Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Baz Luhrmann has model and panache to spare, and his movies typically mirror that. The Australian director rose to prominence within the early Nineties earlier than making a reputation for himself together with his extremely stylized tackle William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. Now, 30 years after the premiere of his first movie, Luhrmann returns with the musical biopic Elvis, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks.
Luhrmann, a modern-day auteur if ever there was one, is really a one-of-a-kind director. His movies are sometimes hit-or-miss with critics — a fast have a look at his Rotten Tomatoes profile will make that greater than clear. Nevertheless, there’s lots to like about his movies, together with however not restricted to an uncompromising and unabashed love for his craft. Certainly, Baz Luhrmann’s sensibilities won’t be to everybody’s tastes, however his work is a breath of recent air in an more and more homogenous cinematic panorama.
The Nice Gatsby (2013) – 48%
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal novel about wealth, privilege, ambition, and obsession got here to life like by no means earlier than, because of Luhrmann’s singular thoughts. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio within the titular function, The Nice Gatsby follows struggling author Nick Carraway and his fascination for his fabulously rich neighbor, the mysterious Jay Gatsby. The movie’s solid additionally included Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, and Elizabeth Debicki.
The Nice Gatsby is much extra model than substance, however Luhrmann nonetheless succeeds in bringing Gatsby’s tragedy to life via an ideal mixture of music and unforgettable visuals. DiCaprio hams it as much as an 11 together with his tackle Gatsby, throwing round way more “previous sports activities” than anybody ought to utter in a lifetime, not to mention a two-hour movie. Even so, The Nice Gatsby is a visible spectacle that enthralls the viewer and brings new life to a timeless basic.
Australia (2008) – 54%
Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, Australia follows the story of an aristocratic Englishwoman and an Australian drover who embark on a cattle drive throughout the outback. The movie lives and dies with Kidman and Jackman, and whereas there’s enough chemistry between the 2, it isn’t fairly sufficient to seal the movie’s epic love story.
In addition to being one of many few movies the place Jackman will get to make use of his native accent, Australia is generally forgettable. It’s a tough beast of a movie, that includes tonal modifications that go from the clumsy to the outright jarring and showcasing one among Kidman’s much less credible performances. Above all, Australia commits the worst attainable sin: It’s boring. And contemplating it has Baz Luhrmann because the director, that mistake turns into all of the extra egregious.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) – 73%
Again when Leonardo DiCaprio was nonetheless a younger heartthrob, Luhrmann used his attraction to the fullest by casting him because the doomed Romeo in a brand new, Gen X-ified model of Romeo and Juliet. Co-starring a wide-eyed Claire Danes (recent off her My So-Known as Life success), Romeo + Juliet was Shakespeare by the use of Baz Luhrmann. In different phrases, it was nice.
The Elizabethan language sounds recent and barely clumsy on the younger actors’ lips, however that solely enhances the movie’s dedication to its youthful strategy. Coupled with the up to date setting and DiCaprio and Danes’ simple chemistry, Romeo + Juliet turns into a worthy entry among the many numerous variations of Shakespeare’s seminal play.
Moulin Rouge! (2001) – 76%
Arguably Luhrmann’s “greatest” movie, Moulin Rouge! follows a younger and inexperienced author who falls in love with a courtesan in Paris originally of the twentieth century. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman stepped into the highlight taking part in the star-crossed lovers, whereas John Leguizamo and Jim Broadbent play memorable supporting roles.
Moulin Rouge! cemented Kidman to the A-list, incomes her an Oscar nomination. The movie is devastatingly romantic, that includes luscious manufacturing design and a soundtrack that takes Nineteen Eighties and’90s hits to turn-of-the-century Paris. Solely a thoughts like Luhrmann’s may have conceived such a mix of favor and content material, and the result’s a one-of-a-kind movie that’s stood the take a look at of time.
Elvis (2022) – 80%
Luhrmann’s newest effort places former Disney-kid Austin Butler within the highlight, casting him as one of popular culture’s best idols. Elvis follows the title character throughout the a long time, monitoring his rise to fame and sophisticated relationships with supervisor Tom Parker and future spouse, Priscilla.
Elvis is Luhrmann’s greatest movie in ages, elevated by Butler’s star-making function and that includes a really gonzo efficiency by America’s dad, Tom Hanks. Most significantly, like Luhrmann’s greatest movies, Elvis doesn’t accept its style’s primary conventions. The movie dazzles as brightly because the icon at its middle, defying the viewers to look away, even when only for a second. There has seldom been a greater mixture of director and topic.
Strictly Ballroom (1992) – 89%
Luhrmann’s debut movie stays his greatest, not less than based on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie follows an expert dancer whose unconventional antics earn him the scorn of his colleagues. After pairing up with a neighborhood, left-footed woman, the couple’s profile rises on their solution to Nationwide Championship.
Strictly Ballroom is a basic romantic comedy. The central couple is endearing, their journey relatable, and the movie round them satisfying. Strictly Ballroom begins displaying indicators of Luhrmann’s trademark sensibilities: dynamic storytelling, creative digital camera work, wonderful use of music, and only a contact of camp.
Editors’ Alternative