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MOVIE REVIEWS
Read the complete review for movies
that are currently showing in a theater
near you. Or if you want to find out what
our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
about a movie that is no longer showing
in theaters, visit the movie archive.
that are currently showing in a theater
near you. Or if you want to find out what
our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
about a movie that is no longer showing
in theaters, visit the movie archive.
Clifford "Method Man" Smith in "The Wackness".
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DVD REVIEW
Rated - PG
4 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
Rated - PG
4 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
Taped during rehearsals for the late Michael Jackson’s London comeback tour which was not to be,
"This Is It" captures the essence of a Prince of Pop concert, only sans audience. In this regard, the
movie actually allows for a much more intimate experience than one taped in front of throngs of loud,
distracting and adoring fans. For here, in the empty Staples Center in Los Angeles, you’re able to
focus strictly on Michael, and to listen to him interact with his crew and collaborators in between
numbers instead of hearing deafening applause.
For there’s Michael plus an elaborate menagerie comprised of musicians, backup singers, crotch-
grapping dancers, strippers on poles, daredevil tightrope aerialists, costumed actors in masks,
pyrotechnics, a blue screen showing a variety of images, human toasters (you’ll see), smoke and
wind machines, everything but Mad Dogs and Englishmen. And they all combine to put on quite a
show, even if perfectionist Michael periodically interrupts to adjust the lighting, the sound level or the
play of one of his accompanists.
The film features plenty of inspired musical performances, including Billie Jean, Thriller, Man in the
Mirror, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Want You Back, The Love You Save, I’ll Be
There and the title track. What we repeatedly see here is a multi-talented genius at work, a man
perhaps most comfortable in this milieu, namely, on stage, whether he’s complaining about an
earpiece (“It feels like someone’s fist is shoved into my ear.”), orchestrating complicated
choreography, or doing a soulful duet with Judith Hill, the beautiful African-Asian-American soprano
who would later sing Heal the World shortly thereafter at his funeral.
Again and again, Michael takes charge, for he knows exactly how he wants each tune to sound and
look in order to satisfy his fans. And because he was so unguarded and totally oblivious of the rolling
cameras, this flick captures him more authentically than any previous footage this critic has
witnessed (including that Martin Brashear BBC documentary), and reveals the very likable persona of
an icon who was obviously born to entertain.
Not a ghoulish take-the-money-and-run rip-off, but a surprisingly sweet, sensitive, tenderhearted
swan song you will never forget that will have you shedding a tear while tapping your feet.
"This Is It" captures the essence of a Prince of Pop concert, only sans audience. In this regard, the
movie actually allows for a much more intimate experience than one taped in front of throngs of loud,
distracting and adoring fans. For here, in the empty Staples Center in Los Angeles, you’re able to
focus strictly on Michael, and to listen to him interact with his crew and collaborators in between
numbers instead of hearing deafening applause.
For there’s Michael plus an elaborate menagerie comprised of musicians, backup singers, crotch-
grapping dancers, strippers on poles, daredevil tightrope aerialists, costumed actors in masks,
pyrotechnics, a blue screen showing a variety of images, human toasters (you’ll see), smoke and
wind machines, everything but Mad Dogs and Englishmen. And they all combine to put on quite a
show, even if perfectionist Michael periodically interrupts to adjust the lighting, the sound level or the
play of one of his accompanists.
The film features plenty of inspired musical performances, including Billie Jean, Thriller, Man in the
Mirror, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Want You Back, The Love You Save, I’ll Be
There and the title track. What we repeatedly see here is a multi-talented genius at work, a man
perhaps most comfortable in this milieu, namely, on stage, whether he’s complaining about an
earpiece (“It feels like someone’s fist is shoved into my ear.”), orchestrating complicated
choreography, or doing a soulful duet with Judith Hill, the beautiful African-Asian-American soprano
who would later sing Heal the World shortly thereafter at his funeral.
Again and again, Michael takes charge, for he knows exactly how he wants each tune to sound and
look in order to satisfy his fans. And because he was so unguarded and totally oblivious of the rolling
cameras, this flick captures him more authentically than any previous footage this critic has
witnessed (including that Martin Brashear BBC documentary), and reveals the very likable persona of
an icon who was obviously born to entertain.
Not a ghoulish take-the-money-and-run rip-off, but a surprisingly sweet, sensitive, tenderhearted
swan song you will never forget that will have you shedding a tear while tapping your feet.
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Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson
Reviews
This Is It - 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
The Book of Eli - 1 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Legion - 2 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
This Is It - 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
The Book of Eli - 1 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Legion - 2 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
