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Spike Lee announces Off The Wall Documentary - Estate Announcement Page 66

myosotis said:
It seems there may be a theatre screening in New York on Feb 1st, if this is genuine:

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To kick off Black History Month, on February 1st, The Estate of Michael Jackson & Spike Lee present an exclusive screening of 'MICHAEL JACKSON's Journey from Motown to Off The Wall" at The BAM Rose Cinemas.


Submission Period Ends: Monday, January 25 at 11:59pm ET

https://mjotw2016.splashthat.com/
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I wonder if there is another reason for theatrical release, Oscars perhaps? Don't movies and documentaries have to be released in cinemas before they can enter to Oscar"s?
This is just me day dreaming while waiting reviews, snippets etc goodies :D

Anyways, so far all good stuff for OTT.

Seemingly it is doing well in Sundance as usually you can buy maxim 4 tickets for this event but OTT it says: Due to high demand for this event, you are limited to 1 ticket(s) at this time.

:clapping:
 
^I was hoping Bad25 would get an Oscar nod. Never materialized. So, I'm not holding my breath this time.

As 2016 noms are out, whatever slim chance would be for 2017.
 
myosotis said:
It seems there may be a theatre screening in New York on Feb 1st, if this is genuine:

------

To kick off Black History Month, on February 1st, The Estate of Michael Jackson & Spike Lee present an exclusive screening of 'MICHAEL JACKSON's Journey from Motown to Off The Wall" at The BAM Rose Cinemas.


Submission Period Ends: Monday, January 25 at 11:59pm ET

https://mjotw2016.splashthat.com/
Click to expand...

I submitted a few times using different emails lol, hope I get selected!
 
Spike Lee's Michael Jackson Doc a Tribute to His Music
By SANDY COHEN, AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER PARK CITY, Utah — Jan 24, 2016, 10:48 PM ET

As a young artist, Michael Jackson knew he wanted to be legendary.

"I will be magic," he wrote as a teenager, outlining his plans for his career. "I will be better than every great actor roped in one."

Jackson's drive to succeed and his striking talent as a singer, dancer and songwriter are the focus of Spike Lee's new documentary, "Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to 'Off the Wall,'" which made its world premiere Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival.

"This film is all about love toward Michael Joseph Jackson," Lee said as he introduced the film, which is dedicated to Jackson's children Prince, Paris and "Biji" (formerly Blanket), along with family matriarch Katherine Jackson.

Beginning with the Jackson 5's earliest songs with Motown Records — featuring a charismatic 9-year-old Michael on lead vocals — the film explores Jackson's growth as an artist and the perfectionist nature that fueled his work ethic.

Archival footage of the Jacksons' performances on "The Ed Sullivan Show," ''American Bandstand" and their "Destiny" tour is interspersed with interviews with music industry talents from then and now. Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly, Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones and Questlove, along with contemporary music producers Mark Ronson and Rodney Jerkins, are among dozens of voices in the film. Jackson's brothers Marlon and Jackie also appear on screen, but sisters Janet and LaToya do not.

"Everyone was invited to participate, but we used those who wanted to participate," said Jackson's longtime attorney John Branca, now executor of Jackson's estate and a producer of the film. "Certain (members) of the Jackson family are not quite big fans of (fellow attorney) John and I, but that's fine. We're trying to do right by Michael."

This film makes viewers miss Jackson's dynamic dancing and mellifluous voice while deepening their appreciation of his talents and endless efforts to hone them.

"I do believe deeply in perfection," Jackson says in a 1976 interview.

It captures Jackson's evolution from a breakout child star to a multifaceted adult entertainer determined to transcend barriers of race and genre. Even as a teenager, he dreamed of being able to "translate my music to different countries: Japan, Sweden... even Australia."

"He took black music to a place where it became human music," Pharrell Williams says in the film. "My music would not be here if it wasn't for his music."

Lee goes beyond music, however: Ballerina Misty Copeland credits Jackson for inspiring her love of dance. L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant says Jackson's approach to his art "impacted everything for me."

The late Sidney Lumet, who directed Jackson in the 1978 film "The Wiz," said: "Michael may be the purest talent I've ever seen."

The film follows Jackson's career until the release of his groundbreaking 1979 album "Off the Wall," which paved the way for 1982's "Thriller," the best-selling album in history.

It doesn't get into Jackson's personal life or any of the legal troubles that would plague him later in life. It's simply a portrait of a man and his music.

"Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to 'Off the Wall'" is set to premiere Feb. 5 on Showtime.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/spike-lees-michael-jackson-doc-tribute-music-36494469
 
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I hope Paul McCartney is talked to on the Thriller doc and Janet sits down for a supposed History doc.
 
Basically the review is absolutely terrific, except for few little personal things. It sounds wonderful and it has great scenes, etc and it sounds put together beautifully.

'Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall': Sundance Review

1/24/2016 by David Rooney

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Michael Jackson photographed circa 1979.
JIM MCCRARY/REDFERNS
Spike Lee contextualizes the landmark 1979 album that cemented Jackson's status as a superstar solo artist and propelled him on to an even bigger breakthrough with 'Thriller.'

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Here's another great one from Indie-Wire. They, too, have something against Lee Daniels taking up some time in the doc. I think it's funny.


<heading id="article-heading">Review: 'Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall' Makes You Want to Dance &#8212; and Shout

</heading><article id="main-article" data-module-id="00000152-6a63-d150-aff6-eb7fd51b0000" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; font-family: Vollkorn, serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">By Ben Travers | IndiewireJanuary 24, 2016 at 6:00PM
Spike Lee's latest documentary examines the iconic muscian's professional life from his time as the Jackson 5 frontman until he broke out with "Off the Wall" in 1979.


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What is Lee Daniels doing here?



In a 93-minute feature film packed with everyone from Michael Jackson's relatives to recording engineers who worked on only one of his albums, the co-creator of "Empire" is the only talking head unable to justify his time on screen. And considering the likes of Kobe Bryant, Stevie Wonder, Joel Schumacher and even Spike Lee (unable to stay behind the camera in his own film) make memorable appearances, his inexplicable inclusion speaks to what's really, overall, a focused effort with honed storytelling, dedicated to a very specific time period in Jackson's fascinating life.
READ MORE: Watch: 'The Girlfriend Experience' Trailer Puts Starz in the Steven Soderbergh Business
Picking up from when and why he was such a magnetic presence in the Jackson 5, "Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall" builds itself around details meant to not only make audiences remember, but make them appreciate what a true pop star is capable of. Descriptive adjectives are thrown around rapidly, but it's the passion in the speakers' voices that stands out. Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother, pops up a number of times with contextual tidbits relevant to Jackson's motivations, and Lee uses her descriptions (and others') as launching pads into more topical material.
90

Optimum Productions​
"Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall."

While no Spike Lee joint would be complete without a reminder of America's racial prejudice, the topic is tastefully and appropriately incorporated this time 'round. A few knowledgeable guests make note that the press and fans alike were quick to give Jackson credit for his "natural abilities," while white artists would be worshiped for their talent and effort equally. To hammer home the point, Lee brings in Kobe Bryant &#8212; who the director chronicled in another solid doc, "Kobe Doin' Work" &#8212; to parallel Jackson's relentless pursuit of perfection as a dancer, singer and musician with the basketball star's chase to match another MJ &#8212; Michael Jordan. Bryant's story hammers home the work that Jackson put into making himself the true King of Pop and serves as a stark reminder of why it's important to pay attention to cultural keywords in a racial context.
The film also broaches how the music biz has changed since Jackson helped build it into what it is today, but what's truly striking about the doc is how well it flows not only from point to point, but from speaker to speaker. Lee astutely places supporting statements next to each other, slowly building his case for the relevance of this era in MJ's life, and sometimes he even uses historical footage of a speaker to set up what that same person is saying today. Lee also goes to great lengths to give each speaker the credit they deserve by repeatedly citing their &#8212; often lengthy &#8212; list of accolades and accomplishments next to their name, rather than just flashing it once on their first appearance and leaving it at that.
90

Kerwin DeVonish​
Spike Lee in "Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall."

And the careful selection of subjects is truly remarkable. In addition to surviving members of the Jackson family, Lee spoke with or found interviews featuring Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly, John Legend, Stevie Wonder and so, so many producers, engineers and songwriters who have an intimate knowledge and unmatched devotion to the music being discussed. It's not hard to imagine how easy it was for Lee to grab the big names on the above list considering his own stature in the film world (and black community at large), but going the extra mile to dig up some of these unheralded and unknown voices with so much to say truly makes the doc stand out.
And then, of course, there's Michael himself. Sure, there's some gleeful footage of Jackson's remarkable dance moves and quite a few performances that wow, but you can tell Lee isn't just interested in recreating concerts. Rather than being the star of the show, Jackson seems to hover around the perimeter of the picture; a voice popping in to lend credence to an argument or remind audiences of what he was trying to do. It works incredibly well. By allowing so many personalities to speak for him and from gathering up not only a large sample size but one with such fascinating knowledge of the man of the hour, Lee makes the "Journey" so much more than a tribute to Jackson. It's a monument to his significance.
But really, why is Lee Daniels in this doc? His biggest contribution is an "embarrassing" confession that he danced to an old MJ song by himself. Who hasn't? Why does that matter? We'll never know, but "Journey From Motown to Off the Wall" makes sure we'll never ask the same question about MJ himself.
Grade: B+


http://www.indiewire.com/article/review-michael-jackson-spike-lee-documentary-sundance-michael-jacksons-journey-from-motown-to-off-the-wall-makes-you-want-to-dance-and-shout-20160122</article>
 
^^Both of these reviews thought Spike did a great job in explaining the exact hows and whys and the hard work Michael put into everything he did from little boy on-they think the Kobe Bryant references are good, because it's easy to explain in sports metaphors-well, they just really like the way he did these. It sounds better and better by each review.
 
barbee0715 said:
^^Both of these reviews thought Spike did a great job in explaining the exact hows and whys and the hard work Michael put into everything he did from little boy on-they think the Kobe Bryant references are good, because it's easy to explain in sports metaphors-well, they just really like the way he did these. It sounds better and better by each review.
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Is it February yet?! I'm super excited about this documentary! I'm not familiar with Lee Daniels or his show, Empire and after asking my nieces about it (they're fans of the show) I still don't get why Spike included him. Maybe it'll make sense when we see it?
 
Vinnie Malhotra ?@vinniemalhotra 2h2 hours ago Spike Lee introducing his new film, Off the Wall. "Love for Michael Jackson" @sundancefest @Showtime
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Liz Hernandez ?@LizHernandez 29m29 minutes ago Just had a chance to watch Spike Lee's Michael Jackson documentary... UNREAL!!! #OffTheWall #Sundance2016


Angela Watercutter ?@WaterSlicer 30m30 minutes ago So far Spike Lee's Michael Jackson doc is the only time this weekend I've felt a whole theater tap its feet in unison. #Sundance2016


Jason Hirschhorn ?@JasonHirschhorn 32m32 minutes ago Spike Lee's doc, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, is phenomenal positive look. @sundancefest


John F. Hennessy ?@CREATIVE_GOLD 28m28 minutes ago 1. Michael Jackson is FAR from overrated. He is one of, if not the greatest entertainer to ever live.
 
jen yamato Verified account &#8207;<s>@</s>jenyamato <small class="time"> 6h6 hours ago </small>
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<s>@</s>Questlove's spinning MJ for Spike Lee's new Michael Jackson Off The Wall doc <s>#</s>sundance https://instagram.com/p/BA8XVZwPvcX/


Tim Grierson &#8207;<s>@</s>TimGrierson <small class="time"> 9h9 hours ago </small>
My <s>#</s>SUNDANCE review of MICHAEL JACKSON'S JOURNEY. A joyous doc that's also a deft cultural/musical history lesson. http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/michael-jacksons-journey-from-motown-to-off-the-wall-review/5098908.article?blocktitle=REVIEWS&contentID=40296 &#8230;

Jason Gorber &#8207;<s>@</s>filmfest_ca <small class="time"> 9h9 hours ago </small> Park City, UT
.<s>@</s>SpikeLee's 2nd MICHAEL JACKSON doc effortlessly travels from Motown to OFF THE WALL. As infectious and delightful as the music <s>#</s>Sundance


Scott Mantz &#8207;<s>@</s>MovieMantz <small class="time"> 9h9 hours ago </small>
MICHAEL JACKSON: A loving celebration & appreciation of what mattered the most about MJ: his MUSIC! <s>#</s>Sundance


Trajan King &#8207;@trajanking 31m31 minutes ago #Sundance @SpikeLee's new MJ movie is incredible

AnnetteAndersenCaton &#8207;@AnnetteACaton 1h1 hour ago Park City, UT Q&A with Mr. Spike Lee. Mad respect. @SpikeLee #Sundance


Tiffany Vazquez &#8207;@filmiliarface 1h1 hour ago #MJOTW2016: I honestly thought the whole theater was about to get up and dance. A celebration of one of the greatest albums ever. #Sundance


Lo Green &#8207;@smoothlogreen 3h3 hours ago Park City, UT You know it's gonna be a good day when you walk into the theater and @questlove greets you. Excited for this film. @SpikeLee #Sundance2016

Samantha Leal Verified account &#8207;<s>@</s>samanthajoleal <small class="time"> 8h8 hours ago </small> Just saw the MJ documentary by Spike Lee. Here's my review:
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<s>#</s>Sundance

Kelly Zea &#8207;<s>@</s>Keliforniaaaa <small class="time"> 20 Jan 2014 </small> MJ's playing at the Sundance Channel HQ. How can you not dance? <s>#</s>blackorwhite <s>#</s>Sundance



More reviews:

'Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey From Motown To Off The Wall': Review

1232577_michael-jackson.jpg


Dir: Spike Lee. US. 2015. 93mins


An exuberant and often thought-provoking music documentary, Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey From Motown To Off The Wall doubles as a sort of origin story of its subject, insightfully tracking the development of Michael Jackson from his early years with the Jackson 5 all the way to the release of his first solo album, which heralded the major artist who would soon dominate the pop charts.
Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey is an especially shrewd piece of cultural analysis​
Standard objections apply &#8212; the film can feel like too much of a promotional device, and its structure rather predictable &#8212; but director Spike Lee (who previously made a documentary about Jackson&#8217;s 1987 album Bad) has dug deep to find talking heads who don&#8217;t just lionise the King of Pop but also put his extraordinary talent into cultural context. In the process, Lee makes history sing.
Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey will air on Showtime in the States on February 5. (Later that month, it will be included as part of a reissue of the Off The Wall album.) Considering that Jackson was a global superstar, there should be international interest in the film, and Lee&#8217;s ability to gather a who&#8217;s-who of musical guests to speak about Jackson &#8212; including Motown founder Berry Gordy and contemporary hitmakers such as Pharrell Williams &#8212; will make the documentary attractive to music connoisseurs.
As the film opens, we see footage from an early-1980s concert in which Jackson, onstage with his brothers, objects to singing their old songs, more excited to run through his new material. That moment foreshadows the central theme of Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey, which explores how Jackson, the youngest of The Jackson 5, slowly fought his way out of the group&#8217;s shadow to become his own performer. The documentary spans much of the &#8216;70s, tracing the rise of The Jackson 5, their eventual decision to leave Motown, Jackson&#8217;s solo aspirations, his appearance in the big-screen version of The Wiz and the making of 1979&#8217;s Off The Wall, which paved the way for the even more popular Thriller just a few years later.
Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey is an especially shrewd piece of cultural analysis, transcending the conventional behind-the-scenes stories of how a particular song was made to mount a compelling argument for how Jackson both reflected and influenced his times. (That said, some of the tales about Off The Wall&#8217;s indelible tracks are excellent, particularly when we get a chance to hear the demo for the dazzling Don&#8217;t Stop &#8216;Til You Get Enough.) It&#8217;s easy to simplify a decade&#8217;s worth of music and current events into vapid talking points &#8212; disco, unrest in New York City, Studio 54, etc &#8212; but Lee&#8217;s guests are remarkably articulate, offering first-person perspectives that bring the &#8216;70s to life so that we see Jackson&#8217;s artistic blossoming through a larger societal prism.
Because of Thriller&#8217;s blockbuster status and Jackson&#8217;s subsequent superstardom &#8212; not to mention the increasingly bizarre personal behaviour that accompanied it &#8212; there might be a tendency to romanticise the younger Jackson, viewing him as an innocent, unblemished talent who would later be sullied by fame. Intriguingly, Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey doesn&#8217;t paint him this way, instead emphasising the ambitious, driven perfectionist he always was. Even as an adorable youngster, Jackson clearly recognised that he was meant for more than The Jackson 5, and the wealth of performance footage and archival interviews at Lee&#8217;s disposal &#8212; the Jackson estate, unsurprisingly, participated in the film &#8212; astounds us all over again with his singular vocal style, otherworldly dancing and clear-eyed focus.
Trenchant observations about race find their way into Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey effortlessly, and Lee&#8217;s speakers make important points about the tendency for black artists&#8217; genius to be dismissed by the mainstream media as merely God-given talent, glibly overlooking the relentless work ethic exhibited by someone such as Jackson to compete with his white peers. (Of the modern artists to speak in the film, The Roots&#8217; drummer Questlove shines brightest: his deep musical knowledge is as winning as his playful, almost nerdish enthusiasm.)
Granted, some of the film&#8217;s talking heads feel extraneous &#8212; random famous people who have some thoughts on what Jackson meant to them &#8212; and the later sections devoted entirely to Off The Wall can be a little more tedious. (And, because the film is part of an Off The Wall rerelease, it&#8217;s a resolutely rosy portrait of the singer.) But at 90 minutes, Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey deftly sums up why the young Jackson still enthrals so many. More importantly, it backs that affection up with a strong grasp of musical and cultural history, proving illuminating as well as entertaining.

Dir: Spike Lee. US. 2015. 93mins
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http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/michael-jacksons-journey-from-motown-to-off-the-wall-review/5098908.article?blocktitle=REVIEWS&contentID=40296
Sundance review: Spike Lee&#8217;s Michael Jackson documentary







A new documentary by Spike Lee looks at the least-known years of the King of Pop&#8217;s life. But it omits one crucial dimension of his star power, writes critic Owen Gleiberman.





  • By Owen Gleiberman
25 January 2016


In one of the many startling clips in Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall, an exciting if conventional documentary directed by Spike Lee, we see Michael leading his brothers in a 1976 American Bandstand performance of Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground). The song, with its rolling synthesiser riffs and lyrical attack (&#8220;Let&#8217;s dance! Let&#8217;s shout!&#8221;), was the first to define the Jacksons&#8217; new groove after leaving the Motown label. And you can feel that thrill &#8211; and see it &#8211; in the newfound freedom of Michael&#8217;s dancing. He&#8217;s wearing a baby-blue outfit with white piping that makes him look like a tall marionette, and suddenly his twirls and cocks of the hip are more than the sum of their parts. They&#8217;ve become an electrifying language. For the first time, he&#8217;s using those moves to talk to us.
Michael Jackson glimpsed his own lightning, then bottled it

​
A little later, we hear a letter that Michael wrote while on tour with the Jacksons in 1979. He says that he plans to start calling himself &#8220;MJ&#8221; (no more &#8220;Michael&#8221;), as a way to leave behind his boyhood identity as the singer of the Jackson 5. He says that he&#8217;s going to borrow from entertainers throughout history to become a greater entertainer than any of them. If you&#8217;d read this letter back then, it would have sounded like pure arrogance, but hearing it now, we realise that part of Jackson&#8217;s genius is that he was able to envision what he would become. He glimpsed his own lightning, then bottled it.
You might think there&#8217;s very little left to discover about Michael Jackson, but the shrewd pleasure of Lee&#8217;s film is the way it locates a hidden sweet spot: the period stretching from the end of the Jackson 5&#8217;s legendary Motown era &#8211; they left the label in 1975 to join CBS &#8211; to the moment when Michael broke from his brothers to become the virtuoso architect of dancefloor bliss who made Off the Wall, his first truly great album, in 1979. During that period, the Jacksons made formidable recordings.
But even if you already know the songs, Lee fills in the transformational mystery of this lesser-seen musical-bridge era, when Michael forged his identity as an iconic pop star. He learns everything he can about the recording studio, rehearses dance moves until he can barely stand, and &#8211; in one jaw-dropping moment caught by amateur video &#8211; gets into an onstage argument with his brothers about doing the &#8220;old songs&#8221; which he has no further interest in performing. Lee interviews a vast range of musicians and producers (Pharrell Williams, Questlove, Valerie Simpson), who evoke how the sounds and moves that Michael was inventing altered the rhythm of the world.


Man in the mirror


Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey doesn&#8217;t have a dull moment, yet when it reaches the epiphany of Off the Wall, the game-changer that paved the way for Thriller, the film begins to lose its sense of discovery. Lee works through the album track by track, with testimonials to what makes each song great, but we hardly need a Spike Lee documentary to do that. It&#8217;s the stuff of a VH1 Behind the Music special.
In his late teens he fought alienation and acne and despair
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The underlying flaw, however, is that Lee has chosen to omit a major dimension of Jackson&#8217;s transition from Motown to Off the Wall. In his late teens, touring and recording with the Jacksons, he fought alienation and acne and despair, and he was aghast that people no longer saw him as &#8220;little Michael&#8221;, the pint-size whirligig who led the Jackson 5. Back then, he&#8217;d been the sublime cherub of soul. But as an adolescent, he wore his conflicts on his face.


The transcendence of that despair was a crucial element in the joy of Off the Wall. I wish that Lee had dealt with the early days of Jackson&#8217;s plastic surgery, which began, tellingly, as he was making that album. We see the technologically primitive yet blissed-out video for Rock with You, and part of its ebullience is that you can just about see Michael&#8217;s happiness shining through his face &#8211; because to a degree, it&#8217;s about that face. His remoulded features made him feel reborn. Lee&#8217;s film takes a deep dive into the music, and it succeeds in making that aural nostalgia exhilarating. But a movie called Michael Jackson&#8217;s Journey that leaves out the personal dimension of that transformation is missing a key part of the story.

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If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20...he-least-known-years-of-the-king-of-pops-life


The criticism, if there is any, seems to be centered around Spike Lee leaving out the controversy: allegations (not in this article, but I have seen that in one Guardian review - what would that have to do with OTW era?) plastic surgery, Joe's abuse - but I am glad it did. The media talked about nothing but the controversy for the last 20-25 years of MJ's life, is that not enough for them? There are full (typically horrible) documentaries dedicated to analyzing his face. How many more years they want to spend with discussing MJ's plastic surgery? Boring. Let the music speak for itself!
 
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Cathie BennettWarner ?@cccc5 13h13 hours ago Park City, UT Yeah! Lucky? Unfortunately by myself but got waitlist #28 for Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall. #ewaitlist #sundance

Terry Nelson ?@TerryNe41381954 13h13 hours ago
Got waitlist #61 for Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall. See you at the theatre. #ewaitlist #sundance

Thom Powers ?@thompowers 13h13 hours ago
Detroit soul mix playing as entry music to Michael Jackson doc. Nice touch #Sundance.

Accenture M&E Verified account ?@AccentureMedia Jan 22
#OfftheWall debuts at #Sundance, may not be @SpikeLee's last Michael Jackson documentary http://bit.ly/1lC49Zp
 
Thanks for all the tweets and reviews. Am I right in saying Bad 25 didnt get a release like this?

This looks very positive.
 
innuendo141 said:
Thanks for all the tweets and reviews. Am I right in saying Bad 25 didnt get a release like this?

This looks very positive.
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Yes, that's what I wanted to ask as well. Bad25 did not get bad reviews either, but this seems more enthusiastic.

I don't care about some of the whinings in reviews about leaving out controversy (I say to that: GOOD!), one negative aspect that may be relevant to fans however is that one of the reviews criticized it saying most of the footage in it can be found on YouTube. While that may be true I think those videos are mostly known to hard-core fans (and some are in very bad quality on YT) so I am glad they get collected into a cohesive narrative about that era and get an official release to showcase them to a more general audience as well. So I am not particularly bothered by that either.

My dream is that when they release the DVD/Blue-ray, all of that footage will be put on it in full as bonus material. Because I imagine that for example only extracts from the Sylvia Chase interview are included in the doc, not the full interview, but the full interview could be put on the DVD as a bonus material. And of course similarly with every other material from which the doc contains extracts but not the full thing. That would be nice.
 
respect77 said:
The criticism, if there is any, seems to be centered around Spike Lee leaving out the controversy: allegations (not in this article, but I have seen that in one Guardian review - what would that have to do with OTW era?) plastic surgery, Joe's abuse - but I am glad it did. The media talked about nothing but the controversy for the last 20-25 years of MJ's life, is that not enough for them? There are full (typically horrible) documentaries dedicated to analyzing his face. How many more years they want to spend with discussing MJ's plastic surgery? Boring. Let the music speak for itself!
Click to expand...

I noticed the same thing while reading those reviews. Seemingly they want documentary of tabloid Michael(invented by tabloid media), not documentary of real one:scratch:

I wonder why Diana Ross wasn't interviewed if Spike included The wiz bit?
 
If the only real criticism with the film is that they don't focus too much on the tabloidy shit... then GOOD! Honestly, everything you need to know about that stuff is available through Google.

Admittedly I don't see myself buying a copy of the film though. I'm not going to pay $26.98 (USD?) for a CD I already own and a Blu-ray of a documentary I'm likely only going to watch once or twice, on top of the multi-week wait to get it shipped here (I have Bad 25 on DVD and I've only watched the DVD once or twice). If they're quick to release it on iTunes though and make it available for rent, sure I see myself getting it that way. Otherwise I'm probably just going to stream it.
 
From that BBC review:
But even if you already know the songs, Lee fills in the transformational mystery of this lesser-seen musical-bridge era, when Michael forged his identity as an iconic pop star. He learns everything he can about the recording studio, rehearses dance moves until he can barely stand, and &#8211; in one jaw-dropping moment caught by amateur video &#8211; gets into an onstage argument with his brothers about doing the &#8220;old songs&#8221; which he has no further interest in performing.

I so want to see that:D
and thats why Jermaine's infamous quote doesn't fly
"Even though Michael is very talented, a lot of his success has been due to timing and a little bit of luck. It could have been him, or it could just as easily have been me."

From the same article:
"I wish that Lee had dealt with the early days of Jackson&#8217;s plastic surgery, which began, tellingly, as he was making that album. We see the technologically primitive yet blissed-out video for Rock with You, and part of its ebullience is that you can just about see Michael&#8217;s happiness shining through his face &#8211; because to a degree, it&#8217;s about that face."

:scratch:
This guy who writes for BBC has obsession and I wish he could get help for it.
So Michael's music is secondary because its all about that face (insert melody from its all about that bass here):D

Next Spike should do a documentary of MJ face and how he made music around it:smilerolleyes:
 
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Bubs;4130613 said:
From that BBC review:
But even if you already know the songs, Lee fills in the transformational mystery of this lesser-seen musical-bridge era, when Michael forged his identity as an iconic pop star. He learns everything he can about the recording studio, rehearses dance moves until he can barely stand, and &#8211; in one jaw-dropping moment caught by amateur video &#8211; gets into an onstage argument with his brothers about doing the &#8220;old songs&#8221; which he has no further interest in performing.
Click to expand...

"The clothes are old... The choreographys is old...

JACKIE IS OLD!"
 
Bubs;4130613 said:
From that BBC review:
But even if you already know the songs, Lee fills in the transformational mystery of this lesser-seen musical-bridge era, when Michael forged his identity as an iconic pop star. He learns everything he can about the recording studio, rehearses dance moves until he can barely stand, and &#8211; in one jaw-dropping moment caught by amateur video &#8211; gets into an onstage argument with his brothers about doing the &#8220;old songs&#8221; which he has no further interest in performing.

I so want to see that:D
Click to expand...
I am 99.9% sure that the reviewer (hopefully not Spike Lee) actually bought into the shtick they did every single night on where MJ supposedly didn't want to do the old stuff, before launching into the J5 Medley.
 
^Why doesn't this guy just go and watch the The 10 Faces Of Michael Jackson?

We had a documentary just about his face, so why can't we have one just about his music? Is that too much the ask?
 
Most members of the media cant bare for their to be a positive documentry about the music. It goes against their vicious scummy agenda shown time and time again from who ever that probable middle class public school boy bbc reporter is. Nice to see the good reviews and how it upsets the haters.

Lol at brancas comment about janet and co. Shows how pathetic and disrespectful to mj she and the others are. Be thankful for small mercies!
 
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