This is a cautionary tale of adulation, addiction and excess with one casting that makes complete sense and one that doesn’t. Austin Butler is excellent as Presley and the camera loves him. Tom Hanks on the other hand seems an odd choice. It’s almost impossible to see him as a villain and the affectation he uses for the voice and the prosthetics used are off-putting. He looks like a sixties-era TV Batman baddie.

Butler is riveting as the younger Presley and the live musical numbers are very effective at conveying his youthful exuberance. Thankfully the bulk of the movie is set in his ascendancy and the few scenes used to describe the descent into drug addiction and erratic behaviour set the context without resorting to crass sensationalism. Presley really was something during the early part of his career.

One would hope that things are better today in regards to addressing chemical dependency and unending workloads in the music business. But then that might just be naive. It was however difficult to see a talent like his so ill-kept and squandered to keep the money train rolling along. Nothing says success like excess and Luhrmann masterfully present an ardent acknowledgment to a talent that still resonates today.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

Starring alongside Hanks and Butler, award-winning theatre actress Helen Thomson (“Top of the Lake: China Girl”, “Rake”) plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!” “Breath”, “Hacksaw Ridge”) portrays Elvis’s father, Vernon, and DeJonge (“The Visit”, “Stray Dolls”) plays Priscilla. Luke Bracey (“Hacksaw Ridge”, “Point Break”) plays Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays Dixie Locke, David Wenham (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, “Lion”, “300”) plays Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”, “The High Note”) plays B.B. King, Xavier Samuel (“Adore”, “Love & Friendship”, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) plays Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) plays Jimmie Rodgers Snow.

Also in the cast, Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”, “The Broken Heart Gallery”) plays TV director Steve Binder, alongside Australian actors Leon Ford (“Gallipoli”, “The Pacific”) as Tom Diskin, Kate Mulvany (“The Great Gatsby”, “Hunters”) as Marion Keisker, Gareth Davies (“Peter Rabbit”, “Hunters”) as Bones Howe, Charles Grounds (“Crazy Rich Asians”, “Camp”) as Billy Smith, Josh McConville (“Fantasy Island”) as Sam Phillips, and Adam Dunn (“Home and Away”) as Bill Black.

To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.

Oscar nominee Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”) directed from a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner. The film’s producers are Luhrmann, Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”), Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Courtenay Valenti and Kevin McCormick executive produced.

The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan”, “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby”, “Moulin Rouge!”), production designer Karen Murphy (“A Star Is Born”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby”, “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Thomas Wood (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), music supervisor Anton Monsted (“Australia”, “Moulin Rouge!”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).

Principal photography on “Elvis” took place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program.

A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, A Bazmark Production, A Jackal Group Production, A Baz Luhrmann Film, “Elvis” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in Australian cinemas on June 23, 2022.
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

From Seattle to Mississippi, to the bowels of Disgraceland, ELVANA’s Australian tour is set to raise music icons from the dead; rock & Roll will finally collide with grunge and the 1950’s will well and truly come alive as Elvis replaces Kurt and Nirvana get a front man wrapped head to toe in red leather and blue sequins.

What started as little more than a joke, with four friends from North-East England forming an Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute act for a fancy dress party, has now snowballed into a completely unique live experience that has taken the world by storm.

Comprising of Elvis, Danny Cobain, Rob Novoselic and Bobby Grohl, ELVANA takes audiences on a journey through Nirvana’s catalogue whilst splicing in grunged up sections of the king of Rock & Roll’s finest moments, culminating in an audible orgasm of overdrive & old school Rockabilly. It smells like teen spirit, tastes like fools gold and sounds like nothing you’ve heard before!

“Ladies and gentleman of Australiashire! You are about to witness something you’ve never ever seen before… In a good way! We couldn’t be any more excited to bring our lil ol’ show down under and boy are we gonna have one hell of a time!? Come as you are, mate.” Said Elvana frontman “Elvis.

The world has seen Nudist Priest (a hairy, naked version of Judas Priest), they tolerated Tragedy, the all-metal Bee Gees tribute act and smiled politely at the concept of Okilly Dokilly, a Ned Flanders themed band, but fans of rock & roll haven’t yet experienced the polished (but intensely sweaty) live performance of ELVANA; a journey through Nirvana’s catalogue with the addition of grunged-up sections of Elvisí finest moments, culminating in a mega mash-up of hits from two of the world’s most acclaimed acts.

Kicking off in Perth in May 2020, ELVANA are set to get Australian audiences All Shook Up, as they take their unique blend of 1950’s inspired grunge-rock antics around the country for the very first time, with shows planned for Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

Elvis Themed Nirvana tribute act ‘ELVANA’ Australian tour
25th May 2020 Astor Theatre, Perth
26th May 2020 The Triffid, Brisbane
28th May 2020 The Gov, Adelaide
29th May 2020 170 Russell, Melbourne
30th May 2020 Max Watts, Sydney
www.elvana.co.uk