Movie serves as reminder of Jackson's musical career
By Brian McCumsey
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Focus
"This is It" is the making of an epic concert that never was, a rare glimpse into the mind of a musical genius, and it made me miss him greatly.
I want to start this review by saying that I don't think Michael Jackson was a saint. He truly was a strange, strange man. I also don't know what to make of the child molestation cases. I pray that the cases were only accusations, and while I know that human beings are capable of lying, for some reason I believed Jackson when he said he was innocent. I still do.
When I first heard there was going to be a concert film made about Jackson, I was skeptical. It felt like a mad dash to make money off his recent death. I was wrong-this is a movie that his fans must see. In "This is It," we get a glimpse of what it takes to stage a massive production, see footage of Jackson working with other musicians and dancers, and see a man who seems humble and (boy, did this surprise me) fairly normal.
This was honestly a tough movie to review. There isn't much plot, as it's simply footage from what was supposed to be a series of comeback concerts. But when watching the footage, hearing the songs and seeing the production values of sets, one can't help but think that Jackson was on the verge of a major career restoration.
I remember the first cassette tape I bought when I was younger: "Bad" by Michael Jackson. I listened to it non-stop for months. Something about it just mesmerized me. I've bought every album he has released ever since. If you have memories like this, then this movie is for you.
The highlight was watching Jackson interact with other musicians. It was in these moments that I could truly see the genius that existed within. In one particular interaction, he stopped the musician from playing to explain that there needed to be a slightly longer moment of silence.
It seems like such a small detail, but when they tried it again, it made such a difference. Love him or hate him, he truly was a rare talent that we don't see in music today.
Another highlight was watching him dance on stage with all the backup dancers. It seemed as if he had never left-like his career had never been derailed. The moves were as fresh as they'd ever been-the moonwalk, gliding back and forth across the stage, the abrupt staccato movements-as good as ever. As I stated above, my main fear was that this would come off as a cheap and dirty grab for money, but thankfully, it's nothing like that. In fact, his death wasn't covered by this film. It's all about the concert he was planning in London-and I truly wish that concert could've happened.
While I did expect to be entertained, I didn't expect to feel emotional. There was a moment where I was hit suddenly with the realization that the person I was watching on screen-this immense talent-will never write another song or perform in front of a crowd again. The last thing I thought when leaving the theater was: "I wish there could be more. I wish this wasn't the end."
I want to start this review by saying that I don't think Michael Jackson was a saint. He truly was a strange, strange man. I also don't know what to make of the child molestation cases. I pray that the cases were only accusations, and while I know that human beings are capable of lying, for some reason I believed Jackson when he said he was innocent. I still do.
When I first heard there was going to be a concert film made about Jackson, I was skeptical. It felt like a mad dash to make money off his recent death. I was wrong-this is a movie that his fans must see. In "This is It," we get a glimpse of what it takes to stage a massive production, see footage of Jackson working with other musicians and dancers, and see a man who seems humble and (boy, did this surprise me) fairly normal.
This was honestly a tough movie to review. There isn't much plot, as it's simply footage from what was supposed to be a series of comeback concerts. But when watching the footage, hearing the songs and seeing the production values of sets, one can't help but think that Jackson was on the verge of a major career restoration.
I remember the first cassette tape I bought when I was younger: "Bad" by Michael Jackson. I listened to it non-stop for months. Something about it just mesmerized me. I've bought every album he has released ever since. If you have memories like this, then this movie is for you.
The highlight was watching Jackson interact with other musicians. It was in these moments that I could truly see the genius that existed within. In one particular interaction, he stopped the musician from playing to explain that there needed to be a slightly longer moment of silence.
It seems like such a small detail, but when they tried it again, it made such a difference. Love him or hate him, he truly was a rare talent that we don't see in music today.
Another highlight was watching him dance on stage with all the backup dancers. It seemed as if he had never left-like his career had never been derailed. The moves were as fresh as they'd ever been-the moonwalk, gliding back and forth across the stage, the abrupt staccato movements-as good as ever. As I stated above, my main fear was that this would come off as a cheap and dirty grab for money, but thankfully, it's nothing like that. In fact, his death wasn't covered by this film. It's all about the concert he was planning in London-and I truly wish that concert could've happened.
While I did expect to be entertained, I didn't expect to feel emotional. There was a moment where I was hit suddenly with the realization that the person I was watching on screen-this immense talent-will never write another song or perform in front of a crowd again. The last thing I thought when leaving the theater was: "I wish there could be more. I wish this wasn't the end."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
kat
posted 11/05/09 @ 11:59 PM EST
Michael Jackson was never strange, it was strange what he had to go through in his life--is what Al Sharpton pointed out at MJ's Memorial. If you do more substantial research into Michael, hear his activism speeches all over the world and listen to his interviews, you will forever shed your mistaken opinion of his not being somehow "normal" for you. (Continued…)
Dee Galvin
posted 11/06/09 @ 3:15 PM EST
Thank you for the great article on Micheal Jackson, I am 70 yrs young, I first saw Micheal on the Ed Sullivan show and the rest is history, We have always loved Micheal, my daughters were raised with him and his music, I don't think there was anything strange about Micheal, he was just being Micheal, all I ever saw was his talent, his beauty, his music and the man that he was. (Continued…)
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