Austin Butler carried the film. Tom Hanks snowman.. thing got wearisome. Would have preferred more Elvis myself. But .. from a producer perspective, getting Tom Hanks involved was a wise move.
I don't think it's possible to tell Elvis's story without also telling the story of Parker. If Elvis had an honest and ethical manager, his career would have been dramatically different.
Yes his impact and influence was the biggest on the industry. The criticisms of biopics being inaccurate is curious to me because everyone knows it's a film, they take liberties , whether the estate wants it presented a certain way or for dramatic effect., perhaps this only bothers the biggest fans of the particular artist. In the case of the Queen movie I didn't feel any omissions, or inaccuracies affected it. It was called Bohemian Rhapsody so therefore it was about the rise of the band to me, and you didn't need all the details of Mercury's life. Touching on it, but mostly showing him as one of the greatest frontmen was more important. That being said for the general public or the casual fan I think it stands as a good , entertaining biopic. Same for Rocketman, it certainty encapsulated John's public persona. Guess if you want a full representation, more facts , see a documentary on the artist.
If memory serves, around the time when the movie was getting closer to release, Luhrmann did say that his concept for the movie was to tell Elvis' story, but through the lens of Parker, kind of him being our viewpoint into the story, instead of just looking at events from an outsider watching it.
That's a common critique of the film but Baz did that to not make it a typical biopic. As mentioned by others, it also allows for some of the inaccuracies and embellishments because it's being told from the memory of an old man on morphine
Ok about that accent but what was with the creepiness of the characterization? That was odd, tiresome to me. Seems he may have told it from his perspective but not had him in it as much. To me only Butler stood out as a good performance .
Accent ? Creepy .. like horror movie creepy. Again .to reiterate Austin Butler made the film come to life, made Elvis come alive.. lotta love in the portrayal.
I like one particular moment when Hanks relays the upcoming itenerary to Elvis.... deja vu where he's doing the same conversation with the oh-needers
1000%. That's what gives this version of the story its Shakespearian/tragic story arc. Up until this film came out, the story of Elvis' decline was attributed to too many fried peanut butter sandwiches and reliance on prescription meds rather than [Guralnick says] clinical depression brought on by "creative disappointment", thanks to the Colonel's financial abuse and mismanagement. Without that context, it was very easy to lampoon Elvis and as we know, many did in a way that was cruel and demeaning. The film has changed the conversation about Elvis fundamentally. There's a greater appreciation for Elvis and his music now, which is a welcome change.
I've seen the film on the big screen five times and countless times since I've had the blu ray. I just don't get tired of watching it.
My wife and I saw Living this evening, and Bill Nighy delivers an excellent and very moving performance as a repressed 1950s British government bureaucrat, who discovers he has only a few months to live. So we've seen everyone nominated in this category, in the theater, and I still say Austin Butler delivered the best performance of the year.
This movie is so good and means so much to me that knowing I only have two more chances to see it in the theater for that experience is upsetting. I've never so wished a movie was always at my disposal at the cinema as this one.
Elvis wishes it was as good as Bohemian Rhapsody. That movie has everything, from an interesting informative storyline to well executed musical performances to a whopper of an emotional ending to every other little thing about it. Bohemian Rhapsody remains my favorite film from 2018, but as much as I love Austin's performance the movie itself will never rise to greatness for me.
I agree that the musical performances were awesome, but I also think Rami delivered a pitch perfect performance as Freddie as well. It was his voice and mannerisms that sold me on the idea that he really was Freddie Mercury.
I seldom ever hear good things about Bohemian Rhapsody as a movie that isn't solely related to Rami Malek's performance. Queen fans by the masses do not care for it as a film. Avid Elvis fans are far more appreciative of "Elvis" from all that I've read, not to mention casual fans.
Yeah, I thought the BoRhap film was about 20% faithful to the real story whereas Elvis is batting closer to 70%, your mileage may vary
Guess I'm the opposite then since I continue to love Bohemian Rhapsody and think it's a brilliant film. There's just so much stuff I learned about Queen itself and Freddie in particular that I literally knew nothing about before I saw the film that I was blown away by the whole thing. Bohemian Rhapsody in my mind at least is one of the greatest films ever and multiple viewings on TV haven't changed my opinion of it one bit. Guess I feel the same about this film as you do about Elvis.
You say you learned a lot from it. According to this site it's only 62 % accurate The Least Historically Accurate Music Biopics Ever Made And this one isn't too big on it either 10 Most Inaccurate Biopics, According To Reddit This list is brand new and Bohemian Rhapsody ranks 3rd out of all biopics for inaccuracy, not just music ones. 17 Biopics That Are Highly Inaccurate (But Still Entertaining) All these links are after the release of the Elvis movie btw
This is where I get to brag. I was at Live Aid, at Wembley! My Dad being a Scot meant I could get a British passport and live in the UK, so I moved there as soon as I could. I was 19. I'd spent my teens listening to loud snotty bands like the Ramones and the Clash and just wanted to be in the middle of it all. I was going to hundreds of gigs at the time, big and small. The Pogues were still Pogue Mahone and played most weekends at the Hope & Anchor for only 50p. I saw the Smiths for free not long after arriving in London the previous year at a big outdoor festival on the Thames River right in the heart of London. That was the first time I ever saw proper skinheads with their Nazi insignia, flaunting it openly. A long way from the little ole backwater New Zealand was at the time. I did like Springsteen who played Wembley the weekend before Live Aid, so I had tickets for that. Around that time, my flatmate came home one day with 10 tickets for Live Aid. I got the last ticket after another flatmate dropped out last minute. I was excited about seeing U2 and Bowie. Queen were not on my radar. I was not a Queen fan at all. I was completely indifferent. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when Queen came onstage, I sat down as soon as I heard the opening chords of Bohemian Rhapsody. When Radio GaGa came on I thought 'Hey I like the melody' and stood up. By the end of the gig, I was, of course, jumping up and down like a maniac just like the rest of the crowd. Freddy completely and utterly converted me to the cause on the spot. So [sorry for being long-winded] I get that the movie is full of inaccuracies, but its fun to watch and the best part is I get to relive that day over and over
Elvis > Bohemian Rhapsody I wasn't thrilled over either, but come on. Austin actually sings and brings a revitalized version of Elvis whereas Rami just makes a bunch of awkward exchanges through a prosthetic and lip syncs. One is much more stylized than the other, which even if it goes overboard it does make it stand out. One thing that helps Elvis feel a bit more honest is the time passed: Priscilla: Make me and my family look good, no mention of my affairs. But go ahead and drag the Colonel through the coals. Queen: Make us all look good. No, we never had a major fight of consequence, add more scenes of Freddie leading us on a wild creative tangent and we go along like a bunch of schoolboys. Yep, that is what it was like constantly for sure. Build some fictional baddie if you need a crisis.
Well in defense of the Priscilla character she tells Elvis she doesn't care about the girls he's with just the pills. No, that's not her admitting her indiscretions, but how many wives wouldn't care that their husband was banging groupies unless they had something going on too?
