Perhaps it's the season, perhaps the gloomy outlook on America's future (and the world's too, but we're supposed to win), but it's times like this that I look forward to a big, epic cinema production whose ultimate goal is to come close to Gone With the Wind in scope. You may not like Gone, but you'd be hard pressed to come up with something that can topple it.
Enter Australia. Please, please be an epic movie. The movie posters were promising two hours of conquering and conquered, armies and technological changes, and some love and loss. But these previews seem to be all love and loss between the two main characters! No, I want this to be like a James Michener book (he wrote Tales of the South Pacific), whose big-scope works knew no bounds.
Hawaii - about Hawaii
The Source - about the history of the Jewish People
The Covenant - about the history of South Africa
Poland - History of Poland
Texas - History of Texas
The Drifters - Sweeping novel about hippies in Europe
Most of his books were bestsellers, some for a really long time. James Michener makes other authors look like wieners. Some author will sit on TV saying, "oh, you know, I was always curious about the Cold War." Well, James Michener would probably start a book on the cold war in 10400 B.C. when the Bering Strait had an ice bridge on it.
What is this season's Apocalypto? I want it to start at the Big Bang and explain it to me in narrative form!
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4 comments:
If this movie wasn't directed by Baz Luhrmann I would be ready for a let down, but I mean this is the man who gave us a singing Ewan McGregor so I trust his judgment. And not that this movie will be completely historically accurate (they didn't have Botox back then) but I have no idea what Australia went through in WWII so it will be interesting to learn about that. Also, it doesn't have teenage vampires in it so that's a plus right there!
I must admit that I couldn't bring myself to see Moulin Rouge. Singing in movies scares me, though in my old(er) age I'm warming up to it.
Historical Accuracy can always be sacrificed for the big screen, I just wanted something more like a Michener book (as you can see, I connected the general title to Michener's habit of naming books by just their general location, "Hawaii, S. Pacific, Alaska."
Perhaps this movie will be able to sit on the same shelf as "Last Emporer"? I just hope it's several video boxes away from "Titanic" or "Dances with Wolves." (the former much worse than the latter, or most movies, for that matter).
Moulin Rouge was great and Ewan McGregor has a great voice. I don't like musicals either, but it was better in this context because they were putting on a musical in the movie, so it made more sense that they would break into song. Plus, Ewan can sing to me anytime he wants.
I hope that Australia is on the same shelf as Indochine. And you're right, far away from Titanic. As far as I know Celine isn't on this soundtrack.
Indochine! Yes, if it can reach that movie it will do quite well. I enjoyed Indochine on many levels.
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