Razorback

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Razorback!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th October 2021

Yep, we conclude this October's clutch of horror movies with one about a killer pig. Yay.
For those who don't know, this was an Australian horror movie that came out in the mid-eighties. And it comes across as being a product of it's era as I can't help but see it taking more than a few cues from earlier Australian movies. We have stunning shots of scenery (Walkabout); we have a guy contending with the both the Australian outback and hostile locals (Wake in Fright); and we have uses of ramshackle technology (Mad Max). And if that isn't enough, this movie replicates the most crucial aspect of Jaws: the less you see of the monster, the less silly and more frightening it becomes.

First up, there's a lot working against this movie. It has a derivative nature (as indicated above). The pig effects look awful and the acting is all over the shop.
However! Perhaps the most strongest aspect of this movie would have to be the cinematography: It is beautifully shot with some stunning use of color. Compared to other Australian movies of this era, this movie certainly looks different and is all the better for it. And hey, it makes the movies flaws somewhat easier to forgive.
And somehow, the idea of Pumbaa on steroids can not be underestimated...

Wake in Fright

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Wake in Fright (Outback)!

Original image located here. Accessed 31st August 2018

Yes it's one of the classics of Australian cinema. For those not in the know, it was made in 1971 and was something of a touchstone of Australian horror - or something.

So yeah, this was not the easiest thing in the world to watch. It was horrific, unsettling and does indeed display the uglier side of Australia for overseas viewing. Unfortunately, for Aussie's like myself, some people here are indeed like this.

Still, it is interesting to note that Wake in Fright came out the same year as Walkabout and both films were about the Australian outback. But whereas the latter was haunting, the former was hellish. And this from a Canadian director.
Not exactly a positive image of this country for an overseas audience eh?

Walkabout

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Walkabout!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st September 2017

Behold! Scenery Porn: the Movie!
Okay seriously, much has been written about how this movie was a major milestone in Australian cinema, how it portrayed the Australian wilderness and the improvisational nature of the movie (ie the script was just 14 pages of hand-written notes). What can i add to it?

Well it was a passion project of Nicholas Roeg to make a movie that shows off the Australian landscape and to that end he succeeds. Sure there are some odd directorial choices and some puzzling diversions but I felt the movie was at it's strongest when it focused on the three primary characters and the journey they take, discussed the conflict between civilization and nature and, again, the photography.

Mind you, being an Australian, I have seen this type of imagery a gazillion times before as depictions of what Australia is. Therefore it is nice to know that this was where such advertising began.
So in the end, it was a peculiar movie but strangely hypnotic