Ralph Cotterill Movies

This Australian cult film draws extremely dark humor from the story of Bubby, a man who has spent the first 35 years of his life locked in a disgusting basement by his abusive, controlling mother. Having been taught that the outside air is poisonous and that leaving home is sinful, he only realizes the truth when his long-absent father returns to disrupt the already twisted family unit. A tragic confrontation follows, forcing Bubby into the real world. Knowing nothing about life, and undoubtedly suffering from mental disturbance, he stumbles about the city, speaking in a rambling monologue made up mainly of overheard phrases. His behavior is interpreted in different ways by the people he encounters: some think him insane, while others equate his strange speech and erratic behavior with brilliance. The edgy lead performance by Nicholas Hope is key to the film's success, managing to make Bubby a figure that is both sympathetic and at times quite frightening. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Filmed in the Australian outback, but set in an unnamed country, this stylish and decidedly liberal drama attempts to be the inspirational tale of workers and rural folk who band together to quash their oppressors: greedy corporate types and the military dictatorship that uses violence to protect the businesses. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Lynda Day George, who from 1971 to 1973 played IMF agent Lisa Casey on the original Mission:Impossible, here reprises the role in the "new" episode "Reprisal." Casey's life is being threatened by a former colleague, now confined to a mental institution, who has also managed to frame IMF head Jim Phelps for a series of murders. Well- versed in the Team's modus operandi, the villain is using a deadly lookalike to carry out his evil schemes (significantly, the German title of this episode is "Die Doppelganger"). First broadcast on April 15, 1989, "Reprisal" was written by Walter Brough. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Paradise" is actually Australia, where this made-for-TV adventure was filmed. Raquel Welch stars as a rich, spoiled socialite who is shipwrecked on a desert island. Her only companion is boozy, unkempt Aussie Jack Thompson. Before the film has a chance to turn into Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away (or even Gilligan's Island), Welch and Thompson are up to their necks in intrigue. Trouble in Paradise originally floated to shore on May 16, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Professor Harry Beckmeyer (Barry Otto) goes searching for a rare breed of werewolf/marsupial in this satirical horror comedy. With his sidekick, Professor Sharpe (Ralph Cotterill), they find Jerboa (Imogen Annesley), and take her to Sydney to appear in a small role in a horror film. Soon members of her tribe disguised as nuns try and rescue the she-werewolf. Olga Gorki (Dasha Blahova) changes into a lupine monster as she pirouettes on the stage of the Sydney Opera House. The feature works as a parody of its two predecessors. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

An elite Australian cavalry unit attacks the Turkish-held stronghold of Beersheba in this World War I adventure drama. Four friends goes through the trials of battle in this epic $10 million production. The Australians resent being led by the British who continually misuse the cavalry. They conspire to strike out on their own to prove their effectiveness and drive the Turkish hordes from the desert town. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The remote planet Ordessa is the site of conflict between android military police and human underlings in this undistinguished sci-fi film from Roger Christian, later released under the title Starship. Lorca (John Tarrant) leads the human inhabitants, and the evil Jowitt (Ralph Coterill) is his nemesis, along with some other baddies that have to be foiled before the nasty androids can be conquered. Aided by the friendly 'droid "Kid," (Deep Roy), victory is certainly inevitable. A few moments of tense, hand-to-hand combat enliven the story here and there, as does the enthusiastic soundtrack. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In a slightly padded but well-acted and relevant drama, an Australian mining company and a group of aboriginals go to court to settle a dispute over sacred land that the company wants to mine. When the Ayers Mining Company sets out to begin construction of its mine with bulldozers and earth-movers, the Aboriginals physically block the work because the site is exactly where the green ants will gather to dream (a 40,000-year-old legend) and it cannot be disturbed. The company tries the usual means of getting their way -- through bribes and arguments -- but nothing budges the men who came to defend the land. Once in court, it is quickly apparent that tribal laws and customs and beliefs are very different than Western laws -- and how the issue will be resolved is sticky indeed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This is an unremittingly grim melodrama about a group of hard-luck, victimized aborigines with no opportunity in life who live in a slum boarding-house on the outskirts of Sydney. Coping via pills, drugs, alcohol, and other destructive means, this collection of misfits should not be taken as representative of aborigines in general. Jack Collins (Tommy Lewis) runs the boarding house and dominates his tenants like a minor dictator. He is having an affair with Laura Wentworth (Katrina Foster) who is also sleeping with Andy White (Ralph Cotterill), an innocent country bumpkin compared to the boarders here. Laura herself is trying to overcome the emotional trauma of incest and a subsequent abortion at the age of 16, while her brother Jim (Mark Lee) is seriously suicidal. When white racists are not causing problems for the aborigines, then the police fill the breach -- there is no clear way out of their abysmal existence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The Chain Reaction is an Australian-made drama about a nuclear accident and its effect on the workers of the plant. Oates (Patrick Ward) knows of the accident and the eventual effects it will have on the workers and the surrounding community, and he tries to tell them but the owners of the reactor try to have him eliminated before he can do so. The cast includes Mel Gibson in an uncredited role as a mechanic. Also released as Nuclear Run, this thriller, with an intelligent script by Ian Barry, is worth a view. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

After receiving a cryptic warning while playing with a Ouija board, a young woman (Joanne Samuel) becomes more than a little apprehensive about her upcoming 19th birthday party. It seems her late father is sending her a message, attempting to dissuade her from attending the celebration at the cottage of her aunt and uncle -- where a secret society of Druids plan to offer her body as a vessel for an ancient Celtic god. This small, low-key Australian production features some interesting plot twists and a fair amount of suspense, and is marked by the appealing presence of Samuel (the doomed wife of Mel Gibson's Mad Max). Produced by actor David Hemmings and released initially in 1979, the film was eventually picked up for U.S. distribution in 1984. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Set during the years when Australia was a newly established British colony reserved for prisoners, this feminist oriented drama centers upon a band of escaped female convicts who flee into the outback after killing their guard and taking a judge's daughter hostage. It doesn't take them long to learn survival skills and set up a new society in their hostile new environment. The story's climax comes when soldiers catch up to the women. A bloody, brutal battle ensues as the women fight for their freedom. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi