it


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## DaveCinzano (Feb 25, 2013)

cypher79 said:


> Both are great, but I always preferred Bad Taste tbh. Actually I heard Jackson has been considering doing a re-make of it


 
_Bad Taste Reflux? Bad Taste II: Taste Badder_? _2 Bad 2 Taste? Bad Taste: Regurgitated_?


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 19, 2015)

A couple more I've seen recently and - well, not always _enjoyed_, but YKWIM:

_The Boys _- grim tale of no money-no future-no morals suburban mundanity, with David Wenham (_Killing Time_, _300_) hypnotic as a borderline sociopathic ex-con dragging his two idiot brothers inexorably towards the edge. Excellent score too.

_Ghosts.... Of The Civil Dead_ - a barely-in-the-future private run prison in the Australian desert; four walls and strip lighting and no respect for human dignity; heat and stale sweat and minute by minute the ratcheting up of tension as lives are traded against profit. Horrible and funny and compelling.


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## DrRingDing (Jan 19, 2015)

Has anyone mentioned Stone yet?

It's a so, bad it's good film about 'Bikies'


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 20, 2015)

DrRingDing said:


> Has anyone mentioned Stone yet?



Yes, but the more the merrier!


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## redsquirrel (Jan 20, 2015)

I don't really rate _The Boys_, its one of those play to film adaptations that doesn't manage to shake off it's birthplace IMO.


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## Chz (Jan 20, 2015)

Surprised that we all enjoyed _Red Dog_. It sounds like a cheeze-fest on paper, but a pretty good film. I always rate something that can manage to be heart-warming without inducing vomiting.


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## sunnysidedown (Jan 20, 2015)

I already posted up this early Phillip Noyce film/doco a while ago, here's a link to view it online:

Castor & Pollux

http://www.aftrs.edu.au/showcase/student-films/video/0_0pus61yg

you'll not find a better document of early 70's Australia.


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## sunnysidedown (Jan 20, 2015)

Actually, add _Rocking the Foundations_ to the above: (made a bit later)

https://thoughtmaybe.com/rocking-the-foundations/


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## Dan U (Jan 20, 2015)

I watched The Mule recently. 

A solid 7 out of 10 with a proper wtf moment in it which I won't spoil.


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## Dan U (Jan 20, 2015)

Also got The Road to watch but not seen that yet.


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 24, 2015)

Dan U said:


> Lantana


 
Finally getting round to watching this, thanks to Netflix.


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## Reno (Aug 24, 2015)

As someone who likes a good apocalypse, I quite enjoyed These Final Hours:



It doesn't do anything wildly original and the end is a foregone conclusion but for a low budget film, the way it evokes society falling apart over the last few hours of earth, is very well done. I far prefered this to the The Rover, a recent Aussie post apocalyptic film which I found rather overrated.


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## Yetman (Aug 24, 2015)

The loved ones is a bit mad, worth a watch though definitely


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 29, 2016)

Reno said:


> Talking of New Zealand, Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table is her best film, not counting her shorts.


Having just trawled through Images.Google for more time than is appropriate, I believe that I can conclusively reveal that Jane Campion has precisely zero pairs of shorts.


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## Reno (Jul 29, 2016)

Here is a pair of Jane Campion shorts:


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## D'wards (Jul 29, 2016)

CBA to read back through the thread but Wake in Fright is essential. Stayed with me for a few days


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 29, 2016)

D'wards said:


> CBA to read back through the thread



Very antipodean


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## Johnny Vodka (Jul 10, 2017)

I watched 52 Tuesdays last night.  Didn't know much about it beforehand, but thought it was a good, interesting film.


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## mojo pixy (Dec 19, 2022)

I'm having a little personal Aussie film festival just now to celebrate getting a new TV. I've got a few that have been recommended here as well as a load of others that haven't. These aren't recommendations per the OP, as much as me having a little blah about some films I like or dislike, so I'll be adding a little commentary each time I post if that's ok.. There will be spoilers but I'll keep them under wraps. I'm also aware I'm no expert on film, so please forgive my poor taste 

(Bumped this thread rather than starting a new one)

_Wake in Fright_ probably has the most mentions here, and is of particular interest because it was actually lost for 40 years .. I'm very glad it got re-found. Also as noted elsewhere, it's that rarest of things, a film set at christmas that is not at all christmassy.



Spoiler



Teacher heads home to Sydney for Christmas holidays from his bonded post in the outback. On the way he gambles away all his money in the back room of a bar in the (fictitious) outback city of Bundayabba, and ends up on an insane drinking bender with a bunch of locals, tries to get out but fails and eventually hits homicidal / suicidal rock bottom but lives in the end



It's a dark and funny (those two words get paired up quite a lot with Australian cinema, which is why I like it so much I guess) exploration of the idea,_ how far can you fall?_ Notable apart from the aforementioned 40-year misplacement, for its infamous kangaroo-fighting scenes, where real roos got killed for the footage (it's pretty harsh tbf). Fantastic performances all round, some wonderfully witty, ascerbic lines from several characters. In particular I love the first scene between 'Doc' (Donald Pleasance) and John Grant (main protagonist played by Gary Bond) where Doc opens the conversation with the immortal line,

"All the little devils are proud of hell"

Everyone sheens with sweat the whole time, and even the comfortable places seem basic and crude (it's 1970, and beautifully so). There are flies and squalor everywhere, and a just-about-concealed brutality in every exchange that only occasionally rears its head into being shown. I think it's fair to say this is a lot of people's favourite australian film. It's certainly one of mine and that's why I'm starting with it.

I don't do ratings, but this film is very highly recommended, to anyone who hasn't seen it (or worth a rewatch!)


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## redsquirrel (Dec 19, 2022)

_Wake in Fright_ is great.

BFI doing an Aussie film series on 2023 - You Beauties: New Australian Cinema (BFI Southbank/BFI Player – Feb) A season of new films curated by ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image).

Also if you are looking for Australian films worth checking out Gillian Armstrong's work


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## Sue (Dec 19, 2022)

redsquirrel said:


> _Wake in Fright_ is great.


...and made me temporarily give up drinking.


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## T & P (Dec 19, 2022)

*Relic* is a brilliant, clever, and well written all-female psychological horror film. One of those flicks that’s adored by the critics but can be a bit marmite with audiences. But I myself thought it was brilliant, even before I decided to google the explanation for its ending- which only made me like it more, anyway.


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## Sue (Dec 19, 2022)

This was on recently in London but didn't manage to see any of the films cos I was away for much of it. (I've seen Walkabout and 10 Canoes but none of the others afaik.)









						London Australian Film Festival - The Garden Cinema
					

London Australian Film Festival




					www.thegardencinema.co.uk


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## mojo pixy (Dec 20, 2022)

Today's film was recommended to me by a good friend who's a real buff, but who I know has pretty dark side taste in films. This one did not disappoint. It's the kind of film that the word 'harrowing' was made for.

It's a 2018 film called The Nightingale, set in Tasmania at an unspecified time in the nineteenth century (though it's clearly around the 'black war' period of the 1820s, since a recurring theme is that aborigines are being hunted. They also refer to the island as Van Diemens Land.) It concerns an Irish woman, Clare, who is raped and whose husband and baby are murdered by an English lieutenant Hawkins and his men. She then pursues them through the wilderness with the help of an aboriginal tracker called Billy.



Spoiler



During the pursuit she fails to kill Hawkins, but ultimately finds him in the town of Launceston. She shames him in front of his fellow officers, then later she and Billy kill him and escape, though Billy is seriously wounded. The film ends with them both on a beach at dawn, each singing to the rising sun.



It's a very brutal and graphic exploration of a very brutal and harsh time and place. Trigger warnings: racism, misogyny, rape, and violence both physical and psychological. However the performances are all awesome, and the script is really well written. The photography and costuming are beautiful, the Tasmanian bush looks magnificently wild, and the overall portrayal of a C19 frontier / penal colony is all-round excellent. And given the pretty disgusting history of Tasmania since being colonised by the british, this is a film that definitely needed to be made.

All in all, a superb piece of work - but truly shocking, appropriately as shocking as the true history it depicts. Cathartic stuff.


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## littlebabyjesus (Dec 20, 2022)

yeah The Nightingale is good.

My recommendation for the day is Toomelah, a story set in an Aboriginal town. Amazing performances, mostly from the people who live in said town irl. It's understated but a powerful indictment because of that. Quiet anger.


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## mojo pixy (Dec 20, 2022)

What gets me at the end of The Nightingale is that 


Spoiler



yes, Clare and Billy are both free - but they're still where and when they are. There's no hope, no way for either of them to improve their lot, and actually a fairly good chance they're both dead by the end of the day.



It had me in tears the first time tbh. Which is praise.


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## redsquirrel (Dec 21, 2022)

If you like _The Nightingale_ then you might want to check out _The Babadook_, the director's previous film, and one of the most highly regarded Australian films of the last decade.

Not totally with this but there are some excellent films in there - _The Babadook_, _Animal Kingdom, Snowtown_








						From Animal Kingdom to The Babadook: the best Australian films of the decade
					

Guardian Australia’s film critic Luke Buckmaster surveys the past 10 years and finds thrillingly varied depictions of Australian life




					www.theguardian.com


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## mojo pixy (Dec 21, 2022)

redsquirrel said:


> If you like _The Nightingale_ then you might want to check out _The Babadook_, the director's previous film, and one of the most highly regarded Australian films of the last decade.
> 
> Not totally with this but there are some excellent films in there - _The Babadook_, _Animal Kingdom, Snowtown_
> 
> ...


I've seen Animal Kingdom and The Babadook, they're both great (not IMO quite as striking as The Nightingale but still good). I've seen quite a lot of Aussie films, I've got a real soft spot for them, and what I'm planning to put in here are my very favourites as I run through them again, particularly the ones that make a big impression on me. 

There will be a few new ones on me too, as I've amassed a fairly decent collection over the last few weeks, but I'm not being exhaustive in my little amateur reviews. Any that are mentioned which I haven't seen, I'll try and get to watch (some are harder to get hold of than others!)


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## Spymaster (Dec 21, 2022)

Strange that neither Galipoli nor The Dish have had mentions here.

If tv shows count, Rake is ace.


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## mojo pixy (Dec 21, 2022)

There's quite a few I for one have enjoyed a lot, that aren't mentioned here. Off the top of my head Mental, The Dish, Last Ride, Kill me Three Times, Samson and Delilah. I'll come back to them later..


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## AverageJoe (Dec 21, 2022)

This is good fun if you like this style of film. 

I believe there's a sequel too...


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## mojo pixy (Dec 21, 2022)

That looks hilariously fucked up


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## Magnus McGinty (Dec 21, 2022)

Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - IMDb
					

Bad Boy Bubby: Directed by Rolf de Heer. With Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane. Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape, and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into the modern...




					m.imdb.com
				




If you can handle a bit of incest.


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## marty21 (Dec 21, 2022)

Sue said:


> This was on recently in London but didn't manage to see any of the films cos I was away for much of it. (I've seen Walkabout and 10 Canoes but none of the others afaik.)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


totally missed that - will try next year - as I posted earlier in this ancient thread - I used to go to the Australian Film Festival when it was held at the Barbican Cinemas - very convenient for Hackney dwellers .


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## Sweet FA (Dec 21, 2022)

Babyteeth if you fancy a good sob.

eta ignore me, didn't read op properly - good film though.


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## mojo pixy (Dec 29, 2022)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - IMDb
> 
> 
> Bad Boy Bubby: Directed by Rolf de Heer. With Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane. Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape, and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into the modern...
> ...





Spoiler



yeah and the murders, the prison rape, and of course 'fuck you, God!'


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## Magnus McGinty (Dec 29, 2022)

mojo pixy said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> yeah and the murders, the prison rape, and of course 'fuck you, God!'


Have you seen it?


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## Magnus McGinty (Dec 29, 2022)

Anyway, I don't need an answer. You haven't.


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## Magnus McGinty (Dec 29, 2022)

Spoiler



Unless by 'prison murders' you mean him escaping his captor/s in what is supposed to be his home. It's pretty dark in the first third but it resolves in a nice way.


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## mojo pixy (Dec 29, 2022)

tbh I'm pretty much ignoring the OP now (sorry imposs1904 !) because all the good 70's and 80's films are more or less covered but it seems a shame to leave it there. Aus hasn't finished making great films, not by a country mile, so instead of start a new thread I thought it'd be nice to spread this one out 

Tonight's hat tip is towards a far more recent one, a 2021 psychological drama/thriller / kind of whodunnit called The Dry. Eric Bana plays a cop Aaron Falk who attends the funeral of his childhood best friend who seems to have killed his family then himself. Slowly that story as well as others in a small town full of secrets, begins to unravel till truths about present and past are revealed. It's too complicated for spoilers anyway, look at the imdb page...

It's beautifully shot against a backdrop of short and long-term drought and decline (in flashback sequences Falk and his friends swim in a pool we see later is dried up, yes cheesy allusion but I warned about my taste for cheese!) The heat and unrelenting brightness of the day are palpable, the relief of night and shade comes across well. The pacing is great, all clues understated and the performances very watchable, characters well-drawn and credible. Tension builds slowly but steadily, grief, fear and despair loom large, and the _nothing is quite what it seems_ arc pays off well at decent intervals.

So yeah, that's a recommendation if psychodrama is your thing! It'll be comedy next... the flash drive is basically full so more later


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## mojo pixy (Dec 29, 2022)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Unless by 'prison murders' you mean him escaping his captor/s in what is supposed to be his home. It's pretty dark in the first third but it resolves in a nice way.


No! I mean 



Spoiler



the scene about an hour in where bubby gets raped in jail, in a shit-smeared cell


 
Have _you_ seen it? lol


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## mojo pixy (Dec 29, 2022)

Spymaster said:


> If tv shows count, Rake is ace.


Fair enough, also I've mentioned Mr.Inbetween elsewhere, it's excellent (Spymaster , i suspect you'd enjoy it if you've not already seen it that is)

...and slowly the thread becomes _really good Australian screen shit generally_


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## DaveCinzano (Dec 29, 2022)

Been so long since I've been on the thread I can't remember what I've previously reccoed, so have some possible dupes...

*Crime drama, neonoir and grimy thrillers:*
Mystery Road
Goldstone
Felony
The Boys
The Square
Animal Kingdom
Snowtown
The Stranger
Out Of The Blue (NZ)
The Interview
Sleeping Dogs (NZ)
Lantana
Ghosts....Of The Civil Dead
Bad Blood (NZ)

*Science fiction:*
The Rover

*Comedy:*
Gettin' Square
Frauds

*Drama:*
Erskineville Kings
Savage (NZ)
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce
Van Dieman's Land
Utu (NZ)
The Hunter

*Telly stuff:*
Blue Murder
Blue Murder: Killer Cop
Bastard Boys 
Bikie Wars
Killing Time
The Code
Harry (NZ)
Secret City
Siege (NZ)


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## weltweit (Dec 29, 2022)

I found Wolf Creek quite disturbing. I wasn't expecting a horror movie when I sat down


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## Magnus McGinty (Dec 29, 2022)

mojo pixy said:


> No! I mean
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Not for a while …



Spoiler



I thought it was all about redemption and freedom once he left the flat. Maybe I DO need to see it again 🤔


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## Indeliblelink (Dec 29, 2022)

Watched The Stranger (2022) earlier today and thought it was very good. It's about undercover police setting up a fake criminal organization to try to get a suspected child killer to confess, loosely based on this murder in 2003.








						The Stranger (2022) - IMDb
					

The Stranger: Directed by Thomas M. Wright. With Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Jada Alberts, Cormac Wright. Two men who meet on a bus and strike up a conversation that turns into friendship. For Henry Teague, worn down by a lifetime of physical labour and crime, this is a dream come true.




					www.imdb.com


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## DaveCinzano (Dec 30, 2022)

DaveCinzano said:


> Been so long since I've been on the thread I can't remember what I've previously reccoed, so have some possible dupes...
> 
> *Crime drama, neonoir and grimy thrillers:*
> Mystery Road
> ...


A few I forgot:

*War movies:*
Danger Close
Kokoda

*Westerns:*
The Proposition 
Red Hill 

*Thrillers:*
Dead Calm

*Telly stuff:*
The Great Bookie Robbery
The Clean Machine
Joh's Jury
Brides Of Christ
Frankie's House
The Cowra Breakout
Scales Of Justice
Phoenix
Janus


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## Spymaster (Dec 30, 2022)

mojo pixy said:


> Fair enough, also I've mentioned Mr.Inbetween elsewhere, it's excellent (Spymaster , i suspect you'd enjoy it if you've not already seen it that is)



I watched the first couple of these last night. Good stuff. Cheers


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## Spymaster (Jan 1, 2023)

Thanks for the heads-up on Mr. Inbetween, mojo pixy.

I'm halfway through S2 now and love it. I'm watching it here

The same episode can have you laughing, then crying, then scared shitless.

"Next time you ask me to whack someone, make sure it's the right bloke"   , and the interraction with Matt Nable's character at the end of season 1 is sublime.

Aussie tv at its finest.

Brilliant!


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## Part 2 (Jan 2, 2023)

This article has You Won't be Alone as the best Aussie film of the year. I wouldn't have thought of it as an Australian film at all but it's a great film anyway.









						From Sissy to The Stranger: the 10 best Australian films of 2022 – ranked
					

We were treated to some remarkable new talent this year, spanning environmental documentaries, satirical horror and kitchen sink realism




					www.theguardian.com


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## Part 2 (Jan 2, 2023)

Also this list of Australian horror films. 









						The 15 greatest Australian horror films – sorted
					

From a film made in Adelaide for less than $10,000 to gory and haunting classics, here are some flicks that will keep you up at night




					www.theguardian.com


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