Animal Kingdom is basically your typical crime drama. A newcomer comes into the “family” and is forced to respond – accept or reject what those around him are doing. On the surface this is exactly what David Michôd’s crime film is, but at the same time it is a gross understatement. Animal Kingdom is an excellent crime drama that stays within its genre, but tells its story very well.

The film begins with J (James Frecheville) moving in with his grandmom (Jacki Weaver) after his mother’s death. He shortly realizes why his mom kept him away from her family. J’s uncles are all deep in the criminal underworld; Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a dealer while Baz (Joel Edgerton), Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), and Darren (Luke Ford) specialize in armed robbery. Pope is on the run, and isn’t around much, while Baz is slowing trying to make himself into a legitimate business man. Unwittingly, J is sucked into this world of crime, and soon has two cops (Guy Pearce and Anthony Hayes) trying to get him to testify against his family.

Animal Kingdom looks great; the cinematography and production value are magnificent, especially taking into consideration the film’s relatively low budget. The soundtrack is also excellent, combining some original music such as the opening sequence, and familiar bands like Air Supply.

However, where the film really succeeds is in the characters. With little exposition, we meet every member of the family and quickly learn their part in the family. The story is written in such a skillful way that we are shown, not told, who all these people are. This allows the story to unfold unhindered by background information. However, these characters that drive the story would be nothing without fantastic performances from the entire cast. Every major player is backed by a good to great performance.

Another interesting thing about this movie is the violence. For a film about organized crime, there is very little actual violence. Yes, people are killed, but the movie purposefully holds back from copious fighting in order to keep the effect the same. When someone is murdered in this story, it means something. This is the opposite of the gratuitous violence seen in many recent films (which can be used to good effect if done right) and is a breath of fresh air.

So the story unfolds as an interesting crime drama. The bulk of the film is nothing new to any experienced filmgoer, but the audience is invested in the characters, so we go with them through their tale. If the audience didn’t buy into these characters, the story would have no weight. And, wow, does the end of the movie really resonate. After being what I considered the antithesis to The Godfather, in terms of message, the story is turned on its head and the protagonist is forced to make a choice. I was at first a little disappointed, but then the final moments of the film really bring the story to its logical, satisfying conclusion.

In the end, the themes are what matter. Animal Kingdom is a story that explores family loyalty, revenge, and the consequences of your actions. J is thrust into a very difficult situation and must make a place for himself in the “Animal Kingdom” of the Melbourne underworld.

Animal Kingdom surprised me. I had never heard of the film before I sat down to watch it, and I love going into a movie cold like that. Especially when you don’t know what to expect and a film pleasantly surprises you. Even if you have high expectations, this movie will not dissappoint. It is an excellent film, and while it is not an action-packed summer blockbuster, its a traditional crime drama that has emotional weight and should not be passed over.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock during 2009, you know the economic situation in the world is not the best. The film industry is now feeling the effects of the global economic crisis, particularly as the U.S. dollar continues to lose value against other currencies.

This situation has forced Warner Bros. Pictures to pull out of filming Green Lantern in Australia, since the current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Australian dollar would increase production costs by over $20 million. Warner Bros. will likely move production, which is set to start in November, closer to home, shooting in either Canada or Mexico.

The unfortunate but necessary move by Warner Bros. comes as a stark contrast to the release of Where the Wild Things Are, which was filmed in Australia. The film could have easily stirred interest in using Australia as a filming location, but the financial issue faced by Warner Bros. will no doubt deter other studios from shooting in Australia.

The Australian film industry is clearly prepared to deal with the the economic problems that might keep studios from working in Australia, as they’ve already created the “Make it in Australia” campaign in L.A. to promote Australia as a film location.

Although Warner Bros. has pulled Green Lantern from production in Australia, the company is still backing two animated films currently in production in Sydney.

Main Feature

I really wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this film. On one hand I’m a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s previous work especially Strictly Ballroom which I found so refreshing all those years ago and still do. On the other hand I’m not a fan of Nicole Kidman’s acting and from early interviews I couldn’t avoid feeling that Luhrmann was trying too hard to create an epic and to me this spelled disaster.

The mixed expectations I had were further confused by the fact that I wasn’t sure what kind of film it would be and so didn’t know how to approach it. I am certain some of you may dislike the idea of genres and the rules and boundaries which come as part of the deal but they can provide a helpful route into a film. I was pretty sure there’d be no Sci-Fi elements although part of me did hope that Hugh Jackman would be running around putting wrongs to right with the help of some Adamantium claws. As it turns out this is very much a film in the Western genre complete with elements of action, adventure, romance, and occasional comedy, all wrapped up in a World War II setting. Simple.

It struck me that I’ve seen Kidman in a carbon copy of this role many years ago. An upper class woman sets off on a huge adventure, finds herself in an unusual environment which she must come to terms with, and predictably falls for the rough and ready man she thought she had nothing in common with. That film is Ron Howard’s Far and Away. I have been critical of Kidman’s acting style for many years as I often find that she over-plays her lines in an Oscar-friendly fashion but I might have to re-evaluate her previous roles as she really impressed me in this film. Perhaps Kidman requires a great Director to get the most out of her because for me her two previous best performances are in To Die For and Eyes Wide Shut directed by Van Sant and Kubrick respectively.

Hugh Jackman’s performance in this film also surprised me because I now realise he has proper leading man credentials in an old fashioned Hollywood sense. I’d be surprised if his character wasn’t intentionally modelled on the lone hero archetype made famous by Clint Eastwood and he certainly shares a similar on-screen presence to the great man. Brandon Walters, who plays the “half-caste” Nullah, put in a great performance I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in future.

Something I found interesting in this film is that while it has an important message, relating to the problems the Aborigines had to face, about treating everyone as equals, that was largely pushed to one side in favour of the romantic element. I certainly don’t think the director and writers intentionally ignored that part of the story, as the treatment of the Aborigines is shown to be abhorrent, but it wasn’t the “Baz Luhrmann’s Gandhi” I half expected to see. References to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ aren’t exactly hidden as one scene involves Nullah actually watching the film and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is heavily featured throughout. Some may dislike the overuse of such references but I prefer to see this as Luhrmann’s way of telling the audience that the film is supposed to be over-the-top and fantastical.

Extras

There are just two small deleted scenes which is surprising as anyone with experience in the editing room will know that, no matter the length of the final cut, the clips left on the cutting room floor will always be substantial. It’s understandable that both these scenes were omitted as “what about the drove?” repeats the ‘I am as capable as any man’ statement found elsewhere and “angry staff serve dinner” is out of touch with the rest of the film.

“Australia: The people, the history, the location” is a short documentary in which Luhrmann touches on the amount of research he conducted and describes the importance of using story-telling techniques whilst maintaining historical accuracy.

“Behind the Scenes” is is a documentary broken into different sections, photography, production design, costume design, locations, cinematography, sound, editing, music, and visual effects. I found myself frustrated at needless fluff from Luhrmann and his wife and the fact that neither seem able to display modesty when the camera is on them. This puts Luhrmann in direct contrast to a Director such as Sam Raimi who takes pleasure in disclosing how he manages to create something magical from something basic. I enjoyed this more in the later stages, especially the sections on editing, music, and visual effects, and it’s certainly a good watch if you’re interested in how the film was made.

No Director’s Commentary. This is a huge surprise but having listened to the Director in “behind the scenes” I’m almost thankful to avoid sitting through 165 minutes of Lurhmann telling the world how incredible every one of his thoughts are.

Summary

There are some great performances in this film and Luhrmann and his crew did a fantastic job in recreating this turbulent period in Australian history. Despite the lightweight extras, and the bizarre lack of commentary, Australia’s rich landscape is certainly worthy of appearing on the Blu-ray format. Having said this I can’t help thinking that some extras and the commentary have been held back for the future release of a “super special ultimate edition” and that idea bothers me. I think anyone who approaches this film with an open mind will be pleasantly surprised but they may, just as I did, expect more from this Blu-ray release.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The folks over at a German forum have a ton of “Quantum of Solace” photos. It only fits to have them here also. With the news of a move to Nov 14th, being pushed one week from the original 7th, it seems it shouldn’t make much difference. This movie looks to rock once again!

In this new slot the James Bond flick will now open the same weekend as Baz Luhrmann’s epic “Australia”. Looks like despite the Harry Potter move to Summer of ’09, this Fall is still shaping up to be pretty eventful.

James Bond in his latest adventure, “Quantum of Solace” opens November 14th 08. Check out the source link above for even more Bond goodness.