Baz Luhrman is a visual director. Couple him with fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman; one would expect a strong story with terrific scenery and fine performances.

Instead, we got a faded postcard called Australia.  The overly long film, now out on DVD, is actually two predictable stories melded into one feature.  The first half is a remake of [[[The African Queen]]] repurposed as an American western set in the outback. The second half is a World War II adventure that sort of pits Jackman against the Japanese. Given its highly obvious story points, it’s hard to believe this is a product from the man who gave us [[[Moulin Rouge]]] and a fresh take on [[[Romeo and Juliet]]].

About the only thing unique about the story is the plight of the half-Caucasian/half-Aborigines children taken away by missionaries during this era to have the “savage” beaten out of them.  As a result, the most interesting characters in the film are the “creamy” Nullah and his silent grandfather King George (played by the veteran David Gulpilil).

Jackman may never win an Oscar for his work, but he’s a versatile, entertaining actor who handles action and romance with equal aplomb.  His Droper smolders throughout the movie and his understanding of the aboriginal people is sympathetic in contrast to just about every other Caucasian in the movie.

Kidman’s Lady Sarah goes from spoiled Englishwoman to gun-toting, hard drinking native without any in-between steps and feels unnatural.  Instead of a nuanced performance, which she’s capable of, she feels like she did this to work from home and not that she had any real affinity for the role or story.

Luhrman also seems more interested in the landscape of his native land than the performances which are more two-dimension than we’re used to. The pacing is languid, even for the action sequences, and overall the movie just lays there. It did not perform well at the box office and 20th Century-Fox apparently lost faith in the film which resulted in a DVD that comes with barely any extras.  There are trailers (and not one for [[[Wolverine]]]) and two deleted scenes, neither of which substantively changes the movie.

Today’s list of quick items:

• The Future Now: Science Fiction Set in 2009. From io9. All you Freejack fans, raise your hands. Yes, you, Kathleen David.

• If you’ve always wandered the streets of Greenwich Village trying to find Dr. Strange’s loft, wondered which subway stop to get off at to get to Yancy Street, or tried to spot the Baxter Building in the New York Skyline, check out The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City . As the cover says," Whether you’re a native New Yorker, a thrill-seeking tourist, or a curious armchair traveler, with this one-of-a-kind guide you can explore the city that never sleeps and the comics that live forever." You know you can trust it — the book’s even at the Museum of Modern Art bookstore.

• If your taste in pop culture entertainment runs more towards Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, and/or other animated furry friends, The Animated Bestiary takes a scholarly look at how  anthropomorphic animals have been used in film and cartoons to reflect human characteristics and behavior. So, the next time you’re watching Looney Tunes you can tell people you’re doing Serious Academic Ruminations on the Role of Anthropomorphism in Pop Culture. And you can feel like you’re Wile E. Coyote — super genius.

• Genuine 19th century Vampire Killing Kits.

• In case you’ve forgotten ‘Total Recall’, it’s getting remade. (Ye gods, it’s been almost two decades…)

• What do the cartoon character "Pucca," the serialized drama "Princess Hours" and Stephen Colbert’s nemesis "RAIIIIN!" have in common? They’re all products of pop culture from Korea. Fans in the U.S. have known about Japanese pop culture imports for a while now, but there’s also a whole world of great comics, pop music, and other cool stuff just across the water in the Land of Morning Calm — and we’re not just talking about Margaret Cho and that hot guy from "Lost."  For more, page through the book Pop Goes Korea.  And if this book whets your appetite for Korean tchotchkes,  try some of the stuff from the Destination Seoul line of products from the Museum of Modern Art (can you guess where I spent some time this afternoon?) In particular, the Hwa-To Card Game is a fun way to pass the time, and much, much cheaper than Magic: the Gathering (though, I warn you, no less addictive!)

• And finally, a belated 75th birthday to Del Close. It’s okay, he’s late himself.

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.

Today’s list of quick items– Watchmen, Watchmen everywhere:

• Flickr: Bad viral marketing. See right.
   
• Dave Gibbons video on how 2000 AD influenced Watchmen.
   
• Also from Wired: Legendary Comics Writer Alan Moore on Superheroes, The League, and Making Magic
   
• From the Onion A/V Club: In the wake of Watchmen: 24 more graphic novels we’d like to see made into movies
   
• We Know Watchmen’s Box-Office Future. By these calculations, they’re guessing around $172 million domestic. That feels about right to me. The New York Observer, on the other hand, has no real idea and just throws out ideas, but they do have an interview with Damon Lindelof about Marketing Watchmen; he must have time now that Hulk vs. Wolverine is back on schedule.
   
•  And finally, in lieu of a happy meal (because the movie is not for kids, Debbie) we have the Watchmen Bento Box (thank you, Lisa):

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.