After many stages of development, we finally get the film biopic about one of the greatest musicians to have ever do it and one of my favorite music artists, the late and legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson. With a first time actor in the case of Jafaar Jackson and a great supporting cast, along with the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody and The Town and the iconic director Antoine Fuqua, who has directed some great films especially Training Day and with so much ground work to cover, can the Michael Jackson biopic (the first half of a potential two-parter) live up to the hype, excitement, curiosity and concerns that MJ fans, movie fans and music fans have? Well, let's talk about it here.

In this LIVE review, Epictastic Joshua's Joshua Drake Randall gives you his honest and unedited thoughts on "Michael" aka "Michael: Part One" and breaks down his excitement from the positives to negatives to overall how does this first half does justice to Michael Jackson's early career from childhood to the 80s?

#MichaelMovie #MichaelPartOne #JafaarJackson #AntoineFuqua #MichaelJackson

*Timecodes*

0:00 - Review starts

3:51 - cast and crew/plot synopsis

6:21 - thoughts on MJ and his music/legacy

10:33 - thoughts on music biopics/excitement and nervousness for Michael

21:50 - expectations to thoughts

25:00 - Full disclaimer

27:40 - The Light (pros)

50:42 - The Dark (negatives)

1:02:03 - Overall thoughts/rating

1:10:21 - Conclusion and ending

Sypnosis

The story of pop superstar Michael Jackson -- from his extraordinary early days in the Jackson 5 to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fuels a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world.

CAST & CREW

Directed by

Antoine Fuqua

Written by

John Logan

Produced by

Graham King

John Branca

John McClain

Starring

Jaafar Jackson

Nia Long

Laura Harrier

Juliano Krue Valdi

Miles Teller

Mike Myers

Colman Domingo

KeiLyn Durrel Jones

Jamal R. Henderson

Jayden Harville

Tre Horton

Jaylen Lyndon Hunter

Rhyan Hill

Judah Edwards

Joseph David-Jones

Nathaniel Logan McIntyre

Jessica Sula

Kendrick Sampson

Larenz Tate

Liv Symone

Kevin Shinick

Cinematography

Dion Beebe

Edited by

John Ottman

Harry Yoon

Conrad Buff IV

Tom Cross

Original Music by

Lior Rosner

Casting by

Kimberly Hardin

Victoria Thomas

Production Design: Barbara Ling

Costume Design: Marci Rodgers

Production companies

GK Films

Optimum Productions

Distributed by

Lionsgate Films (United States)

Universal Pictures (International)

Rated: PG-13 for some thematic material, language and smoking

Genre: Musical, music film, biography, drama, period piece,

Release dates:

April 10, 2026 (Berlin)

April 24, 2026 (United States)

Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes

Budget: $155–200 million

Box Office: $217.4 million

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more movie/TV, music and anime reviews, top ten lists/ranking, commentaries, reactions, and more.

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@EpictasticJoshua

Get your own palette here at (discount code: (FUTURE15) https://moviepalette.com

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:

Email at: joshuadrake287@gmail.com

Cash App: https://cash.app/$J9shuaDrake

Chime: $JoshuaDrake-2

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

LINKS HERE

ALL LINKS: https://linktr.ee/EpictasticJoshuaYT

INSTAGRAM/THREADS: epictasticjoshua

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Joshuathemovielover2049 /

https://www.facebook.com/EpictasticJoshuaYT

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/epictasticjoshua.bsky.social

LETTERBOXD/SNAPCHAT: EpictasticJosh

Serializd: EpictasticJoshuaYT

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theepictasticjoshua

PODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hYoGnrm2GWhxKBI7DcOjc?si=sswWVyImRRuXHBwUt8hxZw

TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/EpictasticJoshuaYT

Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2VKNXSJC7M58R?ref_=list_d_wl_ys_list_1

The Housemaid was the latest attempt at not only a screen adaptation of the first book in a series of novels by Fates McFadden but also the latest attempt in many this decade to bring back and have a good erotic thriller. With a capable director in Paul Feig (mostly) and a solid trio of actors especially a double blonde threat in the case of Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, along with Brandon Sklenar, I was mostly intrigued from the trailers. The honest concern was would this actually work: the simple answer is that it surprisingly does work and has sparked a new franchise for its leading girl.

In this video, Epictastic Joshua’s Joshua Drake Randall talks about “The Housemaid” and gives his thoughts on the film from hesitations/thoughts to the performances, direction, does it overall work and is it worth a shot. Here’s my full length review to find out.

#TheHousemaidMovie #TheHousemaid #TheHousemaidMovieReview #SydneySweeney #AmandaSeyfried #BrandonSklenar #PaulFeig #eroticthrillers #EpictasticJoshua

*TIMECODES*

0:00 - cold opening and intro

0:30 - welcome/cast and crew

0:57 - plot synopsis

1:07 - expectations and hesitations to first thoughts

3:34 - The Light (pros)

12:17 - The Dark (cons)

13:28 - overall thoughts and grade

14:52 - conclusion and outro

Sypnosis

Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous -- a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power.

CAST & CREW

Directed by

Paul Feig

Screenplay by

Rebecca Sonnenshine

Based on

The Housemaid

by Freida McFadden

Produced by

Todd Lieberman

Laura Fischer

Paul Feig

Freida McFadden

Amanda Seyfried

Sydney Sweeney

Jennifer Booth

Connor DiGregorio

Will Greenfield

Carly Kleinbart

Christopher Woodrow

Alexander Young

Starring

Sydney Sweeney

Amanda Seyfried

Brandon Sklenar

Michele Morrone

Elizabeth Perkins

Indiana Elle

Hope Grant

Amanda Joy Erickson

Cinematography

John Schwartzman

Edited by

Brent White

Music by

Theodore Shapiro

Production companies

Hidden Pictures

Pretty Dangerous Pictures

Distributed by

Lionsgate

Rated: R for for strong/bloody violent content, sexual assault, sexual content, nudity and language.

Genre: Drama, thriller, dark comedy, erotic thriller, erotic psychological thriller

Release dates:

December 2, 2025 (Axa Equitable Center)

December 19, 2025 (United States)

Running time: 2 hours 11 minutes

Budget: $35 million

Box office: $397 million

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more movie/TV, music and anime reviews, top ten lists/ranking, commentaries, reactions, and more.

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@EpictasticJoshua

Get your own palette here at (discount code: (FUTURE15) https://moviepalette.com

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:

Email at: joshuadrake287@gmail.com

Cash App: https://cash.app/$J9shuaDrake

Chime: $JoshuaDrake-2

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

LINKS HERE

ALL LINKS: https://linktr.ee/EpictasticJoshuaYT

INSTAGRAM/THREADS: epictasticjoshua

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Joshuathemovielover2049 /

https://www.facebook.com/EpictasticJoshuaYT

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/epictasticjoshua.bsky.social

LETTERBOXD/SNAPCHAT: EpictasticJosh

Serializd: EpictasticJoshuaYT

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theepictasticjoshua

PODCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hYoGnrm2GWhxKBI7DcOjc?si=sswWVyImRRuXHBwUt8hxZw

TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/EpictasticJoshuaYT

Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2VKNXSJC7M58R?ref_=list_d_wl_ys_list_1

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths had the potential to be one of the best movies of the animated DC Universe saga of films and considering it was a three part. But also had concerns because of this being the end of the DCAMU Tomorrowverse as it was getting started.

The final result is a valiant effort that while I did mostly enjoy and mostly have fun with, it is also a prime example of my concerns being true and definitely needing more time to breathe and process before we got there.

In this video, Epictastic Joshua’s Joshua Drake Randall gives his brutally honest opinion on “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths” and explains why he doesn’t hate it nor love it but found it to be a frustrating disappointment that wasn’t as bad as people say.

#justiceleaguecrisisoninfiniteearths #justiceleague #supergirl #dcjusticeleague #dcamutomorrow

Sypnosis

After Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are rescued by Lyla Michaels, the Justice League and their allies are summoned by the Monitor to combat his twin brother and evil counterpart, the malevolent entity known as the Anti-Monitor, to prevent him from destroying infinite earths.

CAST & CREW

Directed by

Jeff Wamester

Screenplay by

Jim Krieg

Based on

Crisis on Infinite Earths

by Marv Wolfman

George Pérez

Produced by

Jim Krieg

Kimberly S. Moreau

Butch Lukic

Sam Register

Michael Uslan

Starring

Matt Bomer

Jensen Ackles

Darren Criss

Meg Donnelly

Stana Katic

Corey Stoll

Jimmi Simpson

Zachary Quinto

Jonathan Adams

Ike Amadi

Geoffrey Arend

Alexandra Daddario

Alastair Duncan

Matt Lanter

Ato Essandoh

Cynthia Hamidi

Aldis Hodge

Power Ring

Erika Ishii

David Kaye

Ashleigh LaThrop

Liam McIntyre

Johnny Quick

Nolan North

Lou Diamond Phillips

Keesha Sharp

Harry Shum Jr.

Gideon Adlon

Troy Baker

Zach Callison

Darin De Paul Solovar

Keith Ferguson

Will Friedle

Jamie Gray

Matt Ryan

Brian Bloom

Ashly Burch

Kevin Conroy

Brett Dalton

Captain Atom

John DiMaggio

Keith Ferguson

Jennifer Hale

Mark Hamill

Jamie Gra

David Kaye

Cynthia Kaye McWilliams

Elysia Rotaru

Katee Sackhoff

Jason Spisak

Armen Taylor

Dean Winters

Edited by

Bruce A. King

Music by

Kevin Riepl

Production companies

Warner Bros. Animation

DC Entertainment

Distributed by

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Science fiction, action adventure, drama

Release dates

January 9, 2024 (Part One)

April 29, 2024 (Part Two)

July 16, 2024 (Part Three)

Running time

93 minutes (Part One)

95 minutes (Part Two)

98 minutes (Part Three)

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

🎥 About the Channel 📺

Welcome to Epictastic Joshua, where he talk movies, TV shows, music and anime (movies only) on a consistent basis! If you want to continue having an epictastic conversation, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the channel to be a part of the Epictasticness. Join the Epictasticness, stay epictastic and you guys keep it cool!

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@EpictasticJoshua