Three 1980s Australian movies. As always with Australian updates, the quality of the videos are an issue. Although Robbery is taken from DVD, it's quality isn't great with some interlacing issues. It's alright but definitely a low quality DVD. Both Around The World in 80 Ways and With Time To Kill are from VHS rips and are not bad.

Around the World in 80 Ways

1986

Around The World in 80 Ways is a 1986 comedy where prodigal son Wally (Philip Quast) comes home after his banana selling business in Queensland goes bust only to find that his father (Allan Penney) is in a retirement home and his mother Mavis (Diana Davidson) has gone gallivanting around the world with the lecherous used car yard owner Moffatt (Rob Steele). When his father finds out his wife has gone off with his most hated rival, the near-blind man desperately wants to chase after them despite having no money except in a secret account that they can't touch. So Wally and his chronically unemployed brother Eddy ( Kelly Dingwall) decide to hatch a plan to fake that Eddy and the father's nurse (Gosia Dobrowolska) are going after them while Wally plays various 'local' characters as his father doesn't know he's back in town. Things go surprisingly well until their father gets his sight back and decides to have a little fun. The concept is so insanely wacky it's hard not to just go with as they set-up these elaborate scenarios on a minimal budget that just keeps veering towards losing control until it does. It's sometimes very funny although it goes to some bizarre areas and I visibly cringed when the father mentioned he wanted to go to Japan because unsurprisingly it's a little... obvious where it's going. But the film has a such a silly concept and just rolls with it and is surprisingly wrapped up in just over 80 minutes. A lot funnier than I imagined.

Judith Fisher film clip (collages below)

With Time to Kill

1987

With Time To Kill is a 1987 avant garde detective thriller where a policeman (Ian Scott) is chasing after a killer who is bumping off many in the Melbourne underworld. It turns out that it's his partner (writer/director James Clayden) but it takes him a while to work it out and so many of the underworld are killed in the process. Hard to describe the plot deeper as it's not much more than that and a bunch of wacky scenarios that play out like the partner and his wife only communicating with one another via video messages they leave each other. And so many people are killed, it has a horror movie worthy number of kills and impressively all in under 70 minutes. Hard to recommend though as the movie is very offbeat with lots of weird scenes and local cameos.

Lin Van Hek film clip (collages below)

Robbery

1985

Robbery is a 1985 heist thriller where a team of commandos are cut off after they kill a man during a drill. When their leader (played by John Sherrin from Chances) gets knowledge of a room where bookies meet after horse race meetings carrying their day's takings, he sets in motion a plan to rob them on the biggest racing day of the year. The robbery goes off swimmingly leaving the police and the mafia with no clue as to who they are until one disgruntled member blabs to sex worker. He is tortured and killed but does not rat out his mates and when the commandos find out, they want revenge. Meanwhile, a female cop (Regina Gaigalas) is brought in help with the investigation and she ends up sleeping with a mafia enforcer (who calls himself an insurance agent) who blabs about what he's doing to her. So, who's going to capture who first? Surprisingly efficient movie that works best when it focuses on the commando gang although the moral of the story seems to be that women are only good for men blabbing to them their plans. The ending is quite well done even though it leaves with a very open ending. Better than it has any right to be and boy were/are Australian writers obsessed with The Great Bookie Robbery, one this countries great crimes.

Regina Gaigalas film clip (collages below)