Abigail Movies
- 1990
The title of this Australian drama series was slightly misleading. There was plenty of family around and about, but friends were scarce. Focusing on a pair of star-crossed lovers trapped in the middle of a long-standing feud between an English and an Italian family, the weekly, hour-long series was primarily designed as a comeback vehicle for Australian singer and soap-opera diva Abigail. Assembled by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network, Family and Friends briefly aired in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this Australian supernatural thriller, a special stone is stolen by a pack of goons from an extremely old man. The good guys and the goons wind up in a really dangerous and wild part of the outback, and help comes in the form of a ghost, played by boxing champ Joe Bugner. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillip Avalon, Abigail, (more)
- 1989
This Australian comedy-fantasy series began as a family called the Trevallers moved from the big city to take charge of a rural coaching inn called the "Help Me Through the World." At first disgruntled over having been uprooted, 13-year-old Julian "Jools" Trevellar (Clayton Williamson) was delighted (sort of) to discover that said inn was haunted by a teenaged ghost, 19th century lass Elinor "Ellie" Lockett (Rebecca Smart). Since only Jools could see or hear Elly, it fell upon him to help the restless spirit solve her long-ago murder. Featured in the cast were Anne Tenney and Peter Fisher as Jools' clueless parents, and Dennis Miller, Damon Herriman, and Vanessa Collier as their zany rustic neighbors, the O'Farrells. The 12-episode Elly & Jools made its Australian TV bow in 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
Certain films were clearly made before their time, others, such as this one, delve into a genre obviously well past its heyday. In this story, Ross is a young Australian man who has decided to drop out of his everyday life in order to come to grips with himself in the surfing scene. As he is leaving in his car for the coast, he has a confrontation with a gang of crazed bikers which leaves one of the nutso lads' bikes on the scrap-heap. This does not sit well with them, and they vow revenge. While the bikers prepare to track him down and make him pay for his violation of their integrity, Ross is on the beaches finding himself. Had the surfing footage been more exciting, or the bikers been more believably menacing, viewers might have forgiven the filmmakers for taking another pass at the "surfers vs. bikers" theme. Instead, reviewers noted that unintended laughter punctuated the screenings they attended. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Phelps, Vince Martin, (more)
- 1984
In this sequel to the Australian smash hit comedy Alvin Purple (1973) and Alvin Rides Again (1974), the story centers on Alvin's 18-year old son, who just like his dad, attracts women like flies to honey, but is terrified of them. He is only comfortable with one woman, a young usherette at the local cinema. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerry Sont, Lenita Psillakis, (more)
- 1976
The Australian Eliza Fraser tries for the wig-and-bodice bawdiness of Tom Jones. The title character, played by Susannah York, is an 18th century lass who is shipwrecked together with Trevor Howard on a remote Australian island. Her lively exploits among the refugees help to make Eliza famous--or rather, notorious--throughout the British empire. Once rescued, Eliza earns her keep at county fairs by regaling audiences with her own tales of her adventures. Tim Burstall both wrote and directed Eliza Fraser from an original screenplay by David Williamson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Castle, Abigail, (more)
- 1975
An offbeat Australian comedy filmed in that country and in Canada, this is not the documentary its title suggests. Its unlikely protagonist is a mild-mannered window peeper named Dead-Eye Dick (Max Gillies). Dick spies on a Mexican couple. The husband is very jealous and is about to discover that his wife has a lover when Dead-Eye Dick rescues the lover, whose moniker is Mexico Pete (Serge Lazareff). The worldly Pete counsels the shy Dick on his problems approaching women. Dick claims that he's waiting for an Alaskan Eskimo named Nell. Pete and Dick decide to travel to Alaska to find this fantasy woman, and they have several wacky misadventures along the way. This mostly overlooked ripple in the Australian New Wave was produced, directed, and written by Richard Franklin. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Gillies, Serge Lazareff, (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, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A hilarious sex romp about Alvin, an ordinary guy who works in a waterbed store in Australia. Remarkably, he is always pursued by over-sexed women, which constantly gets him into hot water. The film that created a market for Australian films worldwide. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graeme Blundell, George Whaley, (more)
