Irreverent
created by Paddy Macrae (Netflix, 2022)
Very Australian, very quirky, if a little too untethered to be a true classic. The premise—duped of his money by a disillusioned priest, an on-the-run Chicago enforcer takes refuge posing as a minister in a remote Australian town—says it all.
Macbeth
dir. Geoffrey Wright (2006)
Well cast and drawing on the gangster film genre’s rich tradition of murder and betrayal, this dark and stylish Australian production — transplanting Shakespeare onto the Melbourne underworld — makes for a disturbingly good introduction to the plot and dialogue of the Scottish Play.
Oddball
dir. Stuart McDonald (2015)
Family fun prevails in this gratifying Australian film based on the true story of an idiosyncratic grandfather and his aptly named oddball dog, who team up to save the local colony of fairy penguins. SF aficionados will appreciate Alan Tudyk’s supporting role.