Review of Michael Jackson’s This Is It

All thanks to Sony Pictures, Nigel and Kel Li, I managed to catch the premiere of Michael Jackson’s This Is It on Wednesday night and here is my brief review of the film.

There isn’t much to review with this movie, simply because it’s one huge music video with no plot and direction. I must say Kenny Ortega and Sony did a really good job in editing the film considering it all came from over 100 hours of raw footage. It must have been one of the most tedious post-productions of any movie ever.

Another thing Ortega did well was to keep the interviews to a minimum and letting the performance of MJ make the movie. However, the dialogue in between the performances were just as entertaining, intriguing and captivating as MJ’s dance moves. In was really wonderful to get a small glimpse into how MJ worked, being a perfectionist and all as well as to see how others worked with him.

At the end of the day, the movie does what it is supposed to- it entertains the inner MJ fan in all of us. I whole-heartedly enjoyed this film just for it’s content alone. I found myself bobbing my head and thumping my foot throughout the entire film. Having said that, I enjoyed the film thoroughly just because I enjoy Michael Jackson’s movie. I’m afraid to say that a person who doesn’t quite enjoy MJ’s work, will definitely not enjoy this movie.

So just like I Tweeted, I’m going to tell you to rush out to see this movie if you’ve ever enjoyed any of Michael Jackson’s music or dance moves. Make sure you stay until the end of the credits. There is a little sumthin’ sumthin’.

So, yeah. This Is It.

RIP MJ.

New Clip From The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Here is a short clip from New Moon where Bella slaps Paul and Jacob comes to defend her.



The Twilight Saga: New Moon hits theaters at the end of next month.

Is This Really It?

*EDIT: This contest is now closed. Thank you to all who posted your entries. The two winners will be contacted really soon. As for everyone else, you have one last chance to win some tickets from JoshuaOngYS.com*

Michael Jackson really is gone and will definitely be missed. But is this really it for the King of Pop? I think not. His music has always had the ability to inspire millions all over the world. Now that the greatest entertainer to have ever lived is no longer here, his work will most definitely live on and will be heard and loved by many generations to come. So, I ask you, do you remember the time you first danced around your room to a Michael Jackson tune?

Tragically, this incredibly talented human being lost his life back in June of this year and nobody will see him perform ever again. In the months leading up to his death, Michael Jackson was hard at work rehearsing for his 50-date gig at the O2 Arena in London. The concerts were said to be his final curtain call and it was a chance for fans to catch him live one last time. Unfortunately, that one last time never came to be.

Almost immediately after MJ’s death, we learned that AEG Live, the concert organizers recorded over 100 hours worth of rehearsal footage. Soon after that, Sony Pictures had bought the rights to the footage and were to edit it into a feature film.

Michael Jackson This Is It, which documents MJ’s final days as he rehearses for his This Is It concerts in London, hits cinemas worldwide simultaneously (October 29 here in Malaysia) and will only stay in theaters for a limited two weeks. After which, will go to DVD.

Michael Jackson fans in America camped in line for as long as three days before the tickets went on sale back in September. As for Malaysian fans, they’ve had to wait until October 15 to get their hands on This Is It tickets. In the first day of sales here, 10,000 tickets were snapped up and over 20,000 have been sold to date.

So this is where it gets good. I am giving away 2 pairs of special passes to the Malaysian premiere screening of Michael Jackson This Is It happening October 28 which is a whole day before the rest of Malaysia gets to see it. This is, of course, all thanks to Sony Pictures Malaysia. Here are the full details of the special screening:

Michael Jackson This Is It Premiere Screening

Date: October 28, 2009 (Wednesday)

Time: 9.30PM

Venue: Cathay Cineplex, e@Curve (formerly known as Cineleisure)

Here is exactly what you have to do if you want to be one of the two people getting a pair of these passes. I want to know what is your favorite Michael Jackson song and why. Your submission can be a simple one-line comment on this blog post, or you could write your own blog post and insert the link in the comments section of this post. When commenting, please make sure you give me your full name, the link to your blog post (if you choose to do it that way) as well as your E-mail address so that you can be contacted if you win the passes.

The 2 commenters with the best and most creative comments will each win a pair of passes. Almost anything goes, just as long as you stick to the question “What is your favorite Michael Jackson song and why?”. So go wild! The comments will be judged by the organizers and their decision is final.

This contest will be open for only two days so hurry up and submit your comment/blog post. Any submission after 12.00AM Sunday (October 25) will not be considered. Also, any incomplete submission (e.g. without E-mail address) will be rejected. The winners will be announced and contacted on October 27 (Tuesday).

So good luck! If you do win, I will see you at the screening on Wednesday. By the way, make sure you stay back until the end of the credits for some nice Easter eggs. Also, you can head on over to Joshua Ong’s blog to try to win the This Is It passes there.

Opening This Week: Inglourious Law Abiding Basterds

This week = epic week. So far, Inglourious Basterds has received some extraordinary buzz and Law Abiding Citizen, not so much, but it still manages to seem like a decent action flick. Let's look at what to expect of these films, shall we?


Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Til Schweiger
Director: Quentin Tarantino
USA release: August 21
Malaysia release: October 22
USA gross: $119,098,000
Worldwide gross: $275,365,277
Genre: Drama, War
Runtime: 2 Hours 34 Minutes
Rated in USA: R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality
Rated in Malaysia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
See what people on Twitter are saying about Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). She narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organises a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of vengeance. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

From what I've read and heard, this movie is Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. And if Quentin Tarantino has a masterpiece, you absolutely HAVE to see it. The trailer is apparently very deceiving and the movie doesn't have as much gun-slinging action as portrayed in the trailer. Instead, people have said the movie is filled with intriguing verbal exchanges. Also, this film is very long. I, for one, am excited to watch this film but I cannot speak for anyone else. I guess we'll just have to go see the film to tell for ourselves.




Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler
Director: F. Gary Gray
USA release: October 16
Malaysia release: October 22
USA gross: $21,250,000
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Drama
Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
Rated in USA: R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language
Rated in Malaysia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
See what people on Twitter are saying about Law Abiding Citizen

Clyde Shelton (Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Ten years later, the man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either he fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.

I've said this numerous times before and I'm going to reiterate it by saying trailers can be terribly deceiving and we shouldn't peg our expectations for the movie to the quality of the trailer. In my opinion, the trailer for this film was action-packed and really well done. According to IMDb, the general audience liked the film but on the other hand, many of the movie critics on Rotten Tomatoes didn't like it. In any case, let's just hope this film is full of good purposeful action and suspense.

Source: Cinema Online, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

New The Princess and the Frog Poster

The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s much anticipated return to fully hand-drawn animated films and here is the latest poster for the movie.

A fairy tale about a girl named Princess Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age, and a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.

Expect this movie to hit Malaysia cinemas December 3.

Coming Soon

More Toy Story 3 Character Posters

Slinky and Mr. Potato!

Opening This Week: Cloudy with a Pandorum of Whiteout

This week we look at an animated film which is said to be good, a Kate Beckinsale movie which is said to be the opposite of good and also a typical sci-fi thriller movie. Let's dive straight in, shall we?


Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Chris Miller, Phil Lord
USA release: September 18
Malaysia release: October 15
USA gross: $95,778,436
Worldwide gross: $101,258,907
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Rated in USA: PG for brief mild language
Rated in Malaysia: U
IMDb User Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
See what people on Twitter are saying about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

The end is near! The world's first ever animated disaster movie comes to the big screen when an outcast inventor creates a machine that rains food on his hungry town and gets the attention of the girl he's always loved. Intoxicated by the love and validation he receives, he goes too far with his machine: the falling food gets dangerously out of control, he loses the girl, and he has to set things right to win her back.

With the talents of Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, NPH and Anna Faris contributing their voices to this film, it looks pretty promising. The general public looks like it kind of liked the movie and movie critics most definitely did like the movie. So the only logical choice to make this weekend is to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs which hits theaters this Thursday.




Pandorum (2009)
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet
Director: Christian Alvart
USA release: September 25
Malaysia release: October 15
USA gross: $9,517,801
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
Rated in USA: R for strong horror violence and language
Rated in Malaysia: PG13
IMDb User Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
See what people on Twitter are saying about Pandorum

The terrifying story of two crew members, Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) and Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) stranded on a spacecraft where they quickly realise they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the spacecraft. They can't remember anything - who are they or what is their mission. The only way out of the chamber is a dark and narrow airshaft. Bower crawls inside, while Payton stays behind for guidance on a radio transmitter. As he ventures deeper and deeper into the ship, he begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking and deadly secrets come unravelled and the astronauts realise that the survival of mankind hinges on their actions.

This seems like the typical space thriller film so I'm not all that excited for it. Plus, not a big fan of Dennis Quaid. But quite a lot of people seemed to like it. I guess it might just be a good fun popcorn flick.




Whiteout (2009)
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht
Director: Dominic Sena
USA release: September 11
Malaysia release: October 15
USA gross: $10,144,505
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Rated in USA: R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity
Rated in Malaysia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 6%
See what people on Twitter are saying about Whiteout

Lone U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is stationed at Antarctica's South Pole research base for two years. Just as she is about to turn in her resignation, a body turns up on the ice and Carrie is thrust into Antarctica's very first murder investigation. As the death toll begins to mount and the mystery deepens, Carrie must solve the crime before the region is plunged into six months of isolated darkness with an unknown killer.

From what I've heard, this is a really, really crappy movie.

Source: IMDb, Cinema Online, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes

Toy Story 3 Woody Poster

As the title describes, here is another one of the character posters put out by Disney Pixar recently.

Toy Story 3 Character Posters and Trailer

It’s been way too long since Toy Story 2 was released but finally, the 3rd installment of the Toy Story franchise is just around the corner. I was kind of bummed when we didn’t get the Toy Story 3-D double-feature here in Malaysia. But now that I’ve seen the trailer for Toy Story 3, I just cannot wait for it. Check it out for yourself below, along with the character posters featuring Buzz, Rex and Hamm.

Toy Story 3 is about what happens when Andy stops playing. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. It would seem they end up in a daycare center.

Toy Story 3 gets an American release June 18, 2010 and Malaysian release a day before.

Source: Cinema Blend

Opening This Week: Beyond A Reasonable Serious Surrogate

This week we look at three movies coming out this Thursday - Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, A Serious Man and Surrogates. Let's go!


Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (2009)
Cast: Michael Douglas, Amber Tamblyn, Jesse Metcalfe
Director: Peter Hyams
USA release: September 11 (Limited)
Malaysia release: October 8
USA gross: $32,917
Worldwide gross: $2,386,717
Genre: Mystery, Drama
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Rated in USA: PG-13 for a sex scene, violence and brief strong language
Rated in Malaysia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 0% (Yup)
What people on Twitter are saying about Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

A high-profile criminal lawyer finds his bid for the governorship in jeopardy when an ambitious rookie journalist begins suspecting him of tampering with evidence in order to secure his many convictions. Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas) has a reputation for putting criminals behind bars, and with elections approaching he seems a shoo-in for governor. But just how clean is the district attorney's record when held up to scrutiny? When hungry reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) frames himself as a murder suspect in hopes of catching Hunter in the act, the two fierce rivals become caught up in a treacherous game of cat and mouse. But Assistant DA Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn) has no idea about her boyfriend C.J.'s latest assignment, and as the evidence against both men begins to pile up she begins to suspect that she's in mortal danger. As Ella discovers irrefutable truth of both C.J.'s innocence and her boss' shady dealings, the fate of two men rests in the hands of one woman whose life could be taken at any second.

This is pretty much the kind of movie I would enjoy. But after seeing the appalling stats, I doubt I'll catch this movie at the theater.




A Serious Man (2009)
Cast: Fred Melamed, Katherine Borowitz, Michael Stuhlbarg, Steve Park
Directed by: The Coen Brothers
USA release: October 2
Malaysia release: October 8
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour 45 mins
Rated in USA: R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence
Rated in Malaysia: NA
IMDb User Rating: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
What people on Twitter are saying about A Serious Man

Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet mid-western university has been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy Ableman. Larry's unemployable brother Arthur is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny is a discipline problem, and his daughter Sarah is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. Just when you thought things can't get any worse, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis.

This film may be classified under the 'Comedy' genre but it is a dark comedy so whatever you expect from this film, you can throw that out the window. There are a few comical moments in the film, from what I know, but it is a very dark and depressing movie. Having said that, I cannot wait to watch it. The Coen brothers, who have directed some of my favorite films, are definitely two of my favorite directors. I have high hopes for this film and getting an 8.7 on IMDb and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, not too shabby. Also, I think this film has one of the best trailers this year. Check it out below.




Surrogates (2009)
Cast: Bruce Willis, James Francis Ginty, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Ving Rhames
Director: Jonathan Mostow
USA release: September 25
Malaysia release: October 8
USA gross: $26,387,000
Worldwide gross: $35,068,219
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Rated in USA: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene
Rated in Malaysia: PG-13
IMDb User Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 39%
What people on Twitter are saying about Surrogates

FBI agents (Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell) investigate the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves - fit, good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles - enabling people to experience life from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The murder spawns a quest for answers for who's real and who can you trust.

From what I know, the film is so-so. Not great but not terrible either. Most definitely doesn't live up to the graphic novel it was based on. So if you're up for some mindless fun with a sci-fi scenario, then catch Surrogates this Thursday.

Sources: Cinema Online, IMDb, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes