Not being a huge Jackson fan I was weary of this film, but found it entertaining none-the-less. Jackson was clearly not the frail man the media presented him as, his voice and personality carrying the film, along with the fantastic performances, obviously.
Jackson's final performances are a fantastic tease of what could have been. Whilst not shown in their entirety, Jackson performs the songs as one assumes he would have done on stage. Songs such as Thriller and Smooth Criminal where to have mini movies which played along to the songs. These were shown in full, and each one looked incredible. Jackson clearly had a flair for putting together an experience, rather than just singing and dancing.
Despite the fantastic nature of the actual performances, the quality of the film in terms of actual video and audio was rather lacking. The pre-recorded video sequences were fine, as where the interviews with the cast and crew, but the performances themselves looked as though they were filmed with a hand held camera, and the audio was very weak at times, although that seemed to be because Jackson was resting his voice.
Aside from the lack of the high quality one expects of a major film studio, which was out of their control this time I suppose, the only other gripe I have with the film is that much of it plays out like it was supposed to be an extra on what I expect was going to be DVD/Blu-Ray release of the ill-fated concerts. Not that this detracts from the experience, but it seems like something you watch once you've seen the full experience and want to take a look backstage and see the creative process of it all.
As a documentary and a concert film, it stands out, but could have benefited with looking at what happened following his death and the reaction of those involved, but it s what it is, a film documentary about the This Is It concert rehearsals. It does what it says on the tin, and I can't fault it for that, but I do wish it was a little more inquisitive and there was more footage of the musicians and the dancers creating the final piece, rather than just outright performances.
Positives
Jackson is on blinding form throughout the entire thing.
The performances and everything that accompanies them looked like it would be incredible when completed.
Negatives
Too much emphasis on the low quality performance footage, but that is what everyone wanted to see, right?
Much of it looks as though it was filmed for a "Making-Of" DVD extra, and as such doesn't really play well with the big screen.
Overall
Fans of Michael Jackson will likely see this anyway, and it is worth it for them, but for others, skip it, and maybe watch it on DVD. It's a series of excellent performances, but falls short by failing to look more at how the shows were planned and prepared.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Scarface
This had been on my "To Watch" list for a very long time, but I finally had chance to watch it as I am very ill and have nothing better to do.
The film follows Tony Montana, a Cuban who wants to get away from the forces of Communism, so immigrates to the USA, where he is put in a holding cell. He quickly adapts to a life of violence and gets caught up in the world of cocaine. As he heads reaches the top, his paranoia and jealousy get the better of him, leading up to the final scene, where he has nothing but cocaine and guns, and his mansion is attacked by rival drug dealers.
The ending aside, the film is a mixed bag, some parts, like the first drug deal, are needlessly brutal, and other sections seem to there to fill time. This being a 2 Hour and 40 minute film, they seem entirely unnecessary.
The films general plot is outstanding, following Tony's rise to power through murder and double crosses. The film shows us a real criminal, rather than a Hollywood criminal, who will either take pride in his actions or feel guilty. Montana, shows nothing, only showing feelings for himself. He did what he did to get what he wanted.
The film has aged, mainly due to the setting of a sunny Miami, reminiscent of 1980's Cop shows, and the background story of communist Cuba, but this only serves to make the film all the more entertaining. The fact that it is more detached from our day to day life reduces realism, but in a film so unrealistically violent and over the top anyway, it creates an almost fantasy setting.
Now onto that final scene! There will be spoilers most likely, but the film was released in 1983, so its your own fault if you have yet to see it. Montana kills his best friend in a blind rage after he finds out he has moved in with his sister. He dumps his nose in a pile of cocaine, and fails to notice his mansion being over-run with rival drug dealers, all looking to kill him. His sister, angry that Tony killed her boyfriend also tries to kill him. Most of the film builds Tony up, showing his success and intelligence, but the ending shows that power corrupts. His sister is killed in a hail of gunfire, and Tony looks to take revenge. He takes out a number of the would-be assailants, before falling victim to superior numbers.
The ending redeems an otherwise powerful but drawn out film.
Positives
The ending is a fantastic piece of cinema.
The film as a whole is a great piece of escapist entertainment.
Negatives
Some parts are there to fill time in a long film.
Overall
The ending alone is enough reason to see this film. The film is a great showing of a real crime drama, shown from the point of view of a villain, who we are meant to accept as a good guy. It shows the corruption of power and the collapse of a man with power. Very few films portray this as effectively as Scarface, a modern(-ish) classic.
The film follows Tony Montana, a Cuban who wants to get away from the forces of Communism, so immigrates to the USA, where he is put in a holding cell. He quickly adapts to a life of violence and gets caught up in the world of cocaine. As he heads reaches the top, his paranoia and jealousy get the better of him, leading up to the final scene, where he has nothing but cocaine and guns, and his mansion is attacked by rival drug dealers.
The ending aside, the film is a mixed bag, some parts, like the first drug deal, are needlessly brutal, and other sections seem to there to fill time. This being a 2 Hour and 40 minute film, they seem entirely unnecessary.
The films general plot is outstanding, following Tony's rise to power through murder and double crosses. The film shows us a real criminal, rather than a Hollywood criminal, who will either take pride in his actions or feel guilty. Montana, shows nothing, only showing feelings for himself. He did what he did to get what he wanted.
The film has aged, mainly due to the setting of a sunny Miami, reminiscent of 1980's Cop shows, and the background story of communist Cuba, but this only serves to make the film all the more entertaining. The fact that it is more detached from our day to day life reduces realism, but in a film so unrealistically violent and over the top anyway, it creates an almost fantasy setting.
Now onto that final scene! There will be spoilers most likely, but the film was released in 1983, so its your own fault if you have yet to see it. Montana kills his best friend in a blind rage after he finds out he has moved in with his sister. He dumps his nose in a pile of cocaine, and fails to notice his mansion being over-run with rival drug dealers, all looking to kill him. His sister, angry that Tony killed her boyfriend also tries to kill him. Most of the film builds Tony up, showing his success and intelligence, but the ending shows that power corrupts. His sister is killed in a hail of gunfire, and Tony looks to take revenge. He takes out a number of the would-be assailants, before falling victim to superior numbers.
The ending redeems an otherwise powerful but drawn out film.
Positives
The ending is a fantastic piece of cinema.
The film as a whole is a great piece of escapist entertainment.
Negatives
Some parts are there to fill time in a long film.
Overall
The ending alone is enough reason to see this film. The film is a great showing of a real crime drama, shown from the point of view of a villain, who we are meant to accept as a good guy. It shows the corruption of power and the collapse of a man with power. Very few films portray this as effectively as Scarface, a modern(-ish) classic.
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