Picnic at Hanging Rock

Australian movies are depressing

/ Vanessa / 2 Comments

Prior to any vacation I like to buff up on the more critically acclaimed movies of the country I’m visiting. Before going to Italy, I obviously had to dive into some Fellini. So naturally before going to Australia I thought it would be fitting to watch a bunch of the movies from down under. I watched the following movies:

There is a reason why Crocodile Dundee is probably the only one you’ve seen. The Dish and Kenny also didn’t make me want to blow my brains out. So based on my quick calculations, 80% of Australian movies are bleak as f*ck. They will weigh you down with a black despondency. Why do we exist on this godforsaken planet anyway? Of course I suppose Aussies can simply run out and go surfing on a pristine beach in the glorious sunshine after they watch these movies. I have to look outside at the gray Seattle skyline and ask myself, in utter despair, “My God WHY?”

I talked to a few Australians about this while I was there. Some even said they refuse to watch Australian movies for this very reason.

Feel similarly? Have more depressing movies to add to my list? Comment below!

This week’s movies: April 27-May 2

/ Vanessa / Leave a comment

Batteries Not Included

Netflix Summary: After their apartment building is bought by an unscrupulous developer, Frank and Faye Riley (real-life couple Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy) face eviction. But the poor retirees receive help from an unlikely source: a clan of tiny robotic aliens.

★★★ One of my favorite quotes from this movie is when the girlfriend of one of the main characters storms out of his apartment and yells “This is the 80s Mason, nobody likes reality anymore!” And indeed fans of reality will not enjoy this movie, which is about magical robots that want to fix everyone’s problems. I watched it as a kid though so there is a warm spot in my heart for the kind of cheese in this movie. Definitely no E.T., but Spielberg manages to make aliens heartwarming again.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Netflix Summary: To celebrate Valentine’s Day, teachers at a boarding school take a group of students on an outing to the mysterious Hanging Rock. Soon after their arrival, the headmistress and three girls go exploring and mysteriously disappear.

★★★★ Very much the Australian version of A Passage to India, in my opinion. The idea of the void consuming people. Like most famous Australian movies, it’s a bit of a downer, but worth it.

Stand By Me

Netflix Summary: Four boys seek adventure and heroism in the Oregon woods with their search for a missing teen’s dead body in the 1950s. What they uncover about themselves along the way, however, means even more.

★★★ I assume my rating for this movie would be much higher if I’d grown up with it. It does pretty well as far as coming-of-age movies go. Reminded me of The Sandlot. A much much darker version of The Sandlot.

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

Netflix Summary: Trace the fascinating lives of New Zealand’s provocative music and comedy duo Jools and Linda Topp through this enjoyable documentary, which details the lesbian twins’ rural upbringing, political activism and immense popularity at home and abroad. Featuring hilarious interviews with several of the sisters’ most outrageous alter egos, this joyous celebration also includes brilliant insights into New Zealand’s history.

★★★ I’ve never heard of the Topp Twins but I stumbled across this movie in a search for New Zealand films prior to a trip to New Zealand and Australia (also why I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock). I always love a good documentary and the Topp Twins does not fail.