Weather Afternoon: 14°c Light showers Tonight: 9°c Light showers

Five of the Best...Films
1. Tulpan
Remarkable romantic comedy set among a nomadic tribe in Kazakhstan.
2. An Education
Nick Hornby's sensitive adaptation of journlaist Lynn Barber's excellent memoir of her first boyfriend.
3. The White Ribbon
Michael Hameke's Palme d'Or winner at Cannes is set in a German village just before the start of the First World War.
4. 2012
Roland Emmerich's thrilling apocalypse movie with John Cusack as the hero.
5. Fantastic Mr Fox
Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl is full of quirky magic — with a sly George Clooney voicing Mr Fox.

Critics' Choice

Film

Andrew O'Hagan

quoteAn awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurancequote

Andrew O'Hagan 2012 Theatre

Fiona Mountford

quoteThe show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie Cquote

Fiona Mountford Blood Brothers Music

John Aizlewood

quoteThe British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeedquote

John Aizlewood Muse

Reader reviews

Theatre

Rachel Dalziel

quoteI was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining playquote

Gilbert Is Dead Restaurants

Raja, London

quoteI totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian foodquote

Babbo Music

Katy, London

quoteAlways been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!quote

Muse

Film news and reviews London,

This Is It

Your rating
one startwo starthree starfour starfive star
Click on a star to rate
Cert:

Evening Standard rating David Smyth's rating
Evening Standard rating Reader rating
 Add your review

 
Please wait the page is loading extra content
  • Showing at

Curious clips do little to resurrect Jacko in This Is It

By David Smyth, None  28.10.09
 
This Is It

Rehearsal: This Is It shows backstage footage of Jacko's tour

Look here too

This Is It was to be the title of Michael Jackson’s record-breaking 50-night residency at the O2.

It is now the name of a largely panned single, a poor-value hits CD and a film compiled from 100 hours of rehearsal footage which ordinarily would have ended up as a forgotten DVD extras segment.

Gallery: This Is It London premiere

Jackson’s father Joe has claimed the producers used body doubles to make his frail son look more impressive.

Some fans say the film conceals the singer’s poor health to enhance the vast profits expected from its two-week run in cinemas from today. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, bless her, thinks: “It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen.”

Gallery: This Is It LA premiere

The London premiere took place at 1am, to run simultaneously with 18 other cities. Bleary celebrities on the red carpet included Spice Girl Mel B, Westlife and Peter Andre.

The film shows Jackson centre stage throughout, always moving, often singing and sometimes looking like he is genuinely enjoying himself.

He requests changes to moves and music, offering suggestions such as: “You gotta let it simmer. Just bathe in the moonlight.” His voice still has sweetness on the ballads but doesn’t sound live on the faster tracks.

The obvious weakness is his weight. He is so thin that when he breaks up a mock fight during Beat It, he looks as if he couldn’t break a KitKat.

Yet these snapshots show him dancing with pace and energy, if not leading his young crew then usually keeping up. There are no new moves, unless you count one that raised a laugh during Human Nature, a penguin-like manoeuvre that may end up being called the Wagglespank.

Nor is there much to suggest that this would have been the spectacular to end all spectaculars. CGI footage of a giant robot made of video screens and a full-size bulldozer for Earth Song look impressive, and there is high quality finished film footage. Yet it does not seem as far ahead of his arena-filling competition as Jackson would surely have liked.

Of course it might have been far greater than this curious collection of half-baked moments suggests. We’ll still never really know. If Jackson’s backers hadn’t needed the cash, our imaginations might have done a better job of filling in the blanks.

Related articles

More


Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

 

Reader reviews (1)

 Add your review

How can anyone aggrandise a man who was (being allowed to evade mental health laws and use adult rights for his abusing + abusable child like mind eg allowing control of his own medication resulting in) drug abusing/addiction to the point of walking dead as seen here and enjoy/praise the performances of such a thoroughly sick man - imagine the the backlash he would receive from the majority of ticket holders if he hadn't of died NO WAY could he have been cleaned in an addiction clinic in time for the London dates :o !

- Pete Doherty, Head Addicton UK


Add your comment

 

Your email address will not be published

Terms and conditions make text area bigger You have  characters left.


 
 
 
London's Weather
Afternoon
Light showers
14°c
Tonight
Light showers
9°c
5 day forecast
 
 

Daily Mail Mail on Sunday Travel Mail This is Money Metro

Loot | Jobsite | Homes & property | London jobs | FindaProperty.com | Primelocation.com | Educate London | Holiday Villas