Comments on: Fred Astaire makes "Smooth Criminal" classy.

Fred Astaire makes "Smooth Criminal" classy.

WCityMike — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:43:23 -0800

Fred Astaire makes "Smooth Criminal" classy. SYTL, but man, what a SYTL.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:44:07 -0800

Although I daresay 0:01-1:29 could be safely skipped. Some may disagree.

By: muckster

muckster — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:55:16 -0800

Fun, thanks. Don't remember the last mashup I watched all the way through.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:57:42 -0800

Two great tastes that taste great alone.

By: found missing

found missing — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:03:28 -0800

me likey

By: Stunt

Stunt — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:05:06 -0800

I thought it was awesome. I never realized that the original video was partially based on that scene, although after having watched that the similarities are striking. Very neat, thanks for the link.

By: middleclasstool

middleclasstool — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:09:12 -0800

That was goddamn wonderful, and I thank you.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:10:11 -0800

Although I realize that it's the whole point, I could have done without the soundtrack. I do think that the Jackson soundtrack works better against The Little Prince, but only because it demonstrates how many moves the Freak of Plastic Surgery swiped.

By: arcticwoman

arcticwoman — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:29:47 -0800

Neat, but I don't understand the Ministry of Silly Walks bit halfway through.

By: Bugg

Bugg — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:50:24 -0800

All I have to say is that I want to know what that exploding beer was. I'll have one of those please.

By: stace

stace — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:52:04 -0800

I'm sorry, I have to ask... SYTL?

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:53:54 -0800

I preferred the walrus.

By: hattifattener

hattifattener — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:55:13 -0800

"Single YouTube Link"? Also written SLYT ("single-link YouTube post").

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:08:23 -0800

Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little.

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:19:11 -0800

Smooth Criminal (and Owner of a Lonely Heart), classier.

By: ErWenn

ErWenn — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:24:43 -0800

If you're wary about watching this, stick it out to at least the four-minute mark, where it really gets good. (Yeah, you could probably skip the first minute and a half as WCityMike suggests.) Anyone else got any good mash-ups like this (meaning where dance that was choreographed for one song is matched with a different song)?

By: brianvan

brianvan — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:49:22 -0800

PDTOPIA. (Oh wait, you don't know that one. Please don't turn obscure phrases into acronyms) No reason to apologize for linking a good video. Even if "good" is subjective to the MetaFilter audience + admins. That said, both the first minute and a half and last minute and a half are useless. The editing is great and the idea is awesome, but it's hard to watch Fred Astaire (an older Fred at that) and not wish you were watching MJ instead. The King of Pop made many fantastic singles+videos over his career, and this one was really one of the tops. You don't do a remix to put something worse together out of something that's already better. But it might go viral since it's unusual and novel in a way many people might find thrilling.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:54:27 -0800

SYTL, but man, what a SYTL. Do not do this any more, please.

By: winna

winna — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:48:58 -0800

Anyone else got any good mash-ups like this (meaning where dance that was choreographed for one song is matched with a different song)? Gwen Verdon does Walk It Out. It makes me laugh.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:51:03 -0800

Fair enough, but it's no Gene Kelley Singing in the Rain Remix.

By: markr

markr — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:55:13 -0800

Great. Worth it for Cyd Charisse's legs alone.

By: vitia

vitia — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:08:08 -0800

it's hard to watch Fred Astaire (an older Fred at that) and not wish you were watching MJ instead What complete and utter nonsense. The camera never spends more than three consecutive seconds on MJ in the video: it's stitched together garbage. Remix aside, watch any Astaire movie whatsoever -- any Astaire clip or song whatsoever -- and you'll see more accomplished, sustained dancing. Never mind that half of MJ's moves, as the post clearly indicates, were ripped off from Astaire, and the other half from Fosse, with some Presley and Brown thrown in. He's an accomplished dancer, yes. But far, far from the equal of Astaire.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:46:05 -0800

SYTL, but man, what a SYTL. Hey, that's just, like... your opinion, man...

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:26:18 -0800

That said, both the first minute and a half and last minute and a half are useless. Perhaps, but I'd rather have watched the subsequent Leslie Caron Apache Dance from that clip than the butchered Fred Astaire. You don't see the Apache dance much these days. I suppose the idea of a pimp slapping his French beeyotch around because she won't give him his money just isn't seen as that romantic any more?

By: telstar

telstar — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:33:30 -0800

Theng Kew! More like this, I like seeing the influences exemplified.

By: Uther Bentrazor

Uther Bentrazor — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:20:26 -0800

I don't like our kids being exposed to stars who emphasize smoking and gun violence. This Fred Astaire character should be ashamed.

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:38:53 -0800

Over the weekend, a professional ballet dancer taught me the zombie dance for Thriller. but then I forgets it

By: m0nm0n

m0nm0n — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:05:18 -0800

Best mashup ever.

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:39:15 -0800

thanks, WCityMike. that was fun. i, too, liked the walrus better....but, what's better than a dancing walrus?

By: bwg

bwg — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:02:35 -0800

"SYTL, but man, what a SYTL." Do not do this any more, please. Surely you meant: DNDTAMP

By: KirkJobSluder

KirkJobSluder — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:06:22 -0800

One of the things that I really dislike about the MTV style is how it has shaped dance cinematography. Minelli's original gives Astaire and Charisse each 30 seconds of introduction to establish character, and then (at least by my count) almost a full minute on the duet with a single cut on Charisse's beautiful kick. Then the editing gets a bit jumpy through the fight scene. It's not Astaire's best, and I'm much more of a Kelly fan, but I still had to put the whole movie on my netflix list. The two Jackson versions of "smooth criminal," in contrast, don't do much to showcase his dancing skill or choreography. The short version, of course, uses video time compression, blur, and rapid-fire jump cuts to create what to me is a very jumbled mess that's more confusing than dramatic. That great angry spin would be wonderful if we actually got to see the whole thing. Instead, we have alternating shots of his head and feet, which makes it look a bit faked. The 10 minute long version is a bit better, but still suffers from cuts that chop up the choreography, extended shots from the waist up, shots in which Jackson is obscured by foreground dancers, and shots where he's upstaged by visual effects. It's only at about 7:55 that we get some good choreography coverage, just after a slow bridge that feels much more like one of Fosse's scenes from All That Jazz (NSFW). But by then, the demands of the larger plot involving giant robo Jackson vs. Pesci drags us away from some really beautiful dance moves.

By: Brainy

Brainy — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:47:10 -0800

Anyone else got any good mash-ups like this (meaning where dance that was choreographed for one song is matched with a different song)? You might not know either the movie source or the band but World/Inferno Friendship Society's Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater with video from 1776 is pretty hysterical.

By: Pronoiac

Pronoiac — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:03:26 -0800

Daft Punk as background music for the Charleston.