Rabe, Pamela

Sirens

Australian filmmaker John Duigan (The Year My Voice Broke, Wide Sargasso Sea) has a taste for sensual art direction that occasionally flares up in a big, big way. With Sirens, he manages to turn oceans of female nudity into a slightly tongue-in-cheek decorousness that is neither unpersuasively arty nor purely soft porn. Starring Hugh Grant (and released the same year as two other Grant vehicles, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bitter Moon, thus establishing him as a star), the film finds the handsome, stammering actor playing an Anglican priest newly posted to Australia. There, the clergyman's first mission is to convince a famously libertarian artist (Sam Neill) not to exhibit a painting with mixed erotic and religious themes. The experience of being at their host's anything-goes compound for a few days, however, nestled deep in the wilds and keeping company with uninhibited, frequently naked models proves terribly stirring for Grant and his character's timid wife (Tara Fitzgerald), the two of them a study in sexual repression. The film doesn't have a point so much as it does an appealing atmosphere of unbridled naturalism counterpointed by Grant's charming self-consciousness. Once you've grown accustomed to the phenomenal sight of an unclothed Elle Macpherson (who is actually very good in her acting debut as a semi-savage model) wandering toward the bank of a river, for instance, you realize she's only part of the amazing flora and fauna enriching this pocket of earth and the souls of our principal characters. --Tom Keogh

Sexy and spirited, this endearingly funny comedy has captivated moviegoers everywhere! The charming Hugh Grant (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) plays an idealistic young minister on a mission. He must tame the wicked ways of a notorious artist (Sam Neill -- JURASSIC PARK), whose nude paintings of his beautiful models (including sexy supermodel Elle MacPherson) scandalize the nation! Intent on delivering salvation, the repressed reverend and his wife instead are led into temptation by their playfully seductive hosts and sensuous new surroundings! Enchantingly sexy fun from beginning to end -- you too will find the allure of SIRENS irresistible!

Paradise Road

Earnest and well-meaning, this film also accumulates power as it goes along, despite its inability to generate any moral complexity. But then how complex can you get in a story about the Japanese imprisonment and mistreatment of an international group of women (including Glenn Close, Frances McDormand, and Julianna Margulies)? Written and directed by Bruce Beresford, it's based on a true story. Japanese brutality has been well chronicled before; the real story here is the way these women of different social and ethnic backgrounds achieve a sense of solidarity in the face of potentially deadly abuse. Strong performances and many uplifting and moving moments. --Marshall Fine

In a time of war, an extraordinary group of women turned a song of hope into a symphony of triumph. From the director of "Driving Miss Daisy" comes a true story of courage, triumph, friendship and strength starring Glenn Close ("Dangerous Liaisons"), Oscar®-Winner Frances McDormand (1996 Best Actress, "Fargo") and Emmy Award Winner Julianna Margulies (TV's "ER"). This compelling drama reveals the heroic actions of a group of women held prisoner by the Japanese during World War ll. These diverse women from different countries, speaking different languages, unite to form a vocal orchestra-creating a life affirming symphony of human voices.

Cosi

This is another one of those Cuckoo's Nest mental patient liberation stories, but with a clever "let's put on a show" twist. A group of melancholy Australian patients dares to pull off a theatrical version of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. This film adaptation of Louis Nowra's play is quite absurd and quite erratic, yet quite affecting in the second half when the patients finally commit to the quixotic project. But how to relate to Mozart's 1790 opera about true love? By identifying with the theme of infidelity as a therapeutic exercise. And how do they pull of this madcap farce? By relying on their ability to pretend, of course. This is most difficult for the unimaginative and uncaring director (Mendelsohn), who finds himself in a life-imitates-art conflict with his curt girlfriend and a damaged yet flirtatious patient. However, it is the passionate patient (Otto) who won't let Cosi die who is the film's emotional center. He's a neurotic perfectionist and a delusional addict--a sad, desperate man with a dream to show the world how to love and be loved. --Bill Desowitz

Fun, fresh, and thoroughly entertaining, COSI is the acclaimed comedy about a colorful circle of friends just crazy enough to follow an impossible dream! A first-time director is thrilled to land a job with a small show ... until he meets the outrageous "performers" he'll be working with! An offbeat group with big-time ambitions that far outweigh their talents, these nutty friends are nonetheless determined to overcome the odds! Featuring stars from the comedy hits MURIEL'S WEDDING (Toni Collette, ABOUT A BOY, Rachel Griffiths -- HBO'S SIX FEET UNDER) and STRICTLY BALLROOM (Barry Otto), COSI proves taking the wildest risk can lead to the greatest reward!

Sirens

Australian filmmaker John Duigan (The Year My Voice Broke, Wide Sargasso Sea) has a taste for sensual art direction that occasionally flares up in a big, big way. With Sirens, he manages to turn oceans of female nudity into a slightly tongue-in-cheek decorousness that is neither unpersuasively arty nor purely soft porn. Starring Hugh Grant (and released the same year as two other Grant vehicles, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bitter Moon, thus establishing him as a star), the film finds the handsome, stammering actor playing an Anglican priest newly posted to Australia. There, the clergyman's first mission is to convince a famously libertarian artist (Sam Neill) not to exhibit a painting with mixed erotic and religious themes. The experience of being at their host's anything-goes compound for a few days, however, nestled deep in the wilds and keeping company with uninhibited, frequently naked models proves terribly stirring for Grant and his character's timid wife (Tara Fitzgerald), the two of them a study in sexual repression. The film doesn't have a point so much as it does an appealing atmosphere of unbridled naturalism counterpointed by Grant's charming self-consciousness. Once you've grown accustomed to the phenomenal sight of an unclothed Elle Macpherson (who is actually very good in her acting debut as a semi-savage model) wandering toward the bank of a river, for instance, you realize she's only part of the amazing flora and fauna enriching this pocket of earth and the souls of our principal characters. --Tom Keogh

The Well

Creepiness abounds in this beautifully shot, well-acted Aussie suspense flick. The Well is especially satisfying because it takes its time, carefully setting up the characters before getting to the meat of the plot. Stiff, quiet Hester, edging into middle age, lives alone on an isolated farm with her father. When Hester brings young, pretty Katherine to the farm to help with the housework, her life begins to change, subtly revolving more and more around her young maid. To reveal any more would deprive the viewer of watching the quietly chilling plot unfold. Director Samantha Long shoots the movie skillfully and patiently. Her best device is the use of a blue-gray filter, with sudden bright flashes of red and yellow around Katherine. The cast is uniformly good, but special kudos goes to Pamela Rabe, who reveals the passion hiding just beneath Hester's surface. --Ali Davis