Michael Jackson Movie ‘This is It’ is Definitely Worth the Price of Admission
Submitted by Southern Shift on Wed, 2009-10-28 13:58
Authored by Davey D
As was the case with his death, the haters coming from places like the NY Post or so-called music critic Chuck Arnold of People Magazine, simply could not wait to find an opportunity to spit their venom on Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Lucky for us, we all got to see the movie at the exact same time as his critics, thus the negativity they spit will be overshadowed by folks who sat along side them having a vastly different opinion of the movie ‘This Is It’ and being able to express it. How does one go to a packed theater, see people clapping, dancing in the aisle, and just feeling it, then go back and write some garbage about how ghoulish it was??
The first thing I tell people is, go see this movie and bring your kids. Michael is incredible. Yes, it's rehearsal footage, but having covered concerts for the past 20 years, from U2 to Public Enemy and everyone in between, I can honestly say, what you see with Michael is better than 90% of the folks that have graced the stage. If you’re an artist, I strongly urge you to go see this movie. Bring a pen and pad, check your ego at the door, and take notes so you can learn the real meaning of the word ‘ENTERTAINMENT“.
How am I supposed to believe the stories about Michael Jackson being a drug addict, out of shape, and out of whack? Unless this movie has some new special effects I never seen, this footage of MJ puts those suspicions to rest. I want whatever it is he’s got, because he comes with a skill set very few will ever reach - and again this is just rehearsal. You can tell he hasn’t brought the entire package, not by a long shot. MJ is off the chain.
Several things stood out. We know that his staff was working his young dancers day and night, doing everything from ballet to spending hours perfecting complicated and grueling routines. These men and women are half MJ’s age, but when they danced together, MJ who was supposedly on drugs, was not only able to keep up, he surpassed them. To see how he did his routines and his incredible work ethic and desire for perfection is worth the 8 bucks. Just to see how he was dedicated to bringing entertainment to his fans is reason enough, for anyone who is an artist from any genre or discipline, to pay the price of admission. If you’re an artist this film is required viewing.
It’s ironic that I saw the BET Hip Hop Awards just before seeing this movie. I gotta tell ya, its gonna be hard to go back and see Gucci Man or Souljah Boy hit the stage after seeing MJ... It’s not so much that he spent more money on his stage sets, it’s the perfection he demanded of himself and the people around him. It’s the precision in his dance moves. It’s him knowing every note and lyric to his songs. It’s him unwilling to come up short in his executions. You really come to appreciate good artistry and might find yourself getting annoyed and upset the next time you see someone do a half baked bullshit show.
What also stood out was the staging and sets he was going to unveil in concert. Wow. The way he flips Smooth Criminal, Thriller and my favorite Earth Song are breathtaking. In fact, the Earth Song scene is something that President Obama and his fellow politicians, who are hedging on getting a comprehensive impactful Climate Change bill, should see. Michael hits a home run with that and actually speaks to the issue in the film. He talks about the direction we are headed, and that we may do irreversible damage.
The film has a lot of bright moments. As I was watching it, I couldn’t help think about how Michael had saved and eventually transformed the music industry with his creativity, especially when it came to videos. After seeing this movie, I think many will use this film as a template and follow suit. Yes, we’ve had movies of band concert footage and their backstage rehearsals, but they pale in comparison to Michael Jackson's. He raised the bar on this one. If the movie does well, I’m willing to bet that we will see the music industry rush to do similar films with other performers…
