The Plumber (1979) aka The Mad Plumber

4 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: The Australian New Wave Has Come
Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: Peter Weir
Actors include: Judy Morris, Ivar Kants, Robert Coleby
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 77 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So it would appear that The Cable Guy was entirely ripped off from this one. The big difference being that Jim Carrey in his film was just obnoxious, the plumber in this film was disturbing. A couple are adjusting to their relatively new apartment and their new situation (the wife has decided to stay home and study for a bit while the husband works). When the wife is home alone she gets a knock on her door from the plumber, he just needs to check her pipes you see. Next thing you know he's claiming the pipes are rotted and need to be replaced. Before long he's mentally tormenting her in her own home and the bathroom has turned into total destruction. He's writing song lyrics in her shower and performing in her bathroom, watching her change and various other creepy things. Just watching him interact with her is extremely uncomfortable. It's actually a relatively well made film and it was really short (77 minutes) but originally it was shot for tv. Still it packs quite a punch, and well it would make most people think before answering the door to a plumber!

Availability:  On DVD as a bonus when you buy:

Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)

4 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: Australia's First International Hit!
Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: Joan Lindsay, Cliff Green
Actors include: Rachel Roberts, Helen Morse, Vivean Gray
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Horror
Length: 115 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a very mysterious film, and if you like clarity and explanation then you may not really dig this film as it's extremely open ended. It's beautifully filmed in Australia around an area called Hanging Rock (though I'm sure the title gave that away). A group of girls from a boarding school on a trip go to picnic at Hanging Rock, but when four girls go independently exploring, only one returns. At some point while climbing three of the girls seem nearly possessed as they don't seem to respond to the fourth girl's cries. The fourth girl goes running back, and the teacher who came to find them disappeared also. The rest of the film is dealing with the loss from the surviving girls perspective as well as a couple of fellas who knew one of the girls and their obsession with finding out what happened. It's quite fascinating, and although it's frequently mentioned being based upon a true story, it's definitely not. See there was even a mysterious extra chapter that later was written in the novel that actually explains what happened (kind of) for those who absolutely must know (yes I read it).

Availability:  On DVD