Unfinished Sky
by A farmer that goes weeks without speaking to anyone comes across a traumatised woman who’s unable to speak English. He takes her in, caring for her despite the consequences. Instead of being worried about fitting into a particular genre, Unfinished Sky is instead a gripping story, wonderfully acted and intelligently shot. Initial scenes illustrate the loneliness, repetition and silence of the farmer’s life, along with the beauty and emptiness of the Australian landscape. The story develops quickly with enough twists to keep even the most jaded viewer intrigued. The subplots are also carefully constructed, and subtle imagery is used throughout to provide depth. A reminder of what can be achieved without a big budget or a star-studded cast, but instead a carefully written script, coupled with excellent direction. William McInnes, in the lead role reminds us again that while he might never have made an impact overseas, he is still one of the finest actors this country has ever produced. Almost makes you want to go out and rent old episodes of Blue Heelers. Almost.
Tagged: Australian movies
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Samson and Delilah, an Australian movie
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For a small country so close to Australia, so many of us know way too little about East Timor. Balibo makes it clear that the small nation was invaded by the Indonesians over thirty years ago, while Australia let it happen. This well paced, passionately acted portrayal of the events centres around the death of five young Australian journalists. Experienced Australian journalist Roger East tries to find out what happened to them, with the help of Jose Ramos Horta, who is still a pertinent figure in East Timorese politics. Anthony Lapaglia gives a spirited performance as East, who at one point comments, “Thousand of little brown people die; nobody back home (in Australia) is going to care. But five Australian journalists are killed and that’s front page news.” Which helps explain why their deaths were kept covered up for three decades. [read about more Australian pop culture at The Colour]
Also by XAVIER TOBY
Australian movie A Few Best Men
With all the gross out jokes and silliness of the common comedy romp, you’d think making them would be easy. Well, it’s not. It’s actually really difficult. Writing a joke is one of the hardest tasks anyone can undertake. Read more
Melancholia: a film by Lars von Trier
I wish there were a lot more of the types of films made by Lars von Trier. Each is very different but still distinctly von Trier, and each is superb. Melancholia is the follow up to the wonderfully confronting Antichrist. This is all about the end of the world, and told with an honesty and pacing that is probably much closer to the actual end of the world than all the Hollywood crap would have you believe. Read more
We Need To Talk About Kevin: based on Lionel Shriver’s novel
A delightful uncomfortable film, told from the point of view of a broken woman. Kevin’s just not right, and that’s obvious from the outset as mother Eva battles to bring him up in a world where the onus is put squarely back on the mother. The intensity is poured on throughout, as tragedy seems imminent. Read more
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I’ve been waiting for a group like this. These New Puritans are balls in your face, 100 miles an hour, pure attack! A young British group that has most of the UK press in the palm of their skinny pale hands, they hint at a sonic mash of Bloc Party mixed with what White Rose Movement were supposed to be. What more could you want?
Listen to the These New Puritans track, Elvis.
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Italian-made Tie-ups is the first belt to be wholly realized in fine plastics: resistant, flexible and with a minimal and versatile design. Tie-ups is an accessory adding a note of freshness and innovation to any clothing style, and is ecological, recyclable, and waterproof. Read more
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