[GeorgiaMa'am]

I watched Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, and it was really good! It explained a lot of things that I never quite understood about the Elvis phenomenon, as I am just barely old enough to have not really understood what the big deal was. I saw Elvis live, actually, once when I was four and once when I was seven (I think) - that would be leather outfit Elvis, and then white outfit pudgy Elvis. I saw him both times with my parents, and to me, Elvis was my dad's music.

ANYWAY, the film was great. It was more or less chronological, covering from when Elvis was a child until his death. I especially appreciated how much the film incorporated the black music that had such a big influence on Elvis. Colonel Tom Parker is definitely cast as the evil magician behind the scenes, and played brilliantly by Tom Hanks. (It was interesting to see Tom Hanks in a role where he was not playing the nice guy.) Elvis is portrayed as a not too smart country boy, who could sing his ass off, and knew how to make girls swoon. I thought Austin Butler did a great job of playing Elvis throughout most of his lifetime. The soundtrack was really good, and I have heard a few songs from it on the radio, but I am definitely going to listen to the entire album now.