Australian Penthouse

ABC television program Hungry Beast took the classification fight to the Attorney General’s office on Tuesday night when program reporter Kirsten Drysdale asked why women with genitals that don’t close “to a single crease” are deemed offensive by the Australian Government.

WATCH streaming video of the ABC’s Hungry Beast here: Hungry Beast

Australian Penthouse Pet, Bailey Banks, March 2010

WATCH video of an Australian  men’s magazine retoucher manipulating images to meet OFLC requirements here: Hungry Beast: Digital Retouching

Discover what the the Australian Government reckons is offensive when it comes to publishing images of adult nudity in Australia here:
OFLC guidelines

FIND out what everyday Australians think about women’s vaginas, here:
VAG POPS

READ ABC reporter Kirsten Drysdale’s blog, here: HEAL TO A SINGLE CREASE

Tinto Brass, director of skin-flicks as Penthouse classic, Caligula, and All Ladies Do It, says he has been inspired by the success and cope of James Cameron’s Avatar,  and has plans to make a 3D porno. No word yet as to what level Brass’ inspiration will begin or end.

Animal Kingdom
Director:  David Michod
Star:  Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver
Madman Entertainment

Animal Kingdom centres around a Melbourne family of drug dealers—a popular topic post-Underbelly—and the extended family’s rapidly escalating violence with the police.

The viewer sees events unfold through the eyes of the film’s protagonist and youngest family member, 17-year-old Joshua (James Frecheville), an adolescent wrestling with his allegiance to his family and his conscious.

Written and directed by David Michod, what is so different about Animal Kingdom compared with many other Melbourne underworld movies and TV series of late, is that it doesn’t glorify the drug trade, or life “in the business”.

There are no dramatic gun scenes, no wads of money counted, no mountains of cocaine piled on table-tops. The movie instead focuses on the cascading errors in judgement shown by the family, coupled with the audience’s underlying belief that no good will come of the deaths and drug use—primarily via the expressive-yet-passive narration of Joshua throughout the film.

Ben Mendelsohn steals the show as the increasingly psychotic ‘Uncle Pope’, a man who delves deeper into paranoia, and eventually insanity, due to the mounting death-toll surrounding him and his trigger-happy, drug-taking antics. Winner of the 2010 Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Drama at Sundance, Animal Kingdom presents Australian story-telling in a new light, and is definitely worth watching.

Animal Kingdom opens in cinemas nationally on June 3.

REALITY BITES

Australian artist Ben Frost creates art that entertains as much as it aggravates.  And that suits him just fine…

Interview:  Kate Hutchinson

What inspired you to become an artist?
“It’s better than a normal job—and I can nap whenever I feel like it.”

What would you do for a buck if you couldn’t make art?
“I would probably be the guy in the factory who tests disposable lighters.”

What’s behind the style of art you create?
“I believe that any creative endeavour is about trying to process and figure out the world around us. I’m still trying to come to terms with how saturated we all are with advertising, television, the media, and what this means for our society. I don’t pretend that I’ve come up with any answers, but being able to critically assess how we live and why we’re so obsessed with ridiculous things like Britney Spears and Fly-Buys, is my main motivation.”

What have you been working on recently?
“Lately I’ve been working a lot with artists on Stupidkrap.com, the art portal I run.  It’s always funny when I call  a new supplier or client, and say: “Hi, I’m calling from Stupidkrap..”, the irony is quite delicious. We make prints and help promote Australian artists in exhibitions and projects, mostly out of Sydney, but also in other States as well.”

How do you stay inspired?
“I spend a lot of time trawling the Internet and in second-hand book stores looking for bizarre images that I can find new ways to subvert.  In my art practice, I’m only as good as the images I can find to work with,  so I have to be constantly updating my library of pictures to keep it fresh.

“I have boxes and boxes of strange old magazines I bought on Ebay and scraps of packaging I found on the street somewhere.  I love going through the supermarket aisles and buying products based entirely on the merit of its packaging design–it’s totally inspiring. The packaging on the Ratsak box is my favourite; I always look at it when I visit the supermarket, even though I don’t have rodent problems.”

Do you have other interests, outside of art?
“I sing in a punk band when we have time to rehearse and do gigs.  I also like watching really bad movies.”

What can we expect from you this year?
“More exhibitions closer to home. I have shows planned in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. You can get updates on my exhibitions by joining the mailing list at my website: www.benfrostisdead.com”

What do you think makes your work popular?

“I make Pop Art, so there’s heavy use of popular imagery in my work that most people can instantly recognise. I think people also enjoy seeing their favourite—or least favourite—icons and logos manipulated and subverted to create new dialogues that you [otherwise] wouldn’t get to see.

“Pop Art [offers] a way to ‘take the power back’, because you can have some control over the images that companies and the media are always  ramming down our throats.  You can take these images and characters and alter them to show the kind of twisted things they probably do behind the scene—like Astroboy giving you the finger, Pluto and Goofy doing it doggy-style, or Bambi giving birth to a stream of baby Bambis.”

Didn’t some guy slash one of your paintings at a recent exhibition?
“I’ve made a few paintings that speak too directly for some people to be able to process.  I did a painting of two children preparing to shoot up drugs in an idyllic setting, with an aeroplane crashing in the background.  The piece was displayed in an area of Brisbane where there was a marked increase in the use of intravenous drugs by younger people, and it caused some controversy but at the same time it also created healthy discussion about the context of what [the painting] means and [why] it was displayed [there].

“I think many people are frightened of the reality of their own environment, and rather than try to do something to change it, they compensate by being overly critical of people who are trying to express what is staring them in the face.”

Is there a specific piece that you are especially proud of?
“I’ve always really liked the painting ‘Kmart After Dark’.  It was one of the first paintings I made when I returned [to Australia, in 2005] after living in Tokyo, and I feel like it captures the frenetic and fluoro energy of what it’s like to walk through Shibuya—or Kmart, for that matter.”

Do you have a favourite gallery to exhibit your work?
“The solo show I did at Brooklynite Gallery in New York [in June 2009], is definitely my favourite. It’s in this intense section of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, and there’s this great grassed area out the back where DJs play and you can continue [viewing] artwork from the gallery space inside through to the outdoors.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“Hopefully, I will have made the ultimate painting that will end world hunger, prompt world peace, and help Brad and Angelina work out any difficulties with Jennifer Aniston.”

See more of Ben’s work at: http://www.benfrostisdead.com

Australian Penthouse interviews author and journalist Jack Marx about his book Australian Tragic… a look at some dark stories in Australian history

By Kate Hutchinson

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Caela – one of the gorgeous women from Sydney Delights

Australian Penthouse speaks to Karen, owner and manager of Sydney Delights – an exciting new dating business that puts clients firmly in control (continue reading…)

On February 16 Digital Playground satisfies the huge demand for another sexy comedic film with the release of Fly Girls. This highly anticipated film follows in the footsteps of Digital Playground’s wildly successful best selling titles Babysitters, Cheerleaders, Nurses and Teachers. A feature filled with all-contract stars Jesse Jane, Katsuni, Riley Steele, Raven Alexis, Janie Summers and a big supporting cast. This is the first major production for Digital Playgrounds newest stars, Janie Summers and Raven Alexis, and is the largest budget movie for award winning Director, Robby D. (continue reading…)

RECORDED over a five-night residency at the Dublin Theatre in 2007, R.E.M’s Live at the Olympia in Dublin features 39 tracks selected from albums spanning the American band’s stellar career.

Although most of the album is 1980s-based, fans of R.E.M’s newer music won’t be left unsatisfied, as it also features a sneak peek at songs from their 2008 studio album Accelerate – many of which were completely altered by the time the record hit the shelves.

Live at the Olympia in Dublin is a nice change from R.E.M’s slick studio recordings, due to its relaxed feel and leader singer Michael Stipe’s interaction with the crowd in between songs. He even speaks critically about the dullness of his early lyrics – something you just wouldn’t get on a studio album.

Snoop Dogg’s new album, Malice in Wonderland is a far cry from Doggystyle and The Doggfather, and therefore many die-hard Snoop fans will be disappointed. (continue reading…)

To celebrate the release of brand-new Family Guy Star Wars send-up Something Something Something Dark Side, Cameron Murray interviews voice actor Mike Henry, who plays Cleveland Brown (R2-D2) and Herbert The Pervert (Obi-Wan Kenobi)…

(continue reading…)

Sherlock Holmes
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jnr, Jude Law, Mark Strong, Rachel McAdams
Roadshow

Review: Suzan Ryan

I must admit that I had mixed feelings about this film; I wanted it to be good. Really good. But I feared that it could be very bad—another remake of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) by director Guy Ritchie, who has yet to stray from the proven fast-cut formula he employed so successfully in that film (which is somewhat understandable when you consider the abominable Swept Away (2002) as Ritchie’s only other attempt at diversity).

While I had no reservations that Downey Jnr would deliver an excellent and witty performance as Sherlock Holmes, when it came to picturing Jude Law as Dr Watson, I expected a bearable-yet-wooden performance. At best.

And what of the decision to cast Rachel McAdams as female lead, the sassy Irene Adler? From what I’ve seen of Ms McAdams’ work, she failed to impress as the spunky journalist in State of Play (2009), relying on dimpled smiles and harried gestures to define her character, and was given only limited range as the good girl targeted by the bad guy in Red Eye (2005).

However, casting Mark Strong as Holmes’ nemesis, the evil Lord Blackwood, is a welcome treat, following his riveting performance in Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies (2009), in which he played the genteel-yet-uncompromising boss of the Jordanian secret service, Hani Salaam—outshining the performances of both Russell Crow and Leonardo DiCaprio. No easy feat.

Sherlock Holmes begins with the capture of serial killer and black arts practitioner Lord Blackwood (Strong) by the cocky-yet-camera-shy Holmes (Downey Jnr) and his able assistant Dr. Watson (Law), in what is to be the pair’s final case before Watson marries fiance Mary (Kelly Rielly) and returns to working as a doctor.

But when Blackwood returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes and a reluctant Watson agree to work with Scotland Yard to locate and apprehend the elusive killer.

Simultaneously sullen and oafish when forced to interact with Watson’s fiancée (and contemplate the end of a long and cherished relationship), Holmes hits the bottle, along with plenty of bodies, working out his anger in bare-knuckle boxing fights, where he uses his intellect to disable opponents as effectively as his hands.

And it’s in these fight scenes where Guy Ritchie most effectively flexes his directing muscles, providing his trademark slowed-motion-interspersed-with-live action scene-play and character voice-over to invigorate the movie and maintain pace.

There is chemistry between Downey Jnr and Law, providing depth to their characters’ banter while simultaneously offering respite from the film’s sinister undertones and interesting plot twists.

Sherlock Holmes is a solid, enjoyable, well-made and well written movie. It also marks a watershed moment in the career of Guy Ritchie, who at last—and to our great relief—has graduated and evolved as a director. Well done.

Sherlock Holmes opens in cinemas nationally on December 26.

Avatar
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi
20th Century Fox

Review: Dave Kozicki

If God is in the details, then consider me a convert to the Church of Cameron. When Hollywood’s hype machine begins bandying about words such as “revolutionary” or “groundbreaking”, reviewers get cynical, roll their eyes and prepare for catastrophe.

Following up one of the most successful films of all time, Titanic (1997) after a 12-year hiatus from commercial filmmaking would make even the most loyal James Cameron (Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, True Lies) fan nervous about what the obscenely budgeted film—estimated to have cost between US $200 and $300 million to make—is hiding under its skirt.

Moviegoers can rest easy because Cameron delivers the ultimate cinema experience with Avatar; a film so grand in scale and visual innovation that it will leave you reaching for an oxygen tank. The cutting-edge graphics help to offset the predictable plot, which is cut seemingly from Dances With Wolves, with snippets of The Last Samurai, and a nod to the themes of technology-versus-nature as explored by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) in Princess Mononoke.

Crippled Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) arrives on alien planet Pandora to fill the shoes of his recently departed sibling in the Avatar program. Instability and rampant poverty on Earth has lead to the privatisation of the Marine Corps—which serves more often as guns for hire to private corporations than constitutional defenders.

The corporation, in this instance, is lead by Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), and in its discovery of rare mineral Unobtainium (really!) must relocate the ten-feet tall, blue-skinned indigenous population, the Na’vi, in order to mine the deposits via any means necessary.

To assist the mining giant, scientist Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) created Avatars, a meld of Na’vi and human DNA that is remote controlled by the human subject it mirrors. Sully’s mission is to observe and make contact with the Na’vi, and then convince them to relocate.

Due to a series of unexpected events, Sully finds himself rescued by a fearless Na’vi hunter, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and so begins the by-the-numbers revelatory plot where man questions his beliefs/awakens feelings of romance via montage: boy meets blue-skinned girl, adopts her ways, becomes in tune with nature, tames wild beasts, conquers his fears, realises he’s playing for the wrong team, fights to preserve the Na’vi way of life, etc, leading to the film’s climax. No surprises here. But what is surprising—and legitimately awe-inspiring—is the sensory overload that moviegoers experience by via the incredible visuals and astounding use of 3D technology. This experience is what the 3D fuss was all about—you will have seen nothing like it.

Call it an eyegasm or an ocular orgy, James Cameron has delivered an overwhelming, groundbreaking and immersive new cinema experience. The planet of Pandora impresses with life, from the design of its unique-yet-somehow-familiar flora and fauna, to the most realistic and believable—yet entirely digital—representation of an alien race conceived on film to date. The Na’vi move naturally and they behave and emote with a spirit previously unseen in digital humanistic graphics: pupils dilate; muscles ripple, and the characters walk (or, more accurately, saunter) with almost sexual grace. No dead eyes here. The aliens act and react as you would expect to see from a live actor, and Zoe Saldana’s riveting performance is the uncontested standout.

To enjoy the Avatar journey to its fullest, watching the movie in 3D is essential. Gone are the days when objects are thrust towards the viewer’s eyes. This new realisation of 3D is subtle—droplets of rain cascade in lifelike proximity; ash flakes float outside your grasp, and trees rest slightly out of focus in your line of sight.

Kudos to the film’s special effects team for making the extraordinary seem ordinary, using nuance and subtlety throughout the film’s layers of effects in order to leave viewers wondering where reality ends and the digital world begins.

Not since I saw Star Wars (as a 7-year-old) has a film affected me so profoundly. And, like Star Wars, Avatar has set a new standard of expectation in movie-making. Its amalgamation of classic mythology with new technologies, will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of moviegoers. George Lucas: take note. This is how it’s done.

Avatar is screening in cinemas nationally now