At the end of Rachel Ward’s Directors Chair discussion at 2019’s Cinefest Oz, she was asked a question about what advice she would give her younger self. Her response, just like the rest of her talk, was frank and eye opening, saying, ‘I would want to be in an industry where I’m needed and valued’. While Ward’s discussion covered a lot of necessary talking points about what needs to be done in the Australian film industry to help foster and encourage diversity, it also touched on the subject of trying to retain talent in Australia. With each successful Australian film, the filmmaker or talent behind it inevitably find themselves with a career path overseas, leaving the ever-evaporating Australian market behind. These topics are all deep and worthwhile exploring, with one of the major questions being, is a film industry that appears to outwardly reject the work of Rachel Ward worth supporting?
But, ever the white man that I am, I walked away from the talk thinking about myself. I’ve long needed a bio about what The Curb is as a website. Sure, it breaks down to being Culture. Unity. Reviews. Banter., which is a pretty straight forward explanation, but what else on top of that? What kind of culture? What kind of unity? What kind of reviews? What kind of banter? And, thanks to the Rachel Ward discussion, and my time at Cinefest Oz, I’ve come away with a clearer idea of what I want this website to be.
Now, I’ve been writing reviews and talking about film for a long while, but this current iteration of my work has only been living since July 1 2018. Part of why I got into writing about film was because I found that after the end of David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz on TV, there was a distinct lack of coverage for Australian films. Inspired by the work that Perth local Matt Eeles does on Cinema Australia, I decided that I had the energy and willpower to write about the Aussie films that nobody else is writing about. (To clarify, yes, there are people writing about small Australian films, but not enough.) With that in mind, I made that the core focus of what I wanted to do as a writer.
I’ve loved being able to bring films like All This Mayhem, or Strange Colours, or Beast, or Me & My Left Brain, to the attention of film loving folks. I’ve loved being able to talk to the filmmakers about their films, and find out why they make them, and to hear their struggles in trying to get their films in front of an audience. Nothing makes me happier than hearing that someone sought out a film based on a review I wrote. On top of that, getting feedback from the filmmaker that they appreciated a review - positive or negative - is always welcome. There’s an aspect of validation there - wanting to know that someone has read your work, and in turn, that person wanting to know that their film/book/game/whatever has been watched/read/played/etc is necessary. After all, why else would art be created other than to be appreciated and enjoyed?
With that said, the illusion that filmmakers are rolling around in cash, living the high life, is one that’s pure myth. It’s simply not the case. Reading this article about Australian artists having to juggle three jobs to make a movie is depressing. Yes, making films is a privilege. Much the same as writing about films is a privilege. I won’t deny that it’s nice to be able to get free tickets to films and to talk to the people behind the films. But, I don’t earn a buck from this website. And, like many Australian filmmakers out there, they don’t earn a buck from their films. They may be lucky to catch a few views on whatever streaming service their work finds a home on, but other than that, the audience for Australian films is oddly lacking.
This is all an extended way of saying that if there’s one core aspect of what I want from The Curb as a website, it is to be able to continue to support Australian filmmakers and artists with broadening an audience for their work. I hope to do this by providing a foundation for reviews, articles, interviews, and promotion of Australian content. I want to continue to shine a light on those films that you’ve never heard of, the ones that struggle to get an audience at the cinema, or those that struggle to get into a cinema at all. I want The Curb to be a place where people are reminded about why the Australian film industry needs support. I want to try and help make people care about Australian cinema once again.
While I’ve long said that I don’t want coverage of blockbuster films, it is inevitable that if I - or anyone else who writes for the site - have something useful to say about non-Australian content, then we’ll put it up. This is why you’ll still see reviews for films like It Chapter Two or Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. I do still want this to be a ‘different’ website than what else is out there - I want the less standard fare to be discussed. I have no issues with superhero film reviews, but I can’t help but feel that there is little of note that can be added to the discourse, so there will be minimal coverage of the latest Marvel film.
When a new writer comes along and asks me what the writing style is for the website, I struggle to give them a good answer other than saying, I want your voice. I feel that I write a little differently than other reviewers out there, and that’s part of the reason why I’ve never ventured outside of this website to write for other sites/people. (This is not to say that I would never do that, so if you ever want my words for something, then please, drop me a line.) I would never expect other writers to follow how I write, which is why I find it much more interesting to read other peoples views as to why something worked for them or didn’t work for them. I try and avoid prescribing films to people to review, instead, I’d rather find out from someone why they sought something out. If someone can put forward an interesting case as to why something deserves to be watched, then I’m more likely to seek it out, and I would hope that that is the case for all the reviews on the site.
In a long winded way, I’ll bring it back to the point that Rachel Ward made about wanting to be part of an industry that valued her. I was frustrated that an industry would actively work against someone like Rachel Ward, that it would discourage her from making films. If it worked against Rachel Ward, then what chance does someone smaller than her have? What chance does an Alena Lodkina have? What chance does an Alex Lykos have? What chance does a Heath Davis have?
I couldn’t help but think, what chance does Australian film criticism have?
In a recent issue of Metro magazine, Anne Rutherford talks about the necessity of film culture, and how the importance of discussions about film is as vital as the need for commercial success and diversity. It’s an essential read - as is every article in Metro magazine - and one that touches on a lot of points that I’ve long thought about and discussed. The majority of film critics in Australia are hobbyists - we’re doing it on the skin of our own back, plugging away on the fumes of free movie tickets and free booze. If you’re not in academia, then you’ve also likely got a patreon page set up and plug it endlessly in the hope that you’ll be able to make enough to justify your existence. For those out there who live as the life of a freelancer, then you’ll find yourself in deeper waters. It’s a hard life trying to peddle your words for whoever will buy them, especially as each year passes, each word gets cheaper, forcing you to write more for less.
I know there may be some out there who cringe at the concept of complaining about not being paid, especially when there are other areas in the world where people are getting underpaid for work that is desperate and hard. Believe me, those who write about film, and those who make films, are well aware of the luck they have in being able to do what we do. We don’t take the privilege lightly.
But, as soon as you remove the reviews of film, as soon as you take away the discussions of art, the realm of culture suddenly disappears. Call me an alarmist, I don’t mind, but the way that massive corporations have weaponised ‘fans’ against critics and those who wish to discuss the cultural value of film is one of the most harmful and toxic things to have occurred in the realm of film. By attacking places like Rotten Tomatoes, or specific reviewers for positive or negative reviews, both artists and the corporations who pay them have actively devalued their own work.
Every time I see ‘fan’ culture rally against a critic, or a corporation put out a campaign like the ‘Thanos Demands Your Silence’ (did they forget that he’s the villain of the piece, making his ‘demand’ something you should ignore completely?), I cringe. I cringe at how the film industry eagerly moves itself from being an artform into a commodity. The way that ‘fans’ rallied around the latest Avengers film to make it the ‘most financially successful film of all time’, like it was an underdog that needed supporting, caused my head to spin. How have we gotten to this point? How have we strayed so far?
I’m getting off track, but what I’m hopefully getting across is that I want The Curb to be a place that actively encourages open criticism - both positive and negative - of art. I want it to be a place that allows for open discussions about the world of cinema. I want to actively disrupt the landscape of modern film discourse (as in, the unceasing discussion about superhero films and everything Disney) and to try and help realign the focus on Australian film and remind people of its value.
At many of the after party meet ups at Cinefest Oz, I found myself endlessly perplexed about the path that many of the discussions was going down. This is a festival that is all about Australian film, and yet, I found discussions continually straying back to talking about Marvel films, or DC films. Sure, some of the discussions were about how great it is that the next Thor film will be made in Australia, but that doesn’t make it an Australian film. It’s still a Marvel movie through and through.
When I was asked about what my favourite film of the year was, and I’d mention that it was a small documentary called It All Started with a Stale Sandwich, eyes would glaze over. Look, admittedly, as a introvert in public spaces, I’m pretty shit at explaining myself properly, so there is a fair chance that the people I was talking to were simply bored by my trying to explain a film about public art, but, I’m also certain that if I said, ‘well, that Captain Marvel film was pretty darn great’ that the discussion would have taken care of itself. We talk endlessly about supporting small films, but then it all fades away in common discourse. We’re inevitably dragged back to a discussion that swarms social media like a plague.
As Rachel Ward said, she wouldn’t want to be part of an industry that doesn’t value her, and if any of us who write about Australian film had any sanity left, we’d also not want to write for an industry that doesn’t value us.
We’re either underpaid or not paid at all. When a film comes out, our reviews are rarely shared by the production companies or cinemas, and it’s even worse when it comes to Australian films. So often you’ll see an Australian film be released, and instead of quotes from Australian critics, you’ll find Vanity Fair or The Hollywood Reporter or Indiewire. And while it’s nice to see Australian cinema validated by international audiences, why is it that the celebration doesn’t start at home instead? When it comes to Rotten Tomatoes, our reviews are rarely put up, which in turn actively harms Australian films that are on that site, leading to a dearth of relevant reviews, making Australian cinema either appear irrelevant by having erroneous ‘rotten’ ratings, or no rating at all.
Am I overthinking this? Likely. Am I being precious? Oh, most certainly.
But, this is what I do. It’s why I keep this website going. It’s part of the core ethos of what The Curb is. I hope that when people talk about this website - if they ever do -, they do so with the recognition that this is a website that’s run on honesty and with a passion. It’s a website that’s built on the foundations of love and respect for Australian culture and art. It’s a website that I’ve built after looking at my peers and wondering how I can add to the conversation in the most positive, helpful manner.
Look, I’ll be purely honest and open - I go through periods of wondering what the fuck the point is of having this website is. I sit here and think, there’s no point in putting these words out into the world when there’s nobody paying attention. And sure, a lot of this is just your run of the mill depression fuelling self doubt and anxiety, but it’s also plain reality. I don’t have a degree in film, I failed at making cinema, and I work a full time job that is far from the realm of what I do on this website, but I enjoy writing, I enjoy talking about film, I love and live for Australian cinema, and I hope that my eagerness for it rubs off on someone else.
I’ll leave you with a call to action. If you enjoy my writing, then please, go and support my patreon. It doesn’t even need to be my patreon, but find a critic that you like, and financially support them. And to the artists and filmmakers out there, I put a request to you, if you appreciate our work, and if you’ve benefited from the coverage that us writers have put out there, then please, financially support us. I know you’re strapped for cash, as everyone is, a minimum of $1 a month is enough to keep us going. The Curb’s Facebook page has 668 likes on it at time of writing. If every single person who liked the page put forward $1 a month - $12 a year - towards the site, I could actually pay the writers for their work.
Yes, I’m focusing on myself here, but I’ll also shout out the 1250 people who like Travis Johnson’s Celluloid and Whiskey page and say, if every one of you put $1 a month behind his work, then he’d be less reliant on the ever diminishing magazine figureheads in Australia. And, if it’s not Travis, and it’s not The Curb, then find whatever critic or writer that you love and respect and support them financially. If they don’t have a patreon, then message them and find out how you can.
Yeah, I know that there are charities out there, and I know that there is a world in need, but to be that guy and pull that line, for the cost of two cups of coffee a year, you can actively support a film critic.
And, if you can't do that, then that's fine - just make sure to share the reviews of the writers you appreciate, and when a small film (Australian or otherwise) lands in your local cinema, go and see it and recommend it to your friends and family. The opening weekend is the biggest impact time for Australian films, so make sure to put your dollars where they'll work best. You won't miss anything by not seeing the latest superhero flick on the opening weekend.
If the industry doesn’t value us, and if the industry doesn’t value filmmakers like Rachel Ward, then it’s up to everyone else to show that we are valuable. It’s up to everyone else to show us that we are important and necessary. I certainly know that we’re valuable and important, and I’ll keep doing this regardless of whether there is the support or not, just many of us out there, but gosh, we all really need everyone else to step up and show us that we’re valued.
Maybe this is me being too precious, and maybe this is me being too insecure, but that’s one of the benefits of running my own website - I can put up pieces like this, or pieces about why Run Amuk has the best hotdogs in the world, or why I don’t want kids.
I think at the end of this all, I now know exactly what The Curb is all about. Yes, it’s Culture. And it’s definitely about Unity. There’s a healthy dose of Reviews, and a smattering of Banter. It’s all of those things, but most importantly it’s a site that’s about supporting the culture of Australia.