Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! poster & wallpaper
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Phil Adams, Russell Boyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cassandra Delaney, Everett De Roche ... see more see more... , Richard Franklin , Rebecca Gilling , Antony I. Ginnane , Deborah Gray , Gregory Harrison , Dennis Hopper , Harry Humphries , Stacy Keach , Ted Kotcheff , John D. Lamond , George Lazenby , George Miller , Vincent Monton , Philippe Mora , Judy Morris , Russell Mulcahy , Grant Page , Steve Railsback , Cheryl Rixon Davis , John Seale , Lynda Stoner , Quentin Tarantino , Jeremy Thomas , Jack Thompson , Sigrid Thornton , Brian Trenchard-Smith , Roger Ward , Simon Wincer , Susannah York

Filmmaker Mark Hartley explores Australia's hidden genre in this documentary that casually casts aside "official" film history to celebrate the demented genius of director Brian Trenchard-Smith, and t... read more read more...he exciting wave of little-known but supremely entertaining films that entertained adventurous Australian filmgoers throughout the 1970s and '80s. Every film student worth his or her weight in celluloid has seen Breaker Morant and Picnic at Hanging Rock, but what about the lesser-known gems that didn't make the film-school textbooks? In his forward to Tim Lucas' book Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, director Martin Scorsese states, "We have to keep resisting the idea of official film history, a stately procession of 'important works' that leaves some of the most exciting films and filmmakers tucked away in the shadows." In this documentary, director Hartley explores the films forgotten by "official film history" with the comprehensive eye of a true film buff. As a child watching such films as Snapshot and The Man from Hong Kong, Hartley immediately recognized how wildly disparate they were in tone and execution from the films that comprised Australia's traditional film library. Appearing like American genre films that just happened to be shot in Australia and cast with Australian actors, these so-called "Ozploitation" flicks flourished in the wake of relaxed censorship laws down under. Yet despite constant chatter about the "new wave" of Australian cinema, financially successful films like The Man from Hong Kong and Patrick that were popular both at home and abroad were never mentioned, sneeringly dismissed as "genre" films rather than Australian films. Perhaps in the wake of such successful Australian films as Wolf Creek and Undead -- and looking ahead to such films as the slasher shocker Storm Warning and the eagerly anticipated remake of Long Weekend -- curious filmgoers are finally prepared to discover what they've been missing all these years. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

79% liked it

1,944 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

63 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Mark Hartley

Release Date: July 28, 2008

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009

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Stats: 389 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (389)

  • DrBenway
    February 21, 2011
    DrBenway
    Not only does it celebrate a lesser-known world of international cinema, it also pays homage to its creators without without too much ego-stroking, and introduces new audiences to Australian cinema. It's a very well done documentary and a truly entertaining movie in its' own righ... read moret. I had no idea Australia had a kung-fu market. As most sexploitation films seem goofy to me, the ones featured here don't really seem to offer much more, but was excited to make a list of high-octane films to watch in the near future.


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  • Beefy
    January 25, 2011
    Beefy
    Thoroughly enjoyable look at the history of Ozploitation films. Added so many movies on to me want-to-see list it's not even funny. Even if you don't like the subject matter, it's hard to dislike the enthusiasm of those involved.
  • SirPant
    April 19, 2010
    SirPant
    Ozploitation rules! So many new films for me to seek out, it's going to keep me busy for a while. An informative, entertaining and quite funny documentary. Bonza!
  • gor41
    July 16, 2009
    gor41
    Fascinating journey through the seedy underbelly of Australian cinema which threw up Mad Max and inspired later genre pieces like Wolf Creek. Highlights the raw, gonzo energy sorely lacking in much of today's bland Hollywood product.
  • kenstachnik
    June 28, 2009
    kenstachnik
    I now have like 25 more movies I need to see...sigh
    The list never ends.
  • gator681
    September 9, 2010
    gator681
    "Not Quite Hollywood" is an entertaining and extremely nostalgic documentary about Australian exploitation movies during the 70's, made with a carefree attitude(sometimes too much so), after censorship lessened to allow nudity and gore in films. Most of these movies were made fo... read morer drive-ins(and would later end up going straight to video or Saturday nights on SyFy) and were either raunchy comedies, horror or action but still managed to occasionally attract talent from Hollywood, leading to enough Dennis Hopper stories for a lifetime.(And I didn't realize David Hemmings' career was so varied...) Of them, I think I remember seeing "The Survivor" starring Jenny Agutter, Robert Powell and Joseph Cotten and "Road Games" starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis looks appealing in a derivative sort of way.

    With interviews with cast members and fans(enough here to seriously doubt Quentin Tarantino's taste in movies), "Not Quite Hollywood" also takes a few shots at prestigious Australian movies made during the same time including "Walkabout," "The Last Wave," "Breaker Morant" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock" which were provocative in their own right, especially on the subject of national identity. Despite the documentary's shortcomings, it is a worthwile exploration about a forgotten part of cinema history that should have stopped with the Mad Max movies which were a perfect combination of the aesthetic(nobody got naked but you can't have everything), a skilled filmmaker who knew what he was doing and a charismatic star who was the first crossover star to make it big in Hollywood.
  • wbgoose13
    October 26, 2008
    wbgoose13
    A lively and thorough look at the history of Aussie exploitation films.
  • fb25827189
    June 11, 2010
    fb25827189
    Great Documentary! The film looks at the history of Ozploitation and the film industry in Australia from the 70's to early 90's which produced some memorable cinema classics including Razorback, Mad Max, and Mad Dog Morgan among others. Chock full of great interviews from the fil... read moremmakers and actors who lived through (barely) the production of some of Australia biggest cinematic masterpieces, and those who have been affected by them including Quentin Tarantino, The Spierig Brothers, and James Wan.
    Essential viewing for fans of documentary film.
  • jackamaku
    January 11, 2010
    jackamaku
    a doc with lots of boobies, blood, and things blowing up. fun stuff.
  • codyfranklin2
    January 7, 2010
    codyfranklin2
    Really informative and really fun doc about Austrailian exploytation films of the 70's and 80's. What I liked the most was the fact that I haven't heard of 95% of these films. All of the films showcased have plenty of T&A, gore, action, and I plan on looking for a few of these ti... read moretles. The only problem I had with the doc was the style. Mark Hartley starts off at a manic pace and throws every graphic he could find on the screen. It takes a good half hour for this film to settle down and start to give you information. Once that happens it becomes loads of fun and you find yourself jotting down a few titles. Great interviews with the people involved and it opens up a period in cinema I never knew existed.

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

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris
August 20, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

This is as insightful a glimpse into a country's cinema as you're likely to see at this running time. Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
August 14, 2009
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

It's all very foul, and completely entertaining. Full Review

Colin Covert
August 13, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tarantino's enthusiasm notwithstanding, backstage gossip about movies of no importance is enough to bore even certified film geeks. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
August 7, 2009
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

What's cool and always kicky is seeing a country's irreverent movie trash being treated with such, well, reverence. Full Review

Desson Thomson
August 7, 2009
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

All in all, this is a celebration of Australian exuberance, a national ethic of adventurousness and enormous charisma.

Anthony Lane
August 3, 2009
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Although Not Quite Hollywood was clearly put together with fanatical love, the suspicion remains, as often with genre cinema, that these trash-rich movies are a lot more fun to hear about, and to watc... Full Review

Lou Lumenick
July 31, 2009
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

There are clips from more than 80 movies crammed into 100 consistently hilarious and jaw-dropping minutes, from soft- and hard-core porn to cheesy , gory horror movies to biker and car chase movies th... Full Review

Gary Goldstein
July 31, 2009
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

It's a kicky, slightly exhausting look at a bygone era of low-rent moviemaking, whose colorful trove of film clips should delight fans of cinematic esoterica, nostalgic schlock and high octane drive-i... Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
July 31, 2009
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

This film is an affectionate, rollicking guide to the drive-in classics of Australian filmmaking from the 1970s and '80s.

Joe Morgenstern
July 31, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

A survey of the week wouldn't be complete without a left-handed salute -- not to be confused with a backhanded compliment -- to the gleeful rubbish of Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Oz... Full Review

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