Candy Raymond Movies
After escaping from a Vietnamese POW camp where they had suffered for five years, five American soldiers attempt to get out of the country before being spotted by Russian and Vietnamese troops in this tale of survival from Filipino filmmaker Eddie Romero. As the five escapees descend upon a remote whorehouse in hopes of collecting the supplies needed to reach freedom, a group of desperate prostitutes plea with the men to transport them to freedom and a troupe of Russian soldiers complicate their fragile escape plan. When the desperate group stumbles across an abandoned airplane deep in the jungle, they must bring the battered aircraft back to life long enough to escape the jungle and fly to freedom. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1985
This film's all-inclusive original title was Shout!: Story of Johnny O'Keefe. Helen Reddy hosts this documentary of Australian pop star Johnny O'Keefe. Vintage film clips show the central character in glorious action. Pop songs featured herein include "Johnny B. Goode," "Great Pretender" and of course the title tune. Somehow there is enough material to film 260 minutes, and still leave the audiences begging for more! Shout was initially produced as an Australian TV miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
Ron (Jon Blake), a young man in his late teens or early 20s, but emotionally younger, has no visible, employable assets, including the ability to articulate, yet he rails at his status in life -- blaming everyone for the fact that his dreams are not coming true. Actually, his main dream is driving down the highway in a Porsche with a sophisticated woman in the passenger seat -- and in this dream, an ominous-looking black limousine just ahead of him starts swerving back and forth and finally dives off the edge of a cliff. In order to fulfill his fantasy, he steals a Porsche and takes off down the road. While on his joy ride, he stops at a roadside eatery and meets the errant Sally, who is on her way to retrieve her baby from a pair of foster parents. The two set off together, and nothing at all goes their way -- Sally fails in her mission, Ron runs down a policeman then has to get rid of Sally and devise some way to escape the law -- now after him in force. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Blake, Candy Raymond, (more)
- 1982
Monkey Grip is a frank portrayal of a year in the life of a divorced mother (Noni Hazlehurst) living in Melbourne, trying to cope with her daughter and her own relationship with a drug addict while trying to get into the music business. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Colin Friels, Alice Garner, (more)
- 1982
Ginger Meggs (Paul Daniel) is a young "Dennis the Menace" who first appeared in Australian comic strips in 1921. In this film meant for the pre-teen set, Ginger is constantly getting himself in trouble in spite of his good intentions -- at the same time, he prevaricates, he disobeys his teachers and parents, he skips school, or while in school, fights it out with the bullies -- all activities that are bound to capture the attention of children who can vicariously enjoy the forbidden behavior. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Paul Daniel, (more)
- 1981
After a particularly bitter argument with her divorced mother, teenager Libby Bellow (Mare Winningham) runs away from home. Eventually, she links up with a traveling carnival and takes on a variety of responsibilities, in so doing coming to the realization that her life at home might not have been so bad after all. In addition to serving as an early showcase for actress Mare Winningham, this made-for-TV film also features a number of original songs by Janis Ian. Freedom was originally telecast by ABC on May 18, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
Breaking Up is one of the earliest directorial endeavors of screenwriter Kathy Mueller. The title refers to the state of things in a long-term marriage. The parents of two teen-aged boys (Nick Enright and Matthew Stevenson) announce that they're getting a divorce. Unwilling to be torn between the affections of their parents, the boys depend on each other for comfort and support. Filmed for Australian television, Breaking Up should not be confused with the like-vintage American TV movie of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
In this slight, relatively charmless comedy, Australian television notable Jack Thompson plays Simon Morris, a recently separated journalist with two major problems: he is a girl-magnet and he can't tolerate pomposity. The first problem doesn't cause him much difficulty, as he likes the girls right back. The second, though, results in all sorts of difficulties when he is saddled with a pompous new boss, resigns from the paper he has been working with, and can't find a new job. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1979
The plumber (Ivar Kants) shows up at the door of well-to-do Australian couple Robert Coleby and Judy Cowper. Though the plumber apparently hasn't been summoned, he is given unquestioned free reign in the household. He ends up staying several days, his work and personality growing weirder with each passing day. Housewife Cowper is driven to neurotic distraction by the plumber's presence and by his iconoclastic attitudes towards everything she holds dear. Then, the plumber walks out of the flat, never to return...leaving behind a residue of paranoia and shattered values. Filmed for Australian television, The Plumber may well be the most maddening 76 minutes ever committed to celluloid. Naturally, it only served to further the reputation of its gifted writer/director Peter Weir. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judy Morris, Robert Coleby, (more)
- 1978
- R
In order to raise the money for his "breakthrough" film Breaker Morant, Australian director Bruce Beresford dashed off the guaranteed audience pleaser Money Movers. Terence Donovan masterminds a bank-vault heist that will potentially net his gang 20 million Australian dollars. The scheme predictably goes sour, but this conclusion is reached via a most unexpected fashion. Ed Devereaux, best known to American audiences for his leading-man gig on the TV series Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo, is second billed as "Dick Martin" (no, not the American TV-comic Dick Martin). Money Movers was based on a novel by Devon Minchin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Terence Donovan, Ed Devereaux, (more)
- 1977
The suffocating repressiveness of the Victorian era is superbly realized by director Bruce Beresford in The Getting of Wisdom. Thirteen-year-old Laura (Susannah Fowle), an incorrigible free spirit from the Australian outback, is enrolled in a prestigious girl's boarding school. The indoctrination process is a rough one, and Laura very nearly loses her individuality and sense of self-worth. When she does mature, however, it is on her terms, and not the school's. Intriguingly, The Getting of Wisdom is based on the reminiscences of a 19th-century female writer who used the pen name of Henry Handel Richardson. Despite its somber dramatic overtones, the film contains moments of uninhibited humor, a trademark of director Beresford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susannah Fowle, Barry Humphries, (more)
Early in his career, Australian director Bruce Beresford helmed Don's Party, which closely mirrors Shampoo in its basic premise and its edgy correlations between sex and politics. One pivotal election night, Don, played by John Hargreaves, throws a party for a group of friends, ostensibly so that everyone can watch the ballots roll in on television. But when booze is consumed in quantity, inhibitions are kicked downstairs. Particularly boorish under the influence of alcohol are Don's male friends, who indulge in a barrage of insulting verbal attacks on each other when they aren't trying to get each other's wives into bed. Unapologetically adult in its content and themes, Don's Party was adapted from a play by David Williamson; it marks one of the earliest classics of Australian New Wave cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ray Barrett, Clare Binney, (more)
- 1974
Alvin Purple (Graeme Blundell), the lothario hero of the Australian low-budgeter Alvin Purple (1974), "rides again" in this slapped-together sequel. This time, Alvin has more to contend with than the requisite beautiful girls who find him irresistable. It seems that there's an American gangster around and about, "Balls" McGee (also played by Graeme Blundell), who's the spitting image of our hero. The predictability of the plotline is enlivened by the film's unending stream of vulgar sight gags and scatological dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
