Alright, we have to be honest with you this week.
We messed up.
Life has been lifin. Between work, work, and other things that are not work, we were not able to make it to the theaters this week. FIRST TIME maybe EVER? We might have missed one week since this newsletter’s conception, and we are SO SAD. We will make it up to you, our sweet and beloved subscribers, soon.
In the meantime, we have a new section for you: Critics vs Audience. We have looked at the initial Critics vs. Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes for Michael and added commentary on this, thoughts on the filmmaking crew, and other musical biopics. We discovered a trend, and we think you might find it interesting. If so, let us know. If this new section isn't working, tell Eric, and we won't do it again, and we will make sure we never miss another week. (or probably come up with another potentially dumb idea to try out).
Happy reading :)
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Critics vs Audience: Michael and recent Musician Biopics
Watchlist Worthy: Maybe our favorite trailer this year thus far?
ICYMI Pod: Yap Session in Las Cruces: Film Festival, What We’ve Been Watching, and Harry Potter First Watch #72
Michael by Antonine Fuqua
Letterboxd Description:
Discover the making of a king.
Discover the story of Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists the world has ever known, and his life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world, highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career.
It was only a matter of time before the King of Pop biopic hit theaters. We have had a string of musical titans on the silver screen the past couple of years: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025), Back to Black (2024), A Complete Unknown (2024), Bob Marley: One Love (2024), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). Taking on such a role seems daunting and a heavy lift, even for top-tier talent. Actors want to get it right just as much, and probably more, than the audience.
With movies, especially ones with original IP, we want solid performances, but why wouldn’t we? We love movies, and we want to enjoy every aspect of them, including the acting. However, with movies based on real life, especially those that portray icons who impacted and shifted industries in monumental ways, leaving a legacy that outlasts their time here on this side of life, we have preconceived notions and high expectations of the actors. Did they actually perform the music? Or did they lip-sync? Did they commit to learning not just their stage presence, but also their idiosyncrasies in everyday life? Will we forget the name of the actor because they truly transformed into Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, and, this week’s release, Michael Jackson?
Michael is Jafaar Jackson’s feature film debut. He is the lead. He is Michael. And he is the nephew of one of the most influential artists this world has known. This made us curious, as we assumed the personal relationship would add to the project's passion.
Jackson is directed by the man who delivered us Training Day (2001), Antoine Fuqua, and flanked by a solid supporting cast, including the Colman Domingo. Domingo has become one of our favorites to see on screen, and a beloved who is always dressed to the nines off-screen. Fuqua, Domingo, and a Jackson relative are a force, but is it enough to commit your time and dimes to paying the price of admission at your local theater?
The critics say no. It’s currently sitting at a 40% out of 161 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes works on a binary system. It’s a yes or a no. A “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it.” Think of Commodus giving the thumbs up or the thumbs down when deciding if the men in the colosseum are to live or to die. If he gives a thumbs up, it does not mean the fight was perfect, just that he enjoyed it enough for the gladiator to live.
64 critics said they did like the movie Michael, while 97 said they did not. Is this helpful? Is this system foolproof? No. But if a movie gets a certified fresh rating (75% or higher), we will give it the benefit of the doubt and watch it. However, recently, history would say the audience (non-critics) has a wildly different response to musician biopics.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) and A Complete Unknown (2024) received the closest scores from the critics and the audience, with the latter having only a 13% gap. The former was not certified fresh but did receive an audience score of 82% approval from 1,000+ ratings. We only covered Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere in a newsletter, which we said was worth the price of admission (realizing we never did a piece on A Complete Unknown is baffling—and Josh says he is a Timmy Chalamet Stan smh). You can check that one out here:
We did not watch or cover Back to Black (2024), Bob Marley: One Love (2024), or Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022), but by looking at the critic scores compared to the audience scores, you might see a trend. And this trend might suggest that people really, really enjoy watching these kinds of movies on the big screen. Is it the nostalgia? Is it the love of their work? Is it the fact that these folks had a radical impact on genres and industries in ways we can’t forget, regardless of the appreciation of their art or not? We do not know. But it is fun and interesting to see these trends.
Happy movie watching this weekend. Let us know what you have on the docket. If it is Michael, we’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you lean towards the critics or the audience scores.
Want to know more about our individual ratings of movies?
Follow us on Letterboxd:
@justjoshperez
@ericharrison
@kellyharrison
Idiots by Macon Blair
Letterboxd Description:
When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem.
We are so psyched for Idiots directed by Macon Blair, with a trailer edited by a fucking wizard (whoever you are, BLESS YOU), this looks so fun. The cast is INSANE. Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Kieran Shipka, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, and the up & coming (arrived?) Mason Thames.
CAN’T WAIT.
-Eric
I second what Eric said. The trailer was a short film in and of itself. My brother texted me and asked if there was a film term for this type of trailer editing. I don’t know if there is a term but their should be. That’s how incredible it is. It looks like a ton of fun, and we’ll all be seated for this one.
-JP :)
Also Directed by Macon Blair:
The Toxic Avenger (2023)
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)
Yap Session in Las Cruces: Film Festival, What We’ve Been Watching, and Harry Potter First Watch #72
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh and Eric record while Eric is in Las Cruces with poor internet, having forgotten his microphone, and while he is attending events tied to a film festival and a grand opening.
Eric describes interrupting Steve Zahn for a photo and later apologizing, while they joke about “everything everywhere all at once” jumpers and embarrassment as narcissism.
They discuss the grim state of New Mexico film production despite festival sponsorships, bird poop “good luck,” and what they’ve been watching: Eric’s first-time Harry Potter run (including an Alfonso Cuarón “ice/eyes” anecdote), Slow Horses season five, Your Friends and Neighbors, Project Hail Mary, and the new Mario movie, while Josh recommends The Pitt and DTF and mentions seeing the new Faces of Death and excitement for the Backrooms horror film.
Tune in next week for | The Devil Wears Prada 2
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