Latest on MJJC

[Spoiler Alert] Spike Lee Bad 25 Documentary UK Premiere & Fan Reviews

ivy

Proud Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
16,074
Points
0
Location
USA
This is the thread for our members who attend the Bad 25 Premiere in London to give us exclusive details and the discussion. Keep in mind that the posts can include high amount of spoilers - do not read the thread if you don't want to know anything about the documentary.
 
I'll update this thread with pictures & tweets from the premiere from our members until they can give their own detailed versions of the events.

From Lorraine

Spike Lee at the Premiere

A1yhu7RCIAAoXK7.jpg


John Branca at the Premiere

A1ynp5FCUAAgUdF.jpg


Outside Odeon Cinemas

A1yT6uhCUAAa4p3.jpg
 
Can't wait to see and hear our members' first hand experience.
 
From Lorraine

During Q&A

A1zH0oGCUAEcNyI.jpg



--------------------------

Some Tweets

Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
Recording studio footage was incredible!!!! #Bad25

Michael Cragg @MichaelCragg 15m
The section on the Bad video, Kanye talking about Smooth Criminal and the clips of Jackson singing in the studio were the highlights #bad25

@JP_Esq: All these ppl thinking they gonna be a star overnight that's BS, you gotta work hard!!! - Spike Lee

@claraamfo: Bloody Hell, Spike Lee is a don, #Bad25 is an incredible film. Watch it! http://instagr.am/p/PFCk8vTClU/

LoveIsNotEnough @_loveisntenough 1m
Spike Lee says"MJ studied the greats to be greater.And worked hard.So what makes you think you haven't got to do the same in anything u do."

Niven Govinden @niven_govinden 1m
Bad 25 is amazing. So lovingly done. The footage of Michael Jackson in the studio with Quincy was incredible. Crowd went nuts for Spike Lee.

Sam GrapeJuice ?@thatgrapejuice
Just left the London premiere for Michael Jackson & Spike Lee's #Bad25! Epic epic epic! A must have for both http://instagr.am/p/PFBS5lq5J4/

@darrenhayes: Spike Lee's @michaeljackson #bad25 film is a triumph. I'm speechless. Love letter to MJ made me laugh and cry.

Niven Govinden ?@niven_govinden
Also, LOVED watching Scorcese and Thelma Shoonmaker talk about making the BAD short film (which still looks fantastic).
 
Love how they've decorated the outside of the Odeon with the Bad 25 logo
 
ivy said:
--------------------------

Some Tweets

Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
Recording studio footage was incredible!!!! #Bad25

Michael Cragg @MichaelCragg 15m
The section on the Bad video, Kanye talking about Smooth Criminal and the clips of Jackson singing in the studio were the highlights #bad25

@JP_Esq: All these ppl thinking they gonna be a star overnight that's BS, you gotta work hard!!! - Spike Lee

@claraamfo: Bloody Hell, Spike Lee is a don, #Bad25 is an incredible film. Watch it! http://instagr.am/p/PFCk8vTClU/

LoveIsNotEnough @_loveisntenough 1m
Spike Lee says"MJ studied the greats to be greater.And worked hard.So what makes you think you haven't got to do the same in anything u do."

Niven Govinden @niven_govinden 1m
Bad 25 is amazing. So lovingly done. The footage of Michael Jackson in the studio with Quincy was incredible. Crowd went nuts for Spike Lee.

Sam GrapeJuice ?@thatgrapejuice
Just left the London premiere for Michael Jackson & Spike Lee's #Bad25! Epic epic epic! A must have for both http://instagr.am/p/PFBS5lq5J4/

@darrenhayes: Spike Lee's @michaeljackson #bad25 film is a triumph. I'm speechless. Love letter to MJ made me laugh and cry.

Niven Govinden ?@niven_govinden
Also, LOVED watching Scorcese and Thelma Shoonmaker talk about making the BAD short film (which still looks fantastic).
Click to expand...


Seems to be really good.
 
sounds good.

Can't wait for it to be released on Blu-Ray in Denmark!

I WANNA SEE IT !! :lol:
 
So glad to hear that there is recording studio footage in the doc! Hoping to see MJ recording Dirty Diana maybe...
 
Can't wait to see some fan reviews! :) How was the quality of the Man in the Mirror performance?
 
Spoiler : The documentary is dedicated to Michael's kids and his mother.

The end has this notice : " This documentary celebrates King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the achievements of his album Bad, and is dedicated to his children Prince, Paris and Blanket and his mother Katherine Jackson".

-------------------------

Videos from Amie Louise Landsborough


http://s1148.photobucket.com/albums...on=view&current=video-2012-09-02-16-47-56.mp4
 
Kevin Hughes?@Popprince

Amazing afternoon hosting the #Bad25 premiere. Great to meet John Branca and the genius Spike Lee http://yfrog.com/obacuoozj

31mStuart Elmore?@stuartaelmore

@Popprince awesome gig. Good shout. A stand out moment for you I'm sure.

28mKevin Hughes?@Popprince

@stuartaelmore it was! But some amazing archive in the film..

___
Darren Hayes?@darrenhayes

@MJfanForAllTime Still taking it all in. It was incredible. I did not expect it to be so emotional and it made me both sad and very happy.x

Darren Hayes?@darrenhayes

@SpikeLee Your #Bad25 film captures for future generations the astounding spark of talent and brilliance that was Michael Jackson.Thankyou!


Spike Lee?@SpikeLee
MJ Goes Extra Hard In London Today Before Zealous MJ Faithful In BAD 25.Great Screening,Nuthin But LoVe For Michael Jackson And His Music Yo
 
Last edited:
ivy said:
Spoiler : The documentary is dedicated to Michael's kids and his mother.

The end has this notice : " This documentary celebrates King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the achievements of his album Bad, and is dedicated to his children Prince, Paris and Blanket and his mother Katherine Jackson".

-------------------------

Videos from Amie Louise Landsborough


http://s1148.photobucket.com/albums...on=view&current=video-2012-09-02-16-47-56.mp4
Click to expand...

A little strange it is not his parents. - I know Joe was not a very good father - but he had a HUGE impact on MJ's carrer. Seems odd to dedicate it to his mother only.
 
I heard a rumor that they showed footage from MSG with Tatiana.
But I'm not sure. It's just a rumor!
 
A couple of photos...the Q and A at the end (with Kevin Hughes)

for UK fans: it was mentioned that this doc may be screened on UK TV before Christmas. However the screened doc won't be the whole thing as per the DVD. Also, the DVD is supposed to contain an extra hour of footage.


http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/imgspikebranc10001.jpg/][/URL]


and the posters in the cinema

http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/imgbad3000001.jpg/][/URL]


Personal opinion: I was really impressed by this documentary. Having read reviews about it being 'all interview' I was pleasantly surprised, because the whole thing has been cut together so seamlessly...a great job by Spike and team. As one interviewee ends a commment, the next one continues the same converstion, as if they were all sitting round a table and just chatting ..they're not of course! I was just so impressed with the whole thing...although having it at cinema screen size and concert footage at g*d knows what decibels obv. helped!

The 'Man in the mirror' concert footage is obviously last, and I thought the quality was excellent...though Michael blows you away at cinema screen size /volume anyway. I expect experts might tell me the quality could have been better, but to my eyes it looked fabulous!
We saw Siedah singing MITM to Michael as a live demo....with Michael apparently filming ( but you couldn't see him :)(). It was originally written for a higher key.

We saw Michael and Stevie recording Just Good friends...just a short clip.

In the Smooth Criminal section, they mentioned MJ wanting to pay homage to Fred Astaire and the doc includes a clip from 'The Band Wagon'. I was struck (!) that in the Bandwagon footage there was a dance move that reminded me of Michaels penguin/ smacking movement in TII!!!

There were a number of scenes in Westlake studio (now), showing how it had been set up, eg with drums on a wooden stage, and Bruce talking about Michael then singing from the wooden stage too, to get the best sound effects. They mentioned recording Michaels finger snaps, and I was also interested to see what they used to create the 'claps' for MITM' (large round wooden clappers that they recorded several times, one time behind the beat to get a 'wide ' sound'


They also went to Hayvenhurst, as there was a 'B' studio there, and an element of competition between Hayvenhurst and Westlake in doing the best tracks.

The doc footage included some writing and drawing by Michael. The drawing was Michael's design for the Smooth Criminal Jacket (plain white with a black armband).

In the Q and A's John Branca said that they would like to release a History tour concert in 3D...but this will take time to convert.

Also in the Q and A's J Branca was asked about there being a permanent location for Michael fans to visit eg in Gary, Encino or Neverland. JB sounded very dubious about Neverland because of the restrictions due to access...and 2300 Jackson St does not belong to the Estate. However, 'it will be important to provide a Michael experience and this is something we are thinking very carefully about and something we want to do.'

Spike was asked how he came to make TDCAU. He said Michael went to visit him in Brooklyn and played him 10-11 tracks, and said he could choose any one to film. Spike chose Stranger in Moscow. Michael said oh no, you can't choose that one, I want you to do TDCAU......

Hard to say what the highlights are, as there were so many. An early one was seeing Michael being set up to 'drop' into the Bad set from the ceiling. (he was holding on to and supported by some scaffolding...it looked quite a drop!)
Also interesting seeing the cameraman in Bad almost crushed against the ceiling (not painful, just awkwardly) , to get the shots looking down on the dancing.

Another highlight was seeing MJ recording part of IJCSLY in Spanish..he was really nervous about getting the pronunciation right, but the lyrics translator (who was with him at the recording) said he was excellent.

I also enjoyed watching the Smooth Criminal dance rehearsals ...apparently they rehearsed late at night / early morning in a hotel...wish I could've been next door...would've tried to watch them.
The move where they all do little jumps forward together is inspired by a Bugs Bunny cartoon!

There were LOTs of funny moments, but towards the end the mood changes dramatically, after footage of Jermaine speaking in LA, when Spike had asked all of the 'witnesses' as he credits them 'where were you when you heard'... it packs a big emotional punch after the celebratory feeling of the earlier parts, and all of the interviewees are visibly upset, perhaps Seth most of all.


Thank you so much MJJC and Qbee for this wonderful opportunity to see a young MJ on the big screen..I never saw him 'live' in concert , so this is the next best thing......

Congratulations to Spike and the Estate for a great job really well done...I thought this was a wonderful 'legacy' production. (and thank you for the very nice poster!)

The two hours plus went immensely quickly! ( :( )
 
Last edited:
Someone should've recorded the ending of man in the mirror to see the quality of It
 
Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
For anyone wondering about quality of London show we will get on DVD, it's not great. I don't even care, but I know some do.

1m Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
You see the full Wembley performance of Man in the mirror. #Bad25

42s Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
Behind the scene Bad short film footage was amazing too! #Bad25

2m Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
I can honestly say, seeing Michael in the recording studio singing IJCSLY and Just good friends made my jaw drop! #Bad25

Spike Lee was asked would he ever do a film about Michael's life, he replied - "Personally I wouldn't, who could play Michael?" #Bad25

Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
They show the Tatiana kiss from the New York concert! #Bad25

--------------------------

Amie MJJ ?@AmieMJJ
#Bad25 Wembley footage very pixelated on large screen. can't make out facial features on panned out shots. Close ups are fine.

Amie MJJ ?@AmieMJJ
Spoilers #Bad25. Tatiana told NOT to kiss Michael in TWYMF shoot, but said could smell Michael's breathe during hug & was mint smellingl ol

Amie MJJ ?@AmieMJJ
#Bad25 Spoiler. Michael throwing popcorn during IJCSLY recording at Siedah while she was singing (she said). Footage of them recording.
 
Just got back from the premiere & yes, they did show Tatiana footage from the concert where she kissed Michael. It was so quick. The way she went on about it when she released her book 5 yrs ago made it seem like it was longer.

Seth Riggs talks about Michael's voice: over 3.5 octaves & Michael had a lovely bass tone which Seth encouraged him to use but Michael preferred falsetto. Seth says it was one way Michael found to stay young but working on his voice to increase his octave range actually met Michael was making his voice better. They play tapes of Michael exercising his voice so we can see he different exercises that Seth had him do.

They talked about what was meant by "Annie are you OK" in Smooth Criminal". Michael had lessons in CPR and that's where the phrase comes from. They also explained where chamone came from Mavis Staples from the Staples Sisters (Some of this stuff hardcore fans have heard before.)

There is footage of Stevie Wonder & Michael recording Just Good Friends. There was a general consenus that people tend to not like Just Good Friends as much as the other songs on the album. In
Q&A Spike said he feels he would ask Michael why he and Stevie didn't do a song they had written themselves rather than someone elses.

Branca said he got emotional/shaky watching the Wembley footage & that we are going to be amazed at the performance. He called it the best ever.

Showed Michael working on Raisins commercial which was quite funny. He did impressions of an arrogant raisin & a sarcastic raisin.

Spike said from doing this documentary the overwhelming message was that you have to work hard. If Michael Jackson was busting his chops how can some people think they must just get what they want w/o working or it. That is how working in the documentary inspired Spike.

Toronto Screen Festival is next stop for Spike.

May be shown on BBC before Christmas -- rumour

ABC version shown on TV will be edited version of what we saw today. Also what we saw is edited as an additional 1hr of footage will be on DVD :)

It is really good. The only thing I'd say right now is I missed the blonde female guitarist. Her name escapes me right now. She always has good things to say. I hope she is on the additional footage.


I just want to say thank you again to MJJ Community, Spike Lee, and the MJ Estate for this privilege. They treated us really well. :clap:

92]I heard a rumor that they showed footage from MSG with Tatiana.
But I'm not sure. It's just a rumor![/QUOTE]
 
"Lorraine ?@MJfanForAllTime
For anyone wondering about quality of London show we will get on DVD, it's not great. I don't even care, but I know some do."

How does she know that?
 
dam2040 said:
What about the Wembley quality?
Click to expand...

Sadly, it's not that good and I can't understand it tbh, I'm sure most of you watched the Elvis Presley's comeback concert in 1968 and some of the reproduce Beatles concerts, the quality is clear like crystal.
 
For me personally, it's fine. I know I'm going to be amazed. However based on what I saw today I think that some people will not be satisfied with the quality. I think people should wait for the dvd to judge the quality properly.

dam2040 said:
What about the Wembley quality?
Click to expand...
 
Was amazing!! 9.5/10 and the only reason its not 10/10 is I think after 2 or 3 songs they rushed through them a little bit. I hoped they would of shown and spoke more about Liberian girl, Dirty Diana but its not a biggie because Spike still gave good insight. was not much talking for Another part of me but instead a perfromance. They go in depth on Bad, Smooth Criminal, I just cant stop loving you and Man in the Mirror. The end footage was great and is the one being released, quality wasnt top notch but I expected that; because its such a meserising performance you forget its not 100% and enjoy it anyway. The footage was great; showing behind the scenes of the short films and in studio. Only thing I was hoping for was (seen as they showed the Raisins commercial) that they would show the pepsi and behind the scenes of those. I think everyone will enjoy it, its pretty much everything you could want. Wish it would be cinema release so everyone could FEEL the music and see it on a big screen, so glad I went and luckily got in seen as I was not on guest list.
 
MJTheKing said:
Sadly, it's not that good and I can't understand it tbh, most of you must watch the Elvis Presley comeback in 1986 and some of the Beatles concerts, the quality was soooooooo much better.
Click to expand...

Did you go to the premiere today?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top