Three summers ago, Bad Teacher performed well with audiences to the tune of a $100 million domestic gross. On Friday, that film’s director Jake Kasdan and its stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel reunite for Sex Tape. The raunchy comedy’s concept is simple: bored married couple makes sex tape to spice things up and it accidentally goes viral. Costars include Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, and Rob Lowe.
Diaz, especially, has proven herself to be a valuable commodity in these types of pictures. Just this spring, The Other Woman got off to a $24 million debut on its way to an $83M domestic haul. And Sex Tape could be more successful in bringing in a male audience as Woman was geared more towards… well, women. Similar types of movies such as No Strings Attached or Friends with Benefits both opened to just shy of $20 million, but this should outdo them.
The most fair comparison for how Sex Tape plays is likely Bad Teacher itself. It opened to $31 million in June 2011 and it’s certainly possible that this could open in the same range. Ultimately I’m predicting it falls just short of that for a solid opening.
Sex Tape opening weekend prediction: $29.1 million
Walt Disney Studios brings their animated sequel Planes: Fire & Rescue to theaters this Friday and they are hoping to find more success than other animated follow-ups in 2014. This spring, 20th Century Fox saw lackluster results with Rio 2, which grossed $129 million (less than the $143M of its 2011 predecessor). And then there’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 which has taken in a disappointing $147 million, far less than the $217M of its 2010 original.
The Planes sequel may have better luck for a couple of reasons. First, the expectations aren’t nearly as high. Featuring the voices of Dane Cook, Julie Bowen, Ed Harris, and many others – Fire & Rescue isn’t expected to greatly outdo the $90 million haul of its original, which came out last summer. That factor – that the predecessor came out less than a year ago – should keep it fresh in family audience’s minds. On the other hand, the first Rio and Dragon pictures had come out three and four years prior.
Planes took in $22 million last August on its way to that $90M gross. #2 may manage to take in a bit more than that and I figure it’ll pretty much take in what its predecessor did when all is said and done.
Planes: Fire & Rescue opening weekend prediction: $25.4 million
Director Richard Linklater has been a critics darling for over two decades since his acclaimed 1991 debut Slacker. His second picture Dazed and Confused is now considered an American classic. And there’s his critically beloved trilogy of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight in addition to Waking Life, School of Rock, Fast Food Nation, and Bernie.
What does his filmography currently have in common? None have received a great deal of attention from the Academy and not one has received a Best Picture or Director nomination. This could potentially change with Linklater’s latest effort Boyhood.
The pic premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and just opened this weekend in limited release. The shooting of Boyhood is unique. Linklater shot the film over a nearly 12 year period and it focuses on the life of a boy (Ellar Coltrane) from childhood to adulthood. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette play his divorced parents.
Critics have been absolutely over the moon on it. Based on 97 reviews, Boyhood stands at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers calling it the best movie of the year so far. Richard Roeper has referred to it as one of the greatest pictures he’s ever seen.
The question of Boyhood‘s Oscar viability may come down to how much mainstream exposure it receives. However, based on reviews alone, this stands the best chance of any of Linklater’s catalogue to receive a Best Picture and Director nomination, as well as Actor (Coltrane), Supporting Actor (Hawke), and Supporting Actress (Arquette).
Jason Bateman is such a likeable actor and presence on screen that he manages to generate sympathy for his mostly unlikeable character he portrays in Bad Words. The picture marks his directorial debut and Bateman shows ability behind the camera. Unfortunately Bad Words is hampered by a mixed bag of a script by Andrew Dodge that is often tonally challenged.
Guy Trilby (Bateman) is a 40 year old man whose maturity is so stunted that he’s taken it upon himself to enter spelling bees for children. He’s found a loophole in the tournament guidelines stating that no participant can have graduated 8th grade by a certain date. Trilby is a dropout. And, yes, he’s one hell of a speller. He’s also a profane and self-serving jerk who goes to great measures to torment his prepubescent competitors and psych them out. Trilby is being trailed on his mission to win The Golden Quill national spelling bee by an online reporter (Kathryn Hahn) telling his unique and unconventional story. Her mission, like the audience’s, is to discover just why Trilby is doing what he’s doing. The two also have a romantic relationship, though that might be straining the definition of the word romantic. It’s more of a sexual relationship out of convenience and boredom.
Along the way, Trilby strikes up a friendship with Chaitanya (Rohan Chand), a young boy who will be his main competition. In rather obvious fashion, Trilby shows Chaitanya an inappropriate good time and shows him a different side of life than his strict upbringing which involves studying words constantly. Their friendship does provide some raunchy moments that are good for some decent, if familiar, laughs.
Bad Words shows us the understandable bewilderment of the children’s parents whose kids are being systematically taken out by Trilby and Rachael Harris (of “The Daily Show”) has some funny moments as one of the parents. There’s also the characters of the bee’s Chairman (Philip Baker Hall) and director (Allison Janney). Their two characters shine a light on some of the script problems. Both are one-dimensional and poorly written and they serve only as “villains” getting in Trilby’s way. A better screenplay might have attempted to flesh out their roles.
It’s an accomplishment of Bateman’s acting abilities that we manage to not completely hate his character. When we do finally find out just why he’s participating in the bee, it’s not much of a surprise and it doesn’t exactly ring the emotional bell that it’s meant to. What we’re left with is a very solid performance from Bateman and occasional laugh out loud moments that come mostly from conventional R rated comedy clichés. So to define in a sentence whether you should see Bad Words – You’re not missing out on much if you don’t.
This evening we arrive at the crème de la crème of 90s R&B musical greatness and the final edition of my Top 90 R&B Songs of that decade. I’ve had a tremendous amount of fun going over all these terrific songs and now we’ve arrived at the Top Ten!
To read over numbers 90-11, click on the Music tab of the blog and you’ll find them all there.
Here we go!
10. “Creep” by TLC (1994)
The lead single from TLC’s CrazySexyCool album is a Dallas Austin produced classic.
9. “All My Life” by K-Ci&JoJo (1998)
The duo who originated from the influential group Jodeci made this slow jam which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 35 weeks.
8. “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson (1992)
The omnipresent Teddy Riley, who’s produced many tracks on the list, made his best MJ contribution with this one.
7. “Hold On” by En Vogue (1990)
The girl group produced many fabulous singles, but their first is still their best.
6. “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men (1992)
The ballad of the decade spent an at the time record of 13 weeks at #1.
5. “Real Love” by Mary J. Blige (1992)
Queen Mary had her best track among many with this second single from her landmark What’s the 411? album.
4. “Pony” by Ginuwine
Ginuwine’s debut single is a masterwork from producer Timbaland. The track is still highly relevant today and most recently was featured in the hit Magic Mike.
3. “Are You That Somebody?” by Aaliyah
Timbaland strikes again and creates another classic with the late singer, which was featured on the Doctor Dolittle soundtrack.
2. “No Diggity” by Blackstreet (1996)
Teddy Riley once again as his group created this timeless classic featuring rap verses from hip hop genius Dr. Dre and Queen Pen.
1. “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe (1990)
Yes, it was #1 on VH1’s own list of 90s R&B grooves. They got it right. The spinoff group from New Edition created one of the catchiest and undeniable grooves in a track… ever. It still manages to turn the dance floor into a party.
And with that – my list, friends! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had writing it. At the least, I hope I gave you some songs for your iTunes collection. Signing off in the immortal words of BBD: “Never trust a big butt and a smile.” Until next time!
We have reached the Top 20 of my personal Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s, with the Top Ten coming tomorrow! For those wishing to peruse my previous entries, scroll through the homepage of the blog or click the Music tab to easily find them.
Let’s get it going!
20. “Back & Forth” by Aaliyah (1994)
The debut single from the late singer’s first album was written and produced by R. Kelly and remains one of her classics, staying at #1 for three weeks.
19. “Bump n’ Grind” by R. Kelly (1994)
This is the sultry track that turned Mr. Kelly into a superstar and it spent 12 weeks atop the R&B charts.
18. “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey (1996)
From her Daydream album, this Jermaine Dupri produced track marks Mariah’s highest hit on my list.
17. “Humpin’ Around” by Bobby Brown (1992)
Bobby’s lead single off his Bobby album is a New Jack Swing classic from mega producers L.A.&Babyface.
16. “Only You” by 112 (1996)
This absolute banger includes rap verses from the great Notorious B.I.G. and Mase.
15. “If Your Girl Only Knew” by Aaliyah (1996)
The first single of her One in a Million album, this was the first time we heard the magic of Timbaland’s production with her voice.
14. “Right Here (Human Nature)” by SWV (1992)
Teddy Riley produced this fantastic track that incorporates Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” with the girl group’s vocals. A masterpiece.
13. “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” by Maxwell
The soulful classic was the debut single from Maxwell’s acclaimed Urban Hang Suite album.
12. “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan (1995)
This one still kills if it comes on the club and Montell’s signature tune spent seven weeks at #1.
11. “That’s the Way Loves Goes” by Janet Jackson (1993)
Ms. Jackson’s first single off her janet album is her most memorable track of the 1990s, where she put out many terrific hits.
We are a week into my Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s and that means part seven and numbers 30-21!
Please click the Music category of the blog to review previous entries. Let’s get to it:
30. “Doo Wop” (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill (1998)
Hill left the Fugees to start a solo career and hit it big with her first album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and this great first single that marks her only #1 solo hit.
29. “You Make Me Wanna…” by Usher (1997)
The lead single from Usher’s My Way album is among his finest tracks with production from Jermaine Dupri.
28. “I’m So Into You” by SWV (1992)
The female trio had their first top ten hit with this terrific uptempo groove.
27. “Don’t Walk Away” by Jade (1993)
The New Jack swing club anthem gave this girl group their signature hit.
26. “Cream” by Prince (1991)
The Purple One has joked that he wrote this song in the mirror. At least I think he was joking.
**Blogger’s Note: Prince doesn’t allow his videos on YouTube
25. “Not Gon Cry” by Mary J. Blige (1996)
Ms. Mary’s ballad from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack is among her top career highlights.
24. “Rub You the Right Way” by Johnny Gill (1990)
The New Edition singer had the biggest hit of his solo career with this banger from producers Jam and Lewis.
23. “Too Close” by Next (1997)
The male trio had a monster hit on their hands with its infectious beat and highly suggestive lyrical content.
22. “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd (1991)
The group’s biggest hit came from the New Jack City soundtrack and has certainly stood the test of time.
21. “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey (1995)
Carey’s lead single from her Daydream album is a classic among her staple of #1 hits. It also has an awesome Puff Daddy remix featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
It’s been an interesting last few days on my “movie” blog as I write of 90s R&B music and now I’m going even further outside my comfort zone of entertainment and talking about sports. Yes, I’m daring to venture in on the biggest sports story today. No, not the German dismantling of Brazil but LeBron James and what team he’ll be playing for in the 2014-15 season.
As I write this, developments seem to literally be changing minute to minute. That’s at least if you follow NBA writers on Twitter… which I do (and I’ve followed about a dozen that I hadn’t before in the last two days).
Let’s get to a few points that help explain my perspective off the bat:
1) I live in Ohio and have all my life.
2) I have been a Cleveland sports fan all my life – meaning the Cleveland Cavaliers have always been my team.
3) I am an ardent NBA fan.
Obviously this means I’m closely following The Decision: Part II as LeBron decides which team to play for. Does he stay with the Miami Heat where he’s won two championships in the last four years? Or does he take his talents back home to Northeast Ohio where he spent his first seven seasons and won no championships? Those questions alone might lead one to believe Miami is the sensible answer, but not so fast…
The Miami Heat are an aging team with Dwayne Wade a shell of his former self. According to reports, Chris Bosh may be seriously considering an exit to the Houston Rockets where he can be part of another “Big 3” (though most reports believe he stays if LBJ does). And the supporting cast surrounding LBJ, D-Wade, and Bosh is questionable and I don’t believe signing Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger changes that.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are younger and full of potential with point guard Kyrie Irving as a budding superstar and a #1 draft pick in Andrew Wiggins who could be one, too (time will tell).
There are supremely valid arguments for LeBron to stay in Miami or return to Cleveland. If you’re following this saga like me, you’ve read them all. You know the scenarios and pros and cons. And I won’t bore you rehashing them.
Just like four years ago, media speculation is at a fever pitch with rampant speculation. And like four years past, there are probably a handful of people on the Earth who know what’s going to happen. LeBron would be one (if he’s made up his mind). His agent is likely another. Anyone else who thinks they know is suspect.
The world will probably know of The Decision Part II by week’s end. Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows?
Here is where I wanted to give my perspective from a diehard Cavs fan. There are those who believe it’s a betrayal for a Cavs fan to welcome LBJ back with open arms. And as it is with sports – people’s opinions can be steadfast, unwavering, and a little rough around the edges if you see it a different way than they do.
Perspective is important. I was angry when LeBron James left the Cavs. I was angry for two reasons:
1) The Cleveland Cavaliers are my team and we lost the best player in the world.
2) The ESPN spectacle in which LeBron announced the infamous Decision.
Note that I wasn’t mad at his decision for leaving for Miami. I was mad that my team was losing him and mad at the way he did it. Did I understand why he left? Of course and I said that immediately in the 2010 summer. For seven seasons, the Cavs failed to put a team around him that won a championship. Antawn Jamison is no Pippen to LBJ’s Jordan. Nor is Drew Gooden. An aging Shaquille O’Neal is no Abdul-Jabbar to LBJ’s Magic Johnson. And let’s face it – Mike Brown has proven then and more recently that his coaching is not exactly Pat Riley or Phil Jackson level.
LeBron James leaving for Miami made sense. As a Cavs fan, it kills me to say that. It’s true though. He was able to partner up with teammates that were an improvement to anything he had in Cleveland and be on a program run by Pat Riley, a genius of the sport. Does that change the extreme disappointment of losing the greatest player on my team? Of course not. It also doesn’t mean I’m not sensible enough to recognize it was a better opportunity for him to win a championship… which he did. Twice.
Four years later, the Miami Heat have changed. They may not have what it takes to be title contenders in their current formation. And the players that Cleveland has — ironically, because LBJ left — just might. Time will tell.
About the ESPN PR disaster that was The Decision… it hurt as a Cleveland fan to see him do that. It was inconsiderate. It was tacky. It was arrogant. I did a lot of inconsiderate, tacky, and arrogant things when I was 25. I’m not excusing it. I’m just saying I understand (as Chris Rock might put it).
You know what happened with my extreme hurt of how he handled The Decision? I eventually got over it. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t about to root for the Miami Heat and never did and never will. However, I certainly don’t harbor enough ill will anymore that I wouldn’t want the best player on the planet back on my team. That’s because I’m a Cavs fan and their fans should wish for the best. LeBron James is the best. LeBron James gives us the greatest chance to win a championship.
And that’s my perspective on the situation. Truth be told – I have no idea what LeBron is going to do. Neither do you. We will soon find out together. If he comes back, it makes sense. If he stays, it makes sense. I know what I’d like him to do. Yet if he doesn’t – I won’t be filled with the sadness that came four years ago.
We’re at day six of my personal Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s. For those who wish to read my previous entries, just click on the Music category of this here blog and they’ll magically show up. Today brings us to numbers 40-31 and let’s go to it:
40. “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees (1996)
This hip hop trio was tremendously influential in their too brief time together. This Roberta Flack cover is their one smash hit that can safely be classified as R&B with Lauryn Hill’s beautiful vocals.
39. “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men (1990)
The hit single that started it all for this trio. They may be best known for their slow jams, but this deserves its spot on the list.
38. “I Get Lonely” by Janet Jackson (1998)
Ms. Jackson’s single on her acclaimed Velvet Rope album also featured a remix with Blackstreet.
37. “My Love Is Your Love” by Whitney Houston (1999)
“I Will Always Love You” may be her signature tune from the decade (it made #50 on here), but this Wylcef Jean produced track is my personal Whitney favorite of hers from the 90s.
36. “Any Time, Any Place” by Janet Jackson (1994)
Janet’s sultry and unforgettable single from her 1993 janet album earns her yet another entry.
35. “Vision of Love” by Mariah Carey (1990)
The great ballad that started it all for Mariah and was her first #1 single of many more to come.
34. “No, No, No Part 2” by Destiny’s Child (1997)
Most of their biggest singles came the following decade, but Beyoncé and company got off to their storied career with this gem from Wyclef Jean yet again.
33. “Scream” by Michael and Janet Jackson (1995)
The brother and sister finally got together for “Scream” and a fantastic song and video were the result.
32. “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men (1994)
Coming off a successful first album, the Boyz became a phenomenon with this first single from their second album… an unforgettable concoction from producer Babyface.
31. “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days” by Monica (1995)
This Dallas Austin production gave Monica her first of many hits. For Monica, her debut single is still her best.
And that’s tonight’s edition! We’ll get into the top third of the list tomorrow with numbers 30-21.
We have arrived at part five of my personal Top 90 R&B songs of the 1990s and that means numbers 50-41 coming at you this evening! If you’d like to see what else has made the list, read my previous entries here:
50. “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston (1992)
You didn’t think I’d leave Ms. Whitney’s signature tune off here, did you? Her smash hit from The Bodyguard soundtrack is prime crank it up when you’re by yourself in the car bliss. And Dolly Parton wrote it!
49. “Lately” by Jodeci (1993)
Not many artists could pull off covering Stevie Wonder, but Jodeci managed excellently with their beautiful version of this classic.
48. “Hey Mr. D.J.” by Zhane (1993)
The group’s biggest hit is a club anthem.
47. “Jerk Out” by The Time (1990)
Prince brought this group to prominence in the 1980s, but this first single off their album Pandemonium has been a personal favorite for quite some time.
***SO, Prince doesn’t let any music he owns on YouTube. Sorry folks!
46. “At Your Best” by Aaliyah (1994)
Aaliyah’s slow jam from her debut album. Get used to seeing her on the remainder of this list.
45. “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison (1997)
Mr. Morrison might not have had other stateside hits, but this banger cements his place in history.
44. “My Way” by Usher (1998)
Usher makes his debut on the list with the title track to his fabulous 1997 album.
43. “Weak” by SWV (1993)
This #1 smash was the R&B ballad of summer 1993. This girl group isn’t done yet on the list either.
42. “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJ’s (1996)
This track would still fill up on a dance floor. If you don’t know this one, you need to.
41. “Feels Good” by Tony! Toni! Tone! (1990)
This influential group peaks here with their greatest single.
And that’s our 90s R&B edition for tonight, folks! We’ll get to the Top 40 tomorrow evening!
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