MJ: Fims

THE WIZ

It’s hard to believe that The Wiz actually exists. It’s not that it’s too “out-there” an idea, or that anyone would have funded the production. It’s just that we’re talking about a musical re-telling of The Wizard of Oz starring Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor (!!!), and Nipsey Russell. Does that sound likely to you? Me, neither. I’d always heard about The Wiz, but had never seen it. You’re probably in the same boat, so is the recently-released Blu-ray worth a spot in your collection? Depends. Read on to learn why, folks…

I’ve got a confession to make: I’m not a big fan of The Wizard of Oz. Yes, yes, I know. It’s one of those “classic” Hollywood movies, one of the films that families tend to watch on the same day each year (I’ve got friends who watch it every Halloween, inexplicably)(“inexplicably” because no illicit substances are involved), but…I’m just not feeling it. I think it’s kinda cheesy, and the songs are a little grating. Frank Baum’s books are classics, of course, but the original Wizard of Oz has always struck me as a little…much. Just not my cup of tea.
As for The Wiz– the Sidney Lumet (yeah, that Sidney Lumet)-directed 1977 film– well, I’d never seen it before Collider handed me the Blu-ray version of the film. I knew that Michael Jackson was involved, playing one of the leads, and I knew that Richard Pryor was in the cast, and I had some vague notion that the film chucked out all the songs from the original Wizard of Oz in favor of Motown tunes, but beyond that, I was clueless.
As it turns out, only a few of those things were correct. The songs from the Judy Garland version have been jettisoned, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call The Wiz a “Motown” movie. It’s certainly informed by the musicians that are involved– and, for my money, the songs are a helluva lot more interesting than anything in the original (note: I know I’m in the minority on that one, yes)– and, yep, Richard Pryor and Michael Jackson are there, but that’s about all that I had right. Turns out, The Wiz is a weird, weird movie which is best looked upon as a time capsule from a very particular moment in black American culture, kind of like how Mannequin perfectly captures the white American voice of the mid-80′s. And you know what? It’s fun to watch. Moreso than the original, anyway.
The plot’s basically the same– Dorothy in Kansas, Dorothy lands in Oz, Munchkins, a “good witch”, a “bad witch”, etc– but the film looks completely unlike the images your mind conjures when you think Wizard of Oz. The film’s got a heavy industrial look, and cities, and looks much more modern than I would have suspected it to going in. The costumes are more elaborate than they were in the original, and the performers look like they’re…well, even if they’re not having a great time (Pryor looks like he wishes he were somewhere else on more than one occasion), they’re certainly giving it their all. It’s very impressive from a technical standpoint, and so much so that I’d recommend it to anyone who considers themself a film geek just so you’ve got a frame of reference for it.

For me, musicals can be sparse or elaborate, be packed with performers who are classically-trained, powerhouse singers or amateurs, taking place on sets that are boring or obnoxiously over-produced…and it won’t matter either way if the songs suck. I’ll put up with just about anything in a musical if I enjoy the songs. Are the songs catchy? Will I be humming one or two of ‘em later, when I’m on my way home or standing in line at the DMV (no homo)? For instance, I thought that Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd looked incredible, that Johnny Depp sang (sung? What’s the word here?) great, that the costumes were gorgeous and that everyone involved was performing at the top of their game…but the songs didn’t stick with me, so I don’t own a copy. Chicago, though? I’ll listen to “He Had It Comin’” all day, or “Mr. Cellophane”.
On that front, The Wiz almost succeeds. Sitting here, a few days after watching the film, I’m having trouble recalling any specific lyrics or song titles that stood out for me, but I was never bored watching them being performed. A quick glance at Wikipedia tells me that my favorite song was titled “Ease on Down The Road #1″, and as I type that, I realize that I’d heard that song title long before seeing the film. So, maybe that’s the standout for most people? Who knows? All I’m saying is, the music and songs in The Wiz– from a book by William F. Brown (thanks, Wikipedia!)– are good but not great, and so for me, The Wiz doesn’t really knock it out of the park as a musical.
But as a movie? As– more specifically– an oddity? Man, does it work. You’re watching Michael Jackson– back when he was actually black– prancing around as the Scarecrow. Richard-effing-Pryor is The Wizard who is first represented on-screen as a giant, fire-spewing metal face? The friggin’ thing was written by Joel Schumacher (and, come to think of it, I think I see a little of The Wiz in Batman and Robin, at least in terms of obnoxious costuming on extras), for Chrissakes. The Flying Monkeys of the original are now a motorcycle gang. It’s just bizarre, and on that basis I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Apparently, critics were none too kind to Diana Ross when the film debuted. She took most of the beating that came The Wiz‘ way (it bombed upon release), but I wasn’t notably perturbed by her performance here. I mean, I’ve never been the world’s biggest Diana Ross fan– maybe they had higher expectations for Ms. Ross back in the late 70′s? I dunno– but she seemed passable here. Jackson is clearly the standout, followed by Ted Ross as The Cowardly Lion. With a gun to my head, sure, I’d probably point to Ross as the weak link in the chain of leads at the heart of the film (the Tin Man– the final member of the group– is played fairly well by Russell), but she’s not “This Film is Now Ruined”-bad in it. All in all, everyone pulls their weight.
Now, I haven’t seen the film on TV or DVD, so I can’t tell you if the Blu-ray looks markedly better than it did in those incarnations, but I can tell you that the Blu-ray is razor sharp. It’s really one of the better-looking films I’ve seen lately, and I’m picky about that kinda thing (the rig in our living room is meant to blow minds, and The Wiz…well, no one’s mind was blown, but it certainly looked damn good). The colors pop off the screen, the frame depth is awesome– it’s solid. The sound is also impressive, but I’m also not nearly as stringent with my expectations in that arena as I am with the video quality. In all, I’d say it’s a great-looking (and sounding) package.
If you’re interested in seeing The Wiz for its musical pedigree, you may be disappointed. But if you’re open to seeing a gonzo interpretation of The Wizard of Oz starring Richard Pryor, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and a whole slew of bizarre twists on the original version, you’re probably going to be entertained. I wouldn’t recommend this one as a purchase, but as a rental, there are much worse ways to kill two hours of your time…and almost none of them feature Michael Jackson dressed a scarecrow.

MOONWALKE

Man in the Mirror

The first segment of Moonwalker is a live performance of "Man in the Mirror". It also features a montage of clips of children in Africa, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon, and other historical figures.

Retrospective

A short biographical film about Jackson, covering the early years from the Jackson 5 until the Bad World Tour. Excerpts of the following songs are played:

Badder

A parody of the music video for Bad's title song, featuring children filling the roles of various people from the original clip.
The video stars Brandon Quintin Adams, who would later star in The Mighty Ducks, as the young Michael Jackson. It also featured Jermaine La Jaune Jackson, Jr. (Michael's nephew) and a young Nikki Cox, who later starred in Unhappily Ever After and Las Vegas. The singing group The Boys appeared as background dancers. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog co-writer Maurissa Tancharoen, as well as future R&B star Bilal Oliver, are also featured in this segment.

Speed Demon

The fourth segment begins with the "Badder" short film transitioning into the second short film, "Speed Demon", directed by Claymation innovator Will Vinton. A portion of the clip is set to Jackson's song "Speed Demon".

After filming "Badder", Little Michael and his bodyguards (also young kids) are leaving the set and walk through a cloud of smoke and come out as their regular age. A boy and his grandmother spot Michael and prompts the other tourists to get off the bus and chase him for an autograph. In an attempt to avoid the overzealous fans (even The Noid) and some gunslingers (after stumbling upon the filming of a Western directed by Steven Spielberg), Jackson soon disguises himself as a rabbit named Spike, but ends up taunting the fans into chasing him once they realize it's him. During the chase, he morphs into other celebrities, namely Sylvester Stallone, Tina Turner and Pee-Wee Herman. After a long chase, the fans are finally pulled over by a cop and are arrested. After finally losing the fans, he pulls over in a canyon and removes the costume, which comes to life and challenges him to a dance-off.
In the end, a traffic cop tells him he is in a "No Dancing Zone", and when Michael turns to point to the rabbit, he sees that the rabbit has disappeared. The cop then sarcastically asks for Michael's autograph (as opposed to "signature") on the ticket. Just as Michael is preparing to leave, the rabbit's head materializes in a nearby rocky crag, who then nods to him and smiles.

Leave Me Alone

The fifth segment of the film is the animated music video for the song "Leave Me Alone", focusing on media interest in Jackson's personal life, because he had felt that people wouldn't leave him alone. It compares Michael Jackson's life to an amusement park. His beloved then-pet chimp Bubbles makes a cameo appearance as Jackson is seen picking him up and riding with him in his roller coaster ca

Smooth Criminal

The sixth segment of the film begins with three homeless children sneaking through a big city to see their friend Michael walk out of his apartment. As Michael stands in front of the door, he gazes at the night sky before he is attacked by mobsters with machine guns. The film then backtracks to show Michael and the children playing in a meadow in happier times. Their dog Skipper runs away, and as Michael and Katie look for him, they uncover the cottage of Dr. Big. Dr. Big is a drug-dealing warlord with a disciplined private army of soldiers at his command, he wants to get the entire population of Earth addicted to drugs, starting with children. He likes to eat nuts and leaves nutshells wherever he goes, He is obsessed with spiders, as displayed by their abundance at the entrance to his lair, and by the way he called his operation "bugs and drugs". He also has them engulfing a model globe when making a speech about his burgeoning drug empire. They signify the spread of his proposed control of the world via drug dealing. Further, all his henchmen sport a spider crest on their uniforms. Katie screams when she sees a spider, and Mr. Big discovers them spying on his operation.
The story returns to the shooting in front of Michael's store. Unknown to the gangsters, Michael has a "lucky star", and using it, he escaped the gunfire. Upon realizing that Michael has escaped again, Mr. Big orders his henchmen to track him down with dogs. He is eventually cornered in an alley, where he uses his lucky star again to turn into a sportscar (the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero prototype) that mows down several of Mr. Big's henchmen. Michael is pursued through the city streets until he loses the henchmen. Meanwhile, the children scout out Club 30's, where Michael had told them to meet him, and find only an abandoned and haunted nightclub. As Michael arrives, Katie sees a silhouette of him turning back from a car into himself. The door of the club opens with a gust of wind, and Michael walks in to find it filled with zoot suiters and swing dancers. The children gather outside a window of the club and watch Michael dance to "Smooth Criminal".

The song used in the film is much longer than the album release, with several lyrics that clarify the story. There is also an interlude wherein Jackson joins the other dancers in a modern interpretive dance. At the climax of the song, Mr. Big lays siege to the club and kidnaps Katie. Michael follows them back to Big's lair and ends up surrounded by his henchmen. Mr. Big appears and taunts Michael by threatening to inject Katie with highly addictive narcotics. Katie breaks free for a moment, but Mr. Big grabs her again and starts kicking Michael. As Mr. Big stands over Michael and orders his henchmen to kill him and Katie, Michael looks up and sees his lucky star. He transforms into a giant robot and kills all of Mr. Big's soldiers, then turns into a spaceship. Mr. Big gets into a large hillside-mounted energy cannon, firing on the spaceship into a nearby ravine. The children are his next target, but the spaceship returns from the ravine just in time to fire a beam in the cannon with Mr. Big inside, killing him. The children watch the ship fly into the night sky with shower of light.
Note: A 4:36 suite of Bruce Broughton's score for this segment (Broughton also wrote the underscore for "Speed Demon") was recorded by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops for the album Fantastic Journey, representing the only (officially) released music from this film by an artist other than Michael Jackson, although bootlegs are available of the score
Come Together

In the conclusion to "Smooth Criminal", Sean, Katie and Zeke return to the city, believing that Michael is gone forever. As the boys talk about Michael, Katie walks away crying and clutching a paper star. As she sits in a corner wishing for him to come back, the paper star flies out of her hand and Michael walks out of the night fog. He takes them to Club

30's, where they find that the club has turned into the backstage area of a concert. Michael's stage crew return the children's missing dog and then escort Michael onto the stage where he performs a cover of The Beatles song "Come Together" with the children watching and cheering him on from backstage. Jackson's version of the song wasn't officially released until 1995 when it appeared on the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.

Closing credits

During the closing credits, two more segments are shown. The first has Ladysmith Black Mambazo performing "The Moon is Walking" in Club 30's amidst behind-the-scenes clips. The second is the four-minute version of the "Smooth Criminal" music video.

GHOSTS

A short fim of 38 mins released in 1996/97, Ghosts was written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Oscar-winner Stan Winston, the world's foremost creator of creatures.
Winston is the man behind characters such as 'The Terminator', the extra-terrestrial monstrosities of 'Aliens' and the amazing dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park'. Featuring latest special effects, make-up and dance routines, Michael plays a number of characters that look nothing like each other making use of great make-up and special effects.

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