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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Elvis (2022) in Movies
Jun 28, 2022
Butler Shines
Director Baz Luhrmann is one of those artists that I always keep an eye out for. His artistic vision is unique and while the films he directs don’t always work - MOULIN ROUGE is on of my all-time favorites, AUSTRALIA is a mess and his take on the GREAT GATSBY works…mostly - but the one thing that can be said about him is that his projects are always interesting (especially visually). So when he decided to create a bio-pic of “The King”, Elvis Presley, I was intrigued.
And…the resulting film - appropriately called ELVIS - works very well, but not because of Luhrmann’s Direction/Style but more because of the TERRIFIC performance at the center of this picture - and, no, I’m not talking about Tom Hanks as Col. Parker.
ELVIS follows - with the usual Luhrmann quick/cut, flashy style - the rise, fall, rise and (ultimately) death of Elvis Presley. Starting with his boyhood in Tupelo, Mississippi - where he found his rhythm in the roots of African-American Gospel/Spirituals - to his ascension to superstar, this films tries to tell it all, mostly through the shadowy viewpoint of Elvis’ Manager, Col. Tom Parker (a heavily made-up Tom Hanks).
And that is part of the problem with this film - it tries to tell TOO big a story, so while some items are covered in slow, glowing detail (like Elvis’ discovery of the music that will be his trademark), while other items (his movie career) are glossed over quickly in a montage. This is out of necessity, for this film is already 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but it does make this film feel somewhat disjointed - especially when you add Luhrmann’s trademark disorienting quick/cut, stylistic directing style. At times I just wanted to yell at Lurhman to lock his camera down in one position so my eyes (and brain) can settle down and watch what’s going on.
The other issue is the viewpoint of this film - it isn’t consistent. Is this a movie about Elvis? Is this a movie about a conman manipulating Elvis? It starts out following Col. Parker as he discovers Elvis and manipulates him to be his exclusive act, but then we leave Col. Tom and follow Elvis for long periods of time before being drawn back into Col’s Parker’s web, so there is confusion as to who’s story we are telling. In the end we tell both, and each one suffers a little bit because of this.
HOWEVER - and this is an important point - these issues are pushed to the back as minor flaws as the central performance of Austin Butler (Wil Ohmsford in the terrible adaption of THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES on TV) as Elvis is AMAZING. It is a captivating, multi-layered performance both on-stage and off. He has created a character that you are drawn to watch and the off-stage Elvis sets the stage for the charismatic, on-stage Elvis that we all know. Butler did his own singing/performing in this film and it is much, much more that “just” an Elvis impersonation. He personifies “The King” and Butler’s name better be called at Awards time. It is that good of a performance, one that should catapult this young man to stardom.
Fairing less well is Tom Hanks as Col. Parker. While he is game under all that make-up, the character is just not written with any nuance and comes off as a one-dimensional villain, constantly lurking in the background. This character just wasn’t interesting enough to hold the screen - especially against Butler.
But see this film to rekindle the spirit of Elvis through the interpretation of Butler, you’ll be glad you did.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And…the resulting film - appropriately called ELVIS - works very well, but not because of Luhrmann’s Direction/Style but more because of the TERRIFIC performance at the center of this picture - and, no, I’m not talking about Tom Hanks as Col. Parker.
ELVIS follows - with the usual Luhrmann quick/cut, flashy style - the rise, fall, rise and (ultimately) death of Elvis Presley. Starting with his boyhood in Tupelo, Mississippi - where he found his rhythm in the roots of African-American Gospel/Spirituals - to his ascension to superstar, this films tries to tell it all, mostly through the shadowy viewpoint of Elvis’ Manager, Col. Tom Parker (a heavily made-up Tom Hanks).
And that is part of the problem with this film - it tries to tell TOO big a story, so while some items are covered in slow, glowing detail (like Elvis’ discovery of the music that will be his trademark), while other items (his movie career) are glossed over quickly in a montage. This is out of necessity, for this film is already 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but it does make this film feel somewhat disjointed - especially when you add Luhrmann’s trademark disorienting quick/cut, stylistic directing style. At times I just wanted to yell at Lurhman to lock his camera down in one position so my eyes (and brain) can settle down and watch what’s going on.
The other issue is the viewpoint of this film - it isn’t consistent. Is this a movie about Elvis? Is this a movie about a conman manipulating Elvis? It starts out following Col. Parker as he discovers Elvis and manipulates him to be his exclusive act, but then we leave Col. Tom and follow Elvis for long periods of time before being drawn back into Col’s Parker’s web, so there is confusion as to who’s story we are telling. In the end we tell both, and each one suffers a little bit because of this.
HOWEVER - and this is an important point - these issues are pushed to the back as minor flaws as the central performance of Austin Butler (Wil Ohmsford in the terrible adaption of THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES on TV) as Elvis is AMAZING. It is a captivating, multi-layered performance both on-stage and off. He has created a character that you are drawn to watch and the off-stage Elvis sets the stage for the charismatic, on-stage Elvis that we all know. Butler did his own singing/performing in this film and it is much, much more that “just” an Elvis impersonation. He personifies “The King” and Butler’s name better be called at Awards time. It is that good of a performance, one that should catapult this young man to stardom.
Fairing less well is Tom Hanks as Col. Parker. While he is game under all that make-up, the character is just not written with any nuance and comes off as a one-dimensional villain, constantly lurking in the background. This character just wasn’t interesting enough to hold the screen - especially against Butler.
But see this film to rekindle the spirit of Elvis through the interpretation of Butler, you’ll be glad you did.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
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Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Star Trek, Volume 12 in Books
Jan 12, 2018
The ship passes through an Ion storm and enters the mirror universe for this time line, discovering Khan is alive in the mirror reality, and in the second set of issues, rescues a pair of crew members from a renegade faction of the Orions.
Live Evil is another slightly skewed version of "Mirror, Mirror", and while there were some very cool notions and ideas in the story, it's still a revamp of a Trek episode we've already seen. This title is MUCH more successful and enjoyable when it's not re-inventing the wheel every issue. (I know it seems like I'm harping on this, but use the format to tell us NEW stories with he occasional revamp thrown in, not the other way around!)
The Orion arc is much better, and kudos for bringing back the lovely Gaila from the 2009 movie. Can't wait to see more of her now that she's a science officer.
Interestingly, both these arcs (and most of the proceeding ones) feel like they could use ONE more issue to flesh them out fully. I'm a fan of shorter arcs, because it seems that most comic artists plot things too big and then don't know how to wrap up. Mike Johnson's trek stories are all nice and tidy, but I can't help but feel we're rushing to the climax and moving on. I would enjoy a bit more telling of the tale. But over all another solid, enjoyable set of stories.
Live Evil is another slightly skewed version of "Mirror, Mirror", and while there were some very cool notions and ideas in the story, it's still a revamp of a Trek episode we've already seen. This title is MUCH more successful and enjoyable when it's not re-inventing the wheel every issue. (I know it seems like I'm harping on this, but use the format to tell us NEW stories with he occasional revamp thrown in, not the other way around!)
The Orion arc is much better, and kudos for bringing back the lovely Gaila from the 2009 movie. Can't wait to see more of her now that she's a science officer.
Interestingly, both these arcs (and most of the proceeding ones) feel like they could use ONE more issue to flesh them out fully. I'm a fan of shorter arcs, because it seems that most comic artists plot things too big and then don't know how to wrap up. Mike Johnson's trek stories are all nice and tidy, but I can't help but feel we're rushing to the climax and moving on. I would enjoy a bit more telling of the tale. But over all another solid, enjoyable set of stories.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Map of Lost Memories in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This book took a little while to really pick up the pace. Once I got a handle on who was who & who had which agenda it became a lot more interesting. The characters were easy to like or to hate depending on who's side you were on. Identifying with them on a "real world" level was a bit more tricky though.
It tells the story of Irene, a museum assistant who gets passed over for a big promotion. When she is so easily dismissed she wants to do something to make a name for herself. With the help of her deceased father's wealthy best friend she goes treasure hunting. She sets out to find the lost Khmer copper scrolls which supposedly tell the as yet unknown history of the Khmer reign in Cambodia.
Yes, there is a good dose of history & politics mixed in throughout the story. Even if you know nothing about the Khmers in Cambodia you can still get into this book & understand the plot lines.
Along her journey from Seattle to the Orient, Irene assembles a misfit band of scientists & treasure hunters...everyone from a drug addicted Khmer scholar to a man who runs the "knowledge" network in Shanghai.
All in all this was a good book. It can be enjoyed by anyone despite the time period setting & the oriental history sprinkled in throughout the text. The story is easy to get lost in once you figure out who is who.
It tells the story of Irene, a museum assistant who gets passed over for a big promotion. When she is so easily dismissed she wants to do something to make a name for herself. With the help of her deceased father's wealthy best friend she goes treasure hunting. She sets out to find the lost Khmer copper scrolls which supposedly tell the as yet unknown history of the Khmer reign in Cambodia.
Yes, there is a good dose of history & politics mixed in throughout the story. Even if you know nothing about the Khmers in Cambodia you can still get into this book & understand the plot lines.
Along her journey from Seattle to the Orient, Irene assembles a misfit band of scientists & treasure hunters...everyone from a drug addicted Khmer scholar to a man who runs the "knowledge" network in Shanghai.
All in all this was a good book. It can be enjoyed by anyone despite the time period setting & the oriental history sprinkled in throughout the text. The story is easy to get lost in once you figure out who is who.
Merissa (13585 KP) rated Lost Wolf (New Dawn, #4) in Books
Mar 21, 2019
Lost Wolf (New Dawn, #4) by Rachel M. Raithby
Lost Wolf is the fourth book in the New Dawn series, and we not only have a new couple, but we go back and re-meet the others too. The start of this book runs concurrently with a couple of the others, so you get to see Tyler and Regan in action that you 'missed' last time.
Regan hasn't had it easy, and it is her story to tell so I won't even try. Needless to say, Tyler is the one who helps her to live again, although being Dark Shadow, that poses a problem all of its own. Not only that, but Kat and Bass are having their own problems, brought about by Castor still trying to ruin their lives. No-one said being a shifter was easy.
There is so much in this book - from meeting new characters, to new romance, to building plans, to the world ending... it's all there. And without a single editing or grammatical error that I noticed. The storyline flowed smoothly, and with the chapter headings, you always knew when you were. I have thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series, and I can't wait to see where we go from here. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Regan hasn't had it easy, and it is her story to tell so I won't even try. Needless to say, Tyler is the one who helps her to live again, although being Dark Shadow, that poses a problem all of its own. Not only that, but Kat and Bass are having their own problems, brought about by Castor still trying to ruin their lives. No-one said being a shifter was easy.
There is so much in this book - from meeting new characters, to new romance, to building plans, to the world ending... it's all there. And without a single editing or grammatical error that I noticed. The storyline flowed smoothly, and with the chapter headings, you always knew when you were. I have thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series, and I can't wait to see where we go from here. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated A Good Enough Mother in Books
May 22, 2019
The most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance.
So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored.
As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences.
This was an outstanding and compelling read.
I think this is one of those books that will be talked about for a while and would fit into a book club read to be discussed.
The story is very well written and thought provoking. I found it really pulling at my heart strings.
Each character in this novel is shown with all their flaws and strengths in achingly real scenes and images.
A well written, emotional, thought-provoking story.
A really good mix between an emotional troubled teenager and the relationship with his mother, and a thriller as the unpredictable Dan story line builds to a horrifying conclusion. Really memorable, and I didnt see all the twists coming.
Would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc, in exchange for this honest review.
Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance.
So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored.
As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences.
This was an outstanding and compelling read.
I think this is one of those books that will be talked about for a while and would fit into a book club read to be discussed.
The story is very well written and thought provoking. I found it really pulling at my heart strings.
Each character in this novel is shown with all their flaws and strengths in achingly real scenes and images.
A well written, emotional, thought-provoking story.
A really good mix between an emotional troubled teenager and the relationship with his mother, and a thriller as the unpredictable Dan story line builds to a horrifying conclusion. Really memorable, and I didnt see all the twists coming.
Would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc, in exchange for this honest review.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated The First Mistake in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The first mistake could be her last.
Fairly early on in this book, I assumed that Alice's "first mistake" was her first husband, since when we meet her she's already on her second marriage. Also, the manner in which her first husband died seemed like the perfect scenario for him to actually NOT be dead and to pop up later on. Makes sense, right?
Well....yes and no.
You may think you have things figured out. You don't.
You may think you know who's doing what to whom. You don't.
You may think you know how it's going to end. You don't.
Several times throughout, my assumptions and theories were blown. Not all of them, mind you, because I was definitely right about a few things, but enough of them to make me say, "What? Wait. How?" That first big reveal? OMG WHAT. ?
I liked the alternating POVs from Alice and Beth. It helps to tell a complete story. However, I have to say that I did not like the character of Nathan at all, and was pretty quick to jump on the he's-definitely-cheating-on-her train of thought. (Is he, though?)
I enjoyed the author's first title, The Other Woman, very much, but I think I liked The First Mistake even more. Find out June 11th if you feel the same!
Thank you to BookishFirst and Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press for the gorgeous ARE!
Fairly early on in this book, I assumed that Alice's "first mistake" was her first husband, since when we meet her she's already on her second marriage. Also, the manner in which her first husband died seemed like the perfect scenario for him to actually NOT be dead and to pop up later on. Makes sense, right?
Well....yes and no.
You may think you have things figured out. You don't.
You may think you know who's doing what to whom. You don't.
You may think you know how it's going to end. You don't.
Several times throughout, my assumptions and theories were blown. Not all of them, mind you, because I was definitely right about a few things, but enough of them to make me say, "What? Wait. How?" That first big reveal? OMG WHAT. ?
I liked the alternating POVs from Alice and Beth. It helps to tell a complete story. However, I have to say that I did not like the character of Nathan at all, and was pretty quick to jump on the he's-definitely-cheating-on-her train of thought. (Is he, though?)
I enjoyed the author's first title, The Other Woman, very much, but I think I liked The First Mistake even more. Find out June 11th if you feel the same!
Thank you to BookishFirst and Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press for the gorgeous ARE!
Dan sellwood (1 KP) rated The Name of the Wind in Books
Feb 2, 2018 (Updated Feb 2, 2018)
Read. It. Now.
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Name of the Wind begins to tell the story of Kvothe, a fiery-haired arcanist on a lifelong journey to understand a tragedy that befalls his family. Kvothe is a born performer, both on the stage and off. He has a natural charisma and sheer brilliance that seem to be his ticket out of a poor childhood into a wonderful world of adventure.
The story is told from a grown up kvothe's point of view and while when he talks about his childhood and adolescence the story is filled with this lighthearted and magical energy, you soon learn that on his journey something terrible has happened to kvothe to change his adult self into someone much more reserved. It's clear he carries a terrible secret but of course in true Rothfuss style this is yet to be revealed.
This book does what many fail to do. It creates another world that's dazzling and something you want to be part of while also creating characters with such depth and personality that by the end you feel you truly know them.
All I can say is that this book was the first fantasy book I decided to read and now as a result it is all I want to read. Therfore if you haven't read it, read it! - but be warned, it is part of a triology and we are still eagerly awaiting a third book which as of yet has no release date.
The story is told from a grown up kvothe's point of view and while when he talks about his childhood and adolescence the story is filled with this lighthearted and magical energy, you soon learn that on his journey something terrible has happened to kvothe to change his adult self into someone much more reserved. It's clear he carries a terrible secret but of course in true Rothfuss style this is yet to be revealed.
This book does what many fail to do. It creates another world that's dazzling and something you want to be part of while also creating characters with such depth and personality that by the end you feel you truly know them.
All I can say is that this book was the first fantasy book I decided to read and now as a result it is all I want to read. Therfore if you haven't read it, read it! - but be warned, it is part of a triology and we are still eagerly awaiting a third book which as of yet has no release date.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated Wasp's Nest (Roma Series Book 2) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
The Wasp Nest is a complicated scheme for what you learn from this. There is a professional assassin out the kill a few targets. We also meet some new friends along the way. Again who is Loki? What does Rendition want?
We are back in the United States with Bianca. Her friends show up in a few days laters. Things go from okay to creepy. This book really gave me the creeps and still was good. I enjoyed it none the less but think you can not be creepy out by how it goes.
I am still trying to figure out who Loki is and what exactly Rendition wants her to do. She seems to get the help she needs from this computer person who is named Loki. I will tell you there are lots of deaths. I believe we will see more in the coming books for they seem to all running though Roma Underground.
We find out more about Sergeant and Nasonia Pharmaceutical. I do not want to give away much here for it really bring to life and what this book is about. The author did have me confused, but I also enjoy the story along they way. How is Garnero and Farugia past involved in this all of this. We meet a few new characters and find new friends. There seem to be connection and something else also know as corruptions.
We are back in the United States with Bianca. Her friends show up in a few days laters. Things go from okay to creepy. This book really gave me the creeps and still was good. I enjoyed it none the less but think you can not be creepy out by how it goes.
I am still trying to figure out who Loki is and what exactly Rendition wants her to do. She seems to get the help she needs from this computer person who is named Loki. I will tell you there are lots of deaths. I believe we will see more in the coming books for they seem to all running though Roma Underground.
We find out more about Sergeant and Nasonia Pharmaceutical. I do not want to give away much here for it really bring to life and what this book is about. The author did have me confused, but I also enjoy the story along they way. How is Garnero and Farugia past involved in this all of this. We meet a few new characters and find new friends. There seem to be connection and something else also know as corruptions.