The Stop Button

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) D: Stephan Elliott. S: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Bill Hunter, Sarah Chadwick, June Marie Bennett, Rebel Penfold-Russell. Popular Sydney drag queen Weaving up and takes a gig in the middle of nowhere, then invites Pearce and Stamp (playing a trans woman) along for the company (and gig). The often bickering trio makes the trek across the desert, far outside their less dangerous comfort zone. Funny, warm, sad, scary; excellent handily performances carry the uneven third act.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023) D: Christopher Berkeley. S: David Giuntoli, Patrick Fabian, John DiMaggio, Karan Brar, Navid Negahban, Darin De Paul, Emily O’Brien. The gorgeous production design alone could carry this animated Batman adaptation, set in the Roaring Twenties and has the Caped Crusader battling Lovecraftian horrors. The third act is an objection lesson in committing too much to the bit. The rest is a disturbing delight. Giuntoli is quite good as Batman here, though that third act does him dirty.

Black Christmas (2019) D: Sophia Takal. S: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O’Grady, Caleb Eberhardt, Cary Elwes, Simon Mead. Sort of remake, sort of occasional homage has sorority sisters again, but this time it’s all about the frat boys being creeps, rapists, and murderers. The first hour is basically just a zero humor SCREAM riff, getting worse as it goes. Good thing director Takal’s got a killer finale (no pun). It’s a long wait for the pay-off.

The Dark Crystal (1982) D: Frank Oz. S: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, Brian Meehl. Beautifully puppeteering can’t make up for the rest of this deeply weird, entirely unpleasant fantasy picture. Two elves have to save their desolate planet from the gross vulture-men. There’s torture, and “essence-sucking.” Henson and Oz aren’t up to the directing tasks either. But the David Odell screenplay is the real villain. It’s just awful.

It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2003) D: Kirk R. Thatcher. S: Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson, David Arquette, Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg. Lackluster outing ends up being MUPPETS IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but doesn’t have enough story for it so instead does a bunch of very contemporary references. Though it’s the best MOULIN ROUGE has ever been. Cusack and Arquette are bad as the main humans, but it’s really the writing and (lack of) budget. Some good laughs, of course.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) D: Brian Henson. S: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, David Rudman, Don Austen. Delightful adaptation focuses on Caine as Scrooge; he just happens to be Scrooge in Muppet world. He’s utterly fantastic opposite the magic unfolding around him. Great writing, great songs (by Paul Williams), and a particularly good outing for Gonzo and Rizzo as the narrators. Henson’s strong direction also helps. Funny, dad, and scary at all the right moments.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996) D: Brian Henson. S: Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta. Superb production design and imaginative “Muppet-izing” make up for some second-act meanderings in this adaptation of the Stevenson adventure classic. And while Curry’s fine as Long John Silver, he’s far from transcendent. Lots of good Muppet gags, and the eventual love song montage helps put it over. Make sure to hang out for the credits.