An actual Aussie Christmas film?

Here's the thing about Christmas in Australia - it's summertime.  Yes, the weather outside IS frightful, because it's bloody hot! 

It's pretty rare to find a genuine Australian Christmas film but this one is my favourite Christmas film bar none (because people, Die Hard doesn't count!).  You'll have to hunt for it and it may be listed under it's US title Miracle Down Under (such a stupid name).

It's got an all star cast and is directed by George Miller (Happy Feet).  Go for it!!

BUSHFIRE MOON

PLOT: Struggling to establish themselves in the outback, a young boy and his family discover the true meaning of Christmas through their curmudgeonly neighbour and a swagman.

CAST: John Waters ("Underbelly", "All Saints"), Dee Wallace (ET), Charles 'Bud' Tingwell  (The Castle), Bill Kerr ("Changi"), Nadine Garner ("City Homicide"), Grant Piro ("City Homicide")

Remember when VR was the next big thing?

Hi guys

Quick and dirty this week.  Did you know that Crowe and Washington were brought together long before American Gangster with roles reversed?

I love this movie just for the old technology and the fact that it was a great performance from Russell Crowe before his big Hollywood break. The character SID (Sadistic, Intelligence, Dangerous) is a great villain!  Part Matrix-Part noir.  Check out...

VIRTUOSITY

CAST: Denzel Washington (American Gangster, Training Day), Russell Crowe (American Gangster, Gladiator), Kelly Lynch

PLOT:  When a big organisation creates a law enforcement training program through virtual reality, they inadvertently release their super villain into reality.  It's now up to an ex-cop/prisoner to stop him... as he once did before.

And you thought Jason Bourne was cool!

Before there were snakes on a plane, before Damon's Bourne tried to uncover his past, before The Bride had to kill Bill, there was one bad ass chick called Charly.

Picture this, you're the perfect soccer mum. You bake cookies for your daughter's class.You have a kind, steady man in your life.  And you don't remember anything before this very ordinary existence began.  And then someone tries to kill you and your family for something from your past... What follows is an action packed trip with Samantha and a deadbeat PI sidekick. 

Now we all know how I feel about David Morse but here meet another side to him, a special kind of charming creep with some inventive torture techniques!

DIRECTOR: Renny Harlin (The Covenant, Deep Blue Sea)

CAST: Geena Davis ("Commander in Chief", A League of Their Own), Samuel L Jackson (Snakes on a Plane, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction), Brian Cox (Troy, X-Men II, The Bourse Supremacy), David Morse (Disturbia, The Green Mile)

PLOT: When an assassin viciously attacks a seemingly ordinary woman, her amnesia cracks and she begins to remember her past... and that persona is coming back for revenge against the people who tried to kill her.

For more amnesiac films see:

Kill Bill Vol I & II
The Bourne Trilogy

Watch the trailer

Oh THAT guy! - Part 2

This is Warwick Davis!  He's a fabulous actor who's been instrumental in promoting professional acting roles  through his company Willow Personal Management.  As he puts it, "the biggest agency for short actors in the world".  Perhaps you recognise him better by his roles?



Wicket in Return of the Jedi

The lead character in Willow

The lead character in Leprechaun

Various characters in all the Harry Potter films

Marvin in Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy 

Nikabrik in Narnia: Prince Caspian











My favourite Warwick Davis film (excluding Star Wars of course!) and one of my faves as a child is also this week's recommendation.  I love this magical adventure if only for the craziness of Mad Martigan, played joyfully by an almost unrecognisable Val Kilmer.

WILLOW

PLOT: When a baby princess is found floating down a stream by the nelwyn farmer Willow, he undertakes an adventure to return her to her people.  Along the way he meets a great warrior and together they journey through a war-torn land of magic and monsters, trying to evade an evil sorceress.

CAST: Warwick Davis (Harry Potter), Val Kilmer (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)

Watch the trailer

A moment of pure Schappelle-ness?

Due to my hideously late posts for the last week (you must forgive me of course, it's HP7 opening week!) you get two for the price of one!

You all know my feelings on the Schapelle Corby issue but here's how a trip to SE Asia can really go very very wrong.  Could your friendship survive?

BROKEDOWN PALACE

 PLOT: After a brief encounter with a handsome, charming stranger while travelling around Thailand, two girls from different backgrounds suffer the same fate, they are arrested for drug smuggling.

CAST: Claire Danes (Shop Girl, Romeo & Juliet), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld, Serendipity), Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping)

Watch the trailer

For another take on the same situation, check out RETURN TO PARADISE.

A side of Bacon?

I have a huge crush on Kevin Bacon.  There I said it.  He's a brilliant actor, with incredible range, vastly more talented than a simple dance sequence in an 80s flick.

Okay, the things most people heard of or remember about this one are the threesome and girl on girl action in the pool.  Get past the tittilation and you'll find it's a terrific thriller with twists that will have you guessing even after the credits begin to roll!

WILD THINGS


PLOT:  Two young women from very different backgrounds accuse the local school's guidance councellor of rape, but the investigating officer suspects things aren't what they seem.  So who is the puppetmaster?

CAST: Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell (Scream), Denise Richards (Drop Dead Gorgeous), Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Ghostbusters)

LOCATED IN: Thriller

Watch the trailer


For more Kevin Bacon thrills and chills check out:

• Trapped
• The River Wild
• A Few Good Men
• Mystic River
• Death Sentence

Yes, high society is code for snob

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the classics are called that for a reason!!  After my colleagues persuaded me to check out some recent comedies this past week, I found myself regarding modern comedy generally.... whatever happened to the screwball comedy?

Well, to get myself back to basics, this week I am recommending one of my favourite screwball classics... Frankly with a cast including Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart AND Cary Grant, enough said!!

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

PLOT: When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, all assumptions are out the window!

Located in: Classics

More screwball comedies:
 - His Girl Friday
 - Bringing Up Baby