Australian Movies I've Watched

The film that heralded in the New Wave of Australian cinema and was very different from the films that came before it. An early gross out film that still has a few good laughs and a rare lead role from stalwart character actor Bruce Spence. You can see the early remnants of Alvin Purple in this film.

Walkabout is a coming of age drama that begins with a father bring his teenage daughter (Jenny Agutter) and his young son to the desert where he promptly attempts to kill them, fails and then kills himself. Leaving the girl and boy to fend for themselves in the desert, they struggle until they meet an aboriginal boy (David Gulpilil) who is in the midst of his 'walkabout', a journey he must take to learn how to fend for himself and become a man. Together, they manage quite well, but over time, the aboriginal boy begins to take a shine to the girl, feelings that are not reciprocated by the girl. So, will the threesome survive?

Not a lot to Walkabout, it is more about emerging emotions, cultures clashing and burgeoning sexuality than a survivalist film, but that's what makes Walkabout a very intriguing film. An excellent film that still holds up extremely well.

Wake in Fright is a UK/Australian co-production that follows English teacher John Grant (Gary Bond), who has finished the term in the middle of nowhere and is now heading to Sydney to meet up with his girl. When Grant gets to the 'Yabba, a mining town full of men, he stays the night before getting a plane to Sydney the next day. Big mistake. He stops in for a drink at a pub and meets up with Jock (Chips Rafferty in his last film), the local cop and he shows Grant the local traps including the game of 2-up. Grant is reluctant to join in on the town's frivolity, in fact deriding it to local doctor (Donald Pleasence, pure gold). The Doc's response is to just accept it and enjoy it. So, Grant joins in the game of 2-up and wins big, but like all greedy gamblers, he goes for one more big win, selling his plane ticket to put more money in, and of course, he loses it all and is stuck in the 'Yabba. With no money and no access to work, all there is to do is go to the pub and drink and meet up with other men and drink your worries away, cos without money, Grant ain't getting to Sydney and he's stuck in the 'Yabba. It's going to be a long few days.

Sublime, almost lost classic that is a brutally honest portrayal of the Australian way, amplified in mining towns. Wake In Fright holds up as well as Walkabout does, including the shocking kangaroo hunt scene which has to be seen to be believed. Great stuff. Looks amazing on the big screen.

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is an ocker comedy about the Aussie who everyone in Australia knows, Barry McKenzie (Barry Crocker). When Barry's father dies, his father leaves him $2000 on the condition that he spend it in England spreading his unique Aussie way. Joined by his aunty Edna Everage (Barry Humphries, who else...), he reluctantly leaves and finds himself getting fleeced by the locals as well as confiscating the precious Foster's Lager. Once in England, he meets up with his friend Curly who introduces him to the Aussie sites in London. In a pub, he is asked to act in an ad for a pervy ad director, but when he falls for his co-star (Maria O'Brien), the ad director stops him from congress, much to Barry's chagrin. Barry and Edna meet up with old friends the Gorts, a typically British family with an ugly duckling daughter they want Barry to marry, but Barry manages to escape only to be taken in by jaded hippie folk singers who use him to make it big. It turns out Barry's a hit singing one of Curly's anti-Pommie poems. But in the commotion to get his services, he is knocked out and taken to hospital where a dodgy psychiatrist (Barry Humphries, again) declares him insane because of his ocker speak. Again he escapes. His aunty then takes Barry to meet an old Aussie friend Lesley, a lesbian who has an ex-husband (Peter Cook) who is a producer of a late night BBC show and wants Barry to spread his infectious behaviour, with disastrous results.

Yeah, some of the comedy has dated in our PC environment, but gross-out comedy never dates and the first Barry McKenzie film is still a pretty funny film. And let's face it, it's such an Aussie film that it might just be unwatchable to anyone outside of Australia, even the English (a thing that is ridiculously compensated for in the follow up). And boy do the Poms cop it. The only thing there is more of is Foster's. A fun film that is a nostalgic reminder of that continuing rivalry between Australian and the old Country.

Night of Fear is a 50 minute stalker thriller feature made in 1972 from the same team as Inn of the Damned where a young woman (Carla Hoogeveen, also in Inn of the Damned) goes off to have some tennis and a liaison with a married man. She is also a reckless driver and on her way back to Sydney, she narrowly avoids hitting a truck, only to run off the road and into a dead end (which she does not know). She follows it until she drives into a hidden ditch. This awakens a hillbilly type (Norman Yemm) who just happens to be a man who likes to do bad things to women, usually involving rats. The young woman is now lost in the middle of nowhere with a drooling maniac after her. Here's hoping she gets out alive...

Feeling more like an experimental movie with a multitude of editing and sound production, Night of Fear feels extremely dated but highly ambitious and technically proficient pointing to director Terry Bourke's hands on approach. The acting though is overly dramatic and seriously off-putting and while it may have worked back in the 70s, feels way too much now. But, like Inn of the Damned, Night of Fear isn't without it's charms, but again, it's close but no cigar.

Breakout film from the director of Stork, a fun but now quite questionable sex comedy about an average looking man who is irresistible to all women, but only wants one girl. Meanwhile, an incredibly sleazy psychiatrist uses him to seduce frigid women so he can film it and sell it to stag parties. Some of the content is troubling now, but it's still a very fun film with Graham Blundell's in his iconic role. Stacks of 70s nudity too.

Libido is a portmanteau film consisting of 4 short stories revolving around the erotic feelings of certain people in very different situations. The Husband is about an ultra-jealous husband who allows his wife and mother of his two children (Elke Neidhart) to have her own life, but has secret fears that she is off with other men. His fears seems unfounded or are they? The Child, directed by Alvin Purple director Tim Burstall, is about a young boy who becomes infatuated by his new nanny (Judy Morris), but things sour dramatically when she falls for a man and ends in tragedy. The Priest, directed by Fred Schepisi, is about a Catholic priest who falls madly in love with a nun (Robyn Nevin), but does she return the love. Finally, The Family Man is about two married men, Ken (Jack Thompson) and Gerry (Max Gillies), who decide to hook up with some young women while Ken's wife is in hospital after giving birth, but things don't go to plan when they pick up two girls (Debbie Nankervis and Suzanne Brady) from a bar.

Tough to like all four stories as they are all quite wildly different in tone and how they are told. Both The Husband and The Family Man are told in a more contemporary, mainstream way while the other two stories are more artfully told. The Priest is almost all narration, which gets a bit monotonous. Personally, I would say my favourite story was The Family Man, mainly for its interesting look at sexual politics in a time of great change for women and because Jack Thompson acting drunk is always fun.

Dreadful and obvious cash in follow up to the successful Alvin Purple. Most of the same cast comes back, some in different roles. Everything seems to be made up on the spot and after beginning in a similar way to the original, the film bizarrely turns into a gangster film. Frank Thring is a rare highlight.

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own is the follow up to the 1972 original where Barry McKenzie (Barry Crocker) and his aunt Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) are heading over to Paris to visit Barry's identical twin brother Kevin (um, probably Barry Crocker...), a reverend who is doing a talk in Paris. Meanwhile in Transylvania, head vampire Count von Plasma (Donald Pleasence) is wanting some royal blood and accidentally mistakes Edna Everage for the Queen of England and sends two incompetent goons to kidnap her. Finally, they kidnap her and the Australian cultural attaché tells Barry that he is not safe in Paris and that he can hide in England. Except, you now need a work permit to get into England, so Barry is smuggled in by boat. Once in England, he is instantly detained, but escapes to the Australian embassy where they hatch a plan to get Edna back from the Count.

Having a similar nonsensical plot change as the Alvin Purple sequel, this film handles it a lot better though. This film is actually pretty funny, I especially crack up any time the legendary Clive James' piss pot character appears on the screen, always opening a Foster's and then being siphoned for his blood, except it's 100% Foster's. Yeah, it's still very politically incorrect, there's even a black face scene, but once you get over the fact that these were different times, it's a very enjoyable sequel.

Between Wars in a drama about an English doctor during World War I, Dr. Edward Trenbow (Corin Redgrave) who is left in charge of a fledgling psychiatric war of a military hospital, even though he knows little about psychiatry (mind you, psychiatry was still very much trial and error at this point of time). After the war, he is brought to a mental hospital and put in charge of the hospital where he meets a German doctor versed in Freud. Dr. Trenbow is then sent to Australia where he continues his work, only to walk away and start up a country practice and something about becoming a communist and I starting to bore myself.

Yeah, I don't have an interest in psychiatry, but apparently neither does Dr. Trenbow. He seems to just float by as if he can't be bothered doing anything else, well until the whole communism thing in the 1930s comes along. He doesn't seem all that interested in defending his actions when charged with malpractice and doesn't seem all that interested in communism, his marriage and why not, life itself. I don't know what going on, but the doctor just seems to do things for something to do, it just bizarre. If only this was meant by the filmmakers, otherwise it would have been a far better film than this dated nonsense is serving up. Ah well, there's, bizarrely, a blow job scene in the film that comes out of nowhere. Hmmpgh, why not..?

First feature from the great director Peter Weir about a small town that causes fatal car accidents on out-of-towners and then sell the parts and belongings to live on. When one man survives, instead of the usual lobotomy, the mayor of the town takes him under his wing. Meanwhile, the young folk are getting antsy. Interesting film and a sign of better things to come from Weir.

Petersen is a drama about renaissance man Tony Petersen (Jack Thompson), an electrician and former footy star who has taken time out from his job to go to university, all the while encouraged by his doting wife Susie (Jacki Weaver) as she looks after their 2 kids. At university, he is a struggler, but he's doing a good job fitting in, mainly with one of his lecturers, the married Trish (Wendy Hughes), who are having a passionate affair. It seems that Petersen is quite the lady killer, even in front of his wife. He's also a big drinker and a brawler and you know how these go together. As the relationship with Trish develops, things for Petersen get more and more complex until it ends with a burst of extreme violence as he desperately tries to come to terms with his new life.

Wow, Petersen, from the writer of Don's Party and the director of Alvin Purple and Stork (and Attack Force Z, can't forget that little corker), is one hell of a film that is very much of the time, so much so it seems like science fiction. Petersen pretty much has to walk in a room and every woman wants to sleep with him. His wife is one of the most submissive wives I've ever seen in film, she seems unreal. Were/Are woman really that dismissive of themselves? The sexism is a given for a 70s film, but at least it addresses it and then throws it against the wall when Trish calls one character a nymphomaniac even though she is having an affair with Petersen. The violence in the film seems unbelievable, but after thinking about it a little, I don't think it's that far removed for a notorious brawler. The rape scene is very sudden and I can't make up my mind about it's meaning. I'm still struggling to get my head around the film but it has definitely got me thinking. It's a strong and often ugly look at a man trying to find himself, even if it's not a perfect film, it's definitely something. Plus Jack Thompson's drunk acting is a hoot and he's regularly drunk and violent in this film.

Stone is a bikie cult classic about a cop named Stone (Ken Shorter) who has been asked to find the person who is assassinating bikies. He attempts to join the Gravediggers, run by Undertaker (Sandy Harbutt, also writer/producer/director etc.) and is helped when he saves Undertaker from being assassinated. The gang reluctantly allows the cop to join but they welcome him as he is willing to join in their activities. As Stone goes about looking who is behind the killing, he finds that most people actually welcome the Gravediggers because while they're rowdy, they actually drive business. It turns out that those wanting them dead are not actually the usual enemies of bikies.

It's tough to describe the plot of this film because not a lot actually happens, it's more about the lifestyle and this is usually portrayed in the film with striking images more than plot. Stone is a filthy film, with the biker gang and their girls looking incredibly dirty which definitely adds a layer of authenticity to the film. Other images such as a massive (and quite insane) clifftop dive from a motorcycle, the bikie funeral ride, a bikie race and the brutal final scene are memorable even almost 40 years on. While the film meanders along in no hurry to get to it's destination, it's never boring and is far more intriguing than most biker films even when it delves into gross misogyny and other ugly behaviour. Stone is fascinating film that will be forever memorable.

The Great Macarthy is a Aussie Rules comedy about country football star McCarthy (John Jarratt on debut) who is recruited to play football in the big leagues by the South Melbourne Swans. In the country, he worked in his dad's garage as a mechanic. In the city, he is well looked after, given an office job, which is basically a token position. And he soon becomes the star player at full forward. Then he starts taking night classes and he meets his teacher Miss Russell (Judy Morris), a cultured professional. He falls for her hard, but things don't go as planned and they break up. McCarthy moves on, but she is still in the back of his mind even when he quickly marries Andrea (Kate Fitzpatrick), the ballsy daughter of the club's owner Col Ball-Miller (Barry Humphries, criminally underused). And quickly divorces. McCarthy then loses his love for the game, but who knows, maybe Miss Russell will help him find it.

The Great Macarthy is a bizarre relic that is a rare example of Aussie Rules on the big screen (I think The Club and Australian Rules are the only others). The movie is all over the place. It places itself as a bawdy comedy, but anytime Judy Morris' cultured character is on screen, the film almost turns into an arthouse love story which doesn't fit at all. Most of the comedy is pretty crass and dated, but there's a laugh or two. The footy scenes are a mix of acting and real live action with a lookalike playing McCarthy and the footage is really good, so is the incorporation of the League Teams crew (although Jack Dyer is strangely missing from the film, but appears in the trailer...). Max Gilles plays two different characters who look exactly the same, which is just out and out baffling. Barry Humphries' character probably seemed funnier on paper.

But, there's one thing that amused me unintentionally and that is McCarthy wears the number 39 and plays full forward for the Swans just like a rather flamboyant show-off (who admittedly could play) in the 80s named Warwick Capper, who was the Great McCarthy of his day (as the tag line says, 'He's footy's most forward full forward'). Now, that is a bizarre coincidence.

Epic kung fu actioner from genre journeyman Brian Trenchard-Smith bringing out Jimmy Wang Yu to Australia to track down the killer of a Hong Kong drug dealer (a really young Sammo Hung) and he does things his way which is to beat up everyone till it leads to the man he wants (George Lazenby showing some good skills). Insane action, a surprising amount of ball punching and some great scenery round out an superb action thriller. Surprised it's never been remade. 'You, you've blown it all sky high...'

Inn of the Damned is a 1975 thriller set in the old West (bafflingly Gippsland in Victoria) where a rundown inn in the middle of nowhere is the site for a string of murders. Caroline (Dame Judith Anderson from Rebecca) and her ever loyal husband Lazar (Joseph Fürst) run the inn where they kill anybody who stays in their establishment which has something to do with their young children dying or something. One day, a trooper (Tony Bonner) stays there and is crushed in the bed by a platform weighed down by heavy rocks that the operated by Lazar. But, this couldn't of happened at a worse time as the place gets busy for the first time ever. First, a couple of noble women with their horseman get caught in a rainstorm and stop off to get out of the rain, then a maverick sheriff (Alex Cord), who has just killed a child killer who was harboured by the inn couple in self-defence, goes looking for the trooper and finds that the inn has much more than meets the eye.

Overlong (pushing two hours) movie that has pretensions to greatness including being heavily inspired by Hitchcock (Psycho particularly), but comes up short mainly thanks to too much going on. That's not to say that there aren't good things in the movie, it is well cast, particularly the inn couple who are very unnerving. The murders are quite nasty and well done and the movie is technically proficient, but it's the story that lets the movie down. It feels like two movies rolled into one, hence the quite long running time.

Following two cops, Sergeant Dan Simmonds (Peter Cummins), a 30 year veteran and Constable Neville Ross (John Hargreaves), on his first day. Things are slow until Marilyn (Jacki Weaver), with the help of her sister Kate (Kate Fitzpatrick), files a complaint of domestic abuse against her husband Kenny (Martin Harris). After filing the complaint, the sisters come back a hour later to claim that Kenny has struck Marilyn again. The two cops call in a removalist (Chris Haywood), to help get Marilyn's stuff and head over to the house to supervise. But Kenny is completely standoffish, refuting all claims and goading the cops when not accusing his wife of everything under the sun. Then, Sergeant Dan starts laying into Kenny to help him shut up, which only exacerbates things as Kenny starts claiming police brutality. Things get more tense and more violent before the unthinkable happens.

Based on a David Williamson play (wasn't everything in the 70s), The Removalists finds it hard to move away from its stage origins and at times feels very crowded. Even at only 85 minutes, the movie feels long and has scenes that don't feel necessary. And while the movie is fairly watchable, it does become a brutal violent mess where you'd think the cop characters would probably be kicked out of the force for what happens. I get the feeling this is one of Williamson's lesser plays.

A thriller where playboy cop Scobie Malone (Jack Thompson) is called in to investigate the murder of actress Helga Brand (Judy Morris) at the Sydney Opera House and who Scobie has a brief fling with. As we follow Scobie and his partner Clemens (Shane Porteous) as they investigate, we also see Helga's side of the story, we find out that Helga is really a blackmailer who seduces men of importance, including in this case Walter Helidon (James Condon), a high up politician. Helga asks for $20,000 or their dalliances are made public. But, Helga wants out of the blackmailing business and looks for one big score and when her lover Jack Savanna (Joe Martin) happens across crime kingpin Mr. Sin's (Noel Ferrier) heroin importing operation, they may have their way out. But, Mr. Sin is having none of that.

Surprisingly good little, long forgotten potboiler that's carried by Jack Thompson's usual charm and an against type turn from Judy Morris, who's all types of nasty. Also backed up by a fairly decent supporting cast including a pre-A Country Practice Shane Porteous trying to be hip and some quality tail making Scobie Malone a pretty fun ol' watch.

And if you ever see it, look out for Bryan Brown playing a cop in what looks like his first ever movie, bafflingly listed as Brian Bronn in the credits.

Two travellers form an unlikely bond over Dead Eye Dick's liking of Mexico Pete's orgasm face. And then at the insistence of Dick they travel together far and wide to find the ultimate prostitute Eskimo Nell, who turns out to be someone very different depending of the person. Feeble comedy and a waste of Max Gillies and if that doesn't grab you there's plenty of nudity, including Abigail's first full frontal nude scene as trumpeted loudly at the time. Director Richard Franklin would go onto to much better as a genre director.

'Boy's Own' action adventure where two Vietnam war buddies, Steve (John Hargreaves) and Rod (stuntman Grant Page) now run a successful movie stunts business with them as the stars. One day, shady ASIO head Culpepper (Noel Ferrier) spies them performing some spectacular stunts and decides to test their abilities for a super-secret spy mission. With some reservations from his wife Julia (Margaret Gerard, the director's wife), Steve and ladies man Rod take the job. They are to infiltrate a power station which holds the details of a plan by some Filipino crime lord and they are to bring it back to Culpepper.

Second feature movie directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith (The Man From Hong Kong was his first) is a shameless ode to stuntman Grant Page but has the added bonus of a surprisingly well-cast John Hargreaves in a rare action role. Deathcheaters is a movie that is just an excuse for spectacular stunts and with that brief, it more than excels. The movie has some spectacular sights thanks to first-time cinematographer John Seale and features plenty of cameos from BTS regulars. The plot is very thin, but who cares. Apart from some heavy exposition scenes in the middle, Deathcheaters is a whole lotta fun, but if you're looking for more, this isn't the movie for you.

Don's Party is a slice of life comedy/drama that focuses on a time when there is key changes in the social structure. Set on the night of the 1969 Australian elections where the Labor Party is tipped to get back into office for the first time since 1949, Don (John Hargreaves) and his wife Kath (Jeanie Drynan) host a party to celebrate a Labor Party victory, inviting his friends who have varying views. Simon (Graeme Blundell) and Jody (Veronica Lang) are fairly conservative and seem out of place at the party. Mal (Ray Barrett) and Jenny (Pat Bishop) are long time friends of Don and Kath with similar views, but their marriage is a little unsteady. Mack's (Graham Kennedy) wife has dumped him and arrived by himself. Evan and Kerry (Candy Raymond) are a couple whose marriage is falling apart and it's going to be a long night for them. Finally, serial womaniser Cooley (Harold Hopkins) has picked up a promiscuous young girl Susan (Clare Binney) and together they are going to set this party alight. Over the night, both political and sexual tensions will hit boiling point, marriages and friendships frayed and things may never be the same again. If only the Labor Party would win the election. (Spoiler: They don't).

It's hard to describe Don's Party without going on and on because there's some much happening. It's a pretty much perfect showcase of a certain time and I say that as someone who has an aversion to writer David Williamson's work (although I seem to have forgotten why). While it is based on a play and is pretty much set just at Don's house, it never feels stagey or restrictive like The Removalists. Director Bruce Beresford has done some great work here. There's so many iconic scenes and while the characters all have their purpose, Cooley is a standout, he's so freaking hilarious. His reaction to finding out the girl he just picked up, Susan, is just 19 is priceless. And he hits on every woman at the party, including Jenny, who he calls a fishwife. It's all gold and I have to say, one the best Australian films ever.

Eliza Fraser is a bawdy period farce set in the early years of Australia where the incompetent captain of the brigantine ship, Captain Fraser (Noel Ferrier) sails his ship to Moreton Bay prison where his 2nd in command Captain Rory McBride (English actor John Castle) disembarks wanting to captain his own ship. McBride is also carrying on an affair with Captain Fraser's wife Eliza (English actress Susannah York). At Moreton Bay prison, now under the command of the sadistic Captain Foster Fyans (the legendary Trevor Howard), always enlists a snitch and a bedboy at every prison he run and the job of bedboy goes to David Bracefell (John Waters), who decides to run off naked instead of sharing the bed with Fyans. He ends up the bed of Eliza, who at first mistakes him for McBride, but instead of turning him, she takes pity on him and helps him escape. The next day, the Frasers leave Moreton Bay and wouldn't you know it, get shipwrecked in the same spot the Captain did 4 years previous. A group of Aborigines take in the Frasers and for a while, they live like Aborigines until an Aboriginal elder decides to marry Eliza and she and the Captain escape, with the help of Bracefell who turns up in the nick of time. Eliza takes a shine to Bracefell and want to escape to New Zealand with him, away from her husband, but there one more thing they hadn't counted on. The return of McBride.

From the people behind Alvin Purple and Petersen, Eliza Fraser is a fun romp, although not really a funny romp. Would have to be one of the first movies to have an extensive look into the lives of Aborigines. Eliza Fraser was a real life person who was notorious for spinning tall tales and this is definitely one tall tale. And there's a requisite nude cameo from Abigail, an oft-used selling point for movies in the 70s.

Interesting two-hander about two brothers who are both suspected of a series of murders of female hitchhikers (we enter with a hitchhiker played by Delvene Delaney been bumped off), even though one is wheelchair bound. Both brothers are weirdos and the alibi involves both using each other in one way or another. Intriguing stuff from the director of Stork and Alvin Purple.

Mad Dog Morgan, ah Mad Dog Morgan, is a biographical drama about notorious bushranger Daniel Morgan (Dennis Hopper, yes Dennis Hopper at his most ridiculous best), an Irishman driven to robbing a stagecoach when his luck runs out in the goldfields. He is caught and sent to jail for 12 years where he is subjected to all sorts of horrors. On release, Morgan vows revenge on everyone who wronged him and because he is broke, he might as well robbed some folk as well. When Morgan is shot, he is nursed back to health by an Aborigine named Billy (David Gulpilil from Walkabout), who then joins forces with Morgan to help him escape from the encroaching traps (police), headed by a harsh Superintendent (Frank Thring, in fine form) and lead on the ground by Detective Manwaring (Jack Thompson). As Morgan heads to Victoria, he also seems to be given the support of many people who hate the traps and authority as much as he does.

This, this is a bizarre film and I suppose that is why Troma were involved with it for a while. Dennis Hopper is so over the top (and possibly under the influence) that it's impossible not to shake your head in disbelief. Lots of rambling and incoherent behaviour both on and off the set. And the director Philippe Mora (later of Howling 2 and 3, Communion) seems just as eccentric with some absolutely bizarre stuff going on. I wouldn't say this was a particularly good film, but one you should watch just for the sheer madness of it. And it contains the best final line in cinema history.

And don't forget the scrotum...

70s rock'n'roll interpretation of The Wizard of Oz (funnily enough not credited as such...) as Dorothy decides to come to Melbourne to see the Wizard, a glam rock star, after she is in a car accident that kills a town bully. Along the way, Dorothy is joined by with a dumb surfer, a rigid mechanic and a cowardly bikie and she is being followed by a psychotic truckie who wants to rape her. Some good moments mixed with the silliness of reinterpreting Oz to 70s Australia. The concert footage featuring The Wizard is superb.

Teenage boy gets his first car and uses it to cruise for girls. One girl takes a shine to him and they go out for a while, her parents object and then boy blows it during a booze fueled sex act. Boy tries to get her back, but by this stage he has passed to the point of no return and being drunk (again) doesn't help. Interesting slice of life film that feels like Puberty Blues told from the boys perspective. And Frankie J. Holden has an obvious cameo.