#Jeremy Doner

[youtwitinmyface]

My Thoughts on ELVIS (the movie and the man)

My Thoughts on ELVIS (the movie and the man)

Alright, happy October! Time to get back into this blogging thing, and what better way to start again than with a review of this film about my 2nd favorite singer of all time, Elvis Presley? Well, I don’t plan on doing a proper review, exactly, I’m just going to talk about what I think of the film. I still avoid theaters, so I didn’t see this film until it debuted on HBO Max. I have to say that I…

[theladyofrosewater]

If any of you guys have read my fic "He Never Did" on AO3, then you might be familiar with this idea but I've decided to expand on it with a new au.

(More art at the end by the way)

The first big difference between this AU and canon is that Charlie never died, she never got locked out of her party and William never killed her. Her parents divorced when she was around 10 and her mom took Sammy in the divorce while Henry got Charlie.

Also side note but like standard FNAF content warning because I know a big chunk of my followers dont care about fnaf.

Basic backstory is in 1982 William gets springlocked but survives which sets him on the path of searching for some form of immortality, after this incident he starts acting colder to his family which causes Michael to start acting out and later leads to the prank that goes wrong and kills his younger brother in 1983 with the bite. This leads to the family further falling apart, especially when William starts his experiments which of course leads to Elizabeth's death and the Missing Children's Incident in 1985. Unfortunately, just like how we see in Sister Location the animatronics and the ghosts inside of them are mistreated terribly and without the Puppet being there to calm them down or at least direct the anger towards just adults. They start behaving a lot more dangerously and maiming and evening killing a few people, with the Bite of '87 instead being an incident where several people were killed instead of just a brain injury (don't worry even though he's not featured in this au Jeremy was relatively fine besides the whole frontal lobe thing). Henry is freaking out over all of this while getting most of the blame, while William uses this opportunity to do more experiments. Henry then closes Freddy's for a few years, with the promise it will reopen in a few years once everything has been resolved. William gets pissed and they get into a huge argument afterward Henry kicks him from the company and William opens Circus Baby's Rentals to continue his work. After a few years he gets a breakthrough with remnant but ruins into a huge problem.

In my AU remnant isn't exactly a cure all. It's absolutely TERRIBLE at de-aging someone unless you literally have gallons of the stuff, and even remaining at your current age take a lot in addition to the fact that until you wait for it to disperse into your bloodstream and get absorbed, a person becomes highly flammable and you have to deal with bouts of nausea and vomiting unless you find a good doner match if you consume large amounts. Something important to note is it's similar to blood in my rewrite with a WAY longer regeneration time, like 6-12 months compared to blood's few weeks, but killing someone violently or drawing it out gets you a higher yield

So, William hits a wall in terms of his research that until remembers that he still has (at least in this AU) two kids left alive, Michael and Vanessa. Now right now Vanessa is about 5 and William tested both her and Michael and found that Vanessa would be a terrible match for him but a decent match for any of her siblings, both the live one and the dead ones, so he notes that down but basically ignores her. Not Michael though, he unfortunately could provide a similar enough template to William that any experiments performed on Michael would roughly have the same outcome if performed on William. So, like in canon he convinces Michael to work at Circus Baby's so he can experiment on Michael in secret and if Michael dies, see if he can be brought back. Unfortunately, while William is out of state dealing with investors and some of his other testing grounds, Michael gets scooped and after Ennard leaves him for dead, he wanders around until he finds his way to where Charlie lives because Michael thinks he is well DYING and A. needs someone to know his sister doesn't have anyone to take care of her and B. This is a Marlie AU and if Michael is going to die, he's at least going to tell the girl that he likes how he feels before he kicks the bucket. So, he does and then immediately falls into a coma because he's like super weak and Charlie is freaking out because oh my god what else would you do. She's freaking out on her porch when who shows up but William. What happens next is basically what happens in the fic I wrote. He basically tells Charlie "Hey Michael is basically going to be a suffering mess in constant pain forever unless you help me murder people so we can fix him and if you say no, I may just murder you instead" So Charlie agrees and after about two months, they have hypothetically "fixed" Michael, but he still hasn't woken up yet. William then hands Charlie a case of remnant and tells her to use it on Michael until its gone and then he'll wake up. William then disappears! and yes, he does abandon 5-year-old Vanessa, but don't worry she still has Charlie. So, Charlie does as she's instructed but here comes the issue. Michael never wakes up, no matter how much Charlie waits, in fact he stops even breathing and goes in a rigor mortis like state. Charlie is heartbroken and one night during a thunderstorm she gets a really fucked up idea.

She needs more remnant.

Specifically, she saw and read Williams notes about remnant compatibility and knows that both William and Vanessa have a high compatibility with Michael. Now she's obviously not going to hurt Vanessa, so Charlie goes to the Afton house to try and get answers from William but again he's not there, what Charlie does find is a taunting note and some VERY unsettling records of all the child murder, so Charlie then decides to hunt him down. Obviously, she can't just abandon Vanessa alone with her comatose/possibly dead brother so she heads home to plan. The first thing she does is empty out a freezer in her garage and she sticks Michael in there after giving him another dose of remnant just in case and gathers up all of Vanessa's things and drops her off at Jessica's house, She tells Jessica she has to be gone for a little bit but promises she'll be back as soon as she can and even puts a wad of cash into her best friend's hands as she runs off. Jessica is a little pissed but mostly worried, so she waits exactly a week before she decides to go check on Charlie. Instead of finding Charlie however, she finds an equally confused and concerned Henry because he'd been calling Charlie's house phone and there had been no response. After Jessica tells him how weird Charlie the last time was she saw her, the two decide to enter the house and grow increasingly more concerned as they see that the house is a mess and find more and more concerning notes and papers. Side note Jessica took Vanessa with her because she wasn't going to leave the kid alone. The tour of the house gets worse when they end up in the garage and when Henry is freaking out and little baby Vanessa asks him to be quiet because "Mikey's sleeping right now" and points to the freezer. Que the abject horror of Jessica and Henry as they open the freezer and find what they think is Michael's corpse, which looks like someone has performed surgery on and he's missing an arm which was replaced by a modified endoskeleton hand. Henry and Jessica then rush out of the room, with Jessica dragging Vanessa out with her. They then start freaking out and due to shenanigans Vanessa somehow manages to electrocute Michael because "that's what they do in cartoons." and they start freaking out even MORE when Michael actual wakes up very confused to why he's not dead. Eventually once everyone calms down and talks it out, they realize they need to find Charlie and probably also William.

The main plot of this AU will follow Charlie hunting down William while she frees the spirits she finds along the way. Henry, Jessica and Michael with little Vanessa tagging along have to find Charlie and William to prevent any future possible murders.

If you've made it this far down, Congrats! feel free to send in an ask about the au if you're curious about anything!

[multiverseofseries]

Elvis: il Re in gabbia

Elvis: Austin Butler in una foto

L'inizio è roboante, frenetico, luccicante e anche piuttosto kitsch, a cominciare dai titoli di testa in "oro massiccio". Esattamente quello a cui Baz Luhrmann ci ha sempre abituato, ed è esattamente quello che mi aspettavamo anche da questo Elvis. D'altronde parliamo del regista che in passato aveva preso Shakespeare e Giuseppe Verdi per trasformarli in irresistibili pastiche postmoderni, quindi come sarebbe potuto essere altrimenti con il Re del rock and roll?

Il più grande spettacolo del mondo

Va da sé che l'Elvis di Luhrmann non sia un biopic tradizionale, e non prova mai ad esserlo. È invece un tributo all'uomo e all'artista non solo attraverso la sua leggendaria musica ma soprattutto attraverso quel senso di spettacolo e di intrattenimento che da sempre ha caratterizzato la sua carriera, portandolo ad un certo punto ad essere l'artista più famoso e amato al mondo.

Elvis: Austin Butler in una scena

Proprio questo aspetto, la spettacolarità delle sue performance, gli eccessi che da sempre hanno caratterizzato non solo l'artista ma anche l'incredibile ed esagitata fanbase, è chiaramente l'elemento di maggiore interesse per il regista, che può così ancora una volta dare sfoggio del suo talento visionario e volutamente eccessivo. Lo fa con innumerevoli concerti e sequenze musicali adrenaliniche e colorate, tutte "coreografate" alla perfezione al ritmo di musica.

Can't Help Falling in Love

Elvis: Austin Butler in un'immagine

E veniamo quindi al cuore del film, Elvis e la sua musica. Austin Butler è un perfetto Elvis perché non scade mai nella mera imitazione ma al tempo stesso è bravissimo nell'incarnare la sensualità del personaggio, non solo riproducendone i leggendari movimenti di bacino ma a trasmettere tutto il fascino e il carisma che erano propri del personaggio.

Se la cava benissimo anche ad interpretare le canzoni immortali che tutti noi conosciamo e leghiamo indissolubilmente alla vera voce di Elvis. Ma va detto che, esattamente com'era lecito aspettarsi da Luhrmann, la colonna sonora non è composta solo da Butler che interpreta Elvis, ma anche da tanti altri gruppi e cantanti recenti (Doja Cat, Eminem, CeeLo Green, Jack White e anche i Måneskin) che reinterpretano i vecchi classici o comunque li omaggiano con canzoni apposite. Da notare come nel film siano presenti moltissimi momenti legati al gospel o al soul, a confermare l'importanza di quelle influenze per la carriera di Elvis.

Il prezzo da pagare

Elvis: Austin Butler in un numero musicale

Luhrmann mette le cose in chiaro fin dall'inizio: questo film è sì su Elvis, ma solo al 50%. L'altra metà, com'è stato d'altronde per i profitti di tutta la sua carriera, spetta al suo manager, il Colonello Tom Parker, l'uomo che nel bene e nel male ha plasmato tutta il suo percorso, portandogli enorme successo e ricchezza ma anche tanto dolore e frustrazione. Il regista, autore anche della sceneggiatura insieme a Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce e Jeremy Doner, non ha alcun dubbio: basandosi anche sui processi tenuti molti anni dopo la morte di Elvis, individua in Parker il vero colpevole della caduta del cantante, non solo da un punto di vista professionale ma anche personale. E lascia che Tom Hanks interpreti il personaggio in modo così spregevole e mefistofelico da risultare quasi caricaturale, proprio per non lasciare alcun dubbio agli spettatori. E non lenire mai l'amore che i fan possono ancora provare per il Re.

Elvis Presley esce da questo film come assoluto vincitore, ma non solo grazie alle scelte di sceneggiatura o per l'ottima interpretazione di Butler. Elvis conferma il suo carisma unico proprio nei minuti finali, quando Luhrmann sembra quasi mettersi da parte e sceglie di mostrarci immagini di repertorio del vero cantante: è solo in quel momento, per la prima volta nel film, che Elvis è davvero libero - libero dal Colonnello, libero anche da Luhrmann stesso - e può finalmente arrivare ai fan/spettatori per quello che davvero era. Impossibile non emozionarsi, impossibile non rendersi conto del perché fosse davvero un Re.

In conclusione Elvis non è solo un film sul Re del rock and roll, ma anche su colui che ne è stato la fortuna e la rovina. Al tempo stesso non è nemmeno un biopic classico, perchè Luhrmann è un regista troppo esuberante e presente per non fare in modo che, almeno in alcuni momenti, il suo stile così sopra le righe diventi un’ennesima gabbia per il personaggio al centro del film. Ma nel finale, come abbiamo scritto nella nostra recensione, quando arrivano le immagini del vero Presley, le emozioni arrivano tutte insieme e si è ben disposti a perdonare anche tutte le imperfezioni e gli eccessi. Long live the King.

Perché ci piace 👍🏻

Austin Butler è un ottimo Elvis Presley in ogni suo aspetto; il personaggio di Tom Hanks è molto caricato ed eccessivo, ma comunque funziona benissimo come villain.

Ottime scelte musicali, anche quelle più azzardate.

Lo stile di Luhrmann rimane invariato: eccessivo, coloratissimo, a tratti sfrenato…

Cosa non va

… ovviamente chi non ha mai amato il suo cinema non cambierà idea ora.

I fan più esperti potrebbero avere molto da ridire su alcune scelte di sceneggiatura e su alcune omissioni importanti.

[readingslover]

Chapter I

Welcome to the first chapter. I hope you will like it Link to next chapters will always be placed below the story.

January 10, 2020

I always try new things. I always want to be doing something, and lately, it is reaching further than just writing music or directing music videos. In 2019 I was approached by Baz Luhrmann. He alongside others is doing a movie about Elvis Presley. They asked me if I wanted to be the vocal coach for the actor who plays Elvis.

I had to think about it and see if it didn't cross with my upcoming tour. But after talking to him about it, Baz said they could try to film those as one of the first ones since the tour started in June. But it also meant that we had to go to Queensland as quickly as possible. So he decided that for this month I will meet up a few times with our Elvis, whose name I learned is Austin, to begin the vocal lessons for him to be in the right range. And then in February, we need to fly out to Queensland.

So he decided to get the main cast and crew together at his California house for dinner so we could get to know each other. But I don't think other people know who's working in the crew behind the scenes.

So here I am stressing out on his doorstep. In my blue jeans and gray pull. I know some people would say relax, but after everything that happened, it's really hard not to think about what they think about me. What did they hear about me? Will they like me?

But I just do what I always do, suck it up, and just do it. A few seconds after knocking on the door it opens. Baz is standing there with a big smile "Come in... You're the last one to arrive." He says while letting me in the house and closing the door.

"Well... I tried coming here earlier, but you know how traffic can be and I was in the studio preparing things for the release of the documentary. But I'm here now." I say following Baz into the house.

We get to his living room and he introduces me to everyone who is there. Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Dacre Montgomery, Richard Roxburgh, Austin Butler, Jeremy Doner (story writer, Gail Berman (producer), Damien Drew (art director). Some of the cast and crew couldn't make it due to personal reasons which I understand. I almost didn't want to come with everything that happened, but my mom said it would be good for me to mingle with people. Especially if I'm going to be working with them for the next couple of months.

After a while, we all go sit at the table. While dinner is being served everyone is making small talk about other projects they had the past year. "Hannah, this might be a rude question, but during filming, don't you have a tour?" Dacre asks and everyone turns their head to me. "I do have a tour planned, but when Baz approached me last year he said we could work around it since the tour only starts in June. Which gives us about 5 months before I have to leave." I say. I know he doesn't wanna be rude. With other people who would have something planned during this period, I would also ask questions.

When dinner is done I excuse myself for a moment outside. This sounds weird, but being with a large group of people for a long period of hours while just talking and not working is something I can't do. In between, I try to have these moments for myself, focus on myself, and after a few minutes go back inside.

I know I perform in front of thousands of people, but this feels different.

"Are you alright?" A deep voice asks me, startling me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed a breather." I answer. I turn around to look at the person who came outside to see it is Austin. "I get it. Sometimes it's just too much. I have my moments too." He says. For a few moments, it is just a comfortable silence between us before he speaks again.

"This may be weird, but I saw your Reputation stadium tour on Netflix. You did a great job. It's weird standing here next to you and talking to you."

"Thank you. We will try our best."

"You know what's weird about it? On the stage, you have this other personality. You are very open about everything. You are standing there as you do it evevery daynd then here you are talking like the least of everyone in that room. And I thought that, when I was watching the show, you were this person that just always talks. but you aren't."

"Throughout the years you learn that sometimes it's better to be preserved with people you don't know. When I'm on stage on tour I know that these people came to see me and everyone with me on stage, not because they are put in a room to get to know each other."

"I would wanna be put in a room with you," Austin said after I finished talking. I look at him to find him looking at me. "Oh, you would be disappointed to be put in a room with me. It's not that fun."

"It can't be that bad."

"I either write music or am overthinking about the things I wrote that I want to put on an album. It's not fun when nothing is happening around me for me to not focus on that."

"Is that the reason you are partly gonna be on set for the movie?"

"Partly. I have done coaching for musicals and stuff and it is fun, but I wanted to try something new. I just can't imagine doing nothing until I go on tour."

"Aaah, I get it. You just always want to do stuff."

"Yeah... I always want to do stuff."

After that, we stay outside for a few more minutes before heading back inside.

----------------------------

January 15, 2020

You think you would get used to all the different interviews and rooms they put you in when you've done this since you were 15 or so.... but you don't.

I still am nervous about what they would ask. And for years I've played the girl who was quiet and would just be polite and wave, but over the last year, I learned that I don't have to be polite all the time. So here I am getting ready for my first interview of 2020 with Variety in the Beverly Hills Hotel.

We talk about the Golden Globes nomination with 'Cats' and my upcoming Netflix documentary 'Miss Americana' which will be out on January 31.

"The documentary will be about my whole life experience from being in the spotlight at a very young age to the whole world turning on me in 2016 to me going on my reputation tour and releasing my newest album 'Lover'.

I think it lets the people, mostly my fans, get to know a side of me they didn't. I talk about very controversial topics, which I normally only do in my songs. "

"Were you bummed that your album Reputation didn't receive any Grammy nominations?"

“'Yeah... I was at a moment in my life when I needed to come back after everything that happened. I showed them a new me. I told them my story. And it felt like it still wasn't enough. No matter how hard I try it will never be enough for some people and during that time I just needed the validation that what I'm doing is right. That I can come back and still make good music. I always had that fear. I told everyone that ‘Reputation’ wasn't good enough, after receiving no nomination. That I needed to make a better record. After some time I realized that just because I didn't get nominated doesn't mean that it's a bad record.”

"In the trailer, it is also pinpointing a moment where you speak up about politics, which you haven't done throughout your whole career. What made you decide that right now is the time to do so?"

"Every time I didn't speak up about politics as a young person, I was applauded for it. It was wild. I said, 'I'm a 22-year-old girl - people don't want to hear what I have to say about politics.' And people would just be like, 'Yeahhhhh!'

I was on my Rep tour at that moment. So I followed it on social media as most people do. I felt like I had this platform to do something about it. I argued with my dad about whether I should do it or not. He thought that I shouldn't get involved as I did earlier, but my gut told me that I needed to try.

To celebrate pride month but not advocate for those who felt wrong to me. Using my voice to try to advocate was the only choice to make. Because I've talked about equality and sung about it in songs like 'Welcome to New York,' but we are at a point where human rights are being violated. When you're saying that certain people can be kicked out of a restaurant because of who they love or how they identify, and these are actual policies that certain politicians vocally stand behind, and they disguise them as family values, that is sinister. So, so dark."

"In your documentary, you cover a lot that has happened over the years, but aside from the whole Kanye thing, there was one thing that I think stood out and that was when you were on stage playing the piano and talking about your sexual assault trial. Could you tell me more about that?"

"For me the trial was crucial. Needing to speak up about beliefs I'd always had because it felt like an opportunity to shed light on what those trials are like. I experienced it as a person with extreme privilege, so I can only imagine what it's like when you don't have that. And I think one theme that ended up emerging in the film is what happens when you are not just a people pleaser but someone who's always been respectful of authority figures, doing what you were supposed to do, being polite at all costs. I still think it's important to be polite, but not at all costs.

Not when you're being pushed beyond your limits, and not when people are walking all over you. I needed to get to a point where I was ready, able, and willing to call out bulls- rather than just smiling my way through it."

" As far as the Kanye thing goes. As a teenager who had only been in country music, attending my very first pop awards show. Somebody stood up and sent me the message: 'You are not respected here. You shouldn't be here on this stage.' That message was received, and it burrowed into my psyche more than anyone knew. ... That can push you one of two ways: I could have just curled up and decided I'm never going to one of those events ever again, or it could make me work harder than anyone expects me to, and try things no one expected, and crave that respect - and hopefully one day get it.

But then when that person who sparked all of those feelings comes back into your life, as he did in 2015, I felt like I finally got that respect, but then soon realized that for him it was about him creating some revisionist history where he was right all along, and it was correct, right and decent for him to get up and do that to a teenage girl.”

------------------

@/HannaGrace posted on instagram

Liked by Selenagomez and others

Variety, I had an amazing time chatting with you. Thank you for stopping by.

----------------

@/HannaGrace posted on Instagram

Liked by Selenagomez and others

I had the opportunity to premiere my new documentary Miss Americana at the 2020 Sundance Festival. Thank you to everyone who joined in. 

----------

Chapter 2

[sharkkei]

ELVIS Screenplay by BAZ LUHRMANN & SAM BROMELL and BAZ LUHRMANN & CRAIG PEARCE and JEREMY DONER Story by BAZ LUHRMANN and JEREMY DONER FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT March 5, 2021 1. FADE IN: INT. ORDINARY APT. (VEGAS) - LATE AFTERNOON (1997) The sun-spotted hand of an old man adjusts a radio dial. RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.) (on radio) It's a beautiful jackpot of a day here in Las Vegas and, you guessed it, the biggest song of 1997... The jaunty Euro hit "Macarena!" plays as a frail, corpulent MAN ascends a ladder and strains to lift a box marked, "CHRISTMAS CARDS, 1997." Annoyed by the music, he flicks the dial again: ear- splitting white noise. THUD! He crashes onto the floor. CHRISTMAS CARDS are splayed around him. OLD COLONEL (V.O.) I know what you're thinking... who the hell is this Colonel fellow? The man's fleshy, grey face gasping desperately. This is COLONEL TOM PARKER (87). We TRACK ACROSS him to the Christmas cards: a portrait of Elvis, magnificent, king-like, beside the old man dressed in an ill-fitting Santa suit. An inscription reads: "Merry Christmas, from Elvis and the Colonel." SMASH CUT TO: EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - DUSK SIRENS BLARE! As an AMBULANCE screams through the neon heart of Sin City, we hear... RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.) Colonel Tom Parker, legendary manager of Elvis Presley, has been rushed to Valley Hospital... INT. AMBULANCE - CONTINUOUS ACTION LOOKING DOWN ON: Colonel. Eyes closed. Dead-looking. MEDICS attempt to revive him. (CONTINUED) 2. CONTINUED: OLD COLONEL (V.O.) There are some who'd make me out to be the villain of this here story... EXT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - DUSK The ambulance races past the International Hotel. The CAMERA WHIP PANS TO its towering sign: "THE STAR TREK EXPERIENCE: BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE." The sign SPINS ON ITS AXIS as we JOURNEY BACK TO the International of the 1970s. The sign now heralding: "ELVIS!" EXT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - PORTE COCHERE - NIGHT (1974) We STREAM ALONG WITH the ELVIS FANS pouring out of limos and THROUGH the hotel's glass doors... OLD COLONEL (V.O.) Who'd say I exploited the boy and stole all his money... A CAMERA CREW shoots 16MM FOOTAGE of CROWDS being ushered through the lobby. QUICK CUTS of every possible permutation of merchandise being snatched up by the adoring crowds. OLD COLONEL (V.O.) Trapped him in Vegas and enabled his drug addiction... INT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - SERVICE CORRIDOR - NIGHT SPLASH! We're UNDERWATER. A DROWNED MAN, pale face obscured by long, black tendrils of hair... INT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - SHOWROOM - NIGHT Onstage, a WARM-UP COMEDIAN cracks cheesy gags. INT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - CASINO - NIGHT By a roped-off craps table, a gold trolley stacked high with chips. A small crowd looks on as a gruff-looking security guard, RED WEST, ushers in the beige TOM DISKIN. He leans in to the cigar-puffing silhouette of the Colonel, whispering in his ear. (CONTINUED) 3. CONTINUED: OLD COLONEL (V.O.) And eventually, when I had squeezed all I could out of him... INT. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL - SERVICE CORRIDOR - NIGHT SUDDENLY: THE DROWNED MAN is pulled by his hair from a bucket of ice water! This is ELVIS PRESLEY (38). OLD COLONEL (V.O.) ... I destroyed him. TILT UP as a still corpulent, but younger, 64-YEAR-OLD COLONEL enters, brandishing his elephant-headed cane. He takes in the situation before him. Elvis has collapsed on the floor. His bodyguards, SONNY and Red West, hold staff at bay. Childhood friend JERRY SCHILLING shoots a recriminating glance at the Colonel. NURSE TISH suppresses panic as DR. NICK holds Elvis' head above a bucket of ice water. Everyone looks to Colonel. OLD COLONEL (V.O.) That's right. It was me who killed Elvis Presley. Colonel's steely gaze. A frightening moment of consideration as we hear... COLONEL Now, you listen up real good. The only thing that matters is that that man gets on that stage tonight! But then, Nurse Tish pipes up courageously. NURSE TISH If he was my son... She

[imitationgame77]

Darkest Fear (2000) (Myron Bolitar series 7)

[Spoiler!]

In the seventh book of the series, Myron is still rebuilding his sports representation agency with his business associate and best friend Esperanza. But the work situation is slowly improving.

Then he gets contacted Emily Downing, his ex-girlfriend from his university days. Now that he knows how that catastrophic accident that forced him to retire from the world of professioal basketball before it even began really came about, Myron does not wish to have anything more to do with the Downings. However, Emily drops the bombshell. Her older child, Jeremy, is Myron's. And the boy is seriously ill, he needs an urgent bone marrow transplantation, but the only doner is missing.

Reluctantly, Myron is thrown into another detective work. Not only is the donor elusive, but his search starts unravelling an unsolved cases of missing persons from the past. A person goes missing, the family gets a phone call, and the person at the other end of the line whispers, "What is your darkest fear?". The missing people's family never see their loved ones again, but never have the closure either. They have to keep on living with the darkest fear - what could have happened to their loved ones.

Almost as soon as Myron starts his investigation, he gets the phone call. "What is your darkest fear?". Then Jeremy goes missing.

------------------

It is a gripping tale.

Win is of course there to help Myron. While he always seems so self absorbed, he is always very perceptive of Myron. (Well, Myron does seem to wear his heart on his sleeve) On finding out about Jeremy,

“Simply put,” Win said, “so what if you are the boy’s biological father? What difference does it make?”

“Come on, Win. Not even you can be that cold.” “Quite the opposite. As strange as this might sound, I am using my heart on this one.”

“How do you figure?”

Win swirled the liquid again, studied the amber, took a sip. It colored his cheeks a bit. “Again I’ll put it simply : No matter what a blood test might indicate, you are not Jeremy Downing’s father. Greg is. You may be a sperm donor. You may be an accident of lust and biology. You may have provided a simple microscopic cell structure that combined with one slightly more complex. But you are not this boy’s father.”

“It’s not that simple, Win.”

“It is that simple, my friend. The fact that you insipidly choose to confuse the issue does not change the fact. I’ll demonstrate, if you’d like.”

“I’m listening.”

“You love your father, correct?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“I do,” Win said. “But what makes him your father?

While Myron is always running with his emotions, Win is actually quite rational, and as he says, what he says is not cold.

After all, Myron who grew up in a loving home sometimes confuse love out of biological bond and love through shared history, but Win has always selected whom he associates with and how. He has elected Myron as his best friend, and does anything for him. Not because he has to. But he wants to and chooses to.

[ulkaralakbarova]

Alex and his sister run a business designed to break up relationships. They are hired by a rich man to break up the wedding of his daughter. The only problem is that they only have one week to do so. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Alex Lippi: Romain Duris Juliette Van Der Beck: Vanessa Paradis Mélanie: Julie Ferrier Marc: François Damiens Jonathan Alcott: Andrew Lincoln Sophie: Héléna Noguerra Van Der Beck: Jacques Frantz Dutour: Jean-Yves Lafesse Goran: Jean-Marie Paris Karine: Elodie Frenck Montecarlo Bay Manager: Tarek Boudali Le compagnon: Philippe Lacheau Florence’s Brother: Julien Arruti Juliette’s Mother-in-Law: Natasha Cashman Juliette’s Father-in-Law: Geoffrey Bateman Florence: Amandine Dewasmes Franck: Patrick Massiah Carlo: Gianfranco Poddighe Police Officer: Audrey Lamy Girl With Convertible: Victoria Silvstedt Saleslady: Ève Chems de Brouwer Curling Player: Camille Figuereo Young Gospel Woman: Nina Mélo Librarian: Adina Cartianu Pool Girl: Léticia Belliccini Pianist: Caroline Duris Moroccan Waitress: Karima Gouit Female Friend #1: Clémentine Niewdanski Female Friend #2: Hélène Liber Wedding Planner: Cathy Darietto Wedding Planner Assistant: Caroline Derrien Film Crew: Director: Pascal Chaumeil Producer: Laurent Zeitoun Writer: Jeremy Doner Writer: Yohan Gromb Original Music Composer: Klaus Badelt Costume Design: Charlotte Betaillole Editor: Dorian Rigal-Ansous Director of Photography: Thierry Arbogast Production Design: Hervé Gallet Casting: Tatiana Vialle Producer: Yann Zenou Producer: Nicolas Duval Adassovsky Production Manager: Camille Lipmann Art Direction: Aziz Hamichi Stunt Coordinator: Philippe Guégan Stunts: Sybille Blouin Stunts: Syja Deberdt Stunts: Ludo Silemetzoglou Movie Reviews:

[tinseltine]

#6- ELVIS | Warner Bros | Director Bazz Luhrmann| Co-written by Sam Bromell, Jeremy Doner, and Craig Pearce - Growing up if something was really white and kinda corny you can best believe I was into it. So I fell in love with the girl crazy, but clean-cut Elvis of the movies like Fun in Acapulco, Blue Hawaii, King Creole and Viva Las Vegas which is on my Letterboxd List of Movies I Can Watch Again and Again, but I didn’t realize this was all part of America’s censoring and taming of the young, rebel, hip swinging, black eyeliner wearing Elvis. The Elvis who grew up in an all-black neighborhood, revered gospel music, was good friends with the likes of B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and other early Jazz/Blues musicians. I always assumed he heard their records and appropriated the sound, but it would seem he came by it naturally, due to his upbringing. 

I didn’t even know that he had two choices – go to jail for indecency or join the military.  Why is America called “The Land of the Free” yet sh*% like this happened all the time, and still can happen if we’re not very vigilant.In terms of Baz Luhrmann films, I’ve only seen Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. I wrote a comparison between the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Luhrmann’s Leo DiCaprio version that became my most viewed posts for 5 years running.  I was in favor of the original; yet, I don’t hold that Baz Luhrmann’s just too much bias that most critics seem to have.  In fact, I’d like to praise him when it comes to his latest film Elvis, for giving the iconic crooner the razzle dazzle he and his life story deserves. And I’m not alone as it was given a 12 min standing O at the 75th Cannes Film Festival!

The film gets going with a bang of diamond-encrusted logos and spinning kaleidoscopic of Elvis and Vegas in frames with loud music and just a sense of the excitement that surrounded Elvis Presley in his heyday.  I like being brought into a movie of this nature this way, it prepares you for being taken on an entertaining ride and that’s what we get.  And yet, there are many scenes played out emotionally and fully. In NO WAY is the movie choppy or overly edited or too glitzy. It’s just the right touch of bling. And for the most part, after the opening scenes, it’s a linear story starting with Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) on the touring circuit with a good o’l boy singer Hank Snow (David Wenham). It’s Hank’s son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow (Kodi Smit-McPhee) that starts playing a record newly popular with the kids in town. They first tell him to shut it off, assuming the singer’s black, but when Jimmie apprises them of the fact that Elvis is white, you’d swear they CGI’d dollar signs in the Colonel’s eyes and off he goes to capture lightening in a bottle.This is how Luhrmann and his team of writers decided to frame this story of Elvis Aaron Presley, through the eyes of his avuncular, manipulative, greedy, “snow-man” of a manager, Colonel Parker, who nobody ever really knew. 

He speaks with an accent that seems like a mix of Dutch and German behind a practiced southern drawl.  He admits to being akin to a carnival barker and a spin doctor, yet Elvis trusts him with his life and livelihood practically his whole career.  Hanks is not right for this part, prosthetics, fat suit, accent, none of it is enough to convince you he ever should have been cast.  Thankfully, there is no better person suited to play Elvis than Austin Butler. It’s his movie to carry. The young actor does more than just nail Presley’s singing voice and stage presence; he goes far beyond an impersonator to a place of kinship.  Rami Malki was very good as Freddy Mercury, Taron Egerton did a fantastic job in Rocketman, Jennifer Hudson tried her best as Aretha Franklin, but Austin Butler puts them all to shame!

[adamwatchesmovies]

Elvis (2022)

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis tries to cram too much into its running time, omits aspects of Elvis Presley's life and features a deliberately eyebrow-raising performance by Tom Hanks. Nonetheless, it works. There’s so much energy in Austin Butler’s performance and the musical sequences are so well done that just about anyone who attends will leave a fan.

In 1997, Elvis Presley’s former manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), reminisces about how he met the future King of Rock 'n' Roll. He helped the simple child of Mississippi become an icon, and in the process, made millions.

Smartly, Elvis does not shy away from showing the influence Black musicians/music had upon The Memphis Flash's career. The origin of Hound Dog, gospel music and the musicians of Memphis’ Beale Street come up several times. It’s hard not to be reminded of Straight Outta Compton when Elvis defiantly stands on stage and begins gyrating despite knowing he will be arrested for indecent behavior if he does. It's not as angry as N.W.A.'s Fuck tha Police but when spliced with shots of Senator Jim Eastland (Nicholas Bell) it feels equally defiant.

If it seems absurd that a young man dancing on stage was scandalous enough to make newspaper headlines, wait until you see how Baz Luhrmann shoots Austin Butler. As he swings his hips, lunges towards the crowd and thrusts, you’ll see why the women in the audience were thrown into a frenzy. I suspect he cut out keyframes to make the movements seem that much bolder, more sudden. It works spectacularly. You can see the Australian filmmaker’s electric touch all over the place but he also shows restraint at key points. There are few noticeable musical anachronisms and his razzle-dazzle style returns in full force during the montages of Mr. Sideburns performing to his adoring fans. His relationship with his mother Gladys (Helen Thomson) and his wife Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) are tender and tragic.

This picture is the next best thing to jumping in a time machine and seeing the King in person. You see why the man became a legend right away: the (diegetic) musical performances and the man's presence. Or, in this case, Austin Butler’s performance. If he doesn’t become a name after this film, it's because someone’s put a curse on him. Speaking of performances, this brings us to Tom Hanks. The accent he gives the Colonel is strange and hard to pin down. It’s almost as if it’s some made-up fakey voice used to seem extra foreign. Give it time. You'll see that's exactly the point.

My first criticism centers around Parker but it’s not the acting, it’s the choice to tell this story through his viewpoint because it only does so halfheartedly. There aren’t any scenes where the man tells us one thing and we can tell he’s delusional, for example. It’s as if, because he played such an important part in Elvis’ career and wound up outliving him, he had to bookend the picture, I guess?

The other criticism is that the film packs in so much it can't help but leaves some glaring and juicy bits of information behind. Elvis was notorious for his weird appetite - look up the Fool's Gold Loaf, for example. You’d think - since Parker establishes himself as a full-on villain by the time the story is over - that he would bring his cash cow’s unhealthy habits a lot more to try and make himself look good by comparison. The film was smart to follow a single thread: the relationship between Parker and Presley to avoid trying to tell an entire life within one sitting... but then sort of abandons its novel angle in favor of just covering everything.

You’ll want to see Elvis on the big screen with as many people as possible. Despite the sometimes unfocused and episodic plot, it’s so visually dazzling and Elvis was such a compelling person you kind of fall in love with him even without the songs. As for the music, it's in a league of its own. It’s imperfect but kind of a masterpiece too. (Theatrical version on the big screen, July 4, 2022)

[genevieveetguy]

When things that are too dangerous to say, sing.

Elvis, Baz Luhrmann (2022)

[bkenber]

'Elvis' Movie and 4K/Blu-ray Review

‘Elvis’ Movie and 4K/Blu-ray Review

The following review was written by Ultimate Correspondent, Tony Farinella. Elvis Presley is, without question, one of the biggest names in music history. As a matter of fact, many think he’s the gold standard. Nearly four decades after his death, he is still worshiped and celebrated by legions of fans.  However, there has never been a true Elvis biopic worth its salt. For a man with such a…

[lovinmullen]

episode 5............... dare i say audrey/ruben rights? no offence to ester !!! full offence to jeremy.

‘i happen to think you’re an excellent mother for that very reason. because you’re honest.’

‘you where perfect. you are perfect. i mean, thank you’ STFU I’M NOT CRYING YOU ARE

(WAIT FUCK OMG THE KISS LADS I WAS JOKING)

[tinyreviews]

Tom Parker, of course, is an unreliable narrator.

I really like how instead of being just a simple story about Elvis Presley, the writers framed it with Tom Parker’s narrative voice. This created a more layered story. This borders on Must Watch. One of the rare biographical movies that actually turns out good.

Elvis is a 2022 biographical musical drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. It stars Austin Butler with Tom Hanks, and Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Luke Bracey. 

[nine-frames]

Elvis, 2022.

Dir. Baz Luhrmann | Writ. Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce & Jeremy Doner | DOP Mandy Walker

[carpenterbruh]

·Elvis de Baz Luhrmann·

Dir.: Baz Luhrmann. DP.: Mandy Walker. Guión: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner, Sam Bromell Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge... Trailer.

En julio no es que haya vista una grandísima cantidad de cosas, pero de todas formas haré probablemente un post resumiendo un poco todo lo que he estado viendo/haciendo, pero esta primera entrada voy a dedicarla única y exclusivamente a una cosa:

Para empezar, una de las últimas películas que fui a ver al cine en Junio fue la Elvis de Baz Luhrmann, con la que sigo completamente obsesionado (en serio, id a verla si no lo habéis hecho ya), por lo que procedo a tirar aquí de la forma más extensa (y probablemente desordenada) lo que pienso sobre la peli.

Antes de nada, Austin Butler (y el resto del reparto):

Es una cosa demencial lo de Butler aquí, lo da absolutamente todo en cada escena y consigue que sea una de las actuaciones más magnéticas que he visto no sólo en los últimos años sino seguramente también en lo que llevo de vida. No hay un sólo segundo en el que respirar, son dos horas y cuarenta minutos en los que no puedes despegar la vista de la pantalla, en gran parte por su culpa.

Esto creo que lo consigue el bueno de Baz gracias a una cosa muy inteligente que hace con su guion, y que para muchos es una de las grandes pegas de la película. Este gran acierto, en mi opinión, es contar la historia a través de los ojos de su villano, el Coronel Parker.

Soy consciente de que el papel de Tom Hanks, pasadísimo de vueltas, ha sacado a muchísima gente de la película (no es en absoluto el único aspecto así), pero a mí no sólo me ha funcionado su maquiavélico villano de dibujo animado, sino que también me ha parecido uno de los puntos más interesantes de la peli.

El bueno de Parker es un personaje bastante misterioso en su contraparte real, y Luhrmann y Hanks lo aprovechan para crear con esta caricatura una especie de ente omnipresente que representa todas las malas decisiones que llevaron a la figura de Elvis a caer desde lo más alto. Su acento extrañísimo de sabe Dios dónde, sus movimientos exagerados y cargadísimos de prótesis de silicona y demás parafernalia a mi me lo venden perfectamente como uno de los mejores (si no directamente el mejor) villano de comic del año.

Otro punto al que suma el POV de Parker es a construír a Elvis como...

Una figura Larger Than Life:

Y es que para mí, la película es una enorme escultura de oro y diamantes dedicada a la figura de un personaje más grande que la vida misma. En este sentido la película está mucho más cerca en su estructura y personajes de lo que sería una de superhéroes, que de lo que estamos acostumbrados a ver en un biopic musical de los de sota-caballo-rey.

Luhrmann demuestra aquí verdadera ADMIRACIÓN por la figura de Elvis, una figura que está claramente idealizada, omitiendo por completo y sin ningún tipo de disimulo todo lo que no le interesa. Esto es, definitivamente, un punto a tener en cuenta. Quiero decir, podría entender que a alguien no le interesase lo más mínimo una idealización así, pero aquí me funciona.

Quitándonos de encima el tema de la tremenda hipérbole que es la peli, muy bien retratada su figura, tanto por la dirección de Luhrmann (a ello voy ahora) como por lo absurdamente creíble que está Butler.

Baz Luhrmann, te quiero mucho

Ahora lo verdaderamente importante: Baz "no tengo ningún tipo de vergüenza" Luhrmann.

Es un tío que siempre destaca por su dirección, vale, sí, pero es que lo que hace en Elvis es, sencillamente, uno de los ejercicios de autoría más puros, espectaculares e interesantes que he visto en mi vida. Es el Luhrmann de Moulin Rouge! pero multiplicado por un millón. Está desatadísimo, en serio, pero sin perder en ningún momento el pulso de casi tres horas de historia que tiene entre manos. Hay una cantidad de decisiones absolutamente demenciales que solo funcionan si eres un genio, y Baz lo es, yo que se, completamente a sus pies.

Hay un no-se-qué súper pulp en cada fundido, en cada zoom, que sostienen este enorme monumento, y que le da ese toque tan de comic que tiene. Las secuencias musicales son increíbles, todas las partes, absolutamente todas, lo dan todo. La secuencia del If I Can Dream o la del último Unchained Melody, así como la del primer Trouble, van a vivir en mi cabeza durante muchísimo tiempo.

La música es otro tema importantísimo, y es que como pasaba con Moulin Rouge! Luhrmann utiliza la música de una forma interesantísima, que analizada de forma pausada y con un poco de ganas daría para tesis doctorales enteras. Y es que los temas de la peli son una mezcla de temas originales de Elvis, versiones con la voz de Butler, remixes, canciones actuales y HASTA TOXIC DE BRITNEY SPEARS HOLA. ¿Por qué? porque qué mejor manera de demostrar el alcance de un artista como Elvis que mediante sus influencias posteriores. La película no se queda en lo que significó Elvis en su momento, sino que abraza también todo lo que puede aportar hoy en día. Genio.

Simplemente, nadie hace cine como Baz Luhrmann, y ojalá saliesen 20 como esta cada año.

Hasta aquí la turra, a ver cuándo me pongo con un resumencillo de Julio, venga, hasta chao.

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Mi top de todo lo que llevo visto de este año si os interesa lo tengo en letterboxd.

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[byneddiedingo]

Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022)

Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thompson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee. Screenplay: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner. Cinematography: Mandy Walker. Production design: Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy. Film editing: Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa. Music: Elliott Wheeler. 

In 2001, the two movie critics at the San Jose Mercury News both put Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! on their end-of-the-year lists: One put it on his list of the year's best movies, the other on his list of the worst. Something like that may happen to Luhrmann's Elvis, which similarly divided critics into love it or hate it cohorts. But how can anyone object to the movie as "loud” or “garish,” as some do? This is Elvis Presley, for god's sake, not the most subtle or cerebral of celebrities. And no one expected subtlety from Luhrmann, one of our most operatic directors. Elvis has its roots in Luhrmann's love of opera, and it has to be described as Wagnerian, with Elvis as a kind of Siegfried, a naïf and demigod, and ultimately a tragic figure, undone by his trust in others. The villain of the piece, though he's determined in his voiceover narration not to bear that label, is Col. Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks in a performance almost smothered in prosthetics. It's this old carny who turns Elvis's life into a perpetual carnival. The real triumph in the film is Austin Butler's: He manages to keep Elvis real despite all the gaudy trappings with which the self-commissioned colonel (not to mention Luhrmann) is determined to adorn him. This is not my idea of a great film, being one in which substance is fitfully allowed to co-exist with the style that threatens to overwhelm it, but it's pretty damn good entertainment.