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Reviews
The Dirtwater Dynasty (1988)
It's out on DVD now
To everyone (including my Mum) who SO desperately wanted to see this released on DVD: the 3-disc box set came out on 16th June 2005.
Dirtwater Dynasty" is the story of embittered rivalry, triumph and despair. The life of Richard Eastwick is told in a story spanning three generations and eight decades. Born in the London slums in 1878, he comes to Australia at age 20, with nothing but a handful of courage and a dream. He acquires land, marries and raises a family, wins loyal friends and makes bitter enemies, and builds a land and cattle ranching empire. Both world wars and the economic depression take their toll on his family. But his dream to create a dynasty gives him a reason to continue. Released: Friday, 17 June 2005 Actors: Hugo Weaving Ernie Dingo Peter Phelps Bruce Spence Aust/Foreign: Australian Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 16:9 Enhanced Transfer Format: Widescreen Category: TV Series Region: 4 Year: 1988 Distributor: Roadshow Rating: M15+ Languages: English Subtitles: English - HI Running Time: 450 mins
It's PAL, so US fans might have trouble. The RRP is AUS$44.95 and should be available from anywhere you'd normally buy DVDs.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
A non-religious person's viewpoint
I've just returned from seeing The Passion of the Christ on day of release here in Australia. I wanted to see it because of my admiration for Jim Caviezel as an actor, and in support for Mel Gibson for his bravery to make this film.
I am a non-religious person - indeed, I could only claim to be roughly acquainted with the story of Jesus, as tackled by this film. As a result, I found these past 2 hours not the most enjoyable of my cinema-going career. While I don't doubt it is "accurate", a large portion of this film is pretty damn grizzly. In addition, the insistence of using Aramaic / Latin for the dialogue rather than English made the "story" something of a chore - I have watched subtitled films before, but there seemed to be no particular gain in using this approach for The Passion of the Christ.
Overall, I scored it 7 out of 10, mainly due to the superb acting, high production values and general polish. However, I will not be rushing to see it again, nor is there anything of note I could use to recommend it to my friends.