Ep10: 🧤The Moonwalking Man 🕺🏾

Anthony and John discuss the biopic of the year Michael! Coming moonwalk with us as we take a nice scroll down this movie! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

What's going on, guys? I am the Black Sheep Anthony C.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

And I am the big John V.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

From South Carolina all the way to Cali. This is another edition of One Take, Real Talk on movies, games, and historical pop culture. That's right. So today, guys, we're gonna talk, we're gonna do a little review on a movie I seen this weekend that John saw this weekend. A little small feature film, you know, you might have heard of it called Michael.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Yeah, but what are we talking about? I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Uh yeah. The little small film we saw.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Oh, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah. He was like big in the 80s, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Yeah, he was uh he was supposed to be a bit the singer, you know, that a lot of people have heard of, I guess. You know, I mean it's kind of like that uh songsung blues you watched last year.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Songsung blues, yeah, kind of like that, yeah. It was like a tribe band or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Yeah, something like that. He wore a glove and walked on the moon and stuff. You know what I mean? It's crazy. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I'll tell you what, it's not.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

What's that?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

It ain't no bohemian rap city, I'll tell you that much.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

You're right. It was a little bit better.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

But guys, we're talking about Michael today. The biggest movie out so far, probably one of, if not the biggest movie of the year. I mean, that's kind of hard to call an understatement when you're talking about the biggest pop star to ever live.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yeah, it was it's I'm not gonna lie. I mean, we talk about what are like the top six most famous people in history.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Yeah, he's up there. But guys, there's been a lot of negative. At first, there was a lot of negative publicity around this movie. Me and John can, I don't know how specifically how John feels, but I can personally say it's unwarranted.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

I'm not gonna we'll get into our full thoughts here in just a second, but uh yeah, you know, this has got a 30, I think, nine.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

It was 38 last time I checked.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Uh, you know what? Let's do it right now. In real time. It is 38 97. 38 credit score, 97 fan score. Yeah, I don't agree with either of those, Anthony.

SPEAKER_02 2:31

I don't know where you are, but as a fan, I agree with the fan score. As a movie critic, I think it leans more towards in the 80s.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

I mean, hey man, I feel you there.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Well, I think it's time we start talking about it then, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:56

I mean, I thought we had it. All right, that's fair, that's fair.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

All right.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Well, let's start with uh we're gonna try to photo.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

We're gonna try to keep this thing spoiler-free as in like it's it one, it's Michael Jackson. Two, you know, it's kind of hard for us to spoil a biopic, but we're gonna try to keep it as vague as possible.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Yeah, we're like there there will be some un unsung spoilers that naturally happen.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yeah, but what would you gonna say, John?

SPEAKER_01 3:34

I said there's just there's just some spoilers that are gonna naturally happen when we're talking about someone who's had a uh No, I'm saying what did you say before I put it in? Oh, well, I'm sorry, I'm late. So do you want to start with uh the best part of this movie or do you want to say that?

SPEAKER_02 3:48

I mean, it depends on what the best what you consider the best part is.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Our main man, I'd like to start with talking about the acting.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

That's what I don't mean.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

All right, yeah, guys. Jafar Jackson slaughtered this role. Like, unbelievably so. I am truthfully blown away at at the skill and level of work that this man has put into it. And and Anthony, I'm gonna steal your line here. Maybe it's just because he looks like Michael Jackson, because he's related to him, but holy shit, there were points where I was like, is that Michael?

SPEAKER_02 4:32

My when I was like, so I was crucial all the way up till he was writing thriller. I was like, he don't really look like Michael. Because uh him and the afro and stuff didn't do it for me. Uh I was really hard upon the prosthetics at first because I thought they made his nose egregiously egregiously big.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah, bigger than it actually was. I looked up some pictures and I was like, I don't know, man, he had a pretty big nose, and uh but no, it wasn't it wasn't quite that big.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

But when he went into the studio to write the thriller, there's a scene, and you can see it in the trailer or whatever. It's it's literally like half his face, you get the eyeliner. I swear that was Michael's accent.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

It's it's really, really remarkable. Like, okay, so I thought him pre-prosthetic looked a little more Michael than than other people would probably admit. But man, dude, I'll tell you where he really nails it is the mannerisms and the voice.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Yeah, the voice.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna say something sacrilegious to the Michael Jackson fans. Michael Jackson's actual voice, like just him speaking, I find mildly grating. I'm sorry, guys. I just it's it's a little, it's a not his fault. It's just mildly grating to me. The moment I knew I was gonna be impressed by this performance was the second Jafar Jackson started talking, and I wanted him to shut the fuck up.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

I mean, there's someone's voice, man. Good job. What do you mean? I'm just I'm sorry. I mean, like, what about it you do you not find like about it?

SPEAKER_01 6:27

It's just like he's he's always had such a very high and and kind of nasally voice. And I don't know, I've always found I've always found Michael Jackson's voice mildly annoying, but I'm not his singing voice, just his normal speaking voice.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

I mean, he he talks softly. That's the way you were raised.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

But uh, it's not like I said, I'm not gonna harp on the guy. It's a it's just his natural voice, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

But uh man, I thought I thought Javar nailed it. Like that's uh a lot of people praising Coleman Domingo. I mean, which is rightfully so, but I think everybody says that Coleman was the best no. It's Jafar. Yeah, it's it's Jafar. Um I grew up with a bunch of I grew up with a bunch of Michael Jackson interviews and such, and there's a miniseries that I grew up with that was made in the early 90s called Jackson and American Dream. So, unlike John, I had a basis of judgment here. As the hardcore Michael Jackson fan out of the both of us, I had a I was very crucial to this movie. I went to this movie. John, I'll tell you, when we saw trailer, I was like, I'm not gonna like this movie. And I ended up liking it. Like, I didn't love it, but I liked it. You know what I mean? Like, I'm not, oh my god, you know what I'm saying? This is the best thing since sliced bread. It's better than Elvis, it's better than Bohemian Rhapsody, and I can think of a slew of other things that it's better than. The only problem I had with this movie was the pacing, and they left out a lot of things. But as bio, this is the thing I can't stand. Is critics treat this movie as if it's the first biopic to do so.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Yeah, that was something I noticed. I was like, no, most biopics leave a lot out. Yeah, I mean, dude, when you're talking someone's life, like I hate to inform you, two and a half hours usually isn't enough. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Not even two and a half hours. It's two hours and four minutes.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Okay, okay, yeah. So a two-hour movie, yeah. I'm sorry, not quite enough to Yeah, to get a lot done.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Yeah, I mean, dude, the movie, I mean, like, for what we got was not bad. Would I want more? Yes. I feel like this movie should be at least a three-hour movie. I'm sorry. I mean, if we're gonna cover stuff, I mean, even the time span that they covered. So, guys, not really a spoiler here, it's well known. They literally go from the Jackson Father era all the way to bad. And that's it. You go to 1988 and that's it. They cut the movie off. With that time, they could have dove into a lot of other stuff. And that's my biggest gripe about this movie.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

So I'm I found this out before we started recording today. This is something that I actually learned today. You know, they reshot the second half of this movie?

SPEAKER_02 9:31

Yeah, because this movie was they there's a second half of this movie. There's a there's another part, but because of legal reasons, they couldn't discuss certain things, and that's why they chopped the movie in half.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

That's you know, also like, and I understand his vigilito didn't become a bigger issue until much later in life. I did think it was funny that they brought it up in one scene, and I was like, huh. That's like the whole thing everybody always jokes about is he has vigilito, or he had vigilito. You mean viniligo? It's vigilito, it's with a G.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

No, it's Viniligo.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

I'm I'm gonna look this up here in a second.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

But I'm telling you, it's vigilado.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

But like I I get where you're coming from, and they they're adapting. I mean, not just someone's life, but like someone whose career was so vast because Michael was, you know, like eight when Jackson 5 started, eight or 10.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Like no, he was younger than that. He got he was he he was like so what I that's why I said like that's why I love Jackson American Dreams narration. He was younger than that when he joined the Jackson 5. They got famous. He was they got they were they were got famous when he was 10. This is what I didn't like about this movie. It was the pacing. When the movie starts, Michael's already part of the group. He didn't, Joe didn't want Michael in the group. But the group was the group had four members. And Michael in Jackson American Dream, you'll see that Michael won a talent show and he got put in the band. You get what I'm saying? Yeah. So they skipped over the beginning. And I mean, the reason I think they did that because it's the same thing as we don't see Uncle Ben anymore. Like, there's no reason to kill Uncle Ben again. You get what I'm saying? The story has been told so much, and it's been told in another fashion, in another way, that they wanted to focus. I think this movie focused on two things. Michael not having a normal childhood and the the separation of him between him and his father.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Oh, wait. Quick, quick, just small side tangent before we start going.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

I am not a hundred percent sure of this child actor's name. Whoever he was.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Play kid Michael.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

That kid did phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 12:19

I think you should see Jason Weaver's performance. The kid did good, though. He did really good. But you should see Jason Weaver's performance of Michael Jackson. That's that's in the Jackson American Five? Yes, it is. Jackson American Dream. Yes, it is. I'm telling you, every every person in this movie I was judging outside of the bodyguard, did not know who the bodyguard was. First time I ever heard about it. And I like that, I like that little arc they had that they spent so much time together. Like, you don't get you don't get a like they don't deep dive on him and Quincy because Quincy is a big part of Michael Jackson's life. They didn't dive with Barry. Like Barry Gordy didn't get no love here. Diana Ross didn't get no love here. Well, Diana Ross opted out of being representative. They already had her her per her character cast, and they they did away with it. Because those three people there, I was pissed about that. Like, Dead Serious, those I was I was hot about it. I'm like, bro, this this shit is moving too quick.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

It was okay, so I'm gonna ask you, and I'm not gonna say how the movie ends. I'm just gonna ask you if if I got this feeling. And I wish I would have brought this up in my interview and I or in my review interview. The final act of this movie starts. And it's I think I can say what the final act starts.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

You're talking about the uh victory tour.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Yeah, yeah, the victory tour. And then it cuts, and you can really feel that this ending was reshot. Like whatever, whatever the second half of this movie was supposed to be, you can definitely feel didn't get to fully be that because of you know, whatever XYZ reason, like the legality kicked in there. But man, dude, I really was like, oh, it's over.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Exactly. Exactly. And it says his story continues. Like, so word on the street is if this movie makes money, which is already made back as budget, we'll see what, we'll see what happens the second. I mean, I don't think, listen, bro, I think even if um even if the United States doesn't keep this movie afloat, China and Japan alone would make this this movie money.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Yeah, I I'm just just FYI guys. We're doing a biopic of the biggest pop star in history. Yeah. So it's gonna make some money.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

So when part two comes out, like when it comes out, I'll be there. I'll be there over the weekend. But my biggest problem, like I said, bro, is it felt too short. Even if you like, say we ended it in 1988. You could tack on another 30 minutes, and that way things they don't feel rushed. You know? I just like when it ended, man, I was like, it's over? Yeah, and then okay, so one, it felt like they only had the nothing I didn't like. It felt like the Jacksons were living a comfortable life. Correct me if I'm wrong, you're on the outside looking in, right? Did they ever come off really broke to you? No, no.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

And I know they were not that way. I know that did not have the world.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

They were, listen, they were broke as shit. And the reason you didn't do get that because they were focused on too much of the music and not the story. And Joe worked at a steel mill, stayed up all night, letting these boys, these boys would go to listen, Joe had y'all think this Joe Jackson is tough. You need to go watch Jackson's American story. Because only whooping he gave out was to Michael in this movie.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

You see one where he where he whoops him, and then there's another one where you see him hand him the belt. Yeah, but like closes the door.

SPEAKER_02 16:27

But the thing is, in Jackson American Dream, everybody get an ass whooping except Michael. That's what I said. Like he can't catch, like he did, he couldn't catch Michael and all this other stuff, right? All right. And then um, like you didn't, you like, okay, I want you to do this for me. Name me two brothers that you learned from the movie. Name me two of his brothers from the movie that you learned. I don't fucking know. Exactly. So that's another thing I didn't like. Like, bro, his family that you want us to care about. Like, I care about him because I know the family. But your average Michael Jackson viewer that was born in 2000, let's say 2000, right? 26-year-old person, never seen Jackson American Dream, just like the man for his music, didn't grow up with none of the media, didn't see none of this shit, right? They were like nine years old when Michael Jackson died.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Okay, I can I can I could tell you Tito, you know why I can't tell you. Because of rush hour. Because of rush hour. Yeah, because he had a fucking hat that said Tito.

SPEAKER_02 17:37

But but my thing is you made everybody in this family feel not that important, but Michael and Joe. Catherine was there, but Nia Long did what she could do with what she had. And her scenes, her scenes, her scenes are the scenes that she does have feel important, but I feel like Angela Bassett, oh my God, bro. Angela Bassett is Catherine.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

You said what? I said I'm gonna have to find this movie. Yeah and I'm gonna need to watch it.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

So to give you work to Harrison. Because, dude, that's what I was doing the whole time. Like, that's all I could because that's my I never watched any other Michael Jackson movie documented. I was judging Jafar against Wiley uh Draper, and I was judging young Michael against, I don't know the kid's name, but I was judging young Michael against Jason Weaver's young Michael. I was judging every other character that was in this movie against their counterpart, which was in um Jackson American Dream. It's Jackson American Dream. It was Jackson American Dream. Yeah, it was Jackson American Dream. I'm sorry. So, like, dude, Diana Ross was missing. People don't, like, bro, Google Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. And tell me, like, bro, how many pictures you find? They did the whiz together. She was an adult when she introduced them to the world. You know what I'm saying? Janet isn't in the movie. She opted out. You would only think this family had six kids. Right? What would I tell you if the Jackson, if I told you that when Jermaine left, Randy stepped in. You wouldn't know that. You're like, who the fuck is Jermaine? And they give this man one line. Like, not even him. They just referenced him in one line. Like, I said in my review, they gave Jermaine one line. They said, Well, you know, we can't do the tour without Jermaine. Well, your brother's still over at Motown. Why is he still over at Motown, John? Do you know? You watched my review, right? Yeah, I watched, I watched your review. Yeah. Okay. But before watching my review, did you know why Jermaine was over at Motown and didn't come over with them?

SPEAKER_01 19:58

Fuck no, dude. I got like I honestly though, besides, like, besides Tito having Tito hat on.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Let me tell you this, though. You know why you don't know that? Because they didn't cover it. Let me tell you, ask me this. Would you want to see this right here? Jackson's left Motown, right? When they left Motown, Jermaine didn't leave. You know why, John? No. Because he married Barry Gordy's daughter.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Yeah, that seems like something that's mildly important.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Yes. Bro, when I tell you, I know I'm comparing a five-hour movie to a two-hour one. A five-hour miniseries to a two-hour movie. I know.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

I looked it up, by the way. I will, I will, I think I can watch it on YouTube, is where it looks like it's available, guys. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

But I'm saying, I'm comparing, bro, Joe Jackson in this movie was was mentally a little bit physically intimidating. Joe Jackson in the fucking Jackson American Dream intimidate, period. You get what I'm saying? Like, dude, dude was dude was a bruiser. I ain't even gonna lie. You get to see these kids in Jackson American Dream, you get to see these kids grow up. Like Michael starts out as a baby. We talk baby baby. First, first, you get to meet Michael from birth all the way where we were at in '93 when this movie came out. Bro, you get to see Michael grow up with his kids, with his family, right? And his before they even start a band, you get to meet these people and care about these people. You would think that this family had seven kids. Oh, no, five, they had the five brothers and the one girl. You think it only had six kids? They had ten children. Whoa.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

Exactly. See, because like all right, guys, this does help because I'm I'm a little educated on the Michael Jackson uh history. Anthony is a Michael Jackson head, and he has been a Michael Jackson head for many, many years.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Yeah, like dude, did they had a fucking 10? Listen, counting the parents, a 12 family count, bro. In this movie, you see six children.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Yeah. I mean, like, you'd also think he had one producer.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Yeah, because you see Barry Gordy for what? Maybe three scenes, then he's with Quincy for a couple more scenes. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Like, bro, I I'm gonna say this about this movie. And obviously, like Anthony, you correct me on this if I'm wrong, right? But was it just me? Or like, for example, all right, guys, Miles Teller plays John Baracca. Miles Teller might be in his movie ten minutes.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Not even that, bro. I think I think Miles Teller, I think Miles Teller had three to four scenes. I think three to four scenes. We ain't gonna get in detail with that. We ain't gonna get in detail. We're just gonna keep it vague. I think he has three to four, okay. So let's call it three, let's call it four to five scenes. Four to five scenes.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Besides the first one?

SPEAKER_02 23:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

And the very the and like the second or the third one. Yeah what what do I know anything different about if he was a member of the Beastie Boys or Beastie Boys?

SPEAKER_02 23:45

Yeah, no, he wasn't a member, he was the manager of the Beastie Boys, too. All right, but look though, all right, I'm gonna give you one thing that I caught, and I didn't catch till after I watched the movie. And you're gonna be like, I either you're gonna be like, I didn't catch that, or how could you not catch that? Let's give the Bohemian Rap City Easter egg here. I I cut it out of my review because my review ran a little long. But shout out to Mike Myers coming back as a producer again.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Okay, I didn't know until someone told me that was Mike Myers. So I did, I loved that scene, and I was like, who is that guy? And someone was like, Oh, it's Mike Myers, and I was like, it's Shrek?

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Yeah, it's Wayne's, but Wayne's were Austin Power. Yeah, literally reprised in damn near the same role he did in Bohemian Rhapsody.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Yeah, a great scene, fantastic scene. Yeah, um, but I mean, Anthony, if we're if we're talking about it, right? Like we're we're talking about the historical stuff. I'm gonna let you finish, but no, no, but go ahead. No, no, go, go, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

I'll I'll pick up the stuff. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, go ahead. Finish say what you're saying. I'm gonna say what I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

Well, I'm gonna pivot. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Okay. Well, what I was saying is he literally played basically the same role. You know what I'm saying? He's a he's a ready, he's a recording studio head that's just telling them something can't happen and ends up making it happen anyway. Literally the same role, bro.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Yeah, it it like it looks like I don't know what they did, if it was CGI or prosthetics. I'm I'm assuming it was prosthetics.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

All I'm saying is if Michael doesn't get casted, if it doesn't get an award for anything, makeup and casting. And casting and fucking at least Coleman Domingo getting an Oscar Not.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah, preferably Jafar Jackson.

SPEAKER_02 25:38

I want Jafar. I think Jafar. You tell me if I'm tripping. Did he not do better than Austin Butler? Or at least on the same line. I ain't even gonna say better, but like I say better because what he outweighs Austin Butler is that he looks like Michael Jackson. Austin Butler doesn't look like Elvis.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

Like, I guess the way I'd have to say is I I need to re-watch Elvis, but I'm I'm gonna say at least on the same tier.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

Okay. How do you think he did towards Raimi Malik's Freddie Mercury now?

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Yes, Anthony. We know Raimi Malik is the greatest biopic performance of all time. We've been through this, man.

SPEAKER_02 26:22

I would cancel this show right now.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

If you guys are curious, one of Anthony's hot takes. He despises Remy Malik.

SPEAKER_02 26:31

It's not a hot take. It's just listen. A hot take is saying something that's outlandish. If you got eyes and ears, and you have like a working brain that isn't there based off nostalgia or your love for something, you can see this man clearly butchers this role. But anyway, we're talking about something better. We're talking about Jafar Jackson his pipe.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Like I said, he did do better than Raimi Malikus Roddy Mercury.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

Thank you. That's all I want to know. I mean, um Shaq can do better than Randy Malik.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

This movie is like probably the the simultaneous example of something that is the most rewarding, but also like the most disappointing.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

You feel me? Um I mean, like I said, what was this okay? Let me let me get this. What was disappointing to you?

SPEAKER_01 27:31

To me, because I I've been I've been going with it appreciated a little like a touch on some of the darker aspects to their lives.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Like what exactly is what I'm asking.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Like you said, like the poverty, I would have liked to have seen a little more of that. From what from the research I did, I would have liked to see a bit more of who their dad really was. Because the more and more I was doing research, I was like, damn, he uh got a great guy. I mean, he's not a great guy. I would have liked to dig a little more into uh uh Michael's body dysmorphia, but I feel like we're gonna get that if assuming we do get the second movie.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

I mean, I mean, dude got addicted. Okay, so in Dude got addicted to pain pills and he was insecure about how he looked, bro.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

I mean Yeah, I would've I would have liked to see a little more of that and a little more touch. That's what I'm saying. Like, I'm not saying like body dysmorphia in a bad way.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

I'm just like, but see, they yeah, yeah, yeah. They ins they insinuate about him, about him in pain pain medication. Uh they insinuate it, they don't really touch it. Yeah, I about my thing is this right here. Nobody wants me to direct their fucking biopic because I'm gonna need all the dirt, okay? I'm not gonna use all the dirt, but I'm gonna need all the dirt, okay? Because if I if the dirt is public, I think you should, you know what I'm saying, put it in the biopic. People love a gritty, dark fucking biopic. The movie is bright and beautiful always. But like, come on, man.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Because like, to be real, I don't think there's anything wrong with so me and Anthony are big on history, both of us are. And without getting too much into it and and some of our thoughts on things, me and Anthony a lot of the times talk about how it always blows my mind how much how much doesn't get taught or talked about in history. Yeah. And when it comes to doing a biopic, well, let's, you know, let's get the uh, you know, like let's get the dirt, let's get the the who's, it's, what's it's and here's it's theirs it's because I'm not mad at being real about who a person is. And I'm not saying that uh oh, you know, like I need all the dirty, filthy things that that someone's done in their life, but I if we're being real, if we're being real, one of the issues you have with Rami Malik's performance, and I don't blame you, is it's not genuine to a lot of the trauma and the darkness that came with Freddie Mercury's life.

SPEAKER_02 30:15

Man, my biggest problem with Remy Malik, it'd be a whole episode, but all right. John always says I'm let me be fair.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

I'm speaking a little more to the issue of the story.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

Yeah, the story, uh the problem I had with Bohemian Rhapsody, yes, the story is too, it's too la la la la la. No, you know what I'm saying? They didn't dive into any deep problems. My problem with Remy Mallet, if you look at Austin Butler as Elvis, look at Jamie Foxx as Ray. Ray, look at Tina, look at Angelo Bass as Tina Turner, look at Jafar Jackson as Michael.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

Or I mean, here's another one out there. Terry Edgerton is uh Elton John. Yeah, Elton John.

SPEAKER_02 30:59

So if you look at these, these portrayals seem authentic, and you never and they take you out, they did they suspend reality for however long, right? Regardless of what issues the movie has, you have no problem tricking telling your brain, hey, this is who it's supposed to be. Remy Mallet's performance, to me, be whatever the fuck it is to you, to me, is damn near borderline parody. It's it's it's a couple million dollars away from an S and L skit, if it was any cheaper. To me.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Just saying.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

I don't think his role deserved an Oscar nomination, let alone an Oscar win. What they were drinking that night, I need some of it. But like I said, that's neither here nor there. I like an authentic portrayal. Jafar Jackson doing Michael's voice didn't seem unauthentic, did it not, John?

SPEAKER_01 32:10

Like, man, and again, this is a compliment. This is I just didn't like the way Michael Jackson's voice sounded. It's just uh like something that grades on me, but nothing against the guy. When Jafar Jackson started talking, I wanted him to shut the fuck up. Like that is a compliment to the skill and and display on here. And what broke my heart was we've got Antonio Fonquay directing a man who does dark and he does it well, and I may even reckon to say he does it more tasteful than the average person. I mean, we are talking about the director of training day. He, you know, he did the equalizer, like all right.

SPEAKER_02 32:55

So his name ain't Antonio, it's Antoine Guacwa.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Oh, you're right, you're right. It is Antoine.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

I knew I was gonna butcher that last name.

SPEAKER_02 33:11

So Antoine, Anton is basically Anton, but anyway, but anyway, but yeah, man, uh I feel like uh I just I don't know, man. I just feel like this movie, man, did so many things right, but it came up short on a lot of things. And and that's just me nitpicking. If I if I want to, if listen, if you want to go to the movies and have a good time, you can have a good time with this movie. There's a good time to be had with this movie. The the damn the dude, I got goosebumps watching this movie. Like certain scenes, I don't want to pull on so many scenes, there's a lot of scenes a lot of people didn't know about. But these man, let's talk about the damn performances, man, and these stadiums, man.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

Okay, okay. I'm glad you brought it up. So these are my second favorite scenes of the movie.

SPEAKER_02 34:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

They are are so good, dude. They're so good, they're so fucking well portrayed. Like I really, really, really, really, really appreciate. And and I don't know, man. Maybe, maybe, maybe you can disagree. I'm as someone who was not alive when Michael Jackson was in his prime, and Michael Jackson passed away when I was like seven or eight years old. The authenticity and the way that I was invested and here, and I felt like what was going on was was like being in a Michael Jackson concert, and it was intense, and it was, you know, I was vibing. And if you want a fun little side tangent here, I had a I had a bit of a a buzzkill sitting next to me, and I was head nodding, toe tapping, you know, hands on the knees, like beating to the music, like not, you know, not loud, but like doing it.

SPEAKER_02 35:09

Like a typical white person, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 35:16

Hey, I'm a Caucasian, what can I say, right? And the dude next to me, like it was just the most unhappy motherfucker I'd ever seen. And everyone else in this fucking theater is having a blast. And I'm like, man, this guy's guy's just not having a good time right now. Like, what the fuck, man?

SPEAKER_02 35:35

I'm gonna tell you though, when he went to the studio for the first time with Q, and he hit he was recording Don't Stop till you get enough, uh Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. Dude, that right there, man, that whole sequence is fire. You know where he had the headphones on?

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:59

And with the afro, and then it then it goes into him drop, man. That whole sequence is fire. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna talk about what happens in this scene because I still want people to go see this movie. But that whole sequence is fire. Like, man, I'm gonna tell you, like, damn. That's one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. I mean, this literally is the greatest hits. Like, for real.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Oh, so I stole, I stole one of your one of your words or one of your quotes from when I was when I was doing my review.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

What was that?

SPEAKER_01 36:30

I mean, you were like, what's wrong with the greatest hits? Yeah, who don't like a greatest hits? And I don't I don't see a reason not to.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

No, I'm gonna tell you, there's nothing wrong with the greatest hits, guys. I like I said, I can't wait to see what happens next. Uh hopefully in 2027, we get the uh second half of this movie, man. I think the prosthetics are good, the acting is good, the pace in the narrative leaves a little bit to desire. But I'm telling you guys, it's don't let that deter you from not going to see this movie. Because if you don't know Jack's shit about Malcolm, about Michael and Michael Jackson, you're gonna you're gonna love this movie. Even if you do, I love I know ass shit about Michael Jackson, and I like this movie. I went into this, listen, I went into this movie wanting to not like this movie.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

I yeah, I had a good time. Like, but do I think that it's a masterpiece? No. The fans are calling it. No.

SPEAKER_02 37:31

I mean, I'm gonna say this. It's by far one of the best musical biopicks we've gotten in the last like 10 years. One of. I'm not saying the best, one of.

SPEAKER_01 37:43

Yeah, I mean, that's not a high bar to climb, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

But I put it, it's our of course it's over Bohemian Rhapsody for me, but I got it over Elvis just because of the pacing of Elvis was worse than the pacing of Michael.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

Yeah. Elvis was like a three-hour movie. Yeah. And I feel like Elvis being a three-hour movie and this not being a three-hour movie was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 38:08

It's a crime. It's a crime. Yeah. Yeah. But see, I Elvis is more style over substance in some areas. Like, it's because of the director. You know what I'm saying? Like, who whoever directed that thing, Baz, what's his name? Baz or whatever. He chose more of an artsy style, and I just I just didn't fuck with it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 38:32

That's fair. Also, like, it doesn't help that Baz Lerman. That's his name for I had to Google it.

unknown 38:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:40

I was like, I know it, and I just can't think of it. Because he made he made uh Romeo and Juliet.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Yeah, but like this he chose the editorial style, and I didn't have a problem with it, but like I didn't have a problem with the actual style of the movie. It's just the editorial style. Like the pacing is just terrible. The pacing in here isn't a godsender, it isn't the greatest, but it's better than Elvis. And and that gives this movie a little bit of the edge over. And then I don't like Elvis. So take that with a grain of salt, however you feel. So, but I went into the movie, watched the movie. I think Michael Jackson has the best better movie. Is it better than What's Love Got to Do with it? No. Is it better than Rocket Man? No. Is it better than Array? I don't think so. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

But this is a solid, like, I don't know where you're removing the ratings.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

Yeah, we can go ahead and break this thing. This probably a little shorter of a of a podcast today, but but yeah, man. So John, where where real quick, real quick, before I forget.

SPEAKER_01 39:44

So the performance scenes were my second favorite. But my favorite was what you started leaning into. The the processing and the recording. There is a scene in here where he's he's uh going out and he's you can tell him he he's doing uh mama say mama say mama coosa. And like just the price and watching how organically Jafar translates what he's trying to say and and the mannerisms and the motions, and he's like, okay, I think I got the beat I like, and da-da-da-da-da.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

And you can just like we needed more of that, bro. Yeah, we needed more of that.

SPEAKER_01 40:27

Honestly, yeah, then you'd call it a masterpiece because I love them scenes.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

Yeah, uh, we needed, like I said, it needed more time. I don't know, man. It needed more time in the oven. Hopefully, and I say this about all movies that I have hope for, there's a director's cut. And it's about 30 minutes to an hour longer. Because it needs it. It really takes it. Yeah, it really does. This movie would benefit to be three hours. And I know y'all hear me and John. Yeah, yeah. I thought it was in two hours and a half, and then when we left the movie theater, I'm like, shit, it was only two hours. What the fuck? Yeah. But I had fun with it. It's a great introduction to who Michael Jackson is. I think so. But if you want the real story, go watch Jackson America Dream. But um, uh John, where do you land on this movie, man? We're going out of 10. We go out of 10. I know on my I know on my TikTok I do out of five, but we can go out of 10.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

I think I'm I think I'm gonna go on my heart, man. This this feels like a solid 6.5.

SPEAKER_02 41:27

Okay. I got it, I got it sitting at like a 7.58.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

Okay, yeah. I mean, like, I think these are both pretty fair rankings.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

I think it's because like I said, I think it's a solid 7.58. 6.5, I feel like it's a little too low. I think the acting is too good to be a 6.5.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

It's got some really damn good acting.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

I'm not gonna be. That's what I'm saying. Like, probably.

SPEAKER_01 41:50

Probably six of my 6.5 is the fucking acting.

SPEAKER_02 41:54

Yeah, but I'm just saying, like, you got the acting, you do have the performances, like the actual performance scenes, you got the you got the damn recording scenes. I think it's too much good about it to give it a six point. I think it's solid seven. Seven and a half, eight.

SPEAKER_01 42:10

I can respect it. Well, if I have a little more time to sit with it, it may bump up, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

I mean, if it if this movie was a three-hour movie with with a little bit more details in it, it's a solid nine. It had it had the makings to be a solid nine. I ain't gonna lie to you. It has the bones. I really do. I really think it has the bones to be a solid nine, but I it's just not there.

SPEAKER_01 42:38

I think it's got the structure and it's got the pieces and the people. It just needs, like you said, like give me give me a fucking three and a half hour Michael Jackson movie. I'll watch it. Yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_02 42:51

I watched the fucking Jackson American dream growing up for fun, okay? That's five hours.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

Right? This is a man we are talking to right now, one of the few men in my life that I know who has ever sat through the Snyder Cut in one sitting. Damn right.

SPEAKER_02 43:08

I went to the movies to see Return of the King. If you want to know how long Return of the King is, Google it. In theaters, I went to go see Return of the King.

SPEAKER_01 43:18

Didn't the movies have an intermission?

SPEAKER_02 43:20

Yes, they had an intermission. Intermission, I'm sorry. Yeah, it had an intermission. That's that's what I thought. I was like, what? Yeah. Yeah, it had an intermission, yes. But I mean, I don't regret going to see this movie. I really don't.

SPEAKER_01 43:34

No, no, no. I don't I don't regret going to see this. I I had a pretty good time with it. I mean, like, there's definitely some things that can be fixed here. We've got some some areas that could be cleaning, but at on the other end, like, it was fun. And me and Anthony like to talk about this a lot. People need to remember how to fucking have fun to watch movies, and guys, they really do. This this is a movie that I think would help you. Remember that.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

Yeah. I mean, like I said, between the hair and makeup, between the acting, like I'm telling you, man, this movie is this movie is that good. That good.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

I was impressed, man. Like I said, I was impressed, but a little disappointed, but also very at the end of everything, I can I can I can firmly say it. This this was a this was a solid flip.

SPEAKER_02 44:30

Yeah. Solid movie, man. But uh guys, go see it. Let us know what you think about it, put it in the comments. And that has been another edition of One Take Real Talk. And it was all in one take. One shot. Keep it real. Keep it real. Peace. Peace.