Robert Hughes Movies

This installment of the series from PBS is on the class struggles of early Australian history. Divided between convicts and free people, the country has evolved into a nation of mostly middle-class people. Learn how this part of the country's history has affected Australia today, and if the early influence of the British is still apparent today. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide

Even as security is beefed up in Australia in anticipation of the 2000 Olympics, someone manages to slip a deadly nerve gas device -- and a detonator -- on a 747 jet bound from Sydney to L.A. The authorities are uncertain as to whether the person responsible for this outrage is a terrorist or merely a lunatic; whatever the case, they scour the world in search of the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the 747 may well be unable to find a suitable landing place before the detonator goes off, forcing pilot John Prescott (Jack Wagner) and copilot Kim McGee (Christine Elise) to make some extremely tricky life-and-death decisions. As for the 300 passengers -- well, each one has his or her own story to tell, and the viewer hears practically all of them before the almost unbearably suspenseful denouement. The made-for-cable Nowhere to Land debuted March 12, 2000, on the TBS superstation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This installment of the series from PBS covers the body and soul of Australia. Australians are known for their love of the sea and its shores, and for being a physically conscious people. However, they weren't always able to enjoy their beaches during the day. Learn about this part of Australian history. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide

So well-regarded was the documentary Crumb (1994) that the failure of it and of the same year's equally acclaimed Hoop Dreams (1994) to result in Oscar nominations caused a media furor which forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to revamp its documentary nomination process. Robert Crumb is a respected but controversial underground comic book artist and writer whose creations include the popular "Keep on Truckin'" and Fritz the Cat (1972). Crumb's adult subject matter includes weird sexual obsessions, social criticism, and personal, confessional observations about abnormal human psychology. The genesis and meaning of Crumb's work is explained through a series of interviews with his colleagues, former lovers, and especially family members, which reveal a horrific upbringing that has crippled both Crumb and his siblings -- but has also fueled the artist's groundbreaking work. A long-time friend of the film's subject, director Terry Zwigoff followed Crumb (1994) with another comic book-related project, Ghost World (2000), a drama based on a story from the anthology series "Eightball" by Daniel Clowes. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Australia's longest-running sitcom, Hey Dad...! premiered in 1984. Robert Hughes starred as Martin Kelly, a widowed architect who forsook his lucrative business to raise his four kids: Simon (played first by Paul Smith, then by Christopher Mayer), Debbie (Simone Buchanan), and Jenny (Sarah Monahan). The series' "breakthrough" character was Simon's best pal Nudge (Christopher Truswell), who was given most of the big laugh lines. Simultaneously adored and reviled by the Australian viewing public (and, curiously, an enormous success on German television), Hey Dad...! remained on the air for ten years, racking up an astronomical 300 episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the saga of Hollywood's slow, slow maturation in the depiction of Native Americans, Geronimo highlights an early '60s turning point -- his character is drawn with sympathy -- but no more than that. Chuck Connors, an obviously Caucasian actor, plays the great chief, and there is not a single Native American actor in the cast. The story centers on Geronimo's escape from oppressive conditions on his reservation, and his garnering of forces in Mexico to wage war against the U.S. Several misconceptions are still scattered throughout the tale, especially the indication at the end that Geronimo was successful in obtaining fair treatment for all Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide