miriam_e: from my drawing MoonGirl (Default)
miriam_e ([personal profile] miriam_e) wrote2005-04-23 02:45 pm
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The Extra

Saw the new Jimeoin movie called "The Extra" yesterday. I enjoyed it, though Margaret didn't much. The film is a black comedy about the making of a film which is a black comedy about an insignificant guy in the big city, about an insignificant guy in the big city, starring Jimeoin himself. (And no, that isn't a typing mistake.)

I thought it was quite neat and downright hilarious at points. It had some quite refreshing twists. Margaret said she didn't like it because it was "amateurish", but I think that really means "didn't have US accents or expensive special effects and was filmed in Melbourne".

I don't know how many people think like Margaret, but I suspect a lot do. In that case we in the Australian arts are sunk before we begin because the public have been so deeply preconditioned by the US industry that only good imitations can be accepted. But of course that denies any real chance of succeeding by doing stuff relevant to local culture. Bugger!
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[identity profile] hestia.livejournal.com 2005-04-23 10:48 am (UTC)(link)
I pretty sure you're right about the definition of "amateurish". It's what we've become conditioned to expect because of all the US media we get. Unfortunately there's a factor called "economies of scale" which means it costs a lot less to make movies or TV shows to the same standard of glamour in the US because they do so much of it. They can safely buy in bulk and do very efficient deals over any aspect. They don't have to worry about transport costs like we have to here either, because so much is based in LA.

[identity profile] usuakari.livejournal.com 2005-04-23 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Jimeoin's never been my favourite comic, but I like Australian movies. And some of the funniest have been shot in and around Melbourne (The Castle, Crackerjack, and Bad Eggs spring to mind, as does Spotswood).

If it helps Margaret, you can tell her that 'real' films are made here too. [livejournal.com profile] tooticky spent half a day with a film crew doing repeated takes of Susan Sarandon running up and down stairs and sneaking around in her museum, and I had to take a different route to work the other night because Nicholas Cage was busy being Ghostrider on a bridge over the Yarra. ;(
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