Steve Binder spoke with Solzy at the Movies about the new documentary on the historic special, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback. When the special premiered in December 1968 on NBC, it had been several years since Presley was regularly performing on the stage. Yes, there were the many jam sessions at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. However, he had been starring in many films, which were growing formulaic in their plots and whatnot. The King of…
"Steve Binder talks Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback"Tag: Elvis Presley
Elvis on Tour is a concert documentary that captures Elvis Presley and the cultural zeitgeist in the King’s last major concert film. Unfortunately, it does not break any new ground for Presley canon. Between the 1968 Comeback Special and 1970’s Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, I’m not able to recommend this documentary unless you’re an Elvis Presley completist. The special and films only span a few years but even as the King nears his…
"Elvis on Tour Captures Elvis Presley In Final Years"
Singer Presents … Elvis first aired in December 1968 in what has now become commonly known as the ’68 Comeback Special. Today marks what would have been Elvis Presley’s 88th birthday so I spent last night watching the historic concert special. It’s long-overdue on my end but it made for a fun Saturday night evening. Believe me, it’s worth it! Happy birthday, Elvis! While the special marks 55 years at the end of the year,…
"Elvis: The ’68 Comeback Special"
Blue Hawaii is the first of three Elvis films shot in Hawaii and it makes its arrival on 4K Ultra HD by way of the Paramount Presents line. A quick note about the Blue Hawaii restoration: they scanned the original 35mm negative in 4k/16BIT. Unfortunately, the opening sequence was grainy because it originally used duped film. As a result, they have rebuilt the sequence completely using the original film elements in the Paramount library. Because…
"Blue Hawaii Arrives on 4K Ultra HD"
Speedway is a formulaic Elvis Presley film that came at the point in his Hollywood career just before he turned his attention to the stage. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? The problem with this film is that Elvis was staying way too close to the formula that worked for him. He wasn’t really taking any risks with his film career. Four more feature films would follow before going back to the stage.…
"Speedway: A Formulaic Elvis Movie"
Viva Las Vegas features solid chemistry between stars Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in the 1964 Las Vegas-set musical. The gist of the film is that Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley) heads to Las Vegas for the city’s first ever Grand Prix Race. Unfortunately, his race car needs a new engine otherwise he can kiss the race goodbye. He’s able to raise the money but unfortunately, he loses it when Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret) shoves him into a…
"Viva Las Vegas: One of Elvis’s Finest Films"
Elvis: That’s the Way It Is is a documentary about the Elvis Summer Festival at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in August 1970. After years of watching Elvis Presley starring in narrative features, this film offered his fans a breath of fresh air. It’s a documentary that includes footage from rehearsals and six shows. But really, it’s a concert film especially with the changes made for 2001’s special edition. If you’ve never experienced any…
"Elvis: That’s the Way It Is"
This Is Elvis kicks off the Summer Under The Stars as TCM celebrates a different star every day during the month of August. Kicking off the month with Elvis is a perfect way to also celebrate next week’s HBO Max launch of this summer’s Elvis biopic (Note: a publicist mentioned the HBO Max launch date in an email but it’s not listed anywhere in the August announcement). Some cuts of this film run just shy…
"This Is Elvis Kicks Off TCM Summer Under The Stars"
Jailhouse Rock was one of the earliest movie musicals to revolve around rock and roll and is one of the finest Elvis Presley films. Take away the jail part and this film is basically a fictional biopic of Elvis Presley’s life. Maybe it’s because of the rebellious image but he not died in a car accident, one can imagine James Dean as the Vince character…if James Dean were Elvis and could sing. Construction worker Vince…
"Jailhouse Rock: Elvis Presley at His Finest"
Austin Butler is phenomenal in Baz Luhrmann’s rock biopic as the titular king of rock and roll in the newly released Elvis. Filmmakers have not learned a single thing since the release of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story in December 2007. Baz Lurhmann attempts to shake up the rock biopic genre but at the end of the day, the efforts fall short. The film is at its best when Austin Butler is rocking and…
"Elvis: Austin Butler Is An Oscar Contender in Rock Biopic"