Category: Reviews

Jenna Does Elvis #7 – Fun in Acapulco (1963) / Kissin’ Cousins (1964)

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I can see the boardroom meeting now:

“Listen men, we need a fresh spin for these Elvis movies. Cranking out ‘[insert occupation] Elvis’ films three times a year is all good and fine, but we need to be one step ahead—this rustling overseas from England is making me nervous.”

“Well sir, themes are still popular, and heck, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Why, the solution is more themes, of course!”

Cut to: Fun In Acapulco.

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #7 – Fun in Acapulco (1963) / Kissin’ Cousins (1964)

Jenna Does Elvis #6 – Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) / It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963)

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I think Stockholm syndrome is starting to set in. I’ve always sort-of liked Elvis, but now a real fever is taking hold. I find myself wanting to listen to Elvis on the regular, thinking about Elvis randomly, YouTube is  recommending Elvis videos to me all the time, and heck, I even bought an Elvis t-shirt. In my defense, at this point in his career, Elvis owned a pet chimpanzee and was obsessed with karate, so look, we’re all going a little crazy here, alright?

Most of all, I love how they keep finding different ways to put Elvis in the same position of deciding between two girls and his life goals. You’ve got Singer Elvis, Western Elvis, Writer Elvis, Tourism Guide Elvis, Boxing Elvis—hell, if they made Elvis Barbie dolls, I would buy them all. So what’s next in the world of ___ Elvis? Check out the latest installment below to find out:

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #6 – Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) / It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963)

Jenna Does Elvis #5 – Follow That Dream (1962) / Kid Galahad (1962)

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Well, I got through Blue Hawaii, and while it wasn’t particularly good, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. In fact, I even breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, how premature my exhale was.

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #5 – Follow That Dream (1962) / Kid Galahad (1962)

Jenna Does Elvis #4 – Wild in the Country (1961) / Blue Hawaii (1961)

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While I’d been pretty much enjoying myself over the past several films, there’s been one looming in the distance, like an ominous storm cloud slowly moving towards me: Blue Hawaii. The one Elvis film to rule them all. The movie that set the formula for all Elvis films after it, and supposedly marked the beginning of a steep decline in quality.

But first, Wild in the Country:

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #4 – Wild in the Country (1961) / Blue Hawaii (1961)

Jenna Does Elvis #3 – G.I. Blues (1960) / Flaming Star (1960)

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When we last spoke I’d seen King Creole, a movie I greatly enjoyed. After King Creole, Elvis was shipped off to the army, his mother died, he met his future wife Priscilla, and he picked up an unhealthy addiction to barbiturates. Couple that with John Lennon’s famous “Elvis died when he went into the army” quote, and it seemed I might be in for a precipitous  drop in quality.

I was feeling optimistic though, I mean the last two were fun. And while none of the films so far has been life-alteringly great, none of it’s been unwatchable either. Granted, my tolerance for the unwatchable is notoriously high, but still—so far, this journey has quite honestly been slightly better than anticipated.

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #3 – G.I. Blues (1960) / Flaming Star (1960)