Elvis – Directed by Baz Luhrmann (2022)

Watched this recently with a friend and it was great. Who to blame for Elvis’ (played by Austin Butler) death at 42 to be up to the audience to decide, but it was expertly narrated by the manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) and he was made to pay fines to court in real life for squandering Elvis’ money on gambling. It was acted inspiringly by Austin Butler who really brought out the human Elvis who struggled with the misgivings of fame along with provocative direction by Baz Luhrmann. I was moved by supporting actress Olivia De Jonge for her excellent role as wife of Elvis – there were such strong scenes that brought tears. I really liked the spirit of Elvis and his “love” of the audience. Great soundtrack too.

Spiritual books and Jesuit public lectures

I enjoy reading spirituality books and attending lectures on spirituality. God’s Spirit has moved me. I did learn some education subjects at uni (up to year 3 at Sydney Uni) before I started full time work and it taught me some philosophy, psychology, sociology and history. It was good fun. Books such as ‘The God Who Won’t Let Go’ by Peter Van Breeman shape my home life. Also my sister recommends John Henry Newman’s (1852) The Idea of a University.

Quality choices and books

I love books. I prefer good books well written. The ones that currently interest me have either won book awards or are on a reading list for a uni course. In order to make decisions about how to spend my time I need to cope with the fear of missing out (FOMO). Will need to read The Freedom of Missing Out by Michael Rossmann SJ (thanks to my CLC leader Michael for this link to Audible)