AUSTRALIAN
VOICE
CHICKA'S SET TO BE NEW PREMIER
If Bob Carr wins the next election, then he would have performed a miracle greater than Paul Keating's 1993 GST victory. The impossibility of such a task has been made greater with the leadership coup that saw Peter Collins replaced by Chickas. Chickas, in contrast to (how we perceive) Peter Collins, has a warm personality and is a consumate media performer. Of course, that skill will be tested as opposition leader, but I think that she will pass. Bob Carr's administration has been hit very hard by one disaster after another - in spite of this, they are admittedly running the state very well, with the budget near to balanced in spite of the hundreds of millions being poured into Olympic development. Carr's administration however, is masterful at political manipulation - there is rarely a day where Bob Carr isn't in the six o clock news. They craft their media releases very carefully, and often take advantage of slow news days. Peter Collins was way too low profile, and his one liners always lacked the skill and dextirity of those Bob Carr came up with as opposition leader. Chickas, with her media flair, and I think popularity within the media, is most likely to beat Carr at his own game. Another thing she has in her favour is that she is a woman, and will automatically be seen as more caring and compassionate in the eyes of the electorate. Coupled with the electoral redistribution, which effectively means that the Labor party not only has to keep all the votes it got last time around BUT GET EVEN MORE this time, I think I can confidently predict that we will have a Chicka as premier come March 1999.
BABE II LACKS THE ORIGINAL'S MASTERPIECE FEEL
I was really looking forward to watching Babe II. Babe was a great movie, and had much to offer beyond its apparently simplistic storylines. The revolution in animatronics meant that the characters came to life for the duration of the film. Babe II is similarly well done on the technical aspect, but I felt the story line was not as smooth as the original, and that often the message was overstated. Babe II is not really a "feel good" film - the original was masterful from beginning to end, and the ending was extremely well done. This film is dark all the way through, with a few funny moments - but there is an underlying sadness throughout the entire film - in fact, I'm sure it makes many of the audience members feel downright guilty - and Australians hate to feel guilty (need I say Aborigines), therefore it won't be successful here. Now, I am not criticising the dark storylines - indeed, I think it's excellent that there was such a departure from the original - however, it is the way the movie is put together that lacks the cohesion and integrity of the first. That is the criticism. The city Miller has created is excellent - and the surrealistic quality of the city is well done and well exploited. All in all, Babe II will leave almost everyone disappointed - because it is almost impossible to match a classic like Babe. However, that I was not angered with the remake - and actually happy with much of the work here shows that it all wasn't a waste of time.
70/100
MASK OF ZORRO - Cliched fun
I had my cliche book out for this one. Opening on December 26, I got to see the Mask of Zorro on a giant screen at Hoyts Wetherill Park. The picture quality on this screen was awesome - Was it the print - or the fact that since the place was new, their projection was at its peak. Sword fighting is very hard to film in a good way - you have to build tension by changing from close shots to wider shots - and the rhythm of the cutting must also be in line with the rhythm of the music. Sword fighting hasn't featured that much in films (Under Siege use kinves - a more contemporary and realistic use of modern weapons) - and often it seems wierd that they use swords, when guns are readily available. The Mask of Zorro is set in the 1800s USA, where gun technology was obviously bad, and hence sword fighting could be used. The plot, I won't even go into because it has been done many times in other films. The music I found was at times annoying because, lets face it, James Horner seems incapable of getting away from those Titanic sounds that he used in Deep Impact and now this film. Someone tell him the meaning of originality. This contrasted to the spanish feel of other parts of the score - as if he was writing in Titanic mode, and then inserting original and interesting music. There's one part where the sword fighting works in tandem with the background music and that scene is shot very well. The sword fights in this film were all executed very well, though not as well as in the classic "Adventures of Robin Hood". Caterina Zetta Jones, the lead female in this film has a great presence on the screen and adds much to the film even though her character is really a cardboard cutout. Sir Anthony Hopkins redeems his character. He can turn any role into a fine performance. Antonio Banderas as the new Zorro executes his role well enough. However, maybe I've seen too many of these types of movies - but I felt like this was so familiar that a great cast couldn't get around it. I don't see why it got such high praise when it is just an above average movie, filled with those cliches that make what could have been an excellent film into something less than that.
68/100
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Just added to my film review section is my take on Antz, The Truman Show, Small Soldiers, Hana Bi, Elizabeth, Can't Hardly Wait, There's Something About Mary, and Mulan. Laszlo Virag reviews BLACK ROCK exclusively for the Australian Voice
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Index: The Truman Show. Essay on Spielberg and Cameron's Titanic,etc.
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PAULINE HANSON: FIGHTING FOR AUSTRALIA
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