Every now and then I find a good one on Netflix or Amazon. Most recently I enjoyed:
Hostile (2017)
Time Trap (2017) - This one was directed by Ben Foster.
a ghost story is one of my favourite movies of the decade. its wiki page says its budget was $100k. i'm not sure how reliable that is. the amount of effects & the presence of two fairly big name actors would have led me to think it was a little pricier than that. regardless, i love it.
madeline's madeline was one of my favourite films of last year - wiki says it cost $500k.
the rider was one of my favourites of last year as well. i can't find the budget on it, but it mostly featured amateur actors roughly playing themselves i believe, so i can't imagine it cost much.
i really like all of sean baker's films. tangerine from 2015 cost $100k. i can't fid the budget on 2012's starlet, but it probably cost about the same.
dude bro party massacre 3 has become one of my all-time favourite horror-comedies. it cost about $250k.
absentia is my favourite indie horror film of the decade - was crowd-funded, cost about $70k
eyes of my mother is another favourite - about $250k.
I picked this movie up for $2 over 10 years ago, no idea what it's exact budget is but it looks low. Turned out to be a great film Tattoo, a Love story https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312281/
shareMoebius (1996) is probably the movie with the lowest budget that I have ever seen myself (besides some forgettable slasher movies) It was interesting.
shareLocke (2013) is another example of a low budget movie relying on a solid story and a fine performance from a decent actor rather than all the expensive tricks of the trade. I was so impressed by that movie.
shareAussie film "Proof" (1991)
shareGreat movie, I really enjoyed Proof.
Now that you mention it, most great Australian movies have been made on a modest budget, much less than your average Hollywood project. It's one of the reasons I love local cinema so much, it has to rely on good scripts and performances rather than flashy effects and expensive production values.
I value a good story over special effects any day. Australia used to make some great films but the last 20 or so years it has become depressing.
shareDepressing? You mean the content or the quality of the movies?
shareA bit of both. The films used to be accessible, even something quirky like Proof is accessible enough. Now they have this desire to be depressing it seems. Maybe it is just me. The last good Aussie film I saw was Animal Kingdom.
shareNo, it’s not just you, I’ve heard the complaint that Aussie films have become depressing many times. I can see why when you compare recent films like Snowtown and The Rover to that Muriel/Ballroom/Castle/Priscilla period of the 90s when we were celebrating the lighter side of life in movies.
For me Australian movies are a passion and I could name at least 10 great local films since Animal Kingdom, which I agree is awesome. Trust me mate I could bore you for days with my Aussie movie obsession.
I liked Snowtown although yes it was depressing but I get that given the subject matter. Never liked the big Aussie films of the 90's. I'm thinking further back, Gallipoli, Breaker Morant, Mad Max, Light horsemen, Snowy River. Just good solid stories and films that were neither depressing, preachy or anything else. Just entertaining.
Are you Aussie? And what films would you recommend or have liked since Animal Kingdom?
Yeah I’m Australian. I love those older movies too. Off the top of my head I’d recommend Mystery Road, Goldstone, Red Hill, Lion, The Water Diviner, The Mule, Tracks, Sweet Country, Fury Road.. going back a bit I also love that early 2000s period with Chopper, Lantana, Wolf Creek, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Noise (probably my favourite of the past 20 years and practically no one saw it!)..
Not sure they’d all appeal to you though, my tastes are a bit random.
Wolf Creek was quite good, it felt Aussie without knocking you over the head or trying too hard to be Aussie like a lot of Oz films are. It was also a straight up entertainer, no propaganda. The sequel though was crap. Chopper was also good, love the scene where he hits the chick and then says "See what you made me do?" or words to that effect, hilarious.
Noise sounds interesting, I have tinnitus and work in emergency response, so I relate already just from the blurb.
If you have seen any of the My Life is Murder episodes, that is a good example of the sort of Australian droll I despise. Clumsy and wooden acting, PC nuttery, lame scripts despite a decent premise. Fun playing spot the location though, in fact the only reason I watched.
Sounds interesting, I will check it out soon on Amazon Prime Video.
shareHard Eight
Repo Man
The Cooler
Drugstore Cowboy