Helen Jones Movies
- 1992
- NR
Filmed in the Australian outback, but set in an unnamed country, this stylish and decidedly liberal drama attempts to be the inspirational tale of workers and rural folk who band together to quash their oppressors: greedy corporate types and the military dictatorship that uses violence to protect the businesses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorna Lesley, Helen Jones, (more)
- 1992
Julia, Gunther, and Mary Lou are sharing a house together in Sydney, not far from downtown. The have advertised for another tenant, since it will lower everyone's housing costs. The man they choose is a gent named Bernard, personable and agreeable, who seems to be romantically interested in Julia. Meanwhile, Sydney has been undergoing a wave of bombings of government buildings and offices. Before long, Bernard's new roommates begin to wonder about him, but by the time they get seriously interested in what he's up to, he has taken steps to see to it that they don't hinder his activities. He hadn't counted on his relationship with Julia having any effect on him, however, and the outcome of the resulting stand-off is far from certain. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Pearce
- 1990
The Australian children's adventure show The Girl From Tomorrow was the saga of Alana (Katharine Cullen), a teenaged girl from the year 3000. Through a wrinkle in time, Alana found herself hurled backward to 1990, along with a time-travelling villain named Silverthorn (John Howard), who hailed from the 26th century. With the help of her "contemporary" friends, Jenny (Melissa Marshall) and Petey (James Findlay), Alana tried to retrieve her space capsule from Silverthorn's clutches. Making its Australian Nine Network debut in 1990, The Girl From Tomorrow lasted two seasons and 24 half-hour episodes. The second season, which aired in 1992, was officially titled The Girl From Tomorrow: Tomorrow's End. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this Australian drama, a group of female friends return from locations around the world to help another friend have her child. While there, they reminisce and catch up on their current lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborra-Lee Furness, Frank Whitten, (more)
- 1986
- R
Originally titled The Umbrella Woman, The Good Wife is set in an Australian lumber town in 1939. Marge Hills (Rachel Ward), the bored wife of kindly-but-dull Sonny Hills (Bryan Brown) begins dreaming of outside romances. She unexpectedly gets her wish in the form of Sonny's much-younger brother Sugar (Steven Vidler), whom Sonny cheerfully offers to his wife as a surrogate bedmate. Given this curious arrangement, one wonders why Marge is so upset when she is propositioned by handsome stranger Neville Gifford (Sam Neill). Eventually, Gifford sleeps with every other woman in town but Marge. Fed up with the unimaginative lovers in her own house, Marge finally gives in to Gifford, arousing the jealousy not of the cloddish Sonny, but of the immature Sugar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, (more)
- 1985
After suffering a near-death experience, an executive realizes that his seemingly ideal life has become a horrifying nightmare in this dark Australian satire. Based on the novel by Peter Carey, who also penned the screenplay, the film begins with a deceptively calm, idyllic day in the life of ad man Harry Joy (Barry Otto). A heart attack leads Harry to experience a brief moment of brain death, however, and he awakens with a far darker vision of the world. In quick succession, he learns that his wife is cheating on him, his son has become a drug dealer, and his daughter is a junkie. Even his perfect career has become a nightmare, as he discovers that his latest client is in fact a heartless, deadly polluter. Enraged, Harry is determined to live a morally righteous life, a notion that proves an anathema to everyone around him. Several memorably bleak and explicit sequences may repel some viewers, while others will be disappointed that the satire becomes slower and less focused as the film continues. Nevertheless, Bliss's daring, bitter look at the modern world received a good deal of critical acclaim, particularly in its home country, where it won an Australian Academy Award. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Otto, Lynette Curran, (more)
- 1983
- R
An electronics tycoon takes a shine to a beautiful aspiring model and decides to turn her into a superstar in this melodrama that was funded by the Canadian Film Development Corporation. First he buys the modeling agency where she works and then sets about towards turning her into the "The Dreamworld Girl." Along the way the young girl becomes disillusioned by the lurid assortment of sleazy characters she encounters. The tycoon too, must deal with a ruthless partner who wants to dethrone him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Conaway, Irena Ferris, (more)
