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Re: this is it reviews

Some of those reviews are disgusting, especially the one by Mike Ward - I wish people wouldn't be so disrespectful about our beloved Michael. However some reviews were very positive and respectful. Thanks for posting.
 
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I bet that F***er Rick Warner didnt even see the film...like he just copied and pasted rumors and b.s. into a review.

Michael's voice was NOT strained nor was his dancing stiff!...he must have been smoking crack..or something
 
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He had the best god damn band Ive ever heard behind him, every note they played was live too I might add!!

Pure magic.
 
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Review: Four stars for Michael Jackson's This is it
By Peter Howell
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Michael Jackson's This Is It
(4 out of 4)

A concert rehearsal film starring Michael Jackson. Directed by Kenny Ortega. 111 minutes. At major theatres.


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Appropriate to Halloween week, ghoulish questions abounded going into last night's preview of Michael Jackson's This Is It, which opens worldwide Wednesday.

Would this filmed record of Jackson's rehearsals for a London concert series planned prior to his death last June show the reclusive pop icon morbidly in decline, as out of tune and out of shape as Elvis Presley was in his final days?

Could anything of real value be expected from a show still in the creative phase, and in a digital video format originally intended as private reference material and not for public consumption?

Jackson fans will be delighted to hear the answer is a resounding "no" to the first question and "yes" to the second.

Jackson looks thinner than ever, but his singing is strong and he moves (and moonwalks) with vigour, right from the start of the opening number "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", from Thriller, his record-breaking 1982 album.

This is Michael Jackson unvarnished, the wizard behind the curtain and the man-child in the mirror, and it's fascinating to behold. He's as tough as Frank Sinatra with his perfectionistic demands, brooking no dissent as he puts dancers and musicians half his age through their gruelling paces.

But he's also as fragile as Judy Garland, as is evident on the moving ballad "Human Nature."

This with pyrotechnics and big rock flourishes you'd expect more from the likes of Pink Floyd or the Rolling Stones.

It also packs an emotional wallop; there's an undeniable sadness seeing this and knowing it's the show he never gave and now never will.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, Jackson's longtime collaborator and creative director who was also in charge of the London concert series, This Is It is scheduled to run in theatres for just two weeks. An extension is widely expected if screenings sell out, as advance sales indicate they will.

The film is culled from more than 100 hours of high-definition rehearsal footage, shot from March of this year up to the hours before Jackson's June 25 death from heart failure at age 50. It was lensed mainly at the The Forum and the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Jackson had been putting in full days of work for weeks.

He sweated every small detail, as the film shows in scenes both onstage and backstage.

This Is It packs a lot into nearly two hours, covering all of Jackson's career from his early days dancing and singing with the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to his near-recluse status in this decade, when he rarely performed and only occasionally recorded.

Such familiar Jackson hits as "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" are given the full production treatment. Jackson is assisted by 11 dancers (including Canada's Daniel Celebre of Nobleton, Ont.), with choreography by Travis Payne, another longtime collaborator.

This Is It includes a salute to Old Hollywood, through a production number and short black-and-white film celebrating such classics as the noir dramas Gilda and In a Lonely Place and the screwball comedy His Girl Friday. Jackson segues into it by way of "Smooth Criminal," a hit from his 1987 album Bad.

Jackson, Payne and Ortega alsoeagerly revive the Thriller zombie dance number, which by chance was performed for the first time in full costume at Jackson's final rehearsal, the day before his untimely death.

The 28 songs (26 by Jackson) in the movie include a four-tune medley tribute to the Jackson 5, the Motown brothers act (later called The Jacksons) that propelled young Michael to pre-teen fame in the 1960s and 1970s:

"I'll Be There," "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)."

This Is It sounds like a title epitaph written after the fact of Jackson's death, but the connection to the singer oddly goes back more than a quarter-century. It was originally the title of a song he co-wrote with Paul Anka in the early 1980s, which was shelved at the time but recently reissued as a "new" song to promote the movie (it's heard over the end credits), with fresh backing vocals from Jackson's brothers.

This Is It was also intended to be the title for the series of 50 career-reviving concerts by Jackson at London's 02 Arena, which had been scheduled to begin July 13 and continue through March 6, 2010.

At a London press conference last March to announce the series, Jackson called the 02 shows "the final curtain call." Whether he was referring to his last-ever shows in London or calling it quits to the road altogether was never made clear.

But this film of Jackson's preparations for the London gigs proves how seriously he took them, and how determined he was to make them memorable.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainmen...r-stars-for-michael-jackson-s-this-is-it?bn=1
 
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'This Is It': Michael Jackson's final thriller

By Constance Droganes, CTV.ca entertainment reporter

Updated: Wed. Oct. 28 2009 9:22 AM ET

Gone too soon. I dare anyone who sees "This Is It" not to mutter these words.

Michael Jackson is dead. But, the late legend lives, breathes and dances up a storm in the new tribute doc, "Michael Jackson's This Is It."

After all the speculation and over-the-hill shots taken at the 50-year-old performer, Kenny Ortega's filmed chronicle of "the concert that never was" drills one message home loud and clear.

Jackson was still dangerous on the dance floor.

Far from being a frail, crippled kook, Jackson is the man with the plan here.

He busts a move with dancers half his age. He commands details to life on stage like Moses parting the sea, tossing in a "God bless you" at his crew even when he's most peeved.


Perfectionist Jackson schools his young dancers until their every move becomes a brilliant extension of the pop icon on stage.





Jackson does look gaunt -- and frail. But that seems to magically disappear when he takes to the stage.

Singing with unmistakable -- and unassisted -- vibrancy, Jackson is the mastermind of what would have been the concert experience of his career.

AEG, Jackson's concert promoter, lavished loads of dough on this big comeback. Next to Jackson's voice, the production's big budget calls out to us from the screen with almost as much power.

Among the spectacular production numbers we glimpse is a 3D remake of "Thriller." In fact, the eerie ghosts flung through the air here send a chill up the spine. It is inevitable, knowing what we do now about Jackson's tragic death.

Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" is also played out with crazy, big-buck drama against "Gilda," Rita Hayworth's 1946 black-and-white classic.

Jackson is flung into her famous "Put The Blame On Mame" number. He catches Hayworth's glove, puts it in his breast pocket and is shot at by Humphrey Bogart in a stunning chase sequence.

It's big. It's Hollywood. It's Michael Jackson all the way.

Yet, behind these stagey numbers lies Jackson's steel-trap mind.

"It needs more booty," Jackson tells one keyboard player, using a shorthand of words and gestures to perfect the beat on "The Way You Make Me Feel."

"Michael knows his music," says one musician. "You better know his stuff before you start talking to him.

Ditto for those mad, bad, thrilling dance moves.

Perfectionist Jackson schools his young dancers until their every move becomes a brilliant extension of the pop icon on stage.

Thanks to Ortega's editing, Jackson's few words build these boys and girls up until they fly across the stage looking like the bright lights Jackson wants them to be.

The production's only fault is that we never really hear Jackson talk at any great length.

Jackson talks extensively on only two occasions.

Once is when he shares his concerns about the environment, a message that plays a key role throughout the production.

"People say 'They'll take care of it.' Who is they? We are all responsible," Jackson voices with audible frustration.

In a prayer circle with his crew, Jackson also voices thanks and his expectations from the dancers in his company.

"Give me your all," he tells them. "But, don't be nervous. This is a great adventure."

Indeed it is.

From start to finish, "This Is It" is filled with many emotional moments. One, in particular, comes when Jackson calls out a "thank you" to his brothers and parents at the end of one rehearsal number.

Far from being a sugary goo-fest, however, "This Is It" reminds audiences of Jackson's humour as well as his talent.


"Hold on," Ortega calls out to Jackson as he his carried into the air by one machine contraption. Jackson looks down at Ortega, dismissing his director's fears with a few zingers.

Some of Jackson's costumes, particularly one jacket with pointy shoulder pads that rise towards the heavens, will likely earn a few zingers of their own.

That aside, Ortega captures something quite extraordinary in "This Is It"

Jackson the man, not the lunatic, is the star of this show.

"This Is It" grants Jackson and his extraordinary talent one final, respectful, in-your-face nod.

"He's the King. There will never be anyone like him," says one eerie Jackson lookalike sitting next to me.

I look at Jackson's fan, look to the screen and think, "You said it pal."

Three and a half stars out of four


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...his_is_it_091028/20091028?hub=EntertainmentV2
 
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I am so amazed at how positive the reviews have been and I'm so happy because people are realising he was and always will be the greatest star to have hit the planet.
 
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He is at 73% on the tomatometer. YAY!
 
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I dont quite know how to put into words all the feelings I have about the film, Im overwhelmed I think. A bit subdued now, but simply This Is It is the greatest show that never was and Michael is unmistakably the greatest showman the world has or ever will see. We will never see anyone as devoted to their art as Michael was.

After seeing that, I really feel blessed to have him be in my life.
 
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This is the worst review that I have read so far. I don't know if I should take the reviewer seriously or pity him.

He obviously has an ax to grind.


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aYIPe2FGwBTQ

Review by Rick Warner



That's okay. Never heard of this guy. Roger Ebert is one of the most respected and well known critics in the industry, and he gave it 4 stars out of 4. That means a lot!

If there weren't some ridiculous reviews like Rick Warner's, then the world would be turned upside down. And I want to see Mike straight up.

Can't wait.
 
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Review: 'This Is It' a Jackson triumph

By Tom Charity, Special to CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-"This Is It" shows Michael Jackson in excellent form; voice and moves tops
-Jackson's charisma is ever-present, and staffers light up when he rehearses
-Film shows musician's craftsmanship, the value of taking time to get it right
-"This Is It" provides a glimpse of Jackson's humanity, Tom Charity says

(CNN) -- Yes, you probably want to see this.

Kenny Ortega's record of Michael Jackson in rehearsal in the days and weeks before his untimely death in June has been a red-hot advance ticket all over the world, even while fans worried about what the film would reveal about the singer's fitness on the verge of the planned 50-date engagement at London's O2 arena.

He's as thin as a rail, so thin that his trilby looks a size too big for him. But any cynical speculation that the King of Pop headed for the exit to save himself the embarrassment of a flop -- that he wasn't just past his prime but incapable of living up to his own legend -- just won't fly.

From the evidence Ortega shows us, "This Is It: the concert" would have been as thrilling and spectacular as his audience hoped it would be. Jackson may have been broke, but this would have been a no-expense-spared extravaganza. More important, creatively, it's obvious he was far from a spent force.

Admittedly, there is no way to tell from the movie whether "MJ," as his collaborators call him, would have mustered the stamina for the demanding schedule he had signed up for.

Ortega, the choreographer-turned-director who worked with Jackson on the Dangerous World and HIStory tours, categorically has not made a cinéma vérité documentary portrait of Jackson on his last legs. This is no death-watch expose. Quite the opposite: It's a slick, "professional" celebration of a great entertainer at work and much more of a concert film than might have been expected.

Ortega dates the first scenes as April 2009 but leaves it at that. The rehearsal footage, we're told, was shot for Jackson's private library -- and there's a lot of it (the entire show, probably), a dozen of the greatest hits filmed on two or more cameras, and often across at least two rehearsals.

This is augmented by relatively brief clips from filmed segments intended for use in the concert, including a new 3-D "Thriller" video and a film noir number that puts a monochrome Michael on the run from trigger-happy Humphrey Bogart ("Smooth Criminal").

There are also sensibly brief interviews with the show's dancers and musicians, none of whom sheds any insight on Jackson the man or the artist but all of whom attest to his incredible charisma.

Happily, we can see that for ourselves. At 50, Jackson wasn't a pretty young thing any longer; close-ups confirm what a terrible travesty he'd made of his face, with his cleft Kirk Douglas chin and a nose that looks like a cartoonist's impression of a skate ramp. But this inspired dancer still had the moves, and even when he's singing well within himself (which is most of the time, here) we can appreciate his fine phrasing, his superb sense of rhythm.

Maybe the movie's greatest pleasure is witnessing how he gently, firmly coaxes out the sound he's hearing in his head from his musical collaborators: insisting on a longer pause or a funkier bass or more dramatic punctuation. "Rapport" would be too intimate a word -- royalty remains untouchable, and not even Ortega seems comfortable putting his arm around Michael's shoulders -- but Jackson could communicate musical ideas with a joy and exuberance that anyone can understand.

His cast and crew, who were also his last live audience, invariably light up whenever Jackson is performing.

And always the sound and the staging seem indivisible in his mind. It shouldn't come as any surprise, but after decades of idle tabloid gossip, lies and innuendo, it's a relief to be reminded of Jackson's prodigious talent, the consummate care and craftsmanship underneath all the razzmatazz.

The performances here are not the finished article. He wasn't, evidently, a man to show up at rehearsals in jeans and T-shirt, but for one rehearsal he sports bright orange trousers and a silver lamé jacket; at another, a red shirttail hangs half in, half out of his trousers. There are mistakes, modifications, mild disgruntlement -- though we're never shown anything resembling a temper tantrum.

"That's why we rehearse," Jackson murmurs more than once, sanguine that everything will be all right on the night.

It wasn't to be. We'll never experience Jackson's "final curtain call" as he envisaged it for himself. But "This Is It" gives us a glimpse of a more human Michael Jackson than the King of Pop ever presented in his lifetime. Imperfection suits him better than he knew.

"This Is It" runs 112 minutes and is rated PG. For Entertainment Weekly's review, click here.


http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/28/review.thisisit.jackson
 
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Danish newspapers are mixed.

The most reliable "Politikken" gives it 5 stars. Most others 4.

BUT there is one danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet which only gave 1 star!!! - He obviously hates MJ and the danish fan community has taken action to make them make another person make a real review. I bet he wrote the review even before he saw the movie!

But mostly people are surprisingly positive and thinks it's great!

I loved it from start till end!
 
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Michael Jackson's This Is It proves MJ still had it
By Ken Eisner
Directed by Kenny Ortega. Featuring Michael Jackson. Rated G. Opens Wednesday, October 28

Anyone fearing that this compilation of full-scale rehearsals, special-effects footage, and backstage chatter would be little more than a crass cash-in, be reassured right now: at the end of his life, Michael Jackson had as much of It as he ever had. This captivatingly well-crafted movie also makes the case that the sold-out London shows he was prepping for would have constituted the comeback of the century.


Watch the trailer for Michael Jackson's This Is It.
Let’s start with the core issue. MJ on stage (on various days at L.A.’s Staples Center) exhibited little of the frailty or weird remoteness you’d expect of him by age 50. Although sometimes trying to conserve his voice for the U.K. concerts, Jackson here sounds pitch-perfect when running through big numbers like “Beat It”, “Black or White”, a show-stopping “Thriller” featuring 3-D effects, and a film-noir version of “Smooth Criminal” that has our white-suited hero cavorting with Humphrey Bogart and Rita Hayworth.

Speaking of movie faces, it seems clear in this context that Jackson’s relentless rhinoplasty was always intended for appreciation from a distance—that is, under floodlights before tens of thousands of adoring fans. Here, the worshipping is done by director Kenny Ortega (who also put together celluloid background material for the bigger production numbers), technical crews, and a cast of talented young dancers, who are consistently stunned by MJ’s ability to outhoof them at every turn.

There are also quick visits with his impressive band, including duelling guitarists Tommy Organ and Orianthi Panagaris. But the most amazing musician on display in this nearly two-hour keepsake is Michael Jackson, who is so far inside every beat and every wisp of melody, he simply can’t make a wrong move. On-stage, anyway, he was free.

3 readers have recommended this


http://www.straight.com/article-266341/michael-jacksons-it-proves-he-still-had-it
 
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Great review (for the most part) from MaClean's magazine in Canada. Maclean's is a very popular and well respected publication here with weekly readers in the hundreds of thousands. This will help the movie greatly here:

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Michael Jackson is redeemed by a movie

by Brian D. Johnson on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 1:05pm - 0 Comments

He always fancied himself a movie star. Now, finally, he is. Last night, as I arrived at a press screening for Michael Jackson’s This Is It, the posthumous film of ***** rehearsing the show he never gave, I had reason to be deeply skeptical. How could it be any good? If it was, why was Sony Pictures releasing it for only a two-week limited engagement? And why was it holding off the press screening until 9:30 p.m. of the day the movie would be commercially released at midnight? I expected a frustrating glimpse of a performance that was only half there, a lurid cash grab to capitalize on the biggest showbiz event of Michael Jackson’s career: his death.

Boy, was I wrong. This Is It is amazing. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who also directed the show that never opened, it offers far more than a glimpse. Out of the rehearsals, Ortega has constructed what amounts to full-blown concert movie, framed with a smattering of candid backstage moments that are both amusing and touching. And the end of it you feel you’ve seen pretty well the whole show—which is spectacular—as well as getting some gems of unprecedented insight into the artist behind it. And here’s the real news: the movie refutes once and for all the glut of media reports after his death claiming that he was washed up as a performer, and was in no shape to put on a show. Yes, he does look frail, and with all that make-up, we’ll never know how pale. But he never appears stoned, unfocused or incapable. The movie could serve as evidence in the trial of the man accused of his murder. Executing intricate choreography, Jackson dances with the same semaphore precision and fluid virtuosity that made him a legend. And although his lacks power , his dreamy falsetto is still in tact, and he’s clearly trying to hold back. “Don’t make me sing out,” he begs at one point in a scene that’s both funny and freighted with sad irony. “I gotta save my voice.”

The film also amply demonstrates that the show, billed as Jackson’s farewell tour, wasn’t just a cynical attempt to pay off his debts with a routine greatest-hits show. That may have been the initial motive. But that’s also why Leonard Cohen returned to the stage after a 15 year absence, and 17 months later Leonard is still on tour at 75, delivering the richest performances of his life. (Hey, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol for the cash.) Jackson’s swan song was mounted as a first-class production, with spectacular staging, choreography and costumes, as well as a hot band. The backup singers fortify the arrangements with a sound that amounts to a composite facsimile of Jackson’s voice. The dancers, who include Cirque de Soleil-style acrobats and aerialist, are sensational. As are the musicians, notably a sexy but dead-cool blond guitarist, Orianthi Panagaris, who stalks the stage with him like a gun moll on various numbers.

There’s also a series of cinematic backdrops. Thriller is renacted in a graveyard crawling with zobies. A young girl chases digital butterflies through an Amazon rain forest, which is then burned and bulldozed. And Michael is digitally implanted into vintage movies — catching a glove tossed by Rita Hayworth in Gilda and exchanging volleys of machine gun fire with Humphrey Bogart. These touches are often hokey, bringing out Jackson’s naive taste in Hollywood iconography, but they’re undeniably ambitious, as is the concert’s finale, a Save the Planet plea that pits ***** against an evil bulldozer.

Aside from the performance footage, the movie offers some tantalizing backstage moments. Not enough, to be sure. There’s a funny bit with a Russian choreographer instructing dancers on the finer points of crotch grabbing. And a costume designer breathlessly talks about breaking new ground with outfits on the cutting edge of glitter. So bright you can barely look at them. I wish Ortega had included more of this stuff, instead of dutifully trying to reassemble the entire concert. And, of course, there’s not a frame of the film that casts MJ in a bad light—make no mistake, this is adoring hagiography, not candid documentary. Yet we still get a better sense of Jackson than we’ve ever had from his cringe-worthy interviews or his slick videos.

He may be a freak. But it soon becomes clear that he’s an artist with an abiding perfectionism and total authority over the creative process: while Ortega is the show’s director, MJ is firmly in charge, right down to fine-tuning lighting cues. There’s a lovely little scene of him coaching the band’s keyboard player and musical director, Michael Breardon, on how to play The Way You Make Me Feel, asking him to play a song “just a little more behind the beat, like you’re dragging yourself outta bed . . . you gotta let it simmer, let it bathe in the moonlight.” Whether Jackson is dancing or just explaining, the music and the moves seem hardwired into his being, like a quicksilver vocabulary, as if he’s been channeling those ghostly spirits from Thriller all along.

Even though the film doesn’t show any tantrums—which doesn’t mean there weren’t any—there are amusing glimmers of vulnerability. While Jackson is rehearsing a Jackson Five segment, he gets frustrated with his earpiece. “It feels like someone’s fist is shoved in my inner ear,” he complains, his voice trembling. “I’m trying to adjust my inner ear . . . with love.” With MJ, every request is punctuated with “love” or “God bless you.” Yet he comes across as more of a professional than a prima donna. And as he rips through his hits in full costume — Black and White, Man in the Mirror, Billy Jean — the camera pans down to the stadium audience: a couple of dozen screaming crew members who look thrilled to witness the resurrection of a legend.

This movie exists because Jackson insisted on filming rehearsals for his personal archive. Had he lived to tour the concert, undoubtedly a concert film would have been made. But it’s hard to imagine it would be better than this one. It would have been slicker, to be sure. But by seeing Jackson in rehearsal, we get to see a side of him that he never really showed in public. Not just in the little backstage bits, but also in his performance style, which seems looser and warmer, a little less machine-like, because it is, after all, a rehearsal. Whether improvising a gospel coda to a duet with a female backup singer or adjusting a dance cue, we finally get to see the adult Michael Jackson: a sophisticated artist in his element, surrounded by a devoted crew and a crack squad of dancers who have worshiped him since they were young children, rehearsing a show that they will never get to perform. They thought they were mounting a farewell tour; in fact they were making a movie.

Cast in the shadow of his death, there’s a heartbreaking sadness to this movie memorial that’s more tangible, and delicate, than the ghoulish spectacle mounted by the media. Whether or not you’re a fan, This is It shows that the only thing the matters, in the end, is the music. Proving that art can trump celebrity, it goes a long way to redeeming Michael Jackson—by reminding us why he became famous in the first place.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/28/michael-jackson-is-redeemed-by-a-movie/
 
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I trust the fans' review more than anyone else. After all, we MJ fans knows Michael's true genious and showmanship. And judging by everyone's review so far, I think I will :wub: this movie.

I DONT GIVE A SH*T WHAT THE CRITICS THINKS... :lol:
 
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I'm sure some people will complain about Billie Jean but Michael clearly stated that he just wanted to give everyone a feel for what he was going to do.
 
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Review from the Los Angeles Times.

********************************************************************

latimes.com
MOVIE REVIEW

Review: 'Michael Jackson's This Is It'

The concert film beautifully shows what might have been.

By Ann Powers POP MUSIC CRITIC >>>

October 28, 2009

There's a sweet personal exchange near the end of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the new concert film assembled from footage of the rehearsals for the London performances nullified by his death in June. Jackson is working out a dance sequence with Kenny Ortega, the director of the ill-fated concerts and of this documentary. Ortega lovingly mimics Jackson, overplaying his signature big hand gestures, and the superstar laughs.

"I love how the stewardesses do it," he says. "I love it!"

It's a moment that illuminates not just the way Jackson danced or sang, but how he thought -- viewing the world in terms of movement, human semaphore.

"This Is It" offers only a few such insights into Jackson's artistic process, though enough surface to make this a useful document, as well as a beautiful one. Mostly it's a tribute to the power of Jackson's body and voice, which the film presents as surprisingly intact despite his age, 50 at the time of his death, and the various ailments that reportedly had plagued him in the preceding decades.

Differing greatly from the rough, casual mood of many behind-the-scenes pop docs, this one is instead of a piece with Jackson's body of work: dazzling and strange, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

As a tragic teaser for the shows that might have been, "This Is It" hurts. If Jackson had been able to perform as he frequently does during these scenes, he would have accomplished the comeback for which he was so hungry.

Though occasionally ragged, his voice is strong -- lush on such ballads as "Human Nature" and cutting in rockers like "Black or White" and "Beat It." And his dancing is utterly assured. It's tough to believe he was 50, he seems so feather-light and vigorous.

The special effects and short films made for the O2 shows also delight. "Thriller" gets an update that takes the legendary video's graveyard scene into the Tim Burton era. "Smooth Criminal" inserts Jackson into the classic Hollywood films he loved -- from "Gilda" to "In a Lonely Place." There are aerialists, "pole dancing specialists," arcs of fire and one adorable little girl.

Ortega has assembled this film to bewitch the senses rather than to expose the inevitably tough realities of a rehearsal process. The film's prologue states that this footage was meant for Jackson's personal library, yet it's hardly raw. It's lighted and edited like a real concert film, and the sound is almost too good to believe.

Jackson does very occasionally slip up. The gaffes and vulnerable moments are welcome. Complaining about the newfangled ear monitors he's forced to wear, or chiding his dancers and band for encouraging him to sing in full voice when he should be conserving his instrument -- "I shouldn't be singing out, I am trying to warm up my voice to this moment, why are you doing this to me?" he exclaims, seeming truly abashed.

The great artist is just a man, slightly anxious about this momentous and risky return.

But such intimate views, so common in such music films as "Gimme Shelter" or Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster," are not the point of "This Is It." Ortega made this film to honor not just the memory of Jackson but the hard work of a big cast and crew that never made it to opening night.

The film opens with emotional interviews with the dancers, apparently done while Jackson was still alive, about how excited they are to work with him; at times it threatens to veer off into "Fame" territory, celebrating the starry-eyed kids whose efforts lifted up their hero.

Ortega is obviously aware, however, that the overwhelming draw is the footage of Jackson himself performing. "This Is It" always returns to those sequences, which don't exactly surprise -- Jackson had his moves, and he stuck with them -- but always impress.

Here's the King of Pop throwing himself on the floor during "Beat It," reenacting the impish courtship dance of "The Way You Make Me Feel," doing the Soviet stomp in "They Don't Care About Us."

His solo dance during "Billie Jean," complete with slow-motion crotch thrusts, is breathtaking. "At least we get a feel for it," Jackson murmurs afterward.

These sequences are driven by Jackson's anomalous grace. They sometimes feel enhanced; his gauntness is downplayed; split screens make the dancing more magical; a careful sound mix hides most of the roughness for which any middle-aged singer must compensate.

Jackson's total lack of engagement with the cameras adds to the unreal mood. He's always performing, but for the imagined masses, not for the filmgoer.

Not reaching those masses was the final tragedy of Jackson's life. Occasionally, he's shown offering creative direction to his collaborators, and the steel in his voice reveals how much the world he was creating onstage meant to him. Everything, really: enough to push himself to the edge of human endurance.

"This Is It" doesn't entirely acknowledge that reality, and that's a little odd. But Jackson probably would have wanted it that way.
 
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Michael Jackson's This Is It review: Triumphant documentary 'weeps love'
This Is It

A documentary by Kenny Ortega featuring Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, Michael Bearden, Judith Hill, Orianthi Panagaris, Mo Pleasure, Stacy Walker and Tony Testa.

Running time: 112 minutes

Rating: Four stars out of five

The way you make me feel. In the end, that’s all there is: A collection of shared impressions and individual emotions swirling around a physical presence. Remove the corporeal proof, and the feelings still remain.

Perhaps that was the single biggest revelation in watching This Is It, the highly anticipated event documentary from Kenny Ortega featuring backstage footage of Michael Jackson’s Los Angeles rehearsals.

As we all know, Jackson was booked to perform 50 shows before a cumulative audience of over a million at London’s Millennium Dome. It was booked as his comeback after a 12 year absence, but a fatal cardiac arrest last June closed the curtain before it even opened — leaving those closest to him, and the rest of the world, in a state of suspended disbelief.

Jackson’s confusing public persona seemed too broad, and simply too fractured, to disappear in an instant. So we talked about him ad nauseam in an attempt to figure it all out and fit the pieces together.

We couldn’t.

But This Is It does.

Serving as an ethereal signal delay, this cobbled-together rehearsal footage brings the echoing presence of Jackson back into his body, and back on stage, where we came to know and love the man as a gifted performer and a musical genius.

Jackson was nothing short of a pop savant, and longtime creative collaborator and This Is It director Kenny Ortega cements the very best of Jackson into the historical record as he shows us the man in his element.

Assembled from more than 100 hours of footage from three different camera crews, Ortega essentially presents a jigsaw puzzle version of the show that would have been – as it evolves through different run-throughs of the familiar and still-catchy tunes.

Ortega craftily builds an arc right through the middle of the movie just through his clip selections as he shows us Jackson rediscovering his performance mojo.

Ensuring he finds enough light and shadow to give us a three-dimensional portrait of the artist as a working man, we see Jackson in different moods as he carries the show on his shoulders, insisting on perfection from every single participant – especially himself.

And you have to hand it to the man: He was a total pro.

From his gentle direction to music supervisor Michael Bearden on the opening bars of The Way You Make Me Feel – in which he tells the studio luminary to let it simmer, like “you’re dragging yourself out of bed” – to his older-brother style coaching of lightning fingered female guitarist Orianthi Panagaris, telling her “this is your moment, and we’re all here for you,” Jackson understood he was team leader.

At the same time, we can see how Ortega was a bit of the wizard behind the curtain, making sure Jackson felt nurtured, heard and tended – without losing any sense of being in charge.

It’s a delicate balance, and every time you see Ortega on screen, it’s usually one of those moments where he just plain surrenders to MJ’s greatness.

Many of these moments are actually quite funny, partly because Jackson looks a little confused and wary of all the love coming from his professional collaborators.

At one point in this mesmerizing movie, we see Jackson put his whole singing voice into the rehearsal for Billie Jean as the audience – the crew and dancers in attendance – go absolutely crazy.

Blown away at getting a private show of Jackson’s signature tune, and just being there for what promised to be history, is clearly a moving event for these artists and technicians.

It’s also surprisingly moving for us, the average Joes and Janes who never got to know MJ in any personal or professional way.

Of course, at first, all we really see is Jackson’s scarecrow frame and his freakish facial features because we’re looking for signs of his imminent demise. Ortega seems to recognize this, too, and ensures we don’t even see Jackson’s eyes sans sunglasses until a bit later in the reel.

As the movie, and the rehearsal hours, get deeper, we see the fully engaged musician and artist at work without reservations. Even though we get used to his skinniness, and his sunglasses, and his face, we can tell there are health issues there – if only because every time he opens his mouth, we need subtitles to figure out just what he’s saying.

Ortega shows us some of Jackson’s obsessive-compulsive qualities, but always, as MJ would say “with the love.” And this is why This Is It has the emotional power it does: The movie weeps love.

Sure, there’s a whiff of cheese to the feeling, and the minute the digital dolphins, orcas and endangered Amazonian animals scamper across the screen, we remember the boyish side of the man. But we can embrace it this time around because it’s not only sincere, his rainforest campaign is also rational.

This Is It resurrects the image of Jackson as a thinking, largely sane and supremely talented enigma who helped defined popular culture in the latter half of the 20th century.

More than anything, though, it’s all about the way it makes you feel. This Is It takes the viewer on a highly charged and incredibly human emotional voyage because it’s the most unmediated footage of Jackson we’ve ever seen.

It’s authentic. It’s sincere, and it’s the last creative will and physical testament of a man we fully never understood, but chose to love anyway.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

http://www.vancouversun.com/busines...ant+documentary+weeps+love/2155197/story.html
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

Have you read the Latimes "The wrap" blog...they are talking OSCAR.

Michael would be so happy...I hope he is nominated....EVEN if he does not win the thing. MJ would so love this.

Why did he have to die for all this to happen?
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

This is pretty great :) looks like the majority of reviews are positive... or is it only the positive ones that are being posted here? :unsure:
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

i think so far the only two negative reviews posted were the ones from Bloomberg and the one i posted from the NY Post. I actually just read another negative review from the Washington Post complaining about the fact he was half-singing and half-dancing which is just ridiculous, it's a REHEARSAL! Every other critic seems to be raving about the film and it is has a truly respectable 80% at Rotten Tomatoes.
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

well washington post have always talked crap about mj. ny post is murdoch and who owns bloomberg and arent they invovled with financial news. wtf do they know
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

80% of all reviews are very positive, 10% are neutral, and 10% are negative. So that is very good overall. CNN, TIME, Macleans, CTV, The Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, USA Today, LA Times, Showbiz 411, Ebert, MTV, BET, MSN, and many others ranted how great the movie was. The overall reception was incredible, we couldn't have asked for any better.
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

I reserved tickets online the first day they were available for the first show at the first day on my local theater, and I got there 45 minutes early. It turned out, I could have just walked in right before the movie started and bought my ticket at the counter as there were less than 30 people in the audience.

It was great to see the personal side of Michael. It was sad at the same time because I a lot of the footage hinted at how great the finished product will be, but we'll never see the finished product. Still, I'm glad I went.
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

My show is sold out tonight so that should be interesting. I wonder how early I should go?
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

Since this is where most of the people who haven't seen the movie must be staying don't forget: STAY AFTER THE CREDITS!


L.O.V.E.
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

Have you read the Latimes "The wrap" blog...they are talking OSCAR.

Michael would be so happy...I hope he is nominated....EVEN if he does not win the thing. MJ would so love this.

Why did he have to die for all this to happen?

Do you have a link? The one I found didn't mention OSCAR at all...


Thanks.
 
Re: Movie Reviews *NO SPOILERS*

80% of all reviews are very positive, 10% are neutral, and 10% are negative. So that is very good overall. CNN, TIME, Macleans, CTV, The Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, USA Today, LA Times, Showbiz 411, Ebert, MTV, BET, MSN, and many others ranted how great the movie was. The overall reception was incredible, we couldn't have asked for any better.

Awesome! that's great!! :D :D I guess there'll always be a bad review here and there no matter how good a movie is, we can't all like the same things after all. :)

Since this is where most of the people who haven't seen the movie must be staying don't forget: STAY AFTER THE CREDITS!


L.O.V.E.

will do! :)
 
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