Australia

Rating:  3 out of 10

Starring:  Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman

Genre: Attempt at Sweeping Epic

After 2 months of hype, this one was a disappointment.  Kidman travels from England to her husband at an isolated ranch in the Northern Territory of Australia only to find him dead.  She decides to stay.  Before long she goes on a long, harrowing cattle drive to Darwin.  Predictably she and Jackman coupled.  After a brief interlude of bliss back at the ranch, Jackman leaves.  The next thing we know Darwin is being flattened by a Japanese air attack.  Miraculously, Kidman survives, Jackman reappears to rescue a precocious Aborigines boy from a small island off the coast.  The whole thing is about as real as one of those Saturday afternoon cowboy serials we used to see.

The scenery is enchanting, but rather than waste 2 hours, 45 minutes, buy a book of pictures.