Saw it with my daughter tonight (there seems to be a theme here), and she loved it, so I spared her the nitpicking. After the first hour or so, I decided to just enjoy it for what it was. I thought Rami Malek was fine in a very difficult role. I think there's a much better and more nuanced Freddie Mercury story to be done, but that won't happen while there are still living members of the band.
Just saw this and loved it. It's interesting because I understand that huge liberties were taken with details, timelines and such, and so I can understand how Queen fans might have a problem with the movie. Having said that, as a casual fan who knew little of the group's history, I loved it and it made me appreciate the music and their talent a lot more.
Queen is on tour with Adam Lambert following the success of the film. Some tickets going on sale this Friday. While Adam is no Freddie I still like the kid and may check them out in Chicago if the price is right. Queen, Adam Lambert Plot North American ‘Rhapsody’ Tour – Rolling Stone
The issue I have with Lambert is that can't stand his voice. As soon as he starts singing those high notes, I have to switch off. His voice is too harsh and grating.
Like so many modern day talent show contestants, it seems as if Adam comes from the school of thought where your vibrato or melismatic techniques are all that matter for impressing the judges (though I will admit that he does have a degree of charisma as well). Thankfully, he's toned down a lot of the unnecessary vocal gymnastics in recent years, but I'd still prefer to hear Queen perform with Marc Martel... I think Adam would work a lot better as the singer of the Queen Extravaganza, where his brand of theatricality would make up for their relatively basic stage design.
That Rhapsody Tour video sounds really good excluding Adam Lambert's Freddie Mercury interpretation which IMO lacks Freddie's vibrato, energy, enthusiasm and showmanship. Several days ago I bought the "Bohemian Rhapsody" soundtrack at Walmart for $13 and my suspicions were proven correct that most of the tracks don't sound the same as the movie's which comprised mostly live performances from other venues that weren't identified in the movie as such. But suffice it to say I compared the tracks (one of them "Radio Ga Ga) to the YouTube "Official HD Video" Live Aid recordings and they virtually sound the same. "Radio Ga Ga" looks to be heavily compressed/limited examining the wave file in Audacity and there's no big bottom end boom to the kick drum as it was in the movie and in that Adam Lambert Rhapsody Tour video. Here's "We Will Rock You" Audacity waveform to show how brickwalled it is... This one has the actual foot stomping sound and is quite loud and I'ld have to say quite clear. No odd sounds or artifacts.
Actually on further A/B comparisons to several brickwalled tracks off the BR soundtrack CD to the original CD 2011 remaster release such as "Another One Bites The Dust" HD YouTube video, I'ld say this is some impressive limiting/compressing on this BR release. I'm listening on Sony headphones on my Mac Mini and I'm not hearing the typical blaring loud distortions (i.e. reverb overload) often associated with brickwalled masterings. It's louder and cleaner. This one actually sounds better than what I heard at the theater. I do think live performances do suffer a bit compared to what I heard at the theater.
The strange thing is that both Star is Born and Bo Rap were nominated in the drama category and not musical or comedy
The GG's have always been unique in their choices for nominations and winners. Those 2 films aren't musicals in the traditional sense, they're dramas that feature performances. Anyway I guess that's how they must see it. I guess the Hollywood Foreign press didn't give a rat's ass about the films inaccuracies either.
Here's the official qualifications for a Musical ... For purposes of the award, a "musical" is "defined as a comedy or drama where the songs are used in place of spoken dialogue to further the plot." That's why films like Les Miserables are considered in this category. For films like BR and A Star is Born those musical numbers are considered performances. The songs don't serve the narrative and are lyrically unrelated to the plot.
And here's a terrific interview with Rami Malek on how he prepared for the role of Freddie Mercury, with a few surprises I didn't know about... Fake Teeth, Crash Diets and High Notes: How Rami Malek Nailed Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' The film is about to hit $600 million worldwide, which is phenomenal. I knew it would be big, but I never thought a relatively-small $50 million dollar movie like this would be this huge.
https://www.amazon.com/Bohemian-Rha...4729319&sr=8-1&keywords=bohemian+rhapsody+dvd This site is anticipating the release in January and so are a few others... Bohemian Rhapsody DVD Release Date
January seems awfully soon for a movie that came out in November that's still in the top 5 at the box office. I'd be SHOCKED if it came out then. For reference, "A Star Is Born" hit screens earlier but won't be out on BD until February. 2 months from theaters to video isn't unprecedented - heck, "Venom" comes out next weeks only 2 months after theatrical - but it's still unusual. Also, it's clear they rushed "Venom" to video for Christmas sales. There's no reason to rush "BR" to video in January...
I agree and that was included in my original post but then I saw a few websites expecting it in January...
The only possible reason I could see for a January release would be to have it out there to remind Oscar voters. But would they have already forgotten a 2-month old movie?
They do, but I could still see a video release tied in to add publicity. It keeps the movie in the public eye in a way a screener doesn't...
I debated whether I should even see Bohemian Rhapsody after reading many reviews. I broke down and saw it with my wife late last night. I decided before the movie started that I was going to relax, and enjoy it for what it "is", without trying to pick it apart, and worrying about its flaws and inaccuracies..........I think I succeeded, but it wasn't easy.
I turned off my Queen-encyclopedic brain as soon as I walked in the theater. I was able to enjoy the flick as an "Inspired by a true story" piece.
