Felix Williamson
In the world of the emperor penguin, a simple song can mean the difference between a lifetime of happiness and an eternity of loneliness. When a penguin named Mumble is born without the ability to sing the romantic song that will attract his soul mate, he'll have to resort to some fancy footwork by tap dancing his way into the heart of the one he loves. Directed by Babe mastermind George Miller, Happy Feet tells the tale of one penguin's quest for love, and features an all-star cast of vocal talent that includes Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, and Brittany Murphy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, (more)
Directed by David Caesar, Dirty Deeds is an Australian crime picture inspired by real-life Sydney mobsters, and is set in the Sydney crime underworld of 1969. Bryan Brown stars as Barry Ryan, a prominent gangster whose ruthlessness rivals some of the toughest in the trade. He lives with his downbeat wife, Sharon (Toni Collette), and their son, but spends the majority of his time either with fellow mobsters or his mistress, Margaret (Kestie Morassi). Ryan's business is threatened when a Chicago Mafia boss dispatches two of his goons to scope out the poker machine scene for a potential takeover. Tony (John Goodman) and Sal (Felix Williamson), however, are lost when it comes to Australian culture, and stick out like a sore thumb. Negotiating with the Americans will be difficult enough for Barry, but the real blow comes when he learns that one of his own gang members has been deceitful. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, (more)
- 2000
In this first episode of the three-part story "Look at the Princess," the crew lands on the Royal Planet, one of the Breakaway Colonies that has declared independence from the PeaceKeepers. In order to save the rest of the crew from an unpleasant fate, Crichton (Ben Browder) must agree to wed the planet's Princess Katralla (Felicity Price). No matter what his decision, Crichton may never make it to the altar -- not if PK captain Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) has anything to say about the matter. "A Kiss Is But a Kiss" first aired on July 21, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Australian comedian Yahoo Serious wreaks havoc in his third effort as writer, director, and star. Roger Crumpkin (Serious) suffers from "obsessive-compulsive dismantling fixation," which is a fancy way of saying he's always taking things apart that he can't put back together. As a result, disaster follows him like a family of baby ducks trailing after their mother. Roger works for the world's largest free-range egg company, run by cheerful Kelvin Chevalier (Garry McDonald). Kelvin likes Roger and tolerates his ineptitude, but Kelvin's brother Duxton (David Field) does not feel the same way, and when Duxton forces Kelvin out of the firm, Roger is out of a job. Somehow, Roger becomes involved with Duxton's girlfriend Sunday (Helen Dallimore), who isn't much less accident-prone than Roger. Through Sunday, Roger learns that Duxton has an evil scheme to put nicotine in the company's eggs, causing his customers to literally become addicted to his product, and Roger and Sunday set out to stop him -- that is, when they aren't busy breaking things. Mr. Accident was completed in 1999, but wasn't released theatrically until the fall of 2000, its Australian opening coinciding with the Olympic games held in Sydney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yahoo Serious, David Field, (more)
- 2000
In this final episode of the three-part story "Look at the Princess," Crichton (Ben Browder) has been transformed into a statue -- and his head has been removed. Elsewhere on the Royal Planet, Aeryn (Claudia Black) finds her priorities shifting in favor of a new man in her life. And the murder of Prince Clavor, the brother of Crichton's "fiancée" Katralla (Felicity Price), may spell doom for Moya and the crew unless a rapidly weakening Zhaan (Virginia Hey) can come to the rescue. "The Maltese Crichton" originally aired on August 4, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
In this second episode of the three-part story "Look at the Princess," Crichton (Ben Browder) is still slated to wed Katralla (Felicity Price) of the Royal Planet. If he doesn't go through with the wedding, the consequences will be fatal for Moya and the crew -- and if he does, he faces the prospect of being transformed into a statue for the next 80 cycles. Meanwhile, Jena (Bianca Chiminello), fiancée of Katralla's brother Prince Klavor (Felix Williamson), reveals herself to be a PeaceKeeper assassin. "I Do, I Think" first aired on July 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The second film of Emma-Kate Croghan, who made her debut in 1996 with Love and Other Catastrophes, Strange Planet is a romantic comedy about two apparently different groups of friends. During 12 months, we follow six characters and their problems in search of love and happiness. Judy, Alice, and Sally live together and are best friends, but they have different needs and ambitions. Judy tries to cure her passion for elderly men by concentrating on her career; Alice suffers from a broken heart and high morals; and Sally wants everything. Ewan, Joel, and Neil run a law firm together and also have their problems. Ewan does not like his new adult life of responsibility, so he quits; Joel's world falls apart when his wife leaves him; and Neil is desperately looking for someone to love. The coming of the millennium provides the crucial moment when they meet in a secluded beach house on New Year's Eve 1999 and everything is unraveled. The film was screened at the Stockholm International Film Festival in 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Karvan, Naomi Watts, (more)
- 1998
The thriller A Difficult Woman features Caroline Goodall as Anne, a pathologist for a multinational drug corporation. Her good life takes a turn for the worse after her best friend is killed. Anne decides she must solve the mystery of the murder and starts applying her scientific skills to the evidence. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The title of this Australian drama refers to the mating of butterflies. Shot on video and then transferred to 35mm film, the movie takes a look at life and love among the surfing set at Bondi Beach, the beach closest to Sydney and a popular mecca during the summer. Depicting Bondi's wet-and-wild lifestyles, the camera also goes into the water for spectacular surfing footage. Producer-director Lee Rogers co-scripted and also stars as Lee, who announces his plans to marry girlfriend Jo (Alana Ross), but he has no problem getting it on with old flame Roxanne (Kate Fischer). Meanwhile, Lee is thrown into a double-standard quandary upon hearing that pal Phil (Phil Ceberano) partied with Jo, so Lee gets advice from Jenna (Kate Ceberano). Australian pop vocalist Kate Ceberano is the real-life wife of Lee Rogers, and her song "Living With Lies" is part of the soundtrack. Shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Ceberano, Lee Rogers, (more)
