What can I say? I was never a big Elvis fan, so my review of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert would be a little biased. His personality and presentation on stage in that Las Vegas residency did nothing to change my mind. In fact, I could hardly believe how awful it was. This film left many critics, including Mark Kermode, enthralled. My best memory of Elvis was pre-Beatles, when we just heard his records on Radio Luxemburg. And an unnamed DJ persistently attempted to bring Elvis to the UK.
Director Baz Luhrmann's opening montage was so fragmented. But we do see clips from those repetitive films he made after coming back from the army. This material is all before we get to the Las Vegas concerts, which could apparently be three times a day and each only an hour long. I have to say that the sound in the cinema from this restoration was wonderful. The band, singers and orchestra were exceptional, with Elvis's voice as good as it got. Except that at times it seemed like he was just a covers artist, as these were mainly standards, not Elvis songs. Is "Bridge Over Troubled Water" suitable for a crooner and full orchestra? That was particularly awful. As was the end of the otherwise superb rendition of Suspicious Minds. Why did he have to mess about with the ending? But his voice was strong and in tune.
But I was far more interested in his lead guitarist, James Burton, who was always next to Elvis. (See separate post). I was also amazed that the drummer was close to the singer and not at the back, which is more often the case. What I did not know was that he was often doing three performances a day, and each one might be no more than forty minutes? Then at the end of the film I heard a few bars from American Trilogy and was so disappointed we didn't hear more. (It's on YouTube Live from Honolulu). Instead we get lots of interviews with Elvis that are mostly embarrassing. Obviously the director thought not. He says he wants to go to England and Europe, but that's just a lie. It may be that my memories of Elvis are pre-Beatles, with songs on Radio Luxembourg.
The critics are mainly in awe of Elvis, especially Mark Kermode, who called it a "montage tone poem" at the top of his power. "Different takes of the same song were great." Tom Shone in the Sunday Times gave it five stars for the "oh so glorious concert film" where "the results are spectacular". The review for Roger Ebert tells us the film "features restoration of the two concert films from 1970 and 1972 ... I gasped at the clarity. "He was right there.
After "Wuthering Heights" with inverted commas, here is The Bride! and an exclamation mark. But let's for once start at the end with the credits and Bobby Pickett's 1962 song Monster Mash. I remember it well. Number one in the USA and number three in the UK charts. The BBC originally banned the song, but it eventually made it onto their Juke Box Jury. (A must-see on early Saturday evenings). The song sums up this bonkers film. At the beginning I failed to recognise Annette Benning as the equally bonkers Dr Cornelia Euphronimous, who is visited by the sad monster that is Frank, played by Christian Bale. She agrees to bring a female body back to life for him. And so here is Jessie Buckley, fresh from her award-winning role in Hamnet. I thought there might have been someone different, if not better.
We may be reminded of the 1935 movie The Bride of Frankenstein, but no, as Jessie points out, she is "just the bride". As the pair create havoc, enter Penelope Cruz in a decent role as the assistant to the man from the FBI. Well, we are set in the 1930s. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs with relish. I liked how she introduces Mary Shelley at the beginning, moaning about what she can or cannot write and the plight of female authors. But here is the story she really wanted to publish. (That would have made some book). Critic Peter Bradshaw called it "a violent black comedy". Although it was a kind of horror story, it never once had me looking away. But this is an expensive movie with great locations and extras. Yes, there was some violence, but hardly graphic, so a 15 certificate was about right.
Maggie Gyllenhaal has made a great transition from acting. Lots of movies and a Golden Globe for best actress in the BBC's The Honourable Woman (2014). I still want to see her first film as director, The Lost Daughter (2021), that was Oscar nominated for best adapted screenplay, amongst many others. But it's on Netflix.
Let's begin with the Academy Awards for Sinners. Best original screenplay by writer/director Ryan Coogler. I didn't hear enough to judge. There was a lot of mumbling and loud music. (Far better was Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value.) Best actor for Michael B. Jordan. Probably because he played both twins Smoke and Stack, because otherwise I have no idea. (Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon was far, far better.) Best cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. First woman and woman of colour ever to win this award. I wouldn't argue with that. The best original score is for Ludwig Göransson. Agreed. The film was also nominated in twelve other categories, including best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, who we remember vividly playing a detective constable in Vera.
My immediate impression when the film began was that ultra-wide screen. Fortunately, Cineworld in Hemel Hempstead showed it on one of their largest screens. Apparently it was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 (2.76.1). There were other scenes shot in IMAX (1.43.1) but not available in this theatre.
The film was advertised as a vampire movie, but nothing in the first half gave any indication this was the case. That all changed later on. Nothing too gory, fortunately. What I did like was the 1930s setting. The location photography was excellent, the costumes fantastic and the music, well. I was interested in blues and gospel when I was a teenager. It forms a part of traditional jazz that I used to listen to in the 1960s. And I knew about Robert Johnson and the Black music from the Deep South. (See my post about Mark Radcliffe's book Crossroads. So I was quite happy to sit there and listen to the soundtrack and forget about the speech.
As for the acting, I found it awkward and far too serious. Take note, Michael B. Jordan. The only light came from Hailee Steinfeld as Mary. Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian tells us it "indirectly takes inspiration from the legend of Robert Johnson and the devil" and is "a black version of Dusk Till Dawn" that was constantly in my head later on. Like Peter, I would have preferred this film as a drama without the supernatural stuff. But it was definitely worth waiting for the post-credits sting at the end.
Films of the year in the winter 2025/26 edition of Sight and Sound magazine gave Sinners the second place. Alex Ramon said it was one of 2025's "unexpectedly thrilling experiences at the cinema". I beg to differ. I wanted more plot and a better story. It was just OK.
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