Out of Australia

So, I saw Australia--it may even be the last film I see this year and despite some of the dire to mediocre reviews I quite enjoyed it. Yes, cliches abound and yes, Baz seems to think it's Gone with the Wind meets Out of Africa (though it doesn't quite end up like Pearl Harbor, not least because the Yanks don't rewrite history), and yes, it's really long--almost unnecessarily so given that it's really at least two films in one. 

I still liked it, though, and not just because of the amount of time Hugh Jackman has his top off, gets into fights and droves, even if he acts in that really toolly "I am free; I need no one" Robert Redford kind of way for at least part of the film. The music was good, there was some cute dialogue (even if Nicole Kidman and/or her character often irritated me), the actor who played the kid at the centre of the plot was really good and even though it was a long film and the pacing seemed to be a little screwy, I wasn't bored and nor did either of my parents fall asleep (which is usually a sign of a decent movie). It was also pretty handy having French subtitles because these big, manly Aussie drovers do tend to mumble.

This doesn't mean I'm going to be renting Moulin Rouge, by any means--I still haven't seen that and don't intend to (I was too young to know better when Romeo and Juliet came out).