Yes, you know why we are all here. And why I’m doing this. Turns out we require a functioning government in order to keep the public safe from potential disaster. And since we currently don’t have one of those, the days ahead will be rife with long-neglected viewings covering a broad spectrum of backed up material.

Some great, others bizarre beyond belief.

Welcome to the Quarantine..

Speaking of hard lefts, let’s get into something incredibly long in the putting off. A film that has been so neglected, that a part of me wonders if it was just me assuming that this was some kind of well-earned austrailan musical detritus—A thought that should send me bolting toward the corner of shame because if I had seen Gillian Armstrong’s unexpected follow-up to My Brilliant Career, i’d have long known this to be a painfully underseen and under appreciated time capsule. Looking into the US release history, and all I can see here is injustice as STARSTRUCK, ranks among the more charming post-Rocky Horror musicals wrapped in quirk ever made.

Now, the story shape is a familiar one to those who grew up on sitcoms; a working class kid with a unique voice and big dreams makes it to the big time only to realize what made their work so special was their low-rent, no frills nature. The film features Jo Kennedy who’s local appearances in local rock clubs have gathered some momentum despite her pub-running family’s antipathy toward her art. With the backing of her sweet-natured, and energetic teen cousin, Angus (Ross O’ Donovan) who happens to write her songs, they scheme to gain the attention of a beloved Sydney pop music show host in hopes of making it into the big time. Armstrong, again not the kind of filmmaker one imagines working well with such a particular format, gives it an earnest shot that in its own way, feels so much like the cultural record scratch Kennedy’s Jackie Mullen exudes.

And what we get, is a colorful, and delightfully odd snippet of Sydney life in the early 1980s.

A great deal of STARSTRUCK’s juice ultimately comes from the super easy chemistry between Kennedy and O’Donovan, who ricochet off each other like comedy naturals. Couple this with a spirited go at making a musical at the dawn of MTV, with several genuinely fun songs, one of which made the Top Five in Australia upon release (Written by Split Enz’s Tim Flynn, no less!) And even when it is occasionally clear Armstrong, isn’t as adept at composing a more cinematic musical experience, she more than makes up for it by way of sheer chutzpah.

Oh, and there’s a tightrope walking scene here that must be seen to be believed.

It’s not out to reinvent the combustion engine, let alone the superball, but it certainly chugs and bounces where it should making STARSTRUCK something of a buried treasure for those eager to see more from the dawn of the early 80s aussie film boom.