The film chronicles the life and career of singer and actor Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), from his early days as a child to becoming a rock and roll and movie star, as well as his complex relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

When it comes to filmmakers they don’t come more flamboyant or visionary than Baz Luhrmann. His works, including Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Australia and The Great Gatsby, speak for themselves in terms of narrative commitment and sheer visual spectacle, and now this cinema visionary turns his attention to capturing the energy and spirit of Elvis Presley in Elvis. And what a show it is. Under Luhrmann’s direction, every part of this film comes together. Narrative, casting, location, production design, costume design, set dressing, hair and make-up, cinematography, sound editing and one hell of a score. It’s a complete and utter event. Luhrmann gives everything of himself to capturing the life that belonged to Presley, and this film will draw out all of your emotions as you watch it.

Chronicling the entire lifespan of Elvis Presley from his early years as a teenager in Memphis to his final decline in Las Vegas, Elvis delivers its narrative from a very interesting point of difference from other biographical pictures. This is Elvis’s life told from the perspective of his long-time promoter Colonel Tom Parker. The villain of the story. And this narrative device makes for a very interesting frame to explore Presley’s life. This viewpoint provides a real edge to the narrative of Elvis and is a sign of Luhrmann’s absolute control of cinematic drama. As a cinematic experience, Elvis is rich in visual splendour, and is what I would describe as an ‘Americana Opera’. It’s lavish and colourful and gripped with a strong presentation of glamour and sex appeal. Watching Elvis is an absolute rush, and you’ll be gripped minute by minute by this story of the boy from Memphis who by strumming his guitar learned to fly.

While Baz Luhrmann might have had the vision for this film, Elvis finds its voice, presence and soul in Austin Butler, a young performer of fantastic talent. And Butler gives one of the all-time great performances in this picture. When you look upon Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, you’re not seeing an actor, you’re seeing Elvis. Devoting over three years of his life to the role of Presley, Butler brings a soulful and present performance to The King. Butler does the astonishing feat of bringing out the man behind the icon. Breathtakingly handsome and full of strut, Butler is the x-factor defined as Presley in this film. As a performer, Butler exists moment by moment in the character of Presley and presents a full portrait of Presley as performer, husband and father. While Luhrmann’s film is wrapped in the icon of Elvis, it’s the soul of this man that shines through, and it’s Butler’s commitment to Elvis that ensures this.

Playing off of Butler’s Elvis is two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in the role of the film’s narrator, the infamous Colonel Tom Parker. And Hanks makes for a marvellous theatrical villain in this piece. As a quick-thinking carny who is always searching for a new act to make a sucker out of the rubes, Hanks’s Parker seeks out the young Presley like a predator and soon has him gripped in a vice of his own making. Hanks’ Parker is a user of the young Presley and through Luhrmann’s presentation, he’s a complete villain. But Parker’s a complex man, and while he finds a good thing with Presley, he also cares for and loves this young man and there’s a deeply paternal side to his actions. We see Hanks toil with these extremes of thoughts and emotions concerning Presley, and it gives the picture much of its drama.

Luhrmann’s Elvis is a complete portrait of the singers’ life and the turbulent eras that he came to define and then re-define in the process. From the mid-1950s to the late 1970s we see Elvis’ stratospheric rise and shocking decline in full four-colour detail. Along for the ride are an eclectic group of characters including his notorious entourage, The Memphis Mafia, and his one true love Pricilla, who is portrayed on screen in an impressive performance by Olivia DeJonge. As Elvis’ confidant, conscience and lover, DeJonge is a revelation as Priscilla and we witness the complex, and at times turbulent life, that they shared. DeJonge and Butler have terrific chemistry and DeJonge showcases the deep love and care that Pricilla felt for Elvis and the sorrow that she experienced in watching the decline that followed him in the early 70s. They say that a man is only as strong as the woman he loves, and Priscilla was Elvis’ everything, and DeJonge’s performance is a tribute to this incredible woman.

From start to finish, Elvis is an utter piece of art come to life. Made with peak creativity, and Luhrmann’s trademark flamboyant style, this is a picture that your eyes will be transfixed on, and you won’t want to look away. The imagery has immense flair and energy and this Americana Opera is bright, opulent and bursting with life. From the blues-influenced groove of Beale Street and Memphis to Presley’s conquest of Hollywood, his bold and groundbreaking comeback special in 1968 to the gilded, sparkling cage of Las Vegas that he’s finally locked away in, Luhrmann captures it all as only he can. Elvis is a pure spectacle and there’s a showman quality to Luhrmann’s presentation of it that I believe Presley would deeply have admired. As an artist, he was a man who left everything on stage and Luhrmann does the same thing in this picture. The audience comes first in Elvis and the spectacle before our eyes is immense.

This bold and striking style applies to every part of the film and playing into this fairy tale is the film’s beautiful costuming and the masterful eye of Luhrmann’s frequent collaborator and wife Catherine Martin. And her work on Elvis is perfect. In a special collaboration with Prada and Miu Miu, Martin recreates the style of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with complete glamour and spectacle. And after watching Elvis you’ll be reaching out for your blue suede shoes. As an exercise in filmmaking, Elvis is a product of picturesque artistry and clear attention to detail. Every member of the cast and crew gave 110% dedication to this production, and this level of care and love for The King and his story shines through in every frame. It’s just spectacular.

When talking Elvis, you can’t skip past the music, and Elvis will have you grooving out in your seat. Taking The King’s list of accomplished hits and remixing it with modern artists including the likes of Doja Cat, Eminem and CeeLo Green, Swae Lee and Diplo, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, Nardo Wick and Måneskin, keeps the experience fresh. My favourite scenes revolved around Elvis’ life in Beale Street, where Elvis’ life started and the music is rocking in these moments. Along with the artists who assisted the film, praise must also be heaped on Austin Butler himself and his silky smooth voice is transcendent as he samples the King’s hits and melds his voice with Presley. Nailing all of the King’s songs in perfect rendition, Butler’s vocalisations are another way for him to connect with the spirit of Presley and in these moments when he is singing on stage he reaches that transcendent place of expressing who Elvis truly was.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this animated in a cinema and I can clarify that I was feeling my groove with Elvis. This is an extraordinary film of immense passion, creativity and pure showmanship. It’s an event-level movie that will touch your soul with its love and devotion to its subject. The experience that I felt watching Elvis is the reason why we choose to go to the movies and this picture is a testament and tribute to the man who would be The King of Rock N Roll.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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An award-winning cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write an Esquire profile piece on the beloved television icon Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) with Vogel’s perspective on life transformed after his encounter with Rogers.

Inspired by the 1998 Esquire Magazine ‘Can You Say Hero?’, director Marielle Heller takes audiences back in time to meet an extraordinary man in Fred Rogers and shines a light on his teachings and life in a film that deals with issues of compassion, healing and redemption. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a story of complex people in a complex world, and it’s not simply a narrative of warm fuzzies. There’s much going on in this story and it touches you on a very intellectual level with moments that move from light to dark as it explores what it means to be human. Heller’s work within the film is extremely introspective and thought-provoking and there is much that audiences can take away from this one.

Tom Hanks is an actor who is never one to disappoint, but in his turn as Fred Rogers, the actor outdoes himself with the construction of an incredibly complex and multi-faceted character who has considerable depth to his soul. Hanks visually fits the role of Rogers perfectly, and the famous red jacket certainly makes for a snug fit on the actor’s frame. While he’s adored by millions and appears to be the most kind-hearted and loveliest person on earth, Hanks’ Rogers would better be described as a man who is extremely self-reflective and unashamedly honest. While he shows kindness, interest and love to all that he meets, he’s very much a duality of a person who admits that he has his own faults, jealousies and insecurities. Hanks portrait of Fred Roger is a touching tribute to this great man that takes in every facet of who Rogers was and how he lived his life.

Cast opposite Hanks is Matthew Rhys as hard-charging investigative journalist Lloyd Vogel who is forced to slow down when given the job of profiling Rogers. In this space, he must reflect upon his own life and place in the world. When describing Rhys’ performance as Lloyd the word ‘normal’ is most appropriate as this jaded journalist is very much an everyman character whose own past has left him burnt out and who cannot seem to reach a higher level of peace. Where Rogers has found a way to achieve peace in his life and a unique sense of balance for his complex emotions, Lloyd very much sways in the opposite direction, and through this unique interaction Lloyd goes on quite a journey. Rhys’ performance as Lloyd is very much a way in for the audience to experience Rogers teachings and philosophy and as he has to reflect on his own life, so too is the audience asked to reflect on theirs. Rhys had a considerable challenge in bringing Lloyd to life and he holds his own alongside Hanks and the two make a great complementary pair on screen.

The relationship that builds out between Fred and Lloyd is the catalyst for the exploration of many different and complex themes within A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and it’s here that director Marielle Heller explores ideas of acceptance, faith and redemption. Heller’s focus on the road to self-acceptance is the path that Fred and Lloyd walk together here and it makes for a very moving journey. It’s in the film’s final and most tender scene where Fred drops by on Lloyd’s family that we truly see the portrait of sincerity and the film’s redemptive arc come full circle, and it’s in this moment that an amazing sense of depth washes over the audience over the message that is delivered by Fred.

Alongside its incredible character performances and deep thematic narrative points are the style in which A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is brought to the big screen. Heller lets her creative mind run free in this picture. And the resulting images are those of a film, that employs an almost documentary like-focus to its story, mixed with deep surrealism and an almost childlike sense of imagination that pulls you deeper into the narrative. There is a real artistic eye and focus here that is marvellous to look at and pulls you deeper into the events of the story. One moment that is a great example of this is when Lloyd hallucinates that he is a part of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and finds the people in his life have become the characters that exist within Roger’s world. It’s a visually interesting use of subjective style, and it grabs your attention.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is an extremely poignant and important film and audiences will feel their souls move with this one. In the turbulent times that we live in, artistic portraits like these are integral to preserve ideas of dignity and love and the work that is accomplished in this brave film is an important watch for all cinemagoers.

Image: Sony Pictures

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Woody (Tom Hanks) has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his owner, whether that is Andy or Bonnie. So when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (Tony Hale), declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip excursion, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost girlfriend Bo Peep (Annie Potts). After years of being on her own, Bo’s adventurous spirit and life on the road belie her delicate porcelain exterior. As Woody and Bo realize they are worlds apart when it comes to life as a toy, they soon come to find that it is the least of their worries.

Director Josh Cooley takes us on a bold new direction with Toy Story 4 and it’s road trip time as Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang find themselves on a cross country journey that leads to plenty of drama and life-affirming moments. Foremost amongst them is Woody’s new responsibility to safeguard Bonnie’s new favourite toy, Forky, a plastic spork who has come to life through the magic of play time and who gives Woody a real run for his money. Voicing Forky is comedian Tony Hale and his performance is nothing short of genius with his incredibly dry sense of humour that really brings out the laughs here, especially when combined with Tom Hanks classic performance as Woody, who for the most part just can’t fathom that the world is moving on around him, and he’s yet to adapt.

Right at the heart of Toy Story 4 is Hanks’ Woody who has lived his life trying to make the joys of children come to life, but here in a brand new location, he’s offered the first chance at his own kind of happiness. That occurs with a chance encounter with one-time love interest Bo Peep, played by Annie Potts, who is definitely not the toy that Woody remembered and together these two go on an action-packed adventure to reunite Forky with Bonnie. Cooley brings out the chemistry between Woody and Bo here and the sparks really fly up on screen, as do plenty of daring stunts and there are moments in Toy Story 4 that will definitely leave your eyes wide open. This time around there’s also considerable character development for Hanks’ Woody and it’s fun to see him evolve and mature as a character throughout the film’s narrative.

But if there’s one character who absolutely steals the show here then it most definitely Keanu Reeves as Canada’s greatest ever motorcycle champion Duke Caboom! From the minute he rolls onto the screen, Reeves is just a hoot as Caboom, a one-time daredevil stunt toy who failed in his trick, and who now suffers from an over-the-top ego and a frightening case of toy-like PTSD. All of this leads to plenty of outlandish moments on the case of Caboom and Reeves revels in the part. The veteran actor was a great find for the film, and it’s fun to watch him poke fun at both his Canadian heritage, along with his passion for motorcycles, and his involvement in Toy Story 4 leads to plenty of big jump moments and a whole lot of laughs.

If you’re looking for laughs with Toy Story 4, well, you’ve come to the right place because this movie is packed out with them. Key to the laughs alongside Reeves, is the presence of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key as Bunny and Ducky, a pair of sideshow plush toys who have a run in with Buzz Lightyear and who continually spout off one hilarious anecdote after another. These two will seriously have you laughing your head off, and they definitely add a whole lot to this bold new animated film. But if there’s one laugh that really got me going then it has to go to the ever dependable Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) whose by-the-book approach to managing Forky left me howling with laughter.

But along with the bigger than life spectacle and outlandish laughter, Toy Story 4 also has a strong message about what it means to grow and evolve as an individual and for Woody this holds a lot of sway in the film. While his responsibility has always been to save guard the lives of the children he cares for, such as Andy and Bonnie, Woody has to come to terms with the fact that life changes and that sometimes even toys have to grow up. It’s an extremely heartfelt narrative on the part of Cooley and it really brings everything together.

Audiences, both young and old, will have a fantastic time out with Toy Story 4 and with its’ combination of laughs and love demands to be seen on the big screen.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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1971. America is reeling from the fallout of the Vietnam War and a collection of clandestine documents winds up on the doorstep of The Washington Post’s editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). In front of Bradlee is the story of a lifetime, one that could shake-up and rearrange the very essence of power in America, but it’s not his call to publish it. That decision rests on the Washington Post’s publisher, Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep) who must decide what stance her paper is going to do: to either walk the line of the status quo or champion the power of the free press. 

Taking centre stage in The Post is living legend Meryl Streep who effortlessly walks into the role of Katherine ‘Kay’ Graham, herself another legendary powerful woman who served as the publisher of her family’s newspaper, and an American Institution, The Washington Post. However, her greatest triumph is still some time away and here Kay is still essentially trying to find herself as she recovers from the recent loss of her husband, and is facing mounting pressures as she takes her company public. The last thing she needs is to manage a potential crisis that could upset the established political order and call into question the actions of the Nixon government. But that’s of course where she finds herself.

It’s in this situation, where her leadership is being called into question that Streep really shines as she showcases the slowly burning fire that leads Graham to triumph. Streep’s performance is very reserved and business-like and she keeps a veneer of tranquillity which makes her very hard to read, but it is clear that in private she is wrestling with some very big issues. Gradually as the film progresses she slowly addresses the crisis, waiting until she has all the facts to make a stand and challenge the status quo.

Standing beside Streep in The Post is another screen legend, Tom Hanks, who is full of dogged determination as Ben Bradlee, the energetic and charismatic editor of The Washington Post who wants to do everything in his power to release the story of The Pentagon Papers.

Streep and Hanks make an interesting pair as Graham and Bradlee on screen and the two of them each bring a different perspective to how the release of this epic and challenging story should be released through the Post. They compliment each other brilliantly, but Hanks understands his role as Bradlee and while he is a very pushy character you sense that whatever decision Graham makes he will stand by it.

One could almost be forgiven for forgetting that The Post is, in fact, a Steven Spielberg film. This is such in keeping with the incredible performances from both Streep and Hanks that you forget to think about the Spielberg’s acting as a director. But this is not to say that he does not do a terrific job, on the contrary, his ability to keep his audiences attention focused squarely on the situation that they find themselves in. The Post is not an overly stylized film and Speilberg plays it very straight. Through this, your attention never wanders from the decisions that are facing Graham and Bradley and the film is all the more gripping for it.

The Post is also an incredibly important film that champions the power of the free press and its role in holding government and other higher powers to accountability. It’s production and release is a very timely event, especially in the wake of America’s rocky political standing and the era of ‘fake news’ and specially targeted media that is now used to shape a person’s opinion and beliefs. Speilberg makes a real effort to highlight how important our free media is and that we should never take it for granted. His is a message that the media is a space where one can have a powerful voice and that with good guidance and the right people the press can, in fact, make a difference for all of society.

The Post is an extremely powerful film and one that’s gripping story and powerful performances command your attention from its very first frame. It’s essential viewing in the times that we live in and audiences would do well to watch it.

Image: EOne Films

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In Sully Eastwood presents audiences with a beautifully crafted piece of cinema that follows an everyman who finds himself branded as a hero. Hanks masterfully portrays Sullenberger as a regular guy, but one who possesses great courage, conviction and a strong moral compass to do the right thing. While Sully definitely feels every ounce of pressure that is placed on him, he never waivers in his responsibility and duty to his job. Hanks’ calibre as a performer has never been questioned, and in the role of Sully, he really pulls off something amazing.

Paired with Hanks’ gripping performance as the heroic captain is Eastwood’s handling of the subject matter, which examines themes of procedure. While audiences do get to see the extraordinary crash landing that made Sully famous, the film extensively revolves around the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to determine Sully’s competency. The standoff between Sully and Aaron Eckhardt’s First Officer Jeffrey Skiles with the NTSB creates some highly enjoyable drama, and its here that these two actors really shine. The crash itself is a pulse-pounding sequence, and Eastwood really takes audiences through the motions, keeping them at the edge of their seats.

Two of Hollywood’s best have again proved their considerable talent with this amazing tale of split second heroism, and Sully will no doubt be on Oscar voters mind’s next year.

Image: Roadshow Films

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On January 15, 2009 US Airways Flight 1549 lost both of its engines, and Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was forced to make a high-risk emergency landing that saved the lives of 155 passengers and crew, and was called as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’. This is the story of every moment that lead up to that climatic event, and the fallout that followed Sully as he was hailed as hero after the landing.

Eastwood’s decision to direct a film on the life of Sullenberger is interesting, and parallels the work he did in 2014’s American Sniper. Both film projects were designed to look at the inner workings of a modern heroic man, and the decisions and choices that made them who they were.

Eastwood’s pedigree and talent as a director always lands him the best talent in the business, and it doesn’t get any better than two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. Hanks’s Sully appears to wrestle with the fallout of instant heroism and the fame the followed, as well as having to fend off the accusations that he took unprecedented risks in landing the flight.

Sully will definitely be on the mind of the Academy during the lead up to Oscar season next year, and this thought-provoking film should strike a chord with audiences when it released on September 8 in New Zealand and Australia and on September 9 in the US and UK.

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