Tom Broadbridge Movies
- 1997
The half-hour children's series Bingo and Molly was a puppet show set in the tiny town of Rabbit Hollow. The title characters were a pair of cute brother-and-sister bunnies: Bingo was the aggressive, adventurous sibling, in contrast to his cautious, sensible sister Molly. The series' pro-social story lines found Bingo, Molly, and their animal friends facing and solving problems by applying common sense and kindness -- though Bingo had a tendency to leap before he looked. The "live" segments were chock full of music and comedy, linked with animated sequences produced by the celebrated Michael Sporn. A co-production of Alice Entertainment and Broadstar Entertainment, the 26-episode Bingo and Molly joined the daily lineup of cable TV's The Learning Channel in 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Narelle, Robin Goodrow, (more)
- 1992
- R
Ellen Carlyle is exhausted and looks forward to her upcoming vacation alone in the woods, but somehow things don't turn out as planned for the hard-working television news anchor, and instead of resting she ends up fighting for her life. The ordeal begins at work the night before her vacation when a madman bursts into her studio and holds her at gunpoint while her cameraman tries to talk him down. Later her pal Joey offers to take her to her cabin. As she settles in, a homicidal maniac escapes from prison, and unknown to Carlyle, whose investigations helped convict him, she is at the top of his revenge list. Though Joey shows up the next day to warn her and beg her to help him with his new report, she refuses because she has a hot date with the town deputy. Eventually the fugitive killer is captured and Carlyle believes she is finally safe. Unfortunately, that is not the end of the her problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When a shopping mall and suburban homes are built on land sacred to the Aborigines, a curse envelopes the residents. The victims are rich kids who dream a Native Australian hands them a magic crystal. When they awaken, the crystal is on the pillow, and the curse begins to take its toll on the spoiled teens. One young man falls victim to a deadly spider, another is killed by an eel while swimming, and yet another young woman dies a horrible death after being ripped apart by a demonic dog. The remaining teens' one hope of survival is an Aboriginal shaman, the only one capable of opposing the stone's deadly power. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoe Carides, Tom Jennings, (more)
A teenager puts his life in jeopardy when he tries to convince authorities that his high school's most unpopular teacher is a murderous Satanist who likes to torture and murder hookers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Richard Roundtree, (more)
- 1988
- R
A mysterious killer is preying upon professional women in Sydney in this psychological horror feature. All of the victims are found murdered and with their eyes removed. Detective-Sergeant Whitaker (John Clayton) and his partner Sergeant Delgano (John Ley) are put in charge of solving the case. Composer David Gaze (Mark Hembrow) has premonitions of the grisly deaths and tries to warn the victims, but all the women he approaches doubt his ability to see into the future. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Hembrow, Tessa Humphries, (more)
- 1988
Damon Kennedy (Tamblyn Lord) is a rich kid who falls in with a trio of teen thugs in this violent exploitation film. When the trio brutally attacks Damon's girlfriend and her family, he seek vengeance against the thugs. The boys rob and kill a wealthy businessman and his family, putting Damon on the wrong side of the law. Damon later justifies his violence as good training that will help him in the ruthless world of business. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamblyn Lord, Craig Pearce, (more)
- 1987
A naive real-estate agent is offered incredible wealth by an introverted millionaire, but only if he agrees to kill someone. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Doyle, Nicola Bartlett, (more)
- 1987
A group of college coeds are targeted for murder by an unknown assailant in this Australian thriller. A woman is hospitalized after she is attacked and thrown from a window. The mystery murderer finishes the job while she is confined to her bed. In a take-off of Psycho, a female detective is murdered on a stairway, while a scissor-stabbing death recalls the notorious scene from Dial M For Murder. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Cook, Anna-Maria Winchester, (more)
- 1985
Woven around premises that are hard to swallow, this is a saccharine story of how the love of a child can transform the worst situations into a day of sunshine. But since the child's mother, Carol (Deborra-Lee Furness), becomes a prostitute at one point, this is not exactly Disney fare either. Carol lives with Lindsay (Ivar Kants), who dotes on Carol's daughter, Jenny (Tamsin West), even though she does not seem particularly dotable. Cynical viewers will think "incest," but not so. Carol gets irked at Lindsay and moves out with Jenny to stay with Gaynor (Paula Duncan), a friend who happens to be a prostitute. Carol decides to try Gaynor's profession and after one night's work, she brings home 500 dollars -- the wages of sin can be profitable. Lindsay, now dying of an incurable illness, steals Jenny away from this life of vicarious inequity -- and Carol, overwhelmed by a suddenly awakened conscience, rushes to Lindsay's bedside. As harps play, the story continues on into even more rarified strata. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamsin West, Deborra-Lee Furness, (more)
- 1983
PJ (Angelo D'Angelo), and Goose (James Lugton) are bored Australian BMX riders whose bikes have been totaled. Setting off on an intended fishing trip with their friend Judy (Nicole Kidman), they stumble instead upon a cache of stolen police walkie-talkies, which they decide to sell for new BMX gear. Unfortunately, the radios had orginally been swiped by a murderous gang of bank robbers, with whom they soon become entangled. With no more of a plot peg than this, BMX Bandits turns into a movie-long chase. It's nonthink entertainment, true, but the biking scenes are expertly photographed and edited, so you'll be more than happy to go along for the ride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angelo D'Angelo, James Lugton, (more)
- 1980
In this drama, a terminally ill ex-crook returns to his home in Melbourne, Australia to make amends and die with peace and dignity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Dead Man's Float is a very short and occasionally sweet juvenile melodrama. A cheeky bunch of children who think they're pretty smart are in for a rude awakening when they confront a gang of drug smugglers who play for keeps. Since the film is aimed at the kiddie trade, the youngsters prevail over the villains, though it's nip and tuck for a while there. The film is nothing if not energetic, with its cast of unknowns breezing through the proceedings with confidence. Filmed in Australia, Dead Man's Float entertains during its swift 75 minutes, even though it doesn't stick to the ribs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Boyden, Greg Rowe, (more)
This stunning, post-apocalyptic action thriller from director George Miller stars Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a policeman in the near future who is tired of his job. Since the apocalypse, the lengthy, desolate stretches of highway in the Australian outback have become bloodstained battlegrounds. Max has seen too many innocents and fellow officers murdered by the bomb's savage offspring, bestial marauding bikers for whom killing, rape, and looting is a way of life. He just wants to retire and spend time with his wife and son but lets his boss talk him into taking a peaceful vacation and he starts to reconsider. Then his world is shattered as a gang led by the evil Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) murders his family in retaliation for the death of one of its members. Dead inside, Max straps on his helmet and climbs into a souped-up V8 racing machine to seek his bloody revenge. Despite an obviously low budget and a plot reminiscent of many spaghetti Westerns, Mad Max is tremendously exciting, thanks to some of the most spectacular road stunts ever put on film. Cinematographer David Eggby and stunt coordinator Grant Page did some of their best work under Miller's direction and crafted a gritty, gripping thrill ride which spawned two sequels, numerous imitations, and made Mel Gibson an international star. One sequence, in which a man is chained to a car and must cut off a limb before the machine explodes is one of the most tense scenes of the decade. The American version dubbed all the voices -- including Gibson's -- in a particularly cartoonish manner. Trivia buffs should note that Max's car is a 1973 Ford Falcon GT Coupe with a 300 bhp 351C V8 engine, customized with the front end of a Ford Fairmont and other modifications. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, (more)
- 1978
Kim Krejus and Sonia Peat star as a couple of disenfranchised Australian teenagers. Unemployed and bored with their listless existence at home, the kids take to the streets. With barely a pause to consider the consequences, Krejus and Peat steal, lie, con and offer themselves sexually in order to stay alive. The cinematic virtues of Mouth to Mouth, director John Duigan's second feature film, have been somewhat obscured by the critical attention given Duigan's "breakthrough" 1988 feature The Year My Voice Broke. In addition to directing this fast-paced slice of street life, Duigan also produced and wrote the screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Krejus, Sonia Peat, (more)
Dennis Hopper plays the title character in this true story of a 19th-century Australian gold-digger who is pressed into a life of crime. A six-year stint in jail doesn't provide reform, but does introduce him to an Aboriginal partner-in-crime (David Gulpilil). The duo then proceed to terrorize the province of New South Wales with no lack of violence. The TV version was retitled Mad Dog. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, (more)
