John Clarke Movies
- 2009
- PG
In this drama, an Australian teen tries to move beyond his rural roots in the Outback to become a musician. However, he gets distracted from his dream by the appearance of a rebellious new student at his school, whose beauty is matched only by her daring. He tries to match her bravado, but his attempt gets him arrested, putting his goals in danger. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Arnold, Timothy Hutton, (more)
- 2002
Pressured by moneyhungry Bernie (John Clarke) to redevelop their club and install poker machines when the begin having financial difficulties, Cityside Bowling Club members Stan (Bill Hunter), Len (Frank Wilson) and Eileen (Monica Maughan) make a last ditch effort to enter a tournament and win the prize money needed to stay afloat. Desperate to form a winning team, the ageing trio quickly learns that dispite his lack of presence, young Jack Simpson (Mick Molloy) has held a membership for years for the sole purpose of maintaing a cheap parking spot - not to mention renting out a few on the side for a little profit. Finally called on to serve his duty as an actual member, will Jack pitch in to save to club from certain extinction, or simply drive a few extra blocks to find another parking spot. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mick Molloy, Bill Hunter, (more)
- 1998
In this Australian spoof of a typical TV sports documentary, a film crew was given full access to the inner workings of the fictional SCCCG (Sydney Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games). In its satirical depiction of the politicking, bureaucracy, and egomania surrounding the planning of the upcoming Olympics, the series came surprisingly close to reality at times. The project was created for Australia's ABC network by John Clarke and Ross Stevenson, who also appeared onscreen with a talented troupe of farceurs. The weekly, 60-minute The Games was telecast in 1998, then again in 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1945, a tribunal was held to investigate atrocities committed by the Japanese upon Australian soldiers during World War II. At an internment camp, 1100 Australian soldiers were tortured and killed by the Japanese, with only 300 survivors. This horrible event was not known until a terrible discovery of decapitated corpses was made at a grisly site on Ambon Island in Indonesia after the war. Stephen Wallace directed this courtroom drama based on the incident and follows the intrepid investigator who uncovers the truth behind the missing Australian soldiers. Bryan Brown plays Captain Cooper, the prosecutor of the case, in which 91 Japanese officers and soldiers are accused of murdering the Australian prisoners-of-war. The chief defendants are camp commander Takahashi (George Takei) and Captain Ikeuchi (Tetsu Watanabe). Takahashi denies knowing anything about the atrocities, as does Ikeuchi. Nevertheless, Cooper presses on to undercover the truth. But standing in his way is the American delegation, led by Major Beckett (Terry O'Quinn). They don't want a case to go forward that would reflect badly on the Japanese high command, since General MacArthur wants to reinstate many of the Japanese officers in a new postwar Japanese order. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, George Takei, (more)
- 1990
Carl Fitzgerald (Sam Neill) is a shy, unassertive man, given to following orders from anyone around him who will take the trouble to boss him about, starting with his nagging mother. In this story, he is very much down on his luck and is forced to take a job as dishwasher in a Greek restaurant in Brunswick, his rundown neighborhood in Melborne. There, he swifly is hauled off to bed by an assertive young waitress. While he is with the girl, he accidentally kills his co-worker, a hysterically abusive and drug-dealing Turk, He calls on his old friend Dave for help in disposing of the man's body. The best solution Dave can come up with is to dump the body in another person's grave, but he manages to boss Carl around a lot in the process. And even Dave's wife gives Carl what-for, lambasting him for his overall uselessness. Somehow, despite his passivity, Carl manages to seem like the ultimate victor in all these confrontations. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Zoe Carides, (more)
- 1988
In this exciting New Zealand-set actioner, a pair of average people find themselves fighting for their lives when they are inadvertently entangled in a plot involving international espionage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Temuera Morrison, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
- 1987
- R
Essentially a showcase for the talents of Australian comedian Barry Humphries, this earthy comedy tells the tale of a boorish and boozy Aussie ambassador and his wife (Humphries plays both characters) who are stationed in a Middle Eastern country. There, they end up saving the world from the bio-hazard engineered by the nefarious Dr. Herpes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Humphries, Pamela Stephenson, (more)
- 1987
Max Falcon (Garry McDonald) is a pompous and immensely popular actor who stars in "Freud The Musical" in this offbeat comedy. His wife Marilyn (Pamela Stephenson) is having an affair with her Polish chauffeur Richard (Marian Dworakowski). The two conspire to murder Max by putting broken glass in his food, by assassination, and by poisoning his drink. The drink is consumed by his manager Norda (Su Cruickshank), who dies as a result. Max is finally killed off but is allowed to return to Earth as a ghost to settle some unfinished business. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Pamela Stephenson, (more)
- 1986
The first feature-length animated film to come out of New Zealand's movie industry, this drama is based on a popular cartoon strip originating in this country, but also published in Australia, Scandinavia, and Japan. The heroes are Dog (voice of Peter Rowley) who has to guard his owner Wal (voice of John Clarke) and fight off the nasties who inhabit the Murphy's house down the road and across the river. Dog nurses a lingering passion for the nearby Jess, but in order to win her over he also has to save her from the varmints and croco-pigs that infest the Murphy's holdings. Meanwhile, Wal has an aggravating attraction to the winsome Cheeky Hobson (voice of Fiona Samuel) who works at a beauty parlor in the small town of Raupo. Dog has his work cut out for him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Rowley, John Clarke, (more)
- 1985
Anzacs: The War Down Under is a two-part Australian TV movie dramatizing the activities of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). This all-volunteer outfit fought shoulder to shoulder with enlisted men during the First World War. The film concentrates on three Anzacs: An aristocrat (Andrew Clarke), his best friend (Mark Hembrow) and his friend's sister (Megan Williams). Part One details the training of the volunteers, and their first taste of true combat. Part Two details the further activities of the all-volunteer Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS). During the first few months of World War I, aristocratic Anzac Andrew Clarke is wounded, and is urged to go home to convalesce by Megan Williams, the sister of his best friend (Mark Hembrow). Meanwhile, heavy fighting in France has thinned the ranks and battered the morale of the other Anzacs. Featured in the cast as a military man is Paul Hogan. It was Hogan's new-found international stardom in 1986's Crocodile Dundee which sparked the American distribution of Anzacs, two years after its initial 1985 Australian run. The video release is edited from the 10-hour Australian miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Effusive piano tuner Norman Kaye is on the less sunny side of forty and still unattached. Shy and self-effacing office worker Wendy Hughes is likewise getting on in years sans a lifetime companion. From the outset, we know that Kaye and Hughes will somehow come together. This, however, is the only predictable aspect of this quirky Australian comedy. Director Paul Cox co-wrote the ever-fresh screenplay of Lonely Hearts with John Clarke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Hughes, Norman Kaye, (more)
Dead Kids, aka Strange Behavior, is a creepy exercise from director Michael Laughlin--who conceived this as part one of an abortive "Strange Trilogy" which also included 1983's Strange Invaders. Although lensed in New Zealand, the film is set in a sleepy American town, in which a series of gory murders committed by local teenagers are linked to a twisted brainwashing scheme by a deranged behavioral psychologist (note irony please). Despite some humorous details (e.g. one killer dons a Tor Johnson mask) and a nostalgia for '50s pulp horrors (not to mention a fondness for splattery death scenes), the disparate plot elements don't come together as well as they should, failing to live up to the premise's potential for guilty chuckles or gasps of horror. Fiona Lewis is sexually menacing as the mad doc's assistant, but Louise Fletcher's wasted role may make viewers pine for Nurse Ratched. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, (more)
- 1972
- Add The Adventures of Barry McKenzie to QueueAdd The Adventures of Barry McKenzie to top of Queue
The popular Australian comic strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie was first brought to the screen in this raunchy 1972 romp. Barry Crocker plays the title character, a carefree Aussie cowboy with an inordinate fondness for beer and "Sheilas". Touring England as a stand-up comic, Barry runs across several odd characters, including addlepated discipline freak Dennis Price. Also on hand is Barry McKenzie cocreator Barry Humphries, appearing in drag as Dame Edna Beveridge, a character who would bring Humphries worldwide fame and fortune in the 1990s. Director Bruce Beresford, who went on to such loftier efforts as Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies and Crimes of the Heart, breezes through his scatalogical material with the abandon of a schoolboy scribbling naughty words on the sidewalk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, (more)
- 1970
- R
In this limp western melodrama, when Mexican bandit Hector Cordoba (Raf Vallone) attacks a U.S. Army fort a few miles from the Mexican border, General John Pershing (John Russell) orders Captain Rod Douglas (George Peppard) to organize a group of soldiers to cross the border into Mexico to capture Cordoba and to bring him back to the U.S. for trial. When Douglas's band cross into Mexico, Douglas meets Leonora (Giovanna Ralli), a beautiful Mexican woman raped by Cordoba, who agrees to lead the Americans to Cordoba's stronghold. But Leonora is not entirely trustworthy, and when the Americans reach the fort, Cordoba takes them prisoners. Now, the Americans must escape from Cordoba's clutches and make it back to the other side of the border. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Peppard, Giovanna Ralli, (more)
- 1969
This violent western finds a son leaving his father and family behind in the wake of the elder's violent guerilla warfare against society at large. David Galt (Vince Edwards) leaves his Confederate war-veteran father Josiah (Jack Palance) behind and settles in Texas. The son changes his name, living in relative solitude until his father's gang invades Texas six years later. Father and son battle it out in the inevitable showdown in this family feud. Neville Brand plays the Federal marshall. George Maharis and Christian Roberts play the sons of Parson Josiah Galt, the man driven insane by the death of his wife during the Civil War. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Edwards, Jack Palance, (more)
- 1968
During the twilight of World War II, American forces battle their German counterparts to find a noted Austrian atomic scientist who is marked for death. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Seven courageous white women endeavor to survive alone in the Western wilderness after their traveling party is massacred by Indians in this western. During the attack, the women find a cave and plot their continued survival. The leader decides to keep going towards Fort Lafayette. It will be difficult as they must cross the Arizona desert without horses, guns, or food. Meanwhile a posse sets out to find the missing women. They and their leader find the ladies, but unfortunately, the renegade Indians attack. The posse leader conceals the women in a burial ground while he and his men fight back. All of the men but the leader are slain. He joins the women and they resume their arduous journey. The Indian marauder is planning a final attack when the tribal leader intervenes. He has watched the courageous women and admires their fortitude. The chief decides to protect them on their journey to safety. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
An inflamed Spanish witch takes a visiting American professor on a journey through the ages in this time- travel fantasy. The witch, a mere novice, originally comes from the 15th century. She takes him back with her. Unfortunately, her magic isn't reliable and she can't figure out how to get him home. Instead they begin visiting different centuries ranging from prehistoric times to the future. Eventually, the witch's father intervenes and returns the professor to his own time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Maria Perschy, (more)
- 1965
The FCC alerts Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) when several radio operators begin receiving strange, cryptic messages. Meanwhile, a deranged man named Joseph Walker (played by a young Robert Duvall) formulates a plan to destroy a new guided missile known as "Thor", which is slated to be delivered from an Arizona silo to a California launching site. It turns out that those bizarre radio signals are actually clues being provided by Walker in a perverse game of "catch me if you can"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In the first episode of a two-part story, Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) briefly suspends his search for fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) to take a long-overdue vacation with his wife Marie (Barbara Rush). But when Girard abandons her to follow up a new lead on Kimble, the frustrated Marie goes off on her own. Boarding a bus, Marie is unaware that among her travelling companions is Kimble himself, posing as "Steve Carver." Things take a potentially deadly turn when the bus crashes, rendering Marie temporarily blind--and there's a flood approaching. (Trivia note: the last time we saw Mrs. Gerard in the episode "Never Wave Goodbye", she was played by Rachel Ames...and her name was Ann). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
The Yankees and the Rebels must stop fighting over a stolen gold shipment and join forces to save a New Mexico fort from a major Indian attack in this western. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, James Philbrook, (more)
- 1965
Adapted from an Alistair MacLean novel, The Satan Bug is one of the best efforts in the "deadly virus at large" genre. Insane scientist Dr. Hoffman (Richard Basehart) steals several vials containing a lethal germ culture from a government lab. Hoffman has been unhinged by the notion of the government playing God and now it's his turn to do the same. Hot on his trail are Lee Barrett, a scientific investigator (George Maharis) and Ann, a general's daughter (Anne Francis). The climax, which seems to have been borrowed from the 1939 Bela Lugosi serial The Phantom Creeps, finds Maharis wrestling with the controls of a runaway helicopter, wherein the deadly vials are being jostled about. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Maharis, Richard Basehart, (more)
- 1965
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Kimble (David Janssen) risks getting caught in an ever-rising flood to rush Marie Gerard (Vera Miles), the temporarily blinded wife of his perennial nemesis Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse), to a hospital. En route, he tries to help a young girl named Joanie (Judee Morton), only to run afoul of two teenage punks. Meanwhile, Marie finally figures out Kimble's true identity and plots to arrange his arrest in a desperate effort to save her marriage--assuming that she isn't swept up by the surging flood waters first. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
