The Get Down - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss The Get Down here.

[Trini]

Trailer!
 

 
I actually recognized a few locations! NOBODY used to film in the Bronx. I'm glad that has changed.
I wonder how much they care about geographic historical accuracy, because I think I already spotted at least one new-ish building in the trailer. There are still a lot of buildings/locations from that period around, but a lot has changed in 40 years. Edited January 13, 2016 by Trini

[Primetimer]

You will, in fact, get down. (In a good way.)

Read the story

[monocles]

It's a weird mix of director and subject matter, but the 12 year old me who was obsessed with Moulin Rouge hasn't died and I did touchdown-arms throughout watching this.

[2AT]

Shouldn't it be called The Boogie Down?

[BetterButter]

[Trini]

Looks like they're going to be using stock footage/CGI to make the landscape/outdoor shots look like the 70s. And I think I know exactly where that staircase is located.

Anyway, not really any more info than the first teaser; but new footage.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Trini

[AimingforYoko]

Two full trailers that have yet to feature a single white person. This is not a compliment or a critique, simply an observation. (Made with no small amount of amazement).

This looks good, I just hope the writing and acting is up to par.

[Trini]

Quote

Part One of The Get Down, comprising six episodes, premieres Friday, August 12 on Netflix around the world.

From Baz Luhrmann and a team of collaborators including four-time Oscar(R) winner and fellow executive producer Catherine Martin, legendary MC and executive producer Nas, associate producer Grandmaster Flash, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, co-creator and executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis; and expert collaborators, including hip-hop historian and supervising producer Nelson George, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to a new art form. Set in New York in 1977, this music-driven drama series chronicles the rise of hip-hop and the last days of disco -- told through the lives, music, art and dance of the South Bronx kids who would change the world forever.

The cast of the The Get Down includes Shameik Moore (Shaolin Fantastic), Justice Smith (Ezekiel "Books" Figuero), Herizen Guardiola (Mylene Cruz), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cadillac), Jaden Smith (Dizzee Kipling), Skylan Brooks (Ra Ra Kipling), Tremaine Brown Jr. (Boo Boo Kiping), Mamoudou Athie (Grandmaster Flash), Jimmy Smits (Francisco "Papa Fuerte" Cruz) and Giancarlo Esposito (Ramon Cruz).

The Get Down is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. The series is executive produced by Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Nas, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Thomas Kelly, and Paul Watters.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/video/2016/07/25/video-the-get-down-official-trailer-release-592302/20160725netflix02/

Edited August 4, 2016 by Trini

[Trini]

‘The Get Down’ Debuts Hip-Hop Inspired Posters:

'How Baz Luhrmann's Netflix Series 'The Get Down' Painstakingly Re-Created the '70s':

Quote

The task of transforming a now-slick Manhattan, and bringing the Bronx back to the burned-out shell it was 40 years ago, fell to Martin, production designer Karen Murphy and costume designer Jeriana San Juan. DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash (who is an executive producer) contributed oral histories for reference, while high school yearbooks and the private archives of hip-hop photographers such as Joe Conzo provided a visual blueprint. For authentic exterior shots, street artists including Lady Pink and Crash and Daze consulted, with Martin translating their aesthetic: "We shot in St. Mary's Park [in the Bronx] and painted all the rocks with a special solution that would allow us to wash off the graffiti when shooting was done," says Martin, who also covered walls at the Bronx's Andrew Freedman Home library in paper, which was painted on to show decay. "Mainly, we removed tons of window air-conditioner units" in postproduction.

[Trini]

A few reviews:

Hollywood Reporter:

Quote

It's typical Luhrmann: adrenalized pop that seems, in this case, as logical as Andy Warhol humping Jeff Koons in Yankee Stadium — familiar reference points of a time, haphazardly thrown on a canvas by someone who never witnessed it originally. Perhaps it’s a stylized ode, but it comes off as, well, both artistically ill-advised and confusing.

...

No matter what model Netflix is employing here, it's not inconceivable to think that half the audience will flee in head-shaking disappointment while the others go all-in for its eccentricities. At Netflix, where ratings don't really matter given the business model, that kind of polarizing premiere might be less worrisome than whether buzz will attract current subscribers and, more importantly, new ones. But on a purely creative level there's no getting around the fact that The Get Down is a show looking for a tone or, perhaps more accurately, a show that seemingly finds that tone by fleeing the excesses of its creator.

Which is odd.

TV Line:

Quote

There’s no lack of ambition in the three episodes of The Get Down that were screened for critics. It touches on issues of political graft and urban renewal, devotes entire scenes to the mechanics of dropping the needle on the record, and explores the sacrifices and compromises artists make as they try to make their dreams come true.

EPs Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and rap star Nas don’t succeed in equal measures in exploring the myriad themes. As Bronx kingpin/community organizer Francisco Cruz, Jimmy Smits practically twirls his nonexistent moustache with comic-book absurdity, while another subplot includes a supposedly ferocious Bronx street gang that’s inexplicably styled like they stumbled out of NBC’s Peter Pan Live!

NY Times:

Quote

In actuality, though, “The Get Down” is more like a secret superhero story, one with black and brown teenagers as the heroes. Using extravagant camerawork and technical tricks that present the protagonists as larger than life, “The Get Down” takes a period and place that’s often approached with dutiful naturalism and sobriety about difficult circumstances and infuses it with light touches of magical realism and bursts of palpable otherworldly joy.

Deadline:

Quote

... The Get Down is not just the sum of its much-sampled parts but all about the groove – even if it takes a bit to find it.

[Trini]

'6 Things We Learned at Netflix’s The Get Down TCA Panel'

[Primetimer]

Or will Baz Luhrmann's new series be like a jungle and make you wonder how you keep from going under?

View the full article

[PugLoaf]

On episode 3 now. I might not be using the right term but it's very formulaic so far (the expected characters do the expected things). However, I like Baz and I like coming of age stores even if predictable, especially those dealing with music or the arts and I am enjoying it. 

The actor playing Ezekiel is charming, this is the first thing I have seen him in. 

[JessePinkman]

Just finished episode 1 and this show is all over the place. I'm not sure what it is or what it wants to be or what I expected but I will shoulder on.

Also: Daveed! hearteyesmotherfucker.gif

[tennisgurl]

That was certainly interesting. Its a bit of a hot mess, but I dig all the 70sness of the whole thing, and the actors are good, and all look great in period clothes. 

Basically, if Romeo + Juliette got stuffed into a blender with Saturday Night Fever and Breakin, I think it would look kind of like this. I`ll keep watching. 

[biakbiak]

I kept wanting to punch Jaden Smith in the face.

[zxy556575]

Not exactly ringing endorsements, people!  ;)

It's not like I don't have 90 minutes to spare, but it's the Jaden thing, and the murky plot thing, and Netflix shoving it at me every time I log in. I'm also unfairly comparing it to Vinyl in my head, and Vinyl was awful.

[BingeyKohan]

Is Cadillac supposed to be a badass who's stayed slightly too long at the party, or a joke? I can't decide if he's a disco version of McConnaughey from Dazed and Confused or Coming to America Eriq La Salle. 

This show is infectious even while part of me knows it's a little bad, which I guess is fitting for the last days of disco.

[MathBroccoli]

I think of Coming to America's Eriq La Salle as well.  I'm not loving Mylene, but I flove Zeke.  I'll keep watching because of him and his likeable crew, even Jaden Smith isn't bothering me.

[MathBroccoli]

I'm really enjoy most of this show, but it grinds to a halt with Mylene's lame storyline.  The has-been, coked-up producer needs to go away now.  Whenever he's on the screen, I fast forward.  I don't need recurring scenes of him snorting coke & trying to write a song.  

It would be so much better if they can focus on rap and hip-hop, not the death of disco!  

Is Dizzee gay or just artsy?

[Sparger Springs]

I have no idea what is going on. The only thing I like is the music.  

[NorthstarATL]

Well, I saw that "new experience" coming a mile away, but that whole scene was awesome! It MAY be nostalgia, but that's how I recall the scene BEING back in the day!. Gay dance clubs grew out of the Disco scene and even included Disco performers and music, but also took it all to another level with a freedom that wasn't there at the over-rehearsed Discos themselves. The closest the show came to touching upon punk/new wave was the daughter of Zeke's new boss, so they know it existed, but I guess it didn't filter into the communities that the show was focused upon. That's cool. I didn't hear much rap in the clubs that I went to. We had "spoken word", but I never liked it, which fuels my lack of interest in rap.

 Still, I like the younger characters, for the most part. Justice Smith is great as Zeke, and I like Mylene with him, and also with her friends. Shaolin's actor is weak in scenes, but he's got a great look and energy. And I even like Jaden Smith, which surprised me! The weak links are the adults for me. When they are on the show veers into "Vinyl" territory and I grab for the remote! They are cartoons, and I guess that's the norm for a show centered on kids, but I lose interest. I think I noticed anachronisms in this episode as well. Mylene tells her friends that their singing is "on point". Ra Ra has a Legionnaires comic book that wasn't published until a decade later; I forget the third thing. Not bad. I'll catch the second batch.

[NorthstarATL]

There is a scene, I THINK in this episode, where the arrival of a fire truck is interspersed with real footage of a fire truck that is so wonderful that it made what the show was presenting seem so real that I had to applaud its use, and I really remained focused on that technique throughout the series. My personal history is with rock and roll, punk, new wave, and disco of that era, so I am not as appreciative of the rise of rap (or spoken word in any genre), but I appreciate coming-of-age stories, and the kids in this are well portrayed. Just the energy and the way emotions and commitments change in a second. The show captures that pretty well.

[NorthstarATL]

I like the girls singing along to Vickie Sue Robinson. She played a club I went to back in the day, and I remember her trying to teach me how to dance at an after party. I was hoping that the song's use was anachronistic and that I am not that old. Sadly, I think I am.

[calliope1975]

I thought the pilot was a bit of a mess until it got to the Get Down, and then it became fabulous for me. I'm in because I really like the characters and want to see where they go, but, and I may change my mind after watching the rest of the eps, I wish they'd drop the Jimmy Smits political story line. They should have just focused on the kids. 

It was weird seeing Daveed Diggs but not hearing his voice. I thought it wasn't him at first. I was also pleasantly surprised that I didn't want to punch Jaden Smith in the face. Shocking.

[Eriu]

I find it pretty amusing how pissy people are getting about the bootleg tape when they make a living remixing other people's music. 

[wmdekooning]

13 hours ago, Eriu said:

I find it pretty amusing how pissy people are getting about the bootleg tape when they make a living remixing other people's music. 

Because if people got the tape, then they would not pay to see Flash spin, and he would not make money.

I would also imagine individuals with the tape might further learn how Flash did what he did. Back then, it was not largely known how he was able to knit the breaks or "get down" in the manner that he did.

[Eriu]

Because if people got the tape, then they would not pay to see Flash spin, and he would not make money.

 

Right, but my point is that he is making money by using other people's music without paying them for it, and now he's all miffed that other people are using his music without paying him for it. He can be mad about it, but it's still pretty hypocritical. 

[maxineofarc]

brb, changing my name to Shaolin Fantastic

[tennisgurl]

I am not really a big fan of 70s era dance music (no problem with it, just never really saught it out, and its rather before my time), but I really like its use here. Its so catchy, I feel like I am going to start a new Pandora station!

Cadillac is just so ridiculous, he seems like a character from Black Dynamite who somehow stumbled into this musical coming of age story. I kind of love him. I mean, the guy disco dances while threatening people with guns. Where else do you get to see that? 

[Primetimer]

Crayons aside, we also learned that if mortal danger can't stop Mylene, literally nothing will.

View the full article

[tweinst]

3 hours ago, Eriu said:

Right, but my point is that he is making money by using other people's music without paying them for it, and now he's all miffed that other people are using his music without paying him for it. He can be mad about it, but it's still pretty hypocritical. 

They are selling their music as a commercial product, by selling albums. He's selling his music as a live performance. He likely thinks that he's buying the right to use it as he sees fit by buying the albums.

[KaleyFirefly]

I think people would still pay to see the live show. That's part of the experience. 

As for how much "right" you have to use music that you bought, that's an issue that's still being debated today.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 8/14/2016 at 9:25 AM, NorthstarATL said:

Well, I saw that "new experience" coming a mile away, but that whole scene was awesome! It MAY be nostalgia, but that's how I recall the scene BEING back in the day!. Gay dance clubs grew out of the Disco scene and even included Disco performers and music, but also took it all to another level with a freedom that wasn't there at the over-rehearsed Discos themselves. The closest the show came to touching upon punk/new wave was the daughter of Zeke's new boss, so they know it existed, but I guess it didn't filter into the communities that the show was focused upon. That's cool. I didn't hear much rap in the clubs that I went to. We had "spoken word", but I never liked it, which fuels my lack of interest in rap.

 Still, I like the younger characters, for the most part. Justice Smith is great as Zeke, and I like Mylene with him, and also with her friends. Shaolin's actor is weak in scenes, but he's got a great look and energy. And I even like Jaden Smith, which surprised me! The weak links are the adults for me. When they are on the show veers into "Vinyl" territory and I grab for the remote! They are cartoons, and I guess that's the norm for a show centered on kids, but I lose interest. I think I noticed anachronisms in this episode as well. Mylene tells her friends that their singing is "on point". Ra Ra has a Legionnaires comic book that wasn't published until a decade later; I forget the third thing. Not bad. I'll catch the second batch.

I did notice that anachronism, when she said "on point"! That wasn't an expression back then as far as I recall. Also were they using the song "It Takes Two" to practice the scratching? That didn't come out till 1988.

In general I liked the show. I think it got better towards the end. I agree that some of the adult characters are too one-dimensional (stern preacher father; cokehead sleazy producer; crazy nightclub owner, etc. But I liked the kid who plays Zeke and his poetry / rhymes. I liked that some of the dialogue sometimes sounded like a rap. 

I was a little kid in the 1970s, I remember all this disco music and the fashions of the time. It's a nostalgia trip for me! I was never much into disco or rap though, being a rock fan all the way. But this show (and "Hamilton") has gotten me more interested in rap/hip hop.

[wmdekooning]

14 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

As for how much "right" you have to use music that you bought, that's an issue that's still being debated today.

In my opinion, paying for an album means you have paid the artist to do to the music as you see fit in the end, particularly in the context of 1977.

Nobody was doing what Flash did before he did it. DJs bought one copy of a record, played it to the "end" and then played another record after that, and so on. Looking back from 2016, no one ever expected it was going to be an international art form and that millions of other DJs, musicians and other music producers were going to start to follow the (music concrete) form and start making millions.

[wmdekooning]

14 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

Also were they using the song "It Takes Two" to practice the scratching? That didn't come out till 1988.

Born in Abilene, Texas, U.S.A., Lyn Collins began her recording career aged 14. Her biggest solo hit was the James Brown-produced gospel-style song "Think (About It)", from her 1972 album of the same name on People Records.

The song contains 5 breaks which have been widely sampled in hip-hop and drum and bass, most famously, the "Woo! Yeah!" and "It takes two to make a thing go right" loops in Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's It Takes Two which is composed almost completely from samples of Think including a few lines of Collins' vocals. 

James Brown - Think (About It) Featuring Lyn Collins

Edited August 16, 2016 by wmdekooning

[Primetimer]

After the friend zone maneuver of the century, Mylene figures that a personal gift will keep Zeke pining for her. Not cool, Mylene. Not cool.

View the full article

[KaleyFirefly]

17 hours ago, wmdekooning said:

Born in Abilene, Texas, U.S.A., Lyn Collins began her recording career aged 14. Her biggest solo hit was the James Brown-produced gospel-style song "Think (About It)", from her 1972 album of the same name on People Records.

The song contains 5 breaks which have been widely sampled in hip-hop and drum and bass, most famously, the "Woo! Yeah!" and "It takes two to make a thing go right" loops in Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's It Takes Two which is composed almost completely from samples of Think including a few lines of Collins' vocals. 

James Brown - Think (About It) Featuring Lyn Collins

I didn't know that! So on this show, the Shaolin crew were sort of like the original samplers of this song...

[Primetimer]

The question 'When are we going to get to the fireworks factory?' is asked all too often these days, but....

View the full article

[FrumiusManxome]

I hate Mylene. Her little tease attitude ticks me off. Either you want to be with Zeke or you don't. Don't mess with his head because you're the one who isn't committed or because you feel the need to control him. She only is into him when it's convenient for her and/or when he strays from the path she wants/expects him to take. I just want Zeke to shake her off until she wants to be official or he'd let her go on his own completely. 

I worry deeply about Shaolin Fantastic. He's such a young kid when you really look at him. And his relationship with Fat Annie has all kinds of implications I don't like. I feel bad that he really, deeply wants this DJ thing and he keeps getting caught up in other nonsense that tears him down. Zeke may seem insecure, but he's got it together way better than Shao does. 

[FrumiusManxome]

On 8/13/2016 at 2:51 PM, MathBroccoli said:

I'm really enjoy most of this show, but it grinds to a halt with Mylene's lame storyline.  The has-been, coked-up producer needs to go away now.  Whenever he's on the screen, I fast forward.  I don't need recurring scenes of him snorting coke & trying to write a song.  

It would be so much better if they can focus on rap and hip-hop, not the death of disco!  

Is Dizzee gay or just artsy?

Same. I found Mylene interesting at first. And on paper I still do; sweet girl in a bad neighborhood with oppressive parents trying to make it big. But, Mylene's plot really falls flat imo because her voice isn't that strong so I dont necessarily think she should make it big, she lacks a real personality or any endearing quirks, and the way she jerks Zeke around ticks me off. 

I think they're going for a whole It's the 70s no one really cares it's just the times vibe with Dizzee. It'd be more interesting if he was solidly gay, but I think he's just 'trying stuff out'. 

[xaxat]

That was sooo Baz Luhman. At times fantastic, frustrating, visually arresting and backed by a great soundtrack. The fantastic outweighs the frustrating for me, so I'm on board for the rest. 

It felt like it was influenced by Hip Hop Family Tree. If this show has made you want to know more about the history of rap you need to read this book.

[Trini]

A couple articles about the show in relation to actual history:

How True To The Bronx's History Is 'The Get Down'?

How The Get Down Botches Hip-Hop History

[Primetimer]

Things finally start happening, as Mylene's dream comes true and Zeke gears up for a major life battle.

View the full article

[Primetimer]

The Part 1 finale concludes by affirming Baz Luhrmann's love for montages, as Zeke battles las cucarachas for his crew and his soul.

View the full article

[red12]

I see a couple of things in the character of Mylene. I think she does want Zeke, but she is afraid she would get derailed by falling in love and end up pregnant, married and pitiful like her mom instead of the star she knows she can be. I also see her type of prize attitude in girls raised in environments where the girl's virginity is the prize (fundamental religious) and "all the boys want your good stuff". It doesn't help that he dad uses her talent to keep butts in seats. She is in an environment where in fact she is a prize. And when you are raised in an environment where women are supposed to be passive, it can cause you to hone your skills in manipulation to get what you want without coming out and asking.

I am enjoying the show more without her character on the screen. It's a let down whenever she is the focal point of a scene. 

I think they were trying to cast an Irene Cara type, but this particular actress is not that. She just doesn't light up the screen for me in this role.  The idea that I am supposed to think she is beta-Beyonce in the rough is not working. I don't see it. The wig they have given her to cover her actual hair texture is bothersome as well. 

[tennisgurl]

I really liked this show, even if it has a decent amount of flaws. Ideally, next season will cut down on a few subplots, give the adult characters some more layers, and, most importantly, ditch the flash forwards to the future. Seriously, its like watching a musical Previously TV recap before every episode. And its on Netflix! You have to know people are going to binge this! We dont need the recap! 

On the other hand, I like the younger characters, love the music, and I think it has some really good plotlines in there. I really did not mind the crime stuff as much as some people, but it at times felt like it belonged in a different show. But I can get behind it if it leads to some interesting coming of age stuff later on. 

Hopefully we get a season 2 soon!

[maraleia]

I haven't watched the show yet but had it on my list. Should I give it a go or not? The reviews are mixed which makes me not want to dive in because there is too much media out there to consume.

[stagmania]

Yeah, this is a total mess and I kind of have no idea what I just watched or which of the several shows mashed together in the pilot this series actually intends to be. But Justice Smith is a wonder, and the music is enough to carry me through for awhile.