Opinion

• Who’s afraid of Australian films?

  Hi in craft, but low in content, South Solitary is perfect for those who prize art for its own sake and a perfect example of why the rest of Australia is afraid of Australian films.

  The Sydney Morning Herald won’t be getting a Christmas card from director Shirley Barrett. Read more »

• So bad it’s bad

  Last night’s premiere of Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Arctic Blast left us cold, but probably not in the way the filmmakers intended.

  Isn’t the charm of ‘bad movies’ the fact that those making them were being absolutely serious and failed miserably? Isn’t a cult movie something that stands out from the crowd and has a special, almost undefinable quality that connects with a very specific, adoring audience? However, deliberately trying to make a ‘bad movie’ (or a B-movie, as many would rather label certain filmic abominations), is a recipe for disaster. Read more »

• Recalcitrant Australia

  Australians are notoriously recalcitrant when it comes to seeing Australian films. They need to be told not just that the film is good, but that it is exceptional.

  Animal Kingdom director David Michôd opens his heart to New York’s The Village Voice prior to the August 13 US release of the film. Read more »

• Applicants or supplicants?

  In Australia, there is a lingering perception that the arts are an optional extra rather than an essential component of a contemporary nation, with tangible economic and social benefits. This perception casts artists as applicants and supplicants rather than as serious contributors to national wellbeing.

  Julianne Schultz on Australia’s cultural global presence (or lack thereof). Read more »

• Not much new on news channel

  I hope the ABC moves quickly to freshen up the promos for the new service [...] For the Homer Simpson “Doh” award, I nominate the line: “The best thing about 24-hour news is that things happen when they’re not expected.” Hey, who would have thought it?

  Mark Day on the launch of the ABC News 24 channel

• Who’s the dummy?

  Australia is definitely a country where you are going to have problems shooting if you have not played by all the rules. I remember I wanted to do a shot of a man jumping off the Sydney Bridge and I was told I was out of my mind.

  Indian filmmaker Vikram Bhatt complains about Australia. Read more »

• Grass is always greener

  [NZ director Vincent Ward] will “probably” move to Australia after the Film Commission failed to even read three film proposals he submitted last year [...] Jackson’s report did not touch on problems established film-makers face.

  TVNZ on life after the NZFC review.

• Classifications offer no guidance

  As [The Karate Kid] demonstrates, movie classifications are highly porous. One man’s playful slap can be another man’s vicious assault.

  The Sydney Morning Herald on film classification controversies.

  Are these discussions placing all responsibility on the Classification Board instead of the parents? Read more »

• It’s only a cinema

  These are commercial decisions for us, there’s no emotion or drama in this. For God’s sake, it’s only a cinema.

  President of the Greek Orthodox Community, Harry Danalis, on the closing of Sydney’s Academy Twin cinemas.

• Bob Ellis’ Rough Cut: An excellent Syd Film Fest

  We are forbidden urination after a three-hour film and herded bursting out into the rain and pushed in front of speeding traffic by big Tongan guardians of the Red Carpet while inside, in the ever-gorgeous art-deco foyer, barmen and pie vendors gazed on its lovely emptiness planning their bankruptcies and other careers and cursing, like all of us, the Clare Stewart Effect on world cinema. Read more »