ELVIS MOVIE REVIEW

Director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) takes on the story of one of the most legendary singers in history, Elvis Presley. And if you are familiar with Luhrmann’s filmography and know at least something about Elvis (I mean, is it possible not to?) you probably have some idea going into this what to expect. And, for the most part, you’d be right. Austin Butler has a star-making turn here as the musician but the narrator and bookender of the film is the Rasputin-ish Colonel Tom Parker played with added jowlyness and a Dutch accent by Tom Hanks. The movie is a whirlwind of sound and images racing through Elvis’s career to eventually the sad end of his life. But Luhrmann focuses a lot of his attention on the Colonel and the question: how responsible was he for Elvis’s death? Chris, Frank, and Sarah Jane watched all 159 minutes of this biopic and are here to tell you if they love it tender or if they felt caught in a trap.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Baz Luhrmann

STARRING: Austin Butler, Chaydon Jay, Tom Hanks, Helen Thompson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leon Ford, Kate Mulvany, Josh McConville, Yola Quartey, Alton Mason, Gary Clark Jr., Christopher Sommers, Nicholas Bell, Anthony LaPaglia, Dacre Montgomery, Christian Kisando, John Mukristayo, Miles Burton, Gad Banza, Adam Dunn, Terepai Richmond, Patrick Shearer, Liz Blackett, Cle Morgan, Shonka Dukureh

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others). You can also check out Chris in his videocast, along with Martin Thomas and Danni Danger, that One Of Us does with our friends at Bell of Lost Souls: Crossover Event. He also regularly guests on the video game website Rage Select. Follow Chris on Twitter and Facebook and check out his Amazon Wish List.

 

 

Frank Calvillo (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Born and raised in South Texas, Frank currently lives in Austin and has been in love with movies ever since his father showed him some Three Stooges shorts when he was five years old. Today he loves all kinds of film, regardless of era, country, budget or genre. He believes every film has an audience and is at least one person’s favorite movie. After writing for Sight & Sound and Slackerwood, he now writes for Cinapse where his increasingly random...