Australia, Australia, Australia, we love you, Amen!

Since there is much hype surrounding the upcoming epic film Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman I thought I would name a few Australian movies I like; some made in and some about the land "down under".



The Castle
Funniest movie ever from Australia. "Bonny Doon". "How 'bout that serenity?"




Danny Deckchair
Another excellent Aussie comedy starring Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) and Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings)



The Man From Snowy River
Still a family classic.




Quigley Down Under
Underrated western set in the Outback has Tom Selleck in his best cinematic role and an ending that still packs a punch.




Lantana
A mystery and intense character study with an excellent ensemble cast- Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey and Anthony LaPaglia.




Breaker Morant
Director Bruce Beresford's finest film (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies) is a true account of Australian officers on trial during the Boer War in South Africa.




Crocodile Dundee II
Okay, so this isn't a list of Academy Award winners. I said my favorites remember, and the second Dundee flick is actually set "down under" and is much funnier than the first one in my opinion.




Gallipoli
Although the critics seem to dig Picnic At Hanging Rock the most I think Gallipoli is Peter Weir's best Australian film and maybe the best of all of his films ( The Truman Show, Witness, Master and Commander). It is a timeless story of youth, friendship, adventure, and sacrifice. It portrays with historical accuracy the fateful WWI battle at Anzac which is the most hallowed in the memories of Aussies to this day and celebrated annually on Anzac Day. It is also my favorite Australian film.

...Of course Finding Nemo is pretty good too.