Linda Cropper Movies
A former drug-addict in her early thirties attempts to put her shady past to rest while paving the way for a brighter future in director Rowan Woods' tale of love, trust, and redemption in modern-day Australia. Tracy Heart (Cate Blanchett) hasn't lived her 32 years so much as she has simply survived them. Ravaged by the drug-addiction and determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her overworked single-mother Janelle (Noni Hazelhurst), Tracy makes a personal vow to open her own business and turn her life around before it's too late and life has passed her by. Tracy's plan is complicated, however, when three men from her past reappear with their own plans for the future. In addition to the troubling re-appearance of her ex-boyfriend Jonny (Dustin Nguyen), her criminal-minded brother Ray (Martin Henderson) seems hell-bent on making a name for himself in the underworld, and the emotional demands of troubled family friend and ex-football star Lionel Dawson (Hugo Weaving) have left the emotionally vulnerable Tracy shaken and confused. When Tracy's modest dreams of a happy life catch the attention of feared criminal kingpin Bradley "The Jockey" Thompson (Sam Neill), she is forced to place her fragile trust in the hands of her skeptical mother and take one last trip into the past to confront her greatest fear.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Melani Rodriga, Teesh and Trude is a low-budget feature starring Susie Porter as Teesh, a twentysomething unwed mother living with an old friend in a tiny two-bedroom apartment. Set in West Australia, both women are unemployed and bored; their lives are largely spent smoking and arguing in front of the TV. Teesh can barely control her son Kenny (Mason Richardson), and resorts to drugging him with a sleeping pill at one point in order to get some peace. Les (Jacob Allen), her boyfriend, seems like a gift from God, but the burden of a son and an abusive father (Bill McCluskey) keep Teesh from focusing on love. Trude (inda Cropper), Teesh's roommate, has her own problems to deal with. Unlike Les, Trude's boyfriend Rod (Peter Phelps) is a lazy construction worker unfit to replace her ex-husband, who left with their two children after she had become addicted to drugs and alcohol some years before. Trude and Teesh's lives come to a head one day when all of these figures convene inside of the small flat.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susie Porter, Linda Cropper, (more)
- 1999
Pianist, composer and archivist Percy Grainger was publicly known for a brief concert career, several interesting contemporary classical compositions, and researching and documenting a wealth of English folk music. Privately, Grainger's life was tumultuous and unconventional, as chronicled in the film Passion. Set in London in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, Percy Grainger (Richard Roxburgh) is making a name for himself as a pianist; his recitals are known for his fiery performing style and fondness for dropping non-traditional pieces into his repertoire. Percy's career is guided by his mother, Rose (Barbara Hershey). Their relationship goes far beyond the normal bounds of family or business; Percy and Rose are also lovers, with Percy satisfying Rose's sado-masochistic impulses (which are aggravated by the fact she's contacted syphilis). Percy is also attracted to Alfhild (Claudia Karvan), who is uncooperatively married to his best friend, Herman (Simon Burke). Karen (Emily Woof), a lovely piano student, is interested in being tutored by Percy; Alfhild and Herman think this is a fine idea, and surprisingly so does Rose. However, Karen soon becomes Percy's lover as well as his student, and when Rose discovers Karen is willing to satisfy Percy's erotic appetites for pain, she no longer approves of Karen's presence. The film follows Grainger's life until he moves to New York City, where he spent most of his life until committing suicide in 1961. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Hershey, Richard Roxburgh, (more)
Australian director Julie Money debuts with this bleak, confronting picture about middle-class whites, revenge, and family disillusionment. The film opens with the theft of a black dress off the clothesline of wife and homemaker Kate (Linda Cropper) by a band of suburban thugs led by Nick (Scott Major) and sexpot Rachel (Anna Lise Phillips). When Kate spies her dress on Rachel at the local swimming pool, she decides to take it back, no matter the consequences. The hoodlums retaliate by breaking into Kate's house and sexually torturing her son Matt (Wade Osborne); this almost pushes Kate over the edge. Her all-consuming passion for revenge, which threatens her marriage and relationship with her son, eventually erupts into a horrifyingly violent climax. Envy was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Cropper, Jeff Truman, (more)
- 1998
Wendell Jon Andersson made his feature directorial debut with this drama. After a six-week affair, Alex (Kristoffer Winters) and Zoe (Marisa Ryan of Slaves to the Underground) end their relationship on a painful note. In a post-sex revelation, Zoe hurts Alex by informing him that she's leaving because her former boyfriend James (Dylan Roy) has returned from Europe. Alex knew of this possibility, but he lets Zoe know that their weeks together meant much more than sex. Even though the two split up, they continue to bump into each other. At the same time, Alex manages to avoid his irritating roommate Harold (Jim Lichstscheidl). Angered to see Zoe get a shabby treatment in public from James, Alex confesses his feelings to co-worker and friend Misha (Rachel True of Nowhere-). Zoe finds out that she's pregnant, but she doesn't know whether or not to keep the baby. When Alex learns he's the father, he becomes even more committed to Zoe, informing her that he's ready to start a family. Shown at the 1998 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristoffer Winters, Marisa Ryan, (more)
The Australian coastal community of Blackrock goes into an uproar after the badly beaten, gang-raped corpse of a 15-year-old girl is discovered after an all-night beach party goes out of control. As the moral outrage heats up, the sole witness to the crime, 17-year-old surfer Jared Kirby (who organized the shindig to celebrate the return of surfing guru Ricko) is left with the wrenching decision whether or not to rat on his friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Brooke Shields stars in this futuristic suspense thriller as Kate Fletcher, a woman whose apartment is controlled by a high-tech computer system. Her conveniences become a trap, however, when a psychotic murderer invades her building, convinced his dead sister is commanding him to kill again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Three imprisoned woman exact revenge upon the womanizing criminal who used them to smuggle his drugs while they were in college in this drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Sometimes it just gets to be too much for a man. One day, successful mining engineer Martin Brown packs it in, leaving behind his wife and family and heading for a rural idyll in the hinterlands. Despite his best efforts to escape from the hurly-burly of competitive life, he must fend off the efforts of his greedy former boss to acquire the lush horse-farming estate he has wound up on. Curiously, his abandoned wife doesn't put up much of a fuss over his absence but seems most concerned about his rejection of the prevailing culture's values. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Waters, Judy Morris, (more)
- 1986
The title of the 1986 Australian miniseries Cyclone Tracy refers to an infamous hurricane that hit and nearly destroyed the northern Australian city of Darwin between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 1974, killing well over 100 and leaving over 20,000 homeless. This docudrama recreates that terrible series of events. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
