Elvis

"Colonel" Tom Parker may be the ultimate unreliable narrator. Thus, it’s an odd choice by Baz Luhrmann to hand the story in this biopic over to him. The viewer really starts to wonder, long before it is made explicit that the man was full of shit, about everything we see, both from that point in the narrative and retrospectively as well. Then again, this story seems to gloss over large portions of Presley’s rise and career, so unreliability may be baked into the whole cake. As it stands, with the movie and story we do get, there some transcendently great moments here, interspersed among what are otherwise standard biopic scenes. What this film does do most effectively is make the argument that Elvis had a certain musical genius--built heavily on borrowings, to be sure, but synthesized into a form, a presence, and an oeuvre that, perhaps, only he could have made into such a unique and wildly successful body of creative work. There was, and still isn’t, anyone like the King--and reminding us of that is this movie’s ultimate success.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Something’s missing. I can’t quite put my finger on why this film doesn’t work nearly as well as it should, but the fact of it is there for all to see (or not see, given this one met with a disappointing reception in theaters). Too many unsympathetic characters? Perhaps. Fitzgerald wasn’t enamored with humanity when he turned out this story, that’s for sure. I guess folks aren’t that thrilled to be told that their species sucks, especially those members of it who live high on the hog. You can’t blame the cast, all of whom acquit themselves quite well. Maybe this story is just too difficult for most people to get into--and, for that matter, to be made into a really good film.

Romeo + Juliet

The middle member of Luhrmann's "Red Curtain" trilogy (though, strangely, minus the curtain), and undoubtedly the least successful. That's not to say it's bad; given the screenwriter (Shakespeare) you can hardly go wrong. It starts working once they begin playing it somewhat straight, and by the end the power of the tale has its effect. But many of the actors seem too lightweight for their roles, and some of the overwrought touches just don't work here.

Strictly Ballroom

The first of the "Red Curtain" trilogy (with Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! rounding out the series). It can be a bit tough to get into if, like me, you are mostly baffled by dancing, but by the end it is tough to resist. The sweetness and charm win out.

Moulin Rouge!

It succeeds in spite itself. I wasn't sure what to make of it...and then Ewan McGregor began singing "Your Song," and I was hooked. He's great, and Nicole Kidman holds her own, but the real star is director Baz Luhrmann's staging and direction (particularly the art direction, with the "3D postcard" views of Paris). And it gets better upon repeated viewing, especially if you glean its literary predecessor (the myth of Orpheus, in particular). The end result is tremendously larger than the sum of all its odd individual parts. A "Best Of All" inductee.