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67.188.166.191

...Chadwick Boseman channels the Godfather of Soul in this James Brown biopic.
I never had the fortune to see him perform live but I did see the TAMI show at a drive-in sitting on the hood of my car in 1964 as it was broadcast live to movie theaters all over the country (available on DVD).
The film bio skips around but does a nice job of showing Brown as a genius talent, businessman and a tough, cold-hearted manager of his band.
No doubt it only touches superficially on the his drugs, womanizing, domestic violence and personal craziness but I think overall it presents a pretty balanced picture of him (and keeps a PG-13 rating).
The best part is the music - some of his best songs are performed on stage and Bozeman does a great job of replicating Brown's energy and moves, although there's really only one James Brown.
Highly recommended - I'd give it an A for the music and a B overall.

TAMI Show performance (Open in New Window)

Edits: 08/04/14

Follow Ups:

We have "Nina" coming up. - free.ranger 17:06:56 08/07/14 (0)
Another musician biopic; Nina Simone played by Zoe Saldana. Not sure how that will work out. Controversy already, but Nina's life is fascinating.
The idea of a film about a superstar performer always is interesting, the delivery always disappointing. - tinear 14:48:46 08/06/14 (2)
No actor could come close to portraying the performances of Ray Charles or James Brown.
I worked (in Savannah) with a first-cousin of Brown's: she always said he was a great guy, though really troubled. This was at the time of his arrest for an altercation with an arresting police officer after a traffic stop...
- Or Ali, The Queen, Johnny Cash, etc... - mkuller 15:17:47 08/06/14 (1)
  ...agreed.
  
  But what a biopic can do is to show them and their public behavior in the broader context of their life.
  
  On that level this movie succeeds although it would have been a better film if it had gone a little deeper.
  
  He was very troubled and had a difficult time connecting emotionally to anyone - other than his audience.
  
  Saw a preview of the upcoming Hendrix biopic.
  - With musicians, sometimes it's the same story. Detachment, drugs, low self esteem away from the stage. - tinear 08:30:25 08/07/14 (0)
    If they were happy and adjusted, they most probably wouldn't engage in those self-destructive behaviors--- or be driven to be those kinds of performers.
    I just saw the excellent documentary on Jimi. That was enough; what made it interesting was the footage and the comments by those close to him.
    From the Doors film starring Val Kilmer to the Eastwood-directed flick about Coltrane (or was it Parker?)--- I've been disappointed. The Diana Ross film wherein she portrays Billie Holiday is an exception, kind of--- Ross was a great singer, herself. Crummy film, great performance.
I'm really looking forward to this one. (nt) - reelsmith. 12:15:01 08/05/14 (0)
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reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.

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