Comments on: Are You Interested in “This Is It?”

By: Reese

Reese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:06:23 +0000

I was a fan of MJ as a kid. But I hadn’t thought about him as a musician in many years. It was difficult to think of him that way after all the strange stories and accusations of child molestation. He was, at best, an extremely strange man over the last few years of his life.

However, I wanted to see “This Is It” because of the technical aspects of putting a show like that together. I worked behind the scenes in theatre during high school and college, and I knew that the techie geek in me would love it. And I was right.

If anyone has worked behind the scenes in theatre, the movie is worth seeing for that aspect alone. It’s worth renting.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:14:27 +0000

Any resistance to this thing because it’s making money off Jackson’s death?

By: K.

K. — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:29:18 +0000

I have to say, I enjoyed it. When MJ died, I didn’t really mourn – my reaction was more “Holy shit, MJ died?” So I didn’t approach the movie with any sort of reverence; more curiosity. It opens with aspiring backup dancers in tears over the prospect of auditioning for Michael, which struck me as odd. They were as young or younger than I am, so surely they remembered Wacko Jacko over Thriller. Weren’t they nervous about being with someone as … eccentric as he is? But as the movie goes on, you kind of get it. He’s a perfectionist, and you know the shows are going to be good so you can understand why people would jump at the chance to be part of them. At one point (my moviegoing companion’s favorite part), he and one of his musicians are working on a slowed-down, kind of doo-wop intro for “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and the musician says something like “Only you can tell me the way you want it to sound.” Michael replies, with just a hint of attitude, “I want it the way I wrote it.” (The audience, packed to the hilt: “Oh, SNAP!”) And you remember that yeah, he WROTE all this stuff. His catalog of music is huge, and of course he wants these shows to go his way. You see him at the backup dancer auditions and with the lighting techs and working his way through heavy choreography, keeping up with dancers half his age. (The only time he shows limitations is when he does Jackson 5 stuff – he’s not nine anymore and it’s out of his range, even with key adjustments.) And he can still sing. He sings “Human Nature” (one of my favorite MJ songs) a cappella, and it’s as pure and simple as it was when I first heard it.

He’s still strange. He complains about the mic in his ear but does so “with the love. With love, L-O-V-E love” and asks musicians to “let it simmer, just bathe in the moonlight,” and a prayer with his dancers and crew turns into a mildly-delivered rant about how the planet is being ravaged. There’s no way he wasn’t going to look at least a little weird; he was a weird guy. I think it’s impossible to be as famous as he was and not be weird (I’d say he was the most famous person in the world in the 80s – I don’t think any pop star since has come close to his level of fame). But he also looks like a seasoned performer. With the way he conducted his personal life, it’s easy to forget that he’s famous for being musically talented, and the movie does its best to remind you of that. And also: damn, a lot of work goes into planning a concert tour. At the very least, viewers can appreciate that.

By: Stephan Stubbins

Stephan Stubbins — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:00:32 +0000

hey Mark, I actually saw it on opening night… my roommate ended up with an extra ticket here in LA. I went in feeling very much the same as you about the whole hype of MJ, his death, and questioning how his music is important to me now, but I must say that to me that movie was quite an inspiration. To hear his authentic voice and get a real feeling for the man. It really made me appreciate what a fearless creative spirit he was. Sometimes he’s too much (I wish he could just stand there and sing a ballad without half dancing it), but there is something about him that is also so uniquely raw. If we had more people who moved how they FELT they should move (in spite of how different they may appear), and sing how they FELT they should sing, who pave new roads (from the heart…not like Lady Gaga’s heady attempts at “new”) and write songs about ISSUES, goodwill, and what they experience as hopeful or wrong about the system, I think we’d be on a better road right now. If we had more UNIQUE voices like MJ (especially in the Theatre), I think we’d be encouraging each other to come out from behind the fear of the times and the complacency of computer screens and have a voice, be different, be more clearly yourself, and be seen. Should you see it?? Maybe not… but there’s some real power to be found in his work and his example.

By: stephanie

stephanie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:56:47 +0000

Nope. Not going to see it in the theaters, probably won’t rent the DVD. While I was a Jackson fan back in the day (’80s), and I can recognize his contribution to music, I really didn’t understand why people acted like one of their parents died when he passed. I’ve never understood that level of celebrity worship. Additionally, I still can’t get over the pedophilia accusations.

By: Casey

Casey — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:21:45 +0000

ferretrick – make that TWO people who loathe being told the Beatles are the greatest band of all time. What a sham.

By: Mark Blankenship

Mark Blankenship — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:34:09 +0000

Hey K — I would love to hear your thoughts once you see the film

By: K.

K. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:11:09 +0000

I have tickets to see it tonight. I looked at it as a piece of pop culture (although so was the Sex and the City movie, and wasn’t no way I was gonna see that), something I “should see.” I’m curious – I am young enough that Michael was more “Wacko Jacko” than brilliant artist, and apparently this film highlights the creative process and the work that went into the tour. We’ll see how I like it.

By: Pristine

Pristine — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:56:54 +0000

Well, I finally made the jump and signed up on Twitter, where I saw your latest post.

You know…I was completely blasé about Michael Jackson’s death. I read a prediction that This Is It would do better overseas than in the US because his image had not been so badly smeared. The thing is, as a child growing up in the 90s, I knew Michael Jackson first as an accused pedophile than a musician. It wasn’t until two years ago that I heard Man in the Mirror, loved it and discovered Michael Jackson the musician for the first time.

But until you described This Is It showing the process “behind the magic”, I wouldn’t have considered watching it. I just watched The September Issue and loved seeing the decisions and processes that go behind creating something, so just for that, I guess I wouldn’t mind watching This is It.

By: Dustin L

Dustin L — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:39:07 +0000

I was full of morbid curiosity about This Is It, but Karina Longworth's review told me everything I wanted to know, so I'm over that.