Elvis (Baz Luhrmann)

speedboatchase

I can see this doing big box office. Elvis fans in the comments seem happy with the casting too. You may remember Austin Butler as one of Charlie Manson's hippie crew in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBDLRvjHVOY

Slydice

Voice sounds decent. Story looks compelling.

Haven't seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood so I checked his wiki for what else he's been in... and well.. this seems like of his big breaks!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Butler

Mr Crispy

Butler looks and sounds the part but as much as I love Tom Hanks, I'm not sure about his Parker.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118650688#Comment_118650688

Tom Hanks can do no wrong, you'll see!

Nice to see Elvis getting serious treatment, looks like an epic Biography

santana75

Genuinely exited about this. Not an Elvis fanatic or anything like that but I do find him to be a fascinating character. I've seen footage of him in concert from his final years and what really stands out is the power of his voice. Even in his very last concert when he was clearly in a bad state, his voice was a powerful as ever. I wonder if Austin Butler went all Bobby D in Raging Bull for the latter days of Elvis' life?

pixelburp

"Dewey Cox Elvis has to think about his whole life before he plays"

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118654443#Comment_118654443

And he never bought the drugs.

johnny_ultimate

It’s funny how definitively Walk Hard skewered the entire music biopic formula, and yet filmmakers have decided to just double down on the genre and its tropes ever since 🤷🏻‍♂️

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118654967#Comment_118654967

Presumably cos it flopped so hard it really only lives on within film enthusiasts' circles as a cult classic. It really should have killed the formula we all know and "love"

Arghus

I didn't know I wanted to see this until I watched the trailer.

Useless Lump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118651009#Comment_118651009

I normally avoid trailers and clips like the plague but I saw some of the trailer and it looks fantastic.

Thought it was going to be. A donkey when I heard it was the guy from Shannara Chronicles but he looks great. I know nothing about Parker.

They seem to be covering a lot of his life and a three movie can’t be enough for that.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118650688#Comment_118650688

It's not his fault but at times Butler looks an awful lot like Depp when young and Travolta older. It's because of Grease and Crybaby which both had an Elvis look but it was bugging me watching the trailer.

It looks like it's a very straight up biopic which is a surprise coming from Luhrmann but looks good all the same.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118659008#Comment_118659008

Ha I was the very same.

I wonder who they are gonna get to play Joey "the lips" Fagan ?

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118651009#Comment_118651009

I think Ireland's own Jonathan Rhys Meyers was praised for his mini series and Kurt Russell did a decent job on film

Agent Coulson

Second trailer before it arrives next month

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp2BNHwbwvI&ab_channel=WarnerBros.Pictures

Slydice

I can't see anything that screams it needs a big screen. I'm imagining the story and sound will be the big deal.

JP Liz V1

Loved at Cannes by all accounts

fryup

Austin Butler is a stunning looking man - but he's too pretty & boyish to play Elvis, Elvis was handsome and manly looking

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119142229#Comment_119142229

Agree with this. Kurt Russell probably looked the part more than anyone else I’ve seen do it.

JP Liz V1

Anyone know the running time on this? I've seen 3 hours and 4 hours mentioned

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119229172#Comment_119229172

2 hours, 40 mins

santana75

Gonna go Saturday, looking forward to seeing this. By all accounts it's very good, will report back after Saturday.

santana75

Overall its decent enough but not amazing or anything. I think they lingered way too long in the 1950s era. Personally I'm more interested in Elvis's life near the end, in the 1970s. I wanted to see more about his relationship with the beatles and how he felt threatened by their success. Or even the stuff with Richard nixon and a late night visit to the White House to get himself deputised so he could apprehend drug addicts and dealers. It glossed over his final days very quickly and they are arguably the most fascinating of his life. Austin butler is very good, I can't fault him he gives it absolutely everything. Tom hanks is good too even if his accent Is mostly Hollywood oirish.

speedboatchase

The first 20 minutes are horrendous and had me very worried. Baz Luhrmann had his hands too much in too choices (sometimes things are 'conventional' for a reason - the audience can understand) and you end up with a disorientating, endless montage of what should be extremely impactful moments. In Variety's review they pointed out that Baz doesn't give us an idea of a pre-Elvis world because his style is so bombastic, so Vegas.

From there, however, it really picks up. Baz wrests control away and the music and Austin Butler's insane performance start to take over. The Vegas scenes are truly stunning - you feel like you're in the room. By the end, and the mixing of real footage from Elvis's life, I was truly moved.

Overall, it's a 7/10 for me, but it isn't a 7/10 movie, if that makes sense? It has true greatness in there, and it has moments that are the equivalent of a child running into the house excitedly trying to tell a story. Watch in the cinema for the comeback special and Vegas performances though and you'll still get your money's worth.

Shank Williams

Really enjoyed this and I would not be a Baz Luhrman fan at all (still haven’t gotten over how badly he massacred Gatsby)

I guess it would be hard to make a truly uninteresting film about this subject matter, really enjoyed Hanks and Butlers performances, Luhrman definitely takes liberties and glosses over /airbrushes some of the edges but worth a watch

Hyzepher

I feel that the movie won't resonate with some of the younger audience as I think it requires a little pre-knowledge to understand some of the more iconic parts of his life - the importance of the comeback special, the early parts of the 1960s were glossed over and the final years weren't addressed at all. The period between his initial Vegas residency and his final year was rushed and for me this was an important period to understand how he morphed into "fat Elvis" and had drug issues etc. For those of us that remember, Elvis was very anti-drugs and the movie was a little conflicted on this.

santana75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119256923#Comment_119256923

Yeah I had the same thoughts. If you watch footage from the concert in Honolulu Elvis is in fantastic shape, he's lean and athletic and his voice is perfect. But even just two years later, in 1975, he's become "Fat Elvis", slurring his words and in general looking terrible. And then just two years after that he was dead. This period, from 1973-1977 really needed to be given a lot more time in the movie, but it was very much glossed over.

Shelga

Myself and my boyfriend went to see this tonight. I thought it was a solid 3 star movie- he thought it was the worst film he’s ever seen in the cinema 😅

It really didn’t cover much in any depth, and Colonel Parker was just so unlikeable and one-dimensional. I still enjoyed some of the set pieces though, and Austin Butler was fantastic.

gmisk

Saw this morning. Would agree with other posts the first 20 minutes are a bit too whirl windy!

Really enjoyed it, overly long but a lot to pack in. Austin Butler is a total revelation (Oscar nom surely), Hanks does well even under the prosthetics.

It is certainly a step up from Bohemian Rhapsody as a film... Christ that was a mess. It is glossy and surface level to a degree...but as you would expect with Baz Luhrmann it does look wonderful. Some set pieces are genuinely brilliant like the comeback special and the performances in Vegas.

7/10

Graceland

I'm a big Elvis fan but I wasn't sure if I was going to like this movie as the first 15/20 minutes seemed all over the place to me. However I'm glad to say the more it went on, the more I liked it. I thought Austin Bulter was fantastic in the role. I would have liked more coverage of Elvis' life in later years, and I'm hoping the 4 hour version that I've heard about will have more of this.

Dial Hard

I saw this today for the second time. I'm not sure I've ever gone to the cinema to see a film twice. It has its flaws but honestly, Austin Butler is just *that* good. Give him the Oscar and be done with it.

El Duda

Not an Elvis fan at all, and normally wouldn't have bothered seeing this, but I recently got an unlimited card so thought why the hell not?

Elvis – 9/10

I’ve never been an Elvis fan and I don’t care much for his music, but I left the cinema feeling completely elated. It’s just fantastic.

It does an incredible job of recreating what it must have been like to be in the room seeing a world class, break-out talent like Elvis emerge. Most directors would simply ask the female extras to start screaming when Elvis starts shaking, but Baz Luhrmann goes much further. He gets proper performances out of the screamers. He ensures that it all looks involuntary, like they’re being possessed. At times they even look confused and scared by the emotions that Elvis’s swinging hips stir up in their loins. The whole scene is electric and completely wins you over. 

m Hanks puts in an absolute Jared Leto of a performance, delivering every line like cross between a vampire and Frankie Four Fingers from Snatch. Oddly though, it doesn’t drag the film down at all. 

 Austin Butler already has the #OscarInTheBag but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t win for editing and sound mixing too. Sparkly goodness.

Yeah, first 30mins I wasn't sure where it was going. All over the place editing wise. Tom Hanks ruins every single scene he's in but Butler saved it. Great performance.

3.5/5

Seen it last night. Really enjoyed it, is it Austin Butler that played Elvis? What a performance.

I had only recently watched the two part documentary on Netflix about Elvis so was aware of the 68 Special and other key moments in the movie.

10/10 for me. I won't let Tom Hanks accent bring the film down as I'm sure thats how the Colonal sounded or close enough to it. (Must check out some real footage of him talking)

Brilliant film.

greenspurs

Really enjoyed it.

As was said before, i just thought he was too 'pretty' for Elvis, but did a great job.

Loved the typical Luhrman cinematography , and the performances.

Felt the latter end/death was a bit glossed over , and might have been to 'down' to fit the rest of the movie.

sporina

Q...

Can someone help me out please?

I have watched half of this movie - but i'm not clear on something.. seems even his fans turned against him after he joined RCA records.. the girls with the posters "we want the old Elvis back".. so he was being too vulgar/sexual etc..

But wasn't he wiggling his legs, hip and bits when he was performing from the start? rem the scene when he was on stage and he was booed at first but then the girls practically started to climax watching him? and he was with Sun records then...

Don't know much about him obv.. would like some clarity on the above b4 I watch the rest

TIA

sporina

loved Bohemian Rhapsody - mess?

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158086#Comment_120158086

That was entirely the point, they wanted sexy Elvis back, they weren't interested in the sanitised version.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120159731#Comment_120159731

no - the outrage seemed to be after he joined RCA records.. the newspaper articles "vulgar/sexual" etc..

but I recall him shaking his bits from the start so I am unclear

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120159812#Comment_120159812

That was just because he got more famous once he was signed to RCA and drew the attention (and ire) of Conservative politicians and the press.

JP Liz V1

I saw Austin on Graham Norton and his voice seems ravaged from the role

Slydice

Googled "Austin on Graham Norton" and this was the top result. Definitely a bit hoarse sounding

Austin Butler Can't Get Rid Of His Elvis Presley Voice | The Graham Norton Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffgvc-ztf5c

santana75

Went to see this again as its playing in my local cinema in the run up to the oscars and it holds up really well to repeated viewings, the time flew by even though I knew what would happen. One interesting thing to note though, the cinema was pretty much full, which is a good thing, but a good percentage of the audience were groups of teenage girls. I cant figure this, I mean there were older people for sure and Elvis came and passed before my own time, but why would teenage girls be interested in a film about Elvis?

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290956#Comment_120290956

Austin Butler has a huge fanbase with girls and young women. Great casting.

santana75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120291797#Comment_120291797

Thats interesting. Dont think I've ever gone to see a film just because there was an actress I fancied in it.

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120293975#Comment_120293975

I think Baz really knows how to shoot actors and make them look like a million dollars. I imagine the teenagers seeing Elvis for Austin Butler is similar in percentage to those who went to see Baz's Romeo + Juliet for Leo.

santana75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120325654#Comment_120325654

I think it highlights a difference in the genders(broadly speaking anyway). I know a lot of women who'll watch male sports just because they fancy the men, they have no real interest in the sport itself. But most men would never do this, they'd never watch a womens football match because theres a player they fancy, that would never happen. I guess its why boybands will draw legions of female fans but girlbands dont draw any kind of male following. Yes, very astute casting by Baz then

amf78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158086#Comment_120158086

A bit late to the party, but here we go.

Elvis actually joined RCA very early in his career, in late 1955. His first major hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," released in early 1956, was under the RCA label and propelled him to national (and shortly thereafter international) stardom. Prior to that, one could argue that Elvis was still a regional act, primarily known in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas. If I'm not mistaken, his first TV appearance was also in 1956. As for radio, I'm not sure if any Memphis-based stations broadcasted nationally in the mid-1950s. By that point he probably toured extensively, but even that was mostly in the south. So the very first Elvis most people had a chance to see and listen to was already an RCA-signed artist.

However, what turned many of his fans away was a string of subpar movies; all his 30 or so films were either laughably bad or boring, with the exception of "King Creole" (and perhaps "Jailhouse Rock"). These movies were matched only by ridiculous soundtracks, which began to dominate his music output as the 60s rolled in. Between "Pot Luck" (1962) and "From Elvis in Memphis" (1969), the only non-soundtrack albums were "How Great Thou Art" (1967) and the "Comeback TV Special" (1968).

While his stint in the army earned him a new level of respectability, especially among older audiences, teenagers weren't interested in the same kind of music their parents started tuning to. Additionally, Elvis was no longer a novelty act, nor was he as controversial as he had once been. By 1963 he had been in the music business for nearly a decade. At the age of 28, teenage audiences most likely saw him as old.

For some unclear reason, many people, especially Beatles fans, seem to think that the Beatles dethroned Elvis. The reality is that by 1964, when the Beatles took America by storm, Elvis's music career was - to quote Baz Luhrmann's Steve Binder - already in the toilet.

gym_imposter

Only got round to seeing this last night, Tom Hanks ruined it for me

Best description of his character I've read was " Kentucky fried Goldmember"