Michael Jackson's This Is It (PG, 2009)

There's been much controversy about This Is It: Is it a worthy homage, a tasteless exploitation, or something in between? Should it have been made at all? When the King of Pop is first glimpsed onstage in segments shot for a a then-planned behind-the-scenes documentary, he looks frail and emaciated (and it is, to be honest, disturbing). But all of that falls away within minutes as it becomes clear that Jackson, even so close to the end, still had that indefinable thing that made him gloriously, insanely famous: talent, and plenty of it. Sure, he doesn't always sing at full force (except for a song or two); and yes, his dancing isn't as energetic. Jackson alludes to his need to hold back during rehearsals and conserve himself for curtain time (as many entertainers do), which is most likely why he was only performing at 75 percent -- but what a 75 percent it is.

Audiences will never know fully the demons that haunted Jackson off stage, but what's clear from This Is It is that when he was on stage, it was all about the work. Watching him discuss the need to let a particular moment in a song "simmer" speaks volumes about his vision and how he still knew what he wanted out of his act -- and strove tirelessly to get it. Had he been able to pull the tour off, it would've been epic.