Kevin J. Wilson
Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a talented golf pro, who owns his own driving range. That sounds impressive, but the reality is quite different. While it's true that Roy is indeed a talented golfer and does own a driving range, it is in a tiny, unheard of Texas backwater. With almost no customers, he is likely to go broke. His golfing talents remain untapped and his life is rapidly going nowhere. To pass the time, he drinks a lot of beer with his buddies, or swings at a bucket of balls. Sometimes, he even plays real golf, and his friend and assistant Romeo (Cheech Marin) caddies for him. That's all there is for Roy, until he is wakened from his deathlike reverie by a visit from a newcomer in town, psychologist Molly Griswold (Renee Russo). Teaching her how to swing a club reminds him of feelings he had nearly forgotten. Discovering that she is the girlfriend of his old golfing rival, David Simms (Don Johnson), goads him yet further, and he returns to the PGA golf tour to compete in the U.S. Open. Maybe he'll get Molly for himself, maybe not, but in the meantime he has some things to prove to himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, (more)
- 1996
Xena (Lucy Lawless) goes to the rescue of an old friend's daughter, who has been kidnapped by the warlord Xerxes (Kevin J. Wilson). In order to infiltrate the dungeon where the girl is held, Xena pretends to be one of Xerxes' minions. Before long, she is enmeshed in an organized revolt against the warlord, led by a mysterious and charismatic figure known only as the Black Wolf. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1994
Also known as Behind the Frontline and Breaking News, this satirical series offered behind-the-scenes glimpses of a typical Australian TV current-affairs show. The point of the series was to skewer media-journalist claims of objectivity, demonstrating how opinions could easily be swayed by any number of political and commercial considerations. In the same vein, the journalists depicted in the series were not above exploiting human suffering and misery for an extra ratings point or two. A team of talented Australian sketch comedians, led by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, and Rob Sitch, wrote the scripts and enacted the main roles. The 39 episodes of Frontline were broadcast by Australia's ABC network from May 9, 1994, to May 19, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In its centuries-long role as the premiere empire in the world, Britain had a long history of putting political expediency over what most would consider to be the demands of common humanity. In this wartime drama, the Wellington Regiment, composed entirely of empire subjects from New Zealand, is being used in suicide missions (along with other colonial regiments) during World War I in order to spare the lives of British soldiers. The battle this story focuses on takes place on a hill in Turkey named Chunuk Bair. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Powell, Kevin J. Wilson, (more)
- 1986
- R
Although the ride is bumpy in places, there's an exciting journey offered by John Laing's fast-paced thriller. Three orphans have been best friends since their they were children; now they have decided to end their poverty-stricken existence by murdering an American drug courier in Auckland and then flying to Geneva to withdraw $5 million from his Swiss bank account. Richer but on very dangerous ground, the trio of thieves find themselves on the lead drug dealer's most wanted list. To make matters a bit more complex, one of the grown-up orphans falls in love with the ex-wife of the drug ring's head honcho. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Michael Hurst, (more)
- 1982
The New Zealand-filmed Wild Horses stars Keith Aberdein as an itinerant logger. Aberdein is hired by a national park to help corral a herd of roaming horses. In addition to his inability to carry out the job at hand, he also manages to scare off most of the deer in the area. This incurs the wrath of a group of venison hunters, led by Bruno Lawrence who take revenge by killing off some of the horses. Aberdein arranges a truce with Lawrence order to capture a wild stallion that he's got his heart set on. But the feud erupts again before long, leading to a violent showdown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Aberdein, John Bach, (more)
Pictures is an expansive biopic about pioneer photographers Walter and Alfred Burton. Through the eyes of the ubiquitous Burton brothers, we are treated to the history of New Zealand's colonial era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin J. Wilson, Peter Vere-Jones, (more)
- 1979
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
- Starring:
- Bronwyn MacKay-Payne, John Diedrich, (more)
- 1978
Filmed in New Zealand, Skin Deep is a sharp-eyed look at how ethics evaporate when money flies in the window. A small-town booster is ever on the prowl for means of bringing progress to his sedentary community. His latest plan is to import a big-city masseuse and set up a profitable massage parlor. The city elders are aghast, but they are willing to swallow their shock when the town's economy begins accelerating. This 1978 Skin Deep should not be confused with the 1989 Blake Edwards comedy of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim MacFarlane, Ken Blackburn, (more)
