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9/10
sour grapes
2 June 2005
It seems to me that "hiroshimamonamour" has some very personal conflicts about the film.

For me, telephone conversations are incredibly exciting -- as is the languid camera, pastel and dizzy lines of the woman's apartment and the camp (but truthful) lovingly made lampshade.

The actress' performance was perfectly pitched and expresses all the frustration, humor and inner world necessary. The casting also ascribes an alienating quality to this "sort of woman" and "sort of story". Her heavy Polish features are reminiscent of Barbra Streisand -- and the gestural style of acting puts the emphasis on the irony and playfulness of the story. A naturalistic style of actress would have made this film "mawkish" but it is clear the reader has no understanding or historical reference for camp aesthetics or style.

People neglect camp cinema because they've never had to experience being on the outside or fringe of society. They have grown up with religion and dogma -- and have never had to see their life from more than one angle. This is why it took the world so long to catch on the Hartley, Allen, Almodovar, Waters and Haynes..... Like the gay guy in high school -- most people feel frustrated by their lack of so called "truth" because the truth is not represented in the way they want it to be represented.

The camp nature of this sort of aesthetic is pertinent for a mills and Boone type story such as this : the material comments on itself and is critically savvy. Afraid of being overly earnest or raw -- the film reflects the woman's fear in it's style and execution with excellent control.
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Teachers (2001–2004)
bloody hilarious, superior comedy
15 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I don't think it's possible to not find Teachers very funny and very clever. In Australia, we're only up to the 3rd episode of the second series, so I'm not very pleased to hear that Andrew Lincoln is going to be written out. Although it's better that we don't get sick of his idiot character Simon, otherwise it won't be great for his career. His storyline (out of about 9) in Love Actually was probably the most interesting, so it shows that he's not limited to whiny and bitter characters. The music used in Teachers is great - especially stuff like using a bit of Stravinsky as Carol's 'theme' when Kurt is trying to avoid her. And Carol herself, what a freak. Very funny stuff. You should watch it. Really.
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Young Lions (2002)
Underrated
4 December 2002
Great 'aussie cop show' that doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It's a lot better than most of the cop shows that seem to be infesting Australian TV right now, such as White Collar Blue, which has the same kind of basis - 2 guy detectives and 2 girl detectives partnered up (not as good as Young Lions). The acting is pretty good, especially from Alex Dimitriades and Tom Long. It probably won't continue for a second series because of bad treatment from the network it's on - if given a chance in an earlier time slot instead of being shoved to 10.30 after 2 weeks it may have been more popular.
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Bargearse (1993 Video)
10/10
Bloody hilarious
7 April 2002
I can't believe this has an average rating of only 5.7 out of 10. It's hilarious. Perhaps the people that have given it low ratings are fans of Bluey, the 70s series that the footage is from, and are offended by it. Or perhaps they just don't get it, which isn't really possible since there's nothing to get. The Olden Days, The Late Show's other overdubbed 'series', is slightly funnier. It's pretty clever that Santo Cilauro and Tony Martin have actually been able to write dialogue that's relevant to what's on the screen. Or maybe it was really easy, I don't know. Either way it's really funny.
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The Olden Days (1993 TV Movie)
10/10
Hilarious and ingenious.
7 April 2002
This series is SO funny. It was created by, I reckon anyway, some of the funniest Australians ever. The best bit is in the last 'episode' when they stop the over dubbing, and the guy actually says "The man's mad!" That's sheer brilliance. I recommend it to every Australian - I don't know if Americans or English people would find it as funny.
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The Beach (I) (2000)
7/10
Seriously underated
20 March 2002
This movie is not considered to be really worth watching, but I disagree. It does have some parts that don't really work, and a couple of bad actors. It had the potential to be really excellent. The story is really unique, and intriguing. It's also quite scary - especially the start, in the scene with Daffy. It also had really good effects - the computer game bit freaked me out. Leonardo DiCaprio did a pretty good job in it. Especially in the part where he has to retrieve the map. Everyone will hate Sal, which means she's a good actress, because you're supposed to hate her. Overall it's a pretty good movie, and you should see it.
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8/10
A lot better than people say it is
1 March 2002
This is a really good movie. You have to pay attention so you know what the story line is exactly, which is difficult when it gets slightly boring in the middle. I really like how Pacino's voice is sounding heaps more like Marlon Brando did in Part I. He most likely did that on purpose, but I can't be sure, because his voice is naturally like that. Andy Garcia was the perfect choice for Sonny's illegitimate son, because he acts exactly like Sonny did - self confident, acting without thinking of the repercussions, and taking everything personally. I particularly like the scene that flashes back to when Michael decided to enlist in the marines.

I gave this 8/10, taking off 2 because Sophia Coppolla can't act. It was quite painful to watch her.
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The Shining (1980)
10/10
A classy horror movie
7 December 2001
I have not read the book. Apparently the mini series is closer to the book. Even so, it's not a good movie. It's supposed to be horror, and not one time during the whole 6 hours was I scared. Steven Weber is a bad actor, and should stick to doing comedy series'. Jack Nicholson is absolutely perfect. Weber doesn't even come close to his performance. Kubrick is a genius. All the changes he made from the book, that I'm aware of, enhanced the whole story. The ending he created had a greater impact. The camera angles he uses are great. No one can do a review on this without mentioning the bath scene - the use of the camera in this scene is great, and the whole scene will freak anyone out. I usually hate horror movies, but Kubrick has managed to turn this into a classy, respectable, clever horror movie. It's scary without being gross, and will completely freak you out.
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Deliverance (1972)
10/10
Disturbing, but one of the best movies ever.
18 October 2001
This is another brilliant movie to come out of the 70s. It's pretty much flawless. The banjo and guitar 'jam session' at the start is great - everyone knows the tune, because it's used in so many other movies and on tv, but no one knows where it comes from. Burt Reynolds is great - a cool dude, even when he's hurt. Jon Voight is also excellent. The whole plot, storyline and ending is really good. There aren't any other words to describe it. If you're not a fan of movies like this, you'll still keep watching it until the end, and really appreciate all the good film-making aspects. If you compare it to about half of the movies made in the 90s, there is no comparison to be made. It's so much better than movies today.
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6/10
A watchable movie.
16 October 2001
With this movie, you really have to concentrate - watch it in a room with no chance of distractions. It gets quite confusing if you hadn't paid attention, because it doesn't really explain, and link everything that well. But all the same, it's clever, with good acting from Redford and Hoffman, as is expected. If you get bored in the first half an hour, you'll find yourself unable to turn it off.
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10/10
Paul Newman is brilliant
16 October 2001
Though this movie is slow, it extremely watchable. Elizabeth Taylor is a bit fake, but with Paul Newman there, it doesn't matter. Not only is he the best looking man in all of Hollywood History, he's a good actor, and makes the whole movie. That disgusting, pig-like, sister in law is so annoying. So are the no-neck children. It has a good storyline. Guys might get bored.
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5/10
This movie is weird
4 October 2001
The start of this movie was interesting. It really made you want to keep watching it. Hepburn was crazy in it, but that was good. It made you want to know WHY she was crazy, and what her story was. Peppard was good as the sane, good looking guy. Neither of them are particularly good actors, but in those days that WAS good acting. When you did find out about her background, it made it even more interesting. But, the end wasn't satisfactory. She became a little too much of a psycho, and you just keep thinking, "When's this gonna end?". It just keeps dragging on with nothing new to entertain us. If you gave the ending to another director, it may have made it a better movie.
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3/10
Doesn't live up to it's reputation.
1 October 2001
I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for ages. People, women mostly, always rave about it saying that it's the most romantic movie, it's so sad, etc. I totally disagree. The dialogue is corny. There was a lot of overacting going on. The scene where she meets the old lady, I can't remember who exactly she is, is strange, awkward, uninteresting, and slightly irrelevent. The 2nd half of the movie, particularly the last scene, is extremely annoying. For people that have seen it, it's just frustrating that she just doesn't tell him what happened, not sad at all. Who cares about pride? I wasn't anywhere near tears in any moment of the movie. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the movie that much until the 2nd half. Also, I'm not the only girl in the whole world not to love this movie, even though there aren't many. This is a movie that you'll either love, or find really irritating.
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