Father Geek here with another week-ending report from the Land Downunder's film industry and our man on the scene, Latauro the homeless...

Latauro reporting in, while I do applaud the right for artists to say what they want, as a culture do we really need songs with ‘I’m gonna get me some of that’ as the chorus? I’m sure the answer is a unanimous ‘yes’, so here’s this week’s...

AICN-DOWNUNDER

Again, no reviews this report. I’ve spent the past week with videos, DVDs, theatre, work (oh yeah, that), and house-hunting. So it’s been pretty hectic.

Next week will see the AICN-D HULK review, with CHUCK’S ANGELS 2 the week after.

No rabbitting on this week (there isn’t an issue that’s got my beef up, so no editorial), so let’s get straight into it.

(By the way, have any of you heard about the new ‘re-written’ Australian version of the Bible? This is no joke – there’s a version that’s just been written which is set in the outback and changes the names of the characters and is written in an Australian vernacular. If any talkbackers have heard about this, please write about it. It’s funny and scary at the same time, and I think the world should know...)

NEWS

* News on the controversial KEN PARK banning; Sydney International Film Festival has given up on trying to get the film rated, after extensive appeals. The film has been refused classification in Australia, which makes a public screening illegal. Although NSW Attorney General Bob Debus has been reluctant to get involved with this debate specifically, he has proposed exemptions that would prevent similar problems arising in the future. Meanwhile, Melbourne International Film Festival is more optimistic; it is planning to convince the government to overrule the banning. We’ll let you know how they go.

* News about Jackson projects is increasingly hard to come by, but this tidbit came my way recently: WETA techie's are currently churning out thousands of human skulls for an avalanche sequence they’re about to shoot for RETURN OF THE KING. Rumour is that it takes place during Aragorn’s journey into the Paths of the Dead.

*David Wenham will play Eddie in the big screen adaptation of THREE DOLLARS, based on the novel by Elliot Perlman. Directed by Robert Connolly, the film will begin lensing in Melbourne next year.

* Nicole Kidman will star in EMMA’S WAR, to be directed by Tony Scott. Our Nic will play an aid worker who becomes involved with a Sudanese warlord during a civil war. The film is based on the novel by Deborah Scroggin.

* Didn’t think we had enough projects about Ned Kelly in the works? What the hell’s wrong with you? Running out of source material to base their plots on, a *second* film based on Robert Drewe’s OUR SUNSHINE is to be produced by Sydney-based Arclight Films. The first was the one with Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. This one’ll go by the name THE DROWNER.

* A LOVE STORY, UNTITLED has been picked up by Los Angeles film company Ascension Films for production in America and Hawaii. The film was written by local lass Janice Eymann.

* Stephan Elliot will return to Australia to shoot the low-budget film VENETION WEDDING for Working Title’s low-budget division WT2. Elliot is presumably hoping to cash in on the success of every film featuring ‘wedding’ in the title.

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

SEATTLE FILM FESTIVAL

It’s been widely reviewed on AICN already, but it’s worth mentioning Kiwi success story WHALE RIDER, which took out best film and best director (for Niki Caro). The film is still on wide release in Australia, and is continuing to rake in the cash.

BOX OFFICE

Keanu Reeves and Paul Walker tussle for top spot, while Chow-Yun Fat, Aaron Eckhart and Vin Diesel average out the rest.

This Week's Winners are...

• 1. 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS
• 2. MATRIX RELOADED
• 3. BULLETPROOF MONK
• 4. THE CORE
• 5. A MAN APART

RELEASED THIS WEEK

Colour us sparse. What with the huge amount of films that opened the last couple of weeks, as well as next week’s imposing HULK, there’s not a lot of new out in Australia. Nevertheless, grinning Carrey gurns as God, whilst Golina gushes with great gusto. Sigh. If only ‘Carrey’ began with a ‘G’...

Annnd here they are...

• BRUCE ALMIGHTY
• RESPIRO

NEXT WEEK...

- Someone, somewhere hits upon an idea for WAKING NED KELLY

- DOLPHIN RIDER goes into production, following the theory that everyone likes dolphins

- Phillip Noyce to direct Chow-Yun Fat in RABBIT-PROOF MONK.

Peace out,

Latauro

downunder@aintitcoolmail.com