Posted on 06/26/2022 8:25:24 PM PDT by Rummyfan
This misbegotten thing needed a little more conversation, a little less action
Elvis is 2 hours and 40 minutes of camera swoops and dissolves and wipes clearly intended to evoke not only Luhrmann’s own past work but Elvis’s own physical gyrations. This thing never slows down to the speed limit, not even for a second. The problem is that after 10 minutes of dazzlement—the sets and costumes and cinematography are absolutely gorgeous—the whole project starts seeming crazily desperate rather than refreshingly exhilarating. By the time the first hour has passed, you feel simultaneously overstimulated and under-entertained. By the time the second hour mark has come, you start wondering where Fat Elvis is already so you can see the end coming. And when it’s over, you may feel like you never want to go into a movie theater ever again.
Aside from Luhrmann’s welcome insistence that Elvis’s use of African-American musical tropes was born out of love and respect rather than an act of cultural appropriation, he has absolutely nothing of interest to say about Presley and clearly has no clue what the man was about. That is no sin—Elvis’s best biographer, Peter Guralnick, points out that it’s very hard to get a bead on Elvis because he “never kept a diary, left us with no memoirs, wrote scarcely any letters, and rarely submitted to interviews.” Still, if you’re going to make a biopic, you have to present a compelling character we’re willing to follow for the length of the movie—and Elvis here is a total cipher.
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It looks intriguing. However, I prefer Tom Hanks in a similar role in the wonderful film That Thing You Do!
We loved it,will watch it again,and will buy the dvd,,maybe this guy is jealous?
Our family loves “That Thing You Do”! Yet I once saw Tom Hanks kind of dismiss it during some chat show interview. Didn’t really understand that at all.
Like Tom dismissed “Bosom Buddies”.
Saw it last night, mostly enjoyed. It did calm down right near the end. Actor playing Elvis looked marginally like him though in some ways maybe kind of like Brit rocker Nick Cave or something. Spirited rendition
of songs.
LOL I never thought about that.
I don't go because I won't sit in a dark room full of strangers.
and the price
Tom Hanks- hard pass. If you go to this movie you give him $$ to work against what you believe
I remember seeing a TV movie about Elvis, produced by Dick Clark (he should know), that painted Parker as essentially evil, and destructive of Elvis in every way. I was amazed that the movie was that bold in telling the truth.
Great movie, the Director’s cut added to it.
Almost forgot...take a look at a 1999 movie, Still Crazy. It’s about a 70s rock band getting back together, one last chance at the brass ring. Great cast, great soundtrack. However, it earned its R rating.
I liked Strictly Ballroom, that's it.
December 4th is treated with reverence in my house, the night of the Million Dollar Quartet.
On our last visit several years ago, my then 12 YO son was paying attention. The following week, his drama teacher was talking about Elvis, that he wrote Blue Suede Shoes. My son corrected her, saying that Carl Perkins wrote Blue Suede Shoes.
It took a few go rounds, but the truth eventually came out...lol.
BTW, Carl Perkins was the most covered artist by the Beatles.
The Broadway play of Million Dollar Quartet is the fastest 90 minutes of entertainment I've experienced.
Four of us (senior adults) saw it yesterday and all enjoyed it. My brother-in-law and I were prepared to sit through the movie in misery as it was selected by our wives. Surprisingly we enjoyed it as much as the women and time went by quickly.
It sounded to me from her descriptions of Graceland after her recent visit there that the place was a decaying tourist trap.
Elvis’ ex wife and daughter thought Baz caught him perfectly.
Whatever. I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do with the money I work for. I don’t let left bully me, I don’t let the right do it either.
You do YOU chief. KBO.
I’ll have to try and find that, didn’t know there was a director’s cut made.
The movie mostly ignores Sun Studio,spending about 30 seconds on it and never mentions any Sun singer other than Elvis. Elvis,Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee, they were all friends. Never mention the name Sam Philips.
The movie fabricated way to many events. Elvis never cussed out Tom Parker on stage and the one time he “fired” him he rehired him a couple days later. In real life he was forever doing something with Lisa Marie and this was ignored. Pricilla has a minor part. His father is made to look like a wimp and his mother an overbearing hateful woman who went around cussing people out. It also ignored his love of gospel music, despite him and others going back to his room after each concert and singing gospel songs to the early hours of the morning. It never mentioned Elvis saying many times his first love was gospel and he wanted to be the lead singer in a gospel band. JD Sumner and Jack Hess and the Blackwood Brothers were his favorite gospel singers. Brushed over his military time, barely mentioned. It has Elvis cussing a lot, which it in all the information I’ve read about Elvis I’ve never read he had much of a temper or used profanity much. Never mentioned his affair with Ann Margaret. Th
There's a great story about Sam Phillips that's told during the Sun Studios tour. Much was made about Sam selling Elvis' contract to RCA. He was happy with it, he was able to pay off his liabilities, with enough money to invest in the IPO for a hotel company...
...Holiday Inn.
If you want a more accurate biopic, try the 1979 made-for-TV movie starring Kurt Russell.
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