John Brumpton Movies
A romantic weekend on the water turns into a terrifying struggle for survival when bad weather drives a vacationing couple into an isolated swamp in Urban Legend director Jamie Blanks' tense tale of terror down under. Forced to steer their sailboat to the nearest shore when a storm rolls in and the waters grow treacherous, a young couple has no idea of the depravity they will soon be forced to endure. Shortly after docking their sailboat on a remote island, the stranded pair is captured by a psychotic man and his two demented sons. As the storm gathers ferocity, the couple fights against being sexually enslaved and brutalized to the breaking point. But these maniacs don't have a clue how hard their prisoners are willing to fight in order to stay alive, and as the tables are turned the violence escalates into a visceral explosion of savagery and terror. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Brumpton, Nadia Farès, (more)
- 2003
D.K. is dead, and Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) wants to track down the alien who did it. For this he must learn to exercise self-control, so Scorpius seeks out his spiritual mentor, Katoya (John Brumpton), at a Mental Arts training camp -- and he coerces Moya's other male crew members to participate in the training. The lessons are potentially beneficial to Crichton (Ben Browder), who is preparing himself for his next run-in with the Scarrans. But D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) threatens to go off the deep end when he meets another Mental Camp trainee: Macton (Blair Venn), the Peacekeeper who murdered D'Argo's wife, Lo'Lann (Rachel Gordon). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
Australian filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky directs the crime comedy Gettin' Square. Barry Wirth (Sam Worthington) is an ex-con who just wants to stay on the right side of the law. David Wenham plays Johnny "Spit" Spitieri, a zany, lovable drug addict who knew Barry in prison. They both get paroled by officer Annie Flynn (Freya Stafford) and plan to play it straight this time. They get jobs at the Texas Rose, a restaurant owned by Darren Barrington (Timothy Spall), another ex-con trying to go straight. Barry, Spit, and Darren team up against the local gang boss Chicka Martin (Gary Sweet).Things get messed up when Darren's shifty accountant Warren Halliwell (Steven Tandy) finds himself the interest of the Criminal Investigation Commission. Gettin' Square was the opening film at the 2003 Brisbane Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Worthington, David Wenham, (more)
- 2000
In search of much-needed food and water, Chiana (Gigi Edgley) leads Moya's crew to the enormous carcass of an old Leviathan, and therein to a mining colony. Unfortunately, she has already made far too many enemies within the colony to ensure the safety of the crew members. Meanwhile, the starving Zhaan (Virginia Hey) begins metamorphosing into a plant life form which may prove fatally allergic to Moya. "Home on the Remains" originally aired on June 16, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
In 1996, Australian director Rolf de Heer made The Quiet Room about a mentally retarded boy locked in a room by his mother. He continues to explore challenges to the human spirit, teaming here with cerebral palsy victim Heather Rose whose small role in de Heer's Bad Boy Bubby (1993) led to her interest in filmmaking. The wheelchair-bound Rose, who cannot walk, feed or dress herself, communicates via her computerized electronic voice synthesizer. She overcame these obstacles to collaborate with writer Frederick Stahl on this drama, created the lead role of Julia for herself, and brought the project to de Heer. Julia's sympathetic lesbian sister Rix (Rena Owen) is not in a position to take care of her sibling's needs. Instead, Julia depends on an abusive, short-tempered caretaker Madelaine (Joey Kennedy), who calls Julia a "spastic," abandons her on the toilet, leaves the wheels locked on the wheelchair, and devises further torment by forcing Julia to watch her intimacies with a parade of boyfriends. This pattern heads in a different direction after Julia bumps her wheelchair into Eddie (John Brumpton), who becomes her companion. But Julia wants love and sex, not just companionship -- and Madelaine is jealous. The 30-day shoot sometimes worked around Rose's usual routines, as de Heer explained, "Lunch takes her two hours, and there's no way you can make it go faster...The nature of response is different, the nature of physical handling is different, the nature of set-up time is different...It's impossible to overstate the courage of the performance you see on the screen. Rose somehow found the means to respond on cue, to maintain the concentration, to move in the desired direction, all the myriad of acting fundamentals we take for granted as normal things in our normal lives." The result brought a standing ovation at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown in competition. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Rose, Joey Kennedy, (more)
- 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, Rovi
- 1992
Contrary to what outsider film-buffs and older people might think, for Australians a "garbo" is not someone with a resemblance to or an affiliation with the film star Greta Garbo. "Garbo" is short for "garbageman." This slapstick romp concerns the efforts of a pair of inept, clueless garbage-truck operators to compete with a far more efficient, modernized outfit. The two gents in question are the same two lads who performed in the "dills' school of comedy" (don't ask) as Los Trios Ringbarkus: Neill Gladwin and Stephen Kearney. Fans of this sort of humor won't quarrel with this film's lack of a coherent story line or witty lines, and fans of the two comedians will be especially pleased to run across it. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Kearney, Max Cullen, (more)
- 1991
Eddie and his buddy Mick have entered their young adulthood without any plans, skills, or regular employment. They live in urban Australia, subsisting on the fringes of everything, looking for a bit of action and a bit of a good time. They fall into a job working for a mysterious, monied and very racist man, painting obnoxious slogans on factory walls. Soon, their employer lets them know that they could join the racist and a crew of mercenaries on a military adventure in Africa. However, as newbies, they must raise some money to prove their sincerity. In fact, Eddie, who doesn't look rough enough, is nearly left out in the cold altogether but gets considered for the job of cook. Now the two lads have a purpose in life. No, they're not committed to "the cause," but it looks like some real action for a change. However, raising the money for their entry fee gets them into far more trouble than they bargained for. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alex Menglet
- 2009
- PG13
Thematically recalling Clint Eastwood's 1993 saga A Perfect World, this drama from Australia hones in on a troubled adult man and a young boy fleeing from the law. The pair in this case, however, are a father and son. Kev (Hugo Weaving) and his ten-year-old boy Chook) journey deep into the recesses of the Australian outback, first abandoning their car, then riding by bus, and finally, hitchhiking across the wastelands. Their past is a deeply dysfunctional one, marred by ex-convict Kev's periodic absences from home while serving time, and Chook's only fleetingly successful attempts to understand his conflicted dad. The relationship comes to a head, however, when Kev visits a pub and hears about the murder of a close friend, Max (John Brumpton) . When Kev informs Chook of Max's death, Chook explodes with anger against his dad, forcing father and son into a series of life-changing confrontations. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hugo Weaving, Tom Russell, (more)
Hell hath no fury like a woman scored -- and her father -- in this tense tale of terror from Australia. Brent (Xavier Samuel) is driving home late one night with his father when he swerves after seeing something in the road. The car spins out of control, and moments later Brent's dad is dead. Brent is wracked with guilt over the incident, and sinks into a deep depression, only beginning to sort out his feelings when he begins dating one of his classmates, a pretty and nurturing girl named Holly (Victoria Thaine). However, another young woman at school, Lola (Robin McLeavy), has taken an interest in Brent, going so far as to ask him to escort her to an upcoming dance. Loyal Brent turns Lola down, but he learns the hard way she doesn't handle disappointment well. Lola and her wealthy father (John Brumpton) force Brent to attend a private party at a cottage in the woods, where he's the only guest and Lola and her dad proceed to mete out brutal punishment for daring to hurt her feelings. The Loved Ones was the first feature film from director and screenwriter Sean Byrne. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, (more)
- 1998
- NR
A honest police detective begins to crack under the strain of the cynicism and lawlessness surrounding her in the Australian crime drama Redball. The film opens with a sequence that's an apt metaphor for what follows -- two cops on the beat in Melbourne discover a body floating in the Yarra river and call in detectives to handle the matter. The plainclothes cops, however, prefer not to be bothered, and figure if they wait long enough, the body will float into another precinct's jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Jane Wilson (Belinda McClory), known to her friends as "JJ," is assigned with her partner Robbie Walsh (John Brumpton) to investigate a string of especially grisly child killings committed by an unknown lunatic the police have nicknamed Mr. Creep. While JJ has always been an idealist who tries to play fair and by the book, she's grown disgusted with the corruption and abuse of power that goes on around her, ranging from simple laziness in procedural matters to brutal violence and rape committed by her fellow officers. When evidence begins to suggest Mr. Creep may be a member of the police department, some of JJ's colleagues fear she's become worn to an emotional frazzle and may just break, bringing down not only herself but every member of the force who's not on the straight and narrow in the process. A violent and downbeat drama, Redball was shot on digital video and transferred to film for theatrical release, with its low-budget look enhancing the emotional grit of the story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Belinda McClory, John Brumpton, (more)
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, (more)
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