AUSTRALIA – Lose Yourself in the Movie

I’ve always had an affinity for all things Australian, especially their movies and actors.  A few of my all-time favorite Australian movies are THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, MAD MAX, GALLIPOLI. CROCODILE DUNDEE, PITCH BLACK, BREAKER MORANT, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA – QUEEN OF THE DESERT and STRICTLY BALLROOM.  (They seem to have a little something for everyone: drama, sci fi, horror, comedy, crossdressing, comedic dancing… And the gorgeous scenery!  Wow…)

And the actors that have come out of Australia are amazing: Cate Blanchett, Claudia Black, Bryan Brown, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Paul Mercurio, Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are just a few of the people I will go out of my way to watch–and listen to.  Gotta love that accent!  (Must be something in the water that keeps churning out all that talent…)

Speaking of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, they have a new movie coming out in theaters November 26th:  AUSTRALIA.

According to the synopsis:

“AUSTRALIA is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in this country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat (NICOLE KIDMAN) travels to the faraway continent where she meets a rough-hewn local (HUGH JACKMAN) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbour. With his new film, director Baz Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvas, creating a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.”

It should be interesting to see how Lurhmann does with such dark subject matter as the bombing of Darwin.  I loved STRICTLY BALLROOM (quite twisted, yet touching), but MOULIN ROUGE! didn’t quite hit the mark and both were musicals, not large-scale dramas.  (I only saw a little of ROMEO+JULIET – I’m not a huge Leonardo diCaprio fan.)

Russell Crowe was to be in AUSTRALIA originally, but the part went instead to Hugh Jackman.  Rounding out the main cast are Bryan Brown, David Wenham, Essie Davis, and Jack Thompson.

“Lose yourself in the movie, find yourself in Australia…”  (Tagline from the movie)

One of these days I’ve just got to visit that country and see it for myself.  Films just aren’t enough…

Technorati Tags: Australia, Darwin, Hugh Jackman, MOVIES, Nicole Kidman, Outback