Change Your Image
kathynv
Reviews
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
funny and sweet with sad undertones between the laughter
As much is missing from the lives of the three principal characters as the details they reluctantly show. All the drag queens (plus Robert, later) are hiding their pain and feelings and are making the trip through the desert a lot more difficult than it had to be.
All are hiding in secrets and feelings, and I got the feeling that this film could have a had a lot more talking. (not a usual comment for me) The juxtaposition between the harsh desert scenery and the drag queens' flambuoyant bus and manner of dress was an amazing piece of eye candy.
I loved the scene where the fellows party with the Aborigine people. Two despised castes of Australian society meet under unforeseen circumstances, and both profit buy it. Loved the Didgery Doo being played along with the 1970's eight track "Mod" music - for once it really worked.
A great movie, funny, but not a roll on the floor larf-festival, funny and happy in how it makes you think. Or you could watch for the costumes, and that would be a treat as well.
Dragnet 1966 (1969)
An unexpected, pleasant surprise (mild spoilers)
Spoilers ahead, but if you've seen even one episode of Dragnet, you know how
the film ends!
I thought I had seen every episode and incarnation of the second Dragnet
series, but was pleasantly surprised to find the "pilot" on AMC. Regular
character actors from the series pop like old friends, and we get a few glimpses of Bobby Troupe and a very young Kent McCord, who later end up in other Jack
Webb productions.
As usual, Joe Friday seems uncomfortable with any "soft" emotions, and the
scene in which he has to tell a boy his father is dead is classic. Watch for
unshed tears in Joe's eyes and his uncomfortable, stiff demeanor as the crying child spontaneously hugs him. True to form, Joe can't manage to muster up
anything more comforting than a stiff pat on the shoulder.
Bill Gannon's personality is fully formed in this movie, making him the partner/ best friend/pain in the neck/comic relief that worked so well when played off Friday's deadpan demeanor. Even Gannon's quirky cures for illness, real or
imagined, are firmly established. He provides a necessary amusing touch to an otherwise oppressive movie.
This movie is a good deal grittier and slightly more disturbing than the series episodes, and provides rare scenes of Joe Friday actually using force with a
suspect! Add in the requisite Joe Friday interrogation speech, addressing racial relations and child abuse (in one talk!), and you have a truly amazing television movie.
My only gripe is that AMC seems to have cut the movie for commercial breaks,
leaving a few odd loose ends. Most glaring is the requisite ending showing all the suspects and their sentences when they are invariably found guilty. It would be wonderful to have this treasure available on VHS or DVD.