Michael Lynch Movies

Despite their claims of being more tolerant than other social groups, the homosexual community is not without its pariahs. Just ask gay, HIV-positive African American and Asian drag queens who wryly refer to themselves as "chocolate babies." Bound together by their outsider status, they decide to form a radical activist group whose purpose is to "out" and otherwise harass conservative politicians and homophobes. Some of the members who are near death feel that they have little to lose, and they are the more radical of this radical group. Their alternately hilariously satirical and touchingly melodramatic story is told from the perspective of a more moderate member, Sam (Jon Lee), an Asian-American who has gone undercover to work in the political arena. His commitments become divided when he forms a romantic relationship with a closeted city councilman. One of the film's highlights is the performance of Dudley Findlay Jr. as "The Larva." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Tom Selleck stars as American cowboy archetype Matthew Quigley in Simon Wincer's outback western Quigley Down Under. Answering an advertisement placed by Australian cattle baron Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman) to come to the rugged and uncivilized Australian countryside and shoot dingoes, Quigley finds himself halfway around the world, only to find that Marston wants to exploit his talents as a sharpshooter in order to wipe out the Aborigine population. Taken aback by this square-jawed genocide, Quigley grabs Marston and hurls him through a window. Marston, who controls the region, sets out to hunt Quigley down. But helping him stay one step ahead of Marston is the addlebrained expatriate American trollop Crazy Cora (Laura San Giacomo) who insists that Quigley is her husband Roy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, Carlos Munoz (Cheech Marin) travels from America to Australia to find work, and gets a job at a Mexican restaurant. While there, he meets up with poor little rich girl Alex Hobart (Emma Samms) who hires him to pose as her fiance to scare her father into approving of her marriage with her unappealing boyfriend, Bruce Woodley (Vernon Wells). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Candy (Patsy Stephen) is a disturbed hooker who works in Bambi's brothel in the King's Cross district of Sydney in this grim drama. She is helped one night on the street by Reg (Warwick Moss), who later visits her at work. Candy tries to stop herself but can't help falling in love with the mysterious Reg. After breaking up with her brutish boyfriend Ian (Garry Aron Cook), Candy's perception of Reg is severely and cruelly altered. Her reaction leads to violence and tragedy. Director James Ricketson accurately portrays the seedy red-light district and the heartlessness of the sex-for-sale trade in this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

An Australian family is galvanized into political activism by their daughter in this anti-nuclear political drama. Ann (Laura Black) and her husband John (Peter Hardy) are the parents of Mandy (Anna Gare), a 15 year old who sings in a rock band and opposes American nuclear submarines being harbored in Australian waters. Ann investigates to find out what her daughter is doing and becomes a die-hard anti-nuclear activist. When she is fired from her newspaper job, Ann takes Laura and her grandfather Stan (Jack Coleman) to a protest at Fremantle. Noted Australian politicos Mayor John Catalini and Senator Jo Vallentine appear as themselves. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In a somewhat far-fetched premise (not uncommon to the genre), this action film has some Australians (including soldiers) joining up with Asian forces, all backed by American money, ready to take over Surfers Paradise, a resort and retirement area on the Gold Coast of Queensland. They are not interested in good surf or securing an ideal retirement home, they just want the off-shore petroleum rights and inland uranium deposits. Right into their scheme walks Michael Stacey (Ray Barrett), a one-time policeman who left the force because of an alcohol problem and now has to make money as a private eye. While he is looking for the missing daughter of an old friend, now in politics, he runs into the usual private-eye characters: the barmaid who is willing to spend some quality time with him, the corpse that shows up in his hotel room, and the former buddies who turn against his investigation. Two of his friends are fronting the coalition of take-over forces and invite Stacey to join them in their conspiracy. Now the detective has to make up his mind about where all this is going, and if he wants to avoid any unhealthy alliances, how can he do that and stay physically intact? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In the fourth episode of the six-part story "Genesis of the Daleks," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his friends are still stranded on the war-ravaged planet Skaros, sometime in the distant past. Their principal nemesis is Kaled scientist Davros (Michael Wisher), who alone possesses knowledge of the mutation process that will eventually create the dreaded Daleks. Welcoming this disastrous metamorphosis, Davros intends to use whatever means possible to prevent the Doctor from destroying the Daleks before they can be unleashed on the universe. First telecast on March 28, 1975, "Genesis of the Daleks, Episode 4" was written by Terry Nation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Steed and Emma are called on the scene when several members of the British Venusian Society, an astronomical organization, suddenly die of extreme old age. It turns out that all of the dead stargazers had been looking directly at Venus, which, according to "expert" testimony, is poised to invade the Earth. The truth is a bit more prosaic, but no less threatening for our hero and heroine. The first full-color Avengers episode, "From Venus with Love" was also the initial offering of the series' fifth season. Written by Philip Levene, the episode first aired in England on January 14, 1967; six days later, it was seen on American network television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide