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Festivale Summer 1996-7 Idiot Box movie review, Jan., 1996

Idiots in Boxes, a poem of suburban rage

Cut to TV. On the dole in the western suburbs Poems don't rhyme You mad bastard. Cut to TV. Blokes and bitches. The only thing shorter than foreplay Is the actual sex. Cut to TV. We go in. We take the money And then we piss off. Cut to TV. Long-necks. Stubbies. C.E.S. D.S.S. Slack bastards. Dole bludgers I like to be angry, that's why - I enjoy it. Cut to TV.

So just what is the Idiot Box? The TV, or the soul-less suburban houses they watch it in? This film is only a black comedy if life is a black comedy. Wasn't it Arthur Miller who said, When the truth is being spoken by an actor, the audience responds with a resounding 'Yes!'. Yes!! The audience that watched this film was filled with those embarassed giggles men make when real sex is mentioned, when they get caught in a room with the truth. No matter who you are, or where you live, some part of this film is about your own life. Or at the very least the life of the people you deal with every day.

There are many parts of this film that seem uneven, places where the moments were stilted or forced. These were mainly in the world outside our protagonists. The police had a cardboard feel to them, as if the film-makers didn't know whether to camp them up or not. Remember the saying, Be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it? This film is about getting what you want. Your wake up call is here. Go see it.

	Ali Kayn See also: Mr Reliable, another Australian larrikin film For credits and official site details, click here. Search Festivale for more
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Enter movie, TV show, or person   Provided by Internet Movie Database.	Just the Facts: Title: Idiot Box Written by: David Caesar Directed by: David Caesar Produced by: Glenys Rowe MA 85 mins The Players: Ben Mendelsohn, Jeremy Sims, John Polson, Graeme Blundell, Deborah Kennedy, Robyn Loau Commences 20 February, 1997
	For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section.

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