After Dark, My Sweet 1990 R, 114 min. Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: James Foley Cast: Jason Patric, Rocky Giordani, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern, Tom Wagner, Mike Hagerty, George Dickerson, Burke Byrnes, Napoleon Walls, Corey Carrier, Jeanie Moore, James Cotton, Vincent Mazella Jr., Thomas Wagner
Former boxer Kevin "Kid" Collins (Jason Patric) gets involved in a kidnapping scheme when he hooks up with alcoholic widow Fay Anderson (Rachel Ward) and her Uncle Bud (Tom Wagner). They plot to kidnap the son of a wealthy family, and Collins goes along with them. Now, Collins must decide between what is right and wrong when he learns that the kidnap victim is diabetic.
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Against All Odds 1984 R, 122 min. Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama / Thriller / Romance
Director: Taylor Hackford Cast: Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras, Jane Greer, Richard Widmark, Swoosie Kurtz, Dorian Harewood, Saul Rubinek, Pat Corley, Bill McKinney, Allen Williams, Tamara Stafford, Jon St. Elwood, Sam Scarber
Based on the 1947 film "Out of the Past," a love triangle develops when a gambling man, Jake Wise (James Woods), hires injured football player Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges) to track down his missing girlfriend, Jessie (Rachel Ward), in Mexico. Once Terry finds Jessie in Cozumel, he falls in love with her. But, there is more to Jessie than meets the eye, and there's also a lot of plot out there besides the obvious.
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982 PG, 91 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Thriller
Director: Carl Reiner Cast: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Carl Reiner, Reni Santoni, George Gaynes, Francis X. McCarthy, Adrian Ricard, Charlie Picerni, Barbara Stanwyck, Ray Milland, Ava Gardner, Burt Lancaster, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman
In this parody of 1940s' detective films, Rigby Reardon (Steve Martin) is a private eye who runs into a myriad of stars as he helps Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) find her missing father. Juliet believes that her father was murdered and gives Rigby $200 to investigate. As he searches for clues, Rigby plays opposite Hollywood stars (via memorable film clips of the 1940s).
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The Final Terror 1983 R, 82 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller aka: Bump in the Night Campsite Massacre
Director: Andrew Davis Cast: John Friedrich, Rachel Ward, Adrian Zmed, Daryl Hannah, Joe Pantoliano, Ernest Harden Jr., Lewis Smith, Mark Metcalf, Cindy Harrell, Akosua Busia, Jim Youngs, Lori Butler, Donna Pinder, Richard Jacobs, Irene Sanders
Forest rangers camp in the woods where they discover an old hut filled with body parts, and a butler bumps the campers off, one by one.
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The Good Wife 1986 R, 98 min. Genre: Drama aka: The Umbrella Woman
Director: Ken Cameron Cast: Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, Steven Vidler, Sam Neill, Jennifer Claire, Bruce Barry, Peter Cummins, Carole Skinner, Clarissa Kaye-Mason, Barry Hill
Marge (Rachel Ward) is bored with her life in a small Australian town in 1939. Her lumberjack husband Sonny (Bryan Brown) is nice enough, but isn't very exciting–nor is his brother, Sugar (Steven Vidler), who she has also slept with. She dreams of a romantic escapade, and Neville (Sam Neill) comes into town to charm her.
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How to Get Ahead in Advertising 1989 R, 95 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Bruce Robinson Cast: Richard E. Grant, Rachel Ward, Richard Wilson, Jacqueline Tong, John Shrapnel, Susan Wooldridge, Mick Ford, Jacqueline Pearce, Pauline Melville, Hugh Armstrong
Dennis Bagley (Richard E. Grant) is an extremely successful advertising executive–that is, until he has a mental block and can't come up with an advertising campaign for an acne ointment. He considers getting out of this rat race, and then notices that a huge boil has developed on his shoulder. The boil becomes his alter ego, his "good" self, while his bad self returns to the advertising business. A good satire on today's culture.
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On the Beach 2000 TV, 195 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Russell Mulcahy Cast: Armand Assante, Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, Jacqueline McKenzie, Grant Bowler, Allison & Tieghan Webber, Steve Bastoni, David Paterson, Kevin Copeland, Todd MacDonald, Joe Petruzzi, Craig Beamer
A nuclear war has wiped out the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere, and a poisonous wave of radiation is headed for Australia. A nuclear submarine, commanded by Dwight Towers (Armand Assante), appears on the scene, and, after picking up a signal from the Northern Hemisphere, the sub sets out to find what is hoped to be a safe area where people can be transported. There is a hitch: only 1,000 will be saved because that is the limit of people who can be transported on the submarine.
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Sharky's Machine 1981 R, 119 min. Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller
Director: Burt Reynolds Cast: Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Hari Rhodes, John Fiedler, Bernie Casey, Richard Libertini, Joseph Mascolo, Carol Locatell, James O'Connell
In the police/action genre, this film fares well. As a member of the vice squad, Sharky (Burt Reynolds) investigates and falls in love with a call girl (Rachel Ward). She is murdered, and to avenge her death Sharky trains his co-workers into the precision tool of a "Machine."
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The Thorn Birds 1983 TV, 480 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Daryl Duke Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Ken Howard, Piper Laurie, Earl Holliman, Mare Winningham, Bryan Brown, John Friedrich
Originally made for TV in 1983, the Emmy Award winning "Thornbirds" miniseries presented the saga of an Australian priest, Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain). In the first episode, Bricassart falls in love with Meggie (Rachel Ward) who he first met years before. The episodes cover almost 30 years and include politics of the Church, Meggie's unhappy marriage, and then follows up with the lives of Meggie's children.
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Wide Sargasso Sea 1993 NC-17, 100 min. Genre: Drama
Director: John Duigan Cast: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Rachel Ward, Michael York, Martine Beswick, Claudia Robinson, Huw Christie Williams, Casey Berna, Rowena King, Ben Thomas, Paul(2) Campbell, Audbrey Pilatus, Ancile Gloudon, Dominic Needham, Kevin Thomas
Based on Jean Rhys' best-seller–a book intended as a prequel to Emily Bronte's "Jane Eyre"–the story, set in 1840s' Jamaica, starts with plantation owner Annette (Rachel Ward) marrying rich, mean-spirited, sexist Paul (Michael York) in order to save her land. After their mansion burns down, Paul leaves, Annette goes insane, and daughter Antoinette (Karina Lombard) is placed in a convent. Antoinette eventually marries a "proper" Englishman, Edward (Nathaniel Parker), in order to inherit the family land. But Antoinette's secrets and Edward's elitism and fear of black magic, which is prevalent in the area, brings more tragedy to the family.
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| 1. After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
2. Against All Odds (1984)
3. Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)
4. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
5. The Final Terror (1983) aka: Bump in the Night aka: Campsite Massacre
6. The Good Wife (1986) aka: The Umbrella Woman
7. Hotel Colonial (1987)
8. How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)
9. On the Beach (2000)
10. Sharky's Machine (1981)
11. The Thorn Birds (1983)
12. Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
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