Gregory Coote Movies

Dishonorably discharged Marine lieutenant Peter Doyle (Jeremy Callaghan) is pulled out of "retirement" by gung-ho General Pembroke (Steven Grives) to lead an elite unit on a dangerous mission deep in the jungles of Africa (actually Australia, where this made-for-TV movie was filmed). In addition to rescuing Doyle's missing brother James (Brian McNamara), the unit must also shut down a auto-destructive nuclear device set up by local "rebels." As the mission proceeds, the unit comes across gruesome evidence that previous rescue missions have failed miserably, but that's not the half of it: the duplicitious General Pembroke is part of a vast conspiracy to cover up a military effort to contact space aliens, an effort that has resulted in an all-stops-out invasion by huge, mutant, carnivorous insects! In America, Code Red: The Rubicon Conspiracy made its TV debut courtesy of UPN on January 9, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The personal turning points of a family in crisis are portrayed against the backdrop of one of America's most tumultuous summers in this drama. In 1969, Pearl Kantrowitz (Diane Lane) is spending the summer at a resort in the Catskills. Married to TV repairman Marty (Liev Schreiber) and the mother of two children, respectably middle-class Pearl feels trapped by domestic life and inwardly lusts after a traveling salesman named Walker (Viggo Mortensen). When Marty is called back to the city one weekend, Pearl impulsively arranges to meet Walker at a music festival going on in nearby Bethel, New York -- The Woodstock Music and Art Fair. However, Pearl doesn't realize that her teenage daughter Alison (Anna Paquin) has secret plans of her own, and when mother and daughter meet in the midst of hippiedoms's most celebrated moment, both have a lot of explaining to do, to each other and to Marty. A Walk On The Moon was produced in part by Dustin Hoffman, and premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on the testimony of survivors, this historical drama recounts the WWII heroism of female prisoners of war. (Glenn Close) stars as Adrienne Partiger, a society doyenne who flees Singapore with other expatriate women, mostly the wives of servicemen, when Japanese forces invade in 1942. When their gunboat is sunk in an air attack, the survivors wash ashore on Japanese-held Sumatra. The women are interned in a grim POW camp where punishments for even minor infractions are extreme. With the help of a missionary (Pauline Collins), Partiger corrals the women, including a tough American (Julianna Margulies), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and a young wife (Jennifer Ehle) into a musical group. Since singing is not allowed, the a cappella chorus dubs itself "a vocal orchestra" and is tolerated -- if barely -- by their Japanese captors. Though living conditions are squalid, food is scarce, and a thin sliver of soap inspires a shower brawl, the music keeps spirits uplifted and a Jewish-German doctor (Frances McDormand) provides some medical aid. Writer-director Bruce Beresford interviewed real-life participants in similar POW musical groups. Some provided, from memory, sheet music of the pieces they performed, which were used in the film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This Australian romantic comedy, filmed prior to the death of Princess Diana, was updated with additional scenes shot several months later. Even so, certain situations originally intended as comedy now seem prophetic and painful rather than humorous. After a grim London opening sequence with a voiceover acknowledging the royal Diana's death, the story flashes back 18 months to Wollongong, Australia, where independent Aussie Diana Spencer (Toni Collette), who entered a women's magazine competition, learns she has won a trip for two to meet the Princess of Wales. Spencer is fascinated by Princess Diana, since she shares both the same name and birthday (although she's 10 years younger). Joined by fiancé Mark Fraser (Malcolm Kennard), Spencer arrives in London, where the magazine's British representative Carol (Victoria Eagger) checks them into a hotel. She's then disappointed to find that her meeting with the Princess is not one-on-one but just an invitation to a garden party attended by hundreds. Problems arise when Mark is separated from Diana, who gets arrested along with British photographer Rob Naylor (Dominic West), part of the paparazzi pack stalking the Princess. (In one scene, paparazzi depart in a frenetic feeding frenzy to get pics of a celebrity in a car crash!). Carol makes a play for Mark back at the hotel room. Rob gets a tip on the whereabouts of the Princess, and Diana joins Rob in his stakeout of an apartment. After the Princess emerges and her car drives off, photographer Rob is in hot pursuit during a chase sequence. Mark decides to return to Australia, while Rob and Diana are joined by cross-dresser Neville (Tom Hillier), a look-alike for Princess Di. The trio takes off for Elton John's birthday party, where the Princess is scheduled to show. Attending the party are Bob Geldof, Jerry Hall, and Susannah York. One sequence in this film captures vocalist Kylie Minogue attempting to walk down a street while stalkarazzi keep pace; uniformed chauffeurs in another scene share a few drinks while awaiting passengers. The Sydney airport substitutes for London's Heathrow. Scenes later added to the controversial movie show Spencer in mourning outside Kensington Palace with an accompanying voiceover by Collette. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The first superhero ever, created by Lee Falk in 1936, gets another shot at movie stardom 60 years after achieving fame in comics and serials. Billy Zane stars as Kit Walker, who discovers that he's the 21st in a line of purple-clad African superheroes known as "The Phantom" or, to superstitious Bengalla Island natives, "the Ghost Who Walks." When he's not fighting the evil Singh Brotherhood with his faithful wolf Devil and white horse Hero, the Phantom lives in the hidden Skull Cave. Kit discovers that Xander Drax (Treat Williams), a slimy industrialist, is plotting to take over the world by uniting the three long lost magical Skulls of Touganda. So he travels to New York, where he finds allies in crusading newspaper publisher Dave (Bill Smitrovich) and his niece, Diana (Kristy Swanson), who's also Kit's ex-girlfriend. Kit and Diana tackle Drax's forces, including the conflicted Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones), in a quest for the Skulls that brings both sides back to Bengalla for a showdown. The Phantom's mixture of elaborate stunts with liberal doses of tongue-in-cheek humor was characteristic of screenwriter Jeffrey Boam, whose previous films included Innerspace (1987) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this humorous Western, Aussie Paul Hogan plays a cowboy running from the law. Lightning Jack Kane is a member of the notorious Younger Brother gang. He is the only member to survive their last shoot-out. Fortunately, he was only a minor member of the gang and escapes notice. Jack decides to rob a bank. He gets away with a small amount of cash and a mute, Ben, as a hostage. Unfortunately for Jack, Ben wants to be an outlaw so Jack is stuck with him. Eventually the two become grudging friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Somewhere in the Northeastern U.S., Alma (Olympia Dukakis) is a 60-year-old recent widow who has never been on her own since her early marriage to a domineering husband. Her son tries to immure her in a dowdy apartment in the basement of his house and showers her with perfunctory and thoughtless shows of public affection while preventing her from having any sort of life of her own. Her other child is a socially ambitious woman married to an ambitious Australian politician. Offended by the patronizing and heavy-handed attentions of her son, Alma flies off to see her daughter in Australia but swiftly discovers that she is not wanted there. In fact, she overhears her daughter and son-in-law talking about how to get her to leave. Rather than stay where she is unwelcome, she buys a vintage-model Chevy and charges off into the countryside, contemplating suicide -- or at the very least, kicking over the traces. She runs into Dutch (Derek Fowlds), a cantankerous but generous man about the same age as she is, and the two of them begin an impromptu tour of the glories of Australia. For the first time in her life, she has a romance between equals, and it takes her some time to adjust to it. While her daughter is worried that her neglect of her mother will reflect badly on her in public life and is anxious to track her down, Alma is having the time of her life and is discovering that she's a pretty spunky, capable woman in the bargain. This quiet little gem of a movie sparked little interest at the box-office but has done well in televised showings, and is available on tape. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

John G. Avildsen, director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, adapts Bryce Courtenay's compassionate novel about the coming of age of a white anti-apartheid activist during the years of World War II in South Africa. Avildsen cumbersomely grafts Courtenay's tale of fighting apartheid onto a Hollywood-style fight-for-the-championship bout. Seven-year-old P.K. (Guy Witcher) is a white South African raised on his family's farm by his Zulu nanny. When his mother takes ill, he is sent away to an Afrikaner boarding school, where he is picked on and nearly killed by the school bully during a pep rally for Hitler. P.K. survives and is sent to live with his grandfather. He befriends Doc (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a jailed German musician, and a black inmate (Morgan Freeman), who teaches P.K. how to use his fists for some quick boxing moves. At 12, P.K. (now played by Simon Fenton), witnesses black inmates being cruelly humiliated by their racist white jailers. Taking note of P.K.'s fluidity for languages, his black mentor spreads the word that P.K. is the incarnation of the mythic Rain Maker, a messianic liberator who is destined to unite all the African tribes. By the time he's 18 years old, P.K. (now played by Stephen Dorff) is becoming the Great White Hope for the black Africans, boxing his way into their hearts and minds. He joins up with an old boxing foe (Alois Moyo), who is now a township activist, and takes up the apartheid struggle. But things get confusing when P.K. falls in love with the daughter (Fay Masterson) of an apartheid leader. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Adapted from true events, this Australian production concerns a nurse (Linda Blair) who works at a psychiatric hospital. She gradually discovers the grisly truth about a head doctor (Tony Bonner) who performs rather suspect operations on comatose patients. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

The time is the mid-1950s; the place is a small, conservative town in Australia. Brownie (Charlie Schlatter) and Lola (Kylie Minoque), both well under the age of consent, fall in love. Their parents are dead set against this relationship, and do everything in their power to break it up. Because no one will leave them alone, Brownie and Lola rebel against their elders and embark upon a life of petty crime. Delinquents is based on a novel by Criena Rohan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide