How many great movies can Australia make?

seriously.

For a country of twenty million they are putting many other places to shame. It seems that every year there are several really good films from down under. Recently I watched Chopper, a great film about Australia's second most notorious convict (after Ned Kelly of course :P). It's sort of a Trailer Park Boys meets Pulp Fiction. I also watched the classic comedy the Castle.

But going back, Mel Gibson got his star there (say what you will about him now, he's made some excellent films). So did Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Eric Bana. Being that I'm hardly a film buff the fact that I actually know who these people are means that they must be somewhat famous. Aussie films also seem to lack that air of.... well pretentiousness that comes along with many non-US films or art school films (look at us, we are smarter than Hollywood, lets act like dicks until you notice it), instead they just go out and make solid, well written films.

Here's my (incomplete) list of Great Aussie films (any Aussie friend can surely add more, as could a few others I'm sure):

The Year of Living Dangerously (about an Aussie journalist in Jakarta in 1965)
Gallipoli (WWI film)
The Proposition (an Aussie western)
The Castle (see above)
Romper Stomper (film about Aussie white-supremists)
Chopper (see above)
Mad Max (come on, you know it's good)
Ned Kelly (the Heath Ledger version. Good though, not great)
Chain Link Fence (about 3 aboriginal girls in the 1930's)


well that's only nine, but I know I'm forgetting a few and, USA aside, I can't think of another country that's made that many films that I'd actually recommend (not like, yeah it didn't suck, but actually recommend).