#whitney i wanna dance with somebody film review

[thequeereview]

Film Review: Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody ★★★1/2

My head is swimming with Whitney Houston’s incredible back catalogue, and I’m floating on a bittersweet nostalgic cloud, as I step back out on to the streets of New York after a morning screening of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. I have that post-concert buzz and feel like I’ve just witnessed a soulful tribute act; a lovingly-crafted and rather intimate celebration of the life of…

[thepunktheory]

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Hello, hello!A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I randomly decided to head to the cinema. Among the movies playing that day, we opted for the Whitney Houston biopic which – up until that day – had somehow completely escaped my attention. Let’s see if it gets the job done! The Plot (as found on Rotten Tomatoes): Discovered by record executive Clive Davis, Whitney Houston rises to fame in the…

[rookie-critic]

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022, dir. Kasi Lemmons) - review by Rookie-Critic

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody plays out like more of a Wikipedia page than an actual movie. This is an issue I have with almost all of these recent "movies about music artists where the name of the movie is just the name of one of their most famous songs" that have come out over the past few years. They're always pretty long and move at such a breakneck pace that nothing ever feels like it means anything. We're never in any one place long enough to get anything real out of these films. Large swaths of time are just skipped over entirely, with entire years getting passed up in between most scenes. I appreciate that the film wants to give an overview of the entire life of Whitney Houston, but it really just comes across as a flyover, a highlight reel. We see everything from the sidelines, and the moments pass by like race cars at the Indy 500.

What I will give this movie, as is also the case with those other movies in this category, is the performances. Naomi Ackie is quite good, as are Stanley Tucci and Nafessa Williams. Had the movie taken a little more time to focus on any one part of Houston's life, I feel like Ackie's performance would be comparable to the best of them (i.e. Sam Riley's portrayal of Joy Division's Ian Curtis in Control or Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison), but sadly the film gets in her way. The few scenes where she's really allowed to shine are in all the big musical moments, where she's not really getting to show her chops so much as bring the spirit of it, which she most definitely does. There is one scene, and it's one that has mostly been shown in the trailers, where we get to really see what Ackie is made of, and it's the radio interview where she goes off about people criticizing her for being "too white." Ackie really shines there and it makes it all the more frustrating that you don't get to see her really bring it like that at any other moment.

The other thing I will list as a pro, as someone who wasn't too aware of Whitney Houston's history outside of her troubled relationship with Bobby Brown and her sudden death, is that this film is surprisingly informative. Granted, these are all things that are probably easily findable online, but I was surprised at the amount of times I found myself going "oh, huh, I had no idea" after learning something new about Houston. It felt like the writers cared about setting the record straight on some misunderstandings about Houston and her history, and I did appreciate that. There is nothing poorly made about I Wanna Dance with Somebody from a technical perspective. The acting is great, the cinematography is fine, the directing and the writing are all just fine. However, I just can't help but compare this musician biopic to other films in the same genre like Control, like The Doors, and like the incredibly artful I'm Not There, and it just can't stack up to those. This one did not make hardly any impact on me and I imagine I'll forget a lot about it after a few months time.

Score: 5/10

Currently only in theaters.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 13/01/2023 (Liam Gallagher/John Squire, Lewis Capaldi, Bring Me the Horizon)

Welp, Noah Kahan’s back at #1 with “Stick Season” for a second consecutive week - kinda surprised this is the hit song we start off the year with but alas, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Now this is the kind of balls-to-the-wall week I expect from early January, and we’ll get to that, but as always, we start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we say farewell to “ten” by Fred again.. and Jozzy, “Take on Me” by a-ha, “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston, “Giving Me” by Jazzy, “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, "Escapism." by RAYE featuring 070 Shake and "As it Was" by Harry Styles.

Now as for songs still showing up on the charts, we have our notable gains, and given January actually has a lot of stuff going on pop music wise, I’m not entirely sure how well these will maintain their momentum but regardless, we do see boosts for… “When We Were Young (The Logical Song)” by David Guetta and Kim Petras at #53, “Riptide” by Vance Joy at #49 - oh, this is dire. Noah Kahan’s good, sure, but it really does not mean we need to stomp and holler our way back to 2014. Sigh, elsewhere, at least we have “Never Lose Me” by Flo Milli at #41, but also “Toxic” by Songer at #39 - God, let’s not do this, please - “Perfect (Exceeder)” by Mason and Princess Superstar at #26, “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter at #19, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna getting a second wind at #11 and finally, Teddy Swims with his first top 10 as “Lose Control” rises to #6, not really complaining about that one.

In addition, we see another film-related return with Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” finding use in this romcom Anyone but You which no, I haven’t watched and unlike Saltburn, probably won’t. Regardless, the song debuted and peaked at #6 in 2004 the week that “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid 20 debuted at the top of the charts, and it’s now back at #24. I’m a lot less fond of this one, but it’s mostly fine, I’m more exhausted by how 2024 seems to be going even harder in just reviving catalogue songs instead of having new hits.

As for our top five, it seems pretty standard with “greedy” by Tate McRae at #5, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #4 and “Lovin’ on Me” at #3, but then we have Sophie Ellis-Bextor reaching the same peak she reached back at release with “Murder on the Dancefloor” at #2. I don’t really get why the scene in the film, which whilst memorable, is hardly a worthwhile payoff to that shitfest, but I digress, is what propelled this but I almost think it was just sitting there, ready for any excuse to start skirting up the Spotify charts. Oh, and Noah Kahan’s at #1, of course, let’s check out what’s new, because there’s actually more here than last week… and it’s a bit more interesting… Hell, it’s actually pretty incomprehensible this week, so let’s just find some kind of through line, and we start with a certainty that is oddly comforting nowadays…

New Arrivals

#72 - “Skims” - D-Block Europe

Produced by THESCAM and Hash-K

Ah, my good old friends Young Adz and Dirtbike Lb. It’s even produced by… “THESCAM”, wow, I guess it says gullible on the ceiling of your mansion, guys. They released a mixtape or album or whatever and this is a single from it - yes, we’re getting back to back DBE weeks - and it’s just terrible as you’d expect. The tuned-out piano is almost plugg-esque, and surprisingly enough, Dirtbike Lb handles much of this, talking about women mostly as well as a lot of flexing, and whilst he can’t make a catchy hook to save his life, I like Dirtbike’s voice here, he sounds more… stable than usual, and the drums actually hit fairly hard through the whole song. On an objective level, if there is one, this is one of their most competent lead singles until Young Adz comes in with “Presidential, Emmanuel Macron”. That’s the French President. That’s just the French President, you can’t just say the French President. That’s not a bar. He’s mixed too loud and brags about paying with crypto and giving a girl so much money that she… can’t tax evade anymore. Sure. Good to have you back, guys.

#71 - “Nothing Matters” - The Last Dinner Party

Produced by James Ellis Ford

Alright, we have our first of many sleeper hits to debut this week, but this is actually one of the newer ones, being released just early last year. This is the debut single for all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party, hailing from London and getting James Ellis Ford, who’s produced for a who’s who of British alternative acts and Kylie Minogue, to work on their debut album coming out in February. We start with an organ, which is almost ironically religious for this kind of song, as lead singer Abigail Morris, through her very British delivery, pretty much condemns herself prematurely for what she’s about to say, “I have my sentence now”, it seems final and self-loathing for what is pretty much a newfound love song, where her partner is struggling to move on but it’s a complete rush for Morris, who seems to hold a lot of power. They can hold her like they held their last girlfriend, but what she’s going to do is fuck you so good that none of that matters, and yeah, this is brilliant. There’s such a bending character to Morris’ vocals, I love the flailing yacht rock guitars in the verses that end up picking up into an incredibly catchy bass groove peppered by the claps in the basic yet anthemic chorus that doesn’t change because, well, it doesn’t change like much will change at this point. To her, there’s not a third person that matters, or at least there’s not a third opinion she values more than getting off on their misunderstanding, and then that staccato bridge explodes into a great squealing guitar solo that ends up seamlessly mirroring the plastic horns that appear in the back of the - admittedly maybe a bit too compressed - mix for that final chorus, where we get a switch up in the rhythm and some impressive vocal runs from Morris.

#59 - “A Cure for Minds Overall” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by TMS

…Can I use my free Get Out of Reviewing a Lewis Capaldi Song card? Oh, there are two Lewis Capaldi songs both from his deluxe edition? Sigh… well, I guess I’ll use these for another time. Well, for now, I can say that’s an ugly Britpop guitar tone that easily sounds like it could be a MIDI guitar just playing the same chord again and again, and like all of the songs from this album, Capaldi’s voice is mixed bizarrely, and really close, which could help the song’s intimacy, and mostly does, especially given it’s just as self-loathing and wordy as the others, and it goes for the same explosion of strings and belting as the others for the chorus… but God, it’s so tedious. I actually don’t mind the strings, the lyrics are pretty great, but this mix is such a blur of nothingness and the guitar just doesn’t stop. There are supposedly drums in this but they’re so unimpactful and shrouded by the terrible blending of the strings that it just sounds like a guy arguing with clouds and losing… which may actually be what he’s going for, in all honesty. I suppose it works?

#52 - “Ophelia” - The Lumineers

Produced by Simone Felice

…Why? Okay, so this is a sleeper hit from folk rock group The Lumineers and like I said, we’re stomp and hollering our way back to the days of “Ho Hey” as somehow, “Ophelia”, despite releasing in 2015 and being a minor hit Stateside, had never crossed over to the UK. This is really not my thing, even if I know that it’s really not a bad song. The reverb envelops the mix in a cinematic if slightly cheap, commercial-sounding way, and Wesley Schultz is far from a bad singer, his feature on my favourite song of last year kind of proved that I like his voice way more than I should. The jaunty hook is catchy if a tad unmemorable, carried by the gimmicky piano frolick that I’ve never liked, and you can hear he’s straining a bit in the third verse, out of a slight frustration but not a specific one. This song has always felt like vague-posting about a relationship to me and not in a very effective way because there’s little poetic about this song. I’m sorry, I don’t dislike these guys, I’m just not big on this one at all. I get why it’s going to probably be a hit now, I’m not really happy about it.

#37 - “Strangers” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by The Monsters & Strangerz and Michael Pollack

Okay, our second effort from Mr. Capaldi here… he references “Wonderwall” within 10 seconds, and that’s not the last time we’ll be talking about Oasis, it’s one of those weeks. Anyway, this is just awkward: Lewis isn’t really fit for the fast-paced melody he uses given his frail, froggy voice, and there’s not much to cover that up given the minimal piano and strings backing. I genuinely think this could be a great song if just put against some real rock guitar and groove, it has an insanely catchy lead melody in the chorus that would rip in a pop rock context, but here we just have adult contemporary mush about a breakup… has this guy had 47 breakups or is he just talking about the same one each time? I mean, I guess it’s better than the last one because the mix sounds slightly more professional, but there’s not exactly much to latch onto here either.

#27 - “Practice” - Drake

Produced by 40 and Drake

This is a deep cut from 2011’s Take Care. What the Hell is going on?! To be fair, it’s still Drake, but it’s not even a song he’s pushing or got any kind of boost outside of a TikTok trend and, well, it fits the climate of pop music right now at least, since it samples the bounce classic “Back that Azz Up” by JUVENILE featuring Mannie Fresh, who also produced one of the most recognisable beats of all time, and a young Lil Wayne on the bridge. The Weeknd says he wrote the hook but it’s word for word from “Back that Azz Up” so not really sure what he’s going on about there. The explicit yet undeniable club jam actually never charted in the UK, but hey, now we have Drake singing it to yet another stripper he’s in love with. As for that version, I’ve never been a fan of this era of Drake, where he takes himself uber-seriously, can barely sing and is pathetic in a murkier way that just bothers me more than it allows me to laugh at him, especially when he just… recites the chorus to “Back that Azz Up” over a cloudy alternative R&B beat, and a lot of Juvie’s first for that matter. Outside of the drums, which sound straight from 2011, this isn’t exactly a beat too far from what Drake is putting out right now - he’d probably add a female vocal sample and 21 Savage guest verse if he were to make it today - so I suppose I guess why it’s here, but I can get this vibe done much more compellingly from early Weeknd, I see little value in this, or really the album as a whole in 2024, other than constructing the guy’s wounded armour in the public eye. I do hear people say they want the old Drake, so I guess the fans just put their streams where their mouths were.

#21 - “Kool-Aid” - Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Zakk Cervini, Oli Sykes and Dan Lancaster

This cover art looks like an edgy AI prompt for “Kool-Aid Man digital art”. The Horizon boys have released many a single from this upcoming album, and I’m actually less excited with each one I hear, so I’m cautious here, especially given… well, it’s called “Kool-Aid”. Welp, is this an “Oh Yeah!” moment? No, not at all. This is an “Oh no” at best, and maybe that’s giving it too much credit. I do like the build-up with the shuttering synths and two-clap drop in the intro, but the rest of the song spends so much of its runtime in muddy breakdown mode that it just fails to function in any other way, despite going for screaming breakdowns afterwards as if the song had any momentum in the first place, with Oli Sykes going on about drinking the Kool-Aid and, man, I don’t think the social commentary is that interesting or up to date, and the violent relationship analogies aren’t nearly as transgressive as he thinks they are. The haunting backing vocals from Lucy Landry in the bridge are pretty sick, but they once again find themselves in a song that REALLY wants you to convince you on something, but never really tells you what that something is. They go all out with every Bring Me the Horizon trick in the book for the final chorus and it just seems desperate. I’ll pass on this, I hope there’s more to the deep cuts.

#16 - “Just Another Rainbow” - Liam Gallagher and John Squire

Produced by Greg Kurstin

This was headed for #1 on Sunday, really. Now at a much more reasonable spot but still higher than Liam Gallagher should be in 2024, this is the lead single from a collaborative album between Mr. Gallagher and John Squire, who used to be the guitarist for The Stone Roses, an influential and for what they were, incredibly popular rock band from the Madchester scene in the late 80s and early 90s. They actually released two top 40 comeback singles in 2016, to which Squire contributed, but have otherwise been largely inactive, with this being his first top 40 hit to his own name, with Squire making a guest appearance at Gallagher’s recent Knebworth performances in tribute to him guest starring at Oasis’ classic 1996 concert there, which I guess rekindled something in the duo. Is this slice of 90s alt-rock nostalgia going to be any good? You know what? Probably not, but on this week I’ll take it. Liam’s voice is still grating but that psychedelic guitar lick is pretty washed-out and cool, and I think the way the mirroring bass is mixed against it makes it sound pretty interesting instrumentally. It sounds lost and uncertain, finding itself only when the drums come in and it turns into a bit of a bluesy rocker that is just solid. There’s little to complain about other than Liam’s voice just being an acquired taste, as the song just slides itself to and fro, with some lyrics where he literally just lists the colours of the rainbow at some point, it’s kind of silly. I don’t see this lasting even a second week and it’s of course not the best of the rock songs of this week, even if it has the coolest solo of all of them: it feels really dynamic and kind of goes on forever in a soaring linger. If anything is proven by this song, I mean, John Squire still has it after all those years just painting away. That’s good to know.

Conclusion

Best of the Week should be pretty obvious, it’s going to The Last Dinner Party for “Nothing Matters”, which is actually fantastic and almost shocked me since I don’t expect much to stand out from the charting remains of indie landfill. Speaking of, I mean I guess it’s typical that another rock song gets the Honourable Mention, but no one was really competing with “Just Another Rainbow” by Liam Gallagher and John Squire, since the rest of this week really was kind of garbage. I actually think Bring Me the Horizon, who I do like around half of the time, snab Worst of the Week for “Kool-Aid”, which I feel second-hand embarrassment for. The Dishonourable Mention… give it to Lewis Capaldi. Moreso for the first one, but it’s not like “Strangers” is saving that sinking ship. As for what’s on the horizon, no pun intended, we’ll probably Ari and Lil Nas X playing an incredibly unbalanced game of tug-of-war for the #1. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[destinyc1020]

My Movie Review: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

I'm FINALLY getting around to writing this movie review after all of the unfortunate craziness that's been going on in my life for the past two months.....🤪🤦🏾‍♀️

Anyway, I saw “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” at theaters over a month ago lol!  😅 I just wanted to share my own personal Movie Review, and see what you all maybe thought about the film as well.  

**NOTE:  I will first start off by giving a very general overview/review of the movie overall, and then further down below, I will discuss the pros and cons from the movie, and will go more in-depth and be more candid with how I felt about the movie. 😊

With that said….

OVERALL:

Overall, I felt like this movie was the type of film that someone who is a fan of Whitney's music might want to check out just for the sheer enjoyment of her music alone.

I had forgotten how many great hits Whitney had over the years, and how many of her songs have been iconic to me growing up. I've always been a huge fan, and so this movie was a nice tribute to her music. I got chills down my spine during some of her performance scenes. 😊 I was even singing and dancing along to most of her music lol. 😂 There were quite a few things that I didn't know about Whitney's personal life (especially her younger life) that this movie seemed to touch on a little bit, so that was interesting. Personally? I felt like the acting of Naomi, Ashton, Nafessa, and Tamara Tunie especially, really stood out in this film imo.

PROS:

The music was great!

The acting was decent

I liked the "back-in-time" 80s and 90s wardrobe/fashions lol

They tried their best to make the cast look like the real Whitney/Bobby/Clive/Cissy/Bobbi Christina, etc.

I feel like I learned a lot more about Whitney's younger life, and her relationship with Robyn than I knew about.

I actually felt like Nafessa kind of stole the show in her scenes with Naomi. 👀

CONS:

I hate to say it.... But the main thing that took me out of this movie each and every time was the fact that Naomi looked NOTHING AT ALL like Whitney HOUSTON!!!! 😤😡 Usually I'm not that picky and I don't really care as much and I can suspend my disbelief even if the actor doesn't look exactly like the real person in history because their acting is so good, but for some reason, with this movie, I just couldn't do it.....I'm sorry! I would hear Whitney's VOICE singing, but then when I would LOOK at the actress, it just took me out of the whole entire scene. :(

I almost felt like it was someone cosplaying as Whitney Houston. To her credit, Naomi is a great actress... But I just kept asking myself throughout the whole entire movie: "You mean to tell me there were NO African-American actresses who looked a LITTLE like Whitney that they could have chosen for this role??"

Whoever wrote this film certainly gave Bobby Brown the "Good Edit", cuz ummmm..... 👀 In this movie they almost made it seem like Bobby and Whitney just had regular normal spats like most couples, and we all know THAT is a lie. 😒🙄 I'm shocked they didn't show her with not one black eye in the film, nor did they even allude to him hitting her. But oh well....

My other gripe with this movie was the fact that I didn't feel like enough money was put into it. I feel like this movie should have been BIGGER. I have seen at least two Whitney biopics now (a made-for-TV one, and this movie), and EACH and every single time, I feel like they just don't do Whitney's life story justice. I feel like it's always some low-budget type deal. 🥴 I'm sorry, but after seeing awesome biopics like "Ray", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Elvis", "JFK", "Malcolm X", etc. , I just can't with this biopic. It's just NOT on the same level as those others at all. It makes me sad that it almost felt like they didn't even TRY with this biopic. 😔

MY OVERALL SCORE:  6/10  - Overall, if you love Whitney's iconic music, and just want to have a great time dancing and enjoying a light-hearted film, then check it out! But if you're expecting this film to be on any sort of level as other biopics done.... Then, you're going to be sorely disappointed. 😔 They just didn't put as much MONEY into this film as I would have hoped. I just hope that Michael's biopic has some BIG money behind it. I just feel like Whitney's biopic deserved better...and I would have started by casting someone else as the lead. 👀

I gave this movie a chance even despite my overwhelming feeling that the actress looked NOTHING like Whitney. I tried...But it did make a difference in some of my enjoyment of the film. (no offense) Maybe it's because I actually remember when Whitney was alive lol. Anyway.... Overall, it's a fun movie to watch at least once, and I encourage anyone who is just a fan of her music to check it out. I would say that it's streamable.... It's not one you have to watch on the big screen in other words. It was good fun though! So, definitely one worth checking out if you're a fan of Whitney's music. 😊👍

[moviehealthcommunity]

Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)

This is a Movie Health Community evaluation. It is intended to inform people of potential health hazards in movies and does not reflect the quality of the film itself. The information presented here has not been reviewed by any medical professionals.

Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella has sparkling glitter effects in all scenes involving magic, including the very opening of the film. There are brief close-ups of fire.

There are several uses of handheld camera work, but all of the camera work is very smooth.

Flashing Lights: 2/10. Motion Sickness: 2/10.

ADMIN NOTE: Our evaluation of the Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, is now available on our Patreon page at Patreon.com/MovieHealth and will be available on this page on Monday, Dec 26.

Image ID: A promotional poster for Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

[courtneysmovieblog]

Mini Reviews: “Ghosted” and “Peter and Wendy”

And yes, I watched Cocaine Bear too. But more on that in a minute:

Infinity: The tragic true story of Richard Feynman (Matthew Broderick) and his wife Arline (Patricia Arquette) after she’s diagnosed with lymphatic tuberculosis. It’s the only film Broderick has directed (to date), and it’s worth a look.

Fighting with My Family: Florence Pugh in a family of wrestlers. Let it never be said she isn’t a versatile actress.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Strong performance by Naomi Ackie, but Whitney deserved better.

Playing with Fire: John Cena, John Leguizamo, and Keegan-Michael Key are all fireman babysitting kids. So...yeah.

Cocaine Bear: If you like the Sharknado movies, be my guest.

Peter Pan and Wendy: I actually think this was one of the better Disney live action remakes. The only thing I didn’t like was how they had to have a backstory/possible redemption for Captain Hook, but Jude Law was pretty good playing him. Anyway, ignore all the bitching about Disney being too “woke.” Racists and sexists have pretty much hijacked that word, and I’m sick of hearing it.

Ghosted: I was hoping this would be better, though it did have its moments. I still wish we had gotten something like this with Sharon Carter in the MCU movies.

Scream VI: Even without Neve Campbell, this managed to be pretty decent. Loved most of the twists.

[film-book]

‎

Film Review: WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (2022): Naomi Ackie Will Wow Audiences in a Standard but Energetic Biopic https://film-book.com/film-review-whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-2022-naomi-ackie-will-wow-audiences-in-a-standard-but-energetic-biopic/?feed_id=122006&_unique_id=63a51c0acd939

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2022 MOVIE OF THE WEEK #36

i wanna dance with somebody. i saw this one in the theater, and i am so glad that i did because it was such a good time. i enjoyed rewatching it with my best friend at home too, but i always love music movies in theaters and i think this one benefited from that.

i can keep this review pretty short, though, because this film was straightforward. it’s a movie about whitney houston, beginning when she’s still a teenager and unspooling out her life story and career right up until her death. the actress they cast to play her did a great job, imo, and the way they recreated moments in time--music videos, concerts, scandals--really brought them to life for me, which was cool since i mainly knew her in cinderella. it made me feel like i got a better sense of the whole picture of what her life and her music was like.

i didn’t realize until after seeing it that the actress playing whitney only did her own singing during the pre-recording years, that they played whitney’s vocals basically whenever they could. i wish they had fully given the role over to someone instead and allowed her to sing it too, because when i thought that was happening i was really enjoying the idea of it.

but the cast was good in this, with only stanley tucci being somebody i knew before, and it was completely new information to me that whitney had a romantic and sexual relationship with her Best Friend Robin in the early years of her life (but it makes sense that i didn’t know because only robin confirmed it publicly, and only after whitney died). finding that out was really interesting.

it was pretty clear that this movie had a specific, slanted take on whitney’s life and history--no different from most biopics, i’m guessing, but very obvious. because some of whitney’s family was involved in the making of it, but so was her producer, clive davis. and as the story went on, and he became not just a friend or family but the person trying one last serious plea for her to get help because he cared so much about her and was that concerned...it felt like either he was centered in her story because stanley tucci was playing him so he was automatically important, or the real man being portrayed in her history had a hand in the film, so it was important how they treated him.

since i don’t want to go deep-diving into the life of a star who died tragically and who i therefore kind of feel like should be left alone, i can’t say whether the story they told was accurate, on that level. but it made me uneasy to know that he outlived her and got to fund a movie about her, and therefore his interactions with her, when she can’t tell her side of that story and their relationship. the same is true about her dynamic with robin, but to a lesser extent, because even if they consulted robin on intimate moments that were made up, as far as i can tell she didn’t put money into the movie like clive did.

but overall, i learned things, i cried, i sang along, i liked their choices around framing the ending when it couldn’t be better than bittersweet, and it was a movie i could enjoy on rewatch. so all of that was cool. this felt like a sincere tribute to her that didn’t smooth out her flaws, and i don’t think you can get much better than that in a biopic.

[kermodefan94-blog]

I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Review.

Tortured musician biopic #57

As some sort of preamble to this review of the recently released Whitney Houston biopic one could go on a long extended rant about how Bohemian Rhapsody effectively single-handedly revived this variety of hackey, estate-approved tortured musician biopics. Said film is exactly the sort of media Twitter punching bay where the majority of the reasons it has gained this reputation won’t matter to the…

[tinseltine]

#2 – Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody | Sony Pictures Releasing | Director Kasi Lemmons | Screenplay Anthony McCarten - When you grow up in the late 80’s and early 90’s, like I did, Whitney Houston‘s music is a huge part of the soundtrack of your life. The recreation of so many iconic performances and the videos is why “I get so emotional baby” watching this music biopic. I didn’t care who I annoyed in the theater, I sung out loud to every song the entire movie and luckily there were others who joined me. There’s a true sense of joy, care, respect and triumph throughout the film even during the singer’s rough times.  Which I’m sure many critics will feel makes the movie too soft, that it goes too easy on Whitney. I haven’t wanted to read any reviews cause I don’t care about that.  I wanted to be in the presence of this iconic, megawatt talent again and relive the height of her fame when she just seemed absolutely perfect, and WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY fulfills that need.

Anthony McCarten has written a clean, believable, engaging screenplay without many flourishes.  It’s not creative like Rocketman or Elvis, both of which I very much enjoyed, but I don’t think imaginative storytelling techniques would work for a Whitney biopic. The script moves pretty swiftly through her formative years singing in the church and on stage at a Cabaret backing up her mother, Sissy Houston, played by Tamara Tunie, who will always be Jessica on As the World Turns for me. Quickly Whitney is getting her recording contract with Artista Record, headed by Clive Davis, played by the incomparable Stanley Tucci. I always like him, but he really reminds you of Clive Davis. And the actor playing Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) seems like a clone of the singer from the 90’s.  But of course, what brings the movie home is the talent of Naomi Ackie, a Cockney girl from East London whose most major roles, at least stateside, have been in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as ex-Stormtrooper Jannah, and as Lena Waithe‘s wife Alicia in the third season of Master of None. Ackie doesn’t look like Houston, not nearly as attractive, yet it was easy enough to look past this and see her manifest the spirit of Whitney; sadly something Jennifer Hudson was never actually able to do playing Aretha.

A good portion of the film centers on Whitney’s relationship with Robin Crawford (Nafessa Williams) they meet as teens in a playground where Whitney includes her middle name, Elizabeth, when Robin asks who she is. The two just hit it off immediately and eventually move in together.  Whitney’s parents realize it’s more than girlfriends/roommates between them, which is why they don’t have any love for Robin and try to play down their relationship as much as possible, as this is at the start of Whitney’s career.  Of course, if Whitney had come to her fame in this present age, she could have been an out lesbian and lived her life with Robin as her spouse, nobody would bat an eyelash anymore, in fact, it would probably be a boost to her career.  At any rate, the film depicts her as basically straight, but simply loved Robin, and why not experiment with sexual orientation when you’re young?  Sometimes I envy how fluid kids can be today, which for the most part, is accepted. Kasi Lemmons says she took a lot from Crawford’s book “A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston” to capture their relationship. 

Although Whitney had a more casual, sporty side to her personality, it didn’t seem as though she was pining away for Robin, too afraid of her parents and the tabloids.  If Whitney had really wanted that life, I believe she would have made it happen, period.  Because this is a loving and fitting tribute to a legend, we don’t see the years with Bobby from their infamous Reality TV show, where Whitney acted super ghetto. Or the Diane Sawyer interview. These could have been fun to see. But I get why it skips over those years going straight to rehab and Oprah comeback.

For me, it’s not always about what’s being lauded. How often do you see a movie that seems so perfectly well-crafted and yet leaves you cold. I care about engagement, and I was transfixed watching the reenactment of Whitney’s 1994 medley at the American Music Awards of “I Loves You Porgy”/”And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”/”I Have Nothing.” It brought me to tears, which is why this is my second favorite movie of 2022.

[whatsonmedia]

Film Friday: 5 Selected Films of This week!

The majority of individuals enjoy spending their free time watching movies. And it gets much more fascinating when it comes to intriguing genres like thrilling, action, and romantic drama. And this week's WhatsOn editorial Colin McIlwaine has come with reviews of interesting films to make your weekend worthwhile. 1. A Man Called Otto Tom Hanks gives his usual excellent performance as a grumpy and anti-social man. A man who turns out to have a good heart in this thought-provoking film. Otto initially appears as someone who is determined to keep everyone at a distance and even, to pick an argument at every available opportunity. The truth is that Otto has been deeply affected by the death of his wife. It is Marisol, the mother of the young family who has moved in beside him who finally manages to penetrate his defenses and bring out a softer and kinder side to him. As the film moves forward, we see a very different Otto and we are challenged to think about neighborly relationships and perhaps, the less attractive aspects of our own personalities https://youtu.be/eFYUX9l-m5I 2. M3GAN This was a film that I approached with a degree of curiosity, wondering how the story would pan out. M3GAN is a four-foot-tall, lifelike robotic doll, who begins as a child's toy and takes on the role of her "friend”. But who soon turns out to have a much more sinister and dangerous side to her personality? Cady, the child in question, has lost her parents in a car accident. And it is her aunt and now guardian who has created M3GAN. Fantasy and reality walk closely together in this film and we are constantly wondering when good will triumph over evil and when this creation that has gone badly wrong will get her comeuppance. https://youtu.be/BRb4U99OU80 3. I Wanna Dance With Somebody I had been looking forward for some time to seeing the Whitney Houston biopic. And it was certainly a great film. If at times harrowing and sad, I reflected on a life that ended far too soon and in such tragic circumstances. We first meet Whitney at an early age, as she grows up in the company of greatly talented artists such as Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick. Also including her own mother, Cissie. Whitney is influenced by her involvement in the Church and encouraged by family and friends to make good use of the singing talent which God has given to her. As she grows, we see her struggles with her own sexuality, the pressure of other people's expectations, and the demands of her rapidly burgeoning career. Marriage and motherhood seem to add to the pressures and at times. It is sad to watch this clearly very talented entertainer trying to cope with all that life throws at her. British actress Naomi Ackie captures her troubled personality and also her ability to captivate an audience with her beautiful voice. A film worth a watch and indeed, more than one. https://youtu.be/9tfemzaMkoU 4. RRR For someone who has become increasingly interested in films made on the Indian sub-continent, this one made for a fascinating few hours on New Year's Eve. Set in India in 1920, during the period of the British Raj, it is the fictional story of two revolutionary heroes and their adventures as they take on the might of the Empire. The film is at times quite explicitly violent. At the same time, extremely amusing, as we see people running faster than tigers, kick-flipping over motorcycles, and flying through the air. There is an enjoyable musical score and the prolonged dance sequence is particularly entertaining. The film is over three hours long and yet, it seemed to pass quickly. This is a film that is well worth a watch. Especially if someone wants to get away from reality for a little while. https://youtu.be/nXQVoJdDdBg 5. Wild Mountain Thyme I recently discovered this 2020 film on Netflix. Set in County Mayo in the Irish Republic (a lovely part of the world which I know well). It features Northern Ireland's own Jamie Dornan and British/American actress Emily Blunt as Anthony and Rosemary. They are an introverted pair in their thirties. And they live on neighboring farms and seem to be made for each other. But they always beat around the bush and try to avoid expressing what is really going on inside their hearts and minds. It is only when his wealthy American cousin, Chris attempts to get fresh with her that Anthony is forced to confront his true feelings for Rosemary. Also, his difficult relationship with his father, Tony. It is an interesting story, full of dry humor and a good exploration of human emotions and interaction. https://youtu.be/kadUgcIxODM Read the full article

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (12): A long film for a short life.

#onemannsmovies review of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (2022). #wannadancemovie. Overlong but solid biopic of Whitney Houston. 3.5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (2022). My last film of 2022, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is the occasionally uplifting but ultimately sad story of Whitney Houston. In the most blindingly unnecessary example of marketing mansplaining, the film company seemed to see fit to add “Whitney Houston:” as a prefix to the title. But I have chosen to omit this! It’s striking…

[grouchythefish]

I posted 6,299 times in 2022

That's 903 more posts than 2021!

485 posts created (8%)

5,814 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fission-fusion

@ghirahims-left-shoe

@juliuscaesarofficial

@garyoakofficialblog

@firstginger

I tagged 1,702 of my posts in 2022

#disco elysium - 91 posts

#steeve.txt - 56 posts

#ace attorney - 54 posts

#mp100 - 45 posts

#ofmd - 27 posts

#me - 20 posts

#my art - 15 posts

#mcr - 15 posts

#my face - 14 posts

#severance - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#when a film or tv show claims to be one place but youve been to where it was filmed its your sacred duty to be like ''thats actually here''

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

1,070 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

#4

Phoenix Wright Trilogy: Cases are all spread out with weeks or even months in between them.

Edgeworth Investigations: Miles' Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week.

1,719 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#3

See the full post

1,923 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#2

Things that don't exist in Disco Elysium:

All the continents on Earth

Real world religions

Steering wheels

Things that do exist in Disco Elysium

Hit pop single I Wanna Dance with Somebody (who loves me) by Whitney Houston

1964 book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan

Flat Eathers

4,118 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

This game really gets me in a way no other game does.

13,909 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thereeljon]

It feels like I haven’t posted here in a while, so here’s a quick holiday update.

I posted my final short review for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram last night. It’s for the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. This means no new short reviews until 2023. However, starting next year I’m hoping to make longer weekly reviews for YouTube on top of the shorts, probably no more than ten minutes each depending on the film, so stay tuned for those.

I am almost done with the first of the two decade retrospective scripts, so hopefully I can get both finished before New Years. Either way, I’m looking at both videos being released in early January.

I’ve also decided rather than keep trying to catch up with EVERYTHING I missed from this year, I’ll cut back to just the major ones people have talked about being either good or awful. That cuts back my binging from 200 movies to just 22, so hopefully my lists for 2022 should be finalized by New Years as well. Full videos for those will be out once I’m done with the retrospective videos.

Once the lists are done, I’ll get started on some of the other video ideas I have in the works, and with any luck I’ll be able to start posting monthly or biweekly video essays on top of weekly new release reviews. That probably won’t happen until spring at the earliest.

I’m also going to look at recreating my PNG model in VRoid and start using a 3D model again since I don’t have to worry about streaming it. That’s gonna take a bit longer, so that won’t happen until later in the year. I will be sure to post work in progress updates as I go.

I think that about covers it. I hope you all had a merry Christmas and Yule, and have a happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. See y’all in 2023.

[destinyc1020]

Omg I saw I Wanna Dance With Somebody last night and it was AMAZING!!! I love biopics in general and also thought Elvis was INSANELY good and probably better but the actress playing Whitney smashed it out the park. Now, come on Tom and Z, get your biopics moving. I need more

Oooo!! I'm so glad you saw it and enjoyed it! 😁

Wasn't the music FANTASTIC? 😃

You just reminded me that I still need to write my movie review for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". 🤦🏾‍♀️

I have a few gripes with that film that I'm going to address later 👀 , but overall, it was a fun movie to watch (I LOVE biopics... especially about musicians), and it made me miss Whitney's voice terribly 😢