Film review: Battle: Los Angeles
BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.
The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.
The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.
Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.
“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.
“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.
“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,
“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.
“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”
Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.
“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.
“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”
| Bendigo Weekly | 08-Apr-2011 00:01
IF you had to pin Hollywood down as to what genre of film it does best it would have to be special effect-jammed action flicks and musicals.
Battle: Los Angeles is definitely not a musical although it has an amazingly fitting musical soundtrack and sound special effects that play an integral role in the suspense of this sci-fi war film.
Brian Taylor’s music constantly backs the frenetic war action between hostile alien invaders and a band of marines that battle against all odds to save the world.
Another thing Hollywood is good at it is depicting patriotism and Battle: Los Angeles travels a knife edge between over-the-top flag waving and acceptable nationalism that is required when showing one’s country being invaded by a War of the Worlds’ mutated look-a-like invaders.
Audiences of American movies were given a reprieve from the pathological jingoistic patriotism Hollywood studios were pumping out prior to the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s but 9/11 unfortunately revitalised the genre. Nearly 10 years on from that dreadful event, equilibrium is slowly being achieved and Battle: Los Angeles is a good example of the fight for restraint.
Battle: Los Angeles’s screenplay by Christopher Bertolini contains subtle sub plots that intersperse the action that is full-on to the point of exhausting.
Centred on a platoon of marines tasked to save a pocket of stranded civilians behind enemy lines, Bertolini’s story also portrays a sidebar plot line on demons faced by the platoon leader staff sergeant Michael Nantz (played well by Aaron Eckhart).
He has to deal with a perceived reputation that he left comrades to die in a previous tour in the Middle East. Complicating the issue is a surviving relative of one of the dead soldiers who is under his command in the current battle.
There is also an interesting storyline told among the rescued civilians of an endearing father-son relationship.
The necessarily male orientated cast are up to the task and put in commendable performances. Eckhart shows his acting breadth by handling the action hero well especially so closely after making the diametrically opposed sensitive project Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman.
Other commendable performances include Ramon Rodriguez as second lieutenant William Martinez, Cory Hardrict as corporal Jason Lockett, Gino Anthony-Pesi as corporal Nick Stavrou and Noel Fisher as the youngster private Shaun Lenihan.
South African Jonathan Libesman’s direction managers a very energetic project well – keeping a fast pace while holding the action back enough to avoid over-kill.
Relatively equal fire-power from both sides helps the special effects team work some marvellous battle scenes. The storyline also contributes by allowing strategy to win over brute force.
Battle: Los Angeles is not an intellectual tour de force, but is contains plenty of energy to entertain the testosterone-orientated audience it is intended for.
6 stars out of 10
- Robert Gibson
BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.
The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.
The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.
Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.
“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.
“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.
“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,
“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.
“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”
Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.
“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.
“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”
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