Yep, This Is It, All Right…

Being in the throes of NaNoWriMo this month, I haven't had a lot of time or attention to spare for blogging, but today I had to take a quick break from thoughts of plots, characters, and sentence structure to write a bit about a slightly longer break (like two hours or so) I took earlier today.

This afternoon I went to see This Is It, the documentary film about Michael Jackson's preparations for the concerts that never happened. I thought that I'd missed my opportunity, but it turns out that the film was in theaters longer than I'd thought it would be.

And, boy, am I glad about that.

My eyes were glued to the screen for the duration of the film. It was absolutely riveting. I've never seen anything like this on the big screen, and it was probably the best eight dollars and change I've spent in a long time.

There is no doubt in my mind after seeing this film that Michael Jackson was an absolute genius. I've never seen anyone work so hard at their craft and pay such attention to the details. He was a perfectionist, and that level of intensity rubbed off on everyone around him. He surrounded himself with the best, the most talented, and the most creative people he could find, and they all fed off each other's energy to make something truly fantastic.

It brings tears to my eyes to think that these concerts never came to be. The amount of work that went into this project even before getting to the dress rehearsal stage is mind-boggling. The number of people involved is equally staggering. Sets were built, costumes designed, film segments shot and edited, special effects rendered. This would have been an amazing spectacle had it reached its fruition.

As we all know, of course, Michael died before the shows could happen.

It was wonderful to hear new versions of some of Michael's hits: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Bad", "Human Nature", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "I'll Be There", "Shake Your Body", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Black or White", "Billy Jean", "Man in the Mirror", and many others. They were all played out fully in rehearsal, with dancers, backup singers, full band, and some lighting effects.

Editing the film must have been a nightmare. Despite the fact that there were only two camera operators on the scene, they recorded at least four rehearsals, and the film editors cut back and forth amongst numerous versions of the same song. As a result, we see Michael in a number of different outfits in each number. It's not jarring at all; it just gives us a sense of how much work these folks did in preparation for the concerts.

And then there's Michael himself. When he's not performing, he's quiet and soft-spoken (they put up subtitles for a lot of his comments), but he's demanding in his own gentle way, and he knows exactly what he wants. He's putting every ounce of his energy into what he's doing, and, though he says himself that he's trying to conserve his voice for the actual performances, even his low-key versions of these songs are compelling to watch and hear.

And it's in those between-the-songs moments that we catch a glimpse of a Michael that few of us have ever seen: the shy, socially awkward eternal child who has never really learned how to interact with the outside world except through his music and dance. Michael was not an articulate man; in fact, he struggles for words at times in this film. But that doesn't diminish his intensity, his drive, his perfectionism, and his talent. He gets across what he wants, and he ultimately gets what he wants.

Because he's Michael.

Frankly, I was exhausted after watching this film. In a good way, mind you, but still exhausted. I found the film extremely moving, and I was close to tears at various times, partly because of the immense talent we lost, partly because of the fact that no one would ever see the concerts as they were meant to be seen, and partly because of the sheer joy of watching someone completely in his element, doing what he loved to do, and doing it well. As a creative soul myself, I found this touching beyond words.

At this point, I don't care one whit about the the opinions the public and the media held about Michael and his personal life. He was troubled, yes. With the kind of upbringing he had, who wouldn't be? But whatever his personal demons might have been, whatever pain he held deep inside himself, he used all his energy, negative and positive, to make the best music he knew how to make, put on the best shows he knew how to put on, and make his body do some of the most amazing things we'll ever see a human body do.

He was a true star, and if I'd ever had any doubts about that, they were washed away with the tidal wave of images and sounds I saw on the big screen today.

It was frickin' awesome.

I've heard a bit of buzz about This Is It being nominated for a "Best Picture" Oscar.

Frankly, I'm not surprised.

Mind the gap.

(Here's a little sampling of what I saw today.)