

Panic Mechanic(1996)
When Hanky Pranky (alias Schucks), star of a candid camera TV show, loses his job to affirmative action, he applies for a job at a stress academy. It´s not long before Schucks discovers his new boss, Jack Paddaman, is as crooked as they come, but it´s too late: the employment contract is signed and sealed.A year passes, and Schucks is no better off. However, his candid camera videos, which poke fun at all sectors of post-1994 South Africa, prove a big hit with stressed-out government ministers. When the president asks Paddaman to make a movie to benefit street children, Schucks and his pals do all the hard work while Paddaman plans how he can get hold of the profits from the video sales. Add a scatterbrained secretary, a lovelorn traffic cop and a cunning street child and you have a roll-in-the aisles comedy with a distinctly South African flavour.
Movie: Panic Mechanic
Top 10 Billed Cast
Jakob
Jack Paddaman
Gloria Haasbroek
Billy
Annie / Various characters
Himself
Saartjie

Panic Mechanic
HomePage
Overview
When Hanky Pranky (alias Schucks), star of a candid camera TV show, loses his job to affirmative action, he applies for a job at a stress academy. It´s not long before Schucks discovers his new boss, Jack Paddaman, is as crooked as they come, but it´s too late: the employment contract is signed and sealed.A year passes, and Schucks is no better off. However, his candid camera videos, which poke fun at all sectors of post-1994 South Africa, prove a big hit with stressed-out government ministers. When the president asks Paddaman to make a movie to benefit street children, Schucks and his pals do all the hard work while Paddaman plans how he can get hold of the profits from the video sales. Add a scatterbrained secretary, a lovelorn traffic cop and a cunning street child and you have a roll-in-the aisles comedy with a distinctly South African flavour.
Release Date
1996-11-29
Average
5.7
Rating:
2.9 startsTagline
Genres
Languages:
AfrikaansEnglishKeywords
Recommendations Movies

Sweet 'n Short(en)
In South Africa, Sweet Coetzee wins an award for 20 years service as a sportscaster on his 40th birthday, beating his rival, pompous George "The Weasle" Weedle. After Sweet gets drunk one night at his birthday party, he misses a sportscast and his boss, Bryce Williams demotes him to interviewer and promotes Weedle. A subplot of the film are two robbers, "Bossy" and "Savage" who the main characters remain remotely unaware of as they are just a comic theme. Sweet pulls a prank on Weedle during a golf game and is suspended for six month. Sweet also records Weedle having humorous intercourse with a prostitute, "The Orphan in a Storm". Sweet then decides to drown his sorrows in a casino at the slot machines, where he tricks a small boy, Alfred "Shorty" Short into thinking he is a genie. Bossy and Savage try to rob the casino when they accidentally break the disco ball and it knocks Sweet unconscious just as he hits the jackpot.

Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa(en)
Leon Schuster or “Schuks Tshabalala” and Shorty (Alfred Ntombela) intend to produce a movie as a visual guide and aid for foreigners coming to SA for the World Cup. Schuks Tshabalala is a teacher and tour guide to a mixed bag of tourists who are taking his survival guide to SA very seriously. Shorty, as usual, is his best friend, assistant and conscience. The students include ”Heinz” from Germany, “Yoti” from Greece, “Jean-Pierre” from France, “Koert” from The Netherlands, “Rajin” from India, “Maggie” from Ireland and “Xing Xang” from China, among others. They are genuinely eager to learn about SA, so Schuks and Shorty are only too happy to oblige. What follows is a series of hysterical demonstrations of life in SA as they attempt to answer all the questions posed by potential visitors.

Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda(en)
In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.

Rage and Glory(he)
An avowed anarchist and Stern Gang hitman is sent to Jerusalem to assassinate a senior British officer creating much tension within the already troubled cell and almost brings its collapse, as the British operatives are closing in.

Sinking the Lusitania: An American Tragedy(en)
The sinking of the Lusitania and the impact it had in determining the fate of World War I is widely known. But few know the stories of the passengers and crew aboard the doomed luxury liner, or the German commander who ordered the deadly attack on May 7, 1915. Follow the final voyage of the massive ship, from her celebrated exit from New York's Pier 54 to her 18-minute plummet off the coast of Ireland. Through firsthand accounts, meet the men, women, and children who rode the "Greyhound of the Seas" into a war zone, and into history.

Home(hr)
She watches him through the window as he loads the final pieces of furniture into the truck. They are counting down the last hours in their home. Their seven-month-old baby is asleep, unaware of the trouble brewing. They will either vacate the apartment peacefully, or they will be forcefully evicted. Their home, her father's legacy, used to be their safe haven, their family nest. Now, corrupt courts, greedy bankers, and unscrupulous real estate investors have turned it into a site of their worst nightmares. As tension rise, they struggle to preserve their relationship. In the morning, as police knocks on their door, their future seems uncertain, but their options are very clear: either accept injustice or show resistance.

Midnight Snack(en)
A pair of robbers break into a house, expecting to snatch a quick buck. What they find is far less appetizing.

Sex Love Venice(en)
Healing from a painful breakup, Michael travels to Venice, Italy, where he discovers the beauty of desire and experiences a love that awakens his spirit, promising to forever change the course of his life.

A Scream in the Dark(en)
A detective tries to prove that a woman is killing her spouses with a spiked umbrella.

Ladies Must Live(en)
A small town farmer, who happens to be very wealthy, meets and falls for an actress, but his friends warn him she's only interested in his money.

Rap's Hawaii(en)
Hawaiian comedy institution Rap Reiplinger brings to life his most beloved characters in this Emmy-winning special, which features extensive performance clips and a thoughtful biography of the comedian. The bits -- which still live on in everyday Hawaiian repartee -- include "Da Old Man," "Aunty Marialani Cooking Show," "The Soda Taste Test," "Fate Yanagi," "Candidate Willie Maunawili" and more.

Linda and Irina(fr)
Guillaume Brac films Linda and Irina in this pivotal time of adolescence, where everything is a balancing act between doing what one wants and living up to parents’ expectations, in the run-up to that long-awaited adulthood.

24 horas de placer(es)
Man develops a reputation as a great bedroom athlete after publishing a 'spicy' novel.

Multiverse Dating For Beginners(en)
After a meet cute gone horribly wrong, Ivy gets a second chance at love in this feminist, magical realism rom-com.
Similar Movies

They Call Me Trinity(it)
The simple story has the pair coming to the rescue of peace-loving Mormons when land-hungry Major Harriman sends his bullies to harass them into giving up their fertile valley. Trinity and Bambino manage to save the Mormons and send the bad guys packing with slapstick humor instead of excessive violence, saving the day.

Silent Movie(en)
Aspiring filmmakers Mel Funn, Marty Eggs and Dom Bell go to a financially troubled studio with an idea for a silent movie. In an effort to make the movie more marketable, they attempt to recruit a number of big name stars to appear, while the studio's creditors attempt to thwart them.

The Gangsters(en)
An amusing burlesque of gang fighters. The police go after them, one by one, and each guardian of the peace is caught and despoiled of his clothing and compelled to return to the station.

My Neighbor Wants Me Dead(en)
The Tenant continuously fails to escape his deadly apartment under five minute time limit as his blood-thirsty neighbor threatens to break in and exterminate him.

The Short-Sighted Cyclist(xx)
The cyclist is dispatched upon an important errand, and his humorous and alarming adventures by the way form the subject of this series. Misadventure follows misadventure with great frequency, but the cyclist comes up smiling every time, mounts his machine, and again resumes his journey. Accidents which would maim or kill an ordinary mortal serve only to spur him on to fresh exertions in a mad search for physical inconveniences and dangers, which always present themselves. (Picture World)

Zazie dans le Métro(fr)
A brash and precocious ten-year-old comes to Paris for a whirlwind weekend with her rakish uncle.

Modern Times(en)
A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time..

First Period(en)
New girl Cassie and outcast Maggie are easily the most awkward girls in high school. Together, they decide the way to win the hearts of the cute boys and popular girls is to come in first at the school talent show. But rivals Heather, Other Heather, and their popular boyfriends Brett and Dirk will stop at nothing to keep our heroes the laughing stock of the school. It's going to take makeovers, courage, and maybe even a little rapping to beat them in true 80s style.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown(es)
Pepa resolves to kill herself with a batch of sleeping-pill-laced gazpacho after her lover leaves her. Fortunately, she is interrupted by a deliciously chaotic series of events.

RV(en)
Climbing aboard their mammoth recreational vehicle for a cross-country road trip to the Colorado Rockies, the Munro family – led by dysfunctional patriarch, Bob – prepares for the adventure of a lifetime. But spending two weeks together in one seriously small space has a way of cramping their style.

Guest House Paradiso(en)
Richie and Eddie are in charge of the worst hotel in the UK, Guest House Paradiso, neighbouring a nuclear power plant. The illegal immigrant chef has fled and all the guests have gone. But when a famous Italian filmstar, Gina Carbonara, who is in hiding from a fiance she doesn't want to marry, arrives at the hotel, things get very interesting!

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa(en)
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home.

Wrong No. 2(ur)
A rich heiress who falls in love with a man who is not as financially stable as herself. When former love interests make an appearance, the new lovers face challenges.

He's In Again(en)
A tramp enters a cabaret and orders a drink, but then is thrown out when he cannot pay for it. After trying again, he is told by the manager that if he wants to avoid being charged and sent to jail, he will have to work.
Love and Bullets(en)
Charlie is trying to impress Minnie, who is interested in another fellow, but having trouble with his flirting, so he goes to see a 'Trouble Mender'. The trouble mender-a man who spends his time moving through sliding panels, materializing hillbilly henchmen and himself-comes up with a radical solution, he will kill him. No more life, no more problems! But then Minnie throws over the other guy and Charlie must find a way out of his bargain!

Kopps(sv)
A small Swedish village, Högboträsk, is so peaceful that crime is nonexistent. The police spend their shifts drinking coffee, eating hot dogs and chasing down runaway cows. This is all well and good for the village's own police, but the police management board wants to discontinue the local police force for lack of crime.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls(en)
Summoned from an ashram in Tibet, Ace finds himself on a perilous journey into the jungles of Africa to find Shikaka, the missing sacred animal of the friendly Wachati tribe. He must accomplish this before the wedding of the Wachati's Princess to the prince of the warrior Wachootoos. If Ace fails, the result will be a vicious tribal war.

Home Alone 3(en)
9-year-old Alex Pruitt is home alone with the chicken pox. Turns out, due to a mix-up among nefarious spies, Alex was given a toy car concealing a top-secret microchip. Now Alex must fend off the spies as they try to break into his house to get it back.
The Radio Bug(en)
A homeowner takes delivery of his new radio. The crate is so big that the front door needs to be widened by about a yard. No problem when you've got a saw! In spite of the size of the crate, the radio turns out to be regular tabletop size. Further installation requires punching a big hole in the roof. That's when the downpour starts, filling the bungalow with water. Finally, the radio is working in spite of the torrent falling from the ceiling. The weather broadcast announces clear skies today. Let the fisticuffs commence!