2&frac12 Australian Movies

Last weekend, I managed to watch 2½ Australian movies: Lanatana, Ned Kelly, and Rabbit-Proof Fence. It's 2½ because I drifted to sleep in the middle of Rabbit-Proof Fence, when the kids ran away from the centre, and they were being chased by the tracker. Yeah, that's probably the most exciting part, but you don't argue with sleep.

The first time I heard of Lantana was during the 1st Australian Festival in Manila last September, where it was the launching film. Other films include Amy, Bootmen, Children of the Revolution, The Dish, Floating Life, Hotel Sorrento, Innocence, Kiss or Kill, La Spagnola, Looking for Alibrandi, The Magic Pudding, The Man Who Sued God, Mullet, My Mother Frank, Radiance, Siam Sunset, Thank God He Met Lizzie, The Sum of Us, Two Hands, The Wog Boy, Yolngu Boy, etc. Since Cine Europa was also on at that time, I only managed to catch La Spagnola and The Wog Boy. It's a good thing Bootmen, The Dish, and The Man Who Sued God came out on TV.

Lantana's pace is slow, but the acting is top-notch. You get lots of extended shots, but they're filled with tension and emotion. Not a second wasted. As for Ned Kelly, the movie reminded me of Braveheart, although this one's Irish and the other one's Scottish. A friend is a BIG fan of Heath Ledger. After watching A Knight's Tale and 10 Things I Hate about You, I can't see what she's gushing about. Let's just say he redeemed himself in Ned Kelly.