Review: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

This movie's pretty gay. And I say that in the nicest possible way, but it's true. It's about three drag queens who take a trip across Australia to the middle of nowhere, leaving a blazing path of rainbow in their wake. It can't get much gayer than that.

Cult-ish, yes. Campy, hell yes. Funny and touching? Sure, that too. To begin, drag queens have never been an interest of mine, despite playing on onstage once upon a time in 10th grade (for real. I was in drag for "Chicago" in 10th grade high school and I wondered why I faced the hell I faced during those years.) So I've never been really super interested in the drag queen culture, but have an appreciation for the balls it takes to dress up in the garish costumes and perform onstage as one.

1994's "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," which I will just call "Priscilla" for the rest of this review for the sake of typing it all out everytime, explores those cojones it takes for these men and trannies to do this - their motivations, their trials they face by the public, and though the movie does have some good messages, it puts them across in a very fun, campy way. The opening credits are over an excellent Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from "The Matrix") dressed in full drag regalia singing, nay lip-synching to "I've Never Been to Me" which is one of my all time worst-favorite songs, but completely fitting for this film. I knew from that moment I was in for something delightful. The other performances from the band of queens include a wonderfully subtle performance from Terrence Stamp  as Bernadette, the older and wiser tranny who knows how to beat up a guy in a fight and Guy Pierce, who I knew from "Memento" and "LA Confidential" among other things, but never thought he could've pulled off such a flamboyant character as Felicia so well. His was easiest the funniest part in movie with lots of quicky and witty one-liners. The  title comes from the bus the group travels in, who Felicia christens "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and the bus soon becomes as much of a character in the movie as the three friends themselves.

I also loved how Australian this film was. You know, because it was made in Australians, by Australians with a very Australian cast so that makes a lot of sense, right? It was an Australian road trip movie, that just happened to feature drag queens. One of the most touching scenes was when the group encountered a band of Aborigines in the Outback and perform "I Will Survive." Whereas every other town Priscilla has stopped in has either shunned, threatened, called names, or even beat up the drag queens, the Aborigines, another minority in Australia who faced persecution and bigotry, accepted the drag queens and even joined into the performance. Where else can you hear a remixed "I Will Survive" complete with didgeridoos and chanting?

The movie is a hoot and holler, so I recommend it highly. It certainly has some flaws as a film, but as a campy cult classic, it works on so many levels - both comically and dramatically. And if you are not too fond of the drag culture, perhaps a movie like this can put a heart and story to the people who perform in drag and make you appreciate their talent.


Patrick Approval Rating: 9/10


"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" @ imdb

Revisiting: Jesus Christ Superstar (DVD)

I have some lame traditions I do every year such as my not so scary Halloween movies in October or my Christmas-y movies during December and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" smushed somewhere in between the two as I still can't figure out what holiday it correlates best with. But one of the easiest traditions, as it doesn't require a full month of dedicating to movies, is watching "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Easter as I can't think of a better way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus than with a dated rock opera composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Which is not to say I don't love this movie. And maybe I don't love the movie as much as I love the music. Despite being written in the very early 70s (the movie came out in 1973) I think the score holds up very well today - and it's one I know almost all of the words too. So if you're looking for a one man production of "JCS," look no further, I'm your man. I think the first time I was exposed to the show was in middle school in music class where we watched this movie. What makes that all the more intriguing was that I went to a Catholic middle school - so I'm surprised this was allowed seeing how it does take some liberties with the Biblical story, but then again, the school's choir would sing songs from "Sister Act" during masses, so maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising. Well what I'm trying to say is that I love the score from this show,  it's one of my favorites, and so that's why I watch this movie every year during the time of year that Christians celebrate the story.

That all being said, I think the movie is sometimes chilling and beautiful to look at, as it was all filmed on location in Israel, which lends the movie some authenticity that the staged remake from 2000 that was all shot on a soundstage lost - but the original has wayyy too much 1973 in its DNA, which makes the movie very dated. I think the concept of a modern troupe of actors telling the story with a modern rock score in the ancient Middle East and shot on ruins of temples and such is awesome, but the modern in that sense, is the modern from almost 40 years ago. Bright fakey colors, outrageous costumes, and old school special effects (including, but not limited to: too much use of slow motion, freeze framing, and overlapping fades) give the movie a very 1970s quality. Not to mention the song "Could We Start Again Please?" which is shot on a mountain side and looks a lot like the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" commercial from the same era. But I love it all so, and if you take the movie for what it's for, and take in the powerful performances from some great singers it's a good, fun movie and a tradition I'll be keeping for some time.

Happy Easter!


Patrick Approval Rating: 7/10


"Jesus Christ Superstar" @ imdb

Review: Every Little Step (DVD)

If you know me you know that I love TV and movies. And even more so, you may know I especially love things on TV or in the movies that concern either Disney or musical theater. So any combination of those four things make me so excited. For example, a TV special about the filming of a Disney musical movie! Not that one of those exists (actually I'm pretty sure there is), but that's just an example.

Regardless, I love Broadway musicals. I'm sort of obsessed with them, with musical cast recordings on loop endlessly in my car (and we're not just talking "Wicked" or "Rent" here people, I go hardcore with "Follies" or classic with "Mame"), nevermind the fact I own many a musical move adaptation on DVD, something I touched on in my review of one of the latest, "Mamma Mia!" One of these movies I own is, unfortunately, "A Chorus Line" which, even though it's one of my all time favorite musicals, it goes into the category of "stage to screen adaptation that never should have been made in the first place." I'm sure I'll be reviewing it down the line, so I won't get into much detail other than I think the movie is just plain awful. It doesn't work, as the entire plot of the show is about an audition that takes place on stage within the two hours time of the show itself, which is all fine and good for a stage show, but boring as all get out for a movie. Haven't seen it? Don't bother, it will give you the wrong impression of a fantastic musical.

"Every Little Step" is a documentary that chronicles the the audition process for the 2006 "A Chorus Line" revival, so that in itself is a pretty meta concept: a movie about auditioning for a show that's about auditioning for a show. The documentarians gained exclusive access to what it's like to audition for Broadway, going into the audition rooms, call backs, final call backs - what the directors saw, what they thought about people, justifications for certain castings, angry actors, ecstatic actors - as a wannabe director myself, I found the whole process and look into it fascinating. I loved watching the people soar (like Jason Tam whose insanely good audition for the emotional character of Paul in the show made the director of the show AND me cry. His AUDITION!) And I cringed watching the people make fools of themselves (thanks Tyce Diorio, of "So You Think You Can Dance" judging fame who made an ass of himself during the audition being all cocky and then especially after he lost the part. As if I couldn't have hated him more after watching him on SYTYCD, but I do.)

I found myself caring for these actors, wanting them to get the part. They highlighted certain actors or actresses and kind of created character arcs for each of them in the documentary, with only one being able to triumph in the end. The doc follows the same themes of the musical, these dancers give it there all to the audition process - while we get to learn more about them, giving these faceless actors a story, and you care for them because you find out they might not be just another actor. They are a person with dreams, and it all hinges on this one audition. But whereas "A Chorus Line" is a musical, and not real, "Every Little Step" is real, with real people in a very real situation. It transcends the meaning of the show to a whole new level.

The doc also gives us insight to the creation of the musical itself, famously workshopped in New York, and based on the lives of real dancers who recorded their stories on tape with conceiver and director Michael Bennett in 1974. With clips from that audio tape, rare footage of Michael Bennett discussing the concept AND the original Broadway cast staging, interwoven through the film it makes this movie a truly extra special treat for fans of "A Chorus Line" and anybody who loves musical theater. I really just adored this movie, and think it's a must for any musical, Broadway, or theater geek like myself.


Patrick Approval Rating: 10/10


"Every Little Step" @ imdb

Revisiting: Mamma Mia! (DVD)

I figured it was aboot time I reviewed a musical on here. And I say aboot in honor of the Olympics, which ended last night, and consumed much of my last two weeks' time. I'm sad they're done because I'm so obsessed with anything Olympical and I feel like something momentous is happening while they occur, and then a sense of emptiness when they're gone. Another year and half until the next ones. And maybe I'll be attending them? We'll see.

TANGENT OVER. I don't know why I went there, but I did, and now I'm going to revisit "Mamma Mia!" one of the products of the recent movie musical resurgence. Thanks "Moulin Rouge!" I do own this movie on DVD, thanks to my brother getting it for me this past Christmas. I've collected all major movie musicals on DVD since "Moulin Rouge!" because I do love them all, even the bad ones in their own way.  So it was only natural I got "Mamma Mia!" for my movie musical collection.

I'm kind of embarrassed to say I saw this movie twice in theaters. Yep. The first time I thought it was AWFUL. It was a campy piece of dreck. I thought it started out with potential, and then during the song "Money Money Money" when Meryl Streep rises from her seat at the table into the path of a wind machine and fantasizes herself singing the rest of the song in slow motion on a boat, it lost me. 4 realz. I was like, OK, this movie just jumped the shark ten minutes in and my attitude for the rest of the film was spoiled.

Then I saw it again, knowing how campy and bad it was, and accepted it, and let go of the bad, and then, from somewhere deep inside my soul, a gay little sparkle of enjoyment sparkled its sparkly dance and I started to have fun. Watching Meryl Streep let completely loose is such a thrill to watch, and even though some of the singing (and not so much the actual singing as the lipsynching to the bad singing) of Pierce Brosnan is horrendous, I can get through the entire movie and have fun. I've subsequently seen the film two more times after I watched it in theaters, and it grows on me more and more.

By no means is it perfect. The first time film director, Phyllida Lloyd, who also directed the stage incarnation, tries her best to direct a movie, but she is obviously a first timer, and fails to do a lot of things good directors should do. Just certain shots bothered me and seemed amateur-ish and there is way too much slow motion, which actually made me guffaw a couple of times because when the slow motion is used to make something dramatic it actually makes the actors look a little...slow. And not in the speedy sense of the word.

So it's a movie to watch, to not take seriously, and thus to enjoy. Plus the music of ABBA is so darn infectious and catchy you'll be your own "Dancing Queen" for the rest of the day.

Patrick Approval Rating: 6/10

"Mamma Mia!" @ imdb

Review: Crazy Heart (Theatrical)

"Crazy Heart" vs. "The Wrestler." That's all I kept thinking going into this movie. I knew it starred someone who all the talk was about for Best Actor and the story line was about a person who had been famous and successful and who had since fallen from grace and kept on keeping on the road to self-destruction. I knew the main character fell for a girl who was messed up herself and had a kid, and though she wanted to be with him, she knew he was bad for her. On paper it just sounded a lot like "The Wrestler" from last year starring Mickey Rourke, but in reality it was different. Obviously. It's a different movie.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, an old country singer who's broke, down on his luck, and can't seem to make his way back up from playing in tiny saloons and bowling alleys. He meets Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (too many letters of the same type), a reporter writing an article on him who he basically charms and begins a doomed from the beginning relationship with. So the two fight and get on and off and he keeps drinking and she keeps worrying and I keep wondering where this could possibly go. I knew if it was anything like "The Wrestler" I was going to walk out being all mopey and sad. But just when you think it's going down that road, it doesn't. Things kinda turn around for Bad Blake- maybe not in the best possible way - but the movie ends on a fairly good note whereas with "The Wrestler" I was all "Behhhhhhhhh" and sad.

I did like how the movie was almost a country musical. The songs by T-Bone Streep, nope...I mean T-Bone Burnett sort of commented on the place Bad Blake was in his life, but still could've been taken out of context to work as the bluesy folksy classic country hits they could've been. I don't particulary like this type of music but I found myself tappin' my toes quite a bit and Jeff Bridges is quite a musician! So is Colin Farrell, which was a big surprise to me. Who knew. Remember when he was always on coke?

So Jeff Bridges is front runner for the Oscar? Eh? Alright. I can see it. He made it look easy, almost like he wasn't even acting at all. Which might be the key to him playing this part because it doesn't seem like he's much different than Bad Blake in real life. Well, maybe he is, but he made me think he was Bad Blake regardless. He's very good. With seeing this film, I've now seen all Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominees. While I'm still partial for Best Actor to Colin Firth in "A Single Man" who crushed me with a single hearbreaking scene, Bridges does carry the whole movie, and he's good, so I'll be OK if and when he wins. Maggie Gyllenhaal is good, but she won't win Best Supporting Actress this year (Hello M'oM'o.) Plus Gyllenhaal always bothers me always bothers me a little bit. Maybe it's because of all of her Ls and As in her name, but I think it more likely has something to do with her sloopy shoulders she always seems to show off when she wears a lot of strapless tops.


Patrick Approval Rating: 8/10

Crazy Heart @ imdb