Month: July 2015

Top Ten Summer Music Hits of 1995: A Look Back

Yesterday on the blog – I took you through an 80s nostalgia trip giving you Billboard’s Top 10 Summer Songs of 1985.

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/07/top-ten-summer-music-hits-of-1985-a-look-back/

This evening, it’s time to turn that nostalgic dial to the 1990s as I recount the ten biggest summer hits from 20 years ago. As I did with the previous post, I’ll offer my rating of said summer hit on a scale of 1 (disaster) to 10 (epic summer jam) and answer the all important question: is it on my iTunes?

Let’s take a trip down mid 90s lane, shall we?

10. “Run-Around” by Blues Traveler

Truth be told, I’m not a huge Blues Traveler fan, but John Popper can sure rock the harmonica. I prefer “Hook” to this track – but their breakthrough hit is undeniably catchy.

My Rating: 7

Is It On My iTunes? No

9. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Nicki French

This dance remake version of Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 mega hit was a track I pretty much forgot about. It’s perfectly serviceable but it certainly doesn’t match the far superior original.

My Rating: 6

Is It On My iTunes? No

8. “I Can Love You Like That” by All-4-One

The R&B foursome is best known for “I Swear”, but this ballad hit it big as well. In hindsight, it doesn’t approach the quality of the aforementioned hit but it’s decent.

My Rating: 6 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? No

7. “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” by Bryan Adams

He was in the top ten in 1985 with “Heaven” and Canadian singer Adams appears again with this ballad from the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack. It wasn’t quite the smash hit that his Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves inspired “Everything I Do” was four summer earlier, but it’s a very solid ballad.

My Rating: 7 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? No

6. “Boombastic” by Shaggy

This reggae infused jam gave Shaggy his first international hit and it’s a memorable one.

My Rating: 9

Is It On My iTunes? Yes (finally!)

5. “Water Runs Dry” by Boyz II Men

The group had already had massive hits off their II album such as “I’ll Make Love to You” and “On Bended Knee”. This is another infectious power ballad from the singers that ruled that genre in the mid 90s.

My Rating: 9

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

4. “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal

From the Batman Forever soundtrack (the summer’s biggest hit) came Seal’s powerful signature tune.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? No (but it should be)

3. “One More Chance” by The Notorious B.I.G.

With a vocal assist from his wife Faith Evans on the chorus, this is a classic mashup of hip hop and R&B that stands as one of Biggie’s triumphs.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

2. “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)” by Monica

The young singer’s first single is still her bestselling solo track and it’s a Dallas Austin produced dandy.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? No (but it will be)

1. “Waterfalls” by TLC

Considered the group’s signature tune, “Waterfalls” ruled the summer airwaves 20 years with its harmonies climaxing with the late Left Eye’s rap verse. I would honestly rank a couple of other TLC songs higher than this for personal preference, but it’s not difficult to see why this became so huge.

My Rating: 9

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

And there you have it, folks! The summer songs of 20 years ago. I’ll have my post up recounting the season’s hits of 2005 up tomorrow. Until then…

Top Ten Summer Music Hits of 1985: A Look Back

And now for something completely new on this here blog!

For the last three summers, I’ve pontificated on the Top Ten Summer Hits of seasons that came 20 and 10 years before. I just posted my retrospective of 1995 films yesterday on the site and I’ll have my post regarding 2005 up on Friday or over the weekend.

This got me thinking. About this midpoint of summer, many of us wonder what the true song of the summer is. Good thing Billboard keeps track of such items of curiosity and it allows us to delve back 30 years and then 20 years and then 10 years.

Therefore, today’s post will travel back in time to 1985 to give you the Top Ten Summer Music Hits of 1985, along with my quick takes on them and the all important question: is it on my iTunes?

I’ll follow up tomorrow with the top summer jams and ballads of 1995 and on Thursday with 2005. For now, it’s time for some 80s nostalgia and I’ll rate each track (my personal opinion of course) on a scale of 1 (awful) to 10 (summer hit masterpiece).

10. “Never Surrender” by Corey Hart

The first single of Mr. Hart’s second album is one of those cheesy 80s ballads with an even more gloriously cheesy video to accompany it. I had actually forgotten about this song and it frankly didn’t leave much of an impression. Truth be told, when I think of Corey, I think of his first hit single the year prior… in which he wore his sunglasses. At night.

My Rating: 4

Is It On My iTunes? No

9. “Heaven” by Bryan Adams

Our second Canadian solo singer on this list after Mr. Hart is Mr. Bryan Adams and one of his signature tunes. The raspy voiced crooner fares much better here than Mr. Hart. The track would be covered with success sixteen years later by DJ Sammy in a sped up dance hall version.

My Rating: 7 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? No

8. “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion” by John Parr

OK, now we’re talking. The title track for Joel Schumacher’s Brat Pack hit is a guilty pleasure if there ever was one and I’m not ashamed to admit I quite dig it. Mr. Parr is English by the way, so our streak of American artists so far is 0-3.

My Rating: 9

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

7. “Raspeberry Beret” by Prince and the Revolution

America in the form of Minneapolis and its funky little genius finally appears with the first single off Prince’s Around the World in a Day album, which followed his massive Purple Rain juggernaut. This tune sounds more 60s influenced than anything that had come before on the Purple One’s resume and it’s an infectious groove that still holds up today, like pretty much everything he’s done. It misses a 10 only in comparison to some of his other masterworks.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

**NO VIDEO as Prince doesn’t allow his material on YouTube

6. “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” by Sting

This jazzy and reggae tinged jam marks the first solo release of Sting’s career after the breakup of The Police. It’s a rock solid beginning to one heckuva output over the next three decades.

My Rating: 8

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

5. “Sussudio” by Phil Collins

The first single of his No Jacket Required album, I’m still not sure what this song is about but there are some catchy horns. This has never been one of my favorite tracks from an artist I like tremendously, but it’s still fairly decent.

My Rating: 6 and a half

Is It On My iTunes: Yes (mostly because I own his greatest hits)

4. “A View to a Kill” by Duran Duran

The English boy band gave us this theme song to the final Roger Moore 007 picture and it’s a beauty, unlike the movie. One of the all time best Bond themes and my favorite track on this list.

My Rating: 10

Is It On My iTunes? Yes

3. “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News

Another movie connection here as Huey Lewis (and his news friends) had their first #1 hit with this track from the Back to the Future soundtrack. It’s a supremely pleasant power ballad that’ll leave you smiling, as so much of Huey’s music did.

My Rating: 8

Is It On My iTunes? No

2. “Everytime You Go Away” by Paul Young

If this sounds like a Hall and Oates song, it’s because Daryl Hall wrote it and gave it to Mr. Young, who turned it into a #1 single. It would be used two years later in the closing scene of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It’s solid, though I don’t love it.

My Rating: 7

Is It On My iTunes? No

1. “Shout” by Tears for Fears

The band’s signature tune ranks highest on the list of 1985 summer anthems. And it is indeed truly an anthem – a big sounding song that gave the group its largest hit. And it’s easy to sing along to in the chorus when you let it all out…

My Rating: 9

Is It On My iTunes: No

And there you have it my friends! I’ll have 1995 up tomorrow…

Summer 1995: The Top Ten Hits and More

We are now smack dab in the middle of the 2015 summer movie season and we’ve seen our share of massive hits (hello Jurassic World) and big flops (goodbye Tomorrowland). As has become tradition on this blog, I will now take a look back at the same season from 20 years ago – giving you the top ten hits of that summer plus other notable pictures and the flops that also populated the calendar. I’ll be following up shortly with a post about the summer of 2005, one decade ago.

One thing that stands out for the summer of 1995 is that an astonishing four of the five eventual Best Picture nominees for that year came out in the summer. This is unheard of due to the fact that, typically, Oscar bait is released in the fall months. All four of those movies will be discussed in this post.

And now – let us revisit the titles that got us in the theaters during the hot months in 1995 (and some that didn’t).

10. Braveheart

Domestic Gross: $75 million

The 10th highest grosser of the season also happens to be the one that would go onto win Best Picture at the Oscars and earn director/star Mel Gibson a gold statue for his work behind the camera. The medieval war epic would win a total of five Oscars and mark a high point in Gibson’s filmography.

9. Congo

Domestic Gross: $81 million

Two summers earlier, an adventure film based on a Michael Crichton novel came out. It was called Jurassic Park and the rest is history. Expectations for the Crichton based Congo were high and it came from Spielberg protege Frank Marshall. Its $81 million gross was on the low end of expectations and critics were not kind (22% on Rotten Tomatoes).

8. Dangerous Minds

Domestic Gross: $84 million

One of the sleeper hits of the season was this urban classroom drama starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Now I could certainly attach a clip of the film or its trailer, but let’s be honest. The reason we remember this movie is three words: “Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio!” Enjoy…

7. Waterworld

Domestic Gross: $88 million

The Kevin Costner adventure is widely considered to be the Heaven’s Gate of its decade. The production was a disaster with cost overruns (a budget of $172 million, which was crazy at the time) and highly mixed critical reaction. Also, like Gate, its reputation has improved over time. Yet in the summer of 1995, it was considered the season’s big belly flop.

6. Crimson Tide

Domestic Gross: $91 million

This Tony Scott directed submarine action thriller struck a chord with audiences and critics. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman costarred with an impressive supporting cast that included Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, and Steve Zahn.

5. Die Hard with a Vengeance

Domestic Gross: $100 million

Bruce Willis’s third go round as John McClane costarred Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Irons. It couldn’t quite match the $117M take of the 1990’s Die Hard 2, but the franchise would spawn two more entries years later.

4. Casper

Domestic Gross: $100 million

Despite mixed critical reaction, this live action version of America’s favorite friendly ghost starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and lots of special effects was quite the family hit.

3. Pocahontas

Domestic Gross: $141 million

While not coming close box office wise to what Disney accomplished the previous summer with The Lion King, families still turned this retelling of the Pocahontas tale into a nice hit for the studio.

2. Apollo 13

Domestic Gross: $172 million

Ron Howard’s true life space epic starring Tom Hanks earned a Best Picture nomination and the admiration of audiences and critics alike, giving its star his fourth summer blockbuster in a row after A League of their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, and Forrest Gump.

1. Batman Forever

Domestic Gross: $184 million

The third flick in the Caped Crusader franchise marked the end of the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton era and the beginning of the Joel Schumacher version of the series. While Forever (which cast Val Kilmer as the title character and Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as villains The Riddler and Two Face) held bragging rights for the season’s largest grosser, it would all crumble two summers later when the disastrous Batman and Robin sunk the franchise until Chris Nolan rescued it.

And now – some other notable pictures from the summer of 1995 that didn’t make the top ten:

13. Nine Months

Domestic Gross: $69 million

This Hugh Grant comedy didn’t make much of an impression in the critical community, but audiences turned out partly because of the media swarm surrounding its star’s tabloid status involving picking up a prostitute.

14. Babe

Domestic Gross: $63 million

George Miller’s talking pig tale not only became one of the season’s sleeper hits, it also managed an unexpected Oscar nod for Best Picture.

16. Clueless

Domestic Gross: $56 million

Alicia Silverstone became a household name in this Valley Girl comedy which spawned endless catchphrases.

31. The Usual Suspects

Domestic Gross: $23 million

This indie thriller with its shocking ending started the career of director Bryan Singer and earned Kevin Spacey an Oscar for Supporting Actor.

32. Il Postino

Domestic Gross: $21 million

This Italian import was an art house favorite and is the fourth summer release in 1995 to nab a Best Picture nomination. If you’re wondering, the fifth was Ang Lee’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, which came out in the fall.

And now, the flops of summer 1995:

Steven Seagal’s Under Siege 2: Dark Territory managed only $50 million at the domestic box office, not coming close to the $83M earned by its predecessor.

It may have been a hit kids show, but the film version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers sputtered with only $38 million.

While Braveheart had audiences in period piece action movie approval mode, the Richard Gere/Sean Connery King Arthur retelling First Knight flopped with just $37 million.

Comic book fans soundly rejected Sylvester Stallone’s wrong headed Judge Dredd to the tune of a paltry $34 million take.

Two films attempting to capitalize on the virtual reality craze at the time did virtually no box office business. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe’s Virtuosity and Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Mnemonic made $24M and $19M, respectively.

Finally, while crowds loved that Babe pig, another family tale about the same animal – Gordy – came in 52nd for the summer earning just $3.9M. That’s not exactly bringing home the bacon! (I’m sorry)

And that’ll do it for my recap of the summer of 1995, folks! I’ll have 2005 up later this week…

Box Office Predictions: July 10-12

The box office stranglehold held by Pixar’s Inside Out and Jurassic World looks to finally come to an end this weekend as Despicable Me franchise spin-off Minions looks to easily dominate the box office. Two new entries also populate the crowded marketplace: Ryan Reynolds action thriller Self/less and found footage horror flick The Gallows. You can read my detailed prediction posts on all the newcomers here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/03/minions-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/selfless-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/the-gallows-box-office-prediction/

As stated, Minions could certainly flirt with an opening over $100 million, but I have it opening just shy of that mark. As for Self/less and The Gallows, I believe both will struggle to even make double digits and I’m predicting they won’t get there.

Current champs Inside Out and Jurassic should both slide a spot to the 2 and 3 position while dropping in the low 40s. In its second weekend, I’m predicting Terminator Genisys will fall a bit further than that after its disappointing opening while Magic Mike XXL looks to suffer a hefty decline after its surprisingly weak debut over the weekend.

And with that, we’ll make it a top seven prediction for this weekend:

1. Minions

Predicted Gross: $96.4 million

2. Inside Out

Predicted Gross: $17.3 million (representing a drop of 41%)

3. Jurassic World

Predicted Gross: $16.3 million (representing a drop of 43%)

4. Terminator Genisys

Predicted Gross: $14.5 million (representing a drop of 46%)

5. Self/less

Predicted Gross: $9.7 million

6. The Gallows

Predicted Gross: $8.9 million

7. Magic Mike XXL

Predicted Gross: $5.8 million (representing a drop of 54%)

Box Office Results (July 3-5)

While two holdovers continued their impressive reign at multiplexes, two newcomer sequels failed to meet expectations.

Pixar’s Inside Out narrowly reached the #1 spot with $29.7 million, finally breaking Jurassic World‘s three week hold at the top. This was just under my $30.5M estimate. Its three week total stands at a rock solid $245 million.

Jurassic slipped to second with $29.2 million, on pace with my $28.7M projection. The movie of summer 2015 has amassed a gargantuan $556 million at press time and looks to reach $650M when all is said and done.

In third, Terminator Genisys got off to a disappointing start with $27 million over the three day weekend and $42.4 million for its five day holiday gross. This is below my respective estimates of $31.2M and $48.4M. The franchise appears to have run out of gas and Genisys will need truly impressive international numbers to justify a sequel. As for Arnold’s post gubernatorial film career, it continues to be littered with financial letdowns.

It had a much smaller budget than Terminator, but final results were lackluster for the week’s other new sequel Magic Mike XXL. The Channing Tatum pic made just $12.8 million over the three day weekend and $27.8 million since its Wednesday roll out, far under my respective projections of $24.8M and $44M. Considering the original three years ago made $39.1 million in its first three days, this is an incredibly low opening.

And in even further bad grossing sequel news, Ted 2 continued its way lower than anticipated performance with a massive 67% drop in weekend #2 with only $11.1 million, under my $16.4M prediction. Its two week total stands at $58 million and it is very unlikely to even reach $100M. The original three summers ago made $218M.

And that’ll do it for now, ladies and gents. Until next time…

Self/less Box Office Prediction

Amid the many sequels and family fare populating the multiplexes right now, Ryan Reynolds will attempt to lure audiences in with the sci fi thriller Self/less, out Friday. A loose remake of John Frankenheimer’s 1968 cult hit Seconds, Tarsem (most known for 2000’s Jennifer Lopez brain warp The Cell) directs with Ben Kingsley costarring.

Early reviews have been lukewarm and it’s difficult to see a path where Self/less breaks out. While Reynolds experienced a minor sleeper hit this spring with the drama Woman in Gold, his last summertime entry didn’t turn out well. That would be 2013’s big budget R.I.P.D., which tanked with a $12.6 million debut. Expectations aren’t as high for this and it could struggle to even reach the meager number of that aforementioned dud.

Self/less opening weekend prediction: $9.7 million

For my Minions prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/03/minions-box-office-prediction/

For my The Gallows prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/the-gallows-box-office-prediction/

The Gallows Box Office Prediction

We’ve gotten very used to low budget found footage horror flicks with unknown casts and we have another one coming our way Friday when The Gallows debuts. The Warner Bros title will look to bring in genre fans but its prospects look rather dicey.

Perusing the opening weekends of other similar themed fare, Project Almanac premiered to just $8.3 million in January of this year while As Above/So Below took in $8.6 million last summer. It could reach a bit higher and maybe make around the $9.7 million that Deliver Us from Evil made in July of 2014. That seems within the range of where The Gallows could open at. It is matches around my sub double digits estimate, look for it to fade fast.

The Gallows opening weekend prediction: $8.9 million

For my Minions prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/03/minions-box-office-prediction/

For my Self/less prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/selfless-box-office-prediction/

It Follows Movie Review

David Robert Mitchell’s low budget horror tale It Follows is set in what appears to be a suspended period of time. In the very first scene, we hear a cell phone trying to catch the attention of a young girl in distress. What follows is a parade of landline phones, small screen TVs, actual magazines of pornography and, most horrifically, jean jackets. I suspect this is due to my feeling that its writer/director wishes he could’ve made this picture in the 1980s when John Carpenter and others were making their B movies of the genre. This is clearly where the main influence of It Follows lies and much of this minimalist homage works quite well.

The stars of the pic are not the actors who populate it, but mainly its cinematographer Mike Gioulakis and musical composer Disasterpeace. The movie is filled with remarkable camerawork and shots that will stay with you while its 80s inspired score is a gem.

As for the movie itself, It Follows cleverly reverses a well known cliche in the genre. From the advent of the slasher flick, it’s been the act of sex that often gets our teen characters in the most trouble. While that also holds true here, it’s the same physical act that apparently rids you of the film’s curse.

So just what is “It”? That’s what our main heroine and high schooler Jay (Maika Monroe) must learn after she hooks up with a college dude who then proceeds to inform her that their carnal act will not just involve a walk of shame. In fact, through sex, he’s passed along a curse. The cursed are then proceeded to be followed and terrorized by an entity that can take any form and that only they can see. It’s only, she’s told, through passing it her along herself that she can rid herself of it.

Jay’s predicament soon involves her friends trying to help her out and this includes an eventual love triangle with the cool jean jacket sporting neighbor and her nerdier jean jacket sporting longtime friend. At times, It Follows doesn’t even appear to follow its own rules and the origin of the entity is never explained.

Yet that’s not the point here. The origin doesn’t really need to be explained. The pic is aimed squarely at stoking the nostalgia for the low budget horror titles from the three decades past and that’s where it often succeeds. I’ll confess that I didn’t find it as scary as its reputation has suggested, but there’s certainly some white knuckle moments. The cinematography and music stuck with this viewer the most and its craftsmanship in those areas left me most impressed.

*** (out of four)

http://youtu.be/YYk98s6IzgY

Minions Box Office Prediction

Two summers ago, Despicable Me 2 rocketed out of the gate over the July 4th weekend with a better than expected $83.5 million over the three day traditional weekend and $143 million over the holiday frame. Its eventual domestic gross of $368 million would be good for fourth on the list of 2013 earners.

With that glorious performance fresh in mind, it’s anticipated that Minions, out Friday, should have a stealthy opening. The 3D animated pic is a spinoff of Universal’s venerable franchise that should easily tide fans over until Despicable Me 3 hits screens in the summer of 2017.

Lots of familiar faces populate the voices behind the characters, including Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan and Geoffrey Rush. Reviews have been mostly positive as it stands at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, which exactly matches the number posted by DM2. There will be competition as Pixar’s Inside Out continues to post robust numbers, but family audiences should have no trouble fitting these cute little Minions in their schedule.

I would anticipate the film debuting to just under the $100 million mark and the possibility certainly exists that it could top that magic century mark. Whether or not it reaches the eventual gross of its franchise predecessor remains to be seen.

Minions opening weekend prediction: $96.4 million

For my Self/less prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/selfless-box-office-prediction/

For my The Gallows prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/07/04/the-gallows-box-office-prediction/