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Michael Jackson's This Is It movie-a review
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Michael Jackson's "This Is It" poster
Michael Jackson's "This Is It" movie is an interesting concept and the type of film that most fans would love to see. This film gives you a behind the scenes look at what goes on in planning a tour, as you see Michael Jackson behind the scenes preparing for his 'This Is It" tour. The tour was supposed to be Jackson performing 50 shows at London's O2 Arena in July. The last footage of rehearsals was taped 14 hours prior to his death. The film starts with interviews of the background dancers talking about their love for Michael Jackson and how honored they are to tour with him. The film shows the audition process for the dancers which took place in March. Jackson is shown hand picking the dancers once they were down to 300 dancers who were left out of the thousands who tried out. The dancers chosen are half his age, yet Jackson was on top of his game even at rehearsals.
The process of hiring the musicians is not shown in the movie, however a few of the musicians and background singers were shown talking about their careers and performing with Michael Jackson. Drummer Jonathan Moffet has been afflicted with Jackson since 1979 when he first played on The Jackson's tour. The musicians hired for the tour are some of the best sessions musicians in the industry lead by musical director Michael Bearden.
The movie is not completely a concert film, or a documentary about making the concert. It is somewhere in between. This movie is a rehearsal film that shows you how awesome the concert would have been once it hit the stage. The video footage was for Jackson's personal collection and originally never meant to be seen by anyone outside of the production crew. Director/choreographer Kenny Ortega was one of Jackson's closest collaborators. Ortega directed the singer's Dangerous and HIStory world tours in the 1990s. Head choreographer Travis Payne has worked with Jackson since the early 1990s. Ortega, Payne and Bearden sat with a team to edit 120 hours of footage into a 2 hour movie.
From the elaborated stage settings, to the film clips of Jackson digitally inserting himself into a Humphrey Bogart film for "Smooth Criminal" and new 3-D images during "Thriller, this concert was sure to be the most talked about productions from Jackson's vocals, dancing, the staging, and the music arrangements.
Most Michael Jackson fans will love this film as it captures some of his last moments. The songs cover his entire career from his hits with the Jackson 5, The Jacksons to his biggest hits from the last three decades. Watching the rehearsals of these songs and hearing them just reminds you why Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Watching the movie is inspiring and at times heartbreaking.
The movie opened worldwide October 28. The movie earned a total of $32.5 million in the US for its first five days. The international box office was a total of a $68.5 million making it the fifth biggest foreign opening of the year. That gave "This Is It" a worldwide total of $101 million for it's five days.
Sony Pictures has since announced it is extending the film's two-week run by three weeks in North America. "This Is It" was released in more than 100 territories, with a worldwide print count of 15,000. "This Is It" was the first concert film to have a day-and-date release around the globe.
The movie soundtrack was released October 27th and has entered the chart at number 1 one on the Billboard Top 200, Hip Hop & R &B and Soundtracks in the US, and the European and Canadian charts.
"This Is It" is a film that is highly recommended to be seen on the big screen.
For more information: This Is It
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