Bohemian Rhapsody

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Precious Doll
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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I was very dubious going into this given the very mixed press and accusations of 'straight washing', but I figured at least the music was going to be good.

Surprisingly the film is very watchable but its also very superficial (well it is directed by Bryan Singer) and it really needed a more intimate approach. Everything is told in large brush strokes and is easy to digest but left me rather unfulfilled.

Needles to say the music is the best aspect of the film and every well known Queen song (of which there are quite a few) are included to some degree. Rami Malek does as good as can be done with this sort of undeveloped material but anything briefly approaching intimacy involving Mercury feels faked and never rings true. I did like that his love of cats was covered in the film though and they offer up some amusing moments. As a matter of fact most of it pretty factual from what I can gather but some events happened later in real life. All the other actors really have nothing to do expect to orbit around Malek and it is a credit to the remaining members of Queen that Freddie is the primary focus of the film.

Ending the film at the LiveAid concert in 1985 actually feels right to my surprise. Ending the film on a high rather than a depressing low in November 1991 isn't by any means the worst idea, now that I have seen the film for myself. However, I must acknowledge that by stopping in 1985 and not continuing the further is in some ways a disservice not only to Freddie Mercury but to the many people around the would who succumbed to AIDS.

Mercury's homosexuality is played out in the film, though not in any sexually explicit manner and nor does the film need to that route. Drug use barely gets a mention. The problems with the film all stem from the screenplay first and foremost. Surprising because Peter Morgan who has written some wonderful screenplays over the years, but not surprising because co-writer Anthony McCarten also wrote The Darkest Hour & The Theory of Everything which were frankly terrible screenplays turned into terrible films.

This will not be figuring at the Oscars not only because it not good enough (plenty of crap makes of the nomination most years anyway) but its not daring enough. We didn't need an NC17 version of Mercurys life but something that was more probing and gave real insight into of one of the most important, talented and beloved music industry figures of the 1970s/1980s.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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Precious Doll wrote:
anonymous1980 wrote:
Precious Doll wrote: Nah. Its siting at 52 on Rotten Tomatoes - has a movie with such a low score ever scored a leading acting nomination.
Unfaithful got rather mixed/negative reviews too. It's at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. Diane Lane still got in (and got a few major critics awards too).

As for the Globes, apparently, they're pushing this in DRAMA which is a bad move on their part since I do think Rami Malek could have easily have gotten in Musical/Comedy Actor since that category is rather sparse this year.
But Malek isn't winning any critics awards for this, even one of the numerous ones that don't mean a thing.
Don't think any of the critics have so far announced their awards. They start announcing late November and in December. So Malek might get into the race after all.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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anonymous1980 wrote:
Precious Doll wrote: Nah. Its siting at 52 on Rotten Tomatoes - has a movie with such a low score ever scored a leading acting nomination.
Unfaithful got rather mixed/negative reviews too. It's at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. Diane Lane still got in (and got a few major critics awards too).

As for the Globes, apparently, they're pushing this in DRAMA which is a bad move on their part since I do think Rami Malek could have easily have gotten in Musical/Comedy Actor since that category is rather sparse this year.
But Malek isn't winning any critics awards for this, even one of the numerous ones that don't mean a thing.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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Precious Doll wrote: Nah. Its siting at 52 on Rotten Tomatoes - has a movie with such a low score ever scored a leading acting nomination.
Unfaithful got rather mixed/negative reviews too. It's at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. Diane Lane still got in (and got a few major critics awards too).

As for the Globes, apparently, they're pushing this in DRAMA which is a bad move on their part since I do think Rami Malek could have easily have gotten in Musical/Comedy Actor since that category is rather sparse this year.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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flipp525 wrote:I think the Sacha Baron Cohen-led version of this biopic would have fared better without the rest of the Queen bandmasters sanitizing the story within an inch of its life and making themselves look like saviors which is apparently what has happened with this movie.

Rami Malek will probably not make the cut this year but you never know.
I was very disappointed when Sacha Baron Cohen left and can understand why he did. One day we may get a film about the real Freddie Mercury, though more likely without the music of Queen and it would take an imaginative and inventive writer and director to pull it off. I can only think of one film, Love is the Devil, about artist Francis Bacon brilliantly played by Derek Jacobi, where the filmmakers where not permitted to use any of Bacon's artwork by his family because they did not approve of the portrayal of Bacon in the film. I'm pretty sure writer/director John Maybury got around this by having someone else create works very similar to those of Bacon and of course it worked as the film was about Bacon and not his art but in part about the creation of it.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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I think the Sacha Baron Cohen-led version of this biopic would have fared better without the rest of the Queen bandmasters sanitizing the story within an inch of its life and making themselves look like saviors which is apparently what has happened with this movie.

Rami Malek will probably not make the cut this year but you never know.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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Reza wrote:If the movie is a hit I think Malek could well make it to the nominations list.

Best to watch the 24 minute clip of the actual Live Aid concert on YouTube which is electrifying.

I was in the audience that day. It was an amazing performance. Mercury rocked the stadium.
Nah. Its siting at 52 on Rotten Tomatoes - has a movie with such a low score ever scored a leading acting nomination, particularly with a number of worthy candidates also competing before? We already have Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Viggo Mortensen, Robert Redford, Willem Dafoe, Lucas Hedges, John David Washington, Mahershala Ali if the Academy does the right thing and ignores the studio promoting him as supporting and places him rightfully in lead.

With the reviews BR is getting Malek as no hope of getting in ahead of any of those actors. Even Hugh Jackman in The Front Runner probably has a better shot and than there is Christian Bale which has not yet been seen by critics. Too many actors, only 5 slots and not a spare one for a film getting a canning.

The stench of Bryan Singer isn't going to help either.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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If the movie is a hit I think Malek could well make it to the nominations list.

Best to watch the 24 minute clip of the actual Live Aid concert on YouTube which is electrifying.

I was in the audience that day. It was an amazing performance. Mercury rocked the stadium.
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Bohemian Rhapsody

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THR & Variety are more positive but hardly it doesn't sound like its going to be a contender beyond the Globes perhaps.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/revie ... ew-1150772

https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/b ... 202989409/
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Bohemian Rhapsody

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If the rest of the reviews are like this, its doomed:

https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/bohem ... 202014286/
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