In Review: Lantana (2001)

~ The BigPond Adelaide Film Festival has begun, and I for one, am delighted. For the past several Film Festivals, I have been meaning to immerse myself in cinema for the 10 days of the event, but for various reason, mostly to do with work and money, I haven’t been able to. Now that I am ‘retired’, I have enough time and money to hopefully see between 10 and 15 films.

Unfortunately, I missed the opening on Thursday night, and didn’t see anything Friday either – so much for immersing myself in movies!

Yesterday however, I caught my first film, an encore screening of the stunning Australian movie, Lantana.

Directed by Ray Lawrence, working from a screenplay by Andrew Bovell, Lantana is a tour de force of Australian film making. Every major actor in the film gives a great performance, especially the female leads, Kerry Armstrong, Rachel Blake, Barbara Hershey and Daniella Farinacci.

The lead males are just as good. Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, and Vince Colosimo give top performances, and all the above are ably supported by Leah Purcell, Peter Phelps and Glenn Robbins. Even the child actors are good.

So what is it about this film that helped it scoop award after award?

The tag line for the film, ‘Sometimes love isn't enough’, gives a clue to the drama unfolding before the viewer. Relationships are put under a microscope so powerful, that nothing is able to escape its unwavering focus.

The film dissects in intimate detail the consequences of infidelity, lack of trust, and poor communication in human relationships – marriages in particular. Apart from the characters of Nick and Paula Daniels (Vince Colosimo and Daniella Farinacci), who are happy and secure in their partnership, all the other adult characters are either hiding something from their partners, or finding it difficult – if not down right impossible – to express their true feelings to each other.

Great dialogue shines throughout. Long pauses between short passages of conversation leave the viewer squirming as they watch these intensely human characters come apart before our eyes.

Dialogue: Leon Zat, (after admitting he’d had an affair): I f-cked up, all right? People f-ck up.
Sonja Zat: Really? Well, I don't. You know what's so easy, Leon? It's so easy to go out and find somebody. You know what's hard? What's hard is not to.

You might have noticed I haven’t even mentioned the plot yet. That’s because the plot, as interesting as it is, is merely the catalyst for the real drama taking place between all the couples and individuals in this complex interwoven masterpiece.

There is so much to recommend repeated viewings of this film. The incredible understated performances of Kerry Armstrong and Rachel Blake in particular, should have propelled them both onto the international spotlight. Why it hasn’t is a continuing mystery to me. Maybe they are just too good for Hollywood! Or maybe they simply haven’t been presented with scripts that allow them to work with honesty and intelligence in an industry that often has no place for either.

If you have missed this film, rent, buy, beg or borrow Lantana now, and give yourself over to its power and mastery. I guarantee it will leave you contemplating the openness and honest of your own relationships in a way you may have never done before.

Definitely, five stars out of five from me.

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Drive New Cars For Free!

~Take a look at the picture illustrating this entry. You’ve almost certainly seen vehicles like this driving around your city streets, and probably thought they were cars owned by the company whose product was being advertised. They may well have been – but increasingly, advertisers are using vehicles supplied by other companies to promote their products without the extra cost of having to invest in their own fleet of new vehicles.

Yesterday, I wrote about a scheme to help you subsidise your fuel costs. Today I’ve got a similar scheme that potentially gives you a new car to drive. For free! The people at Lease Guide dot Com seem to have looked into this and have vouched for it on their website.

Are there companies who will actually provide a free car or pay you to drive your own car?

The answer is, Yes! Companies DO exist, that pay you to drive company supplied vehicles, and they DO provide free cars. Of course, the car remains the property of the company supplying it, but you get to keep it for the length of the contract you have with them.

Here’s How it Works
Basically, you agree to drive a car that displays advertising for a company's product or service. Since you do the advertising and driving, you get a free car to drive or – and I wrote about this yesterday – you get paid to drive your own car. In some cases, you may get a free car AND get paid to drive too.

What’s The Catch?

• You have to be at least 18 years old; have a drivers license (doh!); and have an excellent driving record
• You will almost certainly have to pay for insurance and maintenance, especially if you drive your own car
• You will have to have a clean criminal record, or at the very least one with only minor offences
• You will need to be highly visible, because

How much you get paid, and whether you get a free car, depends on three main factors:

• The number of miles you drive each month;
• Where you drive; and
• Where you park

In other words, if you have any chance of being chosen, it will be on the basis of how many people potentially get to see your vehicle in an average day. Ultimately, you have a better chance at receiving a free vehicle if you drive lots of miles, and drive in heavily populated and high traffic areas. It's not hard to work out whether or not you might qualify for one of these cars-for-free programs. Look at the scheme from the advertisers point of view – after all, they want their ads to be seen by as many people as possible in a specific area.

Therefore:

• If you are a stay at home mother, who keeps her car locked away in a garage for 23 out of every 24 hours, don’t expect to get a job or a free car!
• If you live in an isolated rural area and use your SUV to drive quiet country roads, you shouldn’t expect the gig either

On the other hand, if you live in a major city and your car is visible 24 hours a day, you should have a better chance than most.

Where Do I Get the Information I Need?
The best way to find the companies that work best for you is to "subscribe" to an information directory that lists all such advertisers. These directories are compiled and provided by companies who specialize in this kind of service. There are a relatively small number of these companies, who can be found on the Internet, in newspaper ads, and in auto-related magazines.

There is typically a one-off charge for the directory subscription, and usually with a 90-day money-back guarantee. Since the directory is always changing and being updated, make sure you get a lifetime "membership" if possible, so that all future updates to the directory are free.

Make sure you are honest and provide accurate information in your application. These companies will almost certainly check your credentials, and get police checks on your bonafides, so don’t waste your time or theirs by applying for something you know you won’t get. Needless to say – but I’ll say it anyway – there is no guarantee that you will be accepted or that you will find a deal that you like, but if you don’t sign up, you will have no chance anyway.

Sign Me Up!
The two companies listed below provide free-car and drive-for-pay program directories. The directories include programs in the U.S. and other countries all over the world. Subscribing with more than one company could be beneficial but, generally, it should be expected that one company's directory will be much like another's.

Free Car Index
- A comprehensive database of ad companies that pay people to drive cars with graphic ads on them — with immediate online directory access. The companies in the directory, collectively, have over 100,000 new vehicles decorated with advertisements that are ready to be driven. The directory applies to residents of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Australia. This company has a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.

Click on the image below to go to their site...



The Free Car
- This site offers a great "Car Finder" that allows you to see if there are advertisers in your area before you buy the service. There is an online application process to shorten the procedure. They also have a money-back guarantee and a nice free bonus product. This service is well worth your consideration if you are looking for a free car program.

Click here to take advantage of the Free Car Offer!

Don’t forget, both these companies offer a 100% money back guarantee, so if you have no luck within 90 days, you can ask for your money back!

Once again, if you are part of one of these schemes, or if you join one, let other readers know how useful or otherwise they are via the comments below.

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