Dennis Miller Movies

In this moody black and white drama, very much in the mode of the American "western," but with its own film noir characteristics, a whole town is heaved out of its doldrums when a pair of mysterious strangers come visiting. In the beginning of the film, Angel (Aden Young) is traveling with his friend Max (Dennis Miller) on a ship to Honeyfield, a town on the coast of Australia. He is coming home to die. Instead, he dies on board the ship, willing his boots to Angel, and an unopened package to someone called "The Dead Man," in Honeyfield. Also on the ship is a man named Tatts (David Field), a far less pleasant personality. When Angel gets off to head into Honeyfield, Tatts decides to follow along unseen. The package, Angel was told, contains something its intended recipient has been looking for without knowing it. On finding the recipient, a mean-spirited old man (Norman Kaye) who is more or less the boss and owner of the town, he learns that the package contains opium. Angel gets involved with other citizens of the town, and gets to know what became of the woman Max was coming back to. Just being a fresh face is enough to stir things up, but Angel brings things to a boil by bringing up memories of the past. The pot boils over, though, when Tatt comes into town and begins playing his games. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

"Everlasting Secret Family" is the name of a sub-rosa homosexual brotherhood in this riveting Australian film. Two of the ESF members are a middle-aged politician (Arthur Dignam) and a boarding-school student (Mark Lee). The younger man begins chafing at the "plaything" status imposed upon him by the older members of ESF. His resentment culminates in a battle of wills between himself and the senator's politically expedient "straight" wife (Heather Mitchell). Dispensing with subtlety, Everlasting Secret Family suggests that, like the so-called mainstream political scene, the gay lifestyle can become a dangerously manipulative power trip in the wrong hands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Australian children's adventure story, the young inventor Cody Walpole (Henry Thomas) is forced to move to the outback with his father's best friend following the death of both parents. Upon arrival, he becomes intrigued by local lore of a "donkejin," or "bunyip," a legendary, dinosaur-like creature that is said to inhabit a defunct mine that lies nearby. Soon, his girlfriend and her younger, wisecracking sister are indeed nearly attacked by something that resembles the bunyip, while rafting in the local lake. Cody begins to suspect that the bunyip is a kind of Loch Ness monster that inhabits the body of water, and he is determined to prove it. A fisherman has died in the lake under mysterious circumstances and it inspires Cody to confront the monster head-on. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Writer-director Sophia Turkiewicz based Silver City on her experiences as a young child, when her parents moved from post-World War II Poland to settle in a migrant hostel in western Australia's Polish community. Nina (Gosia Dobrowolska) is a young refugee who wants to be a teacher. She meets Julian (Ivor Kants), a young law student, and the two fall in love. The problem is Julian is already married, but he leaves his wife (Anna Jemison) for Nina. However, when Julian's wife announces she is pregnant, Julian abandons Nina and returns to her. Nina is then forced to go it alone in a new and strange country. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Heatwave is the mildly interesting story of a woman's attempt to stop a redevelopment plot which she thought was the cover-up for fraud and other criminal activity. Kate (Judy Davis), through her own efforts, manages to find some evidence to support her claims and also have a romance. Davis gives an energetic performance as the crusading woman, but the script lacks a convincing plot or characters. While it has some good moments, Heatwave is primarily notable because it was one of the earlier efforts of Australian director Phillip Noyce, who went on to make the very exciting Dead Calm. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Two-fisted Gerard Kennedy plays "Tarzan," the foreman of a central Australian mine who maintains his authority by virtue of his formidable fists. Michael Preston plays "Pansy," a boastful miner who irritates all of his co-workers, none more so than Tarzan. The foreman calls out Pansy, challenging him to a bare-knuckle boxing match. The climax finds virtually everyone in town gathering for this battle royale, with several bankrolls wagered on the surprising outcome. Based on a play by John Powers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yes, Stir is a prison picture, but don't be put off by the seeming flippancy of its slangy title. Ben Jewson based his screenplay on his own experiences while incarcerated. Jewson spares us nothing: the gleeful brutality of the guards, the sexual outrages in the cells, the grim future in store for those "lucky" enough to be set free. The film culminates in a riot, clearly inspired by TV news footage of Attica. Stir proved an impressive debut for Australian director Stephen Wallace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A hilarious sex romp about Alvin, an ordinary guy who works in a waterbed store in Australia. Remarkably, he is always pursued by over-sexed women, which constantly gets him into hot water. The film that created a market for Australian films worldwide. ~ All Movie Guide