Ron Haddrick Movies

A box-office hit in Greece, this comedy stars incredibly-popular Greek TV personality Lakis Lazopoulos in a dual role as twin brothers, one, a pacifistic school teacher; the other, a lazy sloth suffering from testosterone poisoning. The story begins in 1943 on the island of Crete, where pro- and anti-fascists are trading blows. One victim of the fighting is Alexandros, who, after being mortally wounded by Vasilli Philipakis (Alexi Anthopoulos), dies in the arms of his wife, Maria (Noni Ioannidou), who promptly vows vengeance on her husband's killer and raises her sons -- and later twin grandsons -- to continue her vendetta. When Vasilli resurfaces in the present day as a prosperous businessman, Maria is notified, and her elder grandson, Manos, is told that he must kill Vasilli. Manos, however, is not a killer, so he takes off for Melbourne, where he meets up with old family friend Stephanos (John Bluthal). Stephanos' daughter, Nicki (Zoe Carides) used to be in love with Manos, and finds her attraction being reawakened while her daughter, Katerina (Claudia Buttazzoni), begins to suspect that Manos may be her long-lost father. While old connections are being re-established, George, Manos' loutish twin brother, shows up and proves himself more than willing to step in and kill Vasilli. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Tom Selleck stars as American cowboy archetype Matthew Quigley in Simon Wincer's outback western Quigley Down Under. Answering an advertisement placed by Australian cattle baron Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman) to come to the rugged and uncivilized Australian countryside and shoot dingoes, Quigley finds himself halfway around the world, only to find that Marston wants to exploit his talents as a sharpshooter in order to wipe out the Aborigine population. Taken aback by this square-jawed genocide, Quigley grabs Marston and hurls him through a window. Marston, who controls the region, sets out to hunt Quigley down. But helping him stay one step ahead of Marston is the addlebrained expatriate American trollop Crazy Cora (Laura San Giacomo) who insists that Quigley is her husband Roy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Budgeted at six million dollars -- a hefty sum for Australian television -- the six-hour miniseries Great Expectations: The Untold Story helpfully endeavored to plug the plot holes thoughtlessly left behind by Charles Dickens in his original novel. The emphasis was on the escaped convict Magwitch (John Stanton), who, after being helped out by the young Pip (Danny Simmons), was captured by the authorities and transported to Australia. There, Magwitch turned over a new leaf and went into business, building up a huge and profitable operation. Still grateful to Pip for past kindnesses, Magwitch bequeathed his entire fortune to the boy, and it was at this point that the miniseries' narrative ended and the original Dickens story line took over (albeit briefly). Representing a rare collaboration between writer/director Tim Burstall and his producer son, Tom Burstall, Great Expectations: The Untold Story was broadcast by Australia's ABC network in February of 1987. The project was subsequently released theatrically as a feature film, pared down to a more manageable length -- and eliminating an important subplot involving Pip's erstwhile lady friend, Estella (Anne Louise Lambert), in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Traveling across the Australian desert in the 1920s, a young Arabic boy accompanies his grandfather on camel-back and they encounter numerous dangers together. Years later, the same boy is now a police officer in his own country who finds a young Australian camel-boy thought to be a spy. This children's adventure features animation and authentic Australian scenery. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Mia Farrow is the narrator in the animated/live-action combo about a young girl who is torn from her family during a war and who must learn to live in the forest. ~ All Movie Guide

Australia was a powerhouse in world swimming competitions long before the U.S.'s Mark Spitz was a gleam in his father's eye. Foremost among these sports heroes was high-spirited Dawn Fraser, who won four gold medals at three Olympics (1956, '60 and '64). This clear-sighted biographical drama explores Fraser's life before, during and just after her competitive years. Fraser was forever getting herself into trouble, and she consistently rebelled against authority. Among the many dramatic events which marked her career, she was banned from Australian swimming for 10 years after stealing a flag during the Tokyo ('64) Olympics. The movie underscores her strong family ties and her attachment to Balmain, the working-class suburb of Sydney she grew up in, which makes her later career as a Member of Parliament for the area easier to understand. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Shirley (Jane Harders) has had a close encounter of the "third" kind, and met aliens face-to-face. She's not very happy about it, and nobody believes her anyway. However, she feels obliged to spread the word. She was the Australian equivalent of a juvenile-delinquent, a "widgie, and she and her gang went to a carnival when a wax statue of the Duke of Edinburgh was animated by the aliens and spoke to her. She spent the next ten years trying to spread the word, growing more and more deranged. The story catches up with her at an insane asylum, as she is being interrogated by a psychiatrist. Director Jim Sharman went on to direct The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has some similarly absurd features. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide