Film Review: Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”

It’s ironic that the final creative project from a performer who spent his entire career striving for polished perfection would be something this raw.

Originally intended as filler for a 3-D concert film of Michael Jackson’s UK comeback shows, This is It was pieced together by director and longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega from footage shot during the four months of rehearsals leading up to Jackson’s death in June.

It tracks the star from the press conference announcing the shows, through dancer tryouts, band rehearsals and video shoots, interspersed with rehearsal performances of Jackson’s biggest hits.

As the film opens with Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, it’s almost shocking to see Jackson doing what he does best: Singing and dancing. Having not played a show in a decade, the King of Pop has offered up nothing to balance out his tabloid lifestyle.

Even more shocking is seeing how fierce a dancer he remained to the end, frequently upstaging dancers half his age. The film’s best segments come from scenes using split screens to contrast a song’s evolution over the course of rehearsals, particularly on Human Nature and The Way You Make Me Feel.

While the film’s first 45 minutes are thrilling, giving a rare glimpse of Jackson’s creative process, it loses steam two-thirds of the way through.

What comes across is Jackson’s active participation in the creation of these shows. The film’s best moments capture him directing the band or dancers to meet his high expectations And based on the footage, the London shows would have been spectacular. But This Is It feels more like the greatest DVD bonus feature than a feature film.

This review originally appeared at Metronews.ca

Film Review – “Notorious”

It’s a crime that a film about an MC widely regarded to have had one of the greatest flows in the history of hip-hop is completely devoid of any. Notorious, a biopic showcasing murdered rapper Notorious B.I.G.’s rags to riches tale, is a cut and paste mess adding nothing to the slain star’s legend.

The film opens the night of Biggie’s fatal shooting then quickly rewinds to a young Chris Wallace (played by Biggie’s real-life son) dreaming of hip-hop glory on the schoolyard. Soon we see him honing his rap skills while hustling on neighbourhood corners, eventually adopting the Notorious B.I.G. moniker.

Newcomer Jamal Woolard does an admirable job portraying Wallace, even stepping into his shoes on the mic for some scenes, and Angela Bassett delivers a typically overwrought performance as his mother Voletta.

But it’s former R&B singer Naturi Naughton who eats up the screen as firebrand MC Lil Kim. Soul Food director George Tillman Jr.’s inability to maintain the film’s pacing denies viewers the context needed to understand Biggie’s place in the hip-hop pantheon.

This review originally appeared in the January 16, 2009 edition of Metro News Toronto.