Post by Rob W. Case on Feb 25, 2019 23:39:21 GMT -6
Whether at sporting events (major or community), or in commercial ads, whether in feature films or on the radio, whether in retail stores or other public places that plays music, Queen’s music has made an unprecedented lasting impression in both American and British pop culture for some time, and there is ample reason for it. Queen was a band with its own unique style and sound, a band that rose to incredible heights of popularity being innovative, experimental, and of course, upbeat, fun, imaginative, relatable, and catchy. And most of this is due to the vocal and unique talents of lead singer Freddie Mercury.
So when the 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released in theaters, it not only got us fans to take out and play our Queen CD’s, but it rocked a new generation that for the first time, is discovering the story and songs behind one of the most incredible bands in rock and roll history.
The Story:
The film begins in 1985, at Wembley stadium in London, where Queen is about to deliver the most definitive performance of its career. The movie then flashes back to the band’s beginning in 1970, where the lead singer of a college rock band “Smile” quits to pursue another possible career opportunity. This situation leaves Smile’s guitar player Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) uncertain about the future of their band. It is at this moment of question that a wild, eccentric young man who listened to the band likes what he hears, and asks for a chance to be lead singer. He then tells them that he also writes songs. They give him a chance, and after being judged by people right away, it’s not long before the new band “Queen” becomes a sensation and it’s new lead singer, Farrokh Bulsara, changes his name to Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek).
Within these events, Freddie meets a very supportive woman by the name of Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) who ends up falling in love with Freddie. It is not before long a high profile record producer by the name of John Reid (Aidan Gillen) wants to meet up with Queen to sign a record deal and get their name out there. Within the efforts to get the band out there, a young man by the name of Paul Prenter (Allen Leech), is assigned by Reid to look after the band day to day, which in time leads to new opportunities and a tour in America. After the success of the tour in America, the band heads back to London to meet with Ray Foster (Mike Meyers), the head of EMI Records, who is persuaded by Mercury to fund a new album idea with the title “A Night at the Opera.” And so the band is sent to a farm in Wales to write and record this new album. While there, Paul, who is gay, makes a move on Freddie, and Freddie resists….. at first. But as the band tries to get their new song “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the radio, and after being apart from Mary for a time, Mary begins noticing a distance developing between her and Freddie, and becomes more and more aware of his increasingly effeminate demeanor among gay men, which leads to a climactic and dramatic scene. Once Freddie “comes out” to those closest to him (but not to the public), and success of the band reaches a fever pitch, things start getting rocky for the band. Freddie’s drug use, along with his erratic mood swings, creates bold and dramatic changes for the band, which doesn’t sit well with his fellow band members. These bold and dramatic changes initiates friction within the band, and lots of drama that tests loyalties, tries to pull apart a “family”, and creates animosity between Freddie and the other band members. In addition to these things, Freddie’s involvement in high risk sexual behavior in bars and in clubs begins to weigh heavy on Freddie’s personal health, and on his ability to perform. It is at this point, Freddie comes to realize how important it is for him to try and make things right and come to terms with what his real family consists of.
My Take:
I really enjoyed this movie overall. It is a remarkable feat when good acting (due to excellent casting and chemistry between the cast) can make you forget that you are watching a movie. The drama throughout this movie, I felt, was intriguing, captivating, and deep. I was also fascinated and impressed by what a creative genius Freddie Mercury was both in his writing, and in how he could pitch an idea. Also, as a fan of Queen’s music, I liked how the band's songs were incorporated into the story. Also, the movie had a couple of songs that I was previously unfamiliar with before going into the show. Now, the one thing I didn’t care so much for about the movie (though I understand it), is the “shifting” of events and details to condense them into a single scene. In other words, if you are familiar with how some of the actual events transpired, and you see how it is portrayed in the film, you will notice some big deviations. Of course, this is done for time, and to “unload” numerous details within a scene, which also ties in with the making of another Queen song. But if you judge the movie as its own story, independent from anything and everything else, you will most likely enjoy it.
That said, all in all out of 4 stars, I give Bohemian Rhapsody 3 and a half.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 14 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the links below.
and....
Bohemian Rhapsody Makes History:
The release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody has made movie history and it’s not difficult to see why. Here are some fun facts relating to the film.
--Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen are the film’s executive producers.
--Jim “Miami” Beach, who ended up managing Queen after John Reid's departure (and still manages the band to this day) is also a producer of this film.
--The release of this film has made Queen’s classic songs surge back to the top 10 of Billboard’s charts for the first time in 38 years. The soundtrack of the film went from 25th place (because soundtracks to films are usually released before the films are released in theaters) to 3rd place in November of 2018, and the Greatest Hits collection rose from 194th place to 9th place.
--For some of the scenes where Freddie is practicing his songs in private (with no pre-recorded music in the background), talking to the audience, and in some of the live concert scenes, the producers hired Marc Martel, a Christian recording artist who sounds so naturally like Freddie Mercury, that it makes significant additions to the recordings of Freddie Mercury's real voice, and creates a natural effect all its own, when the three elements are blended together.
--In 2019 Queen with Adam Lambert opened the 91st Annual Academy Awards with the songs “We will Rock You” and “We are the Champions”. Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated for 5 oscars including best picture, but walked away with 4, with Rami Malek winning the Oscar for Best Actor.
--Rami Malek's performance has also won him a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award, and a Screen Actor's Guild Award.
--The working relationship between Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton on this film has launched a dating relationship in real life.
Bohemian Rhapsody is available on 4K-HD, blu-ray, DVD, multiple streaming services, and, at the time of this writing, remains in movie theaters.
So when the 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released in theaters, it not only got us fans to take out and play our Queen CD’s, but it rocked a new generation that for the first time, is discovering the story and songs behind one of the most incredible bands in rock and roll history.
The Story:
The film begins in 1985, at Wembley stadium in London, where Queen is about to deliver the most definitive performance of its career. The movie then flashes back to the band’s beginning in 1970, where the lead singer of a college rock band “Smile” quits to pursue another possible career opportunity. This situation leaves Smile’s guitar player Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) uncertain about the future of their band. It is at this moment of question that a wild, eccentric young man who listened to the band likes what he hears, and asks for a chance to be lead singer. He then tells them that he also writes songs. They give him a chance, and after being judged by people right away, it’s not long before the new band “Queen” becomes a sensation and it’s new lead singer, Farrokh Bulsara, changes his name to Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek).
Within these events, Freddie meets a very supportive woman by the name of Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) who ends up falling in love with Freddie. It is not before long a high profile record producer by the name of John Reid (Aidan Gillen) wants to meet up with Queen to sign a record deal and get their name out there. Within the efforts to get the band out there, a young man by the name of Paul Prenter (Allen Leech), is assigned by Reid to look after the band day to day, which in time leads to new opportunities and a tour in America. After the success of the tour in America, the band heads back to London to meet with Ray Foster (Mike Meyers), the head of EMI Records, who is persuaded by Mercury to fund a new album idea with the title “A Night at the Opera.” And so the band is sent to a farm in Wales to write and record this new album. While there, Paul, who is gay, makes a move on Freddie, and Freddie resists….. at first. But as the band tries to get their new song “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the radio, and after being apart from Mary for a time, Mary begins noticing a distance developing between her and Freddie, and becomes more and more aware of his increasingly effeminate demeanor among gay men, which leads to a climactic and dramatic scene. Once Freddie “comes out” to those closest to him (but not to the public), and success of the band reaches a fever pitch, things start getting rocky for the band. Freddie’s drug use, along with his erratic mood swings, creates bold and dramatic changes for the band, which doesn’t sit well with his fellow band members. These bold and dramatic changes initiates friction within the band, and lots of drama that tests loyalties, tries to pull apart a “family”, and creates animosity between Freddie and the other band members. In addition to these things, Freddie’s involvement in high risk sexual behavior in bars and in clubs begins to weigh heavy on Freddie’s personal health, and on his ability to perform. It is at this point, Freddie comes to realize how important it is for him to try and make things right and come to terms with what his real family consists of.
My Take:
I really enjoyed this movie overall. It is a remarkable feat when good acting (due to excellent casting and chemistry between the cast) can make you forget that you are watching a movie. The drama throughout this movie, I felt, was intriguing, captivating, and deep. I was also fascinated and impressed by what a creative genius Freddie Mercury was both in his writing, and in how he could pitch an idea. Also, as a fan of Queen’s music, I liked how the band's songs were incorporated into the story. Also, the movie had a couple of songs that I was previously unfamiliar with before going into the show. Now, the one thing I didn’t care so much for about the movie (though I understand it), is the “shifting” of events and details to condense them into a single scene. In other words, if you are familiar with how some of the actual events transpired, and you see how it is portrayed in the film, you will notice some big deviations. Of course, this is done for time, and to “unload” numerous details within a scene, which also ties in with the making of another Queen song. But if you judge the movie as its own story, independent from anything and everything else, you will most likely enjoy it.
That said, all in all out of 4 stars, I give Bohemian Rhapsody 3 and a half.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 14 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the links below.
and....
Bohemian Rhapsody Makes History:
The release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody has made movie history and it’s not difficult to see why. Here are some fun facts relating to the film.
--Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen are the film’s executive producers.
--Jim “Miami” Beach, who ended up managing Queen after John Reid's departure (and still manages the band to this day) is also a producer of this film.
--The release of this film has made Queen’s classic songs surge back to the top 10 of Billboard’s charts for the first time in 38 years. The soundtrack of the film went from 25th place (because soundtracks to films are usually released before the films are released in theaters) to 3rd place in November of 2018, and the Greatest Hits collection rose from 194th place to 9th place.
--For some of the scenes where Freddie is practicing his songs in private (with no pre-recorded music in the background), talking to the audience, and in some of the live concert scenes, the producers hired Marc Martel, a Christian recording artist who sounds so naturally like Freddie Mercury, that it makes significant additions to the recordings of Freddie Mercury's real voice, and creates a natural effect all its own, when the three elements are blended together.
--In 2019 Queen with Adam Lambert opened the 91st Annual Academy Awards with the songs “We will Rock You” and “We are the Champions”. Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated for 5 oscars including best picture, but walked away with 4, with Rami Malek winning the Oscar for Best Actor.
--Rami Malek's performance has also won him a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award, and a Screen Actor's Guild Award.
--The working relationship between Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton on this film has launched a dating relationship in real life.
Bohemian Rhapsody is available on 4K-HD, blu-ray, DVD, multiple streaming services, and, at the time of this writing, remains in movie theaters.