Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 12 Dec 2013 - 05:49
The year of Baggins, Potter and Spider-Man also had a wealth of lesser-known movies. Here’s our pick of 2002's underappreciated films...
At the top of the box office tree, 2002 was dominated by fantasy and special effects. Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers made almost a billion dollars all by itself, with Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets taking second place and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man not too far behind.
In many ways, 2002 set the tempo for the Hollywood blockbuster landscape, which has changed relatively little in the decade since. A quick look at 2013‘s top 10, for example, reveals a markedly similar mix of superhero movies, with Iron Man 3 still ruling the roost at the time of writing, followed by effects-heavy action flicks and family-friendly animated features.
As usual in these lists, we're looking...
The year of Baggins, Potter and Spider-Man also had a wealth of lesser-known movies. Here’s our pick of 2002's underappreciated films...
At the top of the box office tree, 2002 was dominated by fantasy and special effects. Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers made almost a billion dollars all by itself, with Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets taking second place and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man not too far behind.
In many ways, 2002 set the tempo for the Hollywood blockbuster landscape, which has changed relatively little in the decade since. A quick look at 2013‘s top 10, for example, reveals a markedly similar mix of superhero movies, with Iron Man 3 still ruling the roost at the time of writing, followed by effects-heavy action flicks and family-friendly animated features.
As usual in these lists, we're looking...
- 12/11/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Happy Australia Day! Yes today is the official day of celebration for our cousins Down Under as they remember the First Fleet (11 British ships) that arrived in New South Wales back in 1788. It’s an official public holiday complete with an address from the Prime Minister and so we thought we’d commemorate it here at Boxwish. But where to start with Oz’s rich and varied cinematic legacy? By doffing our cap to the many Australian stars that populate Hollywood such as Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts and Eric Bana to name but a small sample? Or the directors such as Baz Luhrmann, Peter Weir and George Miller? Nope, we’re getting merry with three Aussie-produced movies that each captures a different aspect of the country.
Australia… goes on a road trip
Buckle up; it’s going to be a camp ride with 1994’s The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.
Australia… goes on a road trip
Buckle up; it’s going to be a camp ride with 1994’s The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.
- 1/26/2009
- Boxwish.com
Rabbit-Proof Fence
"Rabbit-Proof Fence", from Australian director Phillip Noyce, tackles the issues of Aboriginal Australia head-on. Discussions rage here about the so-called "Stolen Generation" -- a cohort of Aboriginal Australians taken by the government from their families, "for their own good," to be integrated into white society through work as household domestics -- and the government's debt of apology to them. With this film, Noyce has walked into the middle of the fray; using his gifts as a creator of expertly crafted, highly accomplished commercial successes, he has made a movie as exciting and accessible as it is timely.
In Australia, films about the indigenous experience have an unfortunate track record of not communicating on a large scale with local audiences. Although such films as "Dead Heart", "Serenades" and "Yolngu Boy" often strike a chord with critics and art house audiences, recognition on a wider scale is usually lacking. That trend is about to get turned on its head.
Molly, Daisy and Gracie (played by extraordinary new finds Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury and Laura Monaghan, respectively) are Aboriginal girls who feel the sting of governmental interference when torn from their mother and sent to live at a remote mission. Here they will be taught the ways of white Christian Australia and how to work for upper-class families as domestics.
But the fiercely independent Molly is sickened by the repressive mission. She grabs Daisy and Gracie, and the three make their escape. Trailing the enormous rabbit-proof fence (built to save Australia from a crippling rabbit plague) that cuts across the nation, the girls begin a 1,500-mile journey home, pursued by authorities and the chief protector of Aborigines, Mr. A.O. Neville (played superbly by Kenneth Branagh, who adds depth and texture to a role that easily could have become a demonized stereotype).
Although it is a film steeped in politics, one of the finest aspects of "Fence" is its universality. This is a movie about innocence subsumed by outside forces and essentially children in danger, making it a visceral, instantly engrossing film that works from an emotional, rather than dryly intellectual, base.
Noyce puts you inside the plight of his central protagonists, taking the audience on an adrenalized ride that totally skirts the potential preaching a subject like this could have inspired.
Tightly made and richly rewarding (and to be distributed in America by Miramax, which excels with this kind of product), expect "Fence" to cross over to a mainstream audience. This is a powerful film that speaks in universal terms about an important issue while going straight for the heart.
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
Miramax
Hanway and the Australian Film Corp.
A Rumbalara Films & Olsen Levy production
Producers: John Winter, Phillip Noyce, Christine Olsen
Director: Phillip Noyce
Executive producers: David Elfick, Jeremy Thomas, Kathleen McLaughlin
Screenwriter: Christine Olsen
Based on the book "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence" by: Doris Pilkington Garimara
Director of photography: Christopher Doyle
Production designer/costume designer: Roger Ford
Editors: John Scott, Veronika Jenet
Color/stereo
Cast:
Molly: Everlyn Sampi
Daisy: Tianna Sansbury
Gracie: Laura Monaghan
Mr. A.O. Neville: Kenneth Branagh
Moodoo: David Gulpilil
Maude: Ningali Lawford
Mavis: Deborah Mailman
Constable Riggs: Jason Clarke
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In Australia, films about the indigenous experience have an unfortunate track record of not communicating on a large scale with local audiences. Although such films as "Dead Heart", "Serenades" and "Yolngu Boy" often strike a chord with critics and art house audiences, recognition on a wider scale is usually lacking. That trend is about to get turned on its head.
Molly, Daisy and Gracie (played by extraordinary new finds Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury and Laura Monaghan, respectively) are Aboriginal girls who feel the sting of governmental interference when torn from their mother and sent to live at a remote mission. Here they will be taught the ways of white Christian Australia and how to work for upper-class families as domestics.
But the fiercely independent Molly is sickened by the repressive mission. She grabs Daisy and Gracie, and the three make their escape. Trailing the enormous rabbit-proof fence (built to save Australia from a crippling rabbit plague) that cuts across the nation, the girls begin a 1,500-mile journey home, pursued by authorities and the chief protector of Aborigines, Mr. A.O. Neville (played superbly by Kenneth Branagh, who adds depth and texture to a role that easily could have become a demonized stereotype).
Although it is a film steeped in politics, one of the finest aspects of "Fence" is its universality. This is a movie about innocence subsumed by outside forces and essentially children in danger, making it a visceral, instantly engrossing film that works from an emotional, rather than dryly intellectual, base.
Noyce puts you inside the plight of his central protagonists, taking the audience on an adrenalized ride that totally skirts the potential preaching a subject like this could have inspired.
Tightly made and richly rewarding (and to be distributed in America by Miramax, which excels with this kind of product), expect "Fence" to cross over to a mainstream audience. This is a powerful film that speaks in universal terms about an important issue while going straight for the heart.
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
Miramax
Hanway and the Australian Film Corp.
A Rumbalara Films & Olsen Levy production
Producers: John Winter, Phillip Noyce, Christine Olsen
Director: Phillip Noyce
Executive producers: David Elfick, Jeremy Thomas, Kathleen McLaughlin
Screenwriter: Christine Olsen
Based on the book "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence" by: Doris Pilkington Garimara
Director of photography: Christopher Doyle
Production designer/costume designer: Roger Ford
Editors: John Scott, Veronika Jenet
Color/stereo
Cast:
Molly: Everlyn Sampi
Daisy: Tianna Sansbury
Gracie: Laura Monaghan
Mr. A.O. Neville: Kenneth Branagh
Moodoo: David Gulpilil
Maude: Ningali Lawford
Mavis: Deborah Mailman
Constable Riggs: Jason Clarke
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/21/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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