Australia

Got to see Australia tonight, Baz Luhrman's epic Australian western which evokes Hollywood greats like "Gone With the Wind" and "Lawrence of Arabia" but tells a 1940s love story (love in all its forms) through a 2008 lens of racial and ethnic justice.

I stood in line for a long time waiting to get into the Mall of America's new VIP theater holding huge home theater seating, more than generous legroom and, for tonight anyway, Australian wine, which was good in a generic wine sort of way, and free popcorn. Colin had a much larger entourage with him tonight--I think I saw "14" by his name before they crossed it off and wrote "12" after my guest and I checked-in.

By the end of the almost three-hour-long film, I made a note to myself: see everything Baz Luhrman directs because he sure does know how to tell a story.

Today, I read a New York Times piece about the death of the American story in all its forms (film, book and stage) and clearly, the author and those concerned about storytelling had not seen Australia. With vast vistas and characters you care about and a plot that keeps you rooting for those you like and against those you don't, you can't lose.

If you liked Moulin Rouge, also directed by Luhrman, as much as I did, you'll see a few similar themes. There's a bad guy so bad and his evil efforts so dogged, he's impossible to like. There's the love that can't be bought. But, not to spoil it for you, Australia is no tragedy.

Luhrman jumped from scene to scene too quickly for me in places, which worked really well in Moulin Rouge but not as well here. Luckily, the story carried me away and made me forget this minor distraction.

Can you guess my rating?

Definitely Worth $10 (plus $5 popcorn and a babysitter). You have to see it on the big screen with an audience who will cry and cheer right next to you.