Michael Carman Movies

David Parker directed this campy send-up of Italian muscle-man movies that owes more than it should to Woody Allen's 1966 Japanese spy spoof What's Up, Tiger Lily? In a framing story, two film company executives (Bruce Spence, David Argue) resign from the company to start their own revival theater. They decide to re-open the theater with the same Italian sword-and-sandal epic that closed the theater down years ago. But in revenge for the two employees having quit on him, their ex-boss sends the theater a copy of Hercules -- but in Italian and without subtitles. In order to go ahead with the film screening, the two film entrepreneurs have to improvise a running English soundtrack for the film as it unspools in the projection booth. In their fractured version of Hercules, Hercules is now a nightclub performer who is snubbed by the nightclub owner's daughter Labia, because she is in love with Testiculi. And as the film unspools, the boys in the booth have to keep up the dubbing, no matter if it makes sense on the screen or not. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Jason Blade (Edward John Stazak) is a martial arts expert trained by the Panthers in China. He is sent to Australia for a secret mission against evil druglord Zukor (Michael Carmen). When his partner Linda (Linda Megier) dies, her cousin Gemma (Paris Jefferson) joins Blade and his crusade. Blade and Zukor's murderous henchman Baxter (Jim Richards) have a final showdown in this routine action feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

All the Rivers Run is a four-part miniseries set in the Australia of the early 1900s. Sigrid Thornton stars as Philadelphia Gordon, an English artist who undertakes a tragic move to Australia with her family. During their voyage to the new continent, a shipwreck occurs, killing all but Philadelphia and one of the ship's crewmen. She is then shuttled off to live with her aunt and uncle on their farm, and uses her inheritance to fund a paddleship business with the crewman from the vessel who saved her life. Philadelphia's life is forever altered when she meets handsome frontier paddleboat skipper Brenton Edwards (the Australian actor John Waters -- not to be confused with the iconoclastic American director of the same name). Our heroine marries Edwards, but the union begets trouble when their paddlesteamer catches fire, destroying the craft altogether and forcing Brenton to take another job. Later, an accident that renders Brenton lame forces Philadelphia to work hard and support the couple; she then decides to rebuild the vessel while doubling up her efforts as a painter. Scripted by George Miller (the director of Man from Snowy River), All the Rivers Run was released in the U.S. over the HBO Cable service; it first aired January 15 through 18, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this 1976 Australian retelling of The Wizard of Oz, two teens are dancing at a rural gathering when the girl Dorothy (Joy Dunstan) is knocked unconscious. In her delirium, she imagines she is hitchhiking to attend the final concert of a rock star known as "The Wizard" (Graham Matters). All the characters from the classic children's tale appear on her journey, transformed into modern-day Australian characters. The Scarecrow is a somewhat dim-witted surfer-lad (in Australian lingo, a "surfie"), a cowardly biker is, of course, the Cowardly Lion, and so on. This musical is not designed for younger children, and is instead suitable for mature teens and young adults. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

An Australian wildlife sanctuary is violated by low-life poachers intent on destruction. The attractive female director of the sanctuary (Cassandra Delaney) becomes their intended prey, as she struggles to avoid falling into their clutches. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide