Su Cruickshank Movies
- 1990
Ollie Rennie (Garry McDonald) really has no business running a caretaking institution of any kind, much less one for the mentally handicapped; he's an alcoholic, has no respect for other people, and persistently tries to put the make on an unwilling social worker. All the same, he runs an institution of just that kind, with the unappealing name of "Saltmarsh." Things at the school get considerably livelier when a new man comes onto the scene. Pat (Brian Vriends) was doing just fine as a physical education instructor at a school for "normal" kids, but one day he went on a rampage against junk food, destroying the school snack bar in the process, and was quickly fired. Despite his recent reversal, he is upbeat about his new job. He decides to engage these hopelessly uncoordinated kids in soccer matches. They compete against themselves and against regular kids. Needless to say, they lose against the regular kids, but one day one of their number actually manages to score against one of them, and there are celebrations all round. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Catherine McClements, (more)
The life of legendary scientist Albert Einstein is re-imagined as a slapstick farce in this comic fantasy. Changing Einstein's country of origin from Germany to Tasmania, the film shows the scientist's eventful youth as he creates rock & roll and discovers the secret of splitting the beer atom. Director and star Yahoo Serious loads the film with slapstick comedy, absurd sight gags, and even sneaks in a romantic subplot in which Einstein courts Marie Curie. The film was a huge hit in its native Australia but a major box-office disappointment in the United States, where audiences largely ignored the display of nonstop silliness. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yahoo Serious, Odile Le Clezio, (more)
- 1987
Max Falcon (Garry McDonald) is a pompous and immensely popular actor who stars in "Freud The Musical" in this offbeat comedy. His wife Marilyn (Pamela Stephenson) is having an affair with her Polish chauffeur Richard (Marian Dworakowski). The two conspire to murder Max by putting broken glass in his food, by assassination, and by poisoning his drink. The drink is consumed by his manager Norda (Su Cruickshank), who dies as a result. Max is finally killed off but is allowed to return to Earth as a ghost to settle some unfinished business. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Pamela Stephenson, (more)
- 1986
In modern-day (1985) Sydney, Australia, teen-aged Abigail discovers that she can communicate with at least one apparently dead person, who lived in that town back in 1873. As their communications continue, Abigail suddenly finds herself transported back in time. In this light drama, based on a novel by Ruth Park, she discovers a great deal more about herself than she would have done had she remained a discontented teen in modern times, and she contributes to the lives of those around her in meaningful ways. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Imogen Annesley, Peter Phelps, (more)
