Colin Hay Movies
A handful of zoo animals leave behind their well-protected environment for the streets of the big city in this computer-animated comedy. Sampson (voice of Kiefer Sutherland) is the king of a make-believe jungle far from the African plains -- he's a lion on display at a zoo in New York City's Central Park, and he lords it over the other animals, including Nigel (voice of Eddie Izzard), a testy koala bear; Larry, a dumb but well-meaning snake; ; Bridget (voice of Janeane Garofalo), a bright but cynical giraffe; and Benny (voice of Jim Belushi), a very New York-ish squirrel who is good friends with Sampson and is trying to romance Bridget without much success. The pride and joy of Sampson's life is his son, Ryan (voice of Greg Cipes), and he's devastated when one day Ryan is crated up and shipped back to Africa. Sampson is desperate to find his boy, and with the help of his pals he escapes the zoo and sets out on a daring mission to rescue Ryan, battling the unfamiliar terrain and Kazar, a wildebeest with a will to power and a passion for choreography (voice of William Shatner) along the way. The Wild was the first directorial credit for animator and special-effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, (more)
- 2005
Ringo Starr and the Roundheads light up the Genessee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois for this PBS Soundstage special. Featuring special appearances from artists such as Colin Hay (Men at Work), Ringo's high-energy set includes hits from throughout his career, including "Octopus's Garden," "Yellow Submarine," "Photograph," and "Act Naturally". ~ Carly Wray, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ringo Starr
- 1999
- NR
"Craic" is Irish slang for a laugh or a good time, which is what this comedy about two Irishmen on the run in Australia has to offer. Fergus (Jimeoin McKeown) and his best friend Wesley (Alan McKee) are living in Belfast when they incur the wrath of a violent IRA leader, Colin (Robert Morgan). Since Ireland no longer seems like a safe place to stay, the boys hit the road and end up in Sydney, where they manage to find work despite the fact they're illegal aliens. Fergus gets a chance to appear on Australian TV's answer to "The Dating Game" and wins a vacation in Queensland with a pretty but half-bright beautician, Margo (Kate Gorman). While Fergus is enjoying his holiday (if not Margo's company), immigration authorities raid the house where Wesley, Fergus and several other illegals have been staying. Wesley takes it on the lam and tracks down Fergus in Queensland, just in time for Colin to show up, who is in Australia as part of a witness protection program. Fergus and Wesley are still angry at Colin, and vice versa, and so a mad chase ensues as Fergus and Wesley head for the outback with immigration agents, secret service men and IRA renegades hot on their trail. Jimeoin McKeown is a popular stand-up comic in Australia, and Alan McKee is the star of the BBC's The Bill; their combined box-office draw gave The Craic the second-biggest opening week gross ever for an Australian film at home, bested only by Muriel's Wedding in 1994. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimeoin McKeown, Alan McKee, (more)
- 1998
When shady network suit Kenny Mitchell (Josh Malina) is appointed "Creative Liaison" and begins to implement drastic changes in the show's format, Larry (Garry Shandling) starts to sweat, but when his agent, Stevie (Bob Odenkirk), appears to be avoiding contract negotiations and ends up having lunch with Jon Stewart, Larry really starts to feel the heat. It seems that Kenny has been dropping increasingly frequent hints that the show could get better ratings with Stewart at the helm, and it's not long before he and a frustrated Artie (Rip Torn) nearly come to blows. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A runaway Japanese bride finds herself alone in Sydney, Australia when her lover fails to show up to save her from her husband, and she ends up on an off-road adventure with a handsome getaway driver while fleeing gangsters, cops from two countries and her murderously humiliated spouse. The whole mess begins when Midori (Youki Kudoh) engineers her own kidnapping to avoid her honeymoon night with her hyper-tense businessman husband Yukio (Kenji Isomura). When he notices Midori's absence, Yukio panics. Local policemen Bishop and Moffat are assigned the case and it is while talking to Yukio and the staff that they learn the truth. When the Japanese press finds out about Yukio's plight, they merrily proceed to crucify him in the headlines, making him a laughingstock. Meanwhile, Midori, after getting jilted, goes to a bank to exchange some money and is caught in the midst of an armed bankrobbery masterminded by Afghani hoodlums Mahood (Robert Mammone) and his brother Gullbuddin. The two are about to shoot the terrified Midori when their getaway driver Colin (Russell Crowe) intervenes. Gullbuddin is accidentally killed during the scuffle and Colin hits the highway with Midori. With the aforementioned crowd in hot pursuit, the two fugitives head for a farm in the boonies where Colin's elderly, embittered father lives in almost comical isolation. Along the way, the two encounter several memorable characters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Youki Kudoh, (more)
In this Australian comedy, adapted by Louis Nowra from his own play and updated from a '70s to a '90s setting, a Sydney slacker gets the chance to stage an opera, but his cast is assembled from the ranks of the mentally ill. After a long stretch sponging off his law-student girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths), college dropout Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn) fakes his way into a job doing occupational therapy with a group of asylum inmates. Although his original assignment is to stage a variety show, manic-depressive patient Roy (Barry Otto) soon hijacks the project and convinces Lewis to helm an adaptation of his favorite opera, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti. Lewis' unlikely cast ranges from psycho firebug Doug (David Wenham) and scruffy loudmouth Sandra (Kerry Walker) to depressive, dirt-obsessed Ruth (Pamela Rabe) and self-effacing drug addict Julie (Toni Collette). Given the dearth of acting and singing experience among these players, Lewis opts to translate the piece from Italian to English and stage it as a play with only a few pieces of music. The show still proves to be more than its director bargained for -- despite the dubious assistance of his friend Nick (Aden Young), an actor/director who's currently staging his own over-the-top production of Diary of a Madman. Although Cosi reteams Muriel's Wedding co-stars Collette and Griffiths, their characters here never share a scene. The production also includes former Men at Work singer Colin Hay in a featured role, plus cameos from Greta Scacchi and Paul Mercurio (who appeared alongside Otto in Strictly Ballroom). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, (more)
- 1988
The limitless talents of British actress Judy Davis are generously displayed throughout Georgia. Davis plays a dual role, as Nina, a brilliant attorney and (in flashbacks) Georgia, the attorney's mother. Haunted by her mother's long-ago death by drowning, Nina reopens the investigation. What she learns not only jeopardizes her relationships with several loved ones, but also puts her own life in peril. Perhaps too intense for some viewers, Georgia is nonetheless deserving of a wider audience than it originally received in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, John Bach, (more)
- 1985
Cashing in on the release of Burke and Wills, this undistinguished comedy by Bob Weiss tries to turn the tragic crossing of Australia's desert in 1860 into fodder for humor, but it is tasteless fodder in the end. Robert O'Hara Burke (Gary McDonald) and William John Wills (Kim Gyngell) set out from Melbourne with a large caravan of supplies and people, intending to reach the northern coast and the Gulf of Carpenteria. Out of the 19 men who started the trek, only one returned alive. There are a few good performances delineating minor characters in this ostensibly dark comedy. One notable feature of the film is that a young Nicole Kidman plays Julia Matthews, a Melbourne singer who had a long affair with Burke. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry McDonald, Kim Gyngell, (more)
