The door to nowhere

My attention has been drawn to a rather witty Trade Me sale pitch for an old door.

Alas I have no need for a secondhand door, but if I did I would definitely consider buying this one. I suppose, technically, it's two doors in one thanks to the cat door...

And no, it's not me selling the door. I am far too busy (and impoverished) to contemplate any household renovations beyond changing the duvet cover. It just amused me as a lot more creative than your average Trade me description. Full credit to the copywriter. 

On another topic entirely (please read no metaphors into this - none were intended), I went to see Michael Jackson's This Is It on Wednesday night.

Here are my thoughts:

Since pop superstar Michael Jackson's sudden death in June, there has been a growing global obsession with the man. All past transgressions seem to have been forgotten, words like "genius'' have been bandied about and comparisons to Elvis Presley have been made.

This quickly cobbled-together film is the last chance for Jackson fans to see MJ behind the scenes as he worked hard at creating and rehearsing his first concert tour in a decade. For the more cynical, it is also a chance for the concert backers and the estate to recoup costs.

His big comeback was scheduled to run for 50 shows, but alas, his own final curtain preceded the tour's opening one.

This Is It offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he rehearsed for his sold-out concerts with a full band  (including a gifted young blonde Aussie guitarist), brilliant backing dancers, choreographers, lighting, pyrotechnics and special-effects designers.

The finished show would have been an absolute doozy, complete with new, elaborate music videos to go with certain songs, including a 3-D film of Thriller with all new undead dancers, and a black-and-white pastiche film noir that included Humphrey Bogart shooting at MJ to go with Smooth Criminal.

Chronicling the months from April to June this year, the film was produced with the support of Jackson's estate and drawn from more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage that was never meant for public consumption. According to the scrolling text that opens the unusual, not-quite-concert film, the footage was meant for MJ's private records; sort of a posh home video.

What emerges is a portrait of Jackson as the public has rarely seen him. Hard at work we see Jackson the distinctive dancer, Jackson the polished singer, and even Jackson the control-freak perfectionist.

The film's director, Kenny Ortega, who was both Jackson's creative partner and the director of the stage show, puts himself in the film quite a bit, often with his voice intruding over the patchy camera work.

The sound quality has obviously been worked on for the songs, which are a trip down memory lane, but the conversations are often subtitled, partly because MJ was so softly spoken and partly because the videocamera's microphone wasn't up to the job.

The allure for Jackson fans will be the last chance to see the pop star at work. It's hard not to examine Jackson with the benefit of hindsight - he looks fearfully skinny, especially alongside his talented, sycophantic coterie of muscly young male dancers, but he also seems energetic and pretty healthy, with a great voice which seems to need little help from modern electronic wizardry.

This is the closest anyone will get to seeing what the planned concert would have been like, including its unexpected environmental message and bulldozer. While it is captivating in many ways, this film tribute is too long at two hours and strangely lacks insight into the man himself.

Unique, yes, odd, definitely, Jackson was a one-of-a-kind entertainer, without a doubt. If you're looking for a biopic or searing expose of his tawdry history and disfiguring  plastic surgery, this homage is not the show for you. At times it is sickly cloying. At others we get a glimpse of a lonely man desperately in need of approval and adulation.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the audience left with a unexpected sense of melancholy, which is surely not what the film-makers intended.

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paul   #1   08:55 am Oct 30 2009

There is no denying the guy's talent. I still think he was killed for the insurance pay out though.

craig   #2   08:55 am Oct 30 2009

What!? He's dead!? When did that happen?

sweet pea   #3   09:16 am Oct 30 2009

I concur with your last line completely : "I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the audience left with a unexpected sense of melancholy, which is surely not what the film-makers intended." it was a strange sensation to see the behind the scenes footage, which would never have been made public had Michael J not died. In a way it is a somewhat strange sense of voyeurism too.