It can be tough for a genre film enthusiast, stomping around in the backyard of marginalized film without a map. Not Quite Hollywood is that map. It gives a great overview of the legacy of films emerging from Australia in the 70s and 80s, an era that emerged as the birth of Australian cinema. 

There was little to no film industry in Australia until the 1970s. Thanks to an uptight government and public indifference, censorship in Australia was the tightest in the entire western world and the exploration of certain morally questionable themes drew red flags. But with the creation of the R certification in the 70s, filmmakers began in earnest to explore the seedier side of Australia, which comes complete with its own eccentricity and flavor.

Often low budget and with no guarantee of a profit, early Australian filmmakers were true mavericks. For every arthouse director like Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock) there were 10 directors like Brian Trenchard-Smith (Leprechaun 4: In Space) making cheapo action films and working off the grid. And that’s one of the biggest draws of genre films: the chance to see something completely off the grid and wild.

Not Quite Hollywood is comprised of interviews with directors and stars, and footage from in front of and behind the camera of three genres that made up the era: the sex film, the horror film and the action film. Seemingly in an effort to support his influences, Quentin Tarantino even shows up fairly often to give insight, complete with his undeniable enthusiasm. The film footage is remastered and beautiful, bringing new life to these historically mistreated works.

For a time in film that is not very well documented, it’s wonderful to have a sort of cinematic textbook. Before Not Quite Hollywood, managing Australian genre history was like playing 6 degrees of separation, linking directors and producers in an effort to make sense of it all. In fact, I found that I had seen a good chunk of these films over the years never knowing that they were Australian. Which may have been the plan all along, as directors frequently admit to denationalizing their films in an effort to turn a profit.

If you’re a film fan, you already know where you stand with Not Quite Hollywood. It’s well made, well edited, and covers a lot of the seminal films in what I can now feel justified in calling the dawn of Australian film. A splendid overview of a lost era of filmmaking, Not Quite Hollywood also achieves the enviable task of being a flat out good time.