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Movies with Maura Issue #2:Priscilla (2023):
If you’ve watched Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film, Elvis, featuring Austin Butler, you’re familiar with a version of the story that is vastly different from the one portrayed in Sophia Coppola’s 8th feature-length film. Taking inspiration from Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me, it’s an interesting portrayal of the manipulative, predatory, and often violent nature of the Presleys’ marriage. Priscilla is an increasingly uncomfortable watch as viewers, through the beautiful costumes and set designs, look into Priscilla’s lonely life. Cailee Spaney, who plays the titular role of Priscilla, handles the shift of her maturity extremely well, considering she portrays Priscilla over the course of 14 years, going from a naive and starstruck fourteen-year-old to a disillusioned 27-year-old woman. Jacob Elordi, despite not being in the movie much, conveys the instability of Elvis in a way that makes the audience understand Priscilla’s emotional attachment to the star. Overall, this is one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen.
Wake Up Dead Man (2025):
As the third installment in Netflix’s Knives Out film franchise, I found it delightfully intriguing. Considering the current climate of MAGA evangelicism, the movie discusses how harmful the use of faith for selfish gain can be, often hurting the ones Christianity is supposed to protect. This skillfully executed, meaningful theme makes it stand out from the other two Knives Out films. Josh O’Connor, Father Jud Duplenticy, and Daniel Craig, the detective Benoit Blanc, are an amazing duo, balancing serious moments and lighter comedic ones. The story follows the narration of Father Jud as he tells the story of an impossible murder that happened in his small parish. It was suspenseful in the best way, and the answer to who did it and why isn’t apparently clear, which makes for the best type of murder mystery movie.
EMMA (2020):
As far as book-to-film adaptations, EMMA. (2020) should be the blueprint. While not necessarily a word-for-word adaptation, it maintains the soul of the story while adding complexity that makes it a more interesting movie. The costumes and sets are beautiful, creating an immersive world for the characters to live in. Some stand-out actors include Anya Taylor-Joy, the perfectly unlikeable main character, and Bill Nighy’s zany, harebrained Mr. Woodhouse. Anya Taylor-Joy handles Emma’s development with a lot of grace. My only issue with the movie is the slow pacing, which can be a little disengaging at times. However, this is one of the best adaptations of Jane Austen to the silver screen since 2005’s Pride & Prejudice.
