Allan Penney Movies
- 1989
The Australian Afraid to Dance features two young social misfits who seek to make their lives "worthwhile" via crime. Nique Needles plays a loser with few prospects for a decent life. After committing a few petty crimes, he graduates to the "big time" by attempting to steal a car. The car's owner turns out to be a chronic pickpocket, played by Rosey Jones. Needles and Jones fall in love, then embark on a Bonnie-and-Clyde series of misadventures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nique Needles, Rosie Jones, (more)
- 1988
Outback Bound is a made-for-TV film tailored to the talents of Donna Mills. She plays a pampered Beverly Hills resident whose cash flow bottoms out. Learning that her late father owned an opal mine in Australia, Mills packs what's left of her things and heads for the Outback. The mine is virtually tapped out, but that won't stop our dauntless Mills. Filmed on location in late 1987, Outback Bound made the syndication and cable rounds in the US in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG13
The life of a teen in an isolated small town is the subject of Australian writer/director John Duigan's film, set in 1962 in New South Wales. Duigan's coming-of-age story has many familiar elements -- Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) discovers his sexual attraction to a childhood playmate (Leone Carmen as Freya), he undergoes the taunts of bullies at his school, rages against the narrow-minded views of his parents and many of the townspeople, and comes under the influence of a sympathetic adult (Bruce Spence as Jonah, a would-be writer who lives in an abandoned railroad car). The twist is that Danny's rival for Freya's affections, Trevor (Ben Mendelsohn), is a Jewish jock who becomes Danny's friend by standing up to the bullies and treating Freya with more respect than the other boys do. Duigan, who had been making films in Australia since the mid-'70s, broke through to U.S. audiences with this film and its sequel, Flirting, in which Noah Taylor reprises the lead role. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noah Taylor, Leone Carmen, (more)
- 1986
Australian Allan Penney must not only endure the encroaching exigencies of old age, but also the indignities perpetrated by his unfeeling wife Diana Davidson and his bragadoccio ex-business partner Rob Steele. Davidson bundles Penney off to a nursing home while she embarks on an around-the-world tour. Hoping to ferret out Penney's secret bank account, his avaricious sons Philip Quast and Kelly Dingwell bring the doddering, all-but-blind old man home, feign concern for his well-being, and stage a "world cruise" in Penney's backyard! Their charade extends to a shopping mall, which stands in as both an airport and Las Vegas. Though in the early stages of senility, Penney eventually figures out he's being hoodwinked, but decides to keep mum, seeing just how far his sons are willing to go for his "benefit." Entering into the spirit of things, he demands geisha girls upon "arriving" in Japan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Quast, Allan Penney, (more)
- 1981
In this routine but still interesting "B"-movie, Harry (Paul Winfield) is an escaped convict from the U.S. who has found shelter for awhile in Australia, at least until he meets Paul (Beau Cox), an orphan who has just witnessed an assassination. Because of what he saw, Paul becomes the next target of Payette (Rod Taylor) the man behind the assassination (also Paul's uncle). Payette is also ex-con Harry's boss -- throwing Harry and young Paul together as they both try to elude the killer in the scenic landscape and mountains on the outskirts of Sydney. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Winfield, Rod Taylor, (more)
- 1980
- PG
Despite its title, The Earthling is not a science fiction opus. Instead, it's a low-key character study about a doomed man who finds a new lease on life by helping another lost soul. Suffering from terminal cancer, Patrick Foley (William Holden) returns to his native Australia. Intending to live out his last few months alone, Foley comes out of his shell long enough to teach impressionable young orphan Shawn Daley (Ricky Schroder) a few Bush Country survival skills. Ironically, director Peter Collinson was himself a cancer victim, who died shortly after the film's completion. The Earthling works best on a kiddie-matinee level, with Holden's performance and the gorgeous photography its chief assets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Rick Schroder, (more)
Based on a novel by Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds), this "May-December romance" stars Piper Laurie as Mary Horton, a lonely middle-aged American career woman who hires a handsome, mildly retarded young handyman named Tim (played by 22-year-old Mel Gibson in his third screen role). At first keeping her distance, Mary is drawn closer to Tim as the days pass. When Tim's mother dies, Mary becomes his surrogate mother, a relationship that deepens into romantic love. Tim's older sister Dawn (Deborah Kennedy) resents Mary's "intrusion" into their lives, but Tim's dad Ron (Alwyn Kurts) blesses the relationship, realizing that it is beneficial to both parties. Director Michael Pate avoids all opportunities to cheapen or sensationalize the material; while Tim and Mary do end up in bed, it is a sweet moment, not a prurient one. Tim was produced for Australian television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, (more)
- 1978
- R
In order to raise the money for his "breakthrough" film Breaker Morant, Australian director Bruce Beresford dashed off the guaranteed audience pleaser Money Movers. Terence Donovan masterminds a bank-vault heist that will potentially net his gang 20 million Australian dollars. The scheme predictably goes sour, but this conclusion is reached via a most unexpected fashion. Ed Devereaux, best known to American audiences for his leading-man gig on the TV series Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo, is second billed as "Dick Martin" (no, not the American TV-comic Dick Martin). Money Movers was based on a novel by Devon Minchin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terence Donovan, Ed Devereaux, (more)
- 1976
A group of vacationers head to the beach. Circumstances dictate that they spend the night in a deserted beach house. It soon becomes clear that they've been imprisoned by person or persons unknown. Then an unknown mad killer begins picking off the vacationers, one by one. Yes, you've guessed it: the only survivor is a beautiful young girl....maybe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
