Aussie/N.Z. shows worth a watch
by fmacruairi | created - 13 May 2011 | updated - 11 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Animal Kingdom (2010)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seventeen-year-old navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.
Director: David Michôd | Stars: James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, Bryce Lindemann
Votes: 60,537 | Gross: $1.04M
2. Bad Taste (1987)
Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The population of a small town disappears and is replaced by aliens that chase human flesh for their intergalactic fast-food chain.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Terry Potter, Pete O'Herne, Craig Smith, Mike Minett
Votes: 49,135
3. Blue Murder (1995)
198 min | Crime, Drama
Set in 1980s Sydney, this acclaimed mini-series tells the story of the relationship between corrupt Detective Roger Rogerson and one of Australia's most infamous criminals Neddy Smith.
Stars: Richard Roxburgh, Tony Martin, Steve Bastoni, Gary Day
Votes: 1,114
4. Boy (I) (2010)
Not Rated | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.
Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu, Taika Waititi, Moerangi Tihore
Votes: 29,555 | Gross: $0.26M
5. Bra Boys (2007)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
A film about the cultural evolution of the Sydney beach side suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle faced by its youth - the notorious surf gang known as the Bra Boys.
Directors: Sunny Abberton, Macario De Souza | Stars: Russell Crowe, Kelly Slater, Cheyne Horan, Jack Kingsley
Votes: 1,357 | Gross: $0.05M
6. Cedar Boys (2009)
100 min | Crime, Drama
An edgy, tense drama which follows the lives of 3 young men from Sydney's outer west with dreams and desires to better themselves and fit into a more glamorous side of Sydney. But choosing a life of crime has its consequences.
Director: Serhat Caradee | Stars: Rachael Taylor, Martin Henderson, Fayssal Bazzi, Ian Roberts
Votes: 591
7. Chopper (2000)
R | 94 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Chopper tells the intense story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison. His book, "From the Inside", upon which the film is based, was a best-seller.
Director: Andrew Dominik | Stars: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Vince Colosimo, Renée Brack
Votes: 41,534 | Gross: $0.23M
8. Gettin' Square (2003)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Barry has good intentions when he is released after 8 years in prison, but finding a job is difficult with a prison record, and he can't keep his kid brother or his friend out of crime.
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky | Stars: Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Timothy Spall, Freya Stafford
Votes: 3,254
9. Gallipoli (1981)
PG | 110 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins
Votes: 41,989 | Gross: $5.73M
10. He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Romance
A nightmare chase through hell in a never-ending, unrequited daisy chain of desire...
Director: Richard Lowenstein | Stars: Noah Taylor, Emily Hamilton, Romane Bohringer, Sophie Lee
Votes: 4,053
11. Little Fish (2005)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A woman trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.
Director: Rowan Woods | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving, Martin Henderson
Votes: 9,229 | Gross: $0.01M
12. Meet the Feebles (1989)
Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Multiple animals and insects experience the sleazier side of show business while working on a variety show.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Danny Mulheron, Donna Akersten, Stuart Devenie, Mark Hadlow
Votes: 22,212
13. Mad Max (1979)
R | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley
Votes: 222,633 | Gross: $8.75M
14. Mental (2012)
Not Rated | 116 min | Comedy, Drama
A charismatic, crazy hothead transforms a family's life when she becomes the nanny of five girls whose mother has cracked from her husband's political ambitions and his infidelity.
Director: P.J. Hogan | Stars: Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia, Liev Schreiber, Rebecca Gibney
Votes: 5,200 | Gross: $0.02M
15. Malcolm (1986)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
A socially awkward and mechanically gifted man becomes involved in a quirky and unconventional crime.
Director: Nadia Tass | Stars: Colin Friels, John Hargreaves, Lindy Davies, Chris Haywood
Votes: 2,845 | Gross: $0.54M
16. Noise (I) (2007)
Not Rated | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
This is a story about the wrong person in the right place at the wrong time. Two heinous crimes have left a suburban town reeling.
Director: Matthew Saville | Stars: Brendan Cowell, Maia Thomas, Katie Wall, Maude Davey
Votes: 2,763 | Gross: $0.02M
17. Wake in Fright (1971)
R | 109 min | Drama, Thriller
After a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay
Votes: 13,976 | Gross: $0.05M
18. Opal Dream (2006)
PG | 86 min | Drama, Family
A young girl's relationship with her imaginary friends resonates throughout her town in the Australian Outback.
Director: Peter Cattaneo | Stars: Sapphire Blossom, Christian Byers, Vince Colosimo, Jacqueline McKenzie
Votes: 1,063 | Gross: $0.01M
19. Once Were Warriors (1994)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama
A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Julian Arahanga
Votes: 36,865 | Gross: $2.20M
20. Pure S (1975)
85 min | Drama
A group of Australian heroin addicts go out and try to score a hit after a friend overdoses.
Director: Bert Deling | Stars: Sally McNee, Doc Smith, Russell Kirby, Kenny Taylor
Votes: 123
21. River Queen (2005)
R | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An intimate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman Sarah and her family find themselves on both sides of the turbulent wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand.
Director: Vincent Ward | Stars: Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison
Votes: 2,728
22. Romper Stomper (1992)
R | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A group of skinheads become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing.
Director: Geoffrey Wright | Stars: Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Alex Scott
Votes: 41,624 | Gross: $0.18M
23. The Snowtown Murders (2011)
Not Rated | 119 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris, Bob Adriaens
Votes: 20,636 | Gross: $0.01M
24. Soft Fruit (1999)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
Three sisters and their ex-con brother return home to nurse their mother, who is dying of cancer.
Director: Christina Andreef | Stars: Jeanie Drynan, Linal Haft, Russell Dykstra, Geneviève Lemon
Votes: 568 | Gross: $0.01M
25. Stickmen (2001)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Three young men unwittingly become involved in an underground pool tournament.
Director: Hamish Rothwell | Stars: Robbie Magasiva, Paolo Rotondo, Scott Wills, Simone Kessell
Votes: 1,527
26. The Boys (1998)
R | 86 min | Crime, Drama
Brett Sprague is a violent and psychopathic man, who is released on parole after serving a sentence for assault. As he returns to his family house and we watch him and his brothers, Stevie ... See full summary »
Director: Rowan Woods | Stars: David Wenham, Toni Collette, Lynette Curran, John Polson
Votes: 1,725 | Gross: $0.00M
27. The Club (1980)
PG | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Boardroom and dressing-room intrigues spill on to the field at the Australian Rules football club.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Jack Thompson, Graham Kennedy, Frank Wilson, Harold Hopkins
Votes: 1,122
28. Two Hands (1999)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A 19 year old finds himself in debt to a local gangster when some gang loot disappears and sets him on the run from thugs. Meanwhile two street kids start a shopping spree when they find the missing money.
Director: Gregor Jordan | Stars: Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown, David Field, Tom Long
Votes: 13,668
29. The Hard Word (2002)
R | 102 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
3 brothers are in and out of prison in connection with heists planned by their lawyer et al. He gets them out for the heists and "looks after" the money and one's wife.
Director: Scott Roberts | Stars: Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton, Damien Richardson
Votes: 3,882 | Gross: $0.42M
30. The Craic (1999)
86 min | Comedy
Two Irish actors (Jimeoin McKeown, Alan McKee) flee from 1988 Belfast after a violent confrontation with a leader (Robert Morgan) of the IRA and illegally enter Australia. Seeking acting ... See full summary »
Director: Ted Emery | Stars: Jimeoin, Alan McKee, Colin Hay, Bob Franklin
Votes: 604
31. The Loved Ones (2009)
R | 84 min | Crime, Horror
When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.
Director: Sean Byrne | Stars: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, John Brumpton, Richard Wilson
Votes: 44,081
32. The Little Death (2014)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney reveal both the fetishes and the repercussions that come with sharing them.
Director: Josh Lawson | Stars: Bojana Novakovic, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany
Votes: 27,790 | Gross: $0.02M
33. Wolf Creek (2005)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.
Director: Greg McLean | Stars: Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt
Votes: 78,399 | Gross: $16.19M
34. Wolf Creek 2 (2013)
Not Rated | 106 min | Horror, Thriller
The outback once more becomes a place of horror as another unwitting tourist becomes the prey for crazed, serial-killing pig-hunter Mick Taylor.
Director: Greg McLean | Stars: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr, Shannon Ashlyn, Philippe Klaus
Votes: 22,721
35. West (2007)
90 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Pete & Jerry are cousins living in Sydney's Western Suburbs, where life consists of drinking, getting stoned, getting in fights and hanging out. But things change forever when Pete and Jerry both fall in love with the same girl.
Director: Daniel Krige | Stars: Khan Chittenden, Nathan Phillips, Gillian Alexy, Michael Dorman
Votes: 601
36. Underbelly (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Each season of this multi-award-winning television series takes you through a 13-episode run in the rise and fall of real-life Australian underworld figures as told from both sides of the law.
Stars: Caroline Craig, Paul Tassone, Dieter Brummer, Daniel Roberts
Votes: 5,291
37. Utu (1983)
Unrated | 104 min | Adventure, Drama, History
In 1870, a Maori warrior working with the British finds his village massacred, and vows revenge.
Director: Geoff Murphy | Stars: Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Tim Elliott, Kelly Johnson
Votes: 1,333
38. Walkabout (1971)
GP | 100 min | Adventure, Drama
Two city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they learn to survive with the aid of an Aboriginal boy on his "walkabout": a ritual separation from his tribe.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Jenny Agutter, David Gulpilil, Luc Roeg, John Meillon
Votes: 27,359 | Gross: $0.02M
39. Kenny (2006)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy
This hilarious mockumentary film follows the numerous misadventures of a porta-john worker through both his personal and professional life, including an oddly glamorous excursion to the Pumper and Cleaner Expo in Nashville, TN.
Director: Clayton Jacobson | Stars: Shane Jacobson, Travis Golland, Chris Davis, Alf Scerri
Votes: 7,283
40. Dirty Deeds (2002)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Crime
1973 Sydney: An Australian gangster sees booming business, due to U.S. soldiers being in town for relaxing between their tours to the Vietnam war, attracts the attention of first the Chicago mafia, and then their East Coast competitors.
Director: David Caesar | Stars: Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman, Sam Neill
Votes: 3,426
41. Idiot Box (1996)
R | 83 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Looking for the fast track out of suburban hell, two natural born losers scheme an impossible heist. Two undercover cops and a highly strung speed dealer are not far behind.
Director: David Caesar | Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Jeremy Sims, John Polson, Graeme Blundell
Votes: 915
42. In My Father's Den (2004)
R | 127 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A disillusioned war journalist's return home is blighted when he becomes implicated in the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl he has befriended.
Director: Brad McGann | Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Miranda Otto, Emily Barclay, Colin Moy
Votes: 7,866
43. Malcolm (1986)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
A socially awkward and mechanically gifted man becomes involved in a quirky and unconventional crime.
Director: Nadia Tass | Stars: Colin Friels, John Hargreaves, Lindy Davies, Chris Haywood
Votes: 2,845 | Gross: $0.54M
44. The Black Balloon (2008)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Romance
All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie, accept his brother?
Director: Elissa Down | Stars: Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Erik Thomson
Votes: 9,237 | Gross: $0.09M
45. The Postcard Bandit (2003 TV Movie)
106 min | Crime, Drama
The story of notorious Australian bank robber Brendan Abbott, who according to the myth, sent postcards to authorities hot on his trail while on the run across the country.
Director: Tony Tilse | Stars: Tom Long, Brett Stiller, Matthew Le Nevez, Geneviève Lemon
Votes: 266
46. The Dark Horse (2014)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama
A brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion finds purpose by teaching underprivileged children about the rules of chess and life.
Director: James Napier Robertson | Stars: Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston, Kirk Torrance, James Napier Robertson
Votes: 6,586 | Gross: $0.06M
47. Whale Rider (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Family
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis
Votes: 44,045 | Gross: $20.78M
48. The Great Mint Swindle (2012 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 92 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on a true story, three Australian brothers become embroiled in a scam by selling a fake gold nugget to a tycoon.
Director: Geoff Bennett | Stars: Grant Bowler, Todd Lasance, Josh Quong Tart, Shane Bourne
Votes: 223
49. Little Monsters (2019)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids'-show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.
Director: Abe Forsythe | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England, Josh Gad, Kat Stewart
Votes: 19,296
50. Australian Gangster (2021)
180 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A wild tale of ruthless ambition and revenge, set within the Sydney underworld, where gangsters and the Instagram generation collide with Sydney's glamorous social elite.
Stars: Alexander Bertrand, Louisa Mignone, Steve Bastoni, Salvatore Coco
Votes: 423
51. Fat Tony & Co (2014)
42 min | Crime
A mini-series that uncovers the story of one of Australia's most notorious criminals, Tony Mokbel.
Stars: Robert Mammone, Gyton Grantley, Shane Jacobson, Madeleine West
Votes: 670
52. Mr Inbetween (2018–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Crime, Drama
Ray Shoesmith is a father, ex-husband, boyfriend, brother and best friend, tough roles to juggle in the modern age. Especially when you're also a criminal for hire.
Stars: Scott Ryan, Chika Yasumura, Justin Rosniak, Damon Herriman
Votes: 30,288
53. Black Snow (2022– )
TV-MA | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 1994, seventeen-year-old Isabel Baker was murdered. The crime shocked the small town of Ashford and devastated the Australian South Sea Islander community of Elizabeth.
Stars: Travis Fimmel, Jemmason Power, Talijah Blackman-Corowa, Seini Willett
Votes: 7,066
54. Colin from Accounts (2022– )
TV-MA | 27 min | Comedy
Ashley and Gordon, two single-ish, complex humans who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog. Flawed, funny people choosing each other and being brave enough to show their true selves and navigate life together.
Stars: Tai Hara, Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer, Zak
Votes: 9,016
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