Cliff Ellen Movies
- 2002
Pressured by money hungry Bernie (John Clarke) to redevelop their club and install poker machines when the begin having financial difficulties, Cityside Bowling Club members Stan (Bill Hunter), Len (Frank Wilson) and Eileen (Monica Maughan) make a last ditch effort to enter a tournament and win the prize money needed to stay afloat. Desperate to form a winning team, the ageing trio quickly learns that dispite his lack of presence, young Jack Simpson (Mick Molloy) has held a membership for years for the sole purpose of maintaing a cheap parking spot - not to mention renting out a few on the side for a little profit. Finally called on to serve his duty as an actual member, will Jack pitch in to save to club from certain extinction, or simply drive a few extra blocks to find another parking spot. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mick Molloy, Bill Hunter, (more)
- 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)
Jocelyn Moorhouse's feature-film debut is a jet-black comedy starring Hugo Weaving as Martin, a paranoid blind man, made so because he is convinced that his mother, when he was a child, lied to him about the sights she described to him. As an adult, Martin is reclusive and ill-tempered. Perversely, Martin is also a photographer -- he takes the pictures, has them developed, asks friends to describe the pictures to him, and then labels them in Braille to make sure no one is tricking him. His housekeeper, Celia (Genevieve Picot), is also a photographer. Obsessed with Martin, she papers the walls of her home with pictures of him. But this obsession doesn't carry through to their relationship, which is a far from cordial one -- Celia torments Martin and Martin humiliates her. One day at a restaurant, after a nasty confrontation with a waitress who ignores him, Martin makes friends with the dishwasher, Andy (Russell Crowe). Martin invites him home to describe his photographs to him. Back at Martin's home, Andy meets Celia and he immediately falls in love with her. Jealous of Andy, Celia seduces him in an effort to discredit Andy with Martin and drive Martin into her arms. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hugo Weaving, Genevieve Picot, (more)
- 1985
In this standard movie about a young doctor wandering across the U.S. in search of his lost ideals, Richard Moir is David Trueman, someone who has dreams of going to South America to practice medicine among the disenfranchised. Trueman does go, but after he arrives he encounters enough corruption and oppression to drive him out of there -- and into drugs. He decides to travel around the U.S., at a loss with himself and society, and eventually he meets Mary (Jo Kennedy), a young heroin addict who shares his angst about life. As the two commiserate, their bleak outlook lightens up a little, promising some fairer weather in the future. Jo Kennedy received a "Best Actress" Silver Bear award at the 1985 Berlin Film Festival for her portrayal of Mary. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Moir, Jo Kennedy, (more)
- 1984
All the Rivers Run is a four-part miniseries set in the Australia of the early 1900s. Sigrid Thornton stars as Philadelphia Gordon, an English artist who undertakes a tragic move to Australia with her family. During their voyage to the new continent, a shipwreck occurs, killing all but Philadelphia and one of the ship's crewmen. She is then shuttled off to live with her aunt and uncle on their farm, and uses her inheritance to fund a paddleship business with the crewman from the vessel who saved her life. Philadelphia's life is forever altered when she meets handsome frontier paddleboat skipper Brenton Edwards (the Australian actor John Waters -- not to be confused with the iconoclastic American director of the same name). Our heroine marries Edwards, but the union begets trouble when their paddlesteamer catches fire, destroying the craft altogether and forcing Brenton to take another job. Later, an accident that renders Brenton lame forces Philadelphia to work hard and support the couple; she then decides to rebuild the vessel while doubling up her efforts as a painter. Scripted by George Miller (the director of Man from Snowy River), All the Rivers Run was released in the U.S. over the HBO Cable service; it first aired January 15 through 18, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sigrid Thornton, John Waters, (more)
- 1983
Phar Lap, the legendary New Zealand-bred racing horse, is as well-known today for his mysterious death as for his fabulous accomplishments in life. Beginning at the end, the film flashes back to the day that Phar Lap, despite his lack of pedigree, is purchased on impulse by trainer Harry Telford (Martin Vaughan). Phar Lap loses his first races, but Telford's faith in the animal is unshakable. Suddenly the horse becomes a winner, thanks to the love and diligence of stableboy Tommy Woodcock (Tom Burlinson). American-promoter Dave Davis (Ron Leibman) arranges for Phar Lap to be entered in several top races, where his "long shot" status results in heavy losses for the professional gamblers. Just after winning an important race in Mexico, Phar Lap collapse and dies; though the film never comes out and says as much, it is assumed that the horse was "murdered" by the gambling interests. The film is based on a book by Michael Wilkinson. The real-life Tommy Woodcock appears in the film as an elderly trainer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Burlinson, Martin Vaughan, (more)
- 1982
This Australian crime drama chronicles the life of notorious, keen witted, acid tongued 1920s Melbourne gangster Squizzy Taylor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dave Atkins, Jacki Weaver, (more)
Dennis Hopper plays the title character in this true story of a 19th-century Australian gold-digger who is pressed into a life of crime. A six-year stint in jail doesn't provide reform, but does introduce him to an Aboriginal partner-in-crime (David Gulpilil). The duo then proceed to terrorize the province of New South Wales with no lack of violence. The TV version was retitled Mad Dog. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, (more)
- 1974
This comedy follows the exploits of Tony Petersen (Jack Thompson), a mature married man with two children who decides to go back to school for an undergraduate degree. Tony has one problem, which he probably feels is only a minor complication: he is like catnip for women. Luckily for him, he likes them back. Luckier still, his wife understands this. When things on the campus get dicey for a young woman, the incredible social skills of Petersen enable him to save the day. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Thompson, Jacki Weaver, (more)
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