2012 - You have been warned.

This is a 2 hour 4o minute movie. This is very significant especially when you bring a 7 year old kid to this movie. After around 1.5 hours, little b was already asking, ironically as the storms were brewing and the human race on the brink of extinction, "What's taking so long?" The director manage to carry out the story well, in the sense that it didn't make us fall asleep, but, really if it was shorter, the impact would've been greater.

This is basically a feel-good family movie and it feels like a Sunday Matinee due to the over indulgence of family issues.

It is true that a movie depends greatly on your company. And my company made it more of a comedy than a serious tear jerker for me. Right from the start, when the year 2009 flashed on the screen, indicating the timeframe of the story, little b already made a silly remark, "We came to see 2012, not 2009.... Is this the right movie?"

There are plenty of humanitarian issues and some political issues and of course family ties discussed, but basically, the moral of the story is that life is short, so treasure your love ones before it's too late. However, today I was putting on a more logical cap than an emotional one, thus, I found that some of the scenes a little naive or impractical to apply in real-life. Parental guidance is highly recommended for children as little b indicated that he was very worried about the earth after watching (or experiencing) the full fledge natural disaster.

Anyway, this is one of the bigger action blockbusters for this year, and irregardless of my advice, you will just HAVE to get a glimpse of the special effects or CGIs or to experience the sound system.

Storyboard: 15 of 25
Cinematography: 20 of 25
Issues Discussed (connection with viewers): 15 of 25
Casting: 15 of 25

Total Score : 65% B-

Michael Jackson - This is it..

Hmm.. first of all, this is not a movie but a documentary about his This is it concert. Fans around the world will declare otherwise, saying this is the epitome of fine arts and music from the Legendary King of Pop, but I just want to be honest. I am a big fan of his. Whenever people asked me who my favourite singer was, I have always told people that he was my favourite, and he is the best performer of the century. In my humble opinion, He still is the best as I dont find anyone who can match his whole package in terms of showmanship, entertainment and talent). I enjoyed this documentary a lot especially when the company I went with knows how to appreciate MJ as well, but still I felt that it didn't deliver the "Boom Boom Pow" or the "Wow" effect!

And after watching this movie, I felt really pity that he didn't get to perform even one complete concert. The concert would've been magnificent with all the latest CGI technologies and the superb new hip hop dancers that he personally auditioned and handpicked. And with MJ, you know that he always wanted the best for the audience thus he was very detailed and tries to be perfect with all his costumes, singing and dance cheoreography. You know you will get the best from MJ as you know he's always pushing the limits and setting new standards. That's what MJ is all about, setting new boundaries". Yet, you can see that age (he was 50) is slowly catching up on him with his slowing down in dancemoves and inability to hit some of the notes. Yet you cannot help but feel that he's the best. Yes, that's the feeling you get when you watch this documentary. It's an awesome feeling... overwhelming but not the touching kind.

Well, guess if you want to watch the touching documentaries, you'd have to catch the memorial dvd. As for this movie, it's all about his "This is it!" concert. This movie reminds us of all his spectacular hits and his dance moves and he is still able to throw some new spice into these legendary songs.

Btw, if you do not have good sound system at home, perhaps you can consider watching this in the movies as it will serve your memory as MJ's last concert on earth. And remember to stay past the credits to look out for that special interesting CGI clip. I missed that part myself because I had such a full tank after sitting at the comfortable seat sipping large cold coke for 2 straight hours. Yep, just couldn't wait any longer! Guess I'd just have to catch it on DVD. :)

Picture source: CNN.com, imdb.com