I love movies.  In many ways, I consider a dimly lit movie theater and the flickering images on a screen a church of sorts, a place where creativity may be given to the masses in an immediate form, where reactions occur at the very moment these scenes unfold.  Toiling away in the mines of lower-budget cinema, sometimes it is easy to become jaded and cynical, seeing one mediocre film after another, soured by the less talented and less ambitious movies.  So, it is a rare treat when a film comes along that not only entertains, but rekindles that love of film in a way essential to the survival of that adoration of the art.

Such a film is Not Quite Hollywood, an examination of the Australian exploitation movement, referred to within the film as Ozploitation.  Written and directed by Mark Hartley, the film covers the rise and fall and rise again of exploitation cinema in the land Down Under.  Along with clips of the movies, Hartley interviewed over eighty actors, directors, producers and critics to gather a comprehensive overview of where the movement began, how it evolved and its demise.  This would make the documentary sound a bit dry, but, I assure you, Not Quite Hollywood is anything but dull.

The film charts the search for Australia’s identity as a filmmaking culture, and the low-budget filmmakers who began this search were concerned with little else than providing a bit of comedy, a lot of nudity and a generally good time at the cinema.  Directors like Bruce Beresford, who later went on to direct Tender Mercies and Driving Miss Daisy, was there for the ground floor of the fun and frolicsome sex cinema with movies like The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, a movie filled with politically incorrect jabs at culture and a fair amount of regurgitation.  

a generally good time at the cinema.  Directors like Bruce Beresford, who later went on to direct Tender Mercies and Driving Miss Daisy, was there for the ground floor of the fun and frolicsome sex cinema with movies like The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, a movie filled with politically incorrect jabs at culture and a fair amount of regurgitation.  

As the Ozploitation films evolved from sex comedies to genre films, movies known to horror buffs began to emerge with titles like Patrick and Long Weekend and Razorback.  While using the Outback to stage scenes of isolation and loneliness, these movies were often clever, over-the-top thrillers which were designed for the drive-in, a phenomenon that, as writer/director Quentin Tarantino points out in interview, is a common bond between the U.S. and Australia.  

The sex and blood gave way to the most uniquely Australian of subgenres, the car porn film.  Movies like Mad Max and Chain Reaction and Midnight Spares featured souped-up cars running down innocent people and terrorizing the highways, which led to the inevitable hero stepping in with his own car and kicking ass.  A cult classic like Dead-End Drive-In is a film that could have only come from this culture, and Not Quite Hollywood is a brave and confident enough film to play host to critics who believe the world would be just as well without it.  

people and terrorizing the highways, which led to the inevitable hero stepping in with his own car and kicking ass.  A cult classic like Dead-End Drive-In is a film that could have only come from this culture, and Not Quite Hollywood is a brave and confident enough film to play host to critics who believe the world would be just as well without it.  

There is more, much more, to this movie.  From Dennis Hopper’s recollections of discovering Bacardi 151 during the shooting of Mad Dog Morgan to the story of Tarantino premiering Kill Bill Down Under with a special dedication, the movie is an honest, exuberant, thrilling examination of movies some would describe as tasteless and unnecessary.  These are the films of the masses, the common denominator in our cinematic experience, and they deserve an appreciation if not a viewing.

Not Quite Hollywood is easy on the eye, fascinating to the ear and filled with more jaw-dropping storytelling than most action films.  Funny and self-deprecating, it’s a fine example of that hard-to-nail documentary, the movie about movies.  In some cases, those films seem self-indulgent, but not here.  You’ll leave this movie with a smile on your face, a rich understanding of the players behind some of the most outrageous films ever put to celluloid, and, most importantly, a reminder of why you love movies in the first place.  Not Quite Hollywood is not to be missed.

Not Quite Hollywood is easy on the eye, fascinating to the ear and filled with more jaw-dropping storytelling than most action films.  Funny and self-deprecating, it’s a fine example of that hard-to-nail documentary, the movie about movies.  In some cases, those films seem self-indulgent, but not here.  You’ll leave this movie with a smile on your face, a rich understanding of the players behind some of the most outrageous films ever put to celluloid, and, most importantly, a reminder of why you love movies in the first place.  Not Quite Hollywood is not to be missed.