Rotten Tomatoes gave “Michael” a low rating because it doesn’t tell the whole truth about Michael Jackson.
But I loved it—precisely because it glossed over the same issues that were heavily publicized when he was still alive. Enough already.
Watching the movie felt like watching one of his concerts, which I never had the chance to attend. The one and only concert he held here in the Philippines was in December 1996, when I was still managing an auto spare parts store.
The ’90s were the decade when I was either stressed or eating desserts. In case you haven’t noticed, “stressed” spelled backward is “desserts.” Better that than smoking and drinking, which were also among my favorite coping mechanisms back then. And when I say drinking, I mean tequila.
So in December 1996, I’m sure I didn’t even know that Michael Jackson was going to have a concert in Manila. I was too stressed to care. And since I missed that, it’s the movie that made me want to dance in my seat to “Bad.” Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” “Human Nature,” “Thriller,” “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin’,” and “Workin' Day and Night.”
The Jackson 5, who became The Jacksons in 1976 when they moved from Motown Records to Epic Records, were also featured in the movie, performing hits such as “ABC,” “I’ll Be There,” “I Want You Back,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Who’s Lovin’ You.”
“Mother Mary” is another concert-like movie. And Rotten Tomatoes gave it a high rating.
Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) is a pop star, much like Taylor Swift. Based on that comparison, I hope you already have an idea of the kind of concerts this movie features.
“Mother Mary” is dark, though—very dark. It takes place mostly inside a barn, with minimal lighting—just candles and some sunlight.
If action movies could put me to sleep, “Mother Mary” had all the potential to make me doze off throughout the whole film. It’s like a lullaby—a dark lullaby. But surprisingly, I stayed awake, although I could hardly understand some of the dialogue, the actresses’ voices seemingly drowned out by the vacuum the darkness creates in each scene.
Spoiler alert: There’s a scene where a thin red cloth enters Anne Hathaway’s hand, and many scenes later, near the end, it exits from her chest. I was like, “Hey, is this an intro for ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’?” It also features a red cloth flowing and flying from the movie title in its trailer. Hathaway plays Andy Sachs in “Prada 2,” the same role she had in the first “Prada.”
To say that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is the movie fashionistas are looking forward to may be an understatement. I was—and still am—not a fashionista, but I did wait for the first one, which I thought would be the one and only. But Hollywood does love sequels and prequels for its blockbusters. I mean, I’ve already lost count of the sequels and prequels for Marvel, DC, and “Star Wars.”
And even “Michael” might join the trend. Before the credits began to roll, the words “His story will continue” appeared onscreen. Hmm. Will that story finally reveal his alleged dark side?
