Shameless Self Expression

Not to be confused with the Patrick Swayze/Liam Neeson redneck action pic, this one’s an Aussie supernatural/psychological horror pic. Jacki Kerin’s mother dies, and she inherits the family business: a home for the elderly seemingly out in the middle of Woop Woop. Upon arrival, strange shit starts happening to spook Kerin and elderly patients turn up murder death killed. John Jarratt is her frankly lousy sometime boyfriend, Gerda Nicolson (who did a great job replacing Patsy King as the governess on TV’s “Prisoner” ) and Alex Scott play the manager and resident doctor, respectively who seem to be up to something. Debra Lawrance (miles away from everyone’s favourite foster mum on TV’s “Home and Away” ) plays a local bogan twit, and Scottish-born Tommy Dysart (known for Aussie TV work, especially commercials) runs a local store. A favourite Ozploitation film of Quentin Tarantino’s, I’m less enamoured with this 1982 mixture of Kubrick and Argento, from Kiwi director Tony William...

Philip Marlowe via Cheech and Chong. Or one man’s search for monetary compensation for his soiled rug. Jeff Bridges plays Jeffrey Lebowski, better known as The Dude, a life-long slacker, unemployed (supported by an inheritance), who lives to smoke weed, drink White Russians, and go bowling with his buddies, Walter and Donny. Walter (Goodman) is a hostile, gun-totin’, fiercely protective Polish Catholic Jew Vietnam veteran (!) who has post-traumatic stress and absolutely will not leave the house on a holy day, unless it’s a life and death situation. Meanwhile, Donny is the polar opposite; meek, possibly not very bright, and always having someone butt in (usually Walter telling him to ‘Shut the fuck up!’) before he’s even finished talking. One day some German thugs (including Peter Stormare and Chili Peppers bassist Flea) burst into his apartment, rough him up, and piss on his rug. Damn shame, it really tied the room together! They have unfortunately confused The Dude for another Jeffr...