http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/cinema/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-famished-misguided-connected-or-unsettled/ It’s a jungle in there -the cinema, I mean. If only going to the movie of your refined choice involved nothing more than buying a ticket, taking your chair and letting the good times roll. If only. No, the cinema is a volatile habitat where all kinds of wildlife are on the prowl to make your big-screen experience seem all the smaller. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-famished-misguided-connected-or-unsettled/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-you-famished-misguided-connected-or-unsettled/#item6780 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-turn-a-profit-from-aussie-film-flops/ We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-turn-a-profit-from-aussie-film-flops/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-turn-a-profit-from-aussie-film-flops/#item6234 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-actors-unite-we-grew-here-you-flew-here/ Imagine if the construction workers union, the CFMEU, issued a statement calling for Maoris and Islanders to be banned from working in the building industry. Or if the white-collar Australian Services Union demanded an end to all those pesky Indians stealing our jobs in IT. They would be howled down as racist protectionists, accused of taking the nation back to the dark days of the White Australia Policy, offending the principles of inclusion and diversity by denying people from other countries a chance to settle and work here. It might be 2011 but the actors and journalists’ union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, has this week launched a campaign which is the artistic equivalent of legislating to keep the kanaks off the canefields in the early 20th century. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-actors-unite-we-grew-here-you-flew-here/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-actors-unite-we-grew-here-you-flew-here/#item6165 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Vale-Bill-Hunter-the-voice-and-face-of-Aussie-cinema/ The great Australian actor Bill Hunter has died in a Melbourne hospice, aged 71. Hunter had inoperable cancer. Film studies teacher Richard Smith celebrates his life work and legacy. A friend and I once had a joke about Bill Hunter: that he was the Gerard Depardieu of Australian Cinema. This meant that he was in everything and that he could do anything. He did not seem to change much from one appearance to the next, but he seemed to be so naturally right for the roles: Think of the difference between his role in the BHP ads and his role as Bill Heslop in Muriel’s Wedding, one the voice of The Big Australian, the other the patriarch of little Australia. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Vale-Bill-Hunter-the-voice-and-face-of-Aussie-cinema/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Vale-Bill-Hunter-the-voice-and-face-of-Aussie-cinema/#item5878 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cinema-culture-without-the-boring-bits/ The queue of mature cinema-goers that snaked its way on Saturday night from the local art house cinema, and halfway out of the shopping complex that houses it, looked more like something you would expect at a summer rock festival than in the leafy private school belt. (Here’s a cinema interview that the 40 plus types will like) But people will queue - because in the 40+ market, the cinema seems to have triumphed.  This particular venue has refined its product to the point where the mirrors in the bathroom don’t show anything below the bosom, and the lights Photoshop you in a flattering 40w - which is ideal for any middle-aged viewer as she mulls over what to select at the candy bar. Not so long ago, the potential supremacy of the cinema as a leisure activity was undermined by the absence of alcohol.  But this hurdle has now been overcome - with the double-edged result that you can experience the tension in your bladder rise in tandem with the tension in the plot. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cinema-culture-without-the-boring-bits/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cinema-culture-without-the-boring-bits/#item5452 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confession-movie-rage-made-me-assault-a-stranger/ It’s not hard to become a serial offender. It’s much harder to avoid becoming one. It’s hardest of all when your offence – serial, nearly serial, or otherwise – is Movie Rage. This is a seriously under-studied syndrome suffered by usually polite and self-effacing people who go to the movies to see a film. Not to have lunch, morning or afternoon tea. To see a film. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confession-movie-rage-made-me-assault-a-stranger/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confession-movie-rage-made-me-assault-a-stranger/#item4842 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/triumph-of-the-geek-in-an-assault-on-the-frontal-lobe/ If the nastiness of this election is getting you down, perhaps it’s time to take a break. If you want to forget that Mark Latham even exists, it’s probably time to open your brain to the full-frontal lobe sensory assault that is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It’s hyperreality stretched to the limit, an ADHD teen-nerd rom-com packed with Atari-style graphics, manga and anime. And you’ll either love it or want to chew your own eyes out. The plot, adapted from a comic book series, is ludicrous: Scott Pilgrim – played by quintessential geek Michael Cera – meets the girl of his dreams, but in order to date her, he must first defeat her seven evil exes in battles that make The Matrix look like Raging Bull. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/triumph-of-the-geek-in-an-assault-on-the-frontal-lobe/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/triumph-of-the-geek-in-an-assault-on-the-frontal-lobe/#item3803 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/plenty-of-romance-pity-about-the-comedy/ Rove sidekick Peter Helliar’s debut film is out today and whoever cut the trailer has seriously let the side down. Actually scratch that… there are two possibilities here. Whoever cut the trailer either A) didn’t know what they were doing or B) didn’t have much to work with. Helliar’s film, I Love You Too, is an Australian-set romantic comedy templated on glossy US romantic comedies. All the moving parts are there: the goofball best friend (Helliar), the unobtainable beauty (Megan Gale) and a novel challenge for the central couple to overcome – he can’t say ‘I love you’. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/plenty-of-romance-pity-about-the-comedy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/plenty-of-romance-pity-about-the-comedy/#item3020 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/three-dimensional-films-a-one-dimensional-rip-off/ If you don’t want to be ripped off this weekend, don’t watch Clash of the Titans or Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Both films were shot ‘flat’ – two-dimensionally – and converted to 3D after the fact, an unsatisfactory process known as ‘up-conversion’ or ‘dimensionalising’. If you’ve already watched Alice or Titans in 3D – and paid the premium 3D ticket price for the experience, thank you very much – you’ll know what I’m talking about. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/three-dimensional-films-a-one-dimensional-rip-off/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/three-dimensional-films-a-one-dimensional-rip-off/#item2801 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/strike-me-pink-its-the-crap-oz-cinema-drinking-game/ There is movement at the police station, for the word has passed around, that there won’t be any piss on Australia Day. While we’re hardly about to dip our toes back into the dry waters of prohibition on Fair Dinkum Day, the NSW police appear to be flying in the face of our deep seated tradition of inebriation, seeking to ban take-away sales of any beer worth bottling and proposing some sort of two can limit, as if the boundary at the SCG now stretched past Broken Hill. And while one of our many national shames is indeed the battle of the binge, for me the only thing worse than our inability to keep our elbows from bending is our inability to make a film that looks like it hasn’t just fallen from a blue cattle dog’s bumhole. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/strike-me-pink-its-the-crap-oz-cinema-drinking-game/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/strike-me-pink-its-the-crap-oz-cinema-drinking-game/#item2172 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 We’ve all read the headlines: “A disastrous weekend at the box office as Australian films fail dismally”. The idea we don’t like our own movies has become so prevalent it was the subject of a panel discussion at the recent Mumbrella360 conference.  Despite being an advertising nerd who’s never marketed a film in my life, I found myself sitting beside film-makers, an executive from Screen Australia, and a distributor, discussing the topic “What needs to be done to persuade Australian filmgoers to watch Australian films?”