marc-1025 Wow! This movie is more 80s than Purple Rain. And the music is better too.....well almost.Although you would be mistaken for thinking that the 80s ingested it's self and spewed it's self back up causing a teenage mutant post-apocalyptic punk party - scratch that, you're probably right.This movie is mental. And it works.It's the distant future...maybe.....and the world ( or Australia ) is full of punks called cowboys who cause mayhem and destruction. The police are useless and dirty. A young jogger named Crabs takes his girlfriend to a drive in cinema.This is where the movie takes a crazy turn. Crabs and his girlfriend find themselves stranded after their car's wheels are stolen. It turns out that there are hundreds of people stranded in the drive-in and there is no escape. It reminds me of an abstract reworking of The Prisoner TV series, and it works pretty well.All of the characters, costumes, props and locations are cool. There is only one gripe - the drive in is meant to be cut off from the world with only an S-road outside with miles to the next settlement - at least that's how I understood it, but you can clearly see houses outside of the walls when crane shots are used. Not a major flaw by any stretch.Talking of crane shots - The direction is excellent. The camera movements, framing and pace are spot on. As usual the Arrow video release is very good. The transfer looks great and the audio is excellent as too is the soundtrack.All in all a quirky 80s Australian hidden gem and definitely worth checking out if you're an 80s fan.More reviews at Ukfilms net

videorama-759-859391 This oz flick which took over two years to hit video, is hardly worth the wait. In the not too distant future, which by the hardly changed backdrop, unconvincing, really, give two or three years ahead, unemployment is really taken a slump. Dole bludgers, what have you, have made the dreaded mistake of going to the outdoor flicks one too many times, where scores of going nowhere youth, have become prisoner of the drive in, it's fences electrified. In drives our hero Crabsee, (Manning) and his hot date Carmen (McCurry) who tries to defy the odds, and the other youth who've much accepted their fate, for rotting away in this dive of takeaway of crummy movies, courtesy of some of the director's other flicks. Manning is hell bent on getting out, that's his objective, the plot of the whole flick, while even his girlfriend, has accepted her situation. Only Crabsee can't, the antagonist being the owner (a wonderful Peter Whitford, wasted in this trashy junk as is the middle aged woman running the refreshment stand) who he and his outside forces try and hinder his efforts, which Manning is a guy you don't want to get pi..ed, another instance when he realizes his predicament, as he blows off some steam to Whitford, really good in the role, who slyly tries to offer him a partnership. The movie too, takes a stand on race, as when truckloads of Asians enter the dirty gates of this establishment, Crabsee is the only one, sticking by em'. Oh, I didn't mention, Crabsee can fight too, his little fracas with another of the trapped being Wilbur Wide, his uninspiring acting performance, as one can expect. Still this insipid, if original movie with it's weak plot is worth a view, as McCurry's goodies when pashing Crabsee in the back of the panel van. This movie just won't appeal to all tastes. Too imagining the reality of the movie, if you were those unfortunate youth, is enough to bring anyone down, but remember it's just a movie and not a reall good one.

christopher-underwood Futuristic setting when there have been major financial collapses, destabilising governments and creating high levels of unemployment. Sound familiar? Based upon a story by Peter Carey this has some seriousness and deals with the nation's difficulty in accepting non-white immigrants but basically this is just one big car chasing, fist fighting, race of a movie. With only a few bare tit shots to slow up the real action, this one doesn't stop till the stunt men presumably died. Ned Manning is for me a little under whelming in the lead role, but he's effective enough. The drive-in that serves for the post apocalyptic like setting for most of the film is very well established and there are some fantastic shots of punk like posers amidst a ruin of busted cars and sunbathers.

ghumph12 You'all, Yes it was a kind of silly movie...but I was in it!!! I was Shirl the Girl,dispensing contraception in the toilet block. Hey, we had such a hoot making this movie. The explosion scenes were fabulous and the people I worked with were great. My family hasn't seen the film (husband and kids) because I've always been embarrassed by it...but so many people found it so much fun so in that way it was a success albeit cultish. I think I'll try to pick it up on e-bay and try to watch it again after all these years. Thanks to all you international folk for being so adventurous and watching such an obscure flick!!!Nikki McWatters P.S All I remember about Brian Trenchard-Smith was that he kept talking about another actress who he thought was destined for big things - Nicole Kidman! So I guess he had an eye for talent!