Terence Stamp

"When '60s Icons Collide": That could be the pitch for "The Limey." Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda star in the new thriller, which cleverly cashes in on their screen personas by incorporating old film footage and oblique references to both stars' cinematic pasts--Stamp a '60s British cult fave ("Billy Budd") and Fonda, a '60s American counterculture hero ("Easy Rider"). In "The Limey," Stamp plays a character named Wilson, a tough British ex-con who comes to L.A. on a mission of revenge.

"When '60s Icons Collide": That could be the pitch for "The Limey." Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda star in the new thriller, which cleverly cashes in on their screen personas by incorporating old film footage and oblique references to both stars' cinematic pasts--Stamp a '60s British cult fave ("Billy Budd") and Fonda, a '60s American counterculture hero ("Easy Rider"). In "The Limey," Stamp plays a character named Wilson, a tough British ex-con who comes to L.A. on a mission of revenge.

When director Stephan Elliot, who likes to cast against expectation, was looking for a romantic male to star as a gaudy transsexual drag performer who treks across the Australian outback in "The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," he thought first of "Some Like It Hot" and Tony Curtis. "He made his career in a dress and he could end it in a dress," Elliot reasoned with engaging bravado, and then reconsidered: "If we got him out to the desert, it'd probably kill him by the last week."

When director Stephan Elliot, who likes to cast against expectation, was looking for a romantic male to star as a gaudy transsexual drag performer who treks across the Australian outback in "The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," he thought first of "Some Like It Hot" and Tony Curtis. "He made his career in a dress and he could end it in a dress," Elliot reasoned with engaging bravado, and then reconsidered: "If we got him out to the desert, it'd probably kill him by the last week."

The comedies "My Boss's Daughter," starring Ashton Kutcher, Terence Stamp and Tara Reid, and "Marci X," with Lisa Kudrow and Damon Wayans, also open today in general release. Because Dimension Films and Paramount Pictures, respectively, did not make the movies available for screenings, the reviews will appear in Monday's Calendar.

Please don't think of me as picky but regarding your review's Critic's Pick on "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (Oct. 15) you stated Terence Stamp was Oscar-nominated. Sorry, Stamp was not nominated for this film. The only Oscar nomination "Priscilla" got was for best costume design--which it won! Marc Andrew Downing, MARC88@ix.NETCOM.COM

"The Hit" (1984), directed by Stephen Frears. 98 minutes. Rated R. Terence Stamp is a hit man in hiding who's kidnaped by mobsters. But though he's on the road to his death, he seems to be having a great time. Or is it just an act to put the mobsters off guard while he plots his escape? This standard mob-vengeance plot is combined with the offbeat world of road movies and a heavy dose of Sergio Leone's existential Westerns.

Re the "Muriel's Wedding" story ("A Great Reception," by Kathleen Craughwell, April 5): It's interesting to note a couple of other Aussie films that introduced American audiences to Australian actors now working in U.S. films. "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994) was something of a cult hit over here and co-starred Guy Pearce ("L.A. Confidential") and Hugo Weaving ("The Matrix"), not to mention re-jump-starting Brit Terence Stamp's career. Also of note is 1992's "Proof," which starred Hugo Weaving and, in a supporting role, Russell Crowe.

The comic pizazz of Stephan Elliott's popular 1994 film about drag performers trekking across the Australian desert certainly has an addictive quality to it. It's definitely at its best when its trio of performers--Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Oscar-nominated Terence Stamp (pictured)--are out there with a lip-synched song in their hearts. Stamp is the film's major surprise, gracefully convincing as a transsexual with enough hauteur for an entire royal family (TMC Thursday at 7:15 p.m.).

The socially conscious sci-fi thriller--a new genre? Fox's "Outer Heat"--which goes before the cameras Oct. 12--has the possibilities. Co-producer Gale Anne Hurd (with Richard Kobritz) told us the story is set in a near-future L.A. where "the newest boat people come from another planet." James Caan plays a seasoned LAPD cop whose partner is murdered in the line of duty. His new partner (Mandy Patinkin) is "one of them."