Aussie films in competition for 2nd AACTA awards revealed

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts has unveiled the 23 feature films in competition for the 2nd AACTA Awards, set to be handed out in Sydney early 2013. It’s worth noting that the below titles are merely eligible, and a few obvious ones aren’t likely to make their way into the Best Feature category. Sorry Iron […]

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Waking nightmare – Sleeping Beauty review

Sleeping Beauty – Starring Emily Browning, Rachael Blake and Peter Carroll. Directed by Julia Leigh. Rated MA. Originally published June 8, 2011. By Simon Miraudo. I remember seeing a production of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days with my high school drama class. For those unfamiliar with the play, it features a woman trapped in a mound […]

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A crowning achievement – Animal Kingdom review

Animal Kingdom – Starring James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn and Jackie Weaver. Directed by David Michôd. Rated MA. Originally published May 25, 2010. By Simon Miraudo. For anyone who still thinks Australia only produces boring films about the outback, Animal Kingdom should come as a welcome gunshot to the head. Here is a crime drama that […]

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Made in Australia – Mary and Max review

Mary and Max – Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette and Barry Humphries. Directed by Adam Elliot. Rated PG. Originally published April 14, 2009. By Simon Miraudo. In honour of Australia Day, I am republishing the review for my favourite Aussie film of the last 12 months, Mary and Max. The universe that is inhabited […]

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Ozploitation Classics! Not Quite Hollywood’s A Hit

The new Aussie documentary Not Quite Hollywood has been a huge success at home and abroad, even making waves at the Toronto Film Festival. The doco looks at the influence of the Australian genre films of the seventies and eighties. Not Quite Hollywood is a celebration of the blood-soaked, drug-fuelled, high-octane, sharp-toothed, nude, crude and […]

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