upon reviewing this movie, i noticed that michael jackson was surprisingly good in it, knowing what we now know about how he ended up. he seems natural and NOT CRAZY. the dancing & his embodiment of a shaky scarecrow were EXCELLENT. his VOICE even sounds normal!!! he really reminds me of Janet in this movie, actually...
shareHe was still a kid at the time. (a 20 year old is a kid to me)
Yeah, I think they all did a great job in this movie and the low rating and bad talk is not deserved. I wish it was a Turner classic so I could watch it more often.
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...He called me a Twinkie bandit...
Michael was good in this film.
shareThe Wizard of Oz, whichever interpretation you're talking about, is basically a childrens' story, a fairytale of sorts (and a very good one).
And Micheal Jackson is *ahem* great with kids!
I was staggered, I didn't realise that Michael was actually African-american
shareMichael Jackson's performance was awesome in this film.
When he was being teased by the crows on the post, you almost forgot that he was acting!
I agree, this film does not deserve the low ratings its getting.
It also has some of the most frightening special effects/puppet action ever filmed. Those bouncing puppets and their DOO-DA-DaDOO sound gave me nightmares for years :).
And the people " peeling" themselves out of the walls! Whew!
The only real flaw I saw in this film was when the sweatshop workers came out of their suits, the zippers were VERY visible (???).
Michael Jackson rocks anyway, so its not really surprising lol
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Chewing gum is really gross. Chewing gum I hate the most!
I always figured the zippers were meant to be visible, a sort of stylistic choice since so much of the film has a /highly/ stylised look. Also sybolically speaking, if the zippers are visible that means that the zippers we have are visible too, if not to us than perhaps to others around us.
But then I like overthinking things.
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It should've been a hit back then. Especially with MJ being in it. I don't care how they modernized it into NY. It was very well done and yes, kinda scary. To be honest, I'm surprised it wasn't Disney.
shareMichael Jackson = Lovely.
End of story.
I sort of feel sorry for him every time i see this movie. He was good. The ratings were low because 1 it was a low budgit film 2 It was with blacks. And at the time blacks were discriminated. Still i liked this movie. This might sound funny but I just saw the movie two or three years ago and I had no clue who Michael Jackson was. So then on a biography I saw on tv. They had Michael and he scared the holy !@#$%^&* out of me.
shareFirst of all, where have you lived the last twenty years, not knowing who he is?
And second, Michael is so lovely! How can you say such a thing? Seeing people saying that scares the holy !@#$%^&* out of me.
Am I the only one who's smitten with the Scarecrow?
Granted I didn't see this movie in it's entirety until just a few days ago, and I think certain parts would have scared the heck out of me (none of the Scarecrow parts, that is).
But I do think that when I was little I would have been so in love with the Scarecrow :D.
He's just so loveable and cuddly looking.
I love it when he gets emotional, when he reads those little strips of paper (my boyfriend and I call him a fortune cookie, lol), and when he dances and sings.
*sigh*
Go ahead and flame me if you want, I don't care :P.
The Scarecrow is dang adorable, and MJ rocks.
-Amanda
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"
Eh, I love the scarecrow too! When I was fifteen, I was all "scarecrowy". There was a while, when every scarecrow anywhere would interest me.
I don't drink alcohol, Grim, and "Jesus juice" only exists in Janet Arvizo's imagination.
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Oh yeah.
I don't drink alcohol, Grim, and "Jesus juice" only exists in Janet Arvizo's imagination.
Michael Jackson was sooooooooooo cute in this film! He didn't seem to have as many lines as the original scarecrow from the 1939 version, but then again the movie's about Dorothy. Of course his dancing rocked!!
shareI think he has many lines, as soon as we get to see him. And yes, he's the cutest scarecrow ever!
Yes, it's true! IMDB has reached Sweden!
Go ahead and flame me if you want, I don't care :P.
The Scarecrow is dang adorable, and MJ rocks.
I was watching this the other day and couldn't believe my eyes. I actually got sad because watching Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and how incredibly talented they both were and knowing now where they are today. (Granted, Diana Ross has just aged poorly I think, but it's a shame she's basically a caricature of herself now)
His voice was amazing and his dancing was unbelievable. AND he could act! A triple threat!
The human Lisa Simpson
Thank you, Olivialicious!
I agree :D.
-Amanda
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"
I don't know why anyone would think Jackson was "SURPRISINGLY good" in this movie.
Look, whether or not you understand his highly questionable choices later in life (I don't,) and whether or not you think he committed crimes against children (I rather doubt it,) NOBODY can deny the man has TALENT. This much was evident when he was about 7 years old.
Exactly denbeez. Couldn't have said it better. The man is TOO talented. What ISN'T he good at? lol
his VOICE even sounds normal!!!His voice is actually not as high as people make it seem. He's just soft spoken.
www.juicy-flawless.orgshare
Also, I think people need to see footage of MJ when he was in the Jackson 5 and throughout the 70s in his very early career (YouTube has a lot, search atound there). Its unbeleivable how amazing and how far ahead of his time he was at barely 11 years old. People tend to overlook the Destiny/Triump era you know? My God, theres so many wonderful things I can say about this man's talent, I dont have the time.
www.juicy-flawless.orgshare
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I'm a big MJ fan, but I too was suprised at how good he was in The Wiz. I think he was the only cast member in the movie who actually recieved good reviews by critics when the film was released. I don't think the OP meant anything by it though, if they were suprised they were suprised. At least they were suprised in a good way lol.
MJ to me was always an underrated actor. His music videos clearly proved he had chops. In Ghosts, he was totally fabulous in the dual role of the Maestro and the mayor (and many people are shocked when they see him as the mayor because they can't believe it's him). His cameo appearance was also the best part of Miss Castaway,an otherwise pretty dreadful movie, but Agent MJ made it worthwhile! Also, a little known fact is that he was considered for the role of Edward Scissorhands! He wasn't able to take the role because he was still doing the Bad tour at the time, so it went to Johnny Depp (and the rest, as they say, is history).
It's a pity he didn't get to do more films, but after he fell out with Spielberg and then all of Hollywood pretty much distanced itself from him after 2005, I guess it wasn't to be, although with This Is It he seems to have finally been vindicated on the big screen.
I've been an MJ fan for fourteen years, but this is the first time, that I read about him being considered for the role of Edward Scissorhands! That's just fascinating! I can't help trying to imagine him in that role now.
But back to the topic, I have to agree with you, that Michael was underrated as an actor. "The wiz", "Bad" and "Ghosts" are my three prime examples of this. Of course, he was even better at singing and dancing, so I can't blame him for choosing that career. But he could have done more movies than what he did.
Yes, it's true! IMDB has reached Sweden!
I agree. He was also supposed to be in "A Chorus Line" and "Hook" but he dropped out of both because he didn't think each character was for him.
sharei absolutely love him in this movie!! he is SOOO adorable i just wanna hug him! and he sounds amazing as usual and danced great and played the scarecrow good he is so thin you actually understand why he is so shaky and wobbly hahaha and his eyes and smile are so bright and hes just cute and funny!!!
i wouldnt have even watched this movie if he wasnt in it
im your friend too mr. todd...if you only knew mr. todd...
Oh yeah, I agree!
Yes, it's true! IMDB has reached Sweden!
In my opinion there are 'SO MANY' elements that make this film 'ONE' of the 'BEST' by far, and to me Michael Jackson is just 'ONE' of the many. I would still believe 110% without a doubt that this was a 'MAGNIFICENT' film even if Jackson was not a part of it, and I would have still watched it.
The whole concept of an urban version of the 'Land of OZ' is quite intriguing and with or without Michael Jackson or Diana Ross, New York or Kansas, in my opinion the underlying message of this film is what makes it very heartfelt, touching and memorable.
I am over-joyed that it just happens to be 2 of the most 'INCREDIBLE' Entertainers in History (Michael Jackson and Diana Ross) together in this amazing movie musical, because the legacy of Motown Records and what that record company and its founder Berry Gordy has done to change the face of American Music and film-making is nothing short of BRILLIANT, just like THE WIZ!
Unfortunately 'IN MY OPINION' White America have largelys turned there backs on THE WIZ today and was not ready for THE WIZ even 30 years ago, (even the stage version was hated and harshly critized by White critics for being too loud etc. and also included hateful vicious insults directed at Stephanie Mills) but with the hope of Barack OBAMA on the brink of becoming the first Black President in the History of this 'Often Racist' country, with hope and positive change just around the corner for 'EVERY MAN, WOMAN and CHILD of every age, color and economic class, then I'm sure "IF" The Wiz were to be rediscovered again for the valuable lessons that it holds for 'ALL PEOPLE of ALL COLORS', then I'm sure people would see THE WIZ as 'ONE' of the GREATEST most ENTERTAINING and BRILLIANT films ever to grace the 'Silver Screen', right alone side what White Americans have 'ALWAYS CLAIMED' to be 'THE' greatest film of all time, that being 'the Wizard of OZ', Hmmmmm.
***OBAMA O8***
"Can't You Feel a Brand New Day"!
Michael was magnificent. Plain and simple.
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