ELVIS
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kodi Smit-McPhee
It takes an extravagant vision to capture the life and magic of Elvis Presley on screen. Director Baz Luhrmann embeds his flashy aura into Elvis Presley’s life to an eye-popping degree with Elvis. If you’ve seen Romeo + Juliet or Moulin Rouge, there’s no mistaking Luhrmann’s distinct vision within minutes of Elvis. The opening sequence practically mirrors that of Romeo+Juliet with a frenzied narration and Tom Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker on his death bed recounting how he made Elvis famous and that there would be no Elvis without him. He wants to set the record straight in this fever dream. Parker was working as a music producer on the carnival circuit when he heard a young Elvis Presley on the radio. He’s played here by the remarkable Austin Butler. Presley had a sound and image all his own inspired by the Black community and music he grew up around. Parker knew he found his golden ticket in Presley. The rest as they say is history but the relationship between the two was toxic as Presley found himself thrust into controversy with someone who couldn’t be trusted. Now streaming on HBO Max and will be on 4K, Blu-Ray and DVD on September 13
Here’s my review