Australia

Hooray! I have one week left until my due date! I am so thrilled. But, I will probably make a separate post tomorrow after my doctor's visit.

I thought I would review the movie "Australia" as requested in the comments section of my last post by Cristin.

First of all, I am a big Baz Luhrmann fan! I have the 3-movie set of "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo & Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge." This is his 4th film. He his an Australian director and certainly has his own style. I have talked to people who were very disturbed by the flashing colors and quick camera movements. I have noticed that with each of his movies that the first ~20 minutes are very fast paced and border on silly. But soon after the story and tone settles in and the movies are in fact FANTASTIC.

I love that they filmed "Australia" in Australia, with Australian actors and actresses (even though Nicole Kidman played a Bristish woman). Hugh Jackman (was super hot) used his original accent.

The storyline was semi-complex (the movie's official website describes 8 themes of Australia), but I felt as though each plot line was dealt with individually so as to not leave anything unresolved. The story follows a historical look at WWII and its effects on Australia, aboriginal-white mixed children were being taken away, and then there is the personal story of Nicole Kidman's character discovering that her husband's cattle ranch was being "devoured" by thieves and the competing cattle ranch. Hugh Jackman plays a "drover."

"drover" n. One that drives cattle or sheep

He helps our British lady save her deceased-husband's ranch. On her ranch lives an aborignee family that works on the ranch, which includes a mixed aboriginal-white child that is supposed to be taken to live in a government-run community for these children (basically to "civilize" them, and eventually breed the black out of them).

See? Semi-complex...but I was very captivated. Now, the movie is 165 min (2 hours 45 min.) long and about 2 hours into the movie a major plot line had been resolved. Matt and I both thought that the movie could have ended at this point. It isn't that we were ready for the movie to be over, it just seemed like the movie had come to a point that things seemed to be resolved and it seemed like a good time to end the movie. But, not so. The movie took some time divulging all the details of this final plot line, but once it got into it it became very intense.

My dad said that one review described the movie as "tedious." I think that this might have something to do with this awkward transition in the movie, as well as the theme of music in the movie. The child in the movie uses music in his life...but he only sings two songs 1. a traditional aboriginal song, and 2. "Over the Rainbow." But it was all very touching to me.

Ok, so before I narrate the whole movie to you, let me give you my opinion and final review. The movie is great, the look of the movie and the scenery of Australia was beautiful, the history of Austalia during WWII was very interesting, and in the end Baz Lurhmann did not let me down. There was a lot of emotion in this movie and very important issues discussed. I will give this movie an A-/B+. Go in with some patience to get past the fast-paced beginning, and again to get through the transition from major plot line to final resolution, and there you go...a great movie!