After death, a King of Pop could live

There are big questions looming over This Is It, which opens today at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, where they've been selling advanced tickets for weeks. Is it going to be any good and possibly serve as a fitting tribute to the dead Michael Jackson? Or is it simply shameless commercial exploitation by his chagrined concert promoter? (Jackson was in rehearsal for 50 concerts in the United Kingdom for concert promoter AEG when he died of a drug overdose.)

Of course, it's probably a combination of both elements. But there's a growing sense that if the film (apparently part documentary, part concert) is no good, then that will be the final insult in what has become a shameless (but predictable) exercise in squeezing as much money as possible out of Jackson's death.

THE FILM first screens this morning at 10am and there are more screenings throughout the day including at 5.45pm, 7pm and 8.30pm. Apparently, the whole thing is for "two weeks only", in line with the way the film has been marketed almost like a concert in which the dead King of Pop is expected to rise again.

Elizabeth Taylor has already given it rave reviews and suggested that the film be nominated for each and every Oscar category. We'd rather wait and see for ourselves.