Charles Busch Movies
Writer, actor, and celebrated drag queen Charles Busch had carved out a long list of theater credits dating back to 1976 before he broke into film and television in the late '90s. He had bit parts in a couple movies before getting the reoccurring role of the cross-dressing inmate Nat "Natalie" Ginsberg in the HBO series Oz. In 2000, he adapted his successful off-Broadway play into the movie Psycho Beach Party, which he also starred in as Captain Monica Stark. After a brief role on the soap opera One Life to Live, he won a Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for Outstanding Performance in Die, Mommie, Die!, which he also adapted for the screen. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide- 1988
- PG
Isaac Asimov wrote the English translation for this animated sci-fi tale about the prince of the planet Gandahar, who is sent to the future in order to avenge an attack on his home world. The film is re-edited from the original French version (Ghandahar (1987), created and directed by Rene Laloux). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
The ghoulish cartoon family created by Charles Addams returns for a second big-screen outing darker and nastier than the first. When Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) gives birth to new baby boy Pubert, the other Addams children, Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Wednesday (Christina Ricci), devise any number of ways to kill off their new sibling. This leads Morticia and her husband, Gomez Raul Julia, to hire a nanny (Joan Cusack) to oversee all three children. But the nanny has an agenda of her own, packing the Addams children off to a horrid parody of summer camp and setting out to seduce Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), all with the goal of getting her hands on the Addams family fortune. Of course, the Addams eventually triumph, with this blacker-than-most satire extolling the virtues of eccentricity and non-conformity above all. It was followed by 1999's direct-to-video Addams Family Reunion, with Darryl Hannah and Tim Curry replacing Huston and the late Julia. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, (more)
Loosely based on a true story, this uneven romantic comedy depicts the unexpected way in which a winning lottery ticket unites a pair of strangers. Waitress Yvonne (Bridget Fonda) first meets police officer Charlie (Nicolas Cage) when he eats in her restaurant. Realizing that he doesn't have enough money to give her a tip, Charlie promises Yvonne to split any winnings from the lottery ticket he just bought. The skeptical Yvonne dismisses Charlie as just another cheapskate until he wins four million dollars and, much to Yvonne's surprise, decides to honor the agreement. His action becomes front page news and wins public acclaim, but it doesn't go over nearly so well with Charlie's wife Muriel (Rosie Perez), who has her own plans for the money. Muriel's shallow, greedy behavior disgusts Charlie, who finds himself spending more and more time with Yvonne, developing a friendship that threatens to blossom into something more. Jane Anderson's screenplay stresses the relationship between Charlie and Yvonne's characters over the situation's comic potential; this earnest tone will please romance fans but may disappoint viewers expecting the farcical comedy of writer/director Andrew Bergman's and Cage's previous effort, Honeymoon in Vegas. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, (more)
- 1997
Alan Madison made his directorial debut with this shrink-wrapped souffle of comedic conflicts in the life of lame NYC psychologist Jeff Stewart (Tony Goldwyn), who is burdened with an unloving wife (Edie Falco) and regarded with contempt by his own patients. In addition to criminals sent to him by the state, his clients include a variety of Harlem residents -- a sex offender (Bruce MacVittie); Mrs. K, a religious fanatic (Tammy Grimes); oversexed hand model Ericca Ricce (Debi Mazar); and Daryl (Giancarlo Espositio), whose lover is dying of AIDS. Others in Stewart's building include British ambulance-chaser McMurtry (Roger Rees), a Holocaust survivor (Mark Margolis) preoccupied with his chessboard, and a fortune-teller in drag (Charles Busch). As his life unravels, speculation surfaces suggesting Stewart himself should be in therapy. Shown at the 1997 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Goldwyn, Edie Falco, (more)
Idealistic, "New Age" unit manager Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) persists in trying to mold "Emerald City" (aka Cell Block 5 of Oswald State Correctional Facility -- formerly Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary) into a model "prison within a prison" as Oz begins its third season. Part of McManus' pie-in-the-sky plan includes the hiring of his old friend Sean Murphy (Robert Clohessy) as a guard. Alas, Murphy's efforts to redirect the convicts' energies and hostilities into good, clean athletics are compromised when one inmate renders another inmate brain-dead in a boxing match. No one is more delighted at Tim McManus' frustration than the state's ambitious governor James Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), who as part of his platform to strip the cons of all perks and privileges has ruthlessly slashed the prison's budget to the bone. In addition to Sean Murphy, Officer Claire Howell (Kristin Rhode) joins the guard unit, immediately making enemies of everyone within the sound of her voice. Not only does Howell force the cons into having sex with her to lighten up punishment duty, but she also ends up suing McManus for sexual harassment. Sensing the opportunity to establish themselves as top dogs at Emerald City block leaders, convicts Adebisi (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) and Wangler (J.D. Williams) likewise gang up on McManus, taking their complaints to the press. Elsewhere, the death sentence of Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe) is commuted to life without parole when it turns out she is pregnant; Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) hires Off. Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam), the son of one of Oz's former guards, only to discover that Hughes is a psycho on a revenge kick; Beecher (Lee Tergesen) hatches an elaborate revenge scheme of his own; and charismatic Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker) is among those thrown into solitary after a bitter racial showdown. The season ends with a not-so-merry Christmas for all, and to all a bad night. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
Robert Lee King directs this wacky, campy fusion of teenaged surfer flicks and slasher sagas. Impossibly perky Florence (Lauren Ambrose) doesn't quite fit in at her thoroughly square high school in her seaside Southern California town -- that is, until she happens upon a band of ultra-hip surfer dudes. Renaming herself "Chicklet," she tries her gosh-darnedest to be the sole girl riding the waves with the group led by suave Kanaka (Thomas Gibson). While adopting her surfer alter ego, Florence soon discovers that other less pleasant personalities emerge when confronted with the sight of polka dots. One called Anne Bowman is a tough, "experienced" older lady, while the other, Tylene, is a stereotypical sassy black woman. Blacking out whenever these other personalities take over, Florence becomes increasingly worried that she is responsible for a series of grizzly murders. Of course, she is far from the only suspicious character in her oceanside community -- there's B-movie star Bettina Barnes (Kimberly Davies), Swedish exchange student Lars (Matt Keeslar), and Florence's own unnervingly-perfect mom (Beth Broderick). This film was adapted from a popular off-Broadway play written by Charles Busch. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lauren Ambrose, Thomas Gibson, (more)
As season four of Oz begins, the experimental unit at Oswald State Correctional Facility known as "Emerald City" is not living up to manager Tim McManus' (Terry Kinney) hopes. Ever since he set up the unit, wherein convicts are given more freedom of movement, extra privileges, and the opportunity for advancement, McManus has been frustrated that his good intentions have not paid off in wholesale rehabilitation. In fact, things seem to have gotten worse, with too many murders and suicides occurring within the unit. Hoping to alleviate the situation, McManus' head guard, Murphy (Robert Clohessy), suggests that all the cons -- including those in solitary -- spend an hour each day indulging in healthy recreation. Again, however, the plan fails when a killing takes place during that special hour. With more episodes this season than in previous years (16, compared to the usual eight), Oz is able to devote extra time to a plethora of subplots. One of these involves convicted murderer Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe), who after losing her unborn baby under suspicious circumstances is sent back to death row. Also, a group of illegal aliens sequestered in Emerald City is the catalyst for a rash of violence; Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) runs for lieutenant governor; an attempt to film a documentary in Oz ends in disaster; Busmalis (aka "The Mole") (Tom Mardirosian), manages to break out of prison, only to be recaptured as he stands outside the home of his favorite TV star; crooked evangelist Rev. Cloutier (Luke Perry) is tossed into the unit; and infirmary doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Velez) is raped. Tensions continue to mount as McManus is fired and convict Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) escapes (these plot twists were designed to allow Acevedo and his co-star Terry Kinney to take leaves of absence to appear in other projects); new unit manager Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey) cuts a sinister deal with drug-dealing con Adebisi (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) to put a lid on the violence; fired guard Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam) tries to assassinate Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek); a plot is hatched to frame wheelchair-bound convict Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) for a crime he hasn't committed; the children of inmate Beecher (Lee Tergesen) are placed in jeopardy thanks to orders from the "inside"; and incarcerated Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker) settles accounts with an old enemy. The season ends with a cliffhanger, sparked -- literally -- by a deadly gas explosion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
- 2002
The scene is a parking garage, where a defiant Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) takes a stand -- and blocks traffic -- when he feels he's being unjustly charged for a full 20 minutes' parking when he only owes for a few minutes. Refusing to allow anyone to pay the fee for him, Frasier transforms an insignificant molehill into an impassable mountain, much to the dismay of his passenger Niles (David Hyde Pierce). Meanwhile, Roz (Peri Gilpin) makes an unexpected public confession when she subs for Frasier on his radio show. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom McGowan, Luis Guzman, (more)
Playwright, performer, and drag queen Charles Busch appears in the leading role as aging pop star Angela Arden in the darkly comic melodrama Die Mommie Die. Based on Busch's own play, this film marks the directorial debut of Mark Rucker. In 1967, Angela's career has hit bottom and she's trapped in a loveless marriage to film producer Sol Sussman (Philip Baker Hall). She gets involved in an affair with unemployed TV actor Tony Parker (Jason Priestley). After Sol suddenly dies, Angela's daughter Edith (Natasha Lyonne) plots a conspiracy of revenge and enlists the help of her brother, Lance (Stark Sands). Also featuring Nora Dunn and Frances Conroy. Busch has previously appeared in drag for the film adaptation of his play Psycho Beach Party in 2000. Die Mommie Die premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Busch, Natasha Lyonne, (more)
- 2005
- Add The Lady in Question is Charles Busch to QueueAdd The Lady in Question is Charles Busch to top of Queue
When East Village theater Renaissance man Charles Busch's sexually salacious Vampire Lesbians of Sodom first premiered on the New York stage in 1984, few would have suspected that the cross-dressing slice of kitsch theater would eventually be honored as one of the longest-running shows in off-Broadway history. A runaway hit with the underground art community that quickly found its way to the mainstream, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom defied convention to become one of the hottest tickets in town, and eventually served to launch the career of a man known best for being a woman. Devastated by the death of his mother at a young age, Charles Busch escaped into the world of classic film before being spirited away from the suburbs by his caring aunt and encouraged to explore his creativity in Manhattan. Though originally rejected by a variety of directors who dismissed him as either "too odd," or "too gay," Busch eventually decided to take control of his destiny by writing his own plays and became one of the most celebrated figures in New York theater. From Busch's early success with the Theater-in-Limbo to his later success in film with Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the remarkable story of the self-made theater phenomenon is explored in this documentary from filmmakers John Catania and Charles D. Ignacio. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Busch
A young boy with an obsessive enthusiasm for old-Hollywood forms a warm bond with his effeminate Danish mentor as Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die! director Charles Busch turns in his camp card to craft an uncharacteristically low-key and highly-personal rama about self-acceptance and personal perseverance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Busch, P.J. Verhoest, (more)
