Must have DVDs
Here are a couple must own DVD's and cult classics I've found on eBay Australia.
Happy Feet
George Miller's "Happy Feet" is a masterpiece of animation with a toe-tapping contemporary soundtrack and a powerful environmental message.
Teaming with Australian company Animal Logic Film, Miller has crafted a motion picture that is better than anything Pixar, Disney or Dreamworks has produced this year - which is hardly surprising, since this is the director who made "Babe" and the even more masterful "Babe: Pig in the City".
Set in Antarctica, "Happy Feet" follows a tribe of emperor penguins who rely on their singing voices to find a soulmate. But for young Mumble (Elijah Wood), his dream of snaring a partner may never come to fruition - he can't sing a note.
Yet Mumble possesses a skill that the other penguins haven't seen before - he can tap dance, and his unique ability makes him an outcast in the community. Forced away from his peers, Mumble seeks solace in a posse of different penguins, the Adelie Amigos, who embrace his cool dance moves.
When Mumble discovers that "aliens" (humans) have diminished the fish supply, he embarks on a dangerous journey with his new-found friends to save his species - with the help of his special little feet.
The all-star voice cast includes Robin Williams in multiple roles, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy and Hugo Weaving. Williams in particular is a natural comedian, and hasn't been this good since he played the Genie in "Aladdin".
Miller's film is obviously inspired by Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge!", as it blends Queen's "Somebody to Love", The Beach Boys' "Do It Again", Prince's "Kiss", Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and countless other tracks into grandly staged musical numbers, using the lyrics to tell the story.
But Miller isn't afraid to go to dark places with the story, and the film's second half is surprisingly emotional. There is a tremendously important message about environmental conservation and animal protection that is done with just enough subtlety to make audiences think about the issues long after the credits have rolled.
"Happy Feet" combines photo-real landscapes with CGI and digital technology. The result is something the eye hasn't seen before - but something everyone will want to see again.
Superman Returns
Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure, Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world’s most beloved superheroes.
While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman (Brandon Routh) faces the heartbreaking realisation that the woman he loves, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman’s bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him.
In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Actors: Brandon Routh Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey James Marsden Parker Posey Frank Langella Sam Huntington Eva Marie Saint Marlon Brando Kal Penn David Fabrizio Jack Larson Noel Neill Richard Branson.
Snakes on a Plane
When Sean Jones witnesses a murder, he is asked to fly from Hawaii to Los Angeles to testify against the notorious gangster Eddie Kim. However, Kim has paid an assassin to release a crate-full of deadly snakes loose when the plane is 30,000 feet in the air. Only FBI agent Neville Flynn can protect Sean and rally the passengers together in hope of landing in L.A. alive.
Borat
Words cannot describe the sheer brilliance and hilarity of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", the mockumentary creation of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. It really does have to be seen to be believed.
Based on Cohen's supporting character from TV's "Da Ali G Show", the film follows Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev as he travels to the United States to make a documentary.
The difference between "Borat" and other cross-cultural comedies is that the interview subjects aren't in on the joke - for all they know, Borat is a real person. This gives Cohen the opportunity to highlight prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture as he infiltrates a Jewish bed and breakfast, a gay pride parade, a dinner party in a conservative area of Alabama, a rodeo in Virginia and a book-signing with "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson.
Driving across the country in a run-down ice cream truck with his producer Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), Borat manages to dupe regular Americans into discussing race relations, religion, class divisions and gender roles. While many of his subjects are now trying to sue Cohen for tricking them, it makes for fascinating cinema.
Above all, "Borat" is side-splittingly funny from beginning to end. Cohen has an uncanny ability to think on his feet, delivering lines with impeccable comic timing. I saw this film in a packed theatre and there was barely a pause between howls of laughter for the entire 83-minute duration.
Happy Feet
George Miller's "Happy Feet" is a masterpiece of animation with a toe-tapping contemporary soundtrack and a powerful environmental message.
Teaming with Australian company Animal Logic Film, Miller has crafted a motion picture that is better than anything Pixar, Disney or Dreamworks has produced this year - which is hardly surprising, since this is the director who made "Babe" and the even more masterful "Babe: Pig in the City".
Set in Antarctica, "Happy Feet" follows a tribe of emperor penguins who rely on their singing voices to find a soulmate. But for young Mumble (Elijah Wood), his dream of snaring a partner may never come to fruition - he can't sing a note.
Yet Mumble possesses a skill that the other penguins haven't seen before - he can tap dance, and his unique ability makes him an outcast in the community. Forced away from his peers, Mumble seeks solace in a posse of different penguins, the Adelie Amigos, who embrace his cool dance moves.
When Mumble discovers that "aliens" (humans) have diminished the fish supply, he embarks on a dangerous journey with his new-found friends to save his species - with the help of his special little feet.
The all-star voice cast includes Robin Williams in multiple roles, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy and Hugo Weaving. Williams in particular is a natural comedian, and hasn't been this good since he played the Genie in "Aladdin".
Miller's film is obviously inspired by Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge!", as it blends Queen's "Somebody to Love", The Beach Boys' "Do It Again", Prince's "Kiss", Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and countless other tracks into grandly staged musical numbers, using the lyrics to tell the story.
But Miller isn't afraid to go to dark places with the story, and the film's second half is surprisingly emotional. There is a tremendously important message about environmental conservation and animal protection that is done with just enough subtlety to make audiences think about the issues long after the credits have rolled.
"Happy Feet" combines photo-real landscapes with CGI and digital technology. The result is something the eye hasn't seen before - but something everyone will want to see again.
Superman Returns
Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure, Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world’s most beloved superheroes.
While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman (Brandon Routh) faces the heartbreaking realisation that the woman he loves, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman’s bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him.
In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Actors: Brandon Routh Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey James Marsden Parker Posey Frank Langella Sam Huntington Eva Marie Saint Marlon Brando Kal Penn David Fabrizio Jack Larson Noel Neill Richard Branson.
Snakes on a Plane
When Sean Jones witnesses a murder, he is asked to fly from Hawaii to Los Angeles to testify against the notorious gangster Eddie Kim. However, Kim has paid an assassin to release a crate-full of deadly snakes loose when the plane is 30,000 feet in the air. Only FBI agent Neville Flynn can protect Sean and rally the passengers together in hope of landing in L.A. alive.
Borat
Words cannot describe the sheer brilliance and hilarity of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", the mockumentary creation of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. It really does have to be seen to be believed.
Based on Cohen's supporting character from TV's "Da Ali G Show", the film follows Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev as he travels to the United States to make a documentary.
The difference between "Borat" and other cross-cultural comedies is that the interview subjects aren't in on the joke - for all they know, Borat is a real person. This gives Cohen the opportunity to highlight prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture as he infiltrates a Jewish bed and breakfast, a gay pride parade, a dinner party in a conservative area of Alabama, a rodeo in Virginia and a book-signing with "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson.
Driving across the country in a run-down ice cream truck with his producer Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), Borat manages to dupe regular Americans into discussing race relations, religion, class divisions and gender roles. While many of his subjects are now trying to sue Cohen for tricking them, it makes for fascinating cinema.
Above all, "Borat" is side-splittingly funny from beginning to end. Cohen has an uncanny ability to think on his feet, delivering lines with impeccable comic timing. I saw this film in a packed theatre and there was barely a pause between howls of laughter for the entire 83-minute duration.
