Official Trailer for the James Brown Biopic

[skooldem1]

[soulster]

Yeah! I'm excited about this. His is one story that has never really been told. I'm just concerned that they may have turned him into a caricature.

[glencro]

Didn't realize you posted this prior to me posting about it. I do plan to see it

[marv2]

I saw it and it is just a trailer, but from what I saw it looks like they picked out "things" we have heard about James Brown's live and character to put this film together. Again, I know it is just a trailor but I too fear that they may have turned him into a caricature of himself. James Brown was a very complexed individual that led an amazingly dramatic and exciting life. The little portion I saw of the interaction of James and the woman portraying his mother looked interesting. The guy playing the lead did not remind me of James Brown.

I will see it out of curiousity.

[tamla617]

He makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, get on up. I'm not going to pick it apart. I just want to see it. Was there really that many white people on the front rows, let alone the back rows? Back in the early 70's? I'm going to see it. I cant wait. What was everyday life over there became a cult here, gimme some more!

[soulster]

I saw it and it is just a trailer, but from what I saw it looks like they picked out "things" we have heard about James Brown's live and character to put this film together. Again, I know it is just a trailor but I too fear that they may have turned him into a caricature of himself. James Brown was a very complexed individual that led an amazingly dramatic and exciting life. The little portion I saw of the interaction of James and the woman portraying his mother looked interesting. The guy playing the lead did not remind me of James Brown.

I will see it out of curiousity.

yeah, they picked a guy who wasn't even close to Brown. But, at least they mentioned the bad stuff, like his obsession with guns, and shooting in with abandon.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

He makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, get on up. I'm not going to pick it apart. I just want to see it. Was there really that many white people on the front rows, let alone the back rows? Back in the early 70's? I'm going to see it. I cant wait. What was everyday life over there became a cult here, gimme some more!

I saw James Brown perform at least a half dozen times over the years, the first time in 1966. I never attended a more diverse event, ever. People of every race, color, age, style of dress imaginable, etc. could be seen at a James Brown show. Much more than simply *entertainers*, he and other R&B and Soul acts of the time were at the forefront of the civil rights movement in the US. I'm looking forward to seeing this biopic as well, hope the movie can adequately depict the social context of the times and his vital role in integration. Brown's original music in the soundtrack is also essential...often imitated, never duplicated.

[timmyfunk]

I'm not really feeling Mick Jagger's involvement in this project. But we'll see what happens.

[mr_june]

The guy playing Brown comes from the school of stiff acting to me. His acting is stiff and has one note. I was disappointed they picked him. I wasn't impressed with him at all in the Jackie Robinson Story.

[tamla617]

I saw James Brown perform at least a half dozen times over the years, the first time in 1966. I never attended a more diverse event, ever. People of every race, color, age, style of dress imaginable, etc. could be seen at a James Brown show. Much more than simply *entertainers*, he and other R&B and Soul acts of the time were at the forefront of the civil rights movement in the US. I'm looking forward to seeing this biopic as well, hope the movie can adequately depict the social context of the times and his vital role in integration. Brown's original music in the soundtrack is also essential...often imitated, never duplicated.

Thanks sunshine! I bought tickets to see him in London 1974 or 75. He cancelled the tour, cant remember the reason, took forever to get my money back and I'd bought 8 tickets! For friends. So I never did get to see him.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Sorry you missed out on his live show tamla617...fortunately there is plenty of decent live footage of his shows. And one more thing about his wide appeal...

One of the last times I saw him was in the mid 90s, in the SF Bay Area. Granted, the Bay Area has a diverse population to begin with, but at this particular show I arrived to see a large contingent of Deadheads--dressed in full hippie regalia--lining the back of the venue. [[This was just after the death of Jerry Garcia) Mr. Brown must have got a kick out of looking out at his audience and seeing everything from grandmotherly types dressed for Sunday Church, to wide-eyed small children dancing in the aisles, and even twirling Deadheads too!

[juicefree20]

I have to admit that the hardest part of this trailer is every time that he tries to speak as James Brown.

We've all come to know the voice of James Brown so I have to admit that hearing him speak throws me a bit, as it just doesn't sound authentic to me. It sounds like me trying to sound like James Brown & I have a feeling that trying to process that over the course of an entire movie is going to drive me nuts.

But as I'm happy to know that they're giving James his props on the silver screen, I'll support it just the same. But truthfully, one movie could never hope to capture the essence & contradiction that was James Brown.

A mini-series may have been a better idea.

Hopefully, someone will do the same for Sam Cooke.

[juicefree20]

Actually Timmy, I believe that Mick Jagger makes perfect sense.

Remember, a lot of people overseas was introduced to James via "The T.A.M.I. Show" & we know whose misfortune it was to have to try to follow James' explosive performance that day...

Mick Jagger & The Rolling Stones.

I believe that he has tremendous respect for James & actually, I'm glad that he is involved for that reason.

On the other hand, James pissed off a lot of his peers for a lot of different reasons. Better Mick involved than a lot of them because amongst his peers, he was not a well-liked man.

And as a kid whose father ran with the man & grew up idolizing him & getting in trouble for doing the "James Brown" at the blackboard in the 3rd grade, that's a very difficult admission for me to make.

But flaws & all, I always loved James Brown for what he meant to us at a time when we really needed heroes.

From all accounts [[except for Al Sharpton), James was nothing easy to deal with. I'm just glad that I never had to work for him, so my good memories of what he meant to me remains untarnished

[juicefree20]

Now in my opinion, I can think of no one besides Eddie Murphy whom ever seemed to really nail James. Makeup could've been used to make Eddie appear to be younger. And while his James Brown impersonations were on a comedic level, Eddie can play it straight when he has to.

As far as the performances are concerned, for an older James Brown, I would've used a gentleman from here in Brooklyn whom we call "Black Velvet" who does one hell of a job as "James Brown".

He's "Black Velvet" to us & has been for years, but many of you may know him, as he's finally gotten his props as Charles Bradley who recorded a CD with The Menahan Street Band.