What are we watching now?

Watched HBO's Elvis over the course of the last two nights. (Spoilers ahead.)

I'll start by simply saying that it wasn't what I was expecting. Or hoping for. I was hoping for a revealing, period-accurate biopic. The first half of the movie is more like a continuous montage of 50's kitsch mixed with modern music and aesthetics (e.g. crazy saturated film stock.) Basically, an hour long VH1 music video. And Tom Hanks in Fat Bastard makeup saying "Snow Business" over and over and over (and over and over and over) again as if it were the single most clever thing anyone had ever said. It's as endearing as it sounds.

I suppose the music is good on its own terms, but if you're a music geek who went in looking for an Elvis biopic, the deviation from authenticity is often grating. The acting is... fine... but the screenplay is nearly non-existent for the first half. Then there's a period of the movie which lasts maybe 8 or 9 days (I lost count) where Elvis films a Christmas special and Fat Bastard Colonel Parker tells him to play Santa Claus Is Coming to Town over and over and over (and over and over and over.) While they debate the merits of this one Christmas carol, a president is shot, Americans embrace new values, glaciers fall into oceans, galaxies form. And then Elvis does not play Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

Then, very briefly, there is a plot.

The second half of the movie - despite its continuing efforts to have almost no substantial dialog whatsoever - does get more interesting by virtue of the conflicts of interest that arise. Elvis starts to fall apart in Vegas, and just as the film gathers some steam... Well, the rest is (tragic) history.

Here the film caught me off guard by giving me maybe a little too much of what I wanted - especially on the same night I'd just heard about JB's passing. It cuts to real footage of Elvis' fans, and of Elvis himself, and finally of one of his performances shortly before his death. He looks so terrible - hardly recognizable. And then he sings and it's enormous, angelic, larger than life. By this point, I'd softened on the movie some, but it almost felt like cheating: the frequent mediocrity of the film that precedes this footage just makes Elvis himself hit you that much harder. (Being a "man of a certain age", footage of the '70s has a strange, intimate familiarity to me, which makes me an even easier target.) Like @JiveTurkey (who may or may not give a s*** about Elvis) has been saying these past couple of days: onion sandwich.

On balance I wouldn't know how to judge. I think I mostly hated the movie itself LOL. But by the time it was over I was glad I'd watched it, because it was so affecting.
 
Watched HBO's Elvis over the course of the last two nights. (Spoilers ahead.)

I'll start by simply saying that it wasn't what I was expecting. Or hoping for. I was hoping for a revealing, period-accurate biopic. The first half of the movie is more like a continuous montage of 50's kitsch mixed with modern music and aesthetics (e.g. crazy saturated film stock.) Basically, an hour long VH1 music video. And Tom Hanks in Fat Bastard makeup saying "Snow Business" over and over and over (and over and over and over) again as if it were the single most clever thing anyone had ever said. It's as endearing as it sounds.

I suppose the music is good on its own terms, but if you're a music geek who went in looking for an Elvis biopic, the deviation from authenticity is often grating. The acting is... fine... but the screenplay is nearly non-existent for the first half. Then there's a period of the movie which lasts maybe 8 or 9 days (I lost count) where Elvis films a Christmas special and Fat Bastard Colonel Parker tells him to play Santa Claus Is Coming to Town over and over and over (and over and over and over.) While they debate the merits of this one Christmas carol, a president is shot, Americans embrace new values, glaciers fall into oceans, galaxies form. And then Elvis does not play Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

Then, very briefly, there is a plot.

The second half of the movie - despite its continuing efforts to have almost no substantial dialog whatsoever - does get more interesting by virtue of the conflicts of interest that arise. Elvis starts to fall apart in Vegas, and just as the film gathers some steam... Well, the rest is (tragic) history.

Here the film caught me off guard by giving me maybe a little too much of what I wanted - especially on the same night I'd just heard about JB's passing. It cuts to real footage of Elvis' fans, and of Elvis himself, and finally of one of his performances shortly before his death. He looks so terrible - hardly recognizable. And then he sings and it's enormous, angelic, larger than life. By this point, I'd softened on the movie some, but it almost felt like cheating: the frequent mediocrity of the film that precedes this footage just makes Elvis himself hit you that much harder. (Being a "man of a certain age", footage of the '70s has a strange, intimate familiarity to me, which makes me an even easier target.) Like @JiveTurkey (who may or may not give a s*** about Elvis) has been saying these past couple of days: onion sandwich.

On balance I wouldn't know how to judge. I think I mostly hated the movie itself LOL. But by the time it was over I was glad I'd watched it, because it was so affecting.
I actually thought Elvis was cool for a good period of time. Weird thing about this movie is I already watched Kurt Russel be Elvis decades ago and that bar is high. The guy playing him this go round really irritates me for reasons I can't define? He looks like he would nail the druggie aspect as he just looks like a chubby junkie in his normal life. I also have come to realllllllly not like Tom Hanks.
 
I actually thought Elvis was cool for a good period of time. Weird thing about this movie is I already watched Kurt Russel be Elvis decades ago and that bar is high. The guy playing him this go round really irritates me for reasons I can't define? He looks like he would nail the druggie aspect as he just looks like a chubby junkie in his normal life. I also have come to realllllllly not like Tom Hanks.
I don't mind Tom Hanks in certain roles. He didn't really do it for me in this particular role, but I wouldn't know whether to blame him, the director, the screenwriter, the make-up artist... (Probably the make-up artist LOL. Or D. All of the above.)

I agree 100% about whoever the guy is who plays Elvis. Annoying, weird, and distracting. He simultaneously looks a lot like Elvis and nothing like Elvis whatsoever. Dorky on a different wavelength than Elvis' dorkiness. (And Elvis was plenty dorky LOL.) Sometimes, with all the make up, I'd catch myself thinking Geoff Tate, but no... not quite that either.

Have never seen the Kurt Russel vehicle. Is this a recommendation?
 
I don't mind Tom Hanks in certain roles. He didn't really do it for me in this particular role, but I wouldn't know whether to blame him, the director, the screenwriter, the make-up artist... (Probably the make-up artist LOL. Or D. All of the above.)

I agree 100% about whoever the guy is who plays Elvis. Annoying, weird, and distracting. He simultaneously looks a lot like Elvis and nothing like Elvis whatsoever. Dorky on a different wavelength than Elvis' dorkiness. (And Elvis was plenty dorky LOL.) Sometimes, with all the make up, I'd catch myself thinking Geoff Tate, but no... not quite that either.

Have never seen the Kurt Russel vehicle. Is this a recommendation?
I used to love Tom Hanks. But his son and generally terrible roles he has inhabited over time and just sort of the way Tom himself has crept into "Celebrities we don't like list" just kind of cemented it for me. I can't say why?

The Elvis actor looks like he has the face sweats 24x7.

There has been a bunch of HBO flicks we have watched as of late. Banshees of Inshirin (or wtfever) which was a weird plot but generally good because of the performances, Amsterdam; which was too long and odd in tone shifts but performances made it enjoyable. An old fashioned whodunit with Sam Rockwell who's title I can't recall atm? Some good stuff, even if you don't necessarily think it's great.
 
Also forgot:

Watched Weird. Weird Al movie with Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe was awesome. And it started out sort of Airplane-esque and I enjoyed it initially. Till Madonna showed up and it went, well; weird. Finished it because I wanted to. But not necessarily recommending it?
 
Also forgot:

Watched Weird. Weird Al movie with Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe was awesome. And it started out sort of Airplane-esque and I enjoyed it initially. Till Madonna showed up and it went, well; weird. Finished it because I wanted to. But not necessarily recommending it?
Have been meaning to watch that one. It never even occurs to me to launch the HBO app. For some reason I automatically think "NetFlix" and then wind up surrounded by serial killers.

:sofa
 
Have been meaning to watch that one. It never even occurs to me to launch the HBO app. For some reason I automatically think "NetFlix" and then wind up surrounded by serial killers.

:sofa
Watched the Glass Onion (Knives Out Sequel) on NF. I think I am the only one in the world who seems to think it thinks it way more clever than it actually is :wat
 
P.S. I think I don't know anything about Tom Hanks (or his son)?
His son was probably the ABSOLUTE WORST VILLAIN IN HISTORY in Dexter. And by worst I mean most feeble and boringly portrayed. Tom himself seems to strike me as "oh what a good guy I am" but I just can't seem to catch that vibe anymore?
 
Watched the Glass Onion (Knives Out Sequel) on NF. I think I am the only one in the world who seems to think it thinks it way more clever than it actually is :wat
I think that's on our list. Even though I don't think we managed to finish the first one. That can't be a good sign...
 
His son was probably the ABSOLUTE WORST VILLAIN IN HISTORY in Dexter. And by worst I mean most feeble and boringly portrayed. Tom himself seems to strike me as "oh what a good guy I am" but I just can't seem to catch that vibe anymore?
100% re: Tom. But I still don't know who his son is LOL.
 
I think that's on our list. Even though I don't think we managed to finish the first one. That can't be a good sign...
We talk about how Keanu's accent was godawful in Dracula but Daniel Craig is in full hold my beer mode in both of these flicks :oops:
 
100% re: Tom. But I still don't know who his son is LOL.
Colin Hanks Running GIF by CBS
 
Watched Sick on Peacock. Kevin Williamson penned slasher. Pleasantly surprised. Run of the mill slasher in a good way for me with the funniest most accurate Flashback to lockdown times and the stuff people (myself firmly included) did at the time. One of the better straight to stream horror flicks as of late.
 
I loved the first Knives Out and was stoked when I saw a second one pop up, but the second was just a bit too campy/on the nose for me. It was still a good movie that I’ll probably watch again at some point and while the first one had it’s campy spots, it was just done better. I’ve heard they intend on making this a series of movies, which is cool with me and gives them a few shots at making some really good ones.
 
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