This Is It
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 09:50AM ;)
This Is It marks an extraordinary cinema trip for me. I went to the cinema and it wasn't a Wednesday AND I'd pre-booked my tickets for the first time ever. The pre-booking was seamless as was the cinema experience (i.e. it wasn't fucking full to the rafters with cheap-skates like me, as it always is on an Orange Weds). I took my seat with a friend and looked around. Lots of couples and lots of people on their own. It was like walking into a sex shop - the couples wandering in loudly and proudly and the single people hid, sneaking in and out quietly.
Anyway on with the film review, which will as the Drunken one has pointed out many times, may be biased. This Is It starts with some sentimental words on the screen, blah-de-blah, and then it summarises the film in one sentence: "For the fans...". Which is very true. If you find Michael Jackson as appealing as walking in on your parents in a foursome with your grandparents, then don't bother with this film. If you think Michael Jackson had some good songs and was alright - you'll think the film is alright. If you thought he was the King of Pop, the best pop artist ever, one of the best dancers that ever lived and had a natural ability as an amazing performer - then you'll love this film.
So the film is pretty simple. Kenny Ortega edited a load of footage from the rehearsals together to make a film featuring most of the songs from the concert. It's broken up nicely into clips about them setting up a scene, discussing a beat, filming a 3D section, testing the effects etc. followed by a song. The songs are made of different rehearsals cut together to create a full piece most of the time, although a couple are just one performance. Highlights include MJ doing his thing to Billie Jean. You can see that he's not putting his all into it, as it's just a practice, at times he walks through steps - misses out lines to look
round at band members - and says at the end something like: "anyway you get the idea, it's just a sound check." Yet it's still spell-blinding, even at 60% he's amazing. Every movement is perfect
and each note hit. He's brilliant. And when the camera spins round to show the other production crew / dancers etc. watching in awe and whooping, even crying it hits you: They are watching the legend that
is Michael Jackson performing his signature song and dance moves, quite casually in front of them. It's quite something.
The sections in between the songs show what a perfectionist Jackson was, but also how well he knew his songs, how well he could sing and beat-box and just how much effort he was putting into these shows. Some of them verge on the mental, some are sappy speeches, others are simple production notes. But each shows another element of this quite spectacular show. Watch out for the life size bulldozer! If you're expecting to find out lots about Michael Jackson, the gossip and a real documentary - This Is NOT It. The pieces with MJ are short and not very insightful beyond the music and production of the show. If you want to see a full live concert - then go a buy the Live in Bucharest DVD (it's fucking AMAZING). If you want to see how much work goes into a show like this and you want to see MJ rehearsing his shows and having a totally hands-on approach to it all - the This Is It!
Final thought on the film: Wow he had massive hands. It's really obvious in the film when he's talking and gesticulating and I kept on being distracted by his awesomely large hands.
Moonwalk out of 5
Michael Jackson, This Is It in Documentary
Reader Comments (3)
NB All the shit formatting and words stuck together are nothing to do with me...
NB Most of that shit has been sorted. I just copy and pasted it and I was in a fucking hurry so get off my fucking case or I'll shave your face of with a pair of garden shears. Some fucking people.
NB. So it has. Please shave my face with garden shears, Mr Scissorhands.