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THE WIZ appreciation post.

batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
edited July 2005 in Strut Central
I consider The Wiz an excellent example of African-American Sci Fi/Fantasy.I saw it with Stephanie Mills in the stage version as well. I pop the dvd in all the time for some entertainment. The haunted subway scene always gets me. Anybody out there grew up on this stuff. There were rumours that they might redo this flick.I cant recall a Black film in recent years that took this direction.

  Comments

  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    I thought you meant the electrical goods store.

    "Nobody beats the Wiz!"
  • fhillysubtle1fhillysubtle1 355 Posts
    I thought Wiz went the way of Lechmeres?
  • GrafwritahGrafwritah 4,184 Posts
    I thought Wiz went the way of Lechmeres?

    Nobody Beats the Wiz!
  • VitaminVitamin 631 Posts
    I consider The Wiz an excellent example of African-American Sci Fi/Fantasy.I saw it with Stephanie Mills in the stage version as well. I pop the dvd in all the time for some entertainment. The haunted subway scene always gets me. Anybody out there grew up on this stuff. There were rumours that they might redo this flick.
    I cant recall a Black film in recent years that took this direction.

    I frickin love the Wiz, particularly Stephnie Mills rendition of "Be a Lion" and "Home again." And the movie version of ease on down the road is nuts with a young michael and diana ross.
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    Micheal Jackson's part is amazing.
  • erewhonerewhon 1,123 Posts
    We spent a good three or four months rehearsing songs from the wiz in middle school chorus. As a result, those songs are with me for life.
  • Firebird75Firebird75 35 Posts
    Oh, HELL yeah! Count me in.

    Poppy's girls is the shit!! So sassy and dirty sounding. (Yeah Kinetic, bite me!) Would be even cooler with some kickass drums on it. I think "You Can't Win" deserves a mention too, and "Ease On Down"..maybe even the Emerald City sequence, because it's so much what it is, y'know? "So throw away your green gems, and wear rubies, on your yacht!"

    I love the spooky, abandoned feeling of the place; I think all the sets are awesome. I used to LOVE this movie as a kid, and when I watched it for the first time as an adult, was impressed with the meaning in it. I think my pet favorites in this movie are the strange creepy dude with the clowns in the subway, (the subway scene! Ah!) and those funky crows.

    I think I'll hold back on comments comparing Michael Jackson's nose in the film, to how bad it looks now, and which one might be better...




    Ooh PS! I also dig for books (for the sake of images). One find revealed, hidden between the pages, two flyers for the stage production of The Wiz when it was in Vancouver, 1978 I think?
  • Mike_BellMike_Bell 5,736 Posts
    I thought you meant the electrical goods store.

    "Nobody beats the Wiz!"
  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    Oh, HELL yeah! Count me in.

    Poppy's girls is the shit!! So sassy and dirty sounding. (Yeah Kinetic, bite me!) Would be even cooler with some kickass drums on it.

    Yeah yeah... there's a reaosn i let you keep our copy of that soundtrack
































    because it's lame.

    That is all.













    nah it's ok, but it just doesn't grab me
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,630 Posts
    I consider The Wiz an excellent example of African-American Sci Fi/Fantasy.I saw it with Stephanie Mills in the stage version as well. I pop the dvd in all the time for some entertainment. The haunted subway scene always gets me. Anybody out there grew up on this stuff. There were rumours that they might redo this flick.
    I cant recall a Black film in recent years that took this direction.

    I'm a big fan of the director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) but haven't seen this yet. I'll pick it up now.
  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    BUMP!

    I just saw this movie for the first time in my life (I'm 34). It blew me away! Cosign on the haunting feel of all the locations. The scene that takes place at the abandoned amusement park is one of the only scenes (I believe) where there is actually natural sunlight streaming in.
    Nipsy Russell kills it as the tinman. His introduction scene is hilarious (Teeenie - Teeenie - Teeenie!!!). Richard Pryor's long take/monologue about being a hack is great film directing and the final number w/ Lena Horne as Glenda the Good is :face_melt:

    A+!

    I can't believe it took me this long to see this movie!
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Miss One - Numbers Runner Godmother
    Cant catch a cab - Black message
    Luther Vandross - Can U See A Brand New Day

    Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew - The Wiz/Richard Pryor intro

    Red Gold Green Emerald City Sequence - Black Message
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    still trips me out that joel schumacher adapted this for the screen.
  • vinylstalkervinylstalker 397 Posts
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    my friend has a ongoing updated fantasy casting of this movie in his head. i remember back in the day it was brandy as the lead, later it was pre beatdown chris brown in micheal's role. i'll have to ask him what the current cast is.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    DJBombjack said:
    I thought you meant the electrical goods store.

    "Nobody beats the Wiz!"

    I'm The Wiz, and noooobody beats me!

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    I've never seen this movie. I'm going to do something about that this weekend.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    vinylstalker said:
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.

    An Urban reinterprtetation of an already Urban Reinterpretation???
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    batmon said:
    vinylstalker said:
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.

    An Urban reinterprtetation of an already Urban Reinterpretation???

    He's The Wiz dubstep remix
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Junior said:
    batmon said:
    vinylstalker said:
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.

    An Urban reinterprtetation of an already Urban Reinterpretation???

    He's The Wiz dubstep remix

    Ha....He's The Lil Wizard....

    I saw this off B'Way w/ Ashant as Dorothy and Tichina Arnold as The Wicked Witch. They killed it.
    Modernized yet closer to the actual play(source material) w/ no Hip Hop stuff needed.
  • vinylstalkervinylstalker 397 Posts
    batmon said:
    vinylstalker said:
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.

    An Urban reinterprtetation of an already Urban Reinterpretation???

    Ha, yes. Imagine my puzzled mug at the meeting.
    This is a troupe of gay black dudes in their 20's, and they cited
    the Ashanti run as "inspiration".

    I shall report back.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    vinylstalker said:
    batmon said:
    vinylstalker said:
    Ha!
    I'm doing the theatrical production of this at the local municipal theater
    in two weeks(sound designer/engineer-r).
    This is actually my second time doing this show with these guys, newventuretheater.com.
    At the pre-production meeting monday, I was informed we were doing a "urban re-interpretation" and to expect djays and pyro at the tech meeting tomorrow.

    I love the movie. I'll see what happens and hopefully post cel footy of rapping lions.

    An Urban reinterprtetation of an already Urban Reinterpretation???

    Ha, yes. Imagine my puzzled mug at the meeting.
    This is a troupe of gay black dudes in their 20's, and they cited
    the Ashanti run as "inspiration".

    I shall report back.

    Please do. I imagine them over-MJing the Scarecrow, and having one them besides Dorothy, Rappin'.

    Along the way she encounters a hip Hop Scarecrow, an uptight BourgieTin Man and a mama's-boyGay Lion. Together they seek help from the powerful Wizard
  • CratesGatsbyCratesGatsby 47 Posts
    Nipsey Russel- "What Would I Do If I Could Feel" OST = so nice...
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