Are Australians really as kooky as some movies make them out to be? OMG. This movie, Muriel's Wedding, Simply Ballroom...they always seem so over the top.
That's a very nice hat you're wearing...& I don't mean that in an Eddie Haskell kind of way.
Someone once told me that Australians are just Americans drunk.
shareim australian and yes, movies make us seem way over the top, how movies portray us is nothing like what its really like here.
shareI once saw a show I think it was on Animal Planet where in Australia you have fruit spiders the size of soft balls with giant fangs which still gives me the willies. But hey they aren't poisonous!
shareIt's blown out of proportion. Some Australian's have never even seen a kangaroo, and spiders like that are only common in rural / outback areas of the country. "Shrimp on the barbie" is virtually unheard of, I've never heard a single Australian speak of it. If we have a barbecue, we don't cook "shrimp". Also, our behaviour really isn't over the top. It's just the way we are portrayed in some films - a stereotype.
There are a lot of quirky indie American films that portray American's as being whackier than usual, too.
i agree, we are most certainly blow out of proportion.
However i have seen many kangaroos in my time - unless you live in the centre of the main cities, you're bound to see one at some point. Spiders, i have never seen a massive poisonous one that the other poster spoke about, the only ones i come across in Adelaide are huntsmans, red backs and occasionally trap door spiders.
Most Australians live in big cities and work in offices, shops and factories.
The Outback is mostly large properties for farming and grazing, most of which is done mechanically as it is in most developed countries.
Exactly. Very few people live in the outback. The country is highly urbanised.
shareI bet that someone was an Australian. Aussies worship the US and Americans and the number one goal of every Aussie I ever met was to get a green card! It's just freaky and I never understood why Aussies hate being Australian so much and why oh _why_ do they want to be American??? Of all the things they could be, why that?
shareWell I am an Aussie and I can tell you from experience that I for one have never wanted to be an American. I've got nothing against Americans, but I love being an Aussie. I travelled the world in 1988 and spent a little time in the US. It was interesting, but it was at the tail end of a complete 3 month around the world tour and I was exhausted of the travel. I couldn't wait to get home. I've never travelled out of Australia since, and I never want to. I think the only Aussies you must know are actors. There are quite a few Aussie actors that would prefer to live their lives in America as there isn't a great deal of choice when it comes to acting down here. But no Aussies I know (and I've lived here 53 years) have a yearning to live in the US.
sharePlease keep in mind dude who you are replying to thinks he has the inside 'scoop' on every single Aussie in the country. Be careful or he'll say you're lying about being Aussie...you must really be an American pretending to be an Aussie since you have contradicted his idiocy that 'all Aussies want to be Americans' lol 'You can't possibly be an Aussie because you love Australia, therefore, you are impersonating an American.' Shocked that he hasn't trolled your comment yet as he did me on another thread. Indeed all the Aussies I've met during my trips downunder love their country. They have nothing against Americans and like visiting at times but not all of them 'want greencards' or wish they were Americans. When contradicted his illogical nonsense, he resorts to being a baby about things and constantly strawmans.
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
Well I am an Aussie and I can tell you from experience that I for one have never wanted to be an American.And fair enough, I have no problem with that. What I was saying is most of the Australians I knew and spoke with while I was there expressed a desire to live and work in the US and get a green card.
I've got nothing against Americans, but I love being an Aussie.That's great to hear.
I travelled the world in 1988 and spent a little time in the US. It was interesting, but it was at the tail end of a complete 3 month around the world tour and I was exhausted of the travel. I couldn't wait to get home.I'm really not surprised. The US can be kind of hard to take at the best of times and I'd hate to be a frazzled tourist in Times Square on a Friday night!
I've never travelled out of Australia since, and I never want to.Australia is an amazing place and I saw so little of it. I hope you get around and don't stop ever.
I think the only Aussies you must know are actors. There are quite a few Aussie actors that would prefer to live their lives in America as there isn't a great deal of choice when it comes to acting down here. But no Aussies I know (and I've lived here 53 years) have a yearning to live in the US.Sure I know a lot of Aussie ators and yeah they are desperately determined to reinvent themselves as American, but most of the Aussies I knew when I was there were not actors and an awful lot of them too wanted to become American. That just seemed strange because why would an Aussie want to be someone else? What's so wrong with being Australian? That whole "convict past" and hats with corks thing can't really be gnawing away on Aussie nerves so much that lots of you want to be _not_ Australian right?
You mean you're not going to accuse her of really being an American? Surprising since you love to do that. We all know you've got a real 'line' on Aussies and seem to know all of them and what they think and how they hate their own culture. Surprising that you've not accused this poster of being a liar since she contradicted your statements.
"Sure I know a lot of Aussie ators and yeah they are desperately determined to reinvent themselves as American, but most of the Aussies I knew when I was there were not actors and an awful lot of them too wanted to become American."
Right. You know a lot of Aussie actors...NOT.
"I don't pretend to know why it is."
You shouldn't pretend to know anything but you do a whole lot of it, based on what you SAY is your experience....lol
Oh wait, let me edit this so you won't think I'm really an Aussie in disguise...ha ha ha ha
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
You mean you're not going to accuse her of really being an American? Surprising since you love to do that.Huh? I've called you out as an Australian pretending to be American. That's it. It has nothing to do with anyone else.
We all know you've got a real 'line' on Aussies and seem to know all of them and what they think and how they hate their own culture.If you're going to attempt to use an American phrase in order to seem American you first ought to find out what it means, because using it wrong makes you look even less American than you already did before.
Surprising that you've not accused this poster of being a liar since she contradicted your statements.So far all she's done is very respectfully share an opposing opinion. I don't have a problem with that. It's only when certain people become slobbering anger balls because I don't share their opinion that I stand up and fight back.
Right. You know a lot of Aussie actors...NOT. You shouldn't pretend to know anything but you do a whole lot of it, based on what you SAY is your experience....lolI knew some Aussie actors in LA before I relocated to Sydney where I worked out of the Fox Lot. So it's only natural that I met a ton of Aussie actors there too. A couple years later I realized I hated the movie business with every fiber of my being and I left.
Oh wait, let me edit this so you won't think I'm really an Aussie in disguise...ha ha ha haHere's an idea. Read your post _before_ you hit reply. That way you won't have to go back and edit give away spellings and such.
Right more delusional posts from you. You are a a riot! Keep it up loser!
I called you out for the liar you are...."I know lots of Aussie actors and they wanted to be American actors"...ha ha ha....Sure, sure, whatever you say. lol
Here's an idea. Get up out of your armchair in your parent's basement, get in your car and drive to your local psychiatric facility, check in and make sure you get a psychiatrist who will continue to give you more shock treatments. Maybe that will knock some reality into you....ha ha ha...
I'll just sit here thinking of more American phrases to throw you off the track...ha ha ha...Continue taking your Prozac....ha ha ha...wait I forgot, I'm Alice Campion...ha ha ha...you caught me...
No wait, I forgot, I'm Jane Campion's lover....oops sorry I forgot about that.
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
Yeesh, way to prove me right on all counts.
share...you reply six months later...wow you're really on the ball...
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
You're not a priority.
shareThen why are you bothering at all dimwit?
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
Oh, I didn't realize I was bothering you.
sharelol You're not. I'm just certain you must be bored in order to pick this up from six months ago.
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
And here you are.
shareYes here I am, replying to you...
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
Yep here you are still desperately determined to defend Jane Campion from any criticism come what may.
It's really freaky.
Yep and here you are desperately wanting to get something started. Go ahead slam Campion. I know you want to. You are bored. Take your best shot.
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
I already posted my opinion (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144715/board/nest/195053204?d=222251082#222251082) but you just can't let it go because you think you have to have the last word always if anyone has dared to point out any of the deficiencies of Jane Campion.
Maybe it's time you developed some maturity and learn that _nobody_ is perfect, including Campion no matter how much you tell yourself otherwise.
Now this is where you come back with 'BLAH BLAH BLAH RAGE RAGE RAGE' and accuse me of stringing out the thread even though it's you who just can't stop replying.
See I told you that you wanted to slam Campion and I was right. Funny how you want me to use maturity and then go on to use phrases like 'blah blah blah rage rage rage'. Right. I'M the one who needs to develop maturity. lol
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
See you see what you wanna see which in this case is you wanna see people slamming Jane Campion so you can try to slam them. Because I get a feeling for you it's all about slamming people and nothing else.
If you can't see I nowhere slammed Campion you're even dumber than you seem. I slammed you not Campion, so you either are her or you think you are.
My OP was about how Aussies love to believe they are really Americans. That triggered your tantrum because you as an Aussie hate the idea that you aren't American and you hate that Americans barely know your country even exists and how Aussies and Americans are totally different people and cultures and can never be one and the same like you fantasize.
That's what caused you to go nuts. Not a slam against Campion because there is no slam against Campion in this discussion. But you are so hysterically neurotic you hope to see anti Campion slams everywhere you look.
You're a freak and need help.
I'm not an Aussie....again you are bored and just want to argue. lol...
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
Oh so besides having a meltdown any time you think someone may have criticized any tiny thing Campion's ever done, you just deliberately choose to spell and punctuate like an Aussie and misapply common Americanisms as if they are foreign to you?
Sure.
The rest of us never have to go back and edit our posts to take the u's out of words. Maybe you "fancy" doing that?
Whatever you say. Keep going. You are bored and making up stuff in your head. It's hilarious.
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014... a tremendously great and talented actor.
lol You should see Bad Boy Bubby, Campion's film Sweetie, and Love Serenade if you want more bent Aussie films.
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
Meh. Bad Boy Bubby and Sweetie are way too self consciously 'alternative' for their own good. They are 'try hard' movies as Aussies would say. RdH goes for a 'Hey, look how shocking and unpleasant I can be' thing, while Jane Campion says 'I have zero idea what I'm doing but you have to pretend it's art, or else'.
Campion in particular has always been incredibly overrated imho. She gets cut the kind of slack by critics that other filmmakers would kill for but rarely get. Her movies are just not very good. It's almost as if critics are _afraid_ to be truly critical in their reviews. I always sense them on the brink of saying what they really feel about her work but then they back off at the last moment. You can almost smell their nervous sweat. Very, very strange stuff.
Shirley Barrett's Love Serenade was pretty cool although it kind of ran out of steam toward the end. The story didn't quite have the legs but it's pretty entertaining overall. Miranda Otto is always good for a laugh, I like her a lot, even when she's not at her best. LS is not as funny as The Castle but it has a better developed and handled story. The Castle's third act is pretty weak but it's a damn funny screenplay and the actors were great. A totally hokey ending but the rest saved it from failure.
I think the cinematography for Sweetie alone would be justification to see it regardless of content. Of course it's an 'alternative' film as it's not a big budget film. I don't believe Jane Campion has a 'zero idea' of what she's doing. Yes she was young when this film was made but apparently there were others who felt she knew exactly what she was wanting to do on film. It's not surprising she did a film like Sweetie that was experimental because she was fresh out of film school in Australia that was conservative. As far as your opinion that she gets slack from the critics, I think you're totally wrong there. She got a LOT of flack for In The Cut and mediocre reviews for a couple of her other films so no, critics ARE NOT afraid to give her a bad review. I only hear comments like that made about filmmakers who happen to be female. I wonder why that is? I can't name one male director who is referred to in such a manner. Yes her films are different and some are better than others but I enjoy her 'strange' vision and adore The Piano and Angel at My Table the best.
Yes Bad Boy Bubby is a shocking film and not for everyone. As you said Love Serenade is not a perfect film. For me, none of the above detracts from the enjoyment of these films. Not exactly sure what sort of films you like but apparently Australian films are not to your liking so perhaps you should just avoid them altogether - and in particular, any films where women are involved in the filmmaking process because you appear to be biast in that area in reference to your comments here as well as previous posts you have made.
I think you missed the point of my post though and that was 'bent films' that are Aussie. These are still strange indie films that are worth viewing, in my opinion.
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
I just said I liked The Castle and Love Serenade. Dunno what more you expect from me on that.
And no way is Jane Campion the _only_ director who gets unwarranted slack from critics and it's definitely not just because she's female. That may be a factor for some but mainly it's because she's not some white bread US director.
Sweetie should have been nailed to the wall. Good cinematography can't make up for a weak everything else. Maybe it was because she was some film school grad n00bie that she got a pass but I think it's more because she's not out of Tisch or CalArts. Being Australian is almost like being bulletproof as far as US critics are concerned. I guess the fear is they will get labeled as Yankee imperialists if they dare criticize an Aussie.
Bad Boy Bubby is a terrible movie. Yeah I've heard all the pretentious artists arguments for it being a searing insight into blah blah blah but it's just an exercise in shock. Kind of an arthouse Human Centipede. Funny how the same people who crucify one exploitation piece will also defend another.
Anyhow, I love good Aussie movies but then I like movies from all over.
I wasn't critical of your statements in reference to Love Serenade - you said it 'ran out of steam' near the end and the only thing I said was like you said, it's not a perfect film.
I don't agree that Sweetie was a weak film. I think it's a strange film and not for everyone but I still think it's a good film. How is being an Aussie filmmaker 'bulletproof' from anything? I don't think all critics have given Aussies some sort of 'free pass' into crappy filmmaking.
I never said Bad Boy Bubby was a 'good movie'. I simply stated there were several other films that were 'bent' Aussie films and that it also is not for all tastes. In fact, that's what my post was about 'bent' or strange Aussie films and then you jumped in and gave your critique of them. Taste in film, like other things, is subjective.
I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.
Fair enough.
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