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Baz Luhrmann can do many things, but he cannot doless.
He arguably sometimes should!
And everything that Luhrmanns filmmaking is gorgeous, grandiose, glamorous, garish coexists in his latest,Elvis.
With that in mind, weve tried to answer a simple question: How Baz-y is BazsElvis?
Considered here are his Red Curtain trilogy ofStrictly Ballroom,Romeo + Juliet, andMoulin Rouge!
1.An unnervingly handsome lead actor
1.
It isnt quite sexiness, because I dont thinkElvisis all thatinterested in its subject as someone who experiences lust.
Yes, the guy fromnu!Point Breakstill exists!
The handsome-man tally is really working overtime here.
Champagne glass raised for this Baz-ism?Yup!
2.Anachronistic music choices
2.
Rapper Swae Lee and perpetual menace Diplo are credited alongside blues pioneer Arthur Big Boy Crudup on Tupelo Shuffle.
3.Speedups and slowdowns
3.
In Luhrmanns other work:Perhaps this is easier to show than to explain.
4.Split screens, montages, all that jazz
4.
A Luhrmann montage is about exuberance and excess, andElvisfits the bill.
5.Great gowns, beautiful gowns
5.
She is really very good, and we should thank her for letting Debicki be tall.
The black leather suit Butler wears as Elvis during the filming of his not-really Christmas special is impeccably fitted.
The spangly belt on his studded white leather jumpsuit draws your eyes to,you know.
Those hips dont lie!
6.A big point about America
6.
In Luhrmanns other work:Some of them, sure.
If you want a story about either American decay or American ingenuity, Luhrmanns your guy.
And the film paints Presley as a civil-rights ally wholeheartedly accepted by Black musicians, including close friend B.B.
(A version of this scene was filmed butcut.)
Champagne glass raised for this Baz-ism?Yup, although this one is mostly foam.
7.The Baz Luhrmann regulars
7.
He also works a fair amount with fellow Aussies; keep reading for more on that.
8.Elaborate dance sequences
8.
The two that continue to live in my mind rent free, though?
Champagne glass raised for this Baz-ism?Because I am generous, lets go ahead and say … yup!
9.Accents, both natural and odd
9.
In Luhrmanns other work:InAustralia, of course.
And inMoulin Rouge!, Kidman is performatively coquettish.
If youre watching a Luhrmann movie, an accent may just pop right out.
InElvis:What is Tom Hanks doing in this movie?
It is ludicrous, it is perfect, it is enough to make me forgive Tom forChet.
The final How Baz-y isElvis?
verdict:
Line them up: Nine out of nine raised champagne glasses, old sport!
Elvisis as Baz-y as it gets.
