The Delinquents (1989)

From about 1987 to 1992, Australian Kylie Minogue was about the hottest figure on the pop charts of several countries. She had her greatest successes in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the UK, but she also had some hits in North American and Europe. For an incredibly detailed account of her successes, you can go to her IMDb  bio and look under the rubric of "trivia." The Delinquents was a movie specifically tailored for her, to showcase her looks and abilities and to initiate her movie career. (She had starred in Australian soap operas before she made it big as a singer.)

I started out to write that it is a coming-of-age story about Australian teens in the 50s, but that isn't quite right. It isn't really a personal story from a single P.O.V, as one would expect in a coming-of-age tale, but rather a manufactured soap opera of a love story which happens to focus on two very young teens. They are two good kids from troubled working-class homes who find each other, take refuge in each other, and form a lifelong bond. They just want to be left alone to start their life together, and they're willing to do whatever is necessary to pay the bills. Unfortunately, their families and the legal authorities don't see their situation in quite the same light since the kids are only 15 years old, and the girl gets pregnant. Society conspires constantly to punish them for simply wanting to be together. Their struggle is filled with heartbreak, and their road to adulthood is blocked by many detours. There are, as you might expect, many references to Romeo and Juliet in the script, but this version of the classic tale does eventually progress to a feel-good multi-hankie ending.

The film was targeted directly at Kylie's audience(s): the young teens and tweens who bought her music, and the women of all ages who followed her soap opera career. The Delinquents is firmly into chick-flick territory with a 1.8 point male/female differential at IMDb (6.6 from females, 4.8 from males), and within the female group, the enthusiasm declines as the voters get older.

All of that is not to say that it is a bad film. In fact, it has some very strong positives. Here are four:

1. The photography is gorgeous. The cinematographer was Andrew Lesnie, who is absolutely one of the best on the planet. He's been the cinematographer for a few little films you may have heard of, like King Kong and the three Lord of the Rings films! He was won every award that a cinematographer can win, including an Oscar.

2. The soundtrack is great if you like vintage 1950s do-wop rock (I do!). There are several recordings by the original artists and even a Kylie Minogue cover of Tears on my Pillow. In addition to the familiar rock 'n roll standards, there is a lush and romantic original orchestral score by Miles Goodman.

3. The period details are fun to absorb. In many ways, small-town Australia in the 1950s was like the equivalent life in the USA. In other ways, it was very different. I was fascinated by the sight of dozens of hard-nosed blue collar guys riding their bikes to work en masse. In another scene, I thought I had pegged the familiar sight of streetcar tracks running through the town - until a full-fledged steam locomotive came barreling through downtown pulling a full load of freight through the High Street. I have never seen anything like that in North America - or anywhere else, for that matter. It is only through films like this that an American may share such unique memories of a forgotten time in a foreign place.

4. Kylie herself did a surprisingly good job in the role, looked great, and even did a brief topless scene.

 

Kylie Minogue

The DVD is Region 4 PAL, but is available through an American importer. It includes a very nice widescreen anamorphic  transfer of the film and a couple of "making of" featurettes which feature the actors, the director, and the composer.

I found it a solid DVD of a very watchable girly movie. Click on the pic below for info from the American importer.

The importer also sells DVD players which can play films from every region. Click below for info.

The Garden (1977)

Israeli movie. "An old man tends his garden under the threat of encroaching urbanization. In wanders a beautiful tourist, dazed and naked after a sexual assault, and he mistakes her for an angel." I haven't seen it, and it looks awful, but I'm definitely down for seeing a 19 year old Melanie Griffith do a full-frontal nude scene! (Zipped .avi)

Other Crap:

Movie Reviews:

Yellow asterisk: funny (maybe). White asterisk: expanded format. Blue asterisk: not mine. No asterisk: it probably sucks.

Carrer Bed (1972)

Despite lousy reviews and church leaders urging a boycott, "The DaVinci Code" made $224 million worldwide, the second-biggest debut weekend after the last "Star Wars" sequel.

*  Some called it an abomination that slandered their most sacred idol ...  but enough about the "Star Wars" sequels.



Two-thirds of Saudi women are too fat under their robes, but any attempts to encourage them to exercise, even letting them walk in public, are being stymied by Islamic fundamentalists.  One even wrote a pamphlet opposing efforts to allow girls' P.E. classes in schools. It claims that disrobing outside the home is immoral and might make girls lose their shyness, and if the girls see each other in tight leotards, they might become attracted to each other.

*  Just wondering: how does anyone KNOW how fat they are under their robes?



Kirstie Alley, who ballooned to over 300 pounds before becoming a Jenny Craig spokeswoman, says her goal is to appear on her pal Oprah Winfrey's show this November in a bikini.  But she says she still has another 20 pounds to lose to reach her target weight.

*  ... 280.

*  Three things I never want to hear in the same sentence: "Kirstie Alley,"
"Oprah" and "bikini."