Marian MacGowan Movies
- 2009
The actions of a handful of troubled young people are seen from two different perspectives in this drama from Australian filmmaker Ana Kokkinos. Daniel (Harrison Gilbertson) has a combative relationship with his parents and acts out by stealing; when challenged by his mother, he breaks into a neighbor's house and accidentally causes the death of an elderly woman. Orton (Reef Ireland) has run away from home and is stranded in the big city; his younger sister Stacey (Eva Lazzaro) finds him living in a clothing donation box, where she shares with him stories of abuse at the hand's of their mom's lovers. Katrina (Sophie Lowe) and Trisha (Anastasia Baboussouras) are bored and aimless kids who turn to alcohol and petty theft to pass the time. And Trisha's brother Roo (Eamon Farren), who has recently embraced his homosexuality, is approached by a photographer who says the young man could have a future in modeling, not knowing he primarily deals in pornography. As we follow these teenagers over the course of twenty-four hours, we next also witness the same span of time as it was experienced by their mothers, in particular Bianca (Miranda Otto), a gambling addict who seems more like a sibling than a parent to her daughter Katrina, and Rhonda (Frances O'Connor), a single mother struggling with poverty and bad choices who will soon have to deal with a new baby as well as Orton and Stacey. Blessed was adapted from the play Who's Afraid Of The Working Class, with playwrights Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and Christos Tsiolkas penning the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
My Brilliant Career and Oscar and Lucinda director Gillian Armstrong explores the final feat of the greatest illusionist ever to deceive a live audience in this docudrama concerning Harry Houdini's obsessive quest to find proof of an afterlife. The year is 1926, and Houdini (Guy Pearce) is an international superstar. Not only does the illusionist's otherworldly ability to bend reality hold audiences completely enthralled, but his easy charm finds him winning the hearts of his growing legion of fans as well. Yet behind Houdini's winning smile resides the restless heart of a tortured soul. Isolated by fame and drowning in regret over having not been present to hear his mother's last words, Houdini sets out in tour of Scotland and announces that he will pay 10,000 dollars to anyone who can prove spiritual contact with his deceased mother. But in his determination to prove that there is life after death, Houdini also becomes the target of countless charlatans, scam artists, and self-proclaimed spiritualists. Of course, stunning psychic Mary McGregor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her daughter/sidekick, Benji (Saoirse Ronan), seem remarkably sincere in their supernatural talents, yet that doesn't mean that the pair doesn't have their own ulterior motives for making a connection with the world-famous magic man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, (more)
Australian playwright Tony McNamara makes his directorial debut with the offbeat comedy The Rage in Placid Lake, adapted from his own play The Cafe Latte Kid. In his first feature film, indie rocker Benny Lee stars as a troubled teen named Placid Lake. The child of new-agey eccentric parents (Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson), Placid spends his childhood getting picked on by bullies. Fortunately, he finds friendship with classmate Gemma Taylor (Rose Byrne), whose father (Nicholas Hammond) pressures her to excel in school. After Placid shocks the school with his dark student film, he gets into an accident that lands him in the hospital. Upon his recovery, he reinvents himself as an conservative insurance agent and engages in an affair of sorts with emotionally detached co-worker Jane (Saskia Smith). The Rage in Placid Lake was screened at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benny Lee, Rose Byrne, (more)
Three people discover jealousy and larceny are a dangerous combination in this tense drama. John (Bryan Brown) is a veteran insurance investigator who succumbs to temptation and veers towards the wrong side of the law. With the help of novice con man Ben (Tom Long), John hatches a scheme to substantiate false claims by taking a percentage of several questionable claims his firm has settled for a fraction of their usual worth. John and Ben are assisted in their illegal business by Louise (Claudia Karvan), a lawyer with a cocaine problem who is also John's lover. But when Louise becomes involved with Ben and demands a bigger share of the money, their already-shaky confidence game begins to collapse. Risk was adapted from the short story "The Adjustor" by Tracy Kidder. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Tom Long, (more)
Action and comedy are served in equal portions in this Australian crime thriller. Jimmy (Heath Ledger) is a 19-year-old living in Sydney who is somehow asked to run an errand for local underworld kingpin Pando (Bryan Brown). Before Jimmy knows what's happened, he owes Pando $10,000, and finds the gangster's muscle men are out for his blood. Jimmy attempts to stage a bank robbery to recover the loot, with disastrous results; when he has a spare moment, he tries to win the heart of Alex (Rose Byrne), a pretty girl from the country. This slam-bang entertainment was an uncharacteristic entry in the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where it received its U.S. premiere. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne, (more)
Loosely based on the real-life story of Bea Miles, an eccentric character living in Sydney, this fine Australian drama tells the tragic tale of Lilian Singer, a woman whose cruel father placed her in a mental institution where she spent forty years. The story looks at the circumstances surrounding her commitment as a young woman, her childhood and life after she is finally released. In the opening scenes, Lilian leaves the asylum and is taken to a seedy downtown hotel frequented by prostitutes and other shady characters. Fortunately, the working girls prove friendly and sympathetic. Lilian becomes convinced that she is in love with a stodgy bank manager, but her love abruptly dies when he calls the police upon her. She next meets her long-lost lover Frank, who has unfortunately turned into an alcoholic and is unable to respond to her. As Lilian has more experiences, flashbacks gradually reveal the terrible things her father did to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
