Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 15- Taxi! (1979)

A female passenger leaves her handbag in the back of a taxi. The driver seeks to trace her to give it back which is where the adventure begins. A premise like this requires the one thing this TV movie lacks- an interesting plot. It was good to see which actors would go on to star …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 14- Head On (1998)

Ari is a second-generation Greek Australian man. He's also gay. Head On chronicles the conflicts between the conservative background that he finds himself a slave to and his authentic nature and sexual orientation. Head On ruffled many feathers when it was released because of its graphic depiction of gay sex, drug taking and how such …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 13- Frenchman’s Farm (1987)

Jackie goes for a drive and suddenly finds herself back in 1944 (!) at a place called Frenchman’s Farm. She witnesses a murder and then finds herself back in the present day. She starts to go to local libraries to try and research the place. This movie is the epitome of a mild, tame and …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 12- Not Quite Hollywood (2008)

This is a great documentary about Ozploitation films (exploitation films made in Australia). All the great films and sub-genres are here- the bawdy Ocker comedies, the slasher movies, the films for petrolheads. The main players are interviewed demonstrating that making these insane films was just as insane in real life. I’m so glad that so much …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 11- Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

Muriel Heslop lives in a bubble in the small town of Porpoise Spit. She idolises ABBA, doesn’t conform to the latest 90’s fashions and has no real friends. The girls she tries to hang out with are utterly toxic bitches. She goes on holiday to a resort that these mean girls are also holidaying in. …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 10- Turkey Shoot (1982)

Turkey Shoot follows three new inductees to a futuristic totalitarian torture camp for 'deviants'. It's presided over by Thatcher, who organises what he calls a 'turkey shoot' in which a handful of inmates are set free but then hunted for sport by himself and his similarly psychopathic guests. A stellar cast (Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 9- A Woman’s Tale (1991)

Martha is a 78 year old woman living with cancer. She is cared for by a visiting nurse, Malinka. She regularly sees her son and her friends and also cares for her elderly neighbour Billy who lives next door. A Woman's Tale had been on my radar for years as it stars the inimitable Sheila …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 8- Priscilla Queen of The Desert (1994)

Two drag queens and a transsexual journey from Sydney to Alive Springs for a fortnight of drag shows on their bus Priscilla. Adventures abound. The first time I saw Priscilla was at a screening in London just after its release. Star Terrence Stamp had videotaped an intro in which he said that the role of …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 7- Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)

Peter Weir's 1975 film involves the students of an all-girls school going to Hanging Rock with a couple of teachers from the school. However, several girls and one of the teachers seemingly vanish into thin air. Whilst there is a linear narrative running through Picnic at Hanging Rock, it is more a film that the …

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Marsupial March- 31 Days of Aussie Movies- Day 6- Kitty And The Bagman (1982)

Kitty arrives from England with her husband who is arrested for past crimes. She then enters a life of crime to survive. I first heard of Kitty and the Bagman because of my love of Prisoner Cell Block H. But rather than this just being a movie of interest to fans of this show, this …

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