Spike Lee-Doku zum Bad-Album

[pearl]

UK Premiere - West End Odeon, London, 2. September









... and some new pics from the Bad Era




Michael's short film
'Leave Me Alone'


Michael, Siedah and the
Winans at Westlake for
recording of 'Man in the Mirror'

[Lena]

Die Doku wird auch bei den Filmfestspielen in Rio Ende des Monats gezeigt. Aber zunächst steht nächste Woche Torronto an.


Fans United 4 MJ @U4MJL BAD 25 NEWS: Festival do Rio has confirmed today on their Facebook page that @SpikeLee 's #Bad25 documentary will premiere in Rio / @lyn_bad
Retweetet von Spike Lee
___________

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/aug/31/bad-25-spike-lee-review?CMP=twt_gu

Bad 25 – review

In his warm and affectionate study of Michael Jackson's Bad, Spike Lee displays an exuberant reverence for the King of Pop


Michael Jackson revisionism gets a huge boost with Spike Lee's new film, a terrifically warm, affectionate and celebratory study of Jackson's 1987 album Bad. Lee wants to clear away the tabloid smoke and spite, and bring the focus back to Jackson's professionalism, his craftsmanship, his artistry and his pop genius; the movie defiantly insists that Jackson was and is superior to his detractors.
Lee uses richly evocative clips and unseen archive material, including Jackson's stunning and mesmerically bizarre video demo of how he wanted the cartoon raisins representing him to behave for a TV ad. Lee doesn't try to pretend that he was not eccentric, but insists that Jackson's eccentricity isn't the point. He interviews the people who are influenced by Jackson now and those who were around him then – creatives, technicians, legal eagles – the massed Houston team that launched this heroic pop astronaut into space.
Lee begins by looking at Jackson's earlier album, Thriller, which established his extraordinary global dominance. Interestingly, Bad came along at a time when Jackson might have been beginning to feel his star was actually, if only by a millimetre, beginning to wane. Prince was the new pop sensation and hip-hop was emerging. Moreover, he felt criticised on the issue of African-American solidarity and also for having allegedly failed to exert enough raunchy heterosexiness.
Bad was going to change all that: a ferociously competitive counter-attack or rearguard action, the first album to be conceived on a stadium scale. He had in mind a bold new video, or "short film" as Jackson always high-mindedly called it, based on the true-life story of a black boy shot by a New York cop. Scorsese directed the film that showed Jackson as a shy student, confronting Wesley Snipes's tough guy, outfacing him with his dance moves and finally getting street respect: he's Bad. There is a very funny interview showing Scorsese and his editor Thelma Schoonmaker watching the film now, with a touch of bemusement. Obviously, he isn't convincing as a warrior, but the point is that Michael Jackson, that delicate pop aesthete, alchemises his vulnerability and naivete into pure strength. And it works: he really is Bad.
His utterly distinctive dance style is related by Lee to a tradition encompassing Fred Astaire and Buster Keaton, and he makes a persuasive claim that he is a centrally important figure in that tradition. Unlike Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley, Jackson did not make conventional feature films, and so we don't have that as a visual resource, and of course the videos and live footage, startling and brilliant though they are, can't give us an extended view of what Jackson was like in ordinary, walking-and-talking real life. And his interviews were rare, and guarded.
Spike Lee's emphasises instead what Jackson's achieved in the public sphere: in music and in dance, and his exuberant reverence for the lonely King of Pop is contagious. It's impossible to watch this film without a great big smile on your face.

[Dreamerdancer]

Das Video zu Leave me alone hat mich sofort fasziniert ,als ich es zum ersten mal im Fernsehen sah, ich stand gerade am Bügelbrett und fand es hinreißend, vor allem die Sequenzen mit Liz Taylor, daß war Ende der Achtziger.Wie die Zeit vergeht.

[Lena]

Das soll das Cover der Doku sein

[Datirez]

Ssieht gut aus. Mir gefällt es.

[Kai13]

Wow geiles Cover

Wird es die Doku überhaupt auf Deutsch geben?

[Christine3110]

wieso haben wir eigentl. keinen Thread für Pressekritiken???

na egal. hier ist eine ... von einem Herrn Hoffman aus New York:



Jordan Hoffman is a writer, critic and lapsed filmmaker living in New York City. His work can also be seen on ScreenCrush, Badass Digest and StarTrek.com.
Toronto Review: ‘Bad 25′

Jordan Hoffman September 11, 2012
Bad 25
A-
One of the more emotional moments I've had in a theater all year.
Eine von den emotionaleren Momenten , die ich in einem Kino über die Jahre erlebte.

Hello. My name is Jordan Hoffman, and I am one of twelve people on God’s green earth who holds no particular fondness for Michael Jackson. I own only one of his albums, “Off the Wall,” and, frankly, I borrowed that from an ex and never returned it. (Dear Mindy Silverstein, if you are reading this, I’m sorry.) The point is this: if a film can bring me to tears — TEARS — by a performance of “Man in the Mirror,” a song I normally roll my eyes at when I hear it at CVS, a song that reflexively fires my “change the station” maneuver on the car radio, this is an indication that something special is going on.

Hallo. Mein Name ist Jordan Hoffmann u. ich bin einer von den 12 Menschen auf Gottes grüner Erde, welcher keine besondere Zuneigung zu MJ hegt. Ich besitze lediglich eines seiner Alben, "Off The Wall" und ehrlich gesagt, hatte ich es mir mal von einer Ex ausgeliehen u. nie zurückgegeben. (Liebe Mindy Silverstein, wenn du das hier liest, es tut mir leid.)
Der Punkt ist der: wenn ein Film mich zu Tränen rührt - TRÄNEN- verursacht durch die Performance von "Man In The Mirror", einem Song bei dem ich normalerweise die Augen verdrehe wenn ich ihn auf CVS höre, ein Song der mich reflexartig dazu veranlaßt den Sender im Autoradio zu wechseln, ist das der Beweis dafür, dass etwas besonderes vor sich geht.

Spike Lee’s “Bad 25″ is, on the face of it, nothing too removed than one of those “Classic Albums” programs that used to air on VH1. Songs are discussed one by one, with tidbits about the recording and writing, and sometimes the mix is finagled so we get to focus on what the bass player is actually doing. “Bad 25,” however, is a Spike Lee film. While his off-camera voice is only heard once in a while, and to great effect, the collage of clips and talking head interviews burst with an exuberance worthy for a subject who called himself the King of Pop.



“Thriller” or the early Motown Jackson 5 era may seem like a juicier topic of focus, but “Bad” proves to be quite fertile ground. “Thriller,” a worldwide cultural phenomenon if ever there was one, left Jackson with an impossible act to follow. The record executives suggested he do an album of covers to give him some distance. Instead, Jackson and collaborator Quincy Jones dove straight into the deep end, looking to represent every musical genre, creating what ?uestlove calls the first album of stadium music by a black artist.

With incredible access to Jackson’s estate, “Bad 25″ shows just how involved he was in every aspect of the album, from writing, recording and producing, as well as the business. For Jackson, of course, an album wasn’t just the music. It was the style, choreography and “short films” that accompanied each track.

A great number of music videos were created for “Bad,” so it provides plenty of doc-ready source material. Some may be surprised to recall that the title track’s video was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Prince. Both are on hand, along with editor Thelma Schoonmaker, to provide detailed commentary. “Bad” is the first track to get analyzed in “Bad 25,” and it’s here where you’ll see what kind of film this is — “Bad 25″ celebrates the man by focusing on the work.

Jackson’s drive is made evident through phone messages to collaborators, rehearsal videos shot all through the night and copious notes to self from his diaries. The influences are as diverse as Mavis Staples, Buster Keaton, Fred Astaire and “The Third Man.” It is impossible not to feel tremendous respect for this artist.

Jackson’s life is full of sadness, too. His collaborators (some famous, some not) all describe his inability to live a normal life. His idiosyncrasies aren’t dismissed, but they are put in context. Try to dance a mile in his shoes.

Lee breaks from the standard talking head doc format in discussing Jackson’s death. Everyone — and the list of boldfaced names is as diverse as Stevie Wonder, Justin Bieber, Will Vinton and Greg Phillinganes, to just scratch the surface — gets a moment just to bear witness. It is fascinating portrait of grief, a “where were you” collection of anecdotes like those that people trade about the Kennedy assassination or 9/11.

This is followed by an analysis of “Man in the Mirror,” bringing an enormous weight to the story of that important anthem’s birth. “Bad 25″ concludes with a live, complete performance of the song from Wembley Stadium that, I swear, was one of the more emotional moments I’ve had in a theater all year.



No one needs more hagiographic documentaries about famous people. “Bad 25″ isn’t that. It is one of the most energetic and sublime investigations into the creative process put to film. Non-fans will be enthralled. Actual fans will be ecstatic.

Niemand braucht noch mehr hagiographische Dokumentationen über berühmte Leute. BAD25 ist nicht sowas. Es ist eine der dynamischsten und großartigsten Ermittlungen über einen kreativen Prozeß, die je zu einem Film gemacht wurden. Nicht-Fans werden begeistert sein. Die wirklichen Fans werden verzückt sein.

Grade A-

[rip.michael]

... bin wirklich gespannt, was die verbliebenen elf menschen zu dieser documentation sagen werden ..

Eine wirkliche tolle kritik, die da Spike Lee einsacken kann - sie macht noch neugieriger und gespannter auf die docu.

Da hatter recht der Jordan Hoffmann, heiligen/heiligtumbeschreibungen braucht wirklich kein mensch.

[Dreamerdancer]

In den VOX Dokumentationen über Michael Jackson am 20. Oktober ist auch die Spike Lee Dokumentation enthalten, ich fasse es nicht, wir bekommen die dann sogar noch vor den Amerikanern zu sehen.


Vox zeigt Dokumentationen über Michael Jackson
Anlass ist das 25-jährige Jubliäum des "Bad"-Albums


© DAPD
Vox zeigt Dokumentationen über Michael Jackson
Bild teilen

Alle Nachrichten
Köln (dapd). 25 Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung des erfolgreichen Michael- Jackson-Albums "Bad" widmet der Sender Vox der Poplegende einen Fernsehabend. Am 20. Oktober läuft ab 20.15 Uhr die Dokumentation "25 Jahre Bad - Das Phänomen Michael Jackson", wie Vox am Mittwoch in Köln mitteilte. Ein Highlight der insgesamt vierstündigen Sendung wird die Dokumentation "Bad 25" von Starregisseur Spike Lee sein. Darin soll bislang unveröffentlichtes Material von Michael Jackson gezeigt werden.

"Bad" erschien den Angaben zufolge am 31. August 1987 und gilt als eines der erfolgreichsten Alben.

dapd

http://www.welt.de/newsticker/news3/article109175309/Vox-zeigt-Dokumentationen-ueber-Michael-Jackson.html

[Christine3110]

WOW das ist doch mal ein Wort

[pearl]

Ein Highlight der insgesamt vierstündigen Sendung wird die Dokumentation "Bad 25" von Starregisseur Spike Lee sein.

Das werd ich erst glauben, wenn ich es sehe

Aber ... wenn ... OMG

[Dreamerdancer]

BAD 25 IS THE HIGHEST RATED FILM AT THE TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL!!!!!! CONGRATS AND THANK YOU SO MUCH @SpikeLee !!!!!!!! #MJFam
Retweetet von Fans United 4 MJ

seht selbst

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/?p=82748

[Lena]

Review: Spike Lee's Bad 25 excels with look at Michael Jackson the artist Special
By David Silverberg
Sep 11, 2012 - 39 mins ago in Entertainment

It would be easy to make a documentary about Michael Jackson's controversial career and personal life; but instead of widening the scope, Spike Lee perfectly examines the making of the iconic Bad album produced 25 years ago.

Luckily, you don't have to be an MJ fan to appreciate Bad 25, screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The lengthy doc moves along at a quick pace to explain the artistry behind the 1987 album, without assuming we know everything about the King of Pop, who passed away in 2009.
Glücklicherweise musst Du kein MJ-Fan sein um Bad 25 zu genießen, gezeigt beim Internat. Filmfestival in Toronto. Die lange Doku bewegt sich um die Kunst hinter dem 1987-Album zu erklären, ohne anzunehmen, dass wir alles über den King of Pop wissen, der 2009 verstarb.

Rather, Lee (When the Levees Break) opts to introduce us briefly to the stardom and hoopla behind the musician, and then move smoothly to what MJ always liked to call his short films (translation: music videos).

Somehow, Lee got a hold of rare footage of Martin Scorcese shooting the Bad video, and the material is truly fascinating. We learn Jackson wanted Bad to reestablish his relationship with his black fans, making him look tough and hard. Choreographers were interviewed to discuss the "street moves" added to the dance sequences, a theme recurring in various videos MJ produced.

Song by song, Lee takes us through the Bad album, peppered with talking heads that always add some insight into the artist: ?uestlove from the Roots talks about the album's influence on hip-hop, Kanye West gushes over MJ's fashion sense, and Justin Bieber admires the mind-blowing lean move in the Smooth Criminal video. An MJ confidante reveals the "Annie are you OK?" line from the same track refers to a CPR dummy Jackson practiced on, ending a 25-year-old lyrical mystery.

What really makes this doc a must-see is the insider look at what made MJ so talented. He wasn't just a triple threat; he could sing, dance, perform, produce and write his own songs, something you don't see too much today in the music biz. Lee finds the right people, such as Bad's sound engineers, to divulge how MJ approached his songs, right down to the sound levels.
Was die Doku zu einem Must-see macht ist der Insider-Blick auf das was MJ so talentiert machte. Er war nicht nur eine 3-fach-Begabung. Er konnte singen, tanzen, performen, produzieren und seine eigenen Songs schreiben, etwas was Du nicht häufig im Musik-Buisiness erlebst. Lee findet die richtigen Leute, wie die Bad-Sound-Ingineure um zu zeigen wie MJ seine Songs machte, runter zu den Song-Levels.

Comparisons may be made to This Is It, the doc following MJ's rehearsals in London before his death, but Bad 25 goes much deeper into the man behind the legend. We see a boy who hates being bullied by the press when the film looks at the song Leave Me Alone. We see a singer with incredible vocal range, who could go baritone if he chose, but instead opts for a high voice because he feels comfortable there. We see a man so ambitious he marks down on paper the number of albums he wants to sell: 100 million (no problem reaching that milestone).
Vergleiche mögen gemacht werden mit TII, die Doku von MJ`s Proben in London vor seinem Tod, aber Bad 25 geht viel tiefer in den Mann hinter der Legende. Wir sehen einen Jungen der es hasst von der Presse gemobbt zu werden wenn der Film auf den Song Leave Me Alone schaut. Wir sehen einen Sänger mit einer unglaublichen Vokalbreite, der Bariton erzielen kann, aber es vorzog in die hohe Stimme zu gehen, weil er sich dort wohl fühlt. Wir sehen einen Mann so ambitioniert, dass er auf Papier schreibt wie viel Alben er verkaufen will. 100 Millionen (kein Problem diesen Meilenstein zu erreichen).

You would think a doc on Jackson would include interviews with his family, especially his sister Janet. But nary a Jackson is to be found, a move that serves the doc well: it's an homage to Bad, not a profile of the artist and his beginnings. Sure, we learn where MJ got some of his dance moves (Fred Astaire was a major incluence), but the doc doesn't want to travel down the path of family roots. Nor does Lee want to step into the murky waters of the child molestation scandals or his relationship with Lisa Marie Presley. Instead, the film trains its lens on Michael the artist and that's it.

The only jarring section are the interviews over MJ's death. Every interviewee is asked where they were when his death was announced, and while that may be revealing to some extent, it acts as a manipulative trick to instigate tears and grief we hadn't felt up until now. His death can't be glossed over, but I'm not sure all those recollections of "I was in my car" or "I was shopping for milk" really added any value to MJ's sudden passing. Those were 15 minutes Lee got have better spent on, say, MJ's perspective on death. There must be something in all those archival interviews, no?

Bad 25 will serve as one of the best documentaries of an album, perhaps even of a music legend. When the credits roll, you can't help but rush home to hear the Bad album all over again, this time with fresh insights into old songs.
Bad 25 wird als einer der besten Dokumentationen über ein Album bestehen, vielleicht sogar von einer Musiklegende. Wenn die Credits vorbeiziehen, kommst Du nicht umher nach Hause zu eilen und das Bad Album wieder und wieder zu hören mit frischen Einsichten in die alten Songs.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/articl...#ixzz26C42SnaU

[markus30musik]

Ich finde es auch schön dass wir hier in Germany zu den ersten gehören die die Spike Lee- Doku sehen können. Ich glaube noch besser würde ich es aber finden wenn die Vox- Leute nicht noch was eigenständiges rumgebastelt hätten. Denn es sollte hier wirklich ausschliesslich um Michael´s Kunst gehen zum Album Bad. Und was sollen da Promis wie Glööckler oder Detlev(die doch keinerlei Kontakt zu Michael hatten)? . Auch die Begegnungen mit Thomas Gottschalk waren erst später und haben mit Bad doch nicht wirklich was zu tun. Deshalb hoffe ich dass Spike Lee´s Doku nicht verwässert wird.

[Matze]

Egal, Hauptsache, wir sehen die Doku.