Thriller 40, on Showtime

In addition to being a leading man and a master of horror, Vincent Price had an impressive track record taking rock stars to the next level. Just ask Alice Cooper—he is always happy discuss his old friend. Yet, quite frustratingly, Price’s contributions to Thriller are never discussed in this documentary on Michael Jackson’s career defining record. It conspicuously never mentions his subsequent scandals either. Still, it is undeniable the record-setting album established Jackson as the biggest recording star of the 1980’s. Marking its 40th anniversary, Nelson George chronicles the history and legacy of the bestselling record in Thriller 40, which premieres today on Showtime.

Jackson’s disco-ish Off the Wall had already been a really big record—so big, it already has its own documentary, directed by Spike Lee. Frankly, Jackson thought it should have been even bigger, so he really wasn’t taking any chance with his next release, which turned out to be Thriller. He had Quincy Jones producing and great rock and funk session musicians like Greg Phillinganes and Steve Lukather (both of whom appear repeatedly throughout Thriller 40) to broaden the appeal of the album’s sound. Plus, there was Paul McCartney for a duet.

As the musicians explain, there was a lot of serendipitous experimentation in the studio. In fact, George does a great job covering the recording sessions, track by track. The legacy part is a bit spottier. Viewers who are newly arrived from Mars and solely relying on Thriller 40 for information on Jackson would think he had unprecedented success with Thriller, continued success with later albums, and then he died. A certain HBO doc has a lot to add to that story—it might be contested, but it is in the public record.

Again, many fans might be annoyed Miles Davis’s cover of “Human Nature” is also overlooked. Seriously, talk about a legacy. Thriller 40 also ignores the Weird Al parodies, like “Eat It,” which Jackson reportedly flipped out over, in a bad way. Yet, again, they are part of the Thriller legacy.

Sundance ’16: Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall

It was a bizarrely mellow song for a trashy exploitation film about killer rats, but “Ben,” the theme from Ben, played a critical role establishing Michael Jackson’s identity outside the Jackson 5. His early solo years are often overlooked by the media that prefers either the Motown Moppet or the Moonwalking glory years. Yet, hipper fans have a special fondness for his late 1970s music. Spike Lee returns to documentary filmmaking with the awkwardly titled Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (trailer here), which screens during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in advance of its early February premiere on Showtime.

In a way, these years are the missing link between the two indelible Michael Jacksons we have in our mind’s eye. There are transitional, but the music was confident. In fact, this is probably the Jackson we should try to remember. Regardless of his shifting appearance and unfortunate media kerfuffles, Jackson was more or less playing a persona after the runaway success of Thriller. However, he seems really real in the archival interviews segments Lee assembles.

It is also cool to hear Jackson pay tribute to the masters who came before him, such as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis, Jr., and even Duke Ellington. Quincy Jones also remembers their long and fruitful association, starting with their work on the film adaptation of The Wiz. Lee talks to a lot of the studio guys, who were part of the process, including Bobby Colomby (Jaco Patorius’s producer), arranger Greg Phillinganes, and engineer Bruce Swedien. Getting their perspective helps broaden our appreciation for Jackson as an artist and a professional. Appropriately, Berry Gordy is also afforded plenty of time to talk about their work together. Regardless what you think of the Motown founder, you just can’t tell the story without him.

As a documentary, MJ’s Journey is pretty conventional stuff, largely alternating between talking heads and performance clips. However, there are a few moments of editorial slyness, like Charleston Heston introducing Jackson’s performance of “Ben” at the Academy Awards. Frankly, the doc just doesn’t have enough clips of the rats.

Regardless, Lee has a good sense of pace and his informal interviewing style elicits some candid reminiscences. Even if you are not a fan, Journey is highly watchable. It is sort of like a better installment of the old Behind the Music series, except it ends with Jackson on the cusp of his greatest triumph. Yet, we leave feeling maybe things would have been better if he had simply maintained this level of popular yet relatively grounded success. Worth checking out, especially if you are a fan or have an interest in music production, Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall screens again today (1/25) and Friday (1/29) in Park City, Wednesday (1/27) in Sundance Mountain Resort, and Saturday (1/30) in Salt Lake, as part of this year’s Sundance.