Media Watch
The Reviews Say MJ Was Ready For 'This'
So, here it is. The Michael Jackson behind-the-scenes documentary This Is It has officially hit movie theaters nationwide for its much anticipated two-week run. If last night's sold-out midnight audiences are any indication, the film will undoubtedly smash quite a few box office records for the year in its first weekend. The reviews are pouring in steadily (sort of like today's NYC rain) and most are positive, calling the movie "triumphant" and and a "fitting tribute" to the King of Pop. Personally, I can't wait to see it myself (which will probably be on DVD since I didn't secure a theater ticket). However, until then, check after the bounce for a collection of the early reviews (including one from MJ's close friend Elizabeth Taylor). And then let us know if/when you plan on checking it out for yourself.
Vancouver Sun: "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... 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."
The Wall Street Journal: "The saving grace of Michael Jackson's swan song This Is It, a grab-bag of rehearsal footage, on-camera interviews and backstage moments captured on the fly, is that its contents were never intended as a film... The consolation is that the footage in This Is it, much of it shot on single, relatively static cameras, offers a fair idea of how the shows might have looked."
Entertainment Weekly: "This Is It is not in any way ghoulish. It has now been established that when Jackson died, he was, physically speaking, a relatively healthy man. And so we're spared the macabre spectacle of combing the movie for any literal signs that he was knocking at death's door. It should also be said, though, that in This Is It, Jackson shows no telltale signs of a broken spirit, either. From the moment he takes the stage, he's loose, robust, and in control."
USA Today: "But if This Is It doesn't miraculously restore the middle-aged Jackson to his past glory, it at least offers glimpses of his bygone greatness, and poignant suggestions of what might have been."
Elizabeth Taylor (via Twitter): "You owe it to yourselves and your loves ones to see this again and again. Memorize it and say to yourselves, 'I saw genius in my lifetime'."
Tags: michael jackson, this is it
Comments
I took my family and in-laws to see 'This is It' last night. I was really impressed. Michael voice and moves were on point and I now see that he was ready for the 50 shows. He was going to put on a show for the ages. Allen Iverson check out Mike 'We talkin 'bout practice'. One of the things that impressed me the most was seeing Michael getting caught up into the songs 'practice' and even though he had only his dancers as an audience he had them on their feet. The other thing was his comments about the focus of his tour. Mike had an agenda that we all need to hear and that to me is the only bright side I see about his passing. For those who would not have seen any of his live shows until they released DVD footage, we got to see that Michael's passion wasn't just dancing and singing; Michael had a message. God rest his soul until he does thriller with Angels.
Paul | October 29, 2009 11:32 AM | PermalinkI went to the midnight show and didn't know what to expect. I really didn't want the movie to end. To see him perfect his craft in such a precise and calculated manner makes me love and miss him more.
Amera | October 29, 2009 10:50 AM | PermalinkI saw the movie yesterday afternoon and I can't wait to see it again. The whole time I was watching the movie I did not want it to end. It felt good seeing new footage of MJ. He was at his best when he was on stage - he was still fresh. The hurting feeling is that we really lost a great artist and I still can't believe that he is no longer with us... This concert was going to be the BEST ever. And I just sighed because we will never get to see the FULL concert. He was so creative and fresh, ready to put the past behind him but God needed him. I take comfort in the fact that God needed him more than we did - never can get enough of MJ. I am going to be listening to "In The Closet" when I am 85 and in the nursing home.
Tamara | October 29, 2009 6:13 AM | PermalinkGoing to see it on Sunday.
Part of me is excited to see this because I know it would have been the show of a life time. I saw him once as a little girl and it was the best concert of my life.
Part of me is still sad and missing him. I know it's been 4 months but I still can't believe he's gone.
Gone too soon.
But I know now he's free.
2damnfunny | October 28, 2009 10:00 PM | PermalinkAbsolutely amazing, a definite must see. I really can't say more about it, then I have already written about.
Soulafrodisiac | October 28, 2009 4:52 PM | PermalinkI saw it at midnight last night. It just makes me even more sad that he's passed. His voice, his dancing...ALL on point. You really saw his personality in this documentary. He was funny, he was a perfectionist...ah...RIP Michael. We're missing your gift, but glad that you'll live on in your music!
Felisa | October 28, 2009 4:03 PM | Permalink