Paul Gleeson Movies
- 2008
A handful of men join together in an effort to face their demons in this independent drama from Australia. Paul (Paul Gleeson) is the leader of a men's encounter and support group that meets once a week in his home. While the men don't know each other outside the meetings, the gatherings give them a forum to voice their deepest concerns and come to terms with their problems. The regular visitors to Paul's meetings include Alex (Grant Dodwell), who has a gambling addiction that's compromising his skills as a parent; Cecil (Don Reid), who has recently lost his wife; Freddy (Steve Rodgers), an aspiring comedian who is struggling with a divorce; Moses (Paul Tassone), a big man with anger issues; and Lucas (Steve Le Marquand), who hates and fears gays. However, all the members are thrown for a loop by the arrival of Anthony (William Zappa), a new addition to the group who is facing a personal crisis that forces them all to re-examine their assumptions. Largely improvised by its cast, Men's Group was an official entry at the 2008 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Dodwell, Paul Gleeson, (more)
- 2000
The "surprise" ending of this made-for-TV sci/fi thriller will not surprise fans of the Matrix movies--nor those senior citizens who heard variations on the same plotline back in the days of such radio anthologies as X-Minus One and Dimension X.The film is set in the future, where the world has apparently reached perfection at last. Curiously, the modernistic trappings of the era rub shoulders with such decidedly "retro" elements as drive-in movies and rock-n-roll bars, but no one questions this dichotomy. No one, that is, except advertising executive Dale Hunter (Michael Muhney), who after surviving a car accident notices a few disturbing "glitches" in the world around him. As mentioned, practically everyone else is oblivious to such oddities, but Dale manages to find a kindred spirit in the form of a woman named Natalie (Jennifer Congram). Together, these two uncover evidence that their existence may not be an existence after all, but instead a all-encompassing illusion! Virtual Nightmare premiered April 14, 2000 on UPN. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Michael Lantieri made his reputation in film as a special effects man, helping to create the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park, so for his directorial debut, it's only fitting that he should find himself working with big lizards again. In Komodo, teenager Patrick (Kevin Zegers) is visiting an island off the coast of North Carolina when his parents (and his dog) are attacked and killed by a pack of large Komodo dragons. The reptiles were brought to the island by workers from an oil company, who foolishly allowed them to breed at will and run free. A psychiatrist treating the boy (Jill Hennessy) tells him (in one of the most poorly considered bits of advice in medical history) that he must face his fears by returning to the place where his mom and dad were attacked. With his aunt (Nina Landis) in tow, Patrick returns, only to discover that the dragons are out in force -- and quite hungry. As in Lantieri's previous work, the killer lizards were actually the product of the special effects department -- not real Komodo dragons (who might not be inclined to kill on command). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Hennessy, Billy Burke, (more)
Low-down and earthy, this Australian comedy, the sophomore effort from director David Caesar, tells the tale of two jobless Sydney slackers who try to become bank robbers. Though they could be out looking hard for work, Kev and Mick prefer to wile their days away drinking beer and watching crime dramas on television. They only show motivation when they run out of suds, though Kev does occasionally take time have sex with his girlfriend Betty on the living room couch in between shows. Mick is attracted to Lani, the pretty virgin who works in their favorite drive-through liquor store. It doesn't take long for Mick to steal Lani away from her older brother's overprotective eye and become her lover. Shortly thereafter Mick and Kev, feeling they have learned all they can from the telly, begin plotting their first heist. Unfortunately, a pair of robbers dressed as clowns rob the boys' intended bank before they do and this brings in a pair of detectives. Throw in the obstacles presented by the neighborhood crime lord, and the stage is set for the story's darkly humorous conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
