 "I'm Glad They Did This Film" |
| Review Date: October 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tommy Morais, New Brunswick, Canada |
When Michael Jackson died on June 25th 2009 it seems a part of the world died with him. It made many people sad all over the world and it seems that for once everyone was being nice to this man who had always been abused by the Medias; journalists, interviewers and others. When I heard of the "This Is It" movie concert I didn't know what to think. I knew it was rehearsal footage from the 50 concerts he was to perform at the O2 arena but I didn't know what was going to come out of it or what they were going to do with it. When I saw the trailers I knew I had to see this and that "This Is It" was going to be something special like I've never seen. And that's precisely what I got, I even bought my ticket in advance for the movie and feel like it was much worth it.
It amazed me how good MJ still was, the dance moves were great and fascinating to me. He was clearly the one in charge of the whole thing. He gave precise instructions of what he wanted, made sure everything was right and did everything that needed to be done. The film shows just how much Michael was respected, there were parts of it where they asked him if he wanted anything or what he thought and if he liked something, it seems no one assumed anything at all. When he talked the crew would listen and he asked things in the nicest way, never to hurt anyone. There's not a part that doesn't make him look like the nice guy he always was. There are mixed feelings about him after all the bad things that have been said about him but after watching this I don't know one could possibly believe them.
To be honest I loved every minute of it, every song was special and was great to watch. Right from the beginning of "Wanna Be Startin'Somethin'" it was amazing. No matter how many people surround him he's always the one who does things better than anyone else and the one you're watching. This Is It was really a unique experience, I felt they chose the right footage parts for the movie and made him look great in every sense. They could truly have messed things up but they didn't and came out with an amazing documentary, it's sort of a testament to his fans, it's just very special. I really liked the Thriller 3D part, it was a 3D video shoot and afterwards you see MJ coming out onstage from a spider, the show would have looked awesome. They Don't Care About Us was amazing, The Smooth Criminal part was very interesting, so was the Earth Song which had a beautiful video of a little girl in a forest, waking up to see that all of it has been destroyed. I won't go further but every song had something about them.
The stage show would have been grandiose, the fireworks, the "fireball" (quite impressive I won't spoil anything), pyrotechnics, the videos that accompany the songs are all very impressive. This could very well have been the best show ever had he lived to perform them. In the end I was quite amazed by the 1: 48 minutes I watched, I can't wait to see it again and the message Michael gives at the end is very inspiring. From the auditions of the brilliant performers to the credits with the "This Is It" song I was captivated.
The said special features will feature more of the rehearsal and a two part documentary on Michael's history and his comeback along behind the scenes. I can't wait to see more of the rehearsal and hopefully the extras will be great and there will plenty to watch.
It's hard for me to describe what watching this movie was like and what I felt about it. I know this is rehearsal footage but it's truly brilliant and while it main not catch Michael at his best it certainly catches him at his most honest. I don't have anything bad to say about either this movie or the man himself, This Is It is a must see. It doesn't matter if you watch in its theatrical run or on DVD/Blue Ray when released, this is amazing and his fans just have to see this. I will certainly be amongst those who buy it and watch it over and over again. This man gave his life to music and his fans and I don't remember where I heard or read this but I do remember that someone said: "He was a gift of god, he was a kind human being who's been mistreated by many opportunists, he's been taken advantage of but he was the nicest person and could never harm anyone" or sometime like that. These words are very truthful and really mean something to his fans.
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THIS IS IT is OUTSTANDING
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Barbara Rose, BornToInspire.com |
I was in the movie theater and watched with awe the entire premiere of this phenomenal movie just after midnight October 28.
THIS IS IT the Movie is extraordinary. Rarely am I so gripped by a movie that I did not want to blink! I was hoping the movie would be made available in DVD - buying this DVD is a MAJOR GIFT!
During each rehearsal Michael Jackson was passionately hands on regarding every facet of the concert experience he was creating. The energy Michael and ALL who were involved in these rehearsals created an experience that is almost indefinable in words - it transports you with awe INTO the soul behind the creation of the music.
The movie Director, producers, special effects, make-up, costume, musicians, the dancers who performed with Michael during these final rehearsals before his passing are all PHENOMENAL.
I feel we owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to the special people who filmed the rehearsals that made this movie. What a GIFT you have given humanity!
Michael Jackson will forever be a gift to humanity. When you see this movie you will understand why.
{An Update} Tonight, December 3, 2009, I saw the final showing of this amazing film for the 5th time. I was just as glued to the screen as I was the first time. I never cried before for what I could only describe as a poignant ending, but I did tonight. THIS IS IT is so much more about the care Michael Jackson had for humanity, and our planet.
He said, "I've always loved trees, I get upset at the mismanagement of our planet, that every minute trees the size of a football field is cut down in the Amazon rain forest... It's up to us to fix this and we only have four years left before it's irreversible. People say the government will fix this, "they" will fix this, "they", they who? It's up to us. This is it...That's why I write these songs, to inspire people, to give them hope, I'm so glad I can give that to the world."
When he spoke to all of the people involved in the rehearsals he said, "This is an adventure, a great adventure. To take people places they've never been before, to show them talent that they've never seen before."
This precious soul named Michael Jackson leaves us with an awareness to take responsibility for the changes we must make. I feel one of the best ways we can pay tribute to him is to start planting trees in his name in honor of each person who wants to keep his memory alive.
Each of the five times I was glued to the screen watching the movie THIS IS IT moved my heart in ways I've never experienced before. The loss is HUGE, but I know he's watching, so I'd like to say, Thank You Michael Jackson for giving us a lifetime of your heart that will remain in our hearts forever.
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Amazing that this film was assembled in less than four months
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| Review Date: October 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joseph P. Menta, Jr., Philadelphia, PA USA |
"This Is It" is likely one of the best concert films ever produced, and that's saying something considering that the actual concerts never happened, and the limited time available to shape the ample rehearsal footage into a polished final product.
While the film includes interviews with those associated with Michael Jackson's planned London concerts, many snippets of creative discussions, and other "behind the scenes" activities, director Kenny Ortega wisely focuses on performance in the film. Serving that end, "This Is It" is chockful of energetic, heartfelt songs, meticulously-produced dance numbers, and other incredible elements that would have been included in the concerts, including some wonderful filmed sequences (one "co-starring" Humphrey Bogart and Rita Hayworth).
And when Ortega chooses to include footage of performances that are interrupted (usually by perfectionist Jackson) with creative banter on how this or that song should be tweaked, or how a musician should lengthen or highlight a chord or bar of music, it's all extremely fascinating. We see from Michael Jackson's interaction with his musicians and producers that, despite his time away from the limelight, he was still sharp, engaged, and still very much touched by genius in the area of music and performance. Oh, and he also repeatedly came off as a gentle, nice person. And a generous one: a particularly touching scene shows Jackson urging his female back-up guitarist to step up and not be afraid to make the most of a solo moment ("this is your moment to shine!").
It's also uplifting (and even a little funny) to see Jackson not being able to resist giving full-fledged, amazing rehearsal performances despite the many times he says, "Now I'm going to hold back a little and save my voice for the shows". After one such performance (Jackson singing a wonderfully re-imagined "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with an enthusiastic but pretty outclassed duet partner), Jackson apologizes to the crew for again getting lost in the moment and not holding back. To which Ortega essentially tells him to not worry about it because, after all, how can Michael Jackson not help but be Michael Jackson?
"This Is It" will be a wonderful DVD to own (I'm sure the extra features will be amazing), but I'm glad that I made the trip to see the movie on the big screen. If you can, see it that way first to get all the more impact from this entertaining, illuminating, and bittersweet farewell to Michael Jackson, both the musical icon and, more importantly, the man. |
"I'm Glad they Did This Film"
|
| Review Date: October 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tommy Morais, New Brunswick, Canada |
When Michael Jackson died on June 25th 2009 it seems a part of the world died with him. It made many people sad all over the world and it seems that for once everyone was being nice to this man who had always been abused by the Medias; journalists, interviewers and others. When I heard of the "This Is It" movie concert I didn't know what to think. I knew it was rehearsal footage from the 50 concerts he was to perform at the O2 arena but I didn't know what was going to come out of it or what they were going to do with it. When I saw the trailers I knew I had to see this and that "This Is It" was going to be something special like I've never seen. And that's precisely what I got, I even bought my ticket in advance for the movie and feel like it was much worth it.
It amazed me how good MJ still was, the dance moves were great and fascinating to me. He was clearly the one in charge of the whole thing. He gave precise instructions of what he wanted, made sure everything was right and did everything that needed to be done. The film shows just how much Michael was respected, there were parts of it where they asked him if he wanted anything or what he thought and if he liked something, it seems no one assumed anything at all. When he talked the crew would listen and he asked things in the nicest way, never to hurt anyone. There's not a part that doesn't make him look like the nice guy he always was. There are mixed feelings about him after all the bad things that have been said about him but after watching this I don't know one could possibly believe them.
To be honest I loved every minute of it, every song was special and was great to watch. Right from the beginning of "Wanna Be Startin'Somethin'" it was amazing. No matter how many people surround him he's always the one who does things better than anyone else and the one you're watching. This Is It was really a unique experience, I felt they chose the right footage parts for the movie and made him look great in every sense. They could truly have messed things up but they didn't and came out with an amazing documentary, it's sort of a testament to his fans, it's just very special. I really liked the Thriller 3D part, it was a 3D video shoot and afterwards you see MJ coming out onstage from a spider, the show would have looked awesome. They Don't Care About Us was amazing, The Smooth Criminal part was very interesting, so was the Earth Song which had a beautiful video of a little girl in a forest, waking up to see that all of it has been destroyed. I won't go further but every song had something about them.
The stage show would have been grandiose, the fireworks, the "fireball" (quite impressive I won't spoil anything), pyrotechnics, the videos that accompany the songs are all very impressive. This could very well have been the best show ever had he lived to perform them. In the end I was quite amazed by the 1: 48 minutes I watched, I can't wait to see it again and the message Michael gives at the end is very inspiring. From the auditions of the brilliant performers to the credits with the "This Is It" song I was captivated.
The said special features will feature more of the rehearsal and a two part documentary on Michael's history and his comeback along behind the scenes. I can't wait to see more of the rehearsal and hopefully the extras will be great and there will plenty to watch.
It's hard for me to describe what watching this movie was like and what I felt about it. I know this is rehearsal footage but it's truly brilliant and while it main not catch Michael at his best it certainly catches him at his most honest. I don't have anything bad to say about either this movie or the man himself, This Is It is a must see. It doesn't matter if you watch in its theatrical run or on DVD/Blue Ray when released, this is amazing and his fans just have to see this. I will certainly be amongst those who buy it and watch it over and over again. This man gave his life to music and his fans and I don't remember where I heard or read this but I do remember that someone said: "He was a gift of god, he was a kind human being who's been mistreated by many opportunists, he's been taken advantage of but he was the nicest person and could never harm anyone" or sometime like that. These words are very truthful and really mean something to his fans. |
This Is It Movie
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dianna L. Elmore, Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| It was midnight Oct.27, 2009 and i saw this movie. It is great and i would love to see it again and again, so i'll be one-of-the first to buy the dvd. What an entertainer he was and still is to me. Dianna Lynn Elmore |
BRILLIANT!
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Edwin R. Rojas, Royal Palm Beach, FL USA |
| If you like theatre....if you like music....if you like the arts...if you like Michael Jackson, you have to see this movie! BRILLIANT! |
Thank You God, for Michael Jackson!
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Cher, MI, USA |
| I was never a big fan of MJ. I never owned one of his records. I did really like his videos whenever I saw them on MTV, way back in the 80s. But other than that... Fast forward to 2009. I went to see this movie just because I love music and I was saddened to hear of Michael's passing. Curiosity and remembering that I did like his singing & dancing. WOW, WOW, WOW! As someone said, he was sooo real. We get to see Michael while he was working, you know, just being himself, not "performing" - and what a wonderful, warm, humble, caring human being he showed himself to be. And he never knew that any of us would ever see this video footage. But by us seeing it, I know that he won those of us over, who had never payed attention to his brilliance. And that is what I now know of him, he was BRILLIANT, he was a GENIUS! So now I have bought, and watched so many times I lost count, his live performance in Bucharest, and I've seen the movie "This Is It" 4 times. I've cried during it twice. And I can't wait for it's release because I will surely have it in my collection and be glad to now know who was Michael Jackson. And I have also purchased the music from the movie, "This Is It" on CD. And I LOVE it! Every single song is just fabulous! I can't make myself listen to anything else! Over & over. I only feel sorry that it took his death for me to pay any attention to MJ. But just imagine, even in death, he is still gaining new fans! And we will always, always miss you, Michael. |
Superb film.
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JKF, Lake Forest, IL, USA |
Props to Kenny Ortega and the editing team for a really well constructed movie, made in a fraction of the time a feature normally takes to produce. Nothing about this movie seemed "thrown together" or rushed. It's a neat homage, concert film and documentary rolled into one. An unintentional work of art, as the footage was never meant to see daylight. Much better than I expected, and very moving in spots. (Those who stay through the end of the credits will be rewarded with additional small treats.)
No question in my mind, this would have been the live show to end all shows. It's almost difficult to comprehend so many mind-blowing production numbers in one two-hour concert. MJ said in an interview that his intention was for fans to leave the shows unable to sleep all night, needing to stay up 'til dawn to talk about the experience with their friends, and I believe he would have achieved that. He had many fresh ideas for what are now considered his classic works. "Smooth Criminal" has never been a favorite of mine, but I liked it here a great deal. After seeing this movie, I believe that Michael would have not only made it through all fifty shows at the O2, but would have been absolutely smashing, wowed his kids and his fans, and achieved the comeback and respect he so strongly desired. As one reviewer noted, Michael Jackson wasn't about to just phone this one in for a payday, despite what some detractors have suggested. In the collected footage we're privy to here, Michael looked to be in astonishingly good form as a singer and dancer considering he hadn't toured in over a decade. If he was "frail" or otherwise compromised, there is no evidence of that here. Work obviously brought out the best in the man.
I would have liked a touch more of MJ speaking/instructing/interacting; it could have been a little longer of a film to accomplish that. No one would have been fidgeting in their seats if the movie was 2:15 instead of 1:48. To me, those were some of the best moments, a rare treat to see a master craftsman in unself-conscious work mode, oblivious to the cameras. So one hopes that there will be lots of special features on a blu-ray edition (the whole videos, maybe? More interviews with the dancers/crew/band? More outtakes of MJ just being himself?) But a terrific film, a must-see for any Jackson fan, not only the die-hards. When this comes out in Blu-Ray, it will be in my library. |
The King Lives, and He Always Will
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| Review Date: November 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sean Pasek, Albuquerque, NM |
Michael Jackson has fans all over the world. So many people for years have endeared themselves to him. The fans vary from young to old. There are young kids today who are just beginning to become familiar with his music. This film may help many to understand, at an even deeper level, why he's the iconic pop star whom many love and adore.
However, if anything can be said about Michael Jackson, it is that he transcended his music. Oh, there is no doubt that he was a master entertainer, dancer, and composer of some of the most incredible songs written in the modern era. Despite being all of these things, what is most amazing and enduring, is the man himself. And "This Is It" gives us an incredible glimpse into who Michael Jackson really was.
Michael Jackson has often been described as a quiet, loving man who loved the planet and all those around him. Some people, I'm sure, have scoffed at this notion. Watch "This Is It," and you just might change your perception.
I find it almost haunting and a bit of foreshadowing, when during a press conference, Michael tells everyone, "This is my final curtain call. This is it." On some level, I wonder if he might have known something. Perhaps not. Perhaps he was simply talking about his career as a performer. However, a few people have told me that they found this statement of his a bit eerie.
There is no doubt that Michael felt right at home on stage, performing for thousands of people. He is into every facet of the show, from lighting to sound to choreography, to musical play. This is a true artist at work; an artist who is, without question, a master of his craft. Like watching a composer, Michael orchestrates everything. He knows when something isn't quite right, and there were a number of times during this film where he tells someone, "That isn't quite right." I have a musical ear, but definitely not like Michael's, because half the time, I couldn't tell what was wrong. But it doesn't matter what I think. He's the artist, and it's so much fun to watch this master artist at work.
It seemed that every time there was music playing, whether it was someone practicing on their keyboard or guitar, Michael's body immediately sprang into a series of dance movements. Music was life to him. It was like someone flipped a switch, and he would begin moving, even if it was just tapping his leg.
I think one aspect of Michael's character that was shown, was that he never got angry with anyone. He never got upset or even so much as raised his voice at someone. Instead we hear nothing but encouraging words, "God bless you," he often said. "Don't worry, we'll get there." "This is why we rehearse. It will all work." I can see why people loved working for the man. He was a perfectionist, to be sure, but then what artist isn't? But instead of losing his cool or getting upset, he instead worked with everyone. In many ways, this aspect really offered insight into the type of man that Michael Jackson was, a man who loved people and tried to always treat them with the utmost level of respect.
The film also offers insight into Michael's music. I can't think of many other pop stars who have written such a body of work that actually has something to say. Michael wanted his music to have more than a pleasurable impact. He wanted people to think about the planet, other people, and ultimately, themselves. I found it interesting that during his concert tours, he often ended his concerts with his most powerful songs..."Heal the World," and "Man in the Mirror."
Add to these two songs another provocative piece, "Earth Song." There is a segment in this film where Michael has some new video footage to add to the piece. I won't disclose the details here, for anyone who has not yet seen this film, because I feel it's important to experience it without knowing about it. However, if this segment does not touch your heart, give you chills, and get your eyes watering, then perhaps you'd better check your pulse!
For many reasons, Michael Jackson will never be gone to us. I'll lay odds that people will still be listening to his music 100 years from now, just as people still listen to Mozart or Bach or Beethoven, and they will wonder who this person is. Those who really have some insight into the man that Michael Jackson was, will be able to tell others that Michael Jackson was a man who loved music, loved the planet, and loved people.
This isn't it, Michael, it's just the beginning! |
THIS IS IT
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: **Movie Reviewer**, |
Alright, Finally the Michael Jackson film we have all been waiting for.
Songs that are in the film:
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Speechless"
"Bad"
"Smooth Criminal"
"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"
"Jam"
"They Don't Care About Us"
"HIStory"
"The Way You Make Me Feel"
"I'll Be There"
"Human Nature"
"I Want You Back"
"The Love You Save"
"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
"Thriller"
"Threatened"
"Who Is It"
"Beat It"
"Black or White"
"Earth Song"
"Billie Jean"
"Man in the Mirror"
"This Is It"
The film will feature the "behind the scenes" of MJ performing his legendary dance moves one last time. Most likely a disc dvd set with added rehearsals. The film is 112 minutes long. The dvd will be out in time for Christmas, that's why its only running for 2 weeks.
R.I.P. MICHAEL JACKSON "KING OF POP" |
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