We're just in from an opening night screening of "Michael Jackson's: This Is It." Phenomenal. He is so outta this world. You must see it. Michael is clearly the most creative performer of the past 100 years. To watch him go through the rehearsals is to see an artist at the peak of his powers. He may have been 50 but he moved like he was 27. His voice was strong. The songs he selected for the shows were not shabby either.
After seeing this movie, I firmly believe This Is It would have been the greatest live performances ever. These shows would have blown everyone's collective minds: the music, the moves, the multimedia. I don't want to give too much away, but his vision for what the concerts would have been make this an unforgettable journey. It almost makes me want to put music away forever. There's no way anyone could have ever topped MJ's London concert run.
If you love Michael even half as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. Many of the performances are incomplete, they are rehearsals. But there is so much warmth, depth and humor to Michael that you normally don't see or have forgotten that you'll have to remind yourself that he is gone. I spent the first 40 minutes or so in tears as each number revved up.
[SPOILER ALERT]
Highlights for me:
I'll Be There. This is a complete perf and he reclaims this song from all of the pretenders who've ever tried to cover it. This was easily my favorite number in the whole movie.
Thriller. Complete with new filmed elements that amped up the performance and that iconic dance. Talk about reclaiming something and reminding people who did that choreography first (it wasn't a prison in the Philippines, y'all).
The Way You Make Me Feel. Watch all that dancing.
I Just Can't Stop Loving You. Features a vocal throw down at the end that Michael downplays and even gets upset that he did during a rehearsal.
Smooth Criminal. Starring Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart. No, really.
The movie ends with one of the greatest pop moments ever: Billie Jean. The suspense is agonizing. You'll never spend so much time watching one man's feet!
I know I'm forgetting some (and leaving some out for you to experience yourself). Everything about This Is It will amaze you. We will never see the artistic likes of MJ again. See this movie on the big screen. Immediately. You get so close to the performers and Michael that you feel as though you are on stage. Don't be surprised if director Kenny Ortega finds his work up for major awards at year's end. Mr. Ortega avoids any eulogizing and doesn't linger on the interview pieces. He sticks mainly to the "sizzle." Liz Taylor was only exaggerating a little when she touted the artistic value and excitement of this film.
Long Live The King of Pop!
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OMG OMG OMG! Just got home from the movie, and it is FANTASTIC! David Stern, eat your heart out. You are right - it's hardly a eulogy. With the material Ortega had to work with, he assembled a wildly entertaining film. Oh so tantalizing, though, what these numbers would have looked like in full effect instead of rehearsal effect. That is hardly a complaint. I will be a DVD purchaser ASAP, but I would have been that anyway. I echo the sentiments of the gentleman living in the LA metropolitan area hosting this blog: See this movie on the big screen. Immediately. And if you are in Amsterdam, you can get a glass of beer. Members of the CP, that's 4 u.
ReplyDeleteMy jaw was dropped for nearly the entirety of Thriller, from the filming of the new-fangled monsters to the performance. I was wondering why I Want You Back was selected to show for the first 45 seconds or so, and then he removed his ear plugs before complaining some. Good golly. The Love You Save - wow. Even Earth Song, perhaps my least favorite MJ song that turned into a single, was a revelation for the soul and heart the movie showed. And Billie Jean? Trey kept looking... and kept looking... and kept looking. Leave it to Dad to point out to a 9-year-old that seeing MJ do the electric boogie and a variation on the moonwalk at 50 is amazing. Mind blowing. He was looking for Motown 25 and was disappointed. I was looking at the performance for what it was... oh, to have seen it live.
I am so sad (and now mad at myself) that I "lost" MJ through the last several years until his death. Suffice it to say that "we" have rectified that situation, taking up much disc space on the iPod. And BTW - that second verse of the Thriller rap showing up in the movie was awesome!
For the record, the "This Is It" CD is worth it just for the 2 versions of the new song. The short version remastered of "Shake Your Body Down to the the Ground" is an added bonus.
Peace and love,
Numero Dos