Michael Jackson's 'THIS IS IT' - Smooth Criminal - 4K UPSCALE (2009)

#music #video #nostalgia Highest quality available, thanks to Topaz Video AI Enhancer. 5th number: Smooth Criminal No copyright infringement intended. Copied from Wikipedia: Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary film about Michael Jackson's preparation for This Is It, a planned concert residency that was cancelled due to his death in 2009. It includes behind-the-scenes footage such as dancer auditions and costume design. The director, Kenny Ortega, confirmed that none of the footage was originally intended for release, but, after Jackson's death, it was agreed that the film would be made. The footage was filmed in California at the Staples Center and The Forum. The film was given a worldwide release and a limited two-week theatrical run from October 28 to November 12, 2009, but the theatrical release was later extended for an additional three weeks in domestic theaters and one to three weeks in overseas markets.[5] Tickets went on sale a month early on September 27 to satisfy a high anticipated demand; the film broke numerous pre-sale and box office records. AEG Live faced criticism, mostly consisting of claims that they had made the film only to make a profit. Multiple members of Jackson's family had confirmed that they did not support the film, and some family members went as far as to try to stop the film agreement in August. The film has also been surrounded by allegations regarding the appearance of body doubles in place of Jackson, which Sony denied, and it faced outrage from some of Jackson's fans, with some going as far as to start a protest against the film. In August 2009, a judge approved a deal among John Branca and John McClain (representatives of the Jackson estate), concert promoter AEG Live, and Sony Pictures. The agreement allowed Sony to edit the hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage needed to create the film; Sony subsequently paid $60 million for the film rights.[6] The film received generally positive reviews from both critics and Jackson fans; the portrayal of Jackson and his performances were generally praised, while criticism mainly consisted of both critics and fans who felt that the film was made simply to profit from Jackson's death and that Jackson would not have wanted the film released because he was a "perfectionist". Despite some fans boycotting the film and his family not endorsing the film, the ticket sales for This Is It broke international records a month before its release. It made $267.9 million (equivalent to $380 million in 2023) worldwide, and it is listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing documentary film at the global box office.[4][7] By the end of 2010, the DVD sales for This Is It stood at 2.8 million units, with gross earnings of $45 million in the US alone. In Japan, This Is It earned $18 million in sales on the title's first day of release with 358,000 combined DVD sales.[8] Summary: The film begins with a short text introduction stating the purpose of the footage and its intent "For the fans...". After short dialogues from various dancers, Kenny Ortega is heard talking through the original concert opening sequence involving a bodysuit made from screens that display fast clips and images with bright intensity from which Jackson emerges on stage. Immediately after this, Jackson begins "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" first solo, which pauses halfway through and a small snippet of Jackson singing his song "Speechless" Acappella is shown. Jackson is then joined by dancers and completes the first number. A short clip showing rehearsals of the "toaster" mechanism is shown before rehearsal footage of "Jam" is played. This plays directly into the green screen adaptation of soldiers dancers for "Bad" which are also used for "They Don't Care About Us" which is shown next. From here, the film shows Michael directing Ortega and his band for his solo rehearsal performance of "Human Nature" which he performs Acappella, then with keyboard, and finally with a full band. Green screen rehearsals for the video vignette for "Smooth Criminal" come next (with scenes from his film Moonwalker as well as the film Gilda featuring Rita Hayworth singing "Put the Blame on Mame"). Jackson is seen next directing his musical team for the cues in his song "The Way You Make Me Feel". Jackson then performs a rehearsal with dancers which he alters and changes as he goes. Jackson then rehearses a medley of The Jackson 5 songs: "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "I'll Be There" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)". After this, Jackson sings with Judith Hill, one of his backup singers, on his duet song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". The filming for the "Thriller" vignette is then shown with Jackson and Ortega watching with 3D glasses. Continued: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson%27s_This_Is_It