Julie Halston Movies
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)
- 2006
It was reported that CBS okayed the weekly sitcom The Class sight unseen when its producer, Friends' David Crane, assured the network that everyone in the cast was 28 or younger. The eight main characters were all graduates of the same third grade class (Mrs. Klingers', at Woodman Elementary School), reunited some twenty years later at a surprise anniversary party thrown by straight-arrow Ethan Haas (Jason Ritter) for his live-in fiancée Joan (Kasey Wilson). Some things hadn't changed at all in the intervening two decades; others had changed dramatically, especially in terms of relationships. The ensemble included Heather Goldenhersh as incurable romantic Lina Warbler; Lizzy Caplan) as Lina's sarcastic but goodhearted twin sister Kat; Jon Bernthal as former class clown Duncan Carmello, now a professional musician but still living in the basement of his mother Tina's (Julie Halston) house; Jesse Tyler Ferguson as self-effacing ex-"geek" Richie Velch; Sean Maguire as every girl's "dream date" Kyle Lendo, who in adulthood had come out of the closet and was living with another man; Lucy Punch) as class "brain"-turned-news anchor Holly Ellenbogan, who had never gotten over being jilted by Kyle at the high school prom and was now wed to the gormless Perry Pearl (Sam Harris); and Andrea Anders) as Tina Carmello, the most popular girl in the third grade, who had once been in love with Duncan but had since become trapped in a dull marriage with ex-NFL star turned commercial spokesman Yonk Allen (David Keith). Opening to some mighty impressive ratings, The Class debuted September 18, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrea Anders, Jon Bernthal, (more)
- 2005
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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
- 2000
- R
This historical comedy-drama is based on the true story of Joe Gould, a bohemian eccentric who was a fixture in New York's Greenwich Village from his arrival in 1916 to his death in 1964. Gould, who claimed to be a graduate of Harvard, would cadge drinks and subsist on catsup as he regaled patrons of neighborhood saloons with stories, poems, opinions, and his imitation of a seagull. In a 1942 New Yorker profile by journalist Joseph Mitchell, Gould spoke of his life's work, a book entitled An Oral History of Our Times, which he claimed would be eleven times longer than the Bible, contain a variety of overheard conversations from throughout the years, and document the decline of 20th century culture. Mitchell kept tabs on Gould, and tried to introduce him to publishers who might put his work into print, but nothing ever came of it, and it wasn't until Gould's death that Mitchell discovered the surprising truth about his friend. Directed by Stanley Tucci, Joe Gould's Secret stars Tucci as Mitchell and Ian Holm as Gould; Hope Davis, Steve Martin, Susan Sarandon, and Patricia Clarkson highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Holm, Marc Alan Austen, (more)
- 1998
A teacher who worked in a school where a mentally challenged student was gang-raped is shot. The killing is revealed to be part of a vendetta, possibly tied in with the sexual assault. When time comes for prosecution, the attorney for the three rapists tries to secure a lesser sentence by arguing his clients did not know their victim was handicapped. Jennifer Bill makes her final appearance as Cathy, the troubled daughter of detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this independent comedy, David Searching (Anthony Rapp) is a would-be documentary filmmaker trying to get a project off the ground. In the meantime, David (who is gay) is looking for love, willing to settle for sex, and searching for some sort of answers in life. He shares his apartment with his good friend Gwen (Camryn Manheim), who doesn't see any reason why her weight problem should prevent her from attracting good-looking men. David and Gwen both go through a number of blind dates and chance meetings as they hope to find the man of their dreams, while David, looking at the world through his video camera, tries to deal with the complexities of funding his latest project and the labyrinth that is PBS. Playwrights John Cameron Mitchell and David Drake appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A woman serving on the jury of an anti-Mafia trial must protect herself and her young son from a psychopathic gangster in this thriller. Demi Moore stars as Annie Laird, a single mother and artist who readily agrees to do her civic duty on the jury in the trial of a major organized crime figure. She quickly comes to regret this decision when a mysterious and eccentric Mafia associate known as The Teacher (Alec Baldwin) threatens to kidnap her son and harm her friends unless she promises to vote not guilty. Fearing for their lives, she plays along, but unfortunately the Teacher shows no sign of backing away from his plans, having become personally obsessed with Annie. Unwilling to trust the authorities, Annie instead develops a plan to save her child by taking on the Teacher and the mob. Adapting a novel by George Dawes Green, the screenplay was written by Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs). ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, (more)
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)
- 1991
The ongoing war of words between abortion advocates and right-to-life activists literally explodes into violence when an abortion clinic is bombed, killing a woman inside the building. Putting his own pro-life sentiments aside, assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) wastes no time mounting a case against the most likely suspect. Even so, Stone's pro-choice boss, D.A. Adam Schiff (Steven Hill), cannot help but wonder if his subordinate's personal feelings can be kept out of the courtroom -- especially with public opinion mounting against Stone's remaining on the case. Featured in the supporting cast is Camryn Mannheim, who would herself portray an attorney on the long-running series The Practice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
