Celia Ireland Movies
A handful of tourists looking for adventure get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a massive man-eating beast in this thriller. Pete McKell (Michael Vartan) is a writer for an American travel magazine who has been assigned to write a story about vacationing in rugged Northern Australia. Pete signs up for a cruise along a river that's home to a large crocodile population, with tough but pretty Kate Ryan (Radha Mitchell) serving as guide. Pete soon finds he's roughing it in the Aussie wilds with an eclectic variety of travelers, including Russell (John Jarratt), who is dealing with the death of his wife; Simon (Stephen Curry), a tactless amateur photographer; and Allen (Geoff Morrell), a member of the British upper crust making the trip with his ailing spouse (Heather Mitchell) and their rambunctious daughter (Mia Wasikowska). While Kate's former husband, who also works on the river, makes a pest of himself in the early stages of the voyage, the travelers soon find they have more to worry about when their craft is attacked by a massive 25-foot crocodile, who is just clever enough to know how to trap its prey before enjoying them for dinner. Rogue was written and directed by Greg McLean, who made a splash among horror fans in 2005 with his debut film, Wolf Creek. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Radha Mitchell, Michael Vartan, (more)
- 2002
Paul Goldman's feature film debut Australian Rules is a sports drama that combines a coming-of-age story with an examination of race relations between Australians and Aboriginals, and a sensitive interracial love story. Gary Black (Nathan Phillips) is a 16-year-old who plays on the local Australian rules football team. His best friend is aboriginal Dumby Red (Luke Carroll), the star of the team. After Dumby wins the big game, the racist coach denies him the credit he deserves. This leads to a series of dramatic confrontations capped off by Gary confronting his racist father. Australian Rules was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathan Phillips, Luke Carroll, (more)
- 2000
Babe: Pig in the City (1998) screenwriter Mark Lamprell makes his directorial debut with this understated drama about a middle-aged woman who is looking to reinvent her life. Frances Regina Aileen Nano Kennedy, AKA Frank Ryan (Sinead Cusack) is a devoutly Catholic widow with two grown children and a few grandchildren. She is also bored to tears with her life. Meanwhile, her college-aged son David (Matthew Newton) is utterly smitten with Jenny (Rose Byrne), the beautiful girlfriend of his buddy Mick (Nicholas Bishop). When Frank decides to take art courses at the same university that her son attends, David is unenthusiastic. Moreover, so is her crusty professor Mortlock (Sam Neil), who believes that older students take places from younger ones. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sinéad Cusack
Guy (Richard Roxburgh), a lonely bachelor, meets the woman of his dreams in Lizzie (Cate Blanchett), an impossibly beautiful doctor with elegance, style, and sophistication. Their six-week courtship leads to marriage, and the wedding is a big one, with 100 guests and a posh reception that never ends. It's during the reception that Guy begins to have flashbacks -- and second thoughts -- about Jenny (Frances O'Connor), the free-spirited woman who was his first love and who is the opposite of Lizzie. The more he thinks about warm and fun-loving Jenny, the more he sees Lizzie as cold and remote. Although it's a little late in the game to be getting cold feet, that's exactly what Guy has.
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Roxburgh, Cate Blanchett, (more)
