“The Twelve,” an award-winning Australian crime drama series, has been greenlighted for a second season. It is backed by the Foxtel group and its streaming brand Binge.
The show follows a controversial murder trial seen through the lens of the jurors, twelve ordinary Australians who are facing their own realities and struggles.
The first season received ten nominations, and won three Aacta Awards in 2022 including best miniseries. In recent days, it became the most nominated drama series at the 63rd TV Week Logie Awards.
Season two of “The Twelve” will be eight 1-hour episodes written by Sarah Walker, Anchuli Felicia King, Anya Beyersdorf and Anna Barnes. Local authorities in Western Australia described it as the state’s “biggest-ever screen production,” but divulged no specifics on budget. Filming will take place in the Wheatbelt and Metropolitan regions and create over 100 local jobs, the state government said.
The series will be setup...
The show follows a controversial murder trial seen through the lens of the jurors, twelve ordinary Australians who are facing their own realities and struggles.
The first season received ten nominations, and won three Aacta Awards in 2022 including best miniseries. In recent days, it became the most nominated drama series at the 63rd TV Week Logie Awards.
Season two of “The Twelve” will be eight 1-hour episodes written by Sarah Walker, Anchuli Felicia King, Anya Beyersdorf and Anna Barnes. Local authorities in Western Australia described it as the state’s “biggest-ever screen production,” but divulged no specifics on budget. Filming will take place in the Wheatbelt and Metropolitan regions and create over 100 local jobs, the state government said.
The series will be setup...
- 6/22/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Jason Behan.
After acquiring a raft of Australian feature films and documentaries for Universal Pictures Australasia over the past four years, Jason Behan is looking for new avenues to continue his involvement in development and production.
As VP acquisitions, he helped to transition the focus of acquisitions from the declining home entertainment business to an all-rights, all-platforms content strategy.
Among the titles he brought to the studio led by Mike Baard were John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters, Alexs Stadermann’s 100% Wolf and Francis Annan’s Escape to Pretoria.
Kriv Stenders’ Slim & I and Brock: Over the Top, Mark Joffe’s Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy and Leanne Pooley’s New Zealand doc We Need to Talk About A.I. also found homes at Universal.
Among the upcoming releases secured during his tenure are first-time director Martin Wilson’s survival thriller Great White,...
After acquiring a raft of Australian feature films and documentaries for Universal Pictures Australasia over the past four years, Jason Behan is looking for new avenues to continue his involvement in development and production.
As VP acquisitions, he helped to transition the focus of acquisitions from the declining home entertainment business to an all-rights, all-platforms content strategy.
Among the titles he brought to the studio led by Mike Baard were John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters, Alexs Stadermann’s 100% Wolf and Francis Annan’s Escape to Pretoria.
Kriv Stenders’ Slim & I and Brock: Over the Top, Mark Joffe’s Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy and Leanne Pooley’s New Zealand doc We Need to Talk About A.I. also found homes at Universal.
Among the upcoming releases secured during his tenure are first-time director Martin Wilson’s survival thriller Great White,...
- 10/8/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘A Dingo’s Got My Baby: The Lindy Chamberlain Story.’
Producer-director Mark Joffe and Easy Tiger are co-producing a two-part documentary for Network 10 which examines one of the country’s most infamous miscarriages of justice.
A Dingo’s Got My Baby: The Lindy Chamberlain Story will shed new light on the investigation of baby Azaria Chamberlain’s death in 1980 during a family camping trip in Central Australia, and her mother Lindy’s prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, and eventual exoneration, for her murder.
For the first time in eight years, Lindy and her children recount that harrowing night and the devastating years that followed, using the family’s personal archives including Lindy and Michael’s wedding day, family albums and audio of Azaria’s voice.
Also featured are interviews with eyewitnesses, family friends, High Court judges, forensic experts, lawyers, media figures, professors of history, novelists, filmmakers and the Chamberlain’s church.
Producer-director Mark Joffe and Easy Tiger are co-producing a two-part documentary for Network 10 which examines one of the country’s most infamous miscarriages of justice.
A Dingo’s Got My Baby: The Lindy Chamberlain Story will shed new light on the investigation of baby Azaria Chamberlain’s death in 1980 during a family camping trip in Central Australia, and her mother Lindy’s prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, and eventual exoneration, for her murder.
For the first time in eight years, Lindy and her children recount that harrowing night and the devastating years that followed, using the family’s personal archives including Lindy and Michael’s wedding day, family albums and audio of Azaria’s voice.
Also featured are interviews with eyewitnesses, family friends, High Court judges, forensic experts, lawyers, media figures, professors of history, novelists, filmmakers and the Chamberlain’s church.
- 8/16/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Anthony Lapaglia, Jessica Marais.
Anthony Lapaglia and Jessica Marais will co-star with Rebecca Gibney in the Nine Network’s crime thriller miniseries Halifax: Retribution, which will start shooting in Melbourne later this month.
Jacqueline McKenzie, Rick Donald, Hannah Monson, Craig Hall, Mavournee Hazel and Louisa Mignone round out the cast of the Halifax reboot produced by Beyond Lonehand.
Original creator and writer Roger Simpson returns as writer and producer alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund and writers Mac Gudgeon, Peter Gawler and Oscar-nominated Jan Sardi.
Gudgeon and Sardi both worked with Simpson on Halifax f.p., which ran for seven seasons on Nine and ended in 2002. Rebecca Gibney reprises her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax, who has carved out a new career as a university professor.
When a serial sniper starts terrorising Melbourne, she is lured back into the field to help the police task force find the killer. As...
Anthony Lapaglia and Jessica Marais will co-star with Rebecca Gibney in the Nine Network’s crime thriller miniseries Halifax: Retribution, which will start shooting in Melbourne later this month.
Jacqueline McKenzie, Rick Donald, Hannah Monson, Craig Hall, Mavournee Hazel and Louisa Mignone round out the cast of the Halifax reboot produced by Beyond Lonehand.
Original creator and writer Roger Simpson returns as writer and producer alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund and writers Mac Gudgeon, Peter Gawler and Oscar-nominated Jan Sardi.
Gudgeon and Sardi both worked with Simpson on Halifax f.p., which ran for seven seasons on Nine and ended in 2002. Rebecca Gibney reprises her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax, who has carved out a new career as a university professor.
When a serial sniper starts terrorising Melbourne, she is lured back into the field to help the police task force find the killer. As...
- 7/1/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Warwick Thornton and Sam Neill on the set of ‘Sweet Country’.
Warwick Thornton took home the top gong at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards for outback Western Sweet Country.
It joins a slew of other prizes for the film, which follows an Aboriginal stockman who a kills white station owner in self-defence, including the Venice Film Festival Special Jury Prize, the Toronto International Film Festival Platform Prize, and six Aacta Awards, including Best Film and Best Direction.
Competing against Thornton for Best Direction in a Feature Film (budget $1 million or over) were Joel Edgerton for Boy Erased, Anthony Maras for Hotel Mumbai, and Garth Davis for Mary Magdelene.
The Adg Awards were held at Sydney’s City Recital Hall, with presenters including Rachel Griffiths, Claudia Karvan, Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward.
This year also saw the guild divide the feature film category for the first time, introducing...
Warwick Thornton took home the top gong at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards for outback Western Sweet Country.
It joins a slew of other prizes for the film, which follows an Aboriginal stockman who a kills white station owner in self-defence, including the Venice Film Festival Special Jury Prize, the Toronto International Film Festival Platform Prize, and six Aacta Awards, including Best Film and Best Direction.
Competing against Thornton for Best Direction in a Feature Film (budget $1 million or over) were Joel Edgerton for Boy Erased, Anthony Maras for Hotel Mumbai, and Garth Davis for Mary Magdelene.
The Adg Awards were held at Sydney’s City Recital Hall, with presenters including Rachel Griffiths, Claudia Karvan, Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward.
This year also saw the guild divide the feature film category for the first time, introducing...
- 5/7/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Warwick Thornton, Garth Davis, Joel Edgerton and Anthony Maras go head to head at the Australian Directors Guild Awards. They are each nominated as best director in the category of films with a budget of A$1 million Donna McRae Dustin Feneley (“Stray”) and Jason Perini (“Chasing Comets”).
Some of Australia’s most respected directors have been recognized in the television/SVoD categories. Rachel Perkins, Nash Edgerton, Tony Krawitz and Emma Freeman all receive nominations in the best direction in a TV or Svod drama series episode category.
Ben Lawrence Catherine Scott Mark Joffe Matthew Sleeth Paul Damien Williams (“Gurrumul”) and Richard Tood (“Dying to Live”) are nominated for best direction in a documentary feature.
Some of Australia’s most respected directors have been recognized in the television/SVoD categories. Rachel Perkins, Nash Edgerton, Tony Krawitz and Emma Freeman all receive nominations in the best direction in a TV or Svod drama series episode category.
Ben Lawrence Catherine Scott Mark Joffe Matthew Sleeth Paul Damien Williams (“Gurrumul”) and Richard Tood (“Dying to Live”) are nominated for best direction in a documentary feature.
- 4/8/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Sophie Hyde, Rachel Perkins.
Warwick Thornton, Garth Davis, Joel Edgerton and Anthony Maras have been nominated for best direction in a feature film budgeted at $1 million or more in the 2019 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards.
So Sweet Country, Mary Magdalene, Boy Erased and Hotel Mumbai will compete in the awards to be announced on Monday May 6 at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.
In the new category of best direction in a feature budgeted below $1 million, the nominees are Christopher Kay (Just Between Us), Donna McRae (Lost Gully Road), Dustin Feneley (Stray) and Jason Perini (Chasing Comets).
The nominees for best direction in a TV or SVoD drama series episode are Rachel Perkins (Mystery Road series 1), Nash Edgerton (Mr Inbetween series 1), Tony Krawitz and Emma Freeman.
Jeffrey Walker (Riot), Daina Reid and Shannon Murphy (On The Ropes) have been nominated for best direction in a TV or SVoD miniseries and telefeature.
Warwick Thornton, Garth Davis, Joel Edgerton and Anthony Maras have been nominated for best direction in a feature film budgeted at $1 million or more in the 2019 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards.
So Sweet Country, Mary Magdalene, Boy Erased and Hotel Mumbai will compete in the awards to be announced on Monday May 6 at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.
In the new category of best direction in a feature budgeted below $1 million, the nominees are Christopher Kay (Just Between Us), Donna McRae (Lost Gully Road), Dustin Feneley (Stray) and Jason Perini (Chasing Comets).
The nominees for best direction in a TV or SVoD drama series episode are Rachel Perkins (Mystery Road series 1), Nash Edgerton (Mr Inbetween series 1), Tony Krawitz and Emma Freeman.
Jeffrey Walker (Riot), Daina Reid and Shannon Murphy (On The Ropes) have been nominated for best direction in a TV or SVoD miniseries and telefeature.
- 4/8/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Ryan Corr and Rachael Taylor in ‘Ladies in Black.’
The good news for Australian cinema: Last year ranks as the third biggest ever for Oz films and feature docs released theatrically in the home market.
Another encouraging trend: Eight of the top 30 grossing titles were feature docs, led by Paul Damien Williams’ Gurrumul, Mark Joffe’s Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy, Ray Argall’s Midnight Oil 1984, Naina Sen’s The Song Keepers and Catherine Scott’s Backtrack Boys.
The not-so-good news: The top two films, Will Gluck’s Peter Rabbit and Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black accounted for nearly 70 per cent of total revenues, while 39 of the 61 new releases each made less than $100,000.
Collectively, local titles including holdovers racked up $57.4 million in 2018, trailing the 2001 total of $63.1 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa)
The all-time record is 2015’s $88.1 million, the year of Mad Max: Fury Road,...
The good news for Australian cinema: Last year ranks as the third biggest ever for Oz films and feature docs released theatrically in the home market.
Another encouraging trend: Eight of the top 30 grossing titles were feature docs, led by Paul Damien Williams’ Gurrumul, Mark Joffe’s Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy, Ray Argall’s Midnight Oil 1984, Naina Sen’s The Song Keepers and Catherine Scott’s Backtrack Boys.
The not-so-good news: The top two films, Will Gluck’s Peter Rabbit and Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black accounted for nearly 70 per cent of total revenues, while 39 of the 61 new releases each made less than $100,000.
Collectively, local titles including holdovers racked up $57.4 million in 2018, trailing the 2001 total of $63.1 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa)
The all-time record is 2015’s $88.1 million, the year of Mad Max: Fury Road,...
- 1/6/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Ladies in Black.’
As the Australian feature films and feature docs released in cinemas this year have surpassed the calendar 2017 total exhibitors generally are happy with the diversity of product and the number of titles that have resonated with mainstream audiences.
While some say there have been too many niche and small-scale films, the consensus is that local films overall have held their own in a fragmented theatrical market and in the face of competition for eyeballs from the burgeoning Netflix and Stan.
Their outlook for 2019 is even more optimistic – if distributors and exhibitors are smart with their dating.
Through Wednesday, Oz films and feature docs including holdovers have racked up $54.2 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), beating last year’s $49.4 million, which was a market share of 4.1 per cent.
So the industry will finish the year ahead of the 2009 total of $54.8 million. The stand-out...
As the Australian feature films and feature docs released in cinemas this year have surpassed the calendar 2017 total exhibitors generally are happy with the diversity of product and the number of titles that have resonated with mainstream audiences.
While some say there have been too many niche and small-scale films, the consensus is that local films overall have held their own in a fragmented theatrical market and in the face of competition for eyeballs from the burgeoning Netflix and Stan.
Their outlook for 2019 is even more optimistic – if distributors and exhibitors are smart with their dating.
Through Wednesday, Oz films and feature docs including holdovers have racked up $54.2 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), beating last year’s $49.4 million, which was a market share of 4.1 per cent.
So the industry will finish the year ahead of the 2009 total of $54.8 million. The stand-out...
- 11/2/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Ladies in Black.’
The Australian titles released in cinemas this year including holdovers will overtake the calendar 2017 total in the next week or so, boosted by Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black.
Through the end of September the Oz films and feature docs had grossed $47.8 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), within spitting distance of last year’s $49.4 million.
After a second weekend drop of just 10 per cent Ladies in Black’s takings have increased by nearly $800,000 to $5.97 million, including $361,000 on Tuesday, so the 1950s-set comedy-drama distributed by Sony is on course to surpass $12 million.
Distributed by Universal Pictures as an alternate content release, Mark Joffe’s biopic Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy rang up $823,000, ranking as the year’s second biggest feature doc behind Paul Damian Williams’ Gurrumul, which made $984,000.
Among the other September debutantes, Mark Grentell’s The Merger collected $405,000 and Benjamin Gilmour...
The Australian titles released in cinemas this year including holdovers will overtake the calendar 2017 total in the next week or so, boosted by Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black.
Through the end of September the Oz films and feature docs had grossed $47.8 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), within spitting distance of last year’s $49.4 million.
After a second weekend drop of just 10 per cent Ladies in Black’s takings have increased by nearly $800,000 to $5.97 million, including $361,000 on Tuesday, so the 1950s-set comedy-drama distributed by Sony is on course to surpass $12 million.
Distributed by Universal Pictures as an alternate content release, Mark Joffe’s biopic Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy rang up $823,000, ranking as the year’s second biggest feature doc behind Paul Damian Williams’ Gurrumul, which made $984,000.
Among the other September debutantes, Mark Grentell’s The Merger collected $405,000 and Benjamin Gilmour...
- 10/3/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Ben Mingay and Sam Neill star in Nine's new mini-series 'House of Bond'..
Nine has unveiled its programming line-up for the new year, and with it sees the return of Underbelly.—.this time focused on the .untold, uncut. story of Mark .Chopper. Read.
The series, known as Underbelly Files: Chopper, will be once again be produced by Screentime..
Also coming up for the network is the mini-series House of Bond, which tells the rags to riches tale of the controversial business tycoon Alan Bond. Sam Neill, Rachael Taylor and Adrienne Pickering star alongside Hacksaw Ridge.s Ben Mingay as Bond.
Other cast members include Samantha Jade, Gyton Grantley, Marcus Graham, Anne Looby, Johnny Ruffo, Roy Billing, Paul Gleeson and Jack Campbell..House of Bond.was produced by Cjz, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw. The mini was written by Sarah Smith and directed by Mark Joffe..
Karl Stefanovic...
Nine has unveiled its programming line-up for the new year, and with it sees the return of Underbelly.—.this time focused on the .untold, uncut. story of Mark .Chopper. Read.
The series, known as Underbelly Files: Chopper, will be once again be produced by Screentime..
Also coming up for the network is the mini-series House of Bond, which tells the rags to riches tale of the controversial business tycoon Alan Bond. Sam Neill, Rachael Taylor and Adrienne Pickering star alongside Hacksaw Ridge.s Ben Mingay as Bond.
Other cast members include Samantha Jade, Gyton Grantley, Marcus Graham, Anne Looby, Johnny Ruffo, Roy Billing, Paul Gleeson and Jack Campbell..House of Bond.was produced by Cjz, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw. The mini was written by Sarah Smith and directed by Mark Joffe..
Karl Stefanovic...
- 11/9/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Adg awards nominee Jennifer Peedom.
More than a third of nominees for this year's Australian Directors Guild awards are women.
Two of the four nominees in the Best Direction in a Feature Film category are women and all five films in the Best Documentary Feature category were directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, the Adg said in a statement..
The 2016 awards will be presented across sixteen categories including film, television, animation, multiplatform, music and advertising..
The nominees for Best Direction in a Feature Film are Sue Brooks for Looking for Grace, Jocelyn Moorhouse for The Dressmaker, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler for Tanna and Jeremy Sims for Last Cab to Darwin.
This year there are five nominations for Best Feature Documentary: Nick Bird and Eleanor Sharpe for Remembering The Man, Jennifer Peedom for Sherpa, Margot Nash for The Silences, Stefan Moore and Susan Lambert for Tyke Elephant Outlaw and Lisa Nicol for Wide Open Sky.
More than a third of nominees for this year's Australian Directors Guild awards are women.
Two of the four nominees in the Best Direction in a Feature Film category are women and all five films in the Best Documentary Feature category were directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, the Adg said in a statement..
The 2016 awards will be presented across sixteen categories including film, television, animation, multiplatform, music and advertising..
The nominees for Best Direction in a Feature Film are Sue Brooks for Looking for Grace, Jocelyn Moorhouse for The Dressmaker, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler for Tanna and Jeremy Sims for Last Cab to Darwin.
This year there are five nominations for Best Feature Documentary: Nick Bird and Eleanor Sharpe for Remembering The Man, Jennifer Peedom for Sherpa, Margot Nash for The Silences, Stefan Moore and Susan Lambert for Tyke Elephant Outlaw and Lisa Nicol for Wide Open Sky.
- 4/12/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Emerging Australian director Lucy Gaffy has been selected as the director's attachment on upcoming Cjz TV drama Bond.
Gaffy, who has directed shorts including Dream Baby, The Gift, The Fence and The Love Song of Iskra Prufrock, will be attached to feature film and TV drama director Mark Joffe on Bond, which is currently in pre-production..
The industry incentive program is funded by Screen Australia and managed by the Adg for emerging directors to develop their craft.
Gaffy said she was excited to work with a filmmaker like Mark Joffe, "a storyteller whom I have so long admired - and deeply grateful to Kingston, Franky and all the marvellous team at the Adg for their continued support of emerging directors."
Gaffy is a Masters graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs)..
She has been working in the industry for over seven years across a broad range of productions including short films,...
Gaffy, who has directed shorts including Dream Baby, The Gift, The Fence and The Love Song of Iskra Prufrock, will be attached to feature film and TV drama director Mark Joffe on Bond, which is currently in pre-production..
The industry incentive program is funded by Screen Australia and managed by the Adg for emerging directors to develop their craft.
Gaffy said she was excited to work with a filmmaker like Mark Joffe, "a storyteller whom I have so long admired - and deeply grateful to Kingston, Franky and all the marvellous team at the Adg for their continued support of emerging directors."
Gaffy is a Masters graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs)..
She has been working in the industry for over seven years across a broad range of productions including short films,...
- 3/29/2016
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Guy Pearce and Roy Billing in Jack Irish.
Asked how he's doing after a whirlwind year, screenwriter Andrew Knight is characteristically understated:.
"I'm alive and trying to construct a breakfast at the moment".
In between film work last year, Knight wrote new seasons of Rake and Jack Irish simultaneously, a process he calls "a blur"..
The new Jack.begins this Thursday - a six-part series instead of the earlier telemovies.
Knight calls the change "liberating"..
"We had more time to tell a story. The hard part was working out where everything would fall. We had an overall story, but assigning things episodically was a constant trade-off and shifting game"..
"I worked closely with the other two writers, Matt Cameron and Andrew Anastasios. The three of us would go away and write our bits, then we'd come back and say - that needs to move, this needs to shift"..
"If you're just writing a tele-movie,...
Asked how he's doing after a whirlwind year, screenwriter Andrew Knight is characteristically understated:.
"I'm alive and trying to construct a breakfast at the moment".
In between film work last year, Knight wrote new seasons of Rake and Jack Irish simultaneously, a process he calls "a blur"..
The new Jack.begins this Thursday - a six-part series instead of the earlier telemovies.
Knight calls the change "liberating"..
"We had more time to tell a story. The hard part was working out where everything would fall. We had an overall story, but assigning things episodically was a constant trade-off and shifting game"..
"I worked closely with the other two writers, Matt Cameron and Andrew Anastasios. The three of us would go away and write our bits, then we'd come back and say - that needs to move, this needs to shift"..
"If you're just writing a tele-movie,...
- 2/8/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Newcomers Elias Anton and Ben Kindon are playing the leads in Barracuda, the 4-part Matchbox Pictures drama for ABC directed by Rob Connolly.
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
- 11/24/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Based in the Us for the past three years, Kieran Darcy-Smith had not seen the Jack Irish telepics when he was offered the gig as set-up director of the spin-off series starring Guy Pearce as a former criminal lawyer turned private investigator and debt collector.
After watching the telepics and reading the scripts for the 6-part ABC series by Andrew Knight, Matt Cameron and Andrew Anastasios, Darcy-Smith readily agreed.
In his first TV drama assignment, the director whose breakthrough was Wish You Were Here is directing two episodes and Mark Joffe and Daniel Nettheim are each helming two. Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie is the series producer.
.The scripts are sensational; this is as good as TV drama gets,. Kieran tells If as shooting is underway in Melbourne to be followed by a week in the Philippines. .I am working with the A-team..
The plot is under wraps so Darcy-Smith is circumspect,...
After watching the telepics and reading the scripts for the 6-part ABC series by Andrew Knight, Matt Cameron and Andrew Anastasios, Darcy-Smith readily agreed.
In his first TV drama assignment, the director whose breakthrough was Wish You Were Here is directing two episodes and Mark Joffe and Daniel Nettheim are each helming two. Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie is the series producer.
.The scripts are sensational; this is as good as TV drama gets,. Kieran tells If as shooting is underway in Melbourne to be followed by a week in the Philippines. .I am working with the A-team..
The plot is under wraps so Darcy-Smith is circumspect,...
- 8/9/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
ABC TV has confirmed new series of. Janet King, Rake, Jack Irish, The Code and The Doctor Blake Mysteries.
Marta Dusseldorp will star in the second series of Janet King, Richard Roxburgh returns as Cleaver Greene in the fourth series of Rake and Guy Pearce stars in a six-part series based on the crime novels by Peter Temple in Jack Irish: The Series, a spin-off of the three telepics. Craig McLachlan returns as. Dr Lucien Blake in the fourth outing of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, together with Nadine Garner as his housekeeper Jean Beazley. Dan Spielman and Ashley Zuckerman are back for the second season of The Code. ABC Head of Fiction Carole Sklan said: .ABC TV is very happy to be able to bring back this collection of hugely entertaining, favourite dramas. They feature such a wonderful, eclectic mix of indelible characters.. Head of Programming Brendan Dahill said: .This...
Marta Dusseldorp will star in the second series of Janet King, Richard Roxburgh returns as Cleaver Greene in the fourth series of Rake and Guy Pearce stars in a six-part series based on the crime novels by Peter Temple in Jack Irish: The Series, a spin-off of the three telepics. Craig McLachlan returns as. Dr Lucien Blake in the fourth outing of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, together with Nadine Garner as his housekeeper Jean Beazley. Dan Spielman and Ashley Zuckerman are back for the second season of The Code. ABC Head of Fiction Carole Sklan said: .ABC TV is very happy to be able to bring back this collection of hugely entertaining, favourite dramas. They feature such a wonderful, eclectic mix of indelible characters.. Head of Programming Brendan Dahill said: .This...
- 6/30/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
In a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years, writer-producer Andrew Knight has rarely been so busy.
The co-writer (with Andrew Anastasios) of The Water Diviner concurrently is working on the Jack Irish series, the fourth season of Rake and three movies.
He is collaborating with actor-writer Osamah Sami on the screenplay of Ali.s Wedding, a feature which is due to start shooting in June, directed by Wayne Blair for Matchbox Pictures. He.s developing two other features, The Cartographer (co-written with Anastasios) for South Pacific Pictures, and King of Thieves, a co-production between Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and UK producer David Parfitt.s Trademark Films.
.It.s a fantastic time to be writing and producing drama; I am doing exactly what I want to do,. Knight tells If.
In January he won Aacta.s Longford Lyell Award which recognises outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia.s screen environment and culture.
The co-writer (with Andrew Anastasios) of The Water Diviner concurrently is working on the Jack Irish series, the fourth season of Rake and three movies.
He is collaborating with actor-writer Osamah Sami on the screenplay of Ali.s Wedding, a feature which is due to start shooting in June, directed by Wayne Blair for Matchbox Pictures. He.s developing two other features, The Cartographer (co-written with Anastasios) for South Pacific Pictures, and King of Thieves, a co-production between Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and UK producer David Parfitt.s Trademark Films.
.It.s a fantastic time to be writing and producing drama; I am doing exactly what I want to do,. Knight tells If.
In January he won Aacta.s Longford Lyell Award which recognises outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia.s screen environment and culture.
- 3/8/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Mark Joffe will direct the Nine Network telemovie on the world.s richest woman Gina Rinehart and the troubled Hancock/Rinehart dynasty.
Joffe (A Place to Call Home, Wild Boys) will start shooting at the end of this month in Sydney and Western Australia.
Love Child.s Mandy McElhinney will play Rinehart in the telepic produced by Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder.s Michael Cordell, Claudia Karvan and Paul Bennett.. Karvan won't have an on-camera role.
Set primarily in 1980-2002, the plot follows the public feud between Gina and her father Lang Hancock.s second wife Rose Lacson, her struggles to rebuild the company following her father.s death, and her recent battles with her children over their multi-billion dollar inheritance.
Lang and Gina are inseparable, the perfect team, and Gina is confident she will soon inherit the family business. But their relationship is rocked by a series of tumultuous events.
What...
Joffe (A Place to Call Home, Wild Boys) will start shooting at the end of this month in Sydney and Western Australia.
Love Child.s Mandy McElhinney will play Rinehart in the telepic produced by Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder.s Michael Cordell, Claudia Karvan and Paul Bennett.. Karvan won't have an on-camera role.
Set primarily in 1980-2002, the plot follows the public feud between Gina and her father Lang Hancock.s second wife Rose Lacson, her struggles to rebuild the company following her father.s death, and her recent battles with her children over their multi-billion dollar inheritance.
Lang and Gina are inseparable, the perfect team, and Gina is confident she will soon inherit the family business. But their relationship is rocked by a series of tumultuous events.
What...
- 8/15/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Morrissey Molloy Entertainment, Garry Charny.s Spotted Turquoise Films and Michael Gudinski.s Mushroom Pictures have unveiled a joint venture which aims to produce at least six films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
- 2/26/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Arclight Films has taken international sales rights to Australian drama Violet Town and will launch the project at the European Film Market in Berlin.
Australian films are usually tough to pre-sell but the lead cast of Guy Pearce, Rosamund Pike and German actor Sebastian Koch will give the film a solid profile internationally.
Mark Joffe is set to direct the drama adapted from Steven Carroll's novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbour.s New Year.s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Shooting is due to start in Melbourne and regional Victoria in the last quarter of this year. Studiocanal has the Australian rights. The producers are Morrissey Molloy Entertainment.s John Molloy, Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and Joffe.
Koch played the villain in A Good Day to Die Hard and his other credits include The Weekend,...
Australian films are usually tough to pre-sell but the lead cast of Guy Pearce, Rosamund Pike and German actor Sebastian Koch will give the film a solid profile internationally.
Mark Joffe is set to direct the drama adapted from Steven Carroll's novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbour.s New Year.s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Shooting is due to start in Melbourne and regional Victoria in the last quarter of this year. Studiocanal has the Australian rights. The producers are Morrissey Molloy Entertainment.s John Molloy, Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and Joffe.
Koch played the villain in A Good Day to Die Hard and his other credits include The Weekend,...
- 2/6/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Harvey Weinstein has risked his money releasing more Australian films than any other Us distributor so it is fitting that he.ll receive two awards from Aussie organisations this month.
The maverick producer-distributor will receive the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Fellowship on November 23 at the Canberra International Film Festival.
At the same event he.s being honoured with the festival.s first Body of Work award, recognising his achievements in helping to elevate independent filmmaking from art house to mainstream.
Harvey and his brother Bob founded Miramax Films in 1979 and rapidly became champions of Australian cinema, distributing films such as Jane Campion.s The Piano and Holy Smoke!, John Duigan.s Sirens, Peter Duncan.s Children of the Revolution, P.J. Hogan.s Muriel's Wedding, Mark Joffe.s Cosi, Baz Luhrmann.s Strictly Ballroom and Phil Noyce.s Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Victoria Treole set up the Miramax...
The maverick producer-distributor will receive the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Fellowship on November 23 at the Canberra International Film Festival.
At the same event he.s being honoured with the festival.s first Body of Work award, recognising his achievements in helping to elevate independent filmmaking from art house to mainstream.
Harvey and his brother Bob founded Miramax Films in 1979 and rapidly became champions of Australian cinema, distributing films such as Jane Campion.s The Piano and Holy Smoke!, John Duigan.s Sirens, Peter Duncan.s Children of the Revolution, P.J. Hogan.s Muriel's Wedding, Mark Joffe.s Cosi, Baz Luhrmann.s Strictly Ballroom and Phil Noyce.s Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Victoria Treole set up the Miramax...
- 11/5/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Harvey Weinstein has risked his money releasing more Australian films than any other Us distributor so it is fitting that he.ll receive two awards from Aussie organisations this month.
The maverick producer-distributor will receive the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Fellowship on November 23 at the Canberra International Film Festival.
At the same event he.s being honoured with the festival.s first Body of Work award, recognising his achievements in helping to elevate independent filmmaking from art house to mainstream.
Harvey and his brother Bob founded Miramax Films in 1979 and rapidly became champions of Australian cinema, distributing films such as Jane Campion.s The Piano and Holy Smoke!, John Duigan.s Sirens, Peter Duncan.s Children of the Revolution, P.J. Hogan.s Muriel's Wedding, Mark Joffe.s Cosi, Baz Luhrmann.s Strictly Ballroom and Phil Noyce.s Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Victoria Treole set up the Miramax...
The maverick producer-distributor will receive the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Fellowship on November 23 at the Canberra International Film Festival.
At the same event he.s being honoured with the festival.s first Body of Work award, recognising his achievements in helping to elevate independent filmmaking from art house to mainstream.
Harvey and his brother Bob founded Miramax Films in 1979 and rapidly became champions of Australian cinema, distributing films such as Jane Campion.s The Piano and Holy Smoke!, John Duigan.s Sirens, Peter Duncan.s Children of the Revolution, P.J. Hogan.s Muriel's Wedding, Mark Joffe.s Cosi, Baz Luhrmann.s Strictly Ballroom and Phil Noyce.s Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Victoria Treole set up the Miramax...
- 11/5/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Who knew that Rupert Murdoch is such a fan of Spotswood, the 1992 Australian movie that starred Anthony Hopkins, Ben Mendelsohn, Russell Crowe and Toni Collette?
The News Corp and 21st Century Fox chairman spoke affectionately about the film, which was scripted by Max Dann and Andrew Knight and directed by Mark Joffe, during his lecture at the Lowy Institute on Thursday night.
Murdoch recalled that the comedy/drama set in Melbourne in the 1960s featured Hopkins as an efficiency expert who.s hired by the owner of a struggling suburban moccasin factory.
Hopkins. character plans to lay off surplus workers but falls in love with the people and finds a way to save the factory without letting go a single soul. Alwyn Kurts played the factory owner and Crowe was one of his salesman.
Murdoch used Spotswood in an analogy to highlight the vast differences in the world economies, particularly in Asia,...
The News Corp and 21st Century Fox chairman spoke affectionately about the film, which was scripted by Max Dann and Andrew Knight and directed by Mark Joffe, during his lecture at the Lowy Institute on Thursday night.
Murdoch recalled that the comedy/drama set in Melbourne in the 1960s featured Hopkins as an efficiency expert who.s hired by the owner of a struggling suburban moccasin factory.
Hopkins. character plans to lay off surplus workers but falls in love with the people and finds a way to save the factory without letting go a single soul. Alwyn Kurts played the factory owner and Crowe was one of his salesman.
Murdoch used Spotswood in an analogy to highlight the vast differences in the world economies, particularly in Asia,...
- 10/31/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
• George Clooney is attached to star in and produce an untitled crime film written by Argo scribe Chris Terrio. Filmmaker Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) is attached to direct and produce, along with Clooney’s producing partner Grant Heslov. And that’s all we got for this one, folks — the details of the script remain top secret. Probably not a sci-fi adventure set in the Persian desert, though. [Variety]
• Inglourious Basterds’ Daniel Brühl is logging onto the untitled Wikileaks movie as Daniel Domscheit-Berg (gesundheit!), the man who helped Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch – i.e. Benny Batch) build his site for clandestine government secrets.
• Inglourious Basterds’ Daniel Brühl is logging onto the untitled Wikileaks movie as Daniel Domscheit-Berg (gesundheit!), the man who helped Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch – i.e. Benny Batch) build his site for clandestine government secrets.
- 11/29/2012
- by Adam B. Vary
- EW - Inside Movies
A new Aussie drama Violet Town, directed by Mark Joffe (Spotswood) is an adaptation of Steven Carroll’s novel ‘The Art Of The Engine Driver.’
The Lawless thesp Guy Pearce and the former Bond Girl Rosamund Pike will reportedly play in a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Penned by Matt Cameron, Bryan Brown (Cocktail) also stars, probably as another guest at the party.
Here’s the book synopsis:
There they are, still as a photograph, listening for the distant thud of the sun as it prepares to drop from the sky …On a hot summer’s night, a family of three are off to a party in their bristling suburbia. But nothing is as it seems and soon we are walking with them through the past lives of a bully, a drunk and a disaffected youth.
The Lawless thesp Guy Pearce and the former Bond Girl Rosamund Pike will reportedly play in a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Penned by Matt Cameron, Bryan Brown (Cocktail) also stars, probably as another guest at the party.
Here’s the book synopsis:
There they are, still as a photograph, listening for the distant thud of the sun as it prepares to drop from the sky …On a hot summer’s night, a family of three are off to a party in their bristling suburbia. But nothing is as it seems and soon we are walking with them through the past lives of a bully, a drunk and a disaffected youth.
- 11/28/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Guy Pearce appeared in an eclectic batch of films this year, and 2013 promises more from him. But he’s also locked in a job for later in the year, signing on to co-star with Rosamund Pike in Mark Joffe’s Violet Town.Matt Cameron wrote the script, based on Steven Carroll’s 2001 novel The Art Of The Engine Driver. Set in 1957, the book’s plot sees a couple attending a neighbour’s New Year’s party, but discovering more than just boozy friends and long countdowns to midnight – buried secrets are unearthed, putting their relationship in jeopardy.Bryan Brown is attached to co-star, and Joffe plans to have the cameras whirring by the end of summer next year.Pike’s next appearance will be in Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise, and she’s also part of the cast for Nick Hornby adaptation A Long Way Down. She’s most recently...
- 11/28/2012
- EmpireOnline
Whatever Guy Pearce does, we're going to sit up and pay attention. Over the past year and a half or so, the actor has played a charming cad in Todd Haynes' breathtaking "Mildred Pierce," tried on his action hero pants for "Lockout," popped up in "Prometheus" and sneered his way through "Lawless." He's got a number of interesting movies on the way with an equally diverse slate, with everything from "Iron Man 3" to "Like Crazy" director Drake Doremus' next effort on his plate. And now another intriguing movie is being added to his schedule. Pearce is joining the lovely Rosamund Pike and Bryan Brown for "Violet Town." Based on Steven Carroll’s novel "The Art of the Engine Driver," the 1957-set story follows a couple that attend a neighbor's New Year's Eve party that results in some life altering revelations. Mark Joffe ("Spotswood") is at the helm for this one.
- 11/28/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Guy Pearce, Rosamund Pike and Bryan Brown are set to star in Mark Joffe's "Violet Town" at Essential Media and Entertainment, Mushroom Pictures and Morrissey Molloy Entertainment.
Based on Steven Carroll’s 2001 novel "The Art Of The Engine Driver," the 1957-set tale follows various characters who're attending a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where secrets are revealed.
Amongst the characters there's a bully, a drunk, a restless girl and a young boy forced to grow up before he is ready.
Matt Cameron adapted the script, Ian Collie is producing, and shooting kicks off in the third quarter of next year.
Source: Screen Daily...
Based on Steven Carroll’s 2001 novel "The Art Of The Engine Driver," the 1957-set tale follows various characters who're attending a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where secrets are revealed.
Amongst the characters there's a bully, a drunk, a restless girl and a young boy forced to grow up before he is ready.
Matt Cameron adapted the script, Ian Collie is producing, and shooting kicks off in the third quarter of next year.
Source: Screen Daily...
- 11/28/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney. Violet Town is directed by Mark Joffe and is an adaptation of Steven Carroll’s novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed. Guy Pearce and Rosamund Pike will play the couple in the pic, which is due to begin shooting in third-quarter 2013. Bryan Brown is also attached to the Matt Cameron script, which is co-produced by Essential Media and Entertainment’s Ian Collie. The feature is the first from an Aussie film and TV production co-venture between Mushroom Pictures and Morrissey Molloy Entertainment. Formed in 2011, the partnership also is co-producing The Road To Freedom Peak, a feature-length documentary that follows former child soldier Jonathan Okwir and journalist Corrin Varady as they ride bicycles across three East African countries. Varady’s...
- 11/28/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Screen Australia has committed more than $450,000 in development funding across 19 feature films.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
Psychological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner, will also receive funding.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
Psychological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner, will also receive funding.
- 11/19/2012
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Over $450 000 in funding will be spread across 19 feature films following an announcement from Screen Australia today.
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
.Pyschological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner,...
Of the 19 projects, six are new to Screen Australia.s developmental slate, while the other 13 will continue to receive support.
The new projects include the drama script Clive, about a privileged man whose life is transformed after a serious accident, and Em, a comedic take on Jane Austen.s classic Emma.
Clive comes from writer/director Natasha Pincus, producer Bridget Ikin and executive producer John Maynard.
Em will be set in 1950s rural Australia and comes from writer Matthew Dabner, director Kate Riedl and producers Karen Radzyner and Anna Vincent.
.Pyschological thriller Lonely Girl will also receive developmental support. Written by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and produced by Samantha Jennings, the project was also supported through Screen Australia.s Springboard Program.
The crime drama My Country, written by Sam Meikle and Serhat Caradee and produced by Matthew Dabner,...
- 11/19/2012
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Brendan Cowell
Writer and actor Brendan Cowell will make his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of his play Ruben Guthrie - the story of a wild-boy agency creative who burns himself out.
Cowell’s project is among 19 films to receive a cut of the $450,000 development support from Screen Australia.
Cowell has teamed up with Yael Bergman, producer of I Love You Too, which starred Cowell, and executive producers Laura Waters and Andrea Denholm.
The film’s synopsis reads: “By day, 29-year-old Ruben Guthrie is the wunderkind creative at one of Sydney’s hottest boutique ad agencies; by night, he is one of Sydney’s most notorious party boys until he jumps off a hotel roof into a wading pool and nearly kills himself. Over the next 12 months, Ruben tries to build a life around AA, cups of tea, inner growth and sex with a reformed addict. His friends,...
Writer and actor Brendan Cowell will make his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of his play Ruben Guthrie - the story of a wild-boy agency creative who burns himself out.
Cowell’s project is among 19 films to receive a cut of the $450,000 development support from Screen Australia.
Cowell has teamed up with Yael Bergman, producer of I Love You Too, which starred Cowell, and executive producers Laura Waters and Andrea Denholm.
The film’s synopsis reads: “By day, 29-year-old Ruben Guthrie is the wunderkind creative at one of Sydney’s hottest boutique ad agencies; by night, he is one of Sydney’s most notorious party boys until he jumps off a hotel roof into a wading pool and nearly kills himself. Over the next 12 months, Ruben tries to build a life around AA, cups of tea, inner growth and sex with a reformed addict. His friends,...
- 11/19/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The entertainment industry is calling for more funding to bolster Sbs's drama and documentary production.
The Friends of Sbs, a parliamentary group convened by MPs Steve Georganas, Paul Fletcher and Senator Scott Ludlam, will hold a lunch in Canberra on Thursday where Australian producers, performers and industry leaders will call on the government to provide Sbs with more financial support.
Among the lunch delegates will be Julia Zemiro (RocKwiz), Bruce Spence (R.A.N.); producers Penny Chapman (The Slap), Nick Murray (Go Back to Where You Came From), Joe Connor (RocKwiz); director Mark Joffe (Neighbours, Wild Boys); Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa) president and producer Brian Rosen, Spaa executive director Geoff Brown; and Actors Equity director Sue McCreadie.
.Sbs is unique in the world as a multicultural broadcaster and should be considered a national treasure,. Zemiro said in a statement. .Sbs needs our continued support. It plays a critical...
The Friends of Sbs, a parliamentary group convened by MPs Steve Georganas, Paul Fletcher and Senator Scott Ludlam, will hold a lunch in Canberra on Thursday where Australian producers, performers and industry leaders will call on the government to provide Sbs with more financial support.
Among the lunch delegates will be Julia Zemiro (RocKwiz), Bruce Spence (R.A.N.); producers Penny Chapman (The Slap), Nick Murray (Go Back to Where You Came From), Joe Connor (RocKwiz); director Mark Joffe (Neighbours, Wild Boys); Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa) president and producer Brian Rosen, Spaa executive director Geoff Brown; and Actors Equity director Sue McCreadie.
.Sbs is unique in the world as a multicultural broadcaster and should be considered a national treasure,. Zemiro said in a statement. .Sbs needs our continued support. It plays a critical...
- 3/14/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
The entertainment industry is calling for more funding to bolster Sbs's drama and documentary production. The Friends of Sbs, a parliamentary group convened by MPs Steve Georganas, Paul Fletcher and Senator Scott Ludlam, will hold a lunch in Canberra on Thursday where Australian producers, performers and industry leaders will call on the government to provide Sbs with more financial support. Among the lunch delegates will be Julia Zemiro (RocKwiz), Bruce Spence (R.A.N.); producers Penny Chapman (The Slap), Nick Murray (Go Back to Where You Came From), Joe Connor (RocKwiz); director Mark Joffe (Neighbours, Wild Boys); Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa) president and producer Brian Rosen, Spaa executive director Geoff Brown; and Actors Equity director Sue McCreadie. .Sbs...
- 3/14/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
If you have Netflix and are a horror fan in need of something to watch this Labor Day weekend, one look at this gargantuan list I compiled of the new terror titles Netflix has added for instant streaming in just the first three days of this month should keep you busy until Labor Day next year. You'll find something for everyone, from older titles to recent releases, famous to obscure, classic to not-so-classic, monsters to maniacs - you name it.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
- 9/3/2010
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
The Man Who Sued God
"The Man Who Sued God" brings the Big Guy upstairs to task for one of his many destructive "acts of God." It's a bold, audacious premise, one that really drags Australian cinema into the world of the Hollywood "high concept" idea. So much so that Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Prods. has picked up international rights, while Buena Vista is handling the Australian release.
The film is unrelentingly commercial and runs happily down the middle of the road. All of the plot's facets are familiar -- if not well-worn -- but are injected with a certain freshness that should appeal to a wide audience.
Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is a fisherman living a quiet life on the coast until a bolt of lightning destroys his boat and tips his life upside down. The insurance company won't pay, insisting that the accident was an "act of God." Thus, Steve's source of income is summarily shut down.
Steve decides to sue God, launching his attack on God's earthly representatives, namely, the church. He soon becomes a media cause celebre, getting a lot of attention from hard-nosed journalist Anna Redmond (Judy Davis) and the country as a whole.
While given a slick sheen by cinematographer Peter James and an aura of class by big-name stars Connolly and Davis (both giving fine performances), "God" too often plays to the simplicity of its script. Although questions are raised (but not really answered) about the soulless insurance industry and the existence of God in today's consumerist society, equal time is unfortunately given to people falling off boats and spilling drinks in restaurants.
The mix of slapstick and serious societal probing doesn't sit well. Ultimately, this gives the film an uneven, slightly clunky feel. There are also confusing moments about characters and place as a result of overswift editing in the first half, and the relationship that blossoms between Connolly and Davis is not quite credible.
If director Mark Joffe had stuck with one style of comedy, the film would work more seamlessly. But with Connolly doing his famed shtick as well as the film's eye-catching plot, expect "God" to click with audiences anyway, at least in the first few weeks of opening.
THE MAN WHO SUED GOD
A Gannon Films/Empress Road production
presented by the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with
he New South Wales Film & Television Office and Showtime Australia
Credits:
Producer: Ben Gannon
Director: Mark Joffe
Screenwriter: Don Watson
Director of photography: Peter James
Production designer: Luigi Pittorino
Editor: Peter Barton
Costume designer: Lisa Meagher
Cast:
Steve Myers: Billy Connolly
Anna Redmond: Judy Davis
David Myers: Colin Friels
Gerry Ryan: Bille Brown
Jules Myers: Wendy Hughes
Edward Piggot: John Howard
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 102 minutes...
The film is unrelentingly commercial and runs happily down the middle of the road. All of the plot's facets are familiar -- if not well-worn -- but are injected with a certain freshness that should appeal to a wide audience.
Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is a fisherman living a quiet life on the coast until a bolt of lightning destroys his boat and tips his life upside down. The insurance company won't pay, insisting that the accident was an "act of God." Thus, Steve's source of income is summarily shut down.
Steve decides to sue God, launching his attack on God's earthly representatives, namely, the church. He soon becomes a media cause celebre, getting a lot of attention from hard-nosed journalist Anna Redmond (Judy Davis) and the country as a whole.
While given a slick sheen by cinematographer Peter James and an aura of class by big-name stars Connolly and Davis (both giving fine performances), "God" too often plays to the simplicity of its script. Although questions are raised (but not really answered) about the soulless insurance industry and the existence of God in today's consumerist society, equal time is unfortunately given to people falling off boats and spilling drinks in restaurants.
The mix of slapstick and serious societal probing doesn't sit well. Ultimately, this gives the film an uneven, slightly clunky feel. There are also confusing moments about characters and place as a result of overswift editing in the first half, and the relationship that blossoms between Connolly and Davis is not quite credible.
If director Mark Joffe had stuck with one style of comedy, the film would work more seamlessly. But with Connolly doing his famed shtick as well as the film's eye-catching plot, expect "God" to click with audiences anyway, at least in the first few weeks of opening.
THE MAN WHO SUED GOD
A Gannon Films/Empress Road production
presented by the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with
he New South Wales Film & Television Office and Showtime Australia
Credits:
Producer: Ben Gannon
Director: Mark Joffe
Screenwriter: Don Watson
Director of photography: Peter James
Production designer: Luigi Pittorino
Editor: Peter Barton
Costume designer: Lisa Meagher
Cast:
Steve Myers: Billy Connolly
Anna Redmond: Judy Davis
David Myers: Colin Friels
Gerry Ryan: Bille Brown
Jules Myers: Wendy Hughes
Edward Piggot: John Howard
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 102 minutes...
- 7/8/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Man Who Sued God
"The Man Who Sued God" brings the Big Guy upstairs to task for one of his many destructive "acts of God." It's a bold, audacious premise, one that really drags Australian cinema into the world of the Hollywood "high concept" idea. So much so that Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Prods. has picked up international rights, while Buena Vista is handling the Australian release.
The film is unrelentingly commercial and runs happily down the middle of the road. All of the plot's facets are familiar -- if not well-worn -- but are injected with a certain freshness that should appeal to a wide audience.
Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is a fisherman living a quiet life on the coast until a bolt of lightning destroys his boat and tips his life upside down. The insurance company won't pay, insisting that the accident was an "act of God." Thus, Steve's source of income is summarily shut down.
Steve decides to sue God, launching his attack on God's earthly representatives, namely, the church. He soon becomes a media cause celebre, getting a lot of attention from hard-nosed journalist Anna Redmond (Judy Davis) and the country as a whole.
While given a slick sheen by cinematographer Peter James and an aura of class by big-name stars Connolly and Davis (both giving fine performances), "God" too often plays to the simplicity of its script. Although questions are raised (but not really answered) about the soulless insurance industry and the existence of God in today's consumerist society, equal time is unfortunately given to people falling off boats and spilling drinks in restaurants.
The mix of slapstick and serious societal probing doesn't sit well. Ultimately, this gives the film an uneven, slightly clunky feel. There are also confusing moments about characters and place as a result of overswift editing in the first half, and the relationship that blossoms between Connolly and Davis is not quite credible.
If director Mark Joffe had stuck with one style of comedy, the film would work more seamlessly. But with Connolly doing his famed shtick as well as the film's eye-catching plot, expect "God" to click with audiences anyway, at least in the first few weeks of opening.
THE MAN WHO SUED GOD
A Gannon Films/Empress Road production
presented by the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with
he New South Wales Film & Television Office and Showtime Australia
Credits:
Producer: Ben Gannon
Director: Mark Joffe
Screenwriter: Don Watson
Director of photography: Peter James
Production designer: Luigi Pittorino
Editor: Peter Barton
Costume designer: Lisa Meagher
Cast:
Steve Myers: Billy Connolly
Anna Redmond: Judy Davis
David Myers: Colin Friels
Gerry Ryan: Bille Brown
Jules Myers: Wendy Hughes
Edward Piggot: John Howard
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 102 minutes...
The film is unrelentingly commercial and runs happily down the middle of the road. All of the plot's facets are familiar -- if not well-worn -- but are injected with a certain freshness that should appeal to a wide audience.
Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is a fisherman living a quiet life on the coast until a bolt of lightning destroys his boat and tips his life upside down. The insurance company won't pay, insisting that the accident was an "act of God." Thus, Steve's source of income is summarily shut down.
Steve decides to sue God, launching his attack on God's earthly representatives, namely, the church. He soon becomes a media cause celebre, getting a lot of attention from hard-nosed journalist Anna Redmond (Judy Davis) and the country as a whole.
While given a slick sheen by cinematographer Peter James and an aura of class by big-name stars Connolly and Davis (both giving fine performances), "God" too often plays to the simplicity of its script. Although questions are raised (but not really answered) about the soulless insurance industry and the existence of God in today's consumerist society, equal time is unfortunately given to people falling off boats and spilling drinks in restaurants.
The mix of slapstick and serious societal probing doesn't sit well. Ultimately, this gives the film an uneven, slightly clunky feel. There are also confusing moments about characters and place as a result of overswift editing in the first half, and the relationship that blossoms between Connolly and Davis is not quite credible.
If director Mark Joffe had stuck with one style of comedy, the film would work more seamlessly. But with Connolly doing his famed shtick as well as the film's eye-catching plot, expect "God" to click with audiences anyway, at least in the first few weeks of opening.
THE MAN WHO SUED GOD
A Gannon Films/Empress Road production
presented by the Australian Film Finance Corp.
in association with
he New South Wales Film & Television Office and Showtime Australia
Credits:
Producer: Ben Gannon
Director: Mark Joffe
Screenwriter: Don Watson
Director of photography: Peter James
Production designer: Luigi Pittorino
Editor: Peter Barton
Costume designer: Lisa Meagher
Cast:
Steve Myers: Billy Connolly
Anna Redmond: Judy Davis
David Myers: Colin Friels
Gerry Ryan: Bille Brown
Jules Myers: Wendy Hughes
Edward Piggot: John Howard
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 102 minutes...
- 11/6/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'The Matchmaker'
Since World War II, U.S. presidents who have had more than a wee bit of Irish in them -- Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton -- have won voters with their charm and affability.
All three made trips back to the "homeland" and invariably received boosts (both personal and political) from the experience. A cynical version of that phenomenon, "The Matchmaker" is a trying-to-be cute romantic comedy swaddled around one Boston campaign worker's trek to Ireland to seek out the ancestors of her boss, a lunkish pol who needs the Irish-American vote to return to the Senate in Massachusetts.
Starring Janeane Garofalo as the traveling aide, this romantic comedy is about as romantic as a belch, although not as comedically subtle. Billed as a romantic comedy for those who generally don't like standard romantic comedies, this film has the potential to greatly widen that demographic. Actually, it exudes the kind of romance for those type of folks who like to take world tours without ever leaving the tour bus.
With roughly following the same geographic road map and plot line as Bill Forsythe's charming 1983 film "Local Hero", with Peter Riegert as a callow yuppie who is assigned to travel to Scotland to negotiate a land purchase for his oil company and subsequently falls in love with the pristine setting and unspoiled people, "The Matchmaker" is formulaic fodder glazed in green and hardened with the broadest of comedic elements.
Garofalo stars as Marcy, an overworked and jaded political pro who toils day and night for the re-election of self-styled Kennedy-type Sen. John McGlory. The brawny senator often likens himself to JFK, although he's clearly more a Ted Kennedy type. Not since Dan Quayle compared himself with JFK in a vice presidential debate with Lloyd Bentsen has such nonsense been uttered.
So right off we're presented with an unappealing lout running for the Senate and his snippy aide who, against her will, is sent off to Ireland to find his ancestral home and dredge up some sort of photo op for the doltish demagogue.
With a slug's sense of adventure, an elitist's disdain for everyday folk and a pisser's disposition, Marcy arrives in the Irish seaside town of Ballinagra. Although the setting is so picturesque that you would expect to see it in National Geographic, mopey Marcy carries on like a spoiled blue blood.
She's further distressed that she arrived in the middle of the town's Matchmaking Festival and, despite her obviously single status, resents the fact that all the local folk want to set her up. Incredibly, all the area's single menfolk show up at a campaign stop in hopes of matching up with her. Such a scene leads one to believe there is a severe female famine in Ireland.
Still, the film is sagely peopled by some colorful Irish, which, admittedly, is a redundancy. Screenwriters Karen Janszen, Louis Nowra and Graham Linehan have crammed in an array of appealing oddball, supporting characters, but, alas, they're more comic caricatures that are ancestrally more related to previous movies than, one suspects, small-town Irish.
Athough patently unbelievable, the romantic portion of the scenario is also doggedly predictable as Marcy develops a hate-love relationship with a quirky local (David O'Hara).
In general, Mark Joffe's broad direction lacks the precision and touch necessary to blend farce with romance. Even in the broadest fish-out-of-water terms, "The Matchmaker" sinks. In like manner, the performances are often cartoonish and, in Garofalo's case, largely unappealing. Constant mugging characterizes her performance, which turns on a dime midway through when she transforms from churlish ugly American to a swoony, in-love girl. It's a character leap too great to fathom -- nowhere along the way has Garofalo layered it with any subtleties or hints that there is something other than a lout lurking behind her sullen smirk.
On the plus side, supporting characters are well cast. Denis Leary is aptly snide as the political campaign's treacherous media guru, while Jay O. Sanders is marvelously dopey as the self-serving senator. In a small role, Saffron Burrows stands out as an elegant Irish lass who is The Real Thing, Kennedy-wise and classwise.
On the technical side, a mug at the pub for costume designer Howard Burden's character-perfect stitchings and to cinematographer Ellery Ryan for the magical, misty scopings.
THE MATCHMAKER
Gramercy Pictures
Producers Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Luc Roeg
Director Mark Joffe
Screenwriters Karen Janszen, Louis Nowra, Graham Linehan
Based on a screenplay by Greg Dinner
Line producer Nicky Kentish Barnes
Executive producer Lyn Goleby
Director of photography Ellery Ryan
Editor Martin Smith
Production designer Mark Geraghty
Costume designer Howard Burden
Music John Altman
U.S. casting Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich
Sound recorder Brendan Deasy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marcy Janeane Garofalo
Sean David O'Hara
Nick Denis Leary
Sen. John McGlory Jay O. Sanders
Declan Paul Hickey
Moira Saffron Burrows
Millie Rosaleen Linehan
Annie Olivia Caffrey
Michael Claude Clancy
Sgt. Riley James Ryland
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
All three made trips back to the "homeland" and invariably received boosts (both personal and political) from the experience. A cynical version of that phenomenon, "The Matchmaker" is a trying-to-be cute romantic comedy swaddled around one Boston campaign worker's trek to Ireland to seek out the ancestors of her boss, a lunkish pol who needs the Irish-American vote to return to the Senate in Massachusetts.
Starring Janeane Garofalo as the traveling aide, this romantic comedy is about as romantic as a belch, although not as comedically subtle. Billed as a romantic comedy for those who generally don't like standard romantic comedies, this film has the potential to greatly widen that demographic. Actually, it exudes the kind of romance for those type of folks who like to take world tours without ever leaving the tour bus.
With roughly following the same geographic road map and plot line as Bill Forsythe's charming 1983 film "Local Hero", with Peter Riegert as a callow yuppie who is assigned to travel to Scotland to negotiate a land purchase for his oil company and subsequently falls in love with the pristine setting and unspoiled people, "The Matchmaker" is formulaic fodder glazed in green and hardened with the broadest of comedic elements.
Garofalo stars as Marcy, an overworked and jaded political pro who toils day and night for the re-election of self-styled Kennedy-type Sen. John McGlory. The brawny senator often likens himself to JFK, although he's clearly more a Ted Kennedy type. Not since Dan Quayle compared himself with JFK in a vice presidential debate with Lloyd Bentsen has such nonsense been uttered.
So right off we're presented with an unappealing lout running for the Senate and his snippy aide who, against her will, is sent off to Ireland to find his ancestral home and dredge up some sort of photo op for the doltish demagogue.
With a slug's sense of adventure, an elitist's disdain for everyday folk and a pisser's disposition, Marcy arrives in the Irish seaside town of Ballinagra. Although the setting is so picturesque that you would expect to see it in National Geographic, mopey Marcy carries on like a spoiled blue blood.
She's further distressed that she arrived in the middle of the town's Matchmaking Festival and, despite her obviously single status, resents the fact that all the local folk want to set her up. Incredibly, all the area's single menfolk show up at a campaign stop in hopes of matching up with her. Such a scene leads one to believe there is a severe female famine in Ireland.
Still, the film is sagely peopled by some colorful Irish, which, admittedly, is a redundancy. Screenwriters Karen Janszen, Louis Nowra and Graham Linehan have crammed in an array of appealing oddball, supporting characters, but, alas, they're more comic caricatures that are ancestrally more related to previous movies than, one suspects, small-town Irish.
Athough patently unbelievable, the romantic portion of the scenario is also doggedly predictable as Marcy develops a hate-love relationship with a quirky local (David O'Hara).
In general, Mark Joffe's broad direction lacks the precision and touch necessary to blend farce with romance. Even in the broadest fish-out-of-water terms, "The Matchmaker" sinks. In like manner, the performances are often cartoonish and, in Garofalo's case, largely unappealing. Constant mugging characterizes her performance, which turns on a dime midway through when she transforms from churlish ugly American to a swoony, in-love girl. It's a character leap too great to fathom -- nowhere along the way has Garofalo layered it with any subtleties or hints that there is something other than a lout lurking behind her sullen smirk.
On the plus side, supporting characters are well cast. Denis Leary is aptly snide as the political campaign's treacherous media guru, while Jay O. Sanders is marvelously dopey as the self-serving senator. In a small role, Saffron Burrows stands out as an elegant Irish lass who is The Real Thing, Kennedy-wise and classwise.
On the technical side, a mug at the pub for costume designer Howard Burden's character-perfect stitchings and to cinematographer Ellery Ryan for the magical, misty scopings.
THE MATCHMAKER
Gramercy Pictures
Producers Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Luc Roeg
Director Mark Joffe
Screenwriters Karen Janszen, Louis Nowra, Graham Linehan
Based on a screenplay by Greg Dinner
Line producer Nicky Kentish Barnes
Executive producer Lyn Goleby
Director of photography Ellery Ryan
Editor Martin Smith
Production designer Mark Geraghty
Costume designer Howard Burden
Music John Altman
U.S. casting Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich
Sound recorder Brendan Deasy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marcy Janeane Garofalo
Sean David O'Hara
Nick Denis Leary
Sen. John McGlory Jay O. Sanders
Declan Paul Hickey
Moira Saffron Burrows
Millie Rosaleen Linehan
Annie Olivia Caffrey
Michael Claude Clancy
Sgt. Riley James Ryland
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/29/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Cosi'
Sociologists would have a field day examining the Australian cinematic preoccupation with the mentally ill. Two of their most acclaimed recent films, "Shine" and "Angel Baby", dealt with that theme, and now comes this slapstick tale of mentally disturbed inmates in an asylum attempting to put on Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutti".
Mark Joffe's whimsical film -- a Miramax release that received its U.S. premiere as the opening-night attraction of the 14th Miami Film Festival -- calls to mind such mid-'60s efforts as "King of Hearts" as well as recent gaudy Aussie extravaganzas such as "Strictly Ballroom".
The plot centers around Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn), an unemployed young man who seems to lack all direction in life. One day, he's hired to direct the inmates of an asylum in a variety show.
The project escalates into a production of Mozart's comic opera, thanks to the efforts of one of the inmates, an endlessly enthusiastic manic depressive (emphasis on the manic).
Although Lewis is skeptical at first, he predictably warms up to the task and also finds himself genuinely caring for the lovable group of wacky patients. He's particularly fond of one of the seemingly less disturbed of the bunch, the beautiful Julie (Toni Collette).
With the help of the hospital's head nurse (Colin Friels, who, like Gerard Depardieu is seemingly in every movie produced in his native country), Lewis sets out to fulfill his mission with good-humored dedication.
The resulting production is predictable comic chaos, including a bit of inadvertent onstage electric shock therapy for several members of the cast.
Looking on with amusement is Lewis' girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths) and his best friend Nick (Aden Young), who is coincidentally himself directing an avant-garde production of "Diary of a Madman". Lucy is not so pleased, however, when one of the inmates suddenly shows up inside their house, carting a stolen pig.
The humor of the film depends almost entirely on the bizarre behavior of the inmates, and although for a while their antics are amusing, the one-note nature of the proceedings wears thin quite quickly.
Director Mark Joffe keeps the pace suitably frenetic and provides the film with the kind of garish visual design that seems so prevalent in recent Australian films.
Mendelsohn is appealing as Lewis, but he mostly serves as a straight man for the characters surrounding him.
A face to watch for among the inmates is Colin Hay, the former lead singer for the band Men at Work.
COSI
Miramax Films
Director Mark Joffe
Screenplay Louis Nowra
Executive producer Phaedon Vass
Producers Richard Brennan, Timothy White
Associate producer Lynn Gailey
Director of photography Ellery Ryan
Editor Nicholas Beuman
Production designer Chris Kennedy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lewis Ben Mendelsohn
Roy Barry Otto
Julie Toni Collette
Ruth Pamela Rabe
Cherry Jacki Weaver
Errol Colin Friels
Nick Aden Young
Lucy Rachel Griffiths
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Mark Joffe's whimsical film -- a Miramax release that received its U.S. premiere as the opening-night attraction of the 14th Miami Film Festival -- calls to mind such mid-'60s efforts as "King of Hearts" as well as recent gaudy Aussie extravaganzas such as "Strictly Ballroom".
The plot centers around Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn), an unemployed young man who seems to lack all direction in life. One day, he's hired to direct the inmates of an asylum in a variety show.
The project escalates into a production of Mozart's comic opera, thanks to the efforts of one of the inmates, an endlessly enthusiastic manic depressive (emphasis on the manic).
Although Lewis is skeptical at first, he predictably warms up to the task and also finds himself genuinely caring for the lovable group of wacky patients. He's particularly fond of one of the seemingly less disturbed of the bunch, the beautiful Julie (Toni Collette).
With the help of the hospital's head nurse (Colin Friels, who, like Gerard Depardieu is seemingly in every movie produced in his native country), Lewis sets out to fulfill his mission with good-humored dedication.
The resulting production is predictable comic chaos, including a bit of inadvertent onstage electric shock therapy for several members of the cast.
Looking on with amusement is Lewis' girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths) and his best friend Nick (Aden Young), who is coincidentally himself directing an avant-garde production of "Diary of a Madman". Lucy is not so pleased, however, when one of the inmates suddenly shows up inside their house, carting a stolen pig.
The humor of the film depends almost entirely on the bizarre behavior of the inmates, and although for a while their antics are amusing, the one-note nature of the proceedings wears thin quite quickly.
Director Mark Joffe keeps the pace suitably frenetic and provides the film with the kind of garish visual design that seems so prevalent in recent Australian films.
Mendelsohn is appealing as Lewis, but he mostly serves as a straight man for the characters surrounding him.
A face to watch for among the inmates is Colin Hay, the former lead singer for the band Men at Work.
COSI
Miramax Films
Director Mark Joffe
Screenplay Louis Nowra
Executive producer Phaedon Vass
Producers Richard Brennan, Timothy White
Associate producer Lynn Gailey
Director of photography Ellery Ryan
Editor Nicholas Beuman
Production designer Chris Kennedy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lewis Ben Mendelsohn
Roy Barry Otto
Julie Toni Collette
Ruth Pamela Rabe
Cherry Jacki Weaver
Errol Colin Friels
Nick Aden Young
Lucy Rachel Griffiths
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/3/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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