A dramatisation of The Fitzgerald Inquiry which looked into illegal prostitution and gambling aided by corrupt police. Stalwart Bill Hunter stars as star witness Graeme Parker. He won Best Actor at the Australian Film Institute for his role. And for good reason as he’s excellent. Police State is a fantastic TV movie. It’s well made, …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 31- Police State (1989)
I first saw The Howling 3 in 1989 on home video and thought ‘What the hell was that?!’ I saw it again today and thought the same. The film is a curio for sure. It bears no relation (except by name) to the other films in the franchise and feels more like a standalone movie. …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 29- The Howling 3 (1988)
Young people congregate at a local New South Wales suburb community centre. They also live together in accommodation which is kind of like a halfway house for youngsters from difficult backgrounds. Ely moves in after her mother's boyfriend sexually assaults her. Meanwhile, a local businessman who hopes to become a politician holds a dinner party …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 28- Crime of the Decade (1984)
OK, so this movie is based in New Zealand rather than Australia but... Murderous aliens have invaded Kaihoro and want to turn humans into extraterrestrial fast food. I remember seeing Bad Taste when it was released on video here in the UK. Unfortunately, this coincided with a reprise of the earlier Video Nasties moral panic …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 27- Bad Taste (1987)
A group of alternative types share a house in Melbourne in 1978. There’s no real plot as it’s hoped that the characters are interesting enough to hold your interest for an hour and a half. Not even the mentions of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Boys Next Door (Nick Cave's first band) and Suicide can …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 25- Dogs In Space (1986)
A gang who are nifty on BMX bikes inadvertently find the walkie talkies of a gang who are planning a heist. The gang target the kids. How did Brian Trenchard-Smith follow up his Ozploitation masterpiece, Turkey Shoot? By making a family film revolving around one of the biggest 80’s trends, naturally. BMX Bandits has aged …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 24- BMX Bandits (1983)
A group of actors meet regularly at a coffee shop and talk about auditions, affairs of the heart and life in general. Cappuccino is strange as it wants Australia to seem like big city America. It’s all taxi cabs, saxophones on the soundtrack and a glossy, polished veneer. Unfortunately, the actual material doesn’t live up …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 21- Cappuccino (1989)
Samantha has left a youth detention centre and is trying to go straight by getting her own flat and forging a career as a model. But even though she's doing well, she still feels unfulfilled and finds life on the outside very hard indeed. Hard Knocks is such an interesting slice of life. It was …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 20- Hard Knocks (1980)
A group of ex-hippies reunite. They go to the old house they used to live together in which is due to be demolished. But there’s a more sinister reason why they go back- one of their housemates killed himself and rather than going to the hippie-hating cops, they bury him in the basement. They’re going …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 19- Natural Causes (1985)
15 year old Sarah is deaf. This means that she feels isolated from her peers, family and everyone in the outside world. She has plenty of arguments with her family and comes across as a moody teen. She’s fallen foul of the in-crowd of mean girls at school. But what happens when the hottest jock …
Continue reading Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 18- The Still Point (1986)
Meathook Cinema 