Jim Holt Movies
Michael Clayton (George Clooney) handles all of the dirty work for a major New York law firm, arranging top-flight legal services and skirting through loopholes for ethically questionable clients. But when a fellow "fixer" decides to turn on the very firm they were hired to clean up for, Clayton finds himself at the center of a conspiratorial maelstrom. Once an ambitious D.A., Clayton is now a shell of his former dynamic self, thanks to a divorce, an unfortunate business venture, and astronomical debt. Though he longs to leave the cutthroat, ethically dubious world of corporate law behind, Clayton's poor financial situation and devotion to firm head Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack) leave him little choice but to remain on the job and tough it out. Meanwhile, litigator Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) finds her entire company's future hinging on the outcome of a multi-billion-dollar settlement overseen by Clayton's friend, star lawyer Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson). When Edens snaps and decides to blow the whistle on the questionable case, sabotaging the defense, Clayton must decide between his loyalty and his conscience. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, (more)
When a model soldier who recently returned to the U.S. from the front lines of Iraq goes AWOL, his veteran father enlists the aid of a dedicated police detective in seeking out his son's true fate in director/screenwriter Paul Haggis's follow up to the Oscar-winning 2004 indie-hit Crash. Mike Deerfield (Jonathan Tucker) has served his country faithfully, and now the time has come for him to return home to the United States. Shortly after returning, however, Mike simply vanishes without a trace. Mike's father, Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), is a former MP from the Vietnam era, and quickly recruits Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) to assist him in his search for the missing soldier. While it remains to be seen whether Hank will ever find his missing son, he gets quickly enmeshed in a tangled web of intrigue, cover-ups, and murder, all related to the Iraqi conflict. The drama thus highlights the profoundly personal tolls taken by combat while striking at the very heart of the American experience in Iraq. Inspired by a Playboy Magazine article written by Mark Boal, Haggis's fictionalized version of the actual events co-stars Jason Patrick, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, and Josh Brolin. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, (more)
A female detective discovers the dark side of the world of contemporary literature in this unusual thriller from Australia. Mickey (Abbie Cornish) is a brash young female poet who is gaining a potent reputation for her powerful verse about love and sex. When she suddenly disappears, private detective Jill Fitzpatrick (Susie Porter) is hired to help find her. Jill doesn't know much about poetry, so she starts her investigation by tracking down Mickey's teacher and mentor, Diana (Kelly McGillis), to learn more about Mickey and the circles in which she traveled. Jill is a lesbian, and quickly finds herself strongly attracted to Diana; though Diana is married to Nick (Marton Csokas), she finds herself equally infatuated with Jill, and the two are soon having an affair. When Mickey is found murdered, her parents ask Jill to step up the investigation, and Jill digs deeper into the facts of Mickey's life -- learning the young woman was willing to sleep with nearly anyone who could advance her career. She also discovers that the two older male poets with whom Mickey had become involved are not at all eager to answer questions about her disappearance. The Monkey's Mask is based on a mystery novel written in verse form by Dorothy Porter; the novel became an international bestseller and the biggest-selling book of poetry published in Australia since World War II . ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susie Porter, Kelly McGillis, (more)
- 1992
While in prison, Jack had two momentous experiences: he got religion, and at his baptism he met the woman who would become his wife. He and Alison are devoted to the idea of staying in God's good graces, so they have moved to a remote power station in central Australia, far from anything. There, they carry out their chores while muttering inspirational messages to themselves from the Bible. Into this possibly idyllic arrangement comes a rootless young man who the power company has hired on to be the station's handyman. Tensions escalate between the two men as their conflicting worldviews and values rub up against one another. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Tapping into the Australian viewing public's ongoing fascination with aviators, this two-part miniseries dramatized the celebrated 1934 London-to-Melbourne MacPherson Robertson Air Race. American actor Barry Bostwick starred as entrepreneurial flyboy Roscoe Turner, who organized the race and invited such famous aviators as Amy Johnson (Caroline Goodall), Tom Campbell-Black (Robert Reynolds), Ray Parer (Gary Day), and Geoff Hemsworth (Jeff Truman). Although the script is topheavy with celebrity name-dropping, much of it is pure fiction -- except of course for the outcome of the race. Enhanced by the utilization of genuine vintage aircraft, Half a World Away originally aired in Australia in May 1991. It has since been released to video as The Great Air Race. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Bostwick, Robert Reynolds, (more)
An evil drug baron rears his ugly head in this sequel to the blockbuster Crocodile Dundee, kidnapping Sue so that Dundee will butt out of the Baron's affairs. Using outback strategy, Dundee attempts to rescue his girlfriend. Reversing the procedure of the first film, the story later takes the hero and heroine from America back to Australia, making Sue the fish out of water. In the interim between the two films, stars Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski became husband and wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, (more)
A barely recognizable Meryl Streep plays the real-life Lindy Chamberlain, who for a long period in the early 1980s 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Meryl Streep, (more)
- 1988
- R
Here's the "dramatis personae" of The Fever. Bill Hunter is Jack Welles, an ex-cop turned unscrupulous private eye. Mary Regan plays his faithless wife Leanne and Gary Sweet is Leanne's lover, who schemes to bump off Jack. The "maguffin" in the case is a satchel full of illegal drugs. Little dialogue is spoken in the course of the story; still, the characters' actions speak volumes. The Fever is one of the most startlingly original films noir to come down the pike since the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Hunter, Gary Sweet, (more)
- 1987
- PG
When a 4039 AD city is threatened by malevolent cyborgs, a group of humans from the city time-travels to a desert in 1988 Australia, hoping to repair damages inflicted by the robotic baddies. It is here that, with the help of a 20th-century geologist, the group attempts to defend themselves and the city against the incoming killer 'borgs. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Burlinson, Nikki Coghill, (more)
- 1986
This production of the Bard of Avalon's famous stage comedy is based on a successful Australian stage production from the mid-1980s. It is a story of love, shipwreck, disguises and mistaken identities, and relies for much of its wit (and believability) on the willing suspension of disbelief. This is, by all accounts, much more easily achieved in the live theater than on film, which is such an intensely visual and "realistic" medium. Thus, the mistaken identify of the twins Viola and Sebastian, the crux of the plot, becomes somewhat difficult to credit when the role is played by the impeccably feminine Gillian Jones -- despite which, Ms. Jones won great praise from the critics for her acting. Aside from that small complaint, this is a spirited and lively production which is set in a present-day never-never land, performed by some of the keenest thespians on any side of the globe. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gillian Jones, Jacqy Phillips, (more)
- 1986
Australian aborigine David Kennedy marries white woman Susan Leith and settles down in Sydney. Susan's father, a wealthy businessman, ends up in prison over a botched deal. Without his father-in-law's influence to help him, Kennedy has trouble looking after his family and dealing with big-city life. He returns to his own people, leaving his wife to raise their son by himself. Seven years later Kennedy returns to Sydney, hoping for a reunion with his 12-year-old son. But first he must run the gauntlet of legal obstacles set up by the justifiably embittered Leith. Short Changed was scripted by Robert J. Merritt, himself an aborigine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Kennedy, Susan Leith, (more)
- 1986
Sometimes it just gets to be too much for a man. One day, successful mining engineer Martin Brown packs it in, leaving behind his wife and family and heading for a rural idyll in the hinterlands. Despite his best efforts to escape from the hurly-burly of competitive life, he must fend off the efforts of his greedy former boss to acquire the lush horse-farming estate he has wound up on. Curiously, his abandoned wife doesn't put up much of a fuss over his absence but seems most concerned about his rejection of the prevailing culture's values. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Waters, Judy Morris, (more)
- 1985
Anzacs: The War Down Under is a two-part Australian TV movie dramatizing the activities of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). This all-volunteer outfit fought shoulder to shoulder with enlisted men during the First World War. The film concentrates on three Anzacs: An aristocrat (Andrew Clarke), his best friend (Mark Hembrow) and his friend's sister (Megan Williams). Part One details the training of the volunteers, and their first taste of true combat. Part Two details the further activities of the all-volunteer Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS). During the first few months of World War I, aristocratic Anzac Andrew Clarke is wounded, and is urged to go home to convalesce by Megan Williams, the sister of his best friend (Mark Hembrow). Meanwhile, heavy fighting in France has thinned the ranks and battered the morale of the other Anzacs. Featured in the cast as a military man is Paul Hogan. It was Hogan's new-found international stardom in 1986's Crocodile Dundee which sparked the American distribution of Anzacs, two years after its initial 1985 Australian run. The video release is edited from the 10-hour Australian miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
