Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!
Promotional poster
Directed by	Mark Hartley
Produced by	Craig Griffin Michael Lynch
Written by	Mark Hartley
Starring	See below
Music by	Stephen Cummings
Cinematography	Germain McMicking Karl von Moller
Editing by	Jamie Blanks Sara Edwards Mark Hartley
Distributed by	Madman Entertainment
Release date(s)	28 August 2008 (2008-08-28)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Australia United States
Language	English

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! is a 2008 Australian documentary film about the Australian New Wave of 1970s and '80s low-budget cinema. The film was written and directed by Mark Hartley, who interviewed over eighty Australian, American and British actors, directors, screenwriters and producers, including Quentin Tarantino, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, George Lazenby, George Miller, Barry Humphries, Stacy Keach and John Seale.

Hartley spent several years writing a detailed research document, which served to some degree as a script for the film, about the New Wave era of Australian cinema. It focused on the commonly overlooked "Ozploitation" films—mainly filled with sex, horror and violence—which critics and film historians considered vulgar and offensive, often excluded from Australia's "official film history". Hartley approached Quentin Tarantino, a longtime "Ozploitation" fan who had dedicated his 2003 film Kill Bill to the exploitation genre, and Tarantino agreed to help get the project off the ground. Hartley then spent an additional five years interviewing subjects and editing the combined 250 hours of interviews and original stock footage into a 100-minute film.

Not Quite Hollywood, which premiered at the 2008 Melbourne International Film Festival, did not perform well at the box office upon its Australia-wide release, but garnered universally positive reviews from critics and a nomination for "Best Documentary" at the 50th Australian Film Institute Awards.

Synopsis

Not Quite Hollywood documents the revival of Australian cinema during the Australian New Wave of the 1970s and '80s through B-movies including Alvin Purple, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Dead-End Drive In, Long Weekend, Mad Max, The Man from Hong Kong, Patrick, Razorback, Roadgames, Stork and Turkey Shoot. From 1971 through to the late 1980s, Australian directors began to take advantage of the newly introduced R-rating which allowed more on-screen nudity, sex and violence for audiences restricted to age 18 and over.^[1] "Ozploitation"—writer-director Mark Hartley's own portmanteau of "Australian exploitation"—was a subgenre of the New Wave which accounted for the critically panned "gross-out comedies, sex romps, action and road movies, teen films, westerns, thrillers and horror films" of the era, commonly overlooked in Australia's "official film history".^[2] The film addresses three main categories of "Ozploitation" films: sex, horror and action.^[3]

Production

"As a kid my parents and teachers insisted I see quality films like Picnic at Hanging Rock. Then I saw this movie Patrick, about a telekinetic coma victim, on commercial TV late one night and it thrilled, excited and downright scared me, just like the horror films made in the U.S. but with our voices, faces and places. I didn't know we could do that."

Mark Hartley^[2]

As a child, Mark Hartley discovered many of the "Ozploitation" B-movies from the 1970s and '80s while watching late-night television, but was disappointed when they were completely overlooked in books he read detailing Australian cinema.^[4] After becoming an accomplished music video director, his interest in this era of Australian filmmaking grew and he spent years researching a potential documentary film.^[4] He was close to giving up on the project when he sent a 100-page draft^[5] of the script to American film director Quentin Tarantino, not expecting to receive a reply.^[4] Tarantino was a longtime fan of "Ozploitation" films and had even dedicated his film Kill Bill to Brian Trenchard-Smith's work.^[2] He replied the day after, telling Hartley that he would do whatever he could to get the film made.^[4] Hartley traveled to Los Angeles, California to meet with Tarantino, who agreed to help draw finance, organise distribution in the United States and sit for hours of interviews as one of the film's most prominent interviewees.^[1][6] Hartley spent the following five years interviewing other actors, directors, screenwriters and producers, collecting original stock footage,^[7] and then cutting the 100 hours of interviews and 150 hours of film footage down into a 100-minute film.^[1]

Release

Not Quite Hollywood had its worldwide premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 28 July 2008, and was screened at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.^[6] Its Australia-wide release was a month later, on 28 August 2008, and it had its overseas premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on 7 September 2008, where distribution rights were secured for the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Russia, Germany and Benelux.^[8] The film was also screened at the Austin, Sitges, Warsaw, Helsinki and Stockholm International Film Festivals in 2008, and featured at the London Film Festival on 25 October 2008.^[8]

The film did not perform well at the box office upon its Australian release, taking in a gross of A$108,330 on its first weekend but only $31,995 on its second weekend at a screen average of $681 on 47 screens.^[9]

Reception

Overall, Not Quite Hollywood received positive reviews from critics. All of the 12 reviews collected by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes were positive, with an average score of 7.7/10 for each review.^[10] Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton of At the Movies gave the film four and three and a half out of five stars respectively; Pomeranz commended Hartley for "the depth of his research and for creating a wildly entertaining film experience", and claimed that "for those of us who remember the films, Not Quite Hollywood is a blast".^[11] Sandra Hall, writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, gave the film three and a half out of five stars, believing that "Hartley's own film is much livelier than most of those he is out to celebrate".^[12] Jake Wilson of The Age similarly gave the film three and a half stars, but called the film "basically a feature-length advertisement for its subject", saying that it "moves far too rapidly to permit sustained analysis".^[13] The Courier-Mail's Des Partidge, who gave the film four and a half out of five stars, disagreed, saying that "Brisk editing means the history is lively and fun", and claimed in homage to The Castle, "Copies of Hartley's film should go straight to pool rooms all over Australia when it becomes available on DVD."^[7] Luke Goodsell of Empire Magazine Australasia gave Not Quite Hollywood five out of five stars, calling the film "fast, thrilling and often ribald",^[14] while Leigh Paatsch wrote for the Herald Sun that "there is not a single instant where boredom can possibly intrude", dubbing the film "an incredibly energetic and merrily messed-up celebration of Australian B-movies".^[15]

Interviewees

The actors, directors, screenwriters and producers interviewed for the film were:^[16]

Phillip Adams Glory Annen Victoria Anoux Ian Barry Briony Behets Steve Bisley Jamie Blanks Graeme Blundell Russell Boyd Richard Brennan Tim Burstall Rob Copping Barry Crocker Lynette Curran Jamie Lee Curtis Cassandra Delaney Everett de Roche Ross Dimsey David Eggby Bob Ellis Alan Finney Richard Franklin Belinda Giblin Rebecca Gilling Antony I. Ginnane Deborah Gray David Hannay Gregory Harrison

Rod Hay Sandy Harbutt Rod Hardy Carla Hoogeveen Alan Hopgood Dennis Hopper John Michael Howson Barry Humphries John Jarrett Barry Jones Stacy Keach Ted Kotcheff John D. Lamond Nina Landis George Lazenby Bill Margold Ross Matthews Donald McAlpine Bob McCarron Hal McElroy Greg McLean Gus Mercurio George Miller Vincent Monton Philippe Mora Judy Morris Russell Mulcahy Rod Mullinar

Grant Page Susan Penhaligon Steve Railsback Candy Raymond Cheryl Rixon Joanne Samuel Fred Schepisi John Seale Ken Shorter Lynda Stoner Quentin Tarantino Jeremy Thomas Sigrid Thornton Brian Trenchard-Smith Jack Thompson Roger Ward James Wan Gary Wapshott John Waters Leigh Whannell Tony Williams David Williamson Simon Wincer Arna-Maria Winchester Uri Windt Norman Yemm Susannah York

Movies referenced

A list of movies referenced within Not Quite Hollywood, separated by genre.^{[citation needed]}

Foreign/Negative Portrayal of Australia Age of Consent, 1969 Ned Kelly, 1970 Wake in Fright, 1971 Walkabout, 1971 Sex/Crude Humor The Naked Bunyip, 1970 Stork, 1971 The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, 1972 Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, 1974 Number 96, 1972-1977 Alvin Purple, 1973 Alvin Rides Again, 1974 Eliza Fraser, 1976 Australia After Dark, 1975 The ABC of Love and Sex Australia Style, 1978 Felicity, 1978 The True Story of Eskimo Nell, 1974 Hoodwink, 1981 Centrespread, 1981 Fantasm, 1976 Fantasm Comes Again, 1977 Pacific Banana, 1980

Scary/Buckets of Blood Inn of the Damned, 1974 Night of Fear, 1972 Lady Stay Dead, 1982 Brothers, 1982 Patrick, 1978 Long Weekend, 1978 Snapshot, aka Day After Halloween, 1979 Thirst, 1979 Harlequin, 1980 The Survivor, 1980 Roadgames, 1981 Nightmares, 1980 Howling III: The Marsupials, 1987 Razorback, 1984 Dark Age, 1985 Next of Kin, 1981 Blood Moon, 1990

Hard Core Action Stone, 1974 Mad Dog Morgan, 1976 The Man from Hong Kong, 1975 Death Cheaters, 1976 Stunt Rock, 1978 Mad Max, 1979 Chain Reaction, 1979 Midnight Spares, 1982 Race for the Yankee Zephyr, 1981 Turkey Shoot, 1981 BMX Bandits, 1983 Fair Game, 1985 Sky Pirates, 1986 The Return of Captain Invincible, 1982 Dead End Drive-In, 1985 Newer Stuff--not necessarily Australian Wolf Creek, 2004 Undead, 2003 Storm Warning, 2007 Saw, 2004 Italian Spiderman, 2008 Rogue, 2007

Awards

Not Quite Hollywood won the award for "Best Documentary" at the 50th Australian Film Institute Awards,^[17] and a commendation in the "Best Documentary" category of the Australian Film Critics Association Awards for 2008.^[18]

Box office

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! grossed $186,986 at the box office in Australia,.^[19]

See also

• Cinema of Australia
• American Grindhouse, a 2010 documentary about American exploitation films

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Partridge, Des (31 July 2008). "Quentin Tarantino backs Mark Hartley's Ozploitation doco". The Courier-Mail. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24101258-7642,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b c} Moore, Tony (16 August 2008). "Larrikin streak". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24168396-15803,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
3. ^ Dwyer, Michael (22 August 2008). "Glory days of gory tales". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/glory-days-of-gory-tales/2008/08/21/1219262356856.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Stewart, Paul; Wigney, James (17 August 2008). "So bad it's good". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24186069-5006023,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Pomeranz, Margaret; Stratton, David (2008). "Not Quite Hollywood Interview". At the Movies. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2335437.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Gill, Harbant (28 July 2008). "MIFF and ACMI co-host season of Ozploitation films". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24084902-5006023,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ ^{a b} Partridge, Des (28 August 2008). "Not Quite Hollywood". The Courier-Mail. http://guides.news.com.au/couriermail/movies/movie/?title_id=36697&review=66388. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Not Quite Hollywood burns up Toronto Film Festival" (Press release). Miranda Brown Publicity. 15 September 2008. http://www.if.com.au/2008/09/15/article/GETWFQGZZD.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
9. ^ de Bruyn, Simon (8 September 2008). "Unfinished Sky inches towards $1m". Inside Film. http://www.if.com.au/2008/09/08/article/DMRRFAYYRB.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
10. ^ "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/not_quite_hollywood/. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
11. ^ Pomeranz, Margaret; Stratton, David (2008). "Not Quite Hollywood". At the Movies. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2335418.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
12. ^ Hall, Sandra (27 August 2008). "Not Quite Hollywood". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/film-reviews/not-quite-hollywood/2008/08/27/1219516548137.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
13. ^ Wilson, Jake (28 August 2008). "Not Quite Hollywood". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/film-reviews/not-quite-hollywood/2008/08/28/1219516622091.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
14. ^ Goodsell, Luke (28 August 2008). "Not Quite Hollywood". Empire Magazine Australasia. http://www.empireonline.com.au/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=1000000922. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
15. ^ Paatsch, Leigh (28 August 2008). "Film review - Not Quite Hollywood". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24249951-2902,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
16. ^ "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" (Press release). Madman Entertainment. 2008. http://www.notquitehollywood.com.au/pdf/press_kit.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
17. ^ "L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards Winners". Australian Film Institute. 6 December 2008. http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?Section=2008_AFI_Awards_Nominees_PDFs&ContentID=5118. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
18. ^ "Black Balloon wins top AFCA award". Inside Film. 27 January 2009. http://www.if.com.au/2009/01/27/article/TXHSTCXKBY.html. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
19. ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office

External links

• Official website
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! at the Internet Movie Database
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! at AllRovi
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! at Rotten Tomatoes
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! at Metacritic
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! at Box Office Mojo