The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) - The outback gets a festive make-over

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The three stars in gorgeous costumes have their backs turned to us on the open road under a sweltering sky on this poster for Stephan Elliott's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Two drag queens and one more or less honorable, aging transsexual decide to head way inland in Australia to stage shows, and they buy an old bus they name Priscilla for the occasion, which is regrettably not always trustworthy...

 

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is written and directed by Stephan Elliott (Frauds (1993)).

The three leads: Hugo Weaving (We're All Going to Die (2017, short)), Guy Pearce (Without Remorse (2021)) and (especially fabulous) Terence Stamp (Bitter Harvest (2017)), - as the three eternally bitching 'disco age' cliche gays are all in high-spirited form and give lots of life to their characters. Bill Hunter (Australia (2008)) is also outstanding as the gentleman Bob, who decides to join the trio on their adventures. 

Whether the film is as funny and good as its similarly long-titled To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and also content-wise very similar American film that was made apparently coincidentally (incredible as it may seem) at the same time, is up to each audience member's individual taste. (Mine lead me in favor of the American saga.) In any case: Whoa, is Pearce in strapping form here!

Priscilla both shows a bright corner of an easier, less judgmental future while also brimming with the unbeatable spirit of the LGBT world. It gives a damn about realism in favor of concept and world-class glitzy costumes, wigs and makeup that is out of this world. It is a very gay-positive cult movie that wins on heart and good moments of which it has many.

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 2 mil. $

Box office: 29.7 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 14.85 times its cost)

[The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was released 30 January (Spain) and runs 103 minutes. Shooting took place from September - October 1993 in Australia. The film opened #14 to a 219k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it grossed 11.2 mil. $ (37.7 % of the total gross). It earned 16.4 mil. $ (55.2 %) in Australia. The box office record is likely missing information, and the world gross is likely higher than reported here. The film won the Best Costumes Oscar. It also won 2/7 BAFTA awards, was nominated for 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Elliott returned with Welcome to Woop Woop (1997). Weaving returned in Exile (1994); Pearce in Dating the Enemy (1996) and Stamp in Mindbender (1996, TV movie) and theatrically in Tiré à Part (1996). The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is certified fresh at 94 % with a 7.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert? 

Newcastle (2008) - Overly laid-back surfer boy guilty pleasure

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Four well-shaped surfer boys very closely knit together on this poster for Dan Castle's Newcastle

A group of friends take the gay twin/black sheep along with them for a weekend trip in the dunes with surfing on the menu.

 

Newcastle is written and directed by debuting Dan Castle (...Lost. (2000, short)).

It is a surfer movie with handsome surfing footage - and (too) much of it. But the film's problem more lies in the story around the surfing, which is too scattershot and drowsy to awaken significant engagement from an audience.

The pretty, swearing Australian cast are cultivated, - especially the well-shaped guys, - by the camera, but the story isn't chiefly about Fergus the gay dude, (who regrettably doesn't get to have a romance.) It is a bit about the former star big brother Victor; a bit about the sexual exploits of the heteros, - including one scene of unsafe sex, which isn't followed up on, in a kind of reckless manner. It is also a bit about a coming surfing competition and a bit about the group's good-looking klutz, who has a driving accident with the tent dragged after the automobile! Israel Cannan (Home and Away (2004-05)) is sexy as the insecure character and truly looks like a pretty but not too bright surfer bum.

Newcastle is a harmless skin-centered flick, a bit of unfocused diversion.

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 260k $

= Uncertain but likely a huge flop (projected return of 0.52 times the cost)

[Newcastle premiered 25 April (Tribeca Film Festival, New York) and runs 107 minutes. Shooting took place around April 2007 in New South Wales, Australia. A projected low budget cost of 500k $ would rank the film as a huge flop theatrically. Australia was the film's biggest market with 138k $ (53.1 %); Japan 2nd with 114k $ (43.8 %); and UAE 3rd with 4k $ (1.5 %). Figures from the North-American release are unreported; the film's 4th and last (minor) market was Lebanon. Castle has since made a documentary and B/W Hollywood romance Can't Be Undone, which hasn't been released. Newcastle is fresh at 61 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Newcastle?