BoRap

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

we talked about this in the other room http://www.thecranepool.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=27479http://www.thecranepool.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=27479



I just wanted to say I finally saw it, and it sucked

[whippoorwill]

Have not seen it. I'm actually waiting to see if my mom asks me to take her, otherwise I doubt I will go

[Vic Sage]

It is riddled with all the tropes and clichés of the "rock star biopic" sub-genre, but, unlike Judd Apatow's "WALK HARD: DEWEY COX STORY", a hilarious sendup of those clichés, BORAP is actually sincere about it. And Remi Malek, a great actor whom I love in MR. ROBOT, is acting with his teeth. Still, to give it it's due, the movie looks pretty great and the concert scenes are powerfully effective.

[MFS62]

It was entertaining, and the concert scenes were excellent.

I didn't miss what others have said was missing, nor note all the cliches, because I don't remember seeing any other rock bio-pics.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

The whole concert scenes thing seems to be both the strength and weakness of the movie:

if the recreated live scenes are good, you could save yourself the rest of the movie by just hauling the actual 'Live Aid' concert video with the actual Freddie Mercury up via YOUTUBE

[MFS62]

I've seen the actual live Aid footage.

But that doesn't mean I didn't like the movie.

And I guess I wasn't the only one.



Later

[cal sharpie]

Saw it on a plane yesterday.



Given that the surviving members of Queen were part of it, it seemed pretty clear that they had a bit of an agenda to make damn sure that everybody knows that they all wrote those songs and that they (and his sainted wife) were the ones who kept him on the right track.



Two stars.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

"We're Queen! We're not bound by your so-called rules of rock-n-roll!!!"



Oh stfu, Queen.

[whippoorwill]

Watched it today and I don't know what the eff you guys were watching but I thought it was sensational

[MFS62]

=whippoorwill post_id=30054 time=1579379953 user_id=79]
Watched it today and I don't know what the eff you guys were watching but I thought it was sensational

[LWFS]

It's tough to be sensational-- or even the least bit edifying-- when you're not being, y'know, honest about the subject. In both form and content, it's the kind of biopic you tend to get when some of the subjects are directly involved with the making. Malek is really good, but he's buried under a pile of sanitized-cum-bowdlerized stuff that lightly crucifies the dead guy in service of serviceable biopic material that isn't emotionally or factually true... and those teeth.

[whippoorwill]

That's sad to know...what wasn't accurate?



Most of what I read about him after watching it seemed to match up except Jim was not a waiter but a hairdresser

Also the band actors looked astonishingly like the real guys to me

[LWFS]

Among many other more trivial things are these big 'uns:



-- Queen hadn't been on hiatus before Live Aid; they were a tight, well-oiled touring machine at that point (which is part of the reason they were able to pull off such a tight set on short notice).



-- The breakup prior to Live Aid is an invention, presumably for dramatic convenience; also an invention, then, is his being an asshole over going solo, and that being the reason for their breaking up (he wasn't even the first to record a solo album-- Roger Taylor, the guy who scoffs at his solo ambitions in the movie, had recorded TWO before Freddie made a move to do so himself).



-- The AIDS diagnosis came a few years after Live Aid. Which... well, Freddie Mercury's diagnosis and subsequent public announcement were a huge deal in terms of acceptance of AIDS patients as, y'know, human beings, so its usage here as emotional glue to foster the band's reunion following an imaginary breakup seems... a little cynical and untoward, at best; at worst, it's gross tragedy porn.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Plus for pendants a lot of stuff coming out of sequence, playing Keep Yourself Alive years too soon.

[whippoorwill]

All good to know!



I did notice the Keep Yourself Alive part

[whippoorwill]

Okay so if you discount all that errorship, can you agree the performances were good?



Plus did you really know all that stuff when you walked into the theatre?

[MFS62]

=whippoorwill post_id=30119 time=1579458002 user_id=79]
Okay so if you discount all that errorship, can you agree the performances were good?



Plus did you really know all that stuff when you walked into the theatre?

[whippoorwill]

Me and you, 62

[LWFS]

After I got my kid into Queen-- honestly, once you play the song "BR" for about 90% of kids, the work is done for you-- she ended up taking the ball and running the length of the field with it, to the extent that she goes deep-cut-heavy when asked her favorites ("Innuendo," "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "The Show Must Go On"... though "Somebody to Love" makes the cut, too) AND ended up being the one who called my attention to the opening date of the movie. In preparation, I took a quickie swerve through Queen history just to see what minefields I'd have to be prepared to discuss with her, post-flick (she was eight at the time). So... the basics of the Freddie personal history, basic band history, discography chronology, and all that. I didn't notice every single distortion in real time, but there was a sort of creeping feeling of "Wait, did that actually" at more than a few junctures.



It's not like the movie is a terrible film. It's just... there. Though when one considers the fact that it flattened out aspects of the main character that were KINDA key to how much he means to a lot of people (and, likely, his actual personality), and that it distorts the AIDS announcement timing for cheap melodrama, and that it was all approved (if not pushed) by his ostensible friends, well... the there-ness curdles into something a little more sour for me. I mean, if you're going to play that fast and loose with facts... at least do something more interesting (see: the weird-ass, shaggy-dog-as-stage-outfit-tale "Rocketman").

[whippoorwill]

She was eight? I'm impressed!



Knowing now that the AIDS announcement was mistimed does seem forced. Plus at the time AIDS was still very much a scary mystery so them all hugging when they weren't sure it was safe....(though I really hope that's what happened)

Still I liked the movie a lot and thought it well done. Very good performances by actors who are too young to remember



I am WAY to much of a fan of Eltons to go see Rocketman. I'd be picking that apart Lolol

[batmagadanleadoff]

Also, in the movie, the band is shown playing Fat Bottomed Girls early on, before Bohemian Rhapsody was ever recorded. This was an annoying screwup as FBG was recorded in 1978 for the Jazz album, a coupl'a albums after Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't consider this error to be trivial. How'd you like to see a Beatles movie where they're depicted playing A Day in the Life on their first Ed Sullivan show appearance?



Here's one not many people would know about and I haven't found a mention of it on the internet. It's a minor gaffe, but one that I happen to know. The movie depicts Queen playing at Madison Square Garden and performing We Will Rock You/We are the Champions on their News of the World Tour. In real life, when Freddie Mercury was about to sing We are the Champions, a stage hand walked out on stage to hand Mercury a satin New York Yankees jacket, which Mercury then donned. This didn't happen in the movie. I happen to know this annoying detail because I was at that concert -- (Orchestra seats, about 15 rows from the stage).

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

How could they screw that detail up?!?



I may be remembering FBGs as KYA... I just remember it totally didn't sit well with me and every moment after that I met with complete cyncism.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: How could they screw that detail up?!? I may be remembering FBGs as KYA... I just remember it totally didn't sit well with me and every moment after that I met with complete cyncism.

I'm totally with you on this. I could see how others might think it's a minor screw-up, but for me, it was a major gaffe and it lingered with me in the back of my head throughout the rest of the movie. Also, I can't see how this is some "screw-up" as if a mistake was made. Like the band members didn't realize when FBG was recorded or that the fact checkers didn't research every song used in the movie? This was intentional.

[LWFS]

Yeah, the "]I am WAY to much of a fan of Eltons to go see Rocketman. I'd be picking that apart Lolol

[whippoorwill]

No I haven't actually

[Edgy MD]

BLAME IT ON THE BORAP!

MUSICIAN BIOS CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT

(AND SOME THAT HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED)



Judy (2019)

Renée Zellweger plays 1969-era Judy Garland. Suck it, Judy Davis.



I Am Woman (2019)

This Helen Reddy biopic has already been released in Australia to great fanfare, but it has so far been enbargoed in the US. Call Netflix and get angry. WHAT THE FUCK!!



I Still Believe (March 2020)

Riverdale's K.J. Apa plays hard-luck Christian singer Jeremy Camp, with Shania Twain playing his mom. Has this guy really covered The Call? If so, OK, but don't tell me they're using the Call song as a title for his biopic.



Respect (August 2020)

Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, written by Thema & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri.



The Power of Love — Celine Dion (2021?)

Valérie Lemercier both directs and stars, so you know this will be great. Plus, it's in French, so you don't have to listen to the words, just the notes, which gets you halfway home, I think.



Untitled Elvis Presley-Themed Thing (October 2021)

Baz Luhrman directs beauty-boy-but-up-until-this-mostly-a-supporting-actor Austin Butler portraying the King, with Tom F. Hanks as The Colonel, telling the story of Presley's rise to fame. On the bright side, if you're having trouble sleeping, you can count reasons not to see this film.



Blue Moon of Kentucky (2021?)

No release date (or cast) has been publicly announced, but Khori is also writing this story about the life of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe.



Untitled Amy Winehouse-Themed Thing (2021?)

Not much news except that Winey's father is cooperating.



Untitled Bob Marley-Themed Thing (2021?)

Ziggy producing.



Untitled Boy George-Themed Thing (2021?)

Sacha Gervasi (Anvil: The Story of Anvil) tells the tale of Boy growing up, as the genre of rock biopics becomes even more dominated by the sub-genre of gay rock biopics.



Beautiful — Carole King (2022)

This adaptation of the jukebox musical has been bouncing around since 2015, but now it's got Tom Hanks' backing. And when he joins a project, it becomes big.



Untitled John and Yoko Thingie (2022?)

BoRap writer Anthony McCarten has been hired, so you know the historical accuracy will be pristine. Jean Marc Vallée (Big Little Lies, Dallas Buyers Club) will direct stuff.



I've got to get in the shower, but other upcoming music biofilm subjects I've found: Leonard Bernstein, Teddy Pendergrass, Madonna, etc.



Kill me now.

[whippoorwill]

Please say this is one of your masterpiece made up stories

[Vic Sage]

I didn't care a bit about the historical inaccuracies of the film. My problem was with the cliche-riddled, paint-by-numbers storytelling. Biopics have tropes, and this film nailed all of them in groan-inducing ways. Someone mentioned ROCKETMAN; that's an example of an original and thrilling take on the genre.

[Edgy MD]

=whippoorwill post_id=30283 time=1579700536 user_id=79]
Please say this is one of your masterpiece made up stories

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Rock biopics have come a long way from Athens: Inside-Out



As discussed here previously the Van Halen origin story could be a dynamite movie. The KISS origin story: Are you kidding? Would be so fucking great.



The latter idea is such a guaranteed Moneymaker I'm surprised Gene $immons hasn't done 3 versions already