Cosy Cool

You're right, it was a pathetic movie as far as acting, actors, script, dialogue, continuity, direction, plot, characters, editing, camera work, outdated slang, embarrassing moments and just full-on cringe, but, you know, I love the bloody thing and would watch it again, anytime, anywhere. Made on a tiny budget, by virtual amateurs, it could rate right down there with the worst movie ever made, but it really is a fantastic snapshot of Sydney in the seventies, and it's a blast to see the locations and how much they've changed over the last 3 decades. The bikes, one an oil-in-frame Triumph done up as a Six-Dollar Chopper, and the other an Iron Sporster with seriously narrow pull-backs, were fairly representative of custom bikes back then. They were built at M&F Choppers and painted by Dave Hart. The Sporty ended up on the Northern beaches and was owned by a mate, while the Trump just disappeared (even though it was a "Really spoofy chopper" according to a line from the movie). The Trump stars in an unscripted crash on the Great Western Highway at Wentworthville. It was meant to be a wheelstand, but it went horribly wrong; it ended up as the best footage in the whole shoot, so they used it. The mutant wheelie was staged in normal, everyday traffic and when the alleged stunt rider finally said: "err, oh-oh!", it's an absolute classic! Another interesting thing was the appearance of most of the Comanchero MC members at the end of the movie, and quite a a few of those blokes aren't around anymore. However, if anyone tries to infer that there's any relationship between final scene in this movie and very real and nasty events of the Milperra Massacre some seven years later, tell'em they're dreamin' — it was nothing more than a spooky coincidence. There was a raffle at the movie's premiere, the prize being the Triumph hero bike. At the end of the show, a lot of bikers not only wanted their money back, but after seeing what the first prize was subjected to during the shoot, they also wanted their raffle ticket stubs removed from the barrel, in case they won! Two things about the movie I really liked were the things that upset most of the reviewers: the first was the sub plot of wandering around the Hot Rod Show at Bankstown Square shopping mall. I went to most of the shows around that time, so I was probably there when they filmed. It's fascinating to think that most of the fine hotrods on show are still around in either exactly the same condition or in some form in 2006. Also the sub plot of the drag racing at Castlereagh Dragstrip was pretty cool, as it featured some of the wild wheelstanders and rails that formed one of the American dragracer tours that hit Australia from the late 1960s on. Yep, it works well as a time capsule,and if you remade the movie with real actors, real scripts and real cinematography, but just kept the basic plot line and reworked the title, it could almost make it as a good movie.

As shocked as I am at realising somebody else besides ME saw this film, I must also admit that I actually paid to see it on its first and only tragic release at the doomed Town Cinema in Sydney in 1977. It was ghastly. Sort of a home movie version of STONE (previous bikie antics in Sydney) and of course EASY RIDER. It is a sort of a retarded version of either or both. I just don't know. But, I do have to say, what ever happened to auteur Gary Young? At least he had a go, and as bewildering as the film is, he did make something. I guess sort of an Ed Wood for the Kangaroo Kinema fans. Maybe if everyone was nude all through the film it might have helped, but I don't think so. There is even some gratuitous snuff footage from some lost vampire pic too. Yikes!

I am the only person in the world who has seen this movie?? 'Cosy Cool' is one of the most obscure movies to be released in Australia. It's a low budget biker movie inspired by 'Easy Rider'. When I say low budget I mean LOW BUDGET - it makes 'Stone' look like 'Spartacus'!

Unlike 'Stone' this movie isn't about biker clubs (though the Commancheros do appear towards the end). The two protagonists, Cosy Cool and Gracious Grytt, are disenfranchised "space cadets" (their description) who don't fit in with either the biker scene or the straight world. Cosy packs in his job pumping gas, reunites with his old mate Grytt, and the pair hit the road heading for a car/bike show. After they win some prize money there they decide to continue on in search of kicks. Along the way they run across bigoted country folk, "friendly" girls, and other freaks. What they don't realise is that some sinister rednecks are keeping track of them, and are planning on ruining their good time.

This movie is obviously a labour of love for director/star Gary Young. The movie is far from sophisticated (in Australia we'd call it "rough as guts"), technically shaky, unevenly acted, and with many unintentional laughs, but even so, it has a raw unbridled energy and enthusiasm very rarely seen. Cosy and Grytt are uncliched Aussie characters that ring true. You wonder if Young and Wilson aren't just basically playing themselves. Wilson in particular as Gracious Grytt is one of the most memorable screen bikers. Hopper or Fonda he isn't, but his catchprase "negative waves, negative waves" will hopefully one day ensure him of undying cult status!

I have heard about this movie for a long time but was never able to get a copy of it. A friend of mine in the DVD duplicating business was able to get hold of a copy and we had a party to look it over.

First this is a time capsule,great seventies feel about it. Its a bit rough here and there and its obviously not a huge budget but it does get hooks into you.

The music is great, John English's "shotgun" is a mean piece of music and that "red green and yellow" thing does rattle around the old brain box for days.Basically its a rock and roll road movie and the music is good, even if the acting is a bit patchy here and there.There is plenty of gore,blood and action just when its needed to make you jump.

It starts a trifle slow,and obviously has some padding in the form of a series of hot cars at a car show, but by the time the action starts around 10 minutes in its a mover. I like this picture and would have rated it higher if it had a bit more "polish" but nevertheless its a picture you don't mind seeing over.We screened it twice and lots of interesting things seem to pop out the second time that we just skipped over the first time. I had a few "looseners" by the time the second screening was on and its a much better movie seen like that.

The movie has never been seen on TV apparently because it was the cause of the Fathers Day Massacre in Australia, or at least thats the industry rumor according to my friend.

Showtime DVD in Perth Western Australia are rumored to be closing a deal to release the picture.Thats where my friend got the copy to look at,its an industry copy for distributors to look at When the Fathers day massacre occurred the co star John Wilson was there with his girlfriend. Apparently according to the news reports she was the first person shot dead. Pretty weird coincidences here The last scene of the movie is a massacre involving the Commenchero bikers. Maybe it was the cause of the massacre because these were the same bikers involved in the actual real life massacre. Maybe the bikers just wanted to bring cinema to real life.

Its a movie I would recommend to see. Its almost impossible to get a copy and there are widespread rumors about it all through local biker clubs but if you read the net about the Fathers Day Massacre and then see this movie I can certainly see a connection.

I saw the two reviews for this movie and because the PTB guy was so emphatic in his dislike for it I just had to see it. I had to shop around a few video stores but it wasn't real hard to find and the images and sound were just fine on my copy [maybe just differences between copies] I have to say I probably agree more with the guy from Perth "Infofreako" then the "PTB" guy from Sydney. no question that the picture is low budget but it does hold you nevertheless.....Its a capsule of life in 1975 in fringe Sydney Australia. I'm into hot cars and bikes etc so I was more than just a little fascinated to see the bikes and cars. The red Harley is drop dead gorgeous...I want one the acting does get a little patchy here and there but [guessing] its probably a reflection of the budget with limited takes more than anything else. Overall the picture does get its hooks into you...and a re-watching does help to get another perspective on it [seeing it a second time highlighted some things I missed the first time] The story is a bit patchy but it all came together in the end and something else came to mind on the second watching... Aren't the Commenchero bikers the ones who shot each other up in that massacre??..the last scene of this movie is an implied massacre so maybe this was a "dress rehearsal" for real life I liked the picture..its definitely not a 10 but it does have "something" and it does hold you...I voted 6 for it...