Movie Review: "This Is It"

Sorry these posts have been a bit sporadic lately. I'm headed out of town later this week and have been busy as hell trying to get stuff done beforehand. One thing I realized, though, was that I never wrote a movie review for the Michael Jackson's "This Is It," which I saw a couple of weeks ago.


Here's a bit of information for those who don't know me: I'm a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. So much so that when I used to teach at a dance studio (there's another tidbit for you) I would choreograph a recital routine to an MJ song every year without fail. One year I had my little girls do a tap dance to his version of "Rockin' Robin." I also used "Shake Your Body," "Scream," "Smooth Criminal," "Why You Wanna Trip on Me?" and I know I'm forgetting a few others.


So, this review will be in no way unbiased, nuetral or fair. The movie kicks ass because Michael kicks ass and will always be the greatest entertainer who ever lived. The End.

No, not the end.


This documentary is really interesting, regardless of your level of Michael fandom. Of course, I'm speaking as the movie nerd who really loves to watch DVDs with the commentary on so I can retain a whole bunch of information that may or may not come in handy during a game of Trivial Pursuit or Scene It. But I really think everyone will appreciate seeing MJ in his element: on stage.


The man was a freakin' genius. He had so many amazing ideas for these London shows, I'm convinced that the audiences would have been blown away. And the funny thing is, he didn't need any of it. He could have gone on to an empty stage and brought the house down. But that's not how Michael rolled. He was all about the spectacle, and that's definitely what he was going to deliver.


I'm not going to say that MJ was just a regular guy. The dude had issues. But he was an amazing artist and you see it in every second of this film. It's the dancers at the beginning who break down in tears (every single one) when they talk about having the chance to work with him. It's the musicians who change arrangements on a whim for him. It's special effects people, choreographers, producers, technicians, directors and even caterers who are happy to say "how high?" when they're asked to jump... because it's Michael.


Because he kicks ass and will always be the greatest entertainer who ever lived. The End.