Dave O'Neil Movies
When two Australian slackers learn that their favorite television soap star is about to get the axe, they set out on a determined mission to save her career and keep the show from being cancelled by any means necessary. Jeffrey and Philip (Angus Sampson and Nathan Phillips) have been friends since childhood, and despite having aged they both remain locked in a perpetual cycle of arrested development. Loath to even utter the work "work" and obsessed with the daytime television drama "Sons of Surf," Jeffrey and Philip spend most of their days playing practical jokes on one another in their suburban trailer park. Upon hearing that "Sons of Surf" is facing cancellation and the show's beautiful star (Rachel Hunter) may be out of a job as a result, Jeffrey and Philip get up off the couch for the first time in years to ensure that their favorite show makes it to the next season. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angus Sampson, Nathan Phillips, (more)
- 2003
Marc Gracie's Australian comedy Take Away concerns a business rivalry between fast food entrepreneurs. Starting with a segment that shows the birth of fast food, the film quickly establishes the relationship between Tony (Vince Colosimo) and Trevor (Stephen Curry). The anal Tony runs a fish and chip stand more or less right next to the free-wheeling Trevor's more exotic stand that offers calamari burgers. The two have known each other forever, as their fathers owned a restaurant together. They had a falling out and the feud has been passed down to the sons. After they learn that a large fast food corporation, Burgies, is coming into the area, Tony and Trevor work together to stop them. John Howard portrays the head of the Burgies company. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, (more)
Australian director Bill Bennett (Kiss or Kill) adds broad slapstick comedy to his repertoire with this rags-to-riches tale of luck and greed. The Nugget follows three pals whose occasional searches for gold in the outback are little more than an inane hobby. That is, until a sign from above directs them to an actual reserve of the precious metal hidden in the hills. Overcome with avarice, the trio bickers over how to split up the booty, all the while not noticing that two other enterprising men are waiting in the wings to steal their find. The Nugget stars future Hulk actor Eric Bana in a leading role. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Bana, Stephen Curry, (more)
- 1997
Australian comedian Eric Bana, whose gift for zany characterization had been given an excellent forum on the sketch-comedy series Full Frontal, was rewarded with his own variety/talk show in 1997. Beginning as a limited series of four hour-long specials, The Eric Bana Show Live later settled into a weekly half-hour slot. Most of Bana's comic characters had been created for other programs, but in this case at least, familiarity never bred contempt. Also featured were the musical stylings of Steve Blackburn, who wrote the songs and led the band. The Eric Bana Show Live was a presentation of the Seven Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
