Australian Movies

Jackie Weaver, a well known and loved, home grown Australian Actress is up for an Oscar nomination for her work in Animal Kingdom. A story about a family that came from a working class background and a series of events that lead to murder and convictions. Jackie plays the families matriarch brilliantly.

The movie, Animal Kingdom is described as a crime thriller. It is based on a series of events in Melbourne Australia during the late 1980s. It shows the complex blend of family, sterotypical police versus criminals in context to upbringing, local culture and the real possible outcomes of such life events taking place.

Animal Kingdom also stars Ben Mendelson and Joel Edgerton. Two beloved young Australian actors. It is directed by David Michod.

The mythology of the australian psychi may be one of the beach and bbqs. Our history has created this utopian image from our beginnings as a convict colony and the bushman ballads of the outback voice of Banjo Patterson. The bushrangers, none the likes of Ned Kelly, gold fields and outback survival. The Aboriginal Dreamtime and the sadness of the stolen generation. All experienced upon the imposing landscape of the rugged outback. With the wild forests and hinterlands that lead back to the coast and our fantastic beaches and the great bronzed aussie surfer.

The war years and our Anzacs, the 50s and the baby boomers along with european immigrants and the 10 pound pom. All make up what we call culture. The sixties and the Menzies era, vietnam, Gough Whitlam and the Dismissal. The new Australians of the 80's and 90's bringing with them the best of their cultures, the flavours of distant lands.

Our film and music industries communicate our love of the arts, from Dame Nellie Melba to David Helfgott. Who was the inspiration for the internationally acclaimed Shine. Paul Hogan gave us Crocodile Dundee, the forerunner to Steve Irwin and the Crocodile Hunter. We have Magda Zabansic and Babe, Working dog productions and the great australian classic, The Castle, also The Dish, a boys own annual movie that is loved by all. A girls own movie may be Muriels Wedding. Theres Dead Calm when Nicole Kidman makes her first grown up movie. Sirens with Elle MacPherson and Lantana. Classics like Picnic at Hanging Rock, We of the Never Never and Their a Weird Mob. To honour our Anzacs and soldiers, Gallipoli and Breaker Morant. Mad Max can be watched over and over. Theres wogs out of work and the latest release of Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boys 2. The fascination with gangsters is portrayed in Two Hands and most recently with Animal Kingdom, a sad portrayal of how events can twist someones life.

Theres Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Happy Feet to make us laugh too.

Ten Canoes and The Proposition. Australia the Movie and Bran neu day give us a glimpse at the dreamtime and the lives of our indigenous people.

We love our environment and the Whaledreamers is a stepping stone back to that connection with the land and the sea and nature and the indigenous way of honouring this.

Kenny gives us a glimpse of the sadness of the urban male yet mixes it with good working class humour and great diplomacy with a trip to the USA.

The first Australian feature length film made was about our bush hero or the iconic australian bushranger, Ned Kelly. Produced in 1905 by Limelight productions in Melbourne, this bush hero has been played by the likes of Mike Jagger and Heath Ledger.

In the early years of the Australian film industry, movies like The Sentimental Bloke and later, the Wake of the Bounty starring Errol Flynn. Amongst others, the Overlanders is a classic of the 40s and Peter Finch graces our screen. Theres Jedda in the 50's bringing aboriginal Australia to the big screen. Their a weird mob is one from the 60's and the 70's bring with them the suburban experience with The Club. More comedy with Stork. Wake in fight introduces the Australian Outback as a place for men to be men and David Gulipilli goes Walkabout.

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie start in 1973, with Barry Humphries among friends with Peter Cook, Spike Milligan and Barry Crocker. Alvin Purple and No 96 test our social boundaries in 1974. Picnic at Hanging Rock takes us on a journey into the life of a private girls school and the mystical world of those rocks out past Mt Macedon. Theres Storm Boy for the family and Dons Party for parents. The Getting of Wisdom, a classic and Newsfront brings the media to the big screen. Fred Schepsi brings us The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith.

The 1980's introduces the likes of Brian Brown and the appearance of Mel Gibson in Gallipoli. Bruce Beresford enlightens us on the teenage experience of the era with Puberty Blues. Theres the modern remake of The Man From Snowy River and Monkey Grip, an empassioned movie of the era. We of the Never Never brings in the outback experiences of the Northern Territory and Materanka (part of my personal family history).

The year of living dangerously based on the real life experiences of an Australian Journalist in Indonesia in the Sukarno years and I actually met at a journalism lecture in Perth WA. Nicole Kidman then begins her career with BMX Bandits and that hair style no-one will let her forget. Going on to do Dead Calm (already mentioned) with Sam Neill. To then meet Tom Cruise during the making of Days of thunder and to later make movies such as The Hours. With more recent acclaim for the movies Moulin Rouge and Australia both directed by Baz Lurmann.

Unforgettable Australian actors who work internationally include - Kate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Sam Worthington (Avatar), Toni Collette, Portia De Rossi and Miranda Otto.

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