Rating: 
Summary: "Cult Classic" : Priscilla Eats "Wong Foo" for Breakfast !
Review: Terence Stamp, as a Transexual...need I say more? OK...I will: "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a wonderful, frollicking (or is it "frocking?") Adventure. Terence Stamp (of "The Hunger") is fabulous as an aging transexual, with bitter views and a sarcastic, biting sense of humor. His fellow(ette) travelers are performers, en route to the show of their lifetime, across the desert land of Australia....bickering and cat-fighting the entire way. Some of the banter is obviously a politically incorrect portrayal of gay men--the lines are often inspired by the worst-case scenario of gay men bickering--yet, I've met a few of those guys, in real life...so, the PC people will need to suspend their sense of appropriateness and enjoy the entertainment. This is NOT just a movie for "gay culture," as some people think. Straight couples enjoy the film and there are many hilarious scenes that couples can appreciate, together. There are some very Dramatic episodes that make the film more than a Comedy and aspire to give you an understanding of the sub-culture and humanity of the characters (despite personal prejudices). Besides, let's put the Anthropological Dissertation aside and get down to the core of the matter.... "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a great movie!Wait'll you see what one Lady likes to do with Ping-Pong Balls ; )
Rating: 
Summary: Marvelous! Hilarious and immensely watchable!
Review: When a film with this title and these characters takes home the Oscar for best Costumes, you know its got to be high camp and maybe a bit light on the side of watchability. Au contraire! When a pre-Hollywood Guy Pierce steps out of Priscilla (the so-named bus) wearing a dress made of pink and blue flip flops, I fell off my chair in fits of laughter. This film came out of Austrailia just before "To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Love Julie Newmar" and is, well, darn it, just 100 times better at a similar theme (picture a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby road movie, with the characters all in drag). The funny lines are hilarious. The acting superb (Oscar winner Terrence Stamp plays a post operative transsexual for heaven's sake!). Pre-Matrix Hugo Weaving must perform a drag show for his ex-wife (real woman). He takes along pre-L.A. Confidential and Memento Guy Pierce, and post Billy Bud/Superman II Terrance Stamp to assist. The three purchase a bus and drive across Austrailia meeting an assortment of characters, both pleasant and unpleasant (the bar scene in their first hotel is an absolute scream!). You must see this film!
Rating:
Summary: Priscilla Queen of Our Hearts
Review: THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT is one of the best movies (and has one of the very best, funky, 1970-80's disco soundtracks) that I have ever been fortunate enough to witness. I was dumbfounded by the sheer number of unbelievably decadent costumes, the up-beat disco music, the flawless acting, and the obviously heart-felt love of the director for his story and its characters. What impresses me most, however, are the very real portrayals of a variety of "crazy" characters, all very different outwardly, but all searching for love inwardly. Perhaps the most poigniant realtionship was that of an aging transsexual and a friendly, elderly man she met when her bus (Priscilla) broke down in the middle of nowhere. Somehow, they just "connected," despite his "bacwardness), and I believe the two fell in love by the end of the show. This was left a bit ambiguous. Another excellent performance was that of "Mitzie," a gay man who, in the distant past got married to a lesbian and had a son with her. This painful, yet somehow inspiring, emotional (and unusual) relationship between a gay drag queen and his wife and son (who actually loves him to death despite the
queen's" worries!) is oddly freeing to all of those who consider themselves "freaks". The story begins as the group sets out into the Austrailian outback, on their way to a drag show they will be performing in Alice Springs (the Las Vegas of the outback, thinking that all they want is to get out of their crappy little town, where they feel unappreciated and misunderstood. People in bars through beer bottles at them, etc. By the end of the flick, however, all but one of the characters just wanted to go home. They had all changed so deeply, and while "Bernie," the transsexual chose to stay on with her new love, Bob, the rest returned to drag shows and the perfroming that they adored. And they were happy with that. There are many other brilliantly portrayed relationships in the film: that of "Mitzie" and his son (who adores him), "Bernie" and "Felicia," an obnoxious very young ABBA fan who has no compassion for anyone (but whom Bernie saves from inevitable rape and/or death) and the weird relationship between Bob and his young Asian "wife" who tricked him into marriage by getting him drunk and having him sign papers to get her into the country. There is so much good to be said of this movie and its directors and producers, etc., that I will just have to stop here and urge you to experience it for yourself. It's a feel good movie, a good first date movie and a poigniant, somehow sad cinematic experience that leaves one singing disco and wishing they owned a tiara! Do not miss this film. The costumes and music alone make it worth thr price of the rental.
Rating:
Summary: "You'll laugh so hard, your lashes will curl...!"
Review: Years before Hugo Weaving ever portrayed the powerfully evil character "Agent Smith" in the three "Matrix" films or the very serious "Elrond" in the three "Lord of the Rings" films; he portrayed a dress-wearing, drag performer named "Mitzi del Bra/Anthony 'Tick' Belrose" in the hilarious 1994 Australian film, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Joining Hugo in dresses for the film were actors Terence Stamp as "Bernadette Bassenger/Ralph" and Guy Pearce as "Felicia Jollygoodfellow/Adam Whitely". Terrence Stamp is better known for his portrayals of General Zod in the 1980 film "Superman II" and Chancellor Valorum in the 1999 "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace". Guy Pearce is better known for his portrayals of "Det. Lt. Edmund Jennings Exley" in the 1997 film "L.A. Confidential", "Leonard Shelby" in the 2000 film "Memento" and "Alexander Hartdegen" in the 2002 remake of "The Time Machine". The film begins in Sydney, Australia, where Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette agree to take a trip across the Australian outback to the very remote resort known as Alice Springs to perform there. To get to Alice Springs, the trio purchases a run-down bus that is large enough to carry all of their clothing and other necessities. Unfortunately, the bus isn't in great shape and not everyone in the Australian outback likes the trio. However, they meet some very interesting people including Bob (Bill Hunter), his cantankerous wife Cynthia (Julia Cortez), a boisterous bartender named Shirley (June Marie Bennett), a rough miner named Frank (Ken Radley) and a fun Aboriginal man (Alan Dargin). Memorable scenes in the film include the trio performing for Aboriginal people, the impromptu kite, Felicia singing on top of the bus, Cynthia's bar performance, Bernadette out-drinking Shirley, Mitzi ('Tick') meeting his son Benji (Mark Holmes), Tick's wife Marion (Sarah Chadwick) & Benji watching the trio perform in Alice Springs, the trio climbing a mountain in dresses in the Australian outback, and flashbacks to Bernadette's (Ralph's) childhood. The costumes used in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" earned the film an Oscar for Best Costume Design and nine award nominations from the Australian Film Institute (AFI), of which it won two for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Two of the AFI nominations were Best Actor nominations for Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp. Two other AFI award nominations were for Best Director (Stephan Elliott, who also wrote the film) and Best Film. Overall, I rate "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" with 5 out of 5 stars. The film also has a superb soundtrack that includes Alicia Bridges' "I Love The Night Life", Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", Patti Page's "If the Sun Don't Shine", Abba's "Mamma Mia", Vanessa Williams' "Save The Best for Last" and Giuseppe Verdi's operatic "E Strano! Ah Fors E Lui".
Rating:
Summary: Even If You Don't Like Drag Shows, You'll Love This Movie
Review: This outrageous movie gets an A in every category: acting, directing, costumes and music too. Three girls leave The Imperial Hotel, a real drag bar in Sydney with the worst drag show I have ever seen to do a gig in Alice Springs, deep in the Australian outback. We have two drag queens, Hugo Weaving, who has reproduced himself, Guy Pearce-- I didn't recognize him in L.A. Confidential after seeing him in this one-- and a transgendered "real" woman played by Terrence Stamp. Supposedly Stamp who wasn't allowed to see any of the movie footage before
the film was released thought he really made a beautiful woman. Poor baby. He looks for all the world like a tired, older butcher cousin of Judy Collins. Perhaps it's those beautiful blue eyes. He's a long way from FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD here. This trio christen a tour bus "Priscilla" and begin their trip across Australia. Much of the movie is predictable, some of the lines shamelessly designed for easy laughs. But that's okay. The good girls eventually win as they should in every comedy. If only Mel Gibson could have had a cameo role as one of the many roustabouts the girls encounter on their journey, roustabouts determined to harm these gentle creatures. Mr. Gibson could have played himself if we are to believe the negative comments about gay people attributed to him over the years.
Rating:
Summary: The Adevntures ... beats Wong foo... big time!
Review: My favorite two movies are ... Pricilla,queen... and Wong foo but overall this is the best of the two the excellent songs and great acting goes hand and hand the story is great I highly reccomend this movie because it is just amazing and great. note after seeing this one maybe go and see Wong foo if you enjoy the genre.
Rating:
Summary: "Cult Classic" : Priscilla Eats "Wong Foo" for Breakfast !
Review: Terence Stamp, as a Transexual...need I say more? OK...I will: "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a wonderful, frollicking (or is it "frocking?") Adventure. Terence Stamp (of "The Hunger") is fabulous as an aging transexual, with bitter views and a sarcastic, biting sense of humor. His fellow(ette) travelers are performers, en route to the show of their lifetime, across the desert land of Australia....bickering and cat-fighting the entire way. Some of the banter is obviously a politically incorrect portrayal of gay men--the lines are often inspired by the worst-case scenario of gay men bickering--yet, I've met a few of those guys, in real life...so, the PC people will need to suspend their sense of appropriateness and enjoy the entertainment. This is NOT just a movie for "gay culture," as some people think. Straight couples enjoy the film and there are many hilarious scenes that couples can appreciate, together. There are some very Dramatic episodes that make the film more than a Comedy and aspire to give you an understanding of the sub-culture and humanity of the characters (despite personal prejudices). Besides, let's put the Anthropological Dissertation aside and get down to the core of the matter.... "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a great movie! Wait'll you see what one Lady likes to do with Ping-Pong Balls ; )
Rating:
Summary: These days, gentlemen are an endangered species.
Review: Devotees of traditional, high-heel wearin', long-wig totin', padded -bra pointin' Female Impersonators will be disappointed by this uncannily perceptive assault on the eyeballs, but the rest of us will just laugh, over and over again. To start, Priscilla is not a movie about the traditional Drag Queen. No Joan Rivers or MwahMwah Stweisan' lookalikes here. Instead, we find two very unconventional drag queens (one married, one gym-bunny) and a transsexual (played by a near-unrecognisable Terence Stamp) journeying across the desert to perform at a resort hotel. Along the way, they suffer sunburn, bus breakdown, homophobic attacks, and romance, but all will end well, if only they can get to 'bloody Alice' (Springs). Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) and Guy Pearce (LA Confidential, Memento) do an excellent job in their respective roles - a once-married estranged father-of-one, desperately seeking his son's approval, and an outrageously unashamed Muscle-Mary along for the ride - but it's Terence Stamp's surprisingly sensitive performance as the recently-bereaved transsexual Bernice that makes the ensemble cast work so well. She is the perfect foil for the insecurities of Weaving, and the perfect mother to the childish Pearce. The ubiquitous Bill Hunter (Muriel's Wedding, Strictly Ballroom) gives a similarly heartwarming, out-of-character performance as Bob, an ordinary man, only too eager to separate from his uncouth wife, who falls in love with Bernice. The one-liners are, by now, legendary (Stamp, in particular, has some memorable quips) and the dialogue sparkles with no-holds-barred cattiness and barely disguised venom. Surprisingly, the scriptwriters have also added a very successful sensitive slant to the script. Weaving's portrayal of an unorthodox father wrestling with his conscience is excellent, as is the group's reaction to various forms of homophobia they encounter on their journey. In a movie of this nature, it would have been easier to opt for the superficial, lighter-than-air slant (To Wong Foo, Wigstock) but the excellent cast and fantastic direction by Stephan Elliot ensure that this is not the case. Visually, Priscilla has no equal, and very few movies from a later date can compare to it - Moulin Rouge is the only picture that springs to mind. In terms of colour, originality and sheer invention alone, Priscilla outshines all the competition, and creates a shocking contrast between the barren Australian Simpson Desert, and the neon sparkliness of the Drag Queens. It's also full of slightly more unusual songs - gone are the techno-pop bland ditties of contemporary gay-interest movies, replaced instead by such marvels as 'Shake Your Groove thing', 'I've Never Been To Me' and CeCe Peniston's 'Finally'. The performances are wry and hilarious, and the whole package reeks of Professionalism. Simply the best drag movie to date, and one of the best road movies ever, 'The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' comes very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: "You'll laugh so hard, your lashes will curl...!"
Review: Years before Hugo Weaving ever portrayed the powerfully evil character "Agent Smith" in the three "Matrix" films or the very serious "Elrond" in the three "Lord of the Rings" films; he portrayed a dress-wearing, drag performer named "Mitzi del Bra/Anthony 'Tick' Belrose" in the hilarious 1994 Australian film, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Joining Hugo in dresses for the film were actors Terence Stamp as "Bernadette Bassenger/Ralph" and Guy Pearce as "Felicia Jollygoodfellow/Adam Whitely". Terrence Stamp is better known for his portrayals of General Zod in the 1980 film "Superman II" and Chancellor Valorum in the 1999 "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace". Guy Pearce is better known for his portrayals of "Det. Lt. Edmund Jennings Exley" in the 1997 film "L.A. Confidential", "Leonard Shelby" in the 2000 film "Memento" and "Alexander Hartdegen" in the 2002 remake of "The Time Machine". The film begins in Sydney, Australia, where Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette agree to take a trip across the Australian outback to the very remote resort known as Alice Springs to perform there. To get to Alice Springs, the trio purchases a run-down bus that is large enough to carry all of their clothing and other necessities. Unfortunately, the bus isn't in great shape and not everyone in the Australian outback likes the trio. However, they meet some very interesting people including Bob (Bill Hunter), his cantankerous wife Cynthia (Julia Cortez), a boisterous bartender named Shirley (June Marie Bennett), a rough miner named Frank (Ken Radley) and a fun Aboriginal man (Alan Dargin). Memorable scenes in the film include the trio performing for Aboriginal people, the impromptu kite, Felicia singing on top of the bus, Cynthia's bar performance, Bernadette out-drinking Shirley, Mitzi ('Tick') meeting his son Benji (Mark Holmes), Tick's wife Marion (Sarah Chadwick) & Benji watching the trio perform in Alice Springs, the trio climbing a mountain in dresses in the Australian outback, and flashbacks to Bernadette's (Ralph's) childhood. The costumes used in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" earned the film an Oscar for Best Costume Design and nine award nominations from the Australian Film Institute (AFI), of which it won two for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Two of the AFI nominations were Best Actor nominations for Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp. Two other AFI award nominations were for Best Director (Stephan Elliott, who also wrote the film) and Best Film. Overall, I rate "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" with 5 out of 5 stars. The film also has a superb soundtrack that includes Alicia Bridges' "I Love The Night Life", Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", Patti Page's "If the Sun Don't Shine", Abba's "Mamma Mia", Vanessa Williams' "Save The Best for Last" and Giuseppe Verdi's operatic "E Strano! Ah Fors E Lui".
Rating:
Summary: Priscilla queen of the surprise cinema entertainment
Review: 3 faces you like to see in films: Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp. But you KNOW they're not those guys here. They are 1 determined transexual and 2 buddy crossdressers just lame'ing their way across the outback. Geography? Who cares? Just when you think the staging gets Hollywood, you get a bracing Strictly Ballroom moment. Not since people started shouting about the Pan-Pacific Championship have I been this excited! Fresh ! Fresh! Film! if you want a reward and not a wince for your watching and listening, without automatically moving to click channels, even though you're watching a DVD and it won't work, get this! Music! Dancing! men! it can't miss!
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