Davo66 Reviews

Blood and Thunder: The Sound of Alberts (2015)

Its a long way to the top if you want to Rock & Roll

[9/10 · 10 July 2020]

One of the music industries unsung hero's, Australian music mogul, Ted Albert of his family record company of the same name, Albert Productions silently shines in this 2 part documentary.

With the help of the musical prodigies of the Young family and "Uncle" Harry Vanda, Ted Albert helps create the raw australian guitar sound that took over the world.

AC/DC, The Angels, Rose Tattoo had their live raw guitar energy camptured by Vanda & Youngs on vinyl. Their sound went on to inspire a whole new genre of bands like Guns & Roses, Foo Figters, Nirvana, Def Leppard.

This documentary also shows how important touring small intimate pub venues where to giving Australia its unique sound.

Ted Albert, Vanda & Young also understood that it was the punters who khow where the next big hits really are and what is going to be the next big sound.

While this documentary does not give a complete picture of what makes Australian music unique, it comes pretty darn close.

The Narrows (2008)

7 out of 10

[7/10 · 31 October 2009]

I am not sure if this movie is worth the 8.1 out of 10 it's currently rated at, but its definitely worth a 6 or 7.

This movie takes a long time to get going and doesn't really hit its stride until the last third of the movie.

Vincent D'Onofrio was brilliant in this, Titus Welliver also puts in a good performance, its worth watching this movie just for those two performances alone.

Both of their characters add a little bit of an unexpected twist to the story which makes the payoff of sitting through the whole movie worthwhile.

The Proposition (2005)

After a Long Drought, the Bad Aussie Movie Dry spell is finally over

[10/10 · 8 October 2005]

Finally an Australian movie that audiences can relate to and enjoy.

After several years of misfires at the cinemas with Australian movies that were either just plain bad (Deck Dogz is a prime example) or when they have been good just plain inaccessible to mainstream audiences (Somersault, well done but a very bleak and empty movie)an Australian Movie comes along that has actually blown my socks off.

The Proposition is pure Cinema at its best, with Cinematography that makes the outback look like a living Hell during the day and Heaven on Earth at Night, Location Sets, Costumes and Props that are so Historically accurate you get a true understanding of what British settlers really had to face when settling in a Hostile New Land. Direction, Script, and Performances so taut and tight that each scene will resonate in your memory long after you have left the cinema.

Its not hard to see why Master Actors like John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, and, David Wenham put up with 55degree Celsius (131degrees Fahrenheit) weather on a Daily Basis without complaining once to the Producers or Crew when they were involved in one of the greatest movies that any of them would have done in recent memory.

This is a movie that has to be seen on the Big Screen of a Cinema to be truly appreciated for its scope and cinematography.

Without a doubt this movie will be nominated for many Academy Awards and will win at least one.

Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)

One of the best Low Budget Movies of all time

[10/10 · 7 October 2005]

And not only that this movie is based on a true story as well.

The Movie uses a prison near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory as its location but the story itself is sourced from the US.

The script is loosely based on events witnessed by whistleblower and former U.S. Prison Guard, David Hale.

The Score which was composed by "Nick Cave & The Bad Seed members", Blixa Bargeld, Mick Harvey and Nick Cave, is quite haunting and disturbing and sets the right tone for the movie.

What makes this movie so disturbingly realistic is the fact that this movie only has 6 Professional performers in it, the rest are played by real ex-cons, guards, cops, etc. The Eric Bana movie Chopper also used real criminals/ex cons in its movie to great effect and Ghosts was the inspiration for Choppers Director to use this technique.

Ghosts is one of those rare movies that has never ever gotten the widespread acclaim that it deserves and continues to be a movie that is becoming increasingly hard to get.

Hopefully the latest Nick Cave/John Hilcoat project, "the Proposition", will change all of that and we will see it finally start to find the audience it truly deserves.

While this movie is very hard to find in video stores (even in Australia) it is most definitely worth trying to track down. And if you collect DVD's it is a must have for your collection and worth getting or importing from EzyDVD or DVDorchard.

Luther (2003)

Don't be fooled by an undeserved high rating

[1/10 · 23 July 2005]

This would have to be the worst piece of historical drama I have ever seen and is totally undeserving of the 7.3 rating out of 10 it has received.

I thought with such a fine cast this would be a great movie but it is let down by very poor production values (I didn't know they could keep their clothes and skin so clean in the 16th century), very poorly written script and extremely sloppy direction and editing.

Being of Lutheran descent I thought this movie would be great to see at the cinema, I am so glad I didn't go to see it there and got it out on DVD instead, its not worth the money

The 7.1 out of 10 given for this movie is not accurate because most Lutherans are aware of this movie and would rate it highly no matter how bad this movie was simply because the subject matter is Lutheran, most of the votes this movie has received has been by biased Lutheran voters.

16 Years of Alcohol (2003)

Don't Bother seeing this load of tripe

[1/10 · 10 June 2005]

As others have pointed out this movie is a load of pretentious drivel for the mindless or masochists.

We all know after seeing trainspotting and acid house that Scotland is one of the most depressing places in the first world. But unlike trainspotting and acid house without a good dose of humour or gritty realism movies like this do not work. And even more importantly without a decent script a movie will not work and there is nothing new, inspiring or thought provoking about the script for this movie.

The fact that this movie won a couple of Bafta's shows how bad the British film industry is at the moment. I thought the Aussie movie industry was pretty bad at the moment but unfortunately the British industry is even worse.

This movie is so bad I wouldn't even bother renting it from the weeklies section.

Do yourself a favour and give this movie a wide berth.

One Night the Moon (2001)

One word, "Brilliant"

[10/10 · 7 May 2005]

Let me get one thing straight before I start; I CANT STAND OPERA!!!!! BUT I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!! A lot of people have stated that this movie is done in an Operatic style, while this is true the music used is not operatic in form, it is an absolutely gorgeous mix of Folk and Country music.

Those outside of Australia and New Zealand who absolutely enjoyed the style of music in this movie should know that Paul Kelly is the best Folk Singer ever in Australian history, which is the main reason why he pulls off the lead role so well. And Kelton Pell who plays the Aboriginal Tracker sings country music in the same soulful style as other accomplished Aboriginal Country artists like Archie Roach. If many Americans think Keith Urban is the best Australian Country Music Artist they have heard they should listen to some Aboriginal Country music, it is so magical and moving that it blows artists like Urban away.

While a lot of people have made mention of how great the score of this movie is (and believe me it is brilliant) the visuals that accompany the score are just as beautiful and haunting.

Unfortunately this movie never got that much of a wide release and deserves so much more than the paltry handful of votes that it has got.

I own this movie on DVD and it has an excellent 5.1 mix with the best center channel mixing I have ever heard, Paul Kelly's and Kelton Pell's vocals seem to be booming out of the TV screen.

If you only hire or buy one Movie this year make it this one and if you find it hard to find don't give up searching for it you will be rewarded handsomely if you do.

The Boys (1998)

The most powerful Aussie crime flick that I have ever seen

[10/10 · 5 April 2005]

This movie is the most powerful piece of cinema to come out of Australia and the performances by all actors, and in particular David Wenham and Toni Colletter where incredible.

It is in the same league as Romper Stomper, and, Chopper, but with better acting.

This film was never intended to be a documentary or to be an insight into the criminal mind and those who have reviewed it as such have totally missed the point. This is a movie about smalltime criminals that pulls no punches and tells it as it is and doesn't try to glorify these characters unlike the sort of movies you see coming out of Hollywood that are from the same genre.

If you are looking for a "moral" to the story, or to learn some "facts" about the criminal world you may be disappointed with this film.

But if you like intensely realistic plot lines and powerful acting performances then you will find "The Boys" to be one of those movies that you must add to your DVD library.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Jack Black is the turning point

[6/10 · 5 April 2005]

I nearly turned this DVD off a couple of times but since it got a 6 out of 10 rating on IMDb I decided to see if it would improve, and sure enough it did.

After sitting through the first half of the movie, Jack Black finally appeared and the movie as a whole improved for the better from that scene onwards.

I never heard of the other actors in this movie except for Christina Applegate, Vince Vaughn, and Ben Stiller, but despite this I found that the other supporting actors did a great job.

Christina Applegate's character was an excellent foil for Will Ferrel's character and Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn's cameo performances where excellent.

I have never been disappointed by a Will Ferrel movie and this one was no exception.

Be Cool (2005)

As Good as Get Shorty

[10/10 · 31 March 2005]

As Good as Get Shorty, if not better.

If you like complicated, intelligent plot twists, a dry sense of humour and the prequel Get Shorty you will love this movie.

If you have the intelligence of a 12 year old, need a very simple plot to follow a movie then you will hate this movie, perhaps you should see something like "Without a Paddle".

I wont put any spoilers in here unlike a lot of other reviewers, but I will say that the Rock had a much more substantial role than I thought, I was pleasantly surprised to see Harvey Keitel play a pivotal role and Uma Thurman was the sexiest I have seen her in a long time.

Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (2004 TV Movie)

As good as his performance in Ray

[10/10 · 18 March 2005]

I saw this movie after seeing Jamie perform in Colatteral and RAY.

I didn't think much of his performance in Colatteral maybe because the script that he was working with didn't give him much to work with.

But after seeing Ray and then this movie I would have to say that Jamie is the best actor in Hollywood at portraying real life characters.

This movie is educational without being preachy which is difficult considering the subject matter and is a testament to the skill of the lead actors, Jamie Foxx and Lynn Whitfield.

This is a movie you must see.

I gave this movie a 10 out of 10 rating

Reign: The Conqueror (1997–2000)

Slow to get going but very well done

[10/10 · 8 March 2005]

The English Title of this movie is Reign: The Conqueror

Reign: the Conqeror would have to be the most interesting take I have ever seen on this Historical Figure.

Like Berserk, each episode starts with a voice over introducing the "philosophy" behind that episode and it also has a great Theme song and Score composed by Techno legend Dj Milky.

The creators of Reign took a different approach to handling their version of Alexandar the Great and chose a Sci-Fi/Fantasy approach to the movie. The scriptwriters also weaved in real life characters like Aristotle, Ptolemy, Olympia, Plato etc into the storyline quite well and the script is a thousand times better than the one used by Oliver Stone for his live action version.

While I cannot vouch for the Japanese version I can say that the English version was very well done and thoroughly enjoyable.

If you like movies that are strong on both Fact and Fantasy and that are backed up with a strong plot then you will love this anime.

Mullet (2001)

Good movie but not the best

[7/10 · 28 April 2003]

Good movie but not the sort of movie that stands up to a second viewing.

I saw this movie when it was first released theatrically in Australia and this is one of those movies that comes across much better on the big screen than it does on the small screen. This is not one that is worth owning on DVD/Video, but definitely worth renting if purely for its worth as an accurate depiction of lower middle class rural australia, and the typical dysfunctions that occur in Australian family life.

The Bank (2001)

Brilliant Movie. Won best screenplay at the AFI.

[10/10 · 28 April 2003]

Brilliant Movie. Won best screenplay at the Australian Film Institute awards in 2001 and was nominated for another 9 AFI awards.

From the opening credit sequence reminscent of the work done by Graphic design legend on Alfred Hitchcocks Verigo, and with a score reminiscent of and inspired by another one of Hitchcocks protege's Bernard Hermann, this movie really grabs your attention right from the start.

Another Brilliant debut effort for an Australian Director/writer, Robert Connoly has created a film that rates as highly as Gregor Jordan's debut effort for "Two Hands".

Brilliant acting from Anthony LaPaglia as the arch villain of the piece and David Wenham's portrayal of the hero of the movie is the best acting he has done since "The Boys", Sybilla Budd from high rating Australian TV show "The secret life of us" makes an impressive film Debut as the hero's love interest.

With lines like CentaBank CEO's, Simon O'Reilly (Anthony LaPaglia) "I'm like God but with a better suit" emanating from the script it is not hard to see why it won best screenplay.

This movie reminds me of a cross between Orson Welles "Citizen Kane" and Alfred Hitchcocks "Vertigo" and "North by Northwest" and is a proud addition to my home DVD collection. I rate this movie as a 10/10 for a debut effort for a Director/Writer.

Two Hands (1999)

Perfect for those who love black comedy and violence

[10/10 · 28 April 2003]

Before I start my review here is a quick lesson in australian slang which may help you with viewing the movie and understanding some of the other reviews from australia and overseas.

In australian slang "thongs" are a pair of rubber sandals (not to be confused with the same american word that pertains to butt revealing underwear), "stubbies" are a brand of australian short, a "stubby" is a small can sized bottle of beer, and a "stubby holder" is a foam insulator for a small bottle of beer.

If you love black comedies about smalltime criminals then you will love this movie, unfortunatley a lot of people on IMDB with weak stomachs and no appreciation of dark humour have reviewed this movie which unfortunately makes this movie appear to be more mediocre than what it is. A lot of reviewers have also compared it to Lock/Stock and Pulp Fiction, while it is the same genre, it is a completely different and original style.

A lot of reviewers have also panned this movie for using Heath Ledger's characters dead brother to open and guide the narrative for this movie, without watching the movie closely enough to realise that his brother was killed by the same villain that wishes to kill heaths character, this is explained midway through the movie but not clearly enough for most to understand.

This movie is also reminiscent of Lock/Stock and Reservoir dogs in that it is the Director/writers debut feature, and for a debut feature it rates as well as these two movies, as a matter of fact like Lock/Stock and Reservoir Dogs I rate this movie as a 10/10 for a director/writers debut, unfortunately unlike Tarantino and Ritchie Jordan fails to live up to expectations in his subsequent movies like Ned Kelly.

This movie is one that you should definitely add to your DVD collection and is one that holds up to several viewings quite easily.