Film: Elvis

 

GENRE: Biography, Drama
RATING: PG-13 for substance abuse, language, suggestive material
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 39 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Tom Hanks (Ladykillers, Apollo 13); Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge)
DIRECTOR: Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Great Gatsby)
WRITERS: Sam Bromell (newcomer),
Craig Pearce & Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Australia),
PLOT: The life of Elvis is told through the eyes of his questionable manager Col. Parker.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m a big fan of Baz Lurhmann’s work.    

STORY STUFF: I will admit that I did not know too much about Elvis’ story. I have only really heard stuff in a more mocking way -- the garish Vegas stuff and the gyrating hips. I had heard the name Col. Parker but didn’t know much about him either. So, I found this story utterly fascinating. I don’t know how much is embellished but when Lisa Marie Pressley was moved by the accuracy, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. The story is well paced for the most part but lingers a little too long when Elvis starts to rebel and ignores the wishes of his manager. A Christmas special takes way too much screen time to get their point across. As I usually say with long running times, this film could have befitted from a little trim, maybe twenty minutes or so. But overall, I loved learning more about Elvis Pressley, his influences, his rise to fame, his tragic downfall and everything in between.

ACTING STUFF: Butler is incredible as Elvis. He doesn’t do a cheesy over-the-top impersonation; his acting is organic and made me sympathize with this rock n roll legend. His movements, his voice, his heart, it was all amazing. I know there are people who will be put off by Hanks’ undistinguishable accent and extreme make-up, but I dug it. I think the accent is part of the mystery behind this towering figure in Elvis’ life. Hanks won’t garner an Oscar nomination, but I think Butler deserves one.

ARTISTIC STUFF: With Baz Luhrmann, you get spectacle. I love the way Luhrmann moves the camera around and plays with its angles and depth. The editing of his montages is vibrant and I love the titling graphics throughout. There is some modern R&B music peppered in this film and it’s amazing how well it fits in despite the ‘period piece’ atmosphere. Only someone like Luhrmann can pull that off. It’s a great way to highlight his love of music which can be found in all his films. This one is another banger.

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Baz’ work or are interested in Elvis’ life.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Minions: The Rise of Gru 

Dream Emmy Nominations 2022

The official Emmy Award nominations are due Monday. The announcement happens later in July. Looking over the very long ballot, these would be my dream nominations for the upcoming Emmys. Some of these are long shots but it is always fun to dream.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

·        Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde [Ozark]

·         Jeff Daniels as Del Harris [American Rust]

·         Michael C Hall as Dexter Morgan [Dexter: New Blood]

·         Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman [Better Call Saul]

·         Adam Scott as Mark Scout [Severance]

·         Corey Stoll as Mike Prince [Billions]

 

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

·         Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy [The Morning Show]

·         Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde [Ozark]

·         Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson [This Is Us]

·         Maura Tierney as Grace Poe [American Rust]

·         Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand [The Book of Boba Fett]

·         Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson [The Morning Show]

 

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

·         John Cena as Peacemaker [Peacemaker]

·         Rick Gervais as Tony [After Life]

·         Bill Hader as Barry Berkman [Barry]

·         Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Martin Short as Oliver Putnam [Only Murders in the Building]

·         Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso [Ted Lasso]

 

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Natasha Lyonne as Nadia [Russian Doll]

·         Sandra Oh as Ji-Yoon Kim [The Chair]

·         Jean Smart as Deborah Vance [Hacks]

·         Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop [Hawkeye]

·         Cecily Strong as Melissa Gimble [Schmigadoon!]

 

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Travis Kalanick [Super Pumped]

·         Kevin Hart as Arnold [Diff’rent Strokes]

·         Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight [Moon Knight]

·         Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch [Dr. Death]

·         Michael Keaton as Dr. Samuel Finnix [Dopesick]

·         Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee [Pam & Tommy]

 

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Kristen Bell as Anna [The Woman in the House . . .]

·         Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky [Impeachment]

·         Julia Garner as Anna Delvey [Inventing Anna]

·         Lily James as Pamela Anderson [Pam & Tommy]

·         Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp [Impeachment]

 

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

·         Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler [The Morning Show]

·         Zach Cherry as Dylan George [Severance]

·         Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy [Succession]

·         Joe Keery as Steve Harrington [Stranger Things]

·         Michael Mando as Nacho Varga [Better Call Saul]

·         Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman [The Good Doctor]

 

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

·         Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore [Ozark]

·         Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley [Stranger Things]

·         Julia Jones as Angela Bishop [Dexter: New Blood]

·         Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler [Better Call Saul]

·         Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield [Stranger Things]

 

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

·         Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent [Ted Lasso]

·         Dule Hill as Bill Williams [The Wonder Years]

·         Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard [Ted Lasso]

·         David Hyde Pierce as Paul Child [Julia]

·         Bobby Moyinhan as Jayden Kwapis [Mr. Mayor]

·         Ben Schwartz as Yasper [The Afterparty]

 

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo [Peacemaker]

·         Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels [Hacks]

·         Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Vella Lovell as Mikaela Shaw [Mr. Mayor]

·         Amy Ryan as Jan [Only Murders in the Building]

·         Juno Temple as Keely Jones [Ted Lasso]

 

Supporting Actor In a Limited Series or Movie

·         Kyle Chandler as Bill Gurley [Super Pumped]

·         Colin Hanks as Mike Emmick [Impeachment]

·         Arian Moayed as Todd Spodek [Inventing Anna]

·         Christian Slater as Randall Kirby [Dr. Death]

·         Dan Stevens as John Dean [Gaslit]

 

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones [Impeachment]

·         Kaitlyn Dever as Betsy Mallum [Dopesick]

·         Katie Lowes as Rachel [Inventing Anna]

·         Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington [Super Pumped]

·         Astrid Van Wieren as Beulah & Others [Come From Away]

 

Writing for a Drama Series

·         Rock and a Hard Place [Better Call Saul]

·         Plan and Execution [Better Call Saul]

·         The Family Business [Dexter: New Blood]

·         A Hard Way to Go [Ozark]

·         The We We Are [Severance]

·         All the Bells Say [Succession]

 

Writing for a Comedy Series

·         710N [Barry]

·         The Last Day [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         The One, The Only [Hacks]

·         Titi B [Mr. Mayor]

·         It’s Cow or Never [Peacemaker]

·         Rainbow [Ted Lasso]

 

Writing for a Limited Series

·         The People vs Purdue Pharma [Dopesick]

·         Hardwood Floors [Dr. Death]

·         Man Handled [Impeachment]

·         The Goldfish Problem [Moon Knight]

·         The Master Beta [Pam & Tommy]

·         Same Last Name [Super Pumped]

 

Drama Series

·         Better Call Saul

·         Dexter: New Blood

·         Ozark

·         Severance

·         Stranger Things

·         Succession

 

Comedy Series

·         Barry

·         Brooklyn Nine-Nine

·         Hacks

·         Only Murders in the Building

·         Peacemaker

·         Ted Lasso

 

Limited Series

·         Dopesick

·         Dr. Death

·         Impeachment

·         Inventing Anna

·         Super Pumped

 

The nominations are announced on July 12^th.

Film: Jurassic World: Domination

 

GENRE: Action, Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for intense action, some violence and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 26 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Lego Movie)
Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village); Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
DIRECTOR: Collin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World)
WRITERS: Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising),
Treverrow (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom),
PLOT: Dinosaurs now roam the earth but there is an even bigger threat of grain being destroyed.   

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve gone this far, might as well end it.    

STORY STUFF: This film should be a lot shorter. Way too much bloated dialogue and not enough action. It’s a while before the first good chase scene happens with dinos chasing our heroes down the busy streets. Everyone seems fine with dinosaurs cohabitating with us. I know I would have a problem with it. Then again I can just calm an approaching dinosaur by raising my hand and making eye contact. In a dinosaur film it was a bit surprising that it was locusts that were causing the problems. This story is all over the place but things get a bit better when the old and new cast unite and compare notes. That was fun. I think at the end I’m supposed to care which dinosaur wins in an apex predator fight. I didn’t. Also, those are the most unaffected deer I’ve even seen. Were they drugged or hard of hearing?

ACTING STUFF: There’s nothing really special to talk about. Pratt is charming as always. Goldblum gets some fun lines (and a lot more screentime than the overhyped Fallen Kingdom). The bad guy is cartoonishly evil with the temperament of Kylo Ren – wasn’t a fan.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Of course, you come for the dinosaurs. They are well done like always. I also like hearing John William’s theme kick in a bunch of times.    

VERDICT: Two stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You’ve seen the other Jurassic films and want closure?
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Lightyear, Elvis