November 26, 2024 • 39 mins
Today's episode: your host here has finally watched the Wicked movie and is here to REVIEW IT. I will be briefly going through the plot and then explore the major plot themes and high moments of the movie while also giving my opinion on what worked the best about this movie.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, welcome to the Overshare Pamphlet.
(00:24):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show coming to you every, well, every Monday at 6am usually.
But today, the episode is coming out on a Tuesday because my weekend was very, very, very, very busy.
And I couldn't, you know, plan any differently.
(00:46):
I just had too much going on and I'm finally able to record my episode on a lovely Monday evening after work.
So, yeah, and I knew already what I wanted to talk about, but I just didn't have the actual physical time to do it.
Like, I have been out of my house the entire weekend. I couldn't do anything.
(01:10):
So apologies for the delay, but she's here. She's here and she's queer and she was ready for the beer.
Okay, anyways, God.
So what are we talking about today? Today we're talking about something very, very, very interesting.
(01:34):
I mean, if you keep it up with the movies, you know that Wicked has finally, you know, opened pretty much everywhere in the world.
The opening weekend has just passed, basically.
I mean, we're still counting the numbers for the entire opening week.
(01:56):
And it is the highest grossing musical adaptation to date.
Anyways, so yeah, I, of course, had to watch it.
I did watch the musical, but I think I was so young that I couldn't really remember much of it.
I did remember some of the story, but I watched it when I was like, what, in middle school or high school or something.
(02:19):
I can't remember it, but I did watch the musical. So period.
And I'm very acquainted, I guess. I mean, I know some things about the Wizard of Oz universe and all that stuff and the Wicked story, of course.
I wouldn't say I'm a diehard fan. I wouldn't say I'm a fan necessarily. I mean, before this, at least, I wasn't really like a fan.
(02:46):
But now I am on board. This movie was very interesting and I can't wait to talk about it. So period.
First of all, songs of the week.
Oh, yeah, these are the last songs of the month because next month is going to be December and it's coming out literally.
(03:09):
Well, sorry, the next episode I'm going to put out is going to come out in December. So that's quite the...
Oh my God, we're almost at the end of the year. What the hell? So anyways, songs of the week, bitch. Let's get it together.
Right. I want to start off with Toxic by Meow.
(03:31):
Meow is a K-pop group under the black label. But anyways, that's besides the point. I think I already put one of their previous songs on my songs of the week.
And this one is a ballad, to be fair, sort of. I would say. Yeah, I would classify it as a ballad, to be fair.
(03:54):
And the main topic of the song is about a couple or like two people basically being too toxic for each other, but you cannot sort of separate them in that sense.
Like they cannot live without each other. And it's a bit of a very sad song, to be fair, but it's a very well like sort of well produced track.
It does remind me, as people were saying, like a bit of 2016 maybe type of music in terms of synth. A bit like...
(04:26):
I don't know exactly who it reminds me of, but like the production itself is kind of as that 2016 vibe, which is kind of coming back.
Because there's also another song I want to talk about that I really enjoyed.
And yeah, so if you like a bit of that, I would say this is like a K-pop group song that falls into the confessional singer-songwriter type of vibe.
(04:55):
And we're seeing a lot of that slowly trickling into K-pop. Tato Swift's impact is real. It's real. It's real.
It's kind of giving, you know, that kind of vibe. So if you like sort of confessional songwriting, you know, sad songs, slower tracks, synthy, slower tracks,
(05:19):
this could be also very well in terms of songs, to be fair, in the way it's produced.
So yeah, it's sort of a good comparison. Maybe it could like sort of remind you of reputation, maybe? Kind of.
I guess so. I think it could be that. So period.
(05:46):
Talking about confessional songwriting, we have Number One Girl by Rosé.
This is an incredible track, I would say. Very emotional. It's kind of giving me early Olivia Rodrigo vibes, like driver's license.
And what was the other song that she put out under Disney? I can't really remember, but that kind of gives me that vibe.
(06:11):
And it is about basically her wanting to be that Number One Girl for this person. She wants this person to choose her, basically, and to make her his or hers.
We wouldn't want to assume the gender, but their number one priority, and accept them and love them without any hesitation in that sense.
(06:40):
So it's a very heartbreaking song. I think Bruno Mars is also behind this in a way. He produced or co-produced this track, co-wrote it or something.
So very, very emotional. If you like that sort of vibe, again, confessional songwriting, but it's more of a piano vibe, this might be for you.
(07:02):
Now, another 2016-adjacent kind of track in K-pop is Isna's Isna. It's called, again, the same title as the name of the group, but it's a very cool track.
It reminds me so much of Rihanna. I don't know why, but it does. I think it's the chorus. It kind of reminds me of What's My Name? Oh, Nana. What's My Name?
(07:27):
I don't know, because the entire chorus of the song is...
Na na na na...
Yeah, something like that. I don't know, but it kind of does remind me of Rihanna.
Oh, na na na...
(07:51):
It's just too funny. I don't care, but this song is it, I would say. It kind of reminds me of...
Yeah, it kind of reminds me of Rihanna. I don't know why. It kind of gives me that 2016 kind of vibe.
And I have to be honest, the song is not the most bombastic type of song you can ever find, but it's going to give me that vibe.
(08:16):
And the rap verse is actually pretty cool. I like the play on words as well, because the name of the group is like, is not.
And they say... The main point of the song is, who that girl is, and they say, na na na na. Not in Korean means me, right?
So, is, na. Is, is not the name of the group, but it's saying, the girl is me. That girl is me, you know? Like, I'm that girl, basically.
(08:39):
So, kind of smart in terms of English, Korean, sort of, you know, linguistics.
Yeah, very cool. Very cool stuff. Very cool stuff.
Loved it. And yeah, again, that has that type of... But this is more upbeat, of course. More like, slayful type of track.
(09:03):
Yeah, so, I'm adding that to the playlist of the month. And, do I want to add any other? Do I want to add any other? That's a big question.
And you know what? Maybe I won't. Maybe I won't. I think we have plenty of tracks for that month.
I think you can, of course, check out the playlist on my Spotify. It's called The Overshare Pamphlet, Song of the Week, November 23rd, 4th.
(09:34):
And yeah, the playlist is done. The playlist is closed for this month. So, y'all better go and listen to that.
But anyways, without any further ado, as AJ would say, let's get into this movie.
I would say sort of review. Yes, I would say sort of like a review. I wrote some no's on it on my phone.
(09:55):
I was like thinking about it the whole weekend after watching it. The whole weekend as in wicked weekend. Period.
But yeah, I just... You know what? A movie is good if it makes you think a lot about it.
I have to be honest, as soon as I left the theater, I wasn't really entirely sure if I enjoyed it or not just because I was so pressed about Glinda's actions in the movie.
(10:22):
I mean, towards the end, basically. I couldn't wrap my hand around why she would not...
Well, especially knowing how the movie... So the movie begins basically with a flash forward, I guess. Or to be quite honest, the entire movie is a retelling of how Glinda and Alphaba met, right?
(10:51):
So, you know, knowing where Glinda got after watching the entire movie, it kind of makes me mad. Like, how is she still with the wizard despite all that he has done to Alphaba?
But that's besides the point. So I was like sort of angry, I would have to say. And I was like, that doesn't make any sense to me.
Like, why wouldn't you do that? And I was like, okay, you know what? Whatever. I'm gonna... I'm gonna need to think this one through.
(11:17):
And I did. I sort of did. So I think personally, like, I'm gonna get to it when I talk about the topics of the movie, I guess.
But yeah, I appreciate it because it made me, you know... I gotta say, like, every movie that makes you ponder pretty hard is a good movie.
No matter, you know, like, I always say this, like, it's better to have a movie that, or like, anything in general that does something a bit controversial rather than being boring.
(11:49):
Like, boring is worse than being wrong or being faulty or whatever or being messy or whatever it is.
Like, at least you're communicating something, you know what I mean? If it's boring, it means that probably you don't even have anything to say.
And this had a lot to say in so many different areas. The more I thought about it, the more I'm like, you know what? Actually, this movie's, like, quite sophisticated for what it is.
And I've watched all the reviews and read all the reviews. And I sort of formed my own opinion about around it.
(12:16):
And I sort of agree with many critics, to be fair, on how well layered and well directed the movie is and well written.
The movie is based on a book. Well, the movie is based on a musical, first of all, but a musical is based on a book.
(12:38):
So this movie sort of takes inspiration from both and also a bit from the very old Wizard of Oz movie, the 1990s, I think, Wizard of Oz movie.
But anyways, so it is basically a full account of what happens in the musical and specifically, and it's enriched even further by the book, because the book is quite in-depth as well about the story.
(13:06):
But this movie specifically only covers half of the musical itself, so it goes into the entire preface basically of the musical, like the early days of Alphaba's life basically,
like when she was a kid and then when she went to uni and met with Glinda and how she got basically to become the...
(13:37):
Basically the moment when she got shunned from Oz and she was painted as the villain of the entire land of Oz.
So yeah, there's going to be a second part coming out exactly in a year time. So 21st of November, 25, we're going to get the part two to this story.
(14:03):
So I'm very excited to find out honestly why. I mean, I sort of know part of the spoilers about the story, but I do want to know if they're going to reveal more stuff, they're going to explain more stuff and enrich it even more.
So I'm very excited to see this. But anyways, I'm going to give you all a very brief summary of the story, I guess, without... Well, there's a way of me not spoiling this, so it is a spoiler review, this one.
(14:33):
The movie starts off, as I said, with Alphaba, the Green Witch, apparent death, her death basically. And that's basically, if you know anything about Wizard of Oz, that's when Dorothy throws the bucket of water to Alphaba as the Green Witch and she melts.
(14:54):
So as soon as the movie starts, basically, with Alphaba already melted, quote unquote, or like dead. And the news spreads around, oh, is that everyone is rejoicing that the Green Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead and everyone is happy, whatever, whatever.
And then we have Galinda coming in and celebrating basically Alphaba's death. That's why I was like, after watching the entire movie, how did we get there? You know what I mean? I need to know, because that's crazy to me.
(15:26):
How could you betray your friend like that? But anyways, and you can see the entire, I think in the Munchkins land, Galinda gets there and starts doing this whole parade, I guess, celebrating the death of Alphaba.
(15:47):
And there's plenty of portrayals of the witch being evil and all that stuff. There's a lot of propaganda against her, basically. There was a lot of propaganda, like manifestos and all that stuff. It was insane.
The details are actually quite cool. And then basically, Galinda gets asked by Brandon Munchkin if she knew about Alphaba and that she knew that they were friends and if she could tell the story. So that's how we get to the actual story of the movie.
(16:17):
So basically, Galinda tells the story of a hearty man and everything. So, Alphaba is very asked to grapple for her entire existence with the fact that she is born with green skin, which is considered as repulsing in Oz.
It's something so unique that has never happened to anyone and she's basically ridiculed and made fun of and looked down upon because of her skin color.
(16:52):
And that is already telling you a bit of some of the themes in this movie. Like race and discrimination and all of the above. But she's a very smart person and she's very much gifted.
She's probably the only person who has actual magical powers in this entire movie. Like none of the other people have powers in the movie. None of them. Apart from maybe, what's her name? The Dean of the school, whatever. That bitch.
(17:23):
Michelle Yeoh plays her though, so you'll love her. She's born with pure Ro magic. She's so powerful, even on birth. It's shown that she has incredible power and because of that power, she gets enrolled into the university.
And that's where she, and then she's put in the same room as Glynda and that's how they basically meet. And their first few moments together are not really rosy in a sense.
(17:54):
Like, Elphaba is basically adored by the Dean because the Dean thinks that she has immense potential. We don't know yet for what, but yeah, basically crazy shit.
And Glynda is sort of jealous of Elphaba for being the Dean's favourite and all that stuff. But eventually everything turns around. I mean everyone at school still makes fun of Elphaba for the way she looks and everything.
(18:28):
But there's a pivotal moment in the movie where Glynda helps Elphaba's sister, who's also in the same uni by the way, to gag with the boy that she likes.
And Elphaba really appreciates that because she's very protective of her sister and so she decides to go to this party with a hat that is hideous basically that was given to her by Glynda.
(18:58):
And at first the hat was given to her as a bit of a payback time for being a sort of soft form of bullying.
But Elphaba before being ridiculed at this party, she is basically moved by Glynda helping her sister. She talks to her Dean and puts a good word in for Glynda.
(19:34):
So yeah basically that at the party she's ridiculed but Glynda feels bad and then she dances with her and then everyone starts basically being okay with Elphaba.
So they help each other out and they become very close friends and it's a very moving moment because they really realise that after all they're not actually that different and they have a lot in common and they're actually both very very sweet friends and have pure hearts.
(19:59):
Very cool stuff and then it gets wild because basically Elphaba's power is so big that the Dean wants to send her to the wizard to have her join him and possibly read this magical book that no one can read because no one has the powers.
The wizard technically is the only person apart from Elphaba who actually read the book, allegedly, but he actually is revealed at the end of the movie that he actually couldn't because he doesn't have any power at all either.
(20:27):
But he just is a con artist basically from the human world who landed in Oz and basically made everyone believe that he's actually a very powerful man when in fact he's just a nerdy man who can use science and technology to scare people off and make them think that basically he is powerful and all that stuff.
Elphaba goes with Glinda to the Emerald City where the wizard is at and the wizard wants to have Elphaba basically as his arm I guess?
(21:06):
As his apprentice or something like that basically. The green witch is supposed to be his little helper or whatever.
But the whole point for why Elphaba wants to go to the wizard is because she's dreamed her whole life to basically the legend says that the wizard of Oz could make any wish come true and she wanted for her whole life to sort of get her skin color back to normal.
(21:45):
Not back to normal because she was born with the green skin but that was her whole point. But then throughout uni she finds out that basically animals in this kingdom who can actually talk and everything else are getting kidnapped and getting dealt with and they're being sort of separated from civilization and so many animals are losing their ability to talk because they're taken away from civilization and everything.
(22:12):
So she's very very very you know she empathizes with them because they're getting you know hated on by the people and they're being blamed for a lot of things and being framed for a lot of problems that are around Oz in terms of famine and everything else.
When in fact it's actually the wizard's plan to sort of use them as scapegoats to unite the lands because as he says there's nothing better than a good old enemy to bring people together.
(22:45):
So he frames them as the enemy of the nation and everyone forgets about their problems just comes together and stops you know bringing in this content to the wizard.
So that was his plan originally so when she gets there she doesn't know anything about this but she wants help from the wizard to save the animals right.
And then she realizes that actually he's the problem and he's the one framing them and he backs her to like you know sort of stop to be at his side and like you know still go ahead with the plan and whatever.
(23:22):
But she refuses she doesn't want to bow down and she doesn't she doesn't want to allow any more of this discrimination this you know very dangerous behavior to go on.
So she rebels against the system and she challenges the wizard and says that basically she doesn't want to be part of this system anymore.
(23:45):
She will be praying for his downfall basically but the wizard is very smart I guess in a way and he gets what he wants which is an even bigger enemy for the nation which is now Elphaba.
So he frames her as being this very evil person and responsible for so many crimes and all that stuff and being a very dangerous person and all that.
(24:14):
So she unfortunately cannot escape what people have been saying about her her life and people use that against her but she doesn't care anymore like she embraces it and she goes through with it despite knowing the risks of it.
And she just embraces basically the fact that she is different and she can never change and she'd rather be herself than be part of this whole thing this whole system that is built to discriminate against her and to put her down.
(24:42):
So very very cool. So again there are so many very interesting themes in this iteration of the movie of the story.
Gender is one of the big themes I would say here. As it always happens for many women they are pitted against each other like specifically here Glinda and Elphaba because they're both well Elphaba is very powerful but Glinda is very popular and very influential.
(25:11):
And as it happens when you are both in the same environment you are pushed to be one against each other in a way.
And I think both of them also show two different sides of the same coin in a way.
Glinda basically becomes an instrument of propaganda for the wizard. She's shown as the good witch.
(25:32):
She's basically just like Boze to the green witch. And while the green witch is framed to be this evil person, this evil entity, Glinda is instead lifted up by the wizard and by the propaganda to be this exact opposite of what people should be looking up to.
(25:54):
And so basically shows how women really have two basic choices. Either you abide to the rules and work within the system and hope for the best basically and become ingrained in this whole system that really is using you and just for their benefit.
(26:15):
Or like Elphaba, you rebel against the system but with the price of being shunned away and being framed as the problem.
And also I think there's another whole big thing to say about power and women all holding power and being threatening I guess to the patriarchy and male domination in that sense and male power.
(26:40):
Elphaba is quite literally the personification of that. She is an unothered being.
And not simply because of the color of her skin but also because she's at the end of the day a very powerful woman.
And a very powerful woman who is refusing to use the power to aid the system that is oppressing her basically right. So she's the only and I mean the system is scared of her like the wizard is also scared of her.
(27:12):
And the only way for him to come back and to like fight back is to because he doesn't know he doesn't have the same power.
The only way you can like you know fight against her is to frame her as being this evil entity that is just simply born out of fear.
(27:33):
You know of him being replaced or something you know. So yeah quite quite you know quite interesting quite sophisticated as that.
I mean a lot of politics involved as well as that discrimination, racism and a lot of interesting like layers honestly.
Animal abuse as well because the animals are being you know sort of held in captivity and like basically reduced to the most harmless and most brutal versions of themselves just for the benefit of the larger population.
(28:14):
And there's a lot of that a lot of you know particularly you know exploiting animals and pretending like they don't have any they don't actually human beings like being objectified and so much.
So there's a lot of interesting stuff there. I really enjoyed that part as well that commentary on it.
And also I would say there's a very historically accurate movie in a way also in terms of witchcraft.
(28:46):
And if you watch my reviews about Agatha LeLong you would also know that this is sort of a very smart.
I'm glad that these two things came out at the same time because they're both sort of telling the same story in a way how very powerful women are always villainized and looked down upon.
(29:07):
And historically it's always been the case also with actual you know witch's trials and all that stuff.
Like you know they in the real world even though magic is not real women were framed and used as scapegoats to basically bring together people and to make them forget about other problems that the government was actually creating and not being able to solve in that sense.
(29:31):
So to sort of simmer down and like to gloss over a lot of problems many times governments not only about witches but in general any minority group they've used them as targets for the general population I guess to just bond over and over and just forget about other problems.
(29:53):
So destructors in that sense you know. So that's so interesting like you know that's what I mean like this movie is so layered and so interesting there's so much going on.
And it's also at the end of the day if you're a fan of fantasy is an incredible world to be in immersed for three long hours.
And I'm talking about stage design and talking about costumes and I'm talking about lower building and everything. So it offers so much and it's also the other day it's also a very good movie for for kids because I think in a way it is like if you are of course aware of all these issues and you will pick up on them.
(30:36):
But also if you don't it's just a very fun movie to watch in general it's like a musical and a lot of incredible choreographies and costumes and funny moments and very humorous at times and you know it's hitting in so many different areas and hitting so many different demographics and so many different people like interests I guess in that sense.
(31:00):
So that's how you know a movie is good. That's how you know a movie is bustling basically. But yeah very very cool.
Favorite scenes for example I want to talk about a bit about diamond notes. I loved I think my favorite favorite favorite has to be the club dance scene even though it's goofy as hell. Like I mean it's supposed to be goofy like she's she dances as I said like I thought I'd get invited to this dance thing and she shows up with this hat.
(31:33):
She's never had her first dance she's ever had. She's never been out. She's never had any friends to be fair and she's getting ridiculed because she trusted Glinda and she feels sort of this betrayal but then Glinda you know feels really bad for it and steps in and you know sort of saves the entire situation and embraces Alphaba.
(31:55):
It was so heartbreaking to see well kudos to Cynthia Erivo because she communicated the emotions so well. She was so hurt by the betrayal in a way but also well the lie and everything else but also being ridiculed in front of everyone and still you know pretending not well that's what Glinda says.
She pretends not to care. She still pushes through and you know dances in front of everyone alone by herself even though she gets ridiculed on she still has the courage to shove away any of her fears and just you know it's just beautiful like very empowering and then Glinda joins her and it's just a very beautiful scene where they both reconcile without saying much but just dancing together and it's just gorgeous.
(32:44):
So loved the scene so much. I also really liked the arrival in the Emerald City. The Emerald City is so pretty. I just loved it and then you know they had the original the first two well some of the actresses who played Earth and who played Alphaba and Glinda in Hollywood sorry in what was it yeah in theater.
(33:12):
So very cool. Also loved Loving the song like the choreography there as well and everything else so freaking cool and the cape scenes oh my god at the end the cape when Cynthia sings the fine gravity that cape, capeography I guess the choreography of the cape I don't know is just so stunning so beautiful and just I've seen some people saying that actually
(33:41):
very very smartly that it's a nod to the original movie because in the original movie Alphaba is supposed to be flying on her broom and she leaves this like smoke behind her like this trace of smoke behind her and this instead of actually putting the smoke in they actually use the cape and the cape is so long and so flowy that kind of looks like almost smoke like flowing behind her so very very cool.
(34:10):
And the song is incredible like Cynthia sings so well.
The memes I already talked about the memes in the previous episode but you know you know what I mean you know what I mean.
So yeah, very sleigh very cool.
I was about to say that I didn't like the length of the movie but the more I think about it I'm like, I don't have any complaints about, I mean I wouldn't even know what scenes to get out take out of the movie because every scene seems to be quite pivotal and important to the story.
(34:49):
It does feel a bit long to be fair.
But at the end of the day as I'm saying like, it is very well written so I don't think I could change the structure of the movie at all to be fair so yeah.
Shout outs to, well, Jonathan Bailey first of all, hot ass man.
(35:15):
So, so hot. I have to be honest like in this movie was so charming so captivating.
He was playing the part of the, you know, the provocateur and the other mystic sort of man. So well.
The you know 30 man and all that, and then also the connection to the as we both girls actually was pretty pretty hot.
(35:39):
So, and he looks incredible. He looks very hot. He has contact lenses. I'm glad I found out about it because it was like, last time I told you he didn't have blue eyes and now I'm like oh, he has lenses in so, but he looked hot anyway so.
Jonathan Bailey please give me a chance. Oh my god. Anyways, Ariana and Cynthia I cannot stress this enough, perfectly cast, so good.
(36:02):
And Ariana's comedic timing is just incredible so well fitting with the role as well. She was born to play this and Cynthia plays the character also super super well.
She manages to, I guess, communicate the emotional weight that the character brings and carries with them.
And I think they really balance her out super well even in terms of acting and everything. And it's just beautiful to see honestly so cannot complain about the acting at all at all.
(36:35):
I've seen people praising Ariana so much and I also want to give my flowers to Cynthia because she's also, I think, doing an incredible job or both of them also sing so well man like it's so so good to hear.
It's just so good.
And to end, I just want to say, Alphaba's sister needs to die.
(36:59):
I mean she will, spoiler alert, she will die. And I'm going to need that Dorothy's house to land on this wrench real quick, expeditiously.
Bring the house down on her. Get the boots.
Get those boots out of whatever her name is. Dorothy needs to take those ruby boots and just get the fuck out of there.
(37:27):
Kill that bitch. What do you mean like your sister has done so much for you and then when the dance scene happens she doesn't even help her?
Like what? Explain that to me please.
Ungrateful bitch. Just saying that. But yeah. What a movie. What a movie. What a movie.
(37:48):
I encourage you to go and watch it. I encourage you to go and take a peek honestly.
I kind of want to watch it to be fair. I feel like I would want to watch it but also I don't think I have the time to sort of sit through another 3 hour movie like logistically.
It's just too complicated for me. But I do have Thanksgiving coming up on Friday. Well I know it's Thursday but we're celebrating it on Friday.
(38:14):
And yeah. So I don't have the time personally this week to rewatch it but I have a lot of cooking to do, a lot of things to do.
So if you have a chance go watch it honestly. That's my outtake from watching the movie.
(38:36):
And it's an incredible experience. Very entertaining, very fun, very slayful. So just go and give it a try.
You won't regret it. You will not regret it. And that is closer to December. Well December. January. Well November. November. November. Oh my god.
But yeah. See you guys next week. Okay? Bye.
Hey, welcome to the Overshare Pamphlet.
(00:24):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show coming to you every, well, every Monday at 6am usually.
But today, the episode is coming out on a Tuesday because my weekend was very, very, very, very busy.
And I couldn't, you know, plan any differently.
(00:46):
I just had too much going on and I'm finally able to record my episode on a lovely Monday evening after work.
So, yeah, and I knew already what I wanted to talk about, but I just didn't have the actual physical time to do it.
Like, I have been out of my house the entire weekend. I couldn't do anything.
(01:10):
So apologies for the delay, but she's here. She's here and she's queer and she was ready for the beer.
Okay, anyways, God.
So what are we talking about today? Today we're talking about something very, very, very interesting.
(01:34):
I mean, if you keep it up with the movies, you know that Wicked has finally, you know, opened pretty much everywhere in the world.
The opening weekend has just passed, basically.
I mean, we're still counting the numbers for the entire opening week.
(01:56):
And it is the highest grossing musical adaptation to date.
Anyways, so yeah, I, of course, had to watch it.
I did watch the musical, but I think I was so young that I couldn't really remember much of it.
I did remember some of the story, but I watched it when I was like, what, in middle school or high school or something.
(02:19):
I can't remember it, but I did watch the musical. So period.
And I'm very acquainted, I guess. I mean, I know some things about the Wizard of Oz universe and all that stuff and the Wicked story, of course.
I wouldn't say I'm a diehard fan. I wouldn't say I'm a fan necessarily. I mean, before this, at least, I wasn't really like a fan.
(02:46):
But now I am on board. This movie was very interesting and I can't wait to talk about it. So period.
First of all, songs of the week.
Oh, yeah, these are the last songs of the month because next month is going to be December and it's coming out literally.
(03:09):
Well, sorry, the next episode I'm going to put out is going to come out in December. So that's quite the...
Oh my God, we're almost at the end of the year. What the hell? So anyways, songs of the week, bitch. Let's get it together.
Right. I want to start off with Toxic by Meow.
(03:31):
Meow is a K-pop group under the black label. But anyways, that's besides the point. I think I already put one of their previous songs on my songs of the week.
And this one is a ballad, to be fair, sort of. I would say. Yeah, I would classify it as a ballad, to be fair.
(03:54):
And the main topic of the song is about a couple or like two people basically being too toxic for each other, but you cannot sort of separate them in that sense.
Like they cannot live without each other. And it's a bit of a very sad song, to be fair, but it's a very well like sort of well produced track.
It does remind me, as people were saying, like a bit of 2016 maybe type of music in terms of synth. A bit like...
(04:26):
I don't know exactly who it reminds me of, but like the production itself is kind of as that 2016 vibe, which is kind of coming back.
Because there's also another song I want to talk about that I really enjoyed.
And yeah, so if you like a bit of that, I would say this is like a K-pop group song that falls into the confessional singer-songwriter type of vibe.
(04:55):
And we're seeing a lot of that slowly trickling into K-pop. Tato Swift's impact is real. It's real. It's real.
It's kind of giving, you know, that kind of vibe. So if you like sort of confessional songwriting, you know, sad songs, slower tracks, synthy, slower tracks,
(05:19):
this could be also very well in terms of songs, to be fair, in the way it's produced.
So yeah, it's sort of a good comparison. Maybe it could like sort of remind you of reputation, maybe? Kind of.
I guess so. I think it could be that. So period.
(05:46):
Talking about confessional songwriting, we have Number One Girl by Rosé.
This is an incredible track, I would say. Very emotional. It's kind of giving me early Olivia Rodrigo vibes, like driver's license.
And what was the other song that she put out under Disney? I can't really remember, but that kind of gives me that vibe.
(06:11):
And it is about basically her wanting to be that Number One Girl for this person. She wants this person to choose her, basically, and to make her his or hers.
We wouldn't want to assume the gender, but their number one priority, and accept them and love them without any hesitation in that sense.
(06:40):
So it's a very heartbreaking song. I think Bruno Mars is also behind this in a way. He produced or co-produced this track, co-wrote it or something.
So very, very emotional. If you like that sort of vibe, again, confessional songwriting, but it's more of a piano vibe, this might be for you.
(07:02):
Now, another 2016-adjacent kind of track in K-pop is Isna's Isna. It's called, again, the same title as the name of the group, but it's a very cool track.
It reminds me so much of Rihanna. I don't know why, but it does. I think it's the chorus. It kind of reminds me of What's My Name? Oh, Nana. What's My Name?
(07:27):
I don't know, because the entire chorus of the song is...
Na na na na...
Yeah, something like that. I don't know, but it kind of does remind me of Rihanna.
Oh, na na na...
(07:51):
It's just too funny. I don't care, but this song is it, I would say. It kind of reminds me of...
Yeah, it kind of reminds me of Rihanna. I don't know why. It kind of gives me that 2016 kind of vibe.
And I have to be honest, the song is not the most bombastic type of song you can ever find, but it's going to give me that vibe.
(08:16):
And the rap verse is actually pretty cool. I like the play on words as well, because the name of the group is like, is not.
And they say... The main point of the song is, who that girl is, and they say, na na na na. Not in Korean means me, right?
So, is, na. Is, is not the name of the group, but it's saying, the girl is me. That girl is me, you know? Like, I'm that girl, basically.
(08:39):
So, kind of smart in terms of English, Korean, sort of, you know, linguistics.
Yeah, very cool. Very cool stuff. Very cool stuff.
Loved it. And yeah, again, that has that type of... But this is more upbeat, of course. More like, slayful type of track.
(09:03):
Yeah, so, I'm adding that to the playlist of the month. And, do I want to add any other? Do I want to add any other? That's a big question.
And you know what? Maybe I won't. Maybe I won't. I think we have plenty of tracks for that month.
I think you can, of course, check out the playlist on my Spotify. It's called The Overshare Pamphlet, Song of the Week, November 23rd, 4th.
(09:34):
And yeah, the playlist is done. The playlist is closed for this month. So, y'all better go and listen to that.
But anyways, without any further ado, as AJ would say, let's get into this movie.
I would say sort of review. Yes, I would say sort of like a review. I wrote some no's on it on my phone.
(09:55):
I was like thinking about it the whole weekend after watching it. The whole weekend as in wicked weekend. Period.
But yeah, I just... You know what? A movie is good if it makes you think a lot about it.
I have to be honest, as soon as I left the theater, I wasn't really entirely sure if I enjoyed it or not just because I was so pressed about Glinda's actions in the movie.
(10:22):
I mean, towards the end, basically. I couldn't wrap my hand around why she would not...
Well, especially knowing how the movie... So the movie begins basically with a flash forward, I guess. Or to be quite honest, the entire movie is a retelling of how Glinda and Alphaba met, right?
(10:51):
So, you know, knowing where Glinda got after watching the entire movie, it kind of makes me mad. Like, how is she still with the wizard despite all that he has done to Alphaba?
But that's besides the point. So I was like sort of angry, I would have to say. And I was like, that doesn't make any sense to me.
Like, why wouldn't you do that? And I was like, okay, you know what? Whatever. I'm gonna... I'm gonna need to think this one through.
(11:17):
And I did. I sort of did. So I think personally, like, I'm gonna get to it when I talk about the topics of the movie, I guess.
But yeah, I appreciate it because it made me, you know... I gotta say, like, every movie that makes you ponder pretty hard is a good movie.
No matter, you know, like, I always say this, like, it's better to have a movie that, or like, anything in general that does something a bit controversial rather than being boring.
(11:49):
Like, boring is worse than being wrong or being faulty or whatever or being messy or whatever it is.
Like, at least you're communicating something, you know what I mean? If it's boring, it means that probably you don't even have anything to say.
And this had a lot to say in so many different areas. The more I thought about it, the more I'm like, you know what? Actually, this movie's, like, quite sophisticated for what it is.
And I've watched all the reviews and read all the reviews. And I sort of formed my own opinion about around it.
(12:16):
And I sort of agree with many critics, to be fair, on how well layered and well directed the movie is and well written.
The movie is based on a book. Well, the movie is based on a musical, first of all, but a musical is based on a book.
(12:38):
So this movie sort of takes inspiration from both and also a bit from the very old Wizard of Oz movie, the 1990s, I think, Wizard of Oz movie.
But anyways, so it is basically a full account of what happens in the musical and specifically, and it's enriched even further by the book, because the book is quite in-depth as well about the story.
(13:06):
But this movie specifically only covers half of the musical itself, so it goes into the entire preface basically of the musical, like the early days of Alphaba's life basically,
like when she was a kid and then when she went to uni and met with Glinda and how she got basically to become the...
(13:37):
Basically the moment when she got shunned from Oz and she was painted as the villain of the entire land of Oz.
So yeah, there's going to be a second part coming out exactly in a year time. So 21st of November, 25, we're going to get the part two to this story.
(14:03):
So I'm very excited to find out honestly why. I mean, I sort of know part of the spoilers about the story, but I do want to know if they're going to reveal more stuff, they're going to explain more stuff and enrich it even more.
So I'm very excited to see this. But anyways, I'm going to give you all a very brief summary of the story, I guess, without... Well, there's a way of me not spoiling this, so it is a spoiler review, this one.
(14:33):
The movie starts off, as I said, with Alphaba, the Green Witch, apparent death, her death basically. And that's basically, if you know anything about Wizard of Oz, that's when Dorothy throws the bucket of water to Alphaba as the Green Witch and she melts.
(14:54):
So as soon as the movie starts, basically, with Alphaba already melted, quote unquote, or like dead. And the news spreads around, oh, is that everyone is rejoicing that the Green Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead and everyone is happy, whatever, whatever.
And then we have Galinda coming in and celebrating basically Alphaba's death. That's why I was like, after watching the entire movie, how did we get there? You know what I mean? I need to know, because that's crazy to me.
(15:26):
How could you betray your friend like that? But anyways, and you can see the entire, I think in the Munchkins land, Galinda gets there and starts doing this whole parade, I guess, celebrating the death of Alphaba.
(15:47):
And there's plenty of portrayals of the witch being evil and all that stuff. There's a lot of propaganda against her, basically. There was a lot of propaganda, like manifestos and all that stuff. It was insane.
The details are actually quite cool. And then basically, Galinda gets asked by Brandon Munchkin if she knew about Alphaba and that she knew that they were friends and if she could tell the story. So that's how we get to the actual story of the movie.
(16:17):
So basically, Galinda tells the story of a hearty man and everything. So, Alphaba is very asked to grapple for her entire existence with the fact that she is born with green skin, which is considered as repulsing in Oz.
It's something so unique that has never happened to anyone and she's basically ridiculed and made fun of and looked down upon because of her skin color.
(16:52):
And that is already telling you a bit of some of the themes in this movie. Like race and discrimination and all of the above. But she's a very smart person and she's very much gifted.
She's probably the only person who has actual magical powers in this entire movie. Like none of the other people have powers in the movie. None of them. Apart from maybe, what's her name? The Dean of the school, whatever. That bitch.
(17:23):
Michelle Yeoh plays her though, so you'll love her. She's born with pure Ro magic. She's so powerful, even on birth. It's shown that she has incredible power and because of that power, she gets enrolled into the university.
And that's where she, and then she's put in the same room as Glynda and that's how they basically meet. And their first few moments together are not really rosy in a sense.
(17:54):
Like, Elphaba is basically adored by the Dean because the Dean thinks that she has immense potential. We don't know yet for what, but yeah, basically crazy shit.
And Glynda is sort of jealous of Elphaba for being the Dean's favourite and all that stuff. But eventually everything turns around. I mean everyone at school still makes fun of Elphaba for the way she looks and everything.
(18:28):
But there's a pivotal moment in the movie where Glynda helps Elphaba's sister, who's also in the same uni by the way, to gag with the boy that she likes.
And Elphaba really appreciates that because she's very protective of her sister and so she decides to go to this party with a hat that is hideous basically that was given to her by Glynda.
(18:58):
And at first the hat was given to her as a bit of a payback time for being a sort of soft form of bullying.
But Elphaba before being ridiculed at this party, she is basically moved by Glynda helping her sister. She talks to her Dean and puts a good word in for Glynda.
(19:34):
So yeah basically that at the party she's ridiculed but Glynda feels bad and then she dances with her and then everyone starts basically being okay with Elphaba.
So they help each other out and they become very close friends and it's a very moving moment because they really realise that after all they're not actually that different and they have a lot in common and they're actually both very very sweet friends and have pure hearts.
(19:59):
Very cool stuff and then it gets wild because basically Elphaba's power is so big that the Dean wants to send her to the wizard to have her join him and possibly read this magical book that no one can read because no one has the powers.
The wizard technically is the only person apart from Elphaba who actually read the book, allegedly, but he actually is revealed at the end of the movie that he actually couldn't because he doesn't have any power at all either.
(20:27):
But he just is a con artist basically from the human world who landed in Oz and basically made everyone believe that he's actually a very powerful man when in fact he's just a nerdy man who can use science and technology to scare people off and make them think that basically he is powerful and all that stuff.
Elphaba goes with Glinda to the Emerald City where the wizard is at and the wizard wants to have Elphaba basically as his arm I guess?
(21:06):
As his apprentice or something like that basically. The green witch is supposed to be his little helper or whatever.
But the whole point for why Elphaba wants to go to the wizard is because she's dreamed her whole life to basically the legend says that the wizard of Oz could make any wish come true and she wanted for her whole life to sort of get her skin color back to normal.
(21:45):
Not back to normal because she was born with the green skin but that was her whole point. But then throughout uni she finds out that basically animals in this kingdom who can actually talk and everything else are getting kidnapped and getting dealt with and they're being sort of separated from civilization and so many animals are losing their ability to talk because they're taken away from civilization and everything.
(22:12):
So she's very very very you know she empathizes with them because they're getting you know hated on by the people and they're being blamed for a lot of things and being framed for a lot of problems that are around Oz in terms of famine and everything else.
When in fact it's actually the wizard's plan to sort of use them as scapegoats to unite the lands because as he says there's nothing better than a good old enemy to bring people together.
(22:45):
So he frames them as the enemy of the nation and everyone forgets about their problems just comes together and stops you know bringing in this content to the wizard.
So that was his plan originally so when she gets there she doesn't know anything about this but she wants help from the wizard to save the animals right.
And then she realizes that actually he's the problem and he's the one framing them and he backs her to like you know sort of stop to be at his side and like you know still go ahead with the plan and whatever.
(23:22):
But she refuses she doesn't want to bow down and she doesn't she doesn't want to allow any more of this discrimination this you know very dangerous behavior to go on.
So she rebels against the system and she challenges the wizard and says that basically she doesn't want to be part of this system anymore.
(23:45):
She will be praying for his downfall basically but the wizard is very smart I guess in a way and he gets what he wants which is an even bigger enemy for the nation which is now Elphaba.
So he frames her as being this very evil person and responsible for so many crimes and all that stuff and being a very dangerous person and all that.
(24:14):
So she unfortunately cannot escape what people have been saying about her her life and people use that against her but she doesn't care anymore like she embraces it and she goes through with it despite knowing the risks of it.
And she just embraces basically the fact that she is different and she can never change and she'd rather be herself than be part of this whole thing this whole system that is built to discriminate against her and to put her down.
(24:42):
So very very cool. So again there are so many very interesting themes in this iteration of the movie of the story.
Gender is one of the big themes I would say here. As it always happens for many women they are pitted against each other like specifically here Glinda and Elphaba because they're both well Elphaba is very powerful but Glinda is very popular and very influential.
(25:11):
And as it happens when you are both in the same environment you are pushed to be one against each other in a way.
And I think both of them also show two different sides of the same coin in a way.
Glinda basically becomes an instrument of propaganda for the wizard. She's shown as the good witch.
(25:32):
She's basically just like Boze to the green witch. And while the green witch is framed to be this evil person, this evil entity, Glinda is instead lifted up by the wizard and by the propaganda to be this exact opposite of what people should be looking up to.
(25:54):
And so basically shows how women really have two basic choices. Either you abide to the rules and work within the system and hope for the best basically and become ingrained in this whole system that really is using you and just for their benefit.
(26:15):
Or like Elphaba, you rebel against the system but with the price of being shunned away and being framed as the problem.
And also I think there's another whole big thing to say about power and women all holding power and being threatening I guess to the patriarchy and male domination in that sense and male power.
(26:40):
Elphaba is quite literally the personification of that. She is an unothered being.
And not simply because of the color of her skin but also because she's at the end of the day a very powerful woman.
And a very powerful woman who is refusing to use the power to aid the system that is oppressing her basically right. So she's the only and I mean the system is scared of her like the wizard is also scared of her.
(27:12):
And the only way for him to come back and to like fight back is to because he doesn't know he doesn't have the same power.
The only way you can like you know fight against her is to frame her as being this evil entity that is just simply born out of fear.
(27:33):
You know of him being replaced or something you know. So yeah quite quite you know quite interesting quite sophisticated as that.
I mean a lot of politics involved as well as that discrimination, racism and a lot of interesting like layers honestly.
Animal abuse as well because the animals are being you know sort of held in captivity and like basically reduced to the most harmless and most brutal versions of themselves just for the benefit of the larger population.
(28:14):
And there's a lot of that a lot of you know particularly you know exploiting animals and pretending like they don't have any they don't actually human beings like being objectified and so much.
So there's a lot of interesting stuff there. I really enjoyed that part as well that commentary on it.
And also I would say there's a very historically accurate movie in a way also in terms of witchcraft.
(28:46):
And if you watch my reviews about Agatha LeLong you would also know that this is sort of a very smart.
I'm glad that these two things came out at the same time because they're both sort of telling the same story in a way how very powerful women are always villainized and looked down upon.
(29:07):
And historically it's always been the case also with actual you know witch's trials and all that stuff.
Like you know they in the real world even though magic is not real women were framed and used as scapegoats to basically bring together people and to make them forget about other problems that the government was actually creating and not being able to solve in that sense.
(29:31):
So to sort of simmer down and like to gloss over a lot of problems many times governments not only about witches but in general any minority group they've used them as targets for the general population I guess to just bond over and over and just forget about other problems.
(29:53):
So destructors in that sense you know. So that's so interesting like you know that's what I mean like this movie is so layered and so interesting there's so much going on.
And it's also at the end of the day if you're a fan of fantasy is an incredible world to be in immersed for three long hours.
And I'm talking about stage design and talking about costumes and I'm talking about lower building and everything. So it offers so much and it's also the other day it's also a very good movie for for kids because I think in a way it is like if you are of course aware of all these issues and you will pick up on them.
(30:36):
But also if you don't it's just a very fun movie to watch in general it's like a musical and a lot of incredible choreographies and costumes and funny moments and very humorous at times and you know it's hitting in so many different areas and hitting so many different demographics and so many different people like interests I guess in that sense.
(31:00):
So that's how you know a movie is good. That's how you know a movie is bustling basically. But yeah very very cool.
Favorite scenes for example I want to talk about a bit about diamond notes. I loved I think my favorite favorite favorite has to be the club dance scene even though it's goofy as hell. Like I mean it's supposed to be goofy like she's she dances as I said like I thought I'd get invited to this dance thing and she shows up with this hat.
(31:33):
She's never had her first dance she's ever had. She's never been out. She's never had any friends to be fair and she's getting ridiculed because she trusted Glinda and she feels sort of this betrayal but then Glinda you know feels really bad for it and steps in and you know sort of saves the entire situation and embraces Alphaba.
(31:55):
It was so heartbreaking to see well kudos to Cynthia Erivo because she communicated the emotions so well. She was so hurt by the betrayal in a way but also well the lie and everything else but also being ridiculed in front of everyone and still you know pretending not well that's what Glinda says.
She pretends not to care. She still pushes through and you know dances in front of everyone alone by herself even though she gets ridiculed on she still has the courage to shove away any of her fears and just you know it's just beautiful like very empowering and then Glinda joins her and it's just a very beautiful scene where they both reconcile without saying much but just dancing together and it's just gorgeous.
(32:44):
So loved the scene so much. I also really liked the arrival in the Emerald City. The Emerald City is so pretty. I just loved it and then you know they had the original the first two well some of the actresses who played Earth and who played Alphaba and Glinda in Hollywood sorry in what was it yeah in theater.
(33:12):
So very cool. Also loved Loving the song like the choreography there as well and everything else so freaking cool and the cape scenes oh my god at the end the cape when Cynthia sings the fine gravity that cape, capeography I guess the choreography of the cape I don't know is just so stunning so beautiful and just I've seen some people saying that actually
(33:41):
very very smartly that it's a nod to the original movie because in the original movie Alphaba is supposed to be flying on her broom and she leaves this like smoke behind her like this trace of smoke behind her and this instead of actually putting the smoke in they actually use the cape and the cape is so long and so flowy that kind of looks like almost smoke like flowing behind her so very very cool.
(34:10):
And the song is incredible like Cynthia sings so well.
The memes I already talked about the memes in the previous episode but you know you know what I mean you know what I mean.
So yeah, very sleigh very cool.
I was about to say that I didn't like the length of the movie but the more I think about it I'm like, I don't have any complaints about, I mean I wouldn't even know what scenes to get out take out of the movie because every scene seems to be quite pivotal and important to the story.
(34:49):
It does feel a bit long to be fair.
But at the end of the day as I'm saying like, it is very well written so I don't think I could change the structure of the movie at all to be fair so yeah.
Shout outs to, well, Jonathan Bailey first of all, hot ass man.
(35:15):
So, so hot. I have to be honest like in this movie was so charming so captivating.
He was playing the part of the, you know, the provocateur and the other mystic sort of man. So well.
The you know 30 man and all that, and then also the connection to the as we both girls actually was pretty pretty hot.
(35:39):
So, and he looks incredible. He looks very hot. He has contact lenses. I'm glad I found out about it because it was like, last time I told you he didn't have blue eyes and now I'm like oh, he has lenses in so, but he looked hot anyway so.
Jonathan Bailey please give me a chance. Oh my god. Anyways, Ariana and Cynthia I cannot stress this enough, perfectly cast, so good.
(36:02):
And Ariana's comedic timing is just incredible so well fitting with the role as well. She was born to play this and Cynthia plays the character also super super well.
She manages to, I guess, communicate the emotional weight that the character brings and carries with them.
And I think they really balance her out super well even in terms of acting and everything. And it's just beautiful to see honestly so cannot complain about the acting at all at all.
(36:35):
I've seen people praising Ariana so much and I also want to give my flowers to Cynthia because she's also, I think, doing an incredible job or both of them also sing so well man like it's so so good to hear.
It's just so good.
And to end, I just want to say, Alphaba's sister needs to die.
(36:59):
I mean she will, spoiler alert, she will die. And I'm going to need that Dorothy's house to land on this wrench real quick, expeditiously.
Bring the house down on her. Get the boots.
Get those boots out of whatever her name is. Dorothy needs to take those ruby boots and just get the fuck out of there.
(37:27):
Kill that bitch. What do you mean like your sister has done so much for you and then when the dance scene happens she doesn't even help her?
Like what? Explain that to me please.
Ungrateful bitch. Just saying that. But yeah. What a movie. What a movie. What a movie.
(37:48):
I encourage you to go and watch it. I encourage you to go and take a peek honestly.
I kind of want to watch it to be fair. I feel like I would want to watch it but also I don't think I have the time to sort of sit through another 3 hour movie like logistically.
It's just too complicated for me. But I do have Thanksgiving coming up on Friday. Well I know it's Thursday but we're celebrating it on Friday.
(38:14):
And yeah. So I don't have the time personally this week to rewatch it but I have a lot of cooking to do, a lot of things to do.
So if you have a chance go watch it honestly. That's my outtake from watching the movie.
(38:36):
And it's an incredible experience. Very entertaining, very fun, very slayful. So just go and give it a try.
You won't regret it. You will not regret it. And that is closer to December. Well December. January. Well November. November. November. Oh my god.
But yeah. See you guys next week. Okay? Bye.
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