Australian SF
SF films of the late 1980s
Originally written: January 1990
Incident At Raven's Gate
Spirits Of The Air
As Time Goes By
sex, lies and videotape
Sea of Love
Wars of the Roses
In 1988 Australia produced three interesting and original SFnal movies. None got major commercial release. At a time when endless sequels to schlock horror rubbish dominated the major city cinemas, three thought-provoking Australian films were relegated to two week seasons at the Glebe Valhalla, a mainly reprise cinema that occasionally showcases 'art' movies, regarded as too cerebral for the mass audience. In previous S&Ls I briefly reviewed Incident and mentioned the other two but I'd like to showcase them all for a brief moment to reinforce the message: Australian SF film is getting short shrift and the commercial chains are being allowed to get away with it. None of the three will rank as great SF or great cinema but each in its way is an interesting attempt to bring SFnal ideas into the cinema and are far better SF (and films) than at least three of the nominees on last year's Hugo ballot.
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The movies were all made on very small budgets, so it is remarkable that the makers have got them to look as convincing as they have, and they have been forced to integrate special effects better than they might have had the budget been larger. Another interesting phenomenon, arising from this lack of money is that the major impetus for the movies seem to be in the ideas and the scripting, and a lot of the energy has had to be put into this aspect to ensure the success of the movies.
Rolf de Heer co-wrote and directed Incident At Raven's Gate. Set in the outback, the plot revolves around the earthly presence of some sort of alien or unnatural force or being (this aspect is left unexplained) and its effects on the lives of an old couple, the protagonist's family and immediate acquaintances. Because it has two time streams, the film is sometimes hard to understand but it refuses to provide simplistic answers to the questions it raises - a tendency in American film. The viewer is left with many ideas provoked and lots to think about. A longer look at this film can be seen elsewhere on the site.
Spirits Of The Air... is redolent with fannish referents. Its Production Designer is Sean Callinan who was around the fan scene in the late 70s, contributing some art to fanzines. Model work was done by Marilyn Pride and Lewis Morley, while Nick Stathopoulos was responsible for much of the background painting. The design and "feel" of the movie were its best parts. Like Incident, its protagonist are an alienated outback group. However, their problems arise from internal pressures rather than alien ones. The feel is closer to fantasy than SF but the viewer is left with a series of interesting images, ones that stay with him.
As Time Goes By is a time travel fantasy, written, produced and directed by an old University mate of mine, Barry Peak, who with partner Chris Kiely, developed the Valhalla cinemas. It addresses many of the paradoxes that have fascinated the writers of time travel literature. The most interesting character is another alien, here played with frantic breathlessness by famed mimic Max Gillies. He is isolated in a space ship disguised as a forties cocktail bar that is redolent of Rick's Cafe Americain. As the title would suggest, the film gives more than a few salutes to Casablanca. It is more intricately plotted than either of the other movies and far closer to the American model than either. In fact, it is a very commercial film, with Gillies and Nique Needles as potential selling points, and I am surprised it didn't get major release. Its only problems, of course, are its Australianness, its quirky humour and its refusal to engage in bloodletting or boob-bearing. Like the other two films, it is set in the outback in contemporary Australia and posits more than a few querstions for the viewer.
I remain bemused that, at the time when loud gnashing of teeth is being sounded at the lack of evidence of recent good Australian film, we find three good examples being neglected by commercial distributors. When fans are asking cinema chains about upcoming SF films, they might also inquire as to whether there are any local ones on the horizon. It is only by a consistent request for decent local product that we might eventually get recognition by the local distributors that better fare than Time Guardians is made here.
Three skirmishes in the battle of the sexes
While the occasional genre movie comes along, the major effort in Hollywood seems to be cataloguing the to-and-frodom within the Battle of the Sexes. Three recent releases have attacked the war with some style and each provides a measure of success and watchability within its own limits.
Stephen Soderbergh is the auteur of sex, lies and videotape, a low-budget movie that brings two couples into the arena as it investigates modern mores through the metaphor of impotence. While her yuppie husband and sensual sister are having an affair, the young wife is becoming more alienated from sex. Into this menage comes the husband's old college roomie who can only get off on videotaped interviews he has recorded of women being explicit on their sexual history. The characters' interactions are the bulk of the movie. Laura San Giacomo is broodily sensuous as the younger sister but Andie McDowell (Jane Porter in Greystoke) doesn't quite pull it together as the protagonist. Still, the film has more than a few good moments and demonstrates the importance of a good script in the movie formula.
Sea of Love also features an incredibly sensuous female lead. Ellen Barkin has to make us believe that she could be the serial killer being hunted by Al Pacino's world-weary and alcoholic cop. She never quite does that but she certainly brings a flair to her part - giving the sort of performance and sexiness that Kim Basinger doesn't even approach. For those that remember her in The Big Easy, she is even better served here. Pacino is very good and John Goodman, graduating from Roseanne Barr's second banana, adds another good character to his repertoire. The movie is a thinly-veiled look at the singles set in the AIDS era with the danger externalised as a serial killer rather than a killer disease. But it creates the same sense of danger in the minds of those facing it. Interestingly, there is no sense that the danger will force celibacy in these folks. They are prepared to love and face the consequences. As a mystery story the solution is a little too pat and not adequately founded in the establishment of the supporting cast, but as a set-piece between Pacino and Barkin the movie works well.
Not quite as successful is the Danny de Vito directed War of the Roses wherein Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner start as the ideal young couple and graduate to the sort of accelerating mayhem that used to feature in Laurel and Hardy short features. The main trouble is that Douglas goes over the top in his reaction and this lessens from the impact of the farce. Turner is, as usual, very good, and the movie is funny - sometimes very funny. De Vito is more restrained and acts as the Chorus, reflecting on the action. And for once the ending is loyal to the build-up in the movie.
[Note: Information about the movies mentioned, including cast and crew lists and all sorts of trivia, is available at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).]