Elisa Argenzio Movies
- 2003
- R
A bumbling group of jewel thieves become the hottest thing since The Wiggles after dressing up like a children's singing group in order to snatch a priceless necklace. Danny (Nick Giannopoulos) isn't much of an entertainer, so when Marcus (Russell Dykstra) tries to recruit him to lift a necklace from wealthy Aurora Van Dyke (Lena Cruz) he senses an opportunity for some quick cash. Aurora has scheduled a birthday party for her child, and the best-loved children's performers from miles around are coming in for the big event. When the heist hits a hitch and the robbers ditch the necklace to make a daring escape, they thought their ordeal was over. Little did they realize that their group, The Wannabes, made quite an impression at the party, and they've since developed a nation wide following. Now, as Aurora attempts to prove that it was they who tried to swipe her necklace, Marcus does his best to win the heart of Kristy (Isla Fischer), the head criminal ringleader's sister. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Giannopoulos, Russell Dykstra, (more)
- 2000
Three Aboriginal teenagers growing up in Northern Australia come together as they deal with the responsibilities of their shared cultural background and their individual emotional issues. Lorrpu (John Sebastian Pilakui) has a deep respect for his Aborigine heritage and wants to learn more about the history and customs of his people; he also begins negotiating the tricky path of romance when he meets Yuwan (Lirrina Mununggurr), a girl his age taking a vacation from school. Two of Lorrpu's best friends are Milika (Nathan Davis), who is more interested in football than his cultural heritage, and Botj (Sean Mununggurr), a troubled youth with a criminal record and little interest in changing his ways. Much of Botj's rage comes from the fact that he never knew his father, who abandoned his family when Botj was an infant; when Botj discovers that his father is living 300 miles away in the city of Darwin, he and his friends leave their village behind and set out to find him, first by canoe and later on foot. Originally produced for broadcast by the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Yolngu Boy earned a theatrical release in Oz prior to its television premiere. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Set within an Australian prison in a section reserved for AIDS-infected inmates, this moving but unsentimental drama, based on screenwriter/lead actor John Brumpton's 1991 play Containment, centers on the friendship and bonding that goes on between the afflicted patients. Former nightclub bouncer Des is the newest prisoner in the HIV block. He says he got the disease from Sharon, a club stripper. His new cellmate Ralph blames a blood transfusion for his illness. As Des (who is also epileptic) begins to get to know Ralph and the others, the story moves between present and past, before he was convicted. In the present, Des has trouble with a particularly cruel guard, Berwick. Other acquaintances include the tragic Snakey who watches his lover Jimmy slowly die. Ralph is also dying fairly quickly. The flashback scenes deal with Des' relationship to Sharon and Ralph's relationship with his girl friend Jane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The one-upmanship of middle-aged men, bragging to one another that "when I was a kid, I was so poor that..." will never happen to Joe, even though the stories he could tell would put them to shame. In this melodramatic youth story, Joe lives with his demented father in a shanty, and he has been unemployed for a very long time. Eventually he gets a new job and, along with it, a social life of sorts. He would like to make some headway with either of the cute girls at work, but every time he tries, he finds his co-worker Dazey has gotten there ahead of him. Dazey does introduce him to the big teen sport of the region, and the two are soon involved in a keen drag-racing rivalry. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aden Young, Tara Morice, (more)
- 1993
- NC17
- Add Romper Stomper to Queue
This controversial drama (which earned an NC-17 rating in the U.S.) was a major box-office success in its native Australia, and it made an overnight star of its leading man, Russell Crowe. Hando (Crowe) is a member of a gang of racist skinheads who lash out with violence against the growing number of Asian immigrants settling in the country. While Hando and his partner Davey (Daniel Pollock) lead a bunch of brutal, half-bright thugs, they have convinced themselves that what they do is the noble work of saving Australia for Australians (or at least the white Australians who drove the aborigines into the outback). Into this milieu comes Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie), a troubled young woman who suffers from epilepsy and was raised in a sexually abusive environment. Gabe becomes something of a gang moll, dividing her time (and her sexual favors) between Hando and Davey, generating considerable tension between them. When the gang's favorite bar is purchased by a group of Vietnamese immigrants, Hando and Davey organize an all-out attack, little imagining that the Asians are ready and able to defend themselves. Romper Stomper was released in America in both its original, uncut form, and in an edited version that earned an R rating from the MPAA. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, (more)
- 1989
Mick (Noah Taylor) is just 16, but he would rather hang out with Sally (Gillian Jones), who is 43, rather than his friends. Sally originally hired him to cut her grass. Now they are lovers. Mick gets really dejected when she replaces him with a more age-appropriate lover. When he discovers that the older man has been beating her up, he challenges him, with fatal consequences. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noah Taylor, Gillian Jones, (more)
