Movie Review: Michael Jackson's This is It

Check Out Dance Footage From Michael Jackson's This Is It
by SonyPictures


I went to see the advance screening of Michael Jackson's This is It last night at the Brenden Theaters at the Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Having been a fan when I was in school (who wasn't in the early 80s?), and later, I already had incentive to go. But having had a former co-worker and roommate who actually worked for Jackson for 15 years, I had a more personal reasons.

For many years, my friend has relayed stories from his tenure, and even got me a gig at Neverland Valley Ranch once running the bumper cars! So my MJ fandom has an added dimension. I attended a dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe with the "King of Pop Fanatics," which I may not quite qualify for. For instance, while I've owned Thriller and Bad in vinyl and CD, bought Dangerous and HIStory Volume I & II on CD and have had varioius iterations of Jackson's videos on laserdisc and DVD, I'm far from a completist. Blood on the Dancefloor and Invincible never made an appearance in my collection.

I've always thought that Jackson had terrible PR. His people couldn't spin any of his eccentricities well, and he always came off far worse than he might've otherwise. Of course the allegations against him were a PR nightmare. Many people to this day will adamantly insist that he was guilty, even though he was acquitted of all charges. My own personal insight into the stories has lead me to believe that the charges were baseless. But I can understand how others might be inclined to disagree.

Anyway, all of that has little to do with This is It, except that particular dark cloud seems to hang over everything. Fortunately, from the time the picture starts, all the craziness melts into the background. You even forget the rhinoplasty after a while, and just get into the music, the moves, the attention to detail Michael had for his craft.

The biggest revelation of the film is that the tour Jackson was about to embark on was real. After all of the past weirdness and flakiness, many believed the tour was going to somehow be cancelled before it began. But it is hard to come to that conclusion watching the film. If Jackson had survived, he had a hell of a show ready to go. I remember seeing news/entertainment (they really are pretty much one entity now) reports that had Jackson barely able to stand, on oxygen, going through dance moves like a creaky old man. Not true.

The movie is almost a concert film, but since all we get to see is a combination of several dress rehearsals, it is of course a little different. We get to see Jackson perform, though not always in full voice. He dances like crazy, but you can see that he's still mapping out what he's going to do. And he knows exactly what he wants of himself and others.

Most of all, Jackson's treatment of his dancers, musicians and other employees was endearing. He showed respect for them, great deference, and yet still was adamant that he got what he wanted out of them. I liked seeing the playfulness, and the "we'll work it out, it will be amazing" attitude.

For a film that was cobbled together from different video sources at different performances in just a few months, I have to say the producer and the editors did an amazing job. The songs--though not complete, due to the rehearsal nature--were edited together seamlessly. Video produced to be used in the concert tour is used effectively in the film, as well as behind the scenes "making of" information. A cynic might label This is It to be little more than a "DVD special feature" from the missing real concert. And it probably would have been, had that concert tour ever happened. But it never would have been this epic. Great job all around.

What Happens in Vegas: Michael Jackson Birthday Bash

Last night, I attended a real Las Vegas show, something I've done very little of during my 15 years living here. The show was Las Vegas Celebrates the Music of Michael Jackson, and it occurred on what would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday. Yeah, I know many are on Michael overload, but I'm really glad I went.

There are a few reasons I decided to attend. Number one, I'm a friend (and former roommate) of the man who ran Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch amusement park for around 15 years. Secondly, one of the performers, Nick Kenkel, is a cousin-by-marriage, and he not only danced but choreographed the Peepshow segment of the show. Otherwise, I may not have gone. But having had the privilege of having worked at Neverland myself, and Jackson's impact on my generation (class of 1984), I had extra incentive.

The show was plagued by some audio-visual problems, and even a prop failure at the beginning. The sound system was super heavy on the low range, with sub woofers threatening to overwhelm the performances (particularly the bass drum). But outside of the technical problems, the show was simply fantastic.

One standout was Terry Fator (America's Got Talent) doing a great Jackson/Paul McCartney duet with a puppet, concluding with a spot-on Ben performance. There were wonderful tributes by cast members of Zumanity, The Jersey Boys, Human Nature, The Sirens of TI, Clint Holmes, Holly Madison of Peepshow and especially Erich Bergen, one of The Jersey Boys, who was the host of the show.

I'm not much of a theater guy, especially of the musical variety. But I had a great time. It was also a treat to see Kenkel's Peepshow cast dancing to his moves, and the man himself among a bevvy of beauties. Way to go, Nick! I'm so impressed.

Sadly, though I got to attend the VIP after party, most of the casts were already gone. Clearly, on a Saturday night, they had their usual shows to do. It was fun being in the company of my Neverland friend, who is something of a celebrity himself, at least among the fandom. Thanks to him, I got to see one of the producers of the show, journalist Steve Friess; as well as Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke. Oh, and Robin Leach, but. . .whatever.

Afterward, we attended a special screening of Moonwalker at the Brenden Theater at the Palms. The movie is something of a rarity, never having been screened in US theaters, and only available thus far on VHS videotape. The movie starts out as something of a retrospective musical documentary, and segues into a surreal storyline of sorts. It's tremendously entertaining, but completely surreal. It works in the videos for Leave Me Alone, Smooth Criminal and a cover of the Beatles song Come Together. But the storyline (once it starts) is rather meandering. It reminds me of a dream, where a person exits one scenario, and then enters a related but vastly different one. Still, it was a treat to see. A question-and-answer session followed, with Friess, Vincent Paterson (longtime choreographer and dancer) and co-star Kellie Parker.

All-in-all, it was a tremendous night out on the town, with the added benefit of having a slight "in" with the whole subject. I'm very glad I didn't pass on the opportunity. I sneaked a few cell-phone videos, but sadly all of them fail to upload to anything tolerable. Soundtracks gone, pictures fuzzy. I tried, but I failed. Serves me right for trying to be a pirate.

Pat Benatar and Blondie Touring Together

I found this ad at Kenneth in the (212), a site known for the blogger's Debbie Harry fandom. I'm a fan of Harry and Blondie, but really like Pat Benatar. I've lamented here on the blog about Benatar's lack of success staging a comeback, despite stellar music. So, I was very happy to see this development.

I've been to several of Benatar's concerts (always co-billed with her husband, Neil Gerardo) with Stupid Monkey Planet's wife, Mrs. Monkey. While always enjoyable, there is a certain sameness to the concerts. The playlist is juggled to accomodate new songs, but there have been no real surprises. A double-bill with Debbie Harry/Blondie could be just what the doctor ordered.

And unlike Kenneth, I kind of dig the artwork!

"Call Me Invincible" is kind of cute, but I might have gone with, "Heartbreaker of Glass". . .no, theirs is better.

UPDATE: I just realized that Kenneth used that idea already. So how about "One Way or Another, We Belong?" "Atomic Anxiety?" OK, maybe not.

More at: KennethInThe(212)