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STAR WARS REVIEW
Our film critic enjoyed Episode I, can't wait to see it again, but still had problems with the way the movie failed to adequately cover the fear/security, good/evil dichotomy: resulting in a film that could have been much better if it developed these boundaries more effectively.
Read the preliminary Star Wars review here
Read Anthony Lane's review for the New Yorker magazine
The Mighty review, 10 Things I Hate About You review.
Hours to Star Wars Premiere
Thousands of Sydneysiders are set to flock movie theatres at Midnight on THursday 3 June 1999 for the first Australian screenings of the first episode of Star Wars. The film, which has grossed 200 million US dollars in the USA (after only 13 days), has been critically panned by most reviewers. However, this is a tradition that has followed all Star Wars film and the true test of the movies strength will be assessed when "ordinary" people see the film. A group of 20 will be heading for cinema 12 at GU Liverpool for the event, where the movie will be watched in the Senstadium cinema - which should feature the new EX sound format (though not sure if it is pure Dolby or Dolby compatible). Episode I is also probably the last Star Wars movie that Australians will see tax free, so it is a cause of celebration for many viewers.
DR EVIL RULES!
Dr Evil's plan should be to make a silly film that makes "1 billion dollars" world wide by the end of its cinematic, television and video run. "Similarly, in David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, each time the protagonist travels in time, he reduplicates himself. Eventually this results in a large group of identical men who find each other to be ideal lovers." From Constance Penley, Time Travel, Primal Scene and the Critical Dystopia. Mike Meyers demonstrates prodigious knowledge of films and film theory and puts some of it to use in this film. Perhaps Penley isn't so mad when she talks about primal scene in time travel films. |
Austin Powers II is yet another classic film, combining the dumbest humour with an obviously rich understanding of film history and paradox while simultaneously sending it up in a very unique way. Mike Meyers has created two brilliant characters - but by far the best of the two is Dr Evil. He is perhaps the best evil character of any film ever - and because he is a send up. His whole operandum relies on the narrative problems with the "evil" characters in bond (and other) films (and i suspect, Inspector Gadget's Claw comes to mind). From the opening song - which is hilarious in that it not only sends up the typical Bond song, but also in the character it focusses on (usually, bond songs focus on none other than its title character) - the movie has this "fun" feel that is immediately accessable to everyone in the audience. It is humour at its broadest and smartest. I feel as though Meyers has read many of the readings in the film course I've done. If you've read the Constance Penley article on Time Travel films, you'll know what I mean (actually, there was a scene cut out of the film which echoes and makes fun of the movies the article comments on). Also its references to Freudian theory (primal phantasy, phallic references - especially its use in film, is exaggerated) is acknowledged at the end. But irrespective of its intellectual content, the movie is just funny. Austin's phrases I can hear a million times, and Dr Evil can not set a foot wrong. The whole relation with the son is really well done - and then there's Mini Me and the big joke on Jerry McGuire - no one will watch that film again without laughing (if people ever did take the Mcguire phrase seriously). The inversion of the "100 Billion Dollars" joke is also a highlight. And leaving the best until last - Heather Graham (or Rollergirl). The drool-o-meter is on maximum here and Austin's reactions are not funny because they're spot on. I mean, it's like 3D watching her. Cleverly, she plays her role straight because in the 60s, Austin wasn't wierd. 85/100 |
AUSTIN POWERS BOOMS
Austin Powers broke almost as many records in one weekend than Star Wars when it came to the biggest popularity test, The Box Office. With box office analysts saying that talk of a 50 US million plus opening weekend was ridiculous, this 35 million dollar film grossed 54.7 million US dollars in one weekend. To put this figure into some perspective - only two movies have had stronger Friday to Sunday weekends - The Lost World and Star Wars. This is the first comedy to ever gross above 40 million, let alone 50 million dollars. And the original Austin Powers film made 53.9 million dollars in its original release. The incredible opening figures will be seriously studied by the studios to see how they can replicate the success. The first thing to note is the brilliant advertising campaign. Using the hype around Star Wars Episode I as a positive, there have been some really creative commercials that didn't have to tell you the whole story, but just to tell you that Austin Powers was coming (advertising costs offset by corporate sponsors). The second thing to note is that while the original made 53.9 million at the movies, it made 44 million through video release. The success of the original as people began to catch on to the phenomena of silliness assured many people that the second would be good. I mean, even if they do variations on the "1 million dollar" routine and the "shh" routine, they have my money (and from specials, I know they do). There is something inherently intelligent behind the stupidity - but nevertheless it is the stupidity that is extremely funny. I never thought that the humour would have such broad appeal because when I watched it at the movies I thought there was something wrong with me laughing at the silliest of dialogue. But the movie itself is based on parodying recognisable Bond movies and Mike Meyers is a very intelligent comic. Similar figures should greet its arrival in Australia. So look out for a box office take of 4-5 million dollars in its first week.
MEG LEES BETRAYS FEMINISTS
Condoms to be 10% taxed while The Pill is tax free
Women's groups
have expressed their outrage over the "extra burden"
that is to be placed on them due to the tax package, which will
make the pill relatively cheaper than condoms. One woman the
Australian Voice spoke to commented: "after
years of trying to get my boyfriend to wear a condom - now
there'll be a real reason for him to say 'the pill is enough you
stupid crack-whore'." Democrats
leader Meg Lees however said that her inclusion of Condoms as a
GST was "environmentally sound":
"After years of innocent fish being choked on spent
condoms being flushed down toilets, we felt that it was about
time that we should put a tax on it. According to our estimates,
the amount of waste that these condoms cause will be
significantly reduced. Women take the pill anyway, so why should
men who don't wish to wear them, be forced to wear them. HIV is
after all, a treatable disease with the new drugs cocktail -
which I'm proud to say, will be GST free under the Medicare
scheme. With our package, we have ensured that people who don't
want to have sex in relationships are not burdened. Panadol will
be tax-free - so cost effectively, claiming a headache as an
excuse for no sex will be cheaper than having sex with a condom.
But if you don't use a Condom and have the missus on the pill,
then it is more cost effective to get your 20 seconds worth. But
don't smoke after the sex because then it would've been cheaper
to claim a headache."
This fairly complicated state of affairs has left the Democrat leadership under intense pressure, especially after Monday night's chicken debacle. President of the WAWA's femi-nazi wing said: "This package disempowers women. It is the patriarchal male dominated system at its best. It even gets a woman, Meg Lees, to sign up on a package that disempowers us by forcing the burden of birth control up to us. Burning my bra isn't enough of a protest and I don't wear any underwear, so I might have to shave my armpits as a sign of my disgust for this monumental mistake."
The Democrats, still reeling from a protest from its most loyal support groups - students, over its broken tax promise on books - has said that it has not "joined the bastards" in breaking the book tax promise, but that the promise, while broken has been made up to the book industry through "special assistance programs". Now that the feminist and environmental movements are abandoning the Democrats, it seems as though the only people voting for them at the moment are the Senators themselves (and even that appears shakyl).
IS OUR AV FILM CRITIC UP TO SCRATCH?
We at the Australian Voice like to maintain a high quality in reporting. An essential feature of this site has been film criticism. While we believe in the reporters, from our music editor to language editor, we often feel a need to get a third party assessment on the skill of reportage. So we entered our reviewer into a third year film theory course at Macquarie University. As part of the university course on film ideas, our reviewer was commissioned to write five 250-300 word critiques on five films of his choice. The small word limit was put in place to ensure a succinct but effective summary of one particular concept. The comments on the five pieces by Dr. Murphie were:
These are excellent pieces of film writing which demonstrate a good working knowledge of concepts and perhaps more importantly, a great and very detailed understanding of how the films are working as films. You are also very good at clearly outlining the paradoxes in these films (as in the not so postmodern postmodern film or in the organisation of the abjection in SPR). 27/30 (90%).
You can read these five film critiques below:
Pleasantville - a not so
postmodern film
Control and the Matrix,
The Ice Storm and
Corruption
The Symphonic Score and "The Force" in
Star Wars - Ben's theme analysed
The Abject in Saving Private Ryan
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN TORN APART by WILLIAM GOLDMAN
Neil McJizz on Brett Hall's reprehensible e-mails
MUST SEE: AMERICAN HISTORY X
This is perhaps one of the most powerful films you'll see this year. It is an unflinching look into contemporary America. By focussing on the history of a Neo-Nazi, it alludes to the history of race relations and ideologies in the United States, locates the origins of racism and is unafraid to present racist rhetoric in an unsanitized way. The film has the best acting performance I've seen for years. Edward Norton holds the film together in a role which demands a complex portrayal. We understand how someone so intelligent can subscribe to fascist dialogue. When you see Norton's excellent roles in Primal Fear, as a bumbling lawyer in Larry Flynt and then in "Everyone Says I Love You", you'll know that here is an outstanding actor. Not only should Norton have won the Best Actor award, but Edward Furlong who plays his brother should have been nominated for a supporting oscar.
The movie is highly disturbing because we know that there is a truth to it - we know that some of the thoughts these characters have are in the back of our heads - we know that we too have behaved like this towards our indigenous people. Finally, the film is powerful in that its context today has proven to be so amazingly accurate - The shootings in Columbine allow us too see how humans can stoop so low. I don't want to analyze it too much yet, because it will give away the story. One more thing - the director Tony Kaye wanted his name taken off this movie because he claims Norton re-edited parts of it. Well, in all fairness to Kaye, what this movie constructs is brilliant - the imagery in parts comes close to matching that of Spielberg's and his photography is brilliant. The artistic line between advertising and art no longer exists - Kaye has shown us that an advertiser can produce a profound work of art. If more people watched movies like this, maybe we'd not only get better movies, but we'd have a better society.
A rare Pearl Jam CD reviewed by our travelling music critic
