Australia

Seven years after "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann is back with yet another ambitious film. This time he's made a romantic historical epic that wishes it was "Gone With the Wind," talks an awful lot about "The Wizard of Oz" and ends up paling in comparison to both.
In 1939, the world is on the brink of war and whether Australians like it or not, they're going to be a part of it. This is the backdrop for the unlikely romance between cattle driver Drover (Hugh Jackman) and wealthy English widow, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman). Together they care for a small Aboriginal boy named Nullah (newcomer Brandon Walters). It is through his eyes we see the story of their struggle against the evil cattle barons, King Carney (Bryan Brown) and Neil Fletcher (David Wenham).
"Australia" is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and for most of it I was terribly bored. The scenery is majestic but there's little to connect to emotionally. It doesn't help that the early part of the film is overloaded with painful attempts at humor. By the time Luhrmann got to the cattle drive he had already lost me.
Acting wise Jackman gives a pretty good performance. With a better screenplay Drover would have been a great character to build a movie around. Kidman is nothing special here though she thankfully doesn't overdo it. If Renee Zellweger had played the part it would have been a masterclass in overacting.
The final 20 minutes or so are quite good but it's too little too late. It's not a disaster but it's certainly not the magnificent epic it wants to be. If you spend large portions of a film debating whether you're going to go straight home or go back to Christmas shopping then you are not engaged. 4/10.

Here are a couple of trailers for movies I can only hope will be more enjoyable.

"My Name is Bruce," starring and directed by Bruce Campbell:



"Doubt"