Not Quite Hollywood
Review
by Anthony Morris
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, Australian
films were entertaining as well as worthy.
If you wanted to see
well-off people moaning about their problems and poor people griping
about them, you could do that - but if you wanted to see people being
hunted for sport in the terrifying future world of 2000... that was on
offer as well.
But as is often the case, the winner gets to
write history and when arthouse film took over the local cinemas in the
late 80s / early 90s (thanks to a variety of factors, including the
demise of the drive-in and changes in taxation), they wrote the
entertaining side of things out of the history books.
Until
now.
Not Quite Hollywood is both an educational look back at the world
of the so-called 'Ozploitation' films of the 70s and 80s and a
rip-roaring collection of amazing scenes and sequences from those very
same films.
So it's a double whammy, as you not only get a
solid history lesson in the dark side of Australian film complete with
countless classic wisecracks from the many, many colourful characters
involved (and director Mark Hartley seems to have spoken to everyone
who ever made a film in this country, from Barry Humphries to Sigrid
Thornton to Dennis Hopper to numerous sleazy behind-the-scenes
producers), but you also get to see all the best bits from the films
that were made.
And there are a lot of best bits
here.
Whether you're a fan of swinging 70s nudity, people
being set on fire, car crashes galore or just general trashiness there
are far, far too many classic moments here to name.
For once
all the hype around an Australian film is totally justified : if you see
only one Australian film this year... well, that's one more than most
people do.
But if you see this film, you'll not only learn
why that wasn't always the case, you'll have a hell of a good time.
4.5 out
of 5
Not Quite
Hollywood
Australian release: 28th August,
2008
Official
Site: Not Quite Hollywood
Cast: Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee
Curtis, Dennis Hopper
Director: Mark Hartley
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