The Queen Thread

[DragonAttack]

Well, my wife and I saw it yesterday.  If you go in with the attitude of overlooking all the time line errors, the liberties taken, and just watch a movie and not a bio pic, it's pretty good stuff.  Hell, 'Lincoln', 'Darkest Hour', 'JFK', 'Nixon', 'Hoffa' ....didn't have any omissions, inaccuracies, false storylines or made up scenes, did they? 

We laughed a lot, my eyes welled up more than a few times, my wife cried a couple of times, ...... 

Rami Malek is really, really good as Freddie.  I swore it was Brian and not Gwilym Lee playing him.  The whole 'Live Aid' segment was absolutely stunning (and some of us did clap and do the 'GaGa').  I think they had me reeled in when I got to hear May's version of the 20th Century Fox theme .  Also very appreciative that whenever there was opera in the background at Freddie's residence, that it was always Montserret Caballe being played.

At least 'it was a worthwhile experience'.

[ReaperKK]

I'm looking forward to seeing it, my expectations aren't high but I do want to see it.

[masterthes]

It was really good. Only big complaint was that whole conflict issue they came up with. I had just recently read a biography on the band, and from what I assumed, they just took a brief hiatus and did their own thing and it was all rather amicable

[Mladen]

I just saw the movie. Yeah, they took some liberties regarding the relationships inside the band, but that's what makes the movie interesting. It was very cool, some of the bits were truly spectacular, especially the Live Aid stuff.

[DragonAttack]

It was really good. Only big complaint was that whole conflict issue they came up with. I had just recently read a biography on the band, and from what I assumed, they just took a brief hiatus and did their own thing and it was all rather amicable

At North American conventions, I've won the trivia, placed second, and been a finalist four times.  My last convention years ago, I had the high preliminary score and gave my spot in the finals to the 6th place person.  But I do well on that sort of thing, and am also not 'obsessive'.

Going to this movie was like going to a Beatle movie, seeing them in mustaches on 'Ed Sullivan', beards during 'Sgt. Pepper', 'Abbey Road' being released, and then the 'Get Back' sessions begin.  Brian Epstein dies, Yoko enters the picture, and the final straw is Phil Spector coming on board. 

The ending was better than the totally false endings of 'Remember the Titans' or 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' ...or 95% of other sports movies.  At least it wasn't anything like the remade 'Star Treks' (the last of which I will never view).

There was a lot of friction in the band from '82 onwards.  Freddie did not have to 'beg' to come back, but he did get quite the check for his solo album (Roger had released two well received ones at that point).  Oh, the 'hiatus'.....Queen had just performed 15 shows in Australia and Japan, the last only two months before 'Live Aid'.   Using that as an ending piece was the way to go.  And so frickin' well done at that!

[Adami]

The last 20 minutes of the movie are amazing. The performances are great.

The rest of the movie, sadly, isn't.


I did read a good article that pointed out that the movie makes it so that Freddie's amazing performance at Live Aid was because of the AIDS diagnosis and he wanted to go out on a huge note. However, it was just Freddie being Freddie since he didn't get the diagnosis for 2 more years.

[DragonAttack]

^
And according to Brian May, he didn't tell the band until around the spring of '89. 

That's Hollywood for you.......

[Orbert]

I get it.  Movies are entertainment, and people want to see a good story, not necessary the true story.  I just can't get behind a movie that's a biopic that we already know has incorporated a fair amount of shit that just didn't happen, or happened differently, or in a different order chronologically.  People are going to see this flick and think they know all about Freddie and the dynamics within the band and the history, and half of it's just made-up shit.  They always do this, which is why I don't watch biopics.

Those of you who've seen it and enjoyed it, cool.  They don't get my money, though.

[Mladen]

That kind of bugs me, knowing that people might think Freddie performed so amazingly on Live Aid because he knew the end is near, even though he found out about his illness two years later. I hope people will figure out that this is a movie that didn't stick with the official history.

[ytserush]

I get it.  Movies are entertainment, and people want to see a good story, not necessary the true story.  I just can't get behind a movie that's a biopic that we already know has incorporated a fair amount of shit that just didn't happen, or happened differently, or in a different order chronologically.  People are going to see this flick and think they know all about Freddie and the dynamics within the band and the history, and half of it's just made-up shit.  They always do this, which is why I don't watch biopics.

Those of you who've seen it and enjoyed it, cool.  They don't get my money, though.

I avoid this stuff myself. But I get why people might want to see it.  It just isn't for me. I'd much rather have accuracy and truth.

[Stadler]

I did read a good article that pointed out that the movie makes it so that Freddie's amazing performance at Live Aid was because of the AIDS diagnosis and he wanted to go out on a huge note. However, it was just Freddie being Freddie since he didn't get the diagnosis for 2 more years.

I'm fine with liberties; I've read enough about the band to know the true story, and read enough about Hollywood to know that you won't GET the true story from them. 

But I know for me, that sort of ruins it, because what made Live Aid great for me was that there WASN'T anything special.  No "Reunion!", no "Collaboration!" - I watched Live Aid in real time, and even still have it on VHS somewhere, and the d-bags from MTV must have said "COLLABORATION" 2,648 times during the broadcast.  Mark Goodman - find a still photo of him that day, it's worth it - basically fell out of his shorts every time someone walked on stage who didn't belong there, or Bono went out in the crowd.

Then Queen came on - original band, no tricks - and just played their asses off just because.   What made it great (at least for me) was that they just shut up and played their instruments (and sang of course) no frills, no hoopla.   Fred didn't NEED AIDS to put on the performance of the day.  He was just that good.

[Orbert]

That's what I mean.  I watched it live on TV, too.  It was amazing.

They've literally rewritten history to fit a narrative, when the true story is in some ways better in the first place.

[TAC]

I just can't think that any movie like this wouldn't be cringe worthy.

[rumborak]

I think the problem they had is that they decided to not have the last 30 minutes of the movie be about Freddie's slow decline (I wouldn't have minded, but I can see why they didn't). So, they wanted to end on a high note, with the Live Aid concert. Obviously they couldn't leave out Freddie's disease, so they flipped around the timeline.

I personally loved the movie, as a celebration of one of my favorite bands. The only real bummer for me was that they left out a huge musical part of the band. A Kind of Magic, The Miracle and Innuendo aren't exactly Hot Spaces.

[Lax]

I enjoyed it A LOT
It's a win-win, queen newbies get a summary and fans know where to get more queen.
Sound was fantastic, felt like we were there

[MirrorMask]

I did read a good article that pointed out that the movie makes it so that Freddie's amazing performance at Live Aid was because of the AIDS diagnosis and he wanted to go out on a huge note. However, it was just Freddie being Freddie since he didn't get the diagnosis for 2 more years.

I'm fine with liberties; I've read enough about the band to know the true story, and read enough about Hollywood to know that you won't GET the true story from them. 

But I know for me, that sort of ruins it, because what made Live Aid great for me was that there WASN'T anything special.  No "Reunion!", no "Collaboration!" - I watched Live Aid in real time, and even still have it on VHS somewhere, and the d-bags from MTV must have said "COLLABORATION" 2,648 times during the broadcast.  Mark Goodman - find a still photo of him that day, it's worth it - basically fell out of his shorts every time someone walked on stage who didn't belong there, or Bono went out in the crowd.

Then Queen came on - original band, no tricks - and just played their asses off just because.   What made it great (at least for me) was that they just shut up and played their instruments (and sang of course) no frills, no hoopla.   Fred didn't NEED AIDS to put on the performance of the day.  He was just that good.

I didn't see it, I was too young, but I get what you mean.

I remember reading excerpts from Jim Hutton's biography (Freddie's final partner) and he said something like "The next day Live AID was already a world away for Freddie, while I was still in awe".

It's like you said - they were just doing what they were doing, and what they were doing happened to be mindblowingly awesome. That's the true greatness of it all, that it was just a Queen performance and Freddie being Freddie.

Also, it's not that they needed to invent situations of Freddie giving it all while facing death - we all know how he could barely walk when he completely nailed The Show Must Go On.

[Cool Chris]

Steven Spielberg had an interesting conversation about T.E. Lawrence and how Lawrence of Arabia was able to play a little fast and loose with the accuracies of his life in the film, based on the time it was made, the audience it was made for, and the subject matter at hand. Not sure what the takeaways are in relation to this film, if any, but worth a watch - it's less than 2 minutes.

https://youtu.be/k2EqdX8fwSY?t=150

[Adami]

I'm fine with biopics changing this and that. It happens.

I just think this film focused on the wrong stuff for too long. Queen was almost background. In fact, I'd have to say much of the film was about how Freddie wasn't really to blame for anything he did, and that it was all the fault of his former manager who was the devil in many ways. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this film's overall message was that the former manager was evil and ruined Freddie. So much of the film is dedicated to that, and also completely watered down to be safe and pleasant for families of all ages, that it missed a ton of what Freddie and Queen so amazing.

His performance at Live Aid was just Freddie being Freddie, not anything else.

Freddie was a dick sometimes and it wasn't some other dude's fault.

Freddie did a lot of drugs, drank a ton, and boned ALL the dudes. In the movie, the most he does is take a pill, have a some drinks and cocaine on a table in the background (it's just there, he's not doing it) and be in the room with lots of men.

[ReaperKK]

I still haven't seen the movie but all the reviews so far just make me wonder what the Sachs baron cohen take on a queen movie.

[Azyiu]

Just watched it tonight. If I get a choice, I would have given it a 3.5 out of 5. It ain't as bad as some claimed, but the timeline thingy does bug me a little. IMHO, if the writer(s) would just stick with the real timeline between the late 70's and early 80's, things would still have been just as interesting and dramatic. 

[Adami]

Just found this. A dude doing a live one take of him doing Bohemian Rhapsody. Just him and a piano. No backing tracks. No band. Nothing.

It's.......actually incredible, especially considering it's just him having to do the middle section alone. His voice is also VERY similar to Freddie's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkCxE2Lh458

[ReaperKK]

Yea he is amazing, I think I a video of him a long time ago and was blown away by how similar his voice sounded to Freddies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I

[King Postwhore]

This kids does it so much better.

https://youtu.be/mKP1yZhFG2s

[Adami]

This kids does it so much better.

https://youtu.be/mKP1yZhFG2s

SHE DOESN'T EVEN GET THE WORDS RIGHT!

[King Postwhore]

IT'S GLORIOUS!!!

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Just found this. A dude doing a live one take of him doing Bohemian Rhapsody. Just him and a piano. No backing tracks. No band. Nothing.

It's.......actually incredible, especially considering it's just him having to do the middle section alone. His voice is also VERY similar to Freddie's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkCxE2Lh458

FYI Marc Martel is doing Freddie's vocals in the movie but yea he's awesome.

[DragonAttack]

Yes, Marc Martel was part of this (and, uh, yes, quite good indeed)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Extravaganza_Tour

[Cyclopssss]

That Live-Aid performance was rehearsed up to the second beforehand. You guys DO know that, don't you? 

[Stadler]

That Live-Aid performance was rehearsed up to the second beforehand. You guys DO know that, don't you?

I didn't, but that doesn't really change anything.  Still have to play the game.   (See what I did there?)

[Cyclopssss]

Yep. They f'in rocked it.

[DragonAttack]

That Live-Aid performance was rehearsed up to the second beforehand. You guys DO know that, don't you?

I didn't, but that doesn't really change anything.  Still have to play the game.   (See what I did there?)

all you have to do is.....

[MirrorMask]

That Live-Aid performance was rehearsed up to the second beforehand. You guys DO know that, don't you?

Well, but how does that differ from any other performance? they had a strict showtime, 20 or 25 minutes. Of course they had to carefully plan the setlist to fit into the given time. Did they reharse also the stage movements? I believe most bands do. Iron Maiden is the best live band in the world, and from a collection of clips from various concerts it's clear that all their movements on stage, even the jokes such as Bruce pointing a fan towards Adrian (or removing it, I don't remember... it was during Wasted Years in 2016) are all pre-planned. So what? they still have to pull it off convincingly night after night (or, as in the case of Queen, in a single 20 minutes occasion).

[Peter Mc]

Just seen the movie and, while I can get past some of the timeline changes in terms of songs being released at different times etc. I do have more of an issue with the whole build up to Live Aid which is completely made up and untrue.

The film portrays a band who have not played together for years with Freddie, freshly diagnosed with AIDS, begging the band to take him back pretty much weeks before Live Aid so much so that Bob Geldof had to squeeze them in when the bill was already full. So this band who'd been out of action for years with Freddie struggling to get his vocals back in shape we're about to make a big comeback and Freddie tells the band just days/weeks before that he's dying.

Literally none of that is true, Queen had been playing shows all year, Freddie was not diagnosed with AIDS until years after Live Aid.

My Mum and Dad went to see it with me and absolutely loved the movie as do many other people who are not huge fans are of the band so I guess it is a success in terms of being an enjoyable movie for the general public. I just feel that people are being duped a little in terms of this huge historic event and will go away with a false account of what led up to that performance at Live Aid.

I think the movie did deal with Freddie's lifestyle and his sexuality, I'm not sure what people were expecting in a PG movie. You weren't going to see explicit gay sex scenes but it was pretty clear he was promiscuous and, whilst his assistant was kind of made out to be the bad guy, it was ultimately about Freddie being a lonely guy trying to fill a void in his life that led him to the destructive lifestyle of drugs and sex which ultimately killed him. No issue with how they dealt with that, you saw Freddie being a dick at times, he wasn't made out to be a saint.

Ultimately I enjoyed it and found it a really emotional movie, I shed quite a few tears, Freddie's voice can do that to me at the best of times. Not sure I can totally forgive the liberties taken in the last 30 min or so though.

Oh and Rami Malek kills it as Freddie Mercury, he's unbelievable in the role. We'll never know what SBC's Freddie was like but I would be amazed if he could've topped this as an acting performance.

[Adami]

The more I think about the movie, the more I dislike the script. Acting is great, no complaints there, but that script.


Yes, the whole LiveAid thing is made up for the movie, but that's not it. The movie shows that Freddie just found the band and auditioned in a parking lot, but that's not what happened at all. Freddie met Mary Austin at a show and then asked her out, but that's not how it happened. Freddie didn't meet Jim Hutton at his party and then not see him again for years until Live Aid.

Just almost none of the movie is accurate at all. This isn't a matter of "changing the timeline a little bit" this is most of the movie just being made up.

[Peter Mc]

Didn't know the exact story of how Freddie came to join the band or meet Mary or Jim. To me though, they are things you can use some artistic license on. You're telling me now they are not correct and I'm not too bothered by it.

The Live Aid thing does bother me though as I feel that this is a historic event that billions witnessed and you're now getting a false narrative which will colour people's memory of that performance if they are duped by the movie. I guarantee that most people will be duped as well.  It's them using his terrible illness for dramatic effect to make Live Aid a bigger moment than it actually was. To me, the one thing you have to be honest about is his illness and subsequent death and they have not done that, they've used it instead cheaply to tug on people's heartstrings.

I get that a movie showing his slow decline is not box office gold and, if you want to end it at Live Aid then that's fine. You can just then tell people in the end credits that Queen went on to record three further albums before Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.  No need to pretend him and the band found out just before Live Aid.