I am from the generation where Thriller was a must have item in your LP collection. And even though I won’t consider myself a hardcore fan, I think Michael Jackson has made some fantastic music.
I saw This Is It , not because I am a huge fan still but more because I was interested to see what it was all about. The film has been compiled from footage that has been shot at rehearsals in the O2 in London and gives a fairly complete view of what kind of concert could have been expected. It luckily steers clear from over the top sentiment.
A couple of observations:
- Wow, that concert would have been a huge production. The film showed footage where they were filming new versions of the Thriller and Smooth Criminal videos and on budgets that would make any film maker dribble.
- MJ seemed a happy man in the rehearsals. And he seemed surprisingly fit too. He had no trouble doing all his classic dance moves, nor had he any trouble singing. (He did mention several times that he wasn’t singing full out in the rehearsals though). It really makes you wonder if what the press has been reporting (that he was a wreck basically) was true, and even more so – how he could have died the way he did.
- If you have enjoyed his music you might want to go and see this film. As Andrew Pulver writes in the Guardian, it’s a fitting tribute to a bittersweet legacy. However the tagline of the film “discover the man we never knew” is a bit misleading, as you don’t really get close to MJ at all for the simple reason that he talks very little in the film. So it’s basically a concert film, and not much more than that.
Of course I needed to dig up my Michael Jackson albums after having seen this film.
Here are my 5 favourite MJ songs (in no particular order):
- Black or White (I still love the video of this song and who can forget Macaulay Culkin rapping).
- Wanna be startin Something
- Man in the Mirror
- Earth Song
- The way you make me feel
What are yours? (If any?) Will you go and see the film?
To answer your last question first: No, I’m not going to see the movie.
My favorite MJ song is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbf04yEgySQ
One of my other favorite artists is in the clip too ( http://twitter.com/alyankovic )
I’m a bit old to be a Jackson fan although I will admit that he made some great records (and videos) but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch the film
Agreed, the movie was very well done.
However, that footage is not from London. All of the rehearsals were at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Michael was eight days away from flying to London when he passed away.