jrugg19

In Brady Corbets 215 minute epic, only one word comes to mind; Stunning. The Brutalist looks stunning. The performances are stunning. The production is stunning. The SCORE is stunning. This is one miracle of a movie. One up until around the 200 minute mark I was convinced I was watching one of the greatest movies I've ever seen in my life. Until the ending. The ending didn't fully click with me. Not to say it's bad, but for how long we spend getting to learn these characters. It was rather quick? Nevertheless, The Brutalist is an unbelievable portrayal of immigrant struggle, and the dark side of the American Dream. Adrien Brody delivers personally my favorite performance of the year, and Guy Pearce will be eating every single supporting award up. He's unreal, along with Felicity Jones. The Brutalist is a movie that shouldn't exist, and yet it does.

It is stunning.

Thor Love & Thunder definitely will NOT be for everyone, however I found it to be an exciting and fun entry into the MCU. This movie is very light, in your face, and ridiculous, so I can see many people not enjoying it. It is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon turned live action, which I myself enjoyed quite a bit.

Taika Waititi sometimes goes overboard with his ideas, and it seems there has to be a joke every 10 seconds (those damn goats). But at least he has Chris Hemsworth to provide many of these jokes, who is just naturally gifted in comedy and once again just embraces the role of Thor. Natalie Portman stands out in her return to Jane Foster, as she now possesses Mjolnir and is now The Mighty Thor, however I couldn't help but feel her arc was rushed and we as an audience were supposed to just accept her as Thor very quickly. Christian Bale is AWESOME as Gorr the God Butcher, but I feel we could've spent more time with him.

My main criticism with this movie is its pacing. Everything comes and goes SO quickly, that you feel you barely have anytime to breathe. With this being the shortest MCU movie in years, none of these new inclusions have any time to breathe, and the plot FLYS by. Not that this plot is complicated at all, it's actually one of the most simple plots the MCU has had, and will only have any bearing in Thors arc, and not the MCU as a whole.

Regardless, this movie is a very fun time, if you are able to withstand the campiness and comedy that this movie throws in your face 24/7. It won't be for everyone, but I personally enjoyed it for what it was.

Austin. Butler.

That's the review.

Joking aside, Elvis is a tribute to the late megastar, as told by his unreliable manager Col. Tom Parker. Baz Luhrmann has stated in the past this was his passion project, as this movie has been in development for a very long time, and it shows. This is Baz movie through and through, as his fast paced and in your face direction can be exhausting at times. However, I believe his style matches Elvis' lifestyle, so it didn't bother me too much.

This is a long movie, as you are told much of Elvis' long and illustrious career, from his beginnings in Tennessee, to his residency in Vegas. There is much to tell about Elvis' life and career, and Baz makes sure to hit many aspects of it.

The elephant in the room unfortunately is Tom Hanks, who I thought was quite annoying as Col. Tom Parker (although it matches the real person) and since he is our narrator, we spend too much time with him. That damn accent I'll never get over.

And then there is Austin Butler. Who seamlessly puts on the performance of a lifetime as Elvis Presley. This entire movie would've crumbled if he wasn't perfect, and he exceeds all expectations. He was absolutely electric and perfectly encapsulates how we know Elvis. It may sound corny, but you really do forget you're watching an actor playing a character here.

Elvis is a long movie, but it is worth a watch for Austin Butler alone. Definitely the best performance this year without a doubt.