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Bad video. Your opinions?

filmandmusic

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I just watched it on youtube. It must have been well over a decade since I last saw it. I have to say I’m not very familiar with the long version, all I saw back in the day was the shorter version which excludes the narrative. Some points I want to single out:

- So the black and white part is Michael having shorter curly hair compared to the colored part of the video. Are those hair extensions or was the video recorded at different times?

- I completely forgot about the a cappella outro. Michael sounds absolutely phenomenal here. This part gave me goosebumps and I’m not even the biggest fan of the raspy voice. This section is not talked about nearly enough!

- The acting is quite decent. It looks natura. I think everyone is improvising, Michael isn’t great at that I guess which is why he doesn’t have a lot of lines but his facial expressions are good. When he bursts and starts yelling he is surprisingly convincing and it is quite eye raising to see him like that but he pulls it off imo

- This is an extension on Beat It but it feels to me that on Beat It Michael was just standing by and got two rival gangs make peace with song and dance. On Bad he is part of he gang and wants to stay part of the gang, it is not because he is educated now that he wants to forget his old (gangster) friends. It is a very weird message to make. I’m probably misinterpreting it.

- Overall the video is too dramatic. It is not very memorable. Michael probably tried to be credible as an actor first and foremost here. I just wonder, where is the fun? It’s a music video not an oscar entry. This is pretty much my least favorite video of the Bad album along with MITM.
 
filmandmusic said:
I just watched it on youtube. It must have been well over a decade since I last saw it. I have to say I’m not very familiar with the long version, all I saw back in the day was the shorter version which excludes the narrative. Some points I want to single out:

- So the black and white part is Michael having shorter curly hair compared to the colored part of the video. Are those hair extensions or was the video recorded at different times?
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Could be extensions or it could be product. Hard to say. If this clip is legit and if it shows Michael's natural hair without product on it then it could get a whole lot longer once it's been treated. Afro hair does have a lot of volume when it's dry and hasn't got product on it.

Never given it much thought, tbh. I just go with the flow when it comes to Michael's physical appearance. :)

4c0c453ae4fc8ed9479f8847f3d589c1.gif

filmandmusic said:
- I completely forgot about the a cappella outro. Michael sounds absolutely phenomenal here. This part gave me goosebumps and I’m not even the biggest fan of the raspy voice. This section is not talked about nearly enough!
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I think lots of people love the end part but the convo never really takes off. 🤷🏽‍♀️

filmandmusic said:
- This is an extension on Beat It but it feels to me that on Beat It Michael was just standing by and got two rival gangs make peace with song and dance.
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Well, maybe. He knew something was going down that night and he knew it was bad (sorry!). That's why he gets out of bed and goes off into the night. I mean, I assume! :D

filmandmusic said:
On Bad he is part of he gang and wants to stay part of the gang, it is not because he is educated now that he wants to forget his old (gangster) friends. It is a very weird message to make. I’m probably misinterpreting it.
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Someone on the board, can't remember who, had a great interpretation of Bad as being imaginary or a sort of dream. It's happening in Michael's mind. I can't remember the details but it was an interesting idea.

filmandmusic said:
- Overall the video is too dramatic. It is not very memorable. Michael probably tried to be credible as an actor first and foremost here. I just wonder, where is the fun? It’s a music video not an oscar entry. This is pretty much my least favorite video of the Bad album along with MITM.
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I usually only watch the music video part bc it's so beautiful and so brilliant. I can't get enough of it. I do love Wesley Snipes in it, though. He's brilliant. I think the music video has everything - it's fun, it's beautiful, it's dramatic, it's exciting, definitely memorable, it's wild, it's tense. I don't really need the b&w part.

EDIT - I watch the full version more often than you do, f&m! Definitely not a whole decade since I last watched the whole thing.
 
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filmandmusic said:
- I completely forgot about the a cappella outro. Michael sounds absolutely phenomenal here. This part gave me goosebumps and I’m not even the biggest fan of the raspy voice. This section is not talked about nearly enough!
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YES! His voice is incredible here. I am a huge fan of the raspy voice but, like you I think, his more beautiful heavenly voice is probably my favorite version of his voice. Still, I will always marvel at the sheer magnitude of his talent. His versatility is unreal.

filmandmusic said:
- The acting is quite decent. It looks natura. I think everyone is improvising, Michael isn’t great at that I guess which is why he doesn’t have a lot of lines but his facial expressions are good. When he bursts and starts yelling he is surprisingly convincing and it is quite eye raising to see him like that but he pulls it off imo
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Yeah, I personally think Michael is great in this video. I love his acting in it. It's natural, it's sensitive. It's Michael. I love it.

filmandmusic said:
I’m probably misinterpreting it.
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You've seen the Ebony Jet interview, right? He does discuss the inspiration.

filmandmusic said:
Overall the video is too dramatic. It is not very memorable.
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Whew, I totally disagree there. I think it's a memorable and pretty incredible video, actually. I love the story of it and his attempt to kind of "right the wrong" of what really happened.

filmandmusic said:
I just wonder, where is the fun?
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In the second half with the music! I know that's not the part you are critiquing here. But it's meant to be viewed as a whole and I think it works in that context.

filmandmusic said:
It’s a music video not an oscar entry.
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Whether or not people like the video, I do think it's fair to say he was trying to experiment and push the envelope of what he could do.

filmandmusic said:
This is pretty much my least favorite video of the Bad album along with MITM.
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Really???

I will admit that I definitely don't watch the full thing very often. But I absolutely LOVE the musical portion. I mean I LOVE it. As a fan, as a person. As a woman (I can't help myself lol).

But you honestly like it LESS than the Liberian Girl video? Perhaps you like the Liberian Girl video but it actively pisses me off. It's fine for a one time watch, but it has no real rewatch value and I think it really diminishes what is an otherwise lush and gorgeous song. It scores major points at the end, though, because Michael's smile catapults me into actual mania. No one should be that beautiful. It is almost immoral.
 
The black and white segment was filmed in November and the train station segment was filmed in December of 86. His hair could've grown but certain products for black hair can give the illusion that it's shorter than it actually is, especially in afro form.
 
BlackAnon said:
The black and white segment was filmed in November and the train station segment was filmed in December of 86. His hair could've grown
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Hair just doesn't grow that quickly, though. Not usually, anyway.

BlackAnon said:
but certain products for black hair can give the illusion that it's shorter than it actually is, especially in afro form.
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Exactly. You can use product to give length or to shorten.
 
staywild23 said:
You've seen the Ebony Jet interview, right? He does discuss the inspiration.
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No, I don’t do interviews very often because it is almost never about the one thing that interests me… music
staywild23 said:
Whether or not people like the video, I do think it's fair to say he was trying to experiment and push the envelope of what he could do.
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Yes probably but according to the viewing numbers currently it has not really worked, it has yet to reach 100 million views (long version)
staywild23 said:
Really???
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Yes I think it is too long and repetitive. I also wasn’t sold on this good looking well spoken decent guy being part of that gang 😅 he just does ‘t look like that lol
staywild23 said:
But you honestly like it LESS than the Liberian Girl video? Perhaps you like the Liberian Girl video but it actively pisses me off. It's fine for a one time watch, but it has no real rewatch value and I think it really diminishes what is an otherwise lush and gorgeous song. It scores major points at the end, though, because Michael's smile catapults me into actual mania. No one should be that beautiful. It is almost immoral.
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Liberian Girl is cool. I love the celebrity spotting. How the heck did he even manage to get them all in there? I remember as a kid watching it trying to spot Michael and getting confused and then at the end there he is. Great reveal!
The one negative thing is that the song is secondary, the focus is on the people, the song is too good to get this treatment.
 
filmandmusic said:
No, I don’t do interviews very often because it is almost never about the one thing that interests me… music
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I really recommend you check out the Ebony Jet interview. It is one of the best interviews in terms of respect from the interviewer and thoughtful questions. It is not entirely about the music (though that is certainly a focus). The other questions though are interesting and lead to a very natural and engaging conversation. I think you'd enjoy it!

Also, Michael looks just painfully good. There's a point where he makes eye contact with the camera and, I am telling you, I still have not recovered.

So yeah, watch it lol

filmandmusic said:
Yes I think it is too long and repetitive. I also wasn’t sold on this good looking well spoken decent guy being part of that gang 😅 he just does ‘t look like that lol
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Haha fair enough

filmandmusic said:
Liberian Girl is cool. I love the celebrity spotting. How the heck did he even manage to get them all in there? I remember as a kid watching it trying to spot Michael and getting confused and then at the end there he is.
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Maybe the problem is I only saw it as an adult. I knew the celebrities still, of course, but seeing them means nothing to me now lol. I'm sure if I was a child at the time I would have had a similar reaction to you. But that's kind of what I mean - not much rewatch value. One of Michael's only videos that's not timeless, IMO.

filmandmusic said:
The one negative thing is that the song is secondary, the focus is on the people, the song is too good to get this treatment.
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Bingo! Exactly how I feel.
 
zinniabooklover said:
Someone on the board, can't remember who, had a great interpretation of Bad as being imaginary or a sort of dream. It's happening in Michael's mind. I can't remember the details but it was an interesting idea.
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That was me... in this thread, people were discussing the Bad short film as well. We discussed about the dance bit, which seemed over the top and unrealistic to some, when compared to the story of the short film. This is what I wrote:

“The dancing is only happening in Darryl's imagination. That's why the film shifts back to black and white in the end, and you see Darryl is still wearing a hoodie. To me, that made it deeper. I used to be a kid who could flee in his imagination. Who could flee in something imaginary that was completely unrealistic... but it helped me get through something. Especially when I felt lonely.
May be the BAD video is weird for people who never experienced that. I can imagine. But for me, this was a long sought confirmation that I wasn't crazy... that more people had this, and that it was – may be – a normal way of dealing with things. I love the BAD video for this reason. I think most people interpret the story as a fight with dance and music. But I think it is a story about conquering something within yourself with imagination. That's what Darryl does: he doesn't fight by dancing... he uses his imagination to get stronger and being able to say 'No.'”

I like to add that a director like Martin Scorcese doesn’t switch from black and white to color and then back to black and white because it looks cool… it has to mean something. I think the switch to color is a switch to Darryl’s imagination.
 
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Piek said:
That was me... in this thread, people were discussing the Bad short film as well. We discussed about the dance bit, which seemed over the top and unrealistic to some, when compared to the story of the short film. This is what I wrote:

“The dancing is only happening in Darryl's imagination. That's why the film shifts back to black and white in the end, and you see Darryl is still wearing a hoodie. To me, that made it deeper. I used to be a kid who could flee in his imagination. Who could flee in something imaginary that was completely unrealistic... but it helped me get through something. Especially when I felt lonely.
May be the BAD video is weird for people who never experienced that. I can imagine. But for me, this was a long sought confirmation that I wasn't crazy... that more people had this, and that it was – may be – a normal way of dealing with things. I love the BAD video for this reason. I think most people interpret the story as a fight with dance and music. But I think it is a story about conquering something within yourself with imagination. That's what Darryl does: he doesn't fight by dancing... he uses his imagination to get stronger and being able to say 'No.'”

I like to add that a director like Martin Scorcese doesn’t switch from back and white to color and then back to black and white because it looks cool… it has to mean something. I think the switch to color is a switch to Darryl’s imagination.
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👏 👏 👏
 
Piek said:
That was me... in this thread, people were discussing the Bad short film as well. We discussed about the dance bit, which seemed over the top and unrealistic to some, when compared to the story of the short film. This is what I wrote:

“The dancing is only happening in Darryl's imagination. That's why the film shifts back to black and white in the end, and you see Darryl is still wearing a hoodie. To me, that made it deeper. I used to be a kid who could flee in his imagination. Who could flee in something imaginary that was completely unrealistic... but it helped me get through something. Especially when I felt lonely.
May be the BAD video is weird for people who never experienced that. I can imagine. But for me, this was a long sought confirmation that I wasn't crazy... that more people had this, and that it was – may be – a normal way of dealing with things. I love the BAD video for this reason. I think most people interpret the story as a fight with dance and music. But I think it is a story about conquering something within yourself with imagination. That's what Darryl does: he doesn't fight by dancing... he uses his imagination to get stronger and being able to say 'No.'”
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Yes! Thank you, that was it exactly. I loved your ideas and they make a lot of sense. Thank you for re-posting them, I want to have a think about all of this.

Piek said:
I like to add that a director like Martin Scorcese doesn’t switch from back and white to color and then back to black and white because it looks cool… it has to mean something. I think the switch to color is a switch to Darryl’s imagination.
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Agreed. The same basic idea that we get in The Wizard of Oz. And, who knows, maybe it was also a little homage to that film what with Michael being so into film and fantasy etc. It would make sense.
 
filmandmusic said:
[...] Yes I think it is too long and repetitive. I also wasn’t sold on this good looking well spoken decent guy being part of that gang 😅 he just does ‘t look like that lol [...]
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Makes sense to me, f&m. A kid growing up in a difficult neighbourhood, he's clever and likes to study - unlike his pals who are drifting towards the whole gang thing. He gets a scholarship to go to a posh, good school where he can be his true self (but can he? Does he have challenges there, also?) but that makes it difficult to fit in when he goes back home in the holidays. Standard story, really.
 
zinniabooklover said:
Makes sense to me, f&m. A kid growing up in a difficult neighbourhood, he's clever and likes to study - unlike his pals who are drifting towards the whole gang thing. He gets a scholarship to go to a posh, good school where he can be his true self (but can he? Does he have challenges there, also?) but that makes it difficult to fit in when he goes back home in the holidays. Standard story, really.
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Standard story yes, a bit boring story wise imo dime a dozen kind of thing.

@Piek good view. I also like to believe the black and white has a meaning. It’s crazy that Scorsese directed a film starring Michael Jackson. They don’t come much bigger than him.
It seems like at that time nobody could really turn down working with MJ, except a select few of course.
 
Did anybody ever find out who the bandaged 3 armed person was in Liberian Girl
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
It's perhaps the most iconic MJ video next to Thriller and Smooth Criminal..not the best but the most iconic. From look to sound and choreography as well (Crotch grabs galore.)
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Its a mostly good video, but Michael constantly grabbing himself bothers me; it always has. I remember the 1993 interview he did with Oprah, where he said he got carried away with the music and wasn't initially aware of it. At first, I accepted that reasoning...but then he kept doing it, over and over again. At a certain point, I hit my limit and wanted to scream, "We get it! You're a man, they're there! We don't need a constant reminder!" :mad:
 
@mjfanatic777 said:
what did I do wrong? I didn't know that pic was AI. how do you tell?
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Oh, you didn't do anything wrong! lol I meant I could wax poetic about how hot f'n hot Michael is for an entire lifetime, thus derailing this otherwise interesting thread forever 😆 His hotness in this video is vaguely unbearable (in the best possible way lol).

As for that photo, it is not AI. I have seen that photo many times. Perhaps there is an AI filter, or maybe it's been edited with AI in some way. I have no idea. But it's not a straight up AI photo. I feel fairly confident about that.
 
staywild23 said:
Oh, you didn't do anything wrong! lol I meant I could wax poetic about how hot f'n hot Michael is for an entire lifetime, thus derailing this otherwise interesting thread forever 😆 His hotness in this video is vaguely unbearable (in the best possible way lol).

As for that photo, it is not AI. I have seen that photo many times. Perhaps there is an AI filter, or maybe it's been edited with AI in some way. I have no idea. But it's not a straight up AI photo. I feel fairly confident about that.
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oh ok good 😅 cuz I'm like whaaaaaaa?????? also I think I'd also forever talk about M's hotness
 
staywild23 said:
It is quite literally one of my favorite topics in life lol.
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facts. Like if anyone asked me ANYTHING about Mike, I will give them a whole 7 paragraph essay with my sited sources and have an index and each paragraph will at least have 30 sentences. (hmmmm it's not like I actually did that already twice.........)
 
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