Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is exactly what you would expect a Baz Luhrmann directed biopic of the rise and fall of Elvis Presley to be. Which is to say, fabulous and frustrating by equal measure. The cast, choreography and cinematography are captivating. In Austin Butler, Luhrmann could hardly have found a better, more electrically charged, lead. When the finale bleeds from dramatic to documentary filming, the transition is seamless. Where Luhrmann falters is in an approach to narrative which lacks depth, nuance and all that might allow the film to compel beneath its glittering surface. It’s so Baz it’s good…and bad.
Lesley Manville has made an art form of “the welcome mat woman”. Few in her field can so well capture the unspoken resignation of under-appreciation. To that end, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris offers an astute follow up to Manville’s showcase work in Stefan Golaszewski’s BAFTA winning sitcom Mum. It is a film that takes the burgeoning power beneath Manville’s performance in the latter show and allows it free reign to take on the world. The result is every bit as sweetly empowering as one could hope.
Once upon a time, you knew a sequel was a sequel by the artistically redundant number stuck to the end of its title. Iron Man 2 followed Iron Man and Vol. 2 came after Vol. 1 in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Marvel have long since abandoned such logical linearity. As such, their latest is not Doctor Strange 2 but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Eight long years after Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange first burst onto the scene, it is a reflection of a cinematic universe in which each new entry succeeds the last. The film is certainly a sequel to Scott Derrickson’s original Doctor Strange but no more so than it is to Jon Watts’ most recent Spider-Man: No Way Home and Disney Plus TV hit WandaVision. Not up to date? We’ve reached the threshold across which you may begin to struggle.
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