Lewis Fitz-Gerald Movies
- 2004
This three-hour TV biopic of actress Natalie Wood emulates Citizen Kane by beginning at the end -- the tragically ironic drowning death of the water-phobic actress in 1981 -- then recounts her life story in flashback. Justine Waddell plays the adult Natalie, with younger performers Elizabeth Rice, Candice Moore, and Nadia Scappa portraying the actress in various stages of childhood, adolescence, and puberty. Although little Natasha Gurdin's Russian-born mother and father (here played by Colin Friels and Alice Krige) had drive and ambition, it was the girl herself who energetically and enthusiastically promoted her career as a child star named "Natalie Wood," and it was Natalie herself who demanded that producer stop casting her in cute-kid and ingenue roles and take her seriously as an adult -- even before she technically was one. Naturally, the film recounts Natalie's marriage to actor Robert Wagner (Michael Weatherley), the breakup of the union as she pursued affairs with the likes of Warren Beatty (Matthew Settle), and Wood and Wagner's ultimate reconciliation and remarriage. One might assume that the "mystery" of the film's title is Natalie's death by drowning -- to this day, no one quite knows how she managed to end up in the water -- but it also manifested in the enigma of Natalie herself, a woman who despite her aggressive and unending pursuit of fame and stardom might well have willingly given it all up just to be a wife and mother. In fine old Hollywood-biography tradition, the movie boasts an endless parade of celebrity lookalikes impersonating such friends and colleagues of Natalie Wood as James Dean, Edmund Gwenn, Marilyn Monroe, and directors Irving Pichel, Elia Kazan, and Nicholas Ray, as well as several real-life celebs offering their reflections on the film's protagonist, notably Margaret O'Brien, Robert Vaughn, and Henry Jaglom. Directed by no less than Peter Bogdanovich, The Mystery of Natalie Wood first aired over ABC on March 1, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Justine Waddell, Michael Weatherly, (more)
- 2000
The comedy team that made the phrase "nyuk nyuk nyuk" part of the American vocabulary gets the full biographical treatment in this made-for-TV feature. The Three Stooges opens in 1959, as a TV executive tries to persuade Moe Howard (Paul Ben-Victor) to reunite with his former onscreen partners to publicize the television premiere of a package of Three Stooges classic comedy shorts. Howard then flashes back on his long and remarkable career, as vaudeville star Ted Healy (Marton Csokas) assembles Moe Howard, sibling Shemp Howard (John Kassir), and Larry Fine (Evan Handler) as "stooges" for his stage act. As Moe, Shemp, and Larry gain popularity, a jealous Healy forces them to strike out on their own, but after many grueling years on the road, Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn (Linal Haft) offers them a chance to star in their own series of two-reel comedies. But Shemp, always stage-shy, backs out of the group, and his brother Jerome (Michael Chiklis) -- aka "Curly" -- takes over, and the Three Stooges become a sensation. However, success proves to be a bumpy road for the group, as a bad deal with Columbia prevents them from reaping the full benefits of their success, and a serious illness forces Curly to quit, bringing Shemp back into the act. Mel Gibson was an executive producer for this biopic, which first aired on ABC on April 24, 2000. Incidentally, this wasn't Michael Chiklis' first time playing an icon of American comedy; he portrayed John Belushi in the 1989 drama Wired. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Ben-Victor, Rachael Blake, (more)
In this science fiction thriller, a spaceship is transporting a disparate group of people to a far-away galactic outpost called New Mecca. Mechanical failures cause the craft to crash-land on an abandoned planet that has three suns and no night. The only member of the crew to survive is junior pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), while the passengers who climb from the wreckage include a police officer (Cole Hauser) and the prisoner he's transporting, Riddick (Vin Diesel). As Fry and the other survivors survey the abandoned dwellings of the desert world while trying to decide what to do next, one of them is killed by a mutant creature living in an abandoned mining site. The vicious and bloodthirsty mutants, who live underground, have killed all previous inhabitants of the planet; they cannot stand sunlight, but research reveals that the planet has a total eclipse every 22 years, and the latest one is due any moment. Pitch Black was directed by David N. Twohy, who also made the sci-fi cult item, The Arrival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Radha Mitchell, Vin Diesel, (more)
Though not quite a western, this gripping Australian drama contains similar themes as it chronicles the unending struggle between native aborigines and ever-encroaching Europeans. Set in the arid red-rock desert west of Alice Springs, a region called Dead Heart by the whites and hailed as a sacred place by the aborigines, the story centers on the travails of Ray Lorkin (Bryan Brown) the local lawman who sees that Australian laws are obeyed in the tiny village of Wala Wala where he is one of only seven whites. The story itself unfolds via flashback as told by the Aboriginal village elder Poppy. The trouble begins in the town jail when an Aboriginal prisoner is discovered dead. Believing the hanging to be murder, the town tribesmen demand revenge. Lorkin, while not fully understanding aboriginal customs, has always tried to remain tolerant and respectful of their ways and so allows his deputy, Billy, to be ritually wounded during a ceremony of vengeance. More trouble brews when Aborigine bootlegger Ray Tony takes the schoolteacher's bored wife Kay out to a particularly sacred area for an illicit tryst. Later, Kate finds Tony dead. Strangely, his body shows no signs of violence. Despite the lacking evidence, Lorkin suspects a murder and demands justice. His investigation leads him down a dangerous, winding path that culminates in a tense and surprising manner. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Ernie Dingo, (more)
- 1994
This Australian road movie avoids melodrama and mush as it depicts the relationship between a feisty old woman and the young misanthropic ambulance driver who must take her home. The film opens with the sight of an old woman wandering a country road. She is in deep shock. The camera then moves to the scene of a fatal crash caused by her husband who dozed at the wheel. As a result of the tragic accident Rose was hospitalized for a year. The film moves to the present as she is finally ready to leave and go home to her farm. It is a six hour drive. She will be taken by Spider, an obnoxious young man disgruntled at the prospect of spending his last day driving an old bat home. The two opposites begin irritating each other from the moment the journey begins. Eventually they do become more receptive to one another. Thanks to an errant kangaroo, their journey is suddenly paused. This leads them to a series of adventures, including one involving Jack, an aged beekeeper. He and Rose find themselves attracted to each other. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ruth Cracknell, Simon Bossell, (more)
- 1989
The launching of the first privately funded, manned space shuttle is postponed by the mysterious death of the vessel's pilot. Investigating the possibility of sabotage, the IMF heads to the Australian launching site, only to be swept up in a terrorist takeover of the facilities. Once again, plucky IMF agent Shannon Reed finds herself in grave danger, this time as a reluctant space traveler. First telecast on November 9, 1989, "Target Earth" was written by Stephen Kandel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, (more)
- 1988
Richard Huw stars as Roger Bannister in this British TV biopic. Overcoming childhood paralysis, Bannister grows up to be one of the true legends of the athletic world. While holding down a fulltime physician's job in 1954, he finds time to become the first man ever to run the mile in four minutes. His story is fleshed out by numerous subplots and peripheral characters. Michael York does a guest turn as Frank Stampfl, while Nique Needles appears as John Landy, the runner who came in second to Bannister. Originally produced in 1988, The Four Minute Mile was made available to American cable TV in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In the wake of their surprise hit Malcolm, Australian screenwriter/photographer David Parker and director Nadia Tass concocted an equally delightful follow-up, Rikky & Pete. Rikky (Nina Landis) and her brother Pete (Stephen Kearney), feeling like misfits in their hometown (as indeed they are), head for a remote mining community. Here it is hoped that Rikky will at last discern her direction in life, and that Pete can work on his Rube Goldberg-ish inventions in peace. Well, now, if everything went as planned, there wouldn't be any movie, would there? Not quite as fresh and spontaneous as Malcolm, Rikky and Pete still possesses an eccentric charm all its own. Be advised, however, that the film is rated R, and may not be altogether appropriate for kids. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Kearney, Nina Landis, (more)
A barely recognizable Meryl Streep plays the real-life Lindy Chamberlain, who for a long period in the early '80s was the most hated woman in Australia. While visiting the Ayers rock monument in the Outback with her husband, Michael (Sam Neill), Lindy notices a dingo creeping into the tent where her baby lies sleeping. Seconds later, the horrified woman discovers that her child is gone. Despite Lindy's anguished insistence that the dingo killed her baby, the Australian public is of the opinion that Lindy herself is the murderer. This lynch-mob atmosphere is fueled by the press, which insists upon crucifying the Chamberlains in print on a daily basis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Meryl Streep, (more)
- 1987
- R
Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train, written and directed by Bob Ellis, belongs to a genre of highbrow 1980s films which pushed the conventions of art house cinema. An unnamed fine arts teacher struggles to support her brother's drug addiction. To raise money, she moonlights as a prostitute on a midnight train. For each encounter, she dons a different identity, ala Cindy Sherman, and seeks out her john for the night. That is, until she meets the Man and falls for him which forces her to choose between her love or her lifestyle. Warm Nights does have the benefit of Ellis' characteristic fine writing, but it is generally regarded as one of the more dismal failures in this genre. ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi
- Starring:
- Wendy Hughes, Colin Friels, (more)
- 1986
In this Australian entry into the early 1980s sub-genre of films dealing with families rejecting contemporary society for a life of freedom and non-conformity (Mosquito Coast, Lost in America), an Australian family tries to leave the suburbs and start afresh in the country. Connie (Judy Morris) and Lex (Barry Otto) are a happily married couple with a young son. They decide to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and purchase a farm two hours away from the city's noise. The problem is that Connie and Otto are not independently wealthy, and, until their farm becomes self-sufficient, one of them has to keep commuting into town to work. One solution to their dilemma is to hire a live-in baby-sitter. Connie hires Geraldine (Victoria Longley) and then their troubles really begin. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judy Morris, Barry Otto, (more)
- 1984
- R
Jason Connery (son of Sean Connery) stars as Johnny Kirkland in this slightly uneven teen drama about facing down obstacles at college and at home. When Johnny goes off to the university, he is leaving behind an aloof and alcoholic mother (Diane Cilento, Jason Connery's real-life mother) whose recent divorce has further destabilized her emotionally. At school, his frat brothers latch on to the fact that Johnny excelled in his high school at both grades and sports and rather than hope his success will continue, they do everything they can to "bring him down to size." Apparently, their own size is quite small, indeed, barely visible to the naked eye if their loutish behavior is any yardstick. Compounding these problems are Johnny's troubles with his girlfriend Robin (Laura Williams) -- can life get any worse? Most likely not, but how it gets better is the focus in the rest of the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Even today, the Australian outback (the never-never of the title) is a daunting place to be left alone. In 1901, it was even more rugged and wild. In this artful drama, Jeannie Gunn (Angela Punch McGregor), a very genteel and citified Victorian-era newlywed, joins her husband in the Northern Territory to help manage a station ("station" is Aussie for "a large ranch"). There she gradually sheds her prim ways and, thanks to her friendship with the local Aborigines, becomes a representative of an entirely new class, sometimes called "Australian outback women." In addition to chronicling the transformation of a Victorian woman, this film offers insight into the situation of Aborigine society at the time, and it received high praise from Australian reviewers. It is based on the diaries of Jeannie Gunn herself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angela Punch McGregor, Arthur Dignam, (more)
- 1982
- R
Based on John Embling's book Tom, the Australian Fighting Back is set in a hellhole of a slum school. Most of the teachers have given up on the "unreachable" students. Not so idealistic John (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), who channels all his energies into elevating the intelligence and self-confidence of unruly 13-year-old Tom (Paul Smith). The latter actor is so good that it's hard to believe that Fighting Back was his first film. This sincerely-intentioned drama should not be confused with the like-vintage American actioner Fighting Back (aka Death Vengeance). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Paul L. Smith, (more)
- 1981
The nine-part Australian series I Can Jump Puddles was based on a trilogy of autobiographical books by Alan Marshall: I Can Jump Puddles, This Is the Grass, and In Mine Own Heart. Crippled by polio as a youngster, Marshall managed nonetheless to pursuit a number of professions: writer, farmer, boot factory employee. During his years in Melbourne, the protagonist was even briefly mixed up with the criminal underworld, barely escaping to tell the tale. Adam Garnett and Lewis Fitz-Gerald were respectively cast as the younger and older Alan Marshall. I Can Jump Puddles originally aired in 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adam Garnett, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, (more)
Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed Australian films, telling a powerful tale of wartime betrayal and injustice. Henry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When war breaks out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers (descendants of Dutch colonists), Morant and a number of Australians volunteer for duty and are absorbed into the non-regular units of the British army. Acting under orders from his commanders, Morant oversees the execution of several Boer prisoners; it turns out that one of them was German, and in order to keep the peace with Germany, Britain agrees to courtmartial Morant and two other soldiers, sentencing two to death and one to life imprisonment. Based on a play by Kenneth Ross, Bruce Beresford's film is powerfully filmed and acted and has become a classic anti-war movie since its 1980 release; the script (co-written by Beresford) was nominated for an Academy Award. The final execution scene is nearly overpowering in its sense of tragedy and futility. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Woodward, Bryan Brown, (more)
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