Sunday, March 8, 2009

africa vs. australia

last night the hubs and i watched australia w/ nicole-thank-all-that-is-holy-i-divorced-tom-cruise kidman and hugh-i-am-so-sexy-jackman. it was long. very long. twice i thought it was over and it kept going. and going. and going.

even though it was long it was ok. not my favorite movie but it was ok. afterwards i thought it was a lot like one of my favorite movies, out of africa.

out of africa, meryl streep and robert redford, is awesome. i also love the soundtrack. i saw that movie for the first time in a movie theater in london on a rainy afternoon. i was there w/ one of my best friends from high school and her parents and maybe 5 other people. there was an intermission; they served coffee and cake at the concession stand. it was an experience. but the movie itself is incredible.

these two movies shared a similar story line--woman from another country goes to untamed continent and tries to make it more like her home country or make the people there like "civilized" people. woman's husband either dies or goes off on an adventure and catches syphilis and then woman falls in love w/ a strong, rebel man who prefers being a loner, even though he loves her deeply. the heroine in both movies does something (drive cattle, crosses the desert, etc.) women of their times never did, something only men are thought able to do and then they gain respect from the men around them.

in australia, which could have been edited down an hour at least, nicole ends up getting everything she wants, well, for the most part, but in out of africa meryl loses. i still thought out of africa was a much better movie and i love it. i cry every damn time i watch that movie.

6 comments:

Hotch Potchery said...

I have never seen Out of Africa, nor Australia...I think I will skip Australia for sure. Seems too deep for me, I am all about fluff entertainment.

European movie theaters are awesome, we used to drive to Ramstein to go to the Keno (movie theater). After reading that, who drives 2 hours to go to a movie? About a St. Bernard no less?

Not Your Aunt B said...

I love Out of Africa too. Now I will have to check out Australia, but have to watch it in installments because that is a long time to sit still.

cheatymoon said...

I loved watching movies in Europe.

This makes me want to watch Out of Africa again...

creative kerfuffle said...

hotch--european movie theaters are awesome i agree.

bea--if nothing else watch a little of australia for hugh jackman alone : )

only--isn't that the most wonderful movie???

drollgirl said...

out of africa, ALL THE WAY.

and nicole kidman's frozen face is hard to watch. and i am a little "eh" on hugh jackman, and i am pretty sure i wouldn't do it for him either. i am not sure i can DO that movie. nope, i don't think i can!

Astarte said...

I haven't seen Out of Africa, because I find Meryl Streep distracting, but it won an Oscar, didn't it? So, it must be good.

I would do Hugh Jackman anytime, anywhere, be it in a hotel or the church broom closet. Wouldn't matter. YUM.