Tag: R. Kelly

Space Jam Review

For reasons I cannot really explain, I never saw 1996’s Space Jam until yesterday. Followers of my blog know I’m a bit of a movie lover (hence the blog). Yet there’s plenty of films I haven’t watched. Gone with the Wind springs to mind. I still haven’t caught up with Demi Moore’s take on The Scarlet Letter and it came out a year before this one.

However, I was 17 when Michael Jordan’s collaboration with the Looney Tunes was released in theaters and it was a huge hit. I’m also a massive basketball fan and was an ardent admirer of #23 (who had just won his fourth NBA Championship in the months prior to Jam‘s release). Hell, I even had the soundtrack on CD. It featured Seal’s cover of “Fly Like an Eagle”. There was also “Hit ‘Em High” and it featured the divine hop hop quintet of B-Real, Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes. The biggest hit causes some trepidation nowadays as the picture opens with the crooning of R. Kelly and “I Believe I Can Fly”.

It seems a bit silly to recount the plot all this time later, but here goes. Space Jam takes place in that strange time known as Michael Jordan’s first retirement. That’s when the superstar chose to play baseball and ended up in the Minor Leagues. That aforementioned first scene set to Kelly’s syrupy ballad is actually a touching one that features MJ as a young tyke on the court with his father. Followers of Jordan know why the sequence likely had some emotional resonance with him.

The comedy begins in another animated realm where Mr. Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito) lords over his minions in a place titled Moron Mountain. That locale is part of an amusement park in need of more sizzling attractions. Swackhammer decides he wants to recruit the Looney Tunes characters (against their will) to join the party. When Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, the Tasmanian Devil and others are given the proposition – they challenge the newly formed Monstars to a basketball game. If they win, they’re free to go and resume their normal cartoon hijinks.

Swackhammer won’t go down without some creative team building so he steals the bodies of NBA stalwarts like Charles Barkley, Muggy Bogues, and Patrick Ewing to join his squad. Bugs and company have an ace up their sleeve, however, with the greatest of all time.

The blend of animation and live-action still holds up quite well from the mid 90s. At the time, it was quite cutting edge. This Jam runs just 88 minutes and mostly flies by. Jordan isn’t asked to do Shakespeare here. He plays a version of himself and does it well. The screenplay even has some fun with his many corporate connections by name dropping his many commercial brands (from Hanes to McDonald’s) at one point. Wayne Knight (fresh off being decimated by Dinos in Jurassic Park) plays MJ’s pushy but good-hearted publicist. Jordan’s family (Theresa Randle is his wife) appear intermittently but aren’t really a focus. MJ has a game to win after all and he takes it personally.

Having the Looney Tunes posse allows for plenty of humorous moments. No, this isn’t them at the height of their glory, but they still deliver. Interestingly enough, I found myself wanting the script to delve more into certain subplots. Having been a viewer of Inside the NBA for many years, I have no doubt that Charles Barkley could have been utilized to better effect (the dude’s hilarious).

My overall reaction to Space Jam is that I totally get why it’s become so appreciated. Is it a classic? No. Does it take its limited premise and make it amusing? Yes. In 2021, Lebron James has become the face of his league and that’s warranted the just out sequel. I won’t wait 25 years to watch it and my review of A New Legacy is coming to the blog soon.

Not everything has changed in the last quarter century by the way. Bill Murray shows up out of nowhere at a couple of key times. You’re a Google search away from reading stories about the legendary actor doing that all over the world. Google may not have been a thing 25 years ago, but Mr. Murray popping up unexpectedly to make things better is timeless.

*** (out of four)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNhSFXqsChM

Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s: Nos. 20-11

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.

Alright folks! Tomorrow: the Top Ten!

 

Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s: Nos. 60-51

It’s day four of my personal Top 90 R&B Songs of the 1990s and that means numbers 60-51 coming your way. If you missed my three previous installments, you can peruse them here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/07/03/top-90-rb-songs-of-the-1990s-nos-90-81/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/07/04/top-90-rb-songs-of-the-1990s-nos-80-71/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/07/05/top-rb-songs-of-the-1990s-nos-70-61/

Onto the next ones!

60. “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” by En Vogue (1992)

The first single from En Vogue’s second album hit #1 on the charts and is probably the last song a guy would want to hear a girl sing to them at the club.

59. “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” by Mint Condition (1991)

This group only put out a couple of hits, but this groove managed to stay on the chart for 34 weeks.

58. “All Around the World” by Lisa Stansfield (1990)

Stansfield’s biggest worldwide hit peaked at #3 in the United States.

57. “You Are Not Alone” by Michael Jackson (1995)

What happens when you pair MJ with R. Kelly’s production? You get this beautiful second single from his History album which gave the singer yet another #1.

56. “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men (1991)

The boy group is on the list once again with this cover of a 1975 ballad.

55. “Baby Baby Baby” by TLC (1992)

The group’s second single from their debut album is yet another production from the hit making L.A.&Babyface duo.

54. “My Love is the Shhh!” by Somethin’ for the People (1997)

If you don’t know this one, you need more 90s R&B knowledge! This California based group had their largest hit with this track tailor made for the clubs.

53. “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly (1996)

Don’t pretend like you don’t crank this if you’re alone in the car. Kelly’s monster hit from the Space Jam soundtrack is the prolific artist’s largest hit of his career.

52. “Can’t You See” by Total featuring The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

The Puff Daddy backed female group hit it big with this track from the New Jersey Drive soundtrack featuring a killer opening verse from the Notorious B.I.G.

51. “If I Ever Fall in Love” by Shai (1992)

This fantastic a cappella groove spent eight weeks at #2 on the charts, being held from the top spot by Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”.

And that’s today’s edition, folks! Numbers 50-41 will be arriving tomorrow!

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs of All Time: Nos. 25-21

I’m taking a rare break from movie talk for a blog series about the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson. Today marks the release of MJ’s well reviewed posthumous album Xscape, which I’ve dutifully already downloaded on iTunes. However, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to get into it, but plan to shortly. We’re also approaching the five year anniversary of the superstar’s death in June.

This has led me to creating my personal Top 25 MJ songs of all time. A couple of caveats: this list does not include any Jackson 5 tunes and covers just Michael’s solo work. So if you’re looking for “I Want You Back” or “The Love You Save” or “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” or “I’ll Be There”, perhaps a Jackson 5 top ten list will come in the future. Also, being that I haven’t listened to the new album hardly at all, no tracks will be included from that one. However, I will say the current single “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake is fantastic.

Simply put,  I grew up on MJ and he is extraordinarily high on my favorite musical artists of all time. When you listen to pop music, his influence is omnipresent. Listen to “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake. Or “Let the Groove Get In” by JT. Or “Treasure” by Bruno Mars. Or Pharrell music or Chris Brown. It goes on and on.

Let’s get to it, shall we? This will be a five-part series and feel free to comment when all is said and done with your own MJ personal faves.

25. “Baby Be Mine” (from Thriller – 1982)

It’s from the best selling album of all time and yet it’s probably the least talked about track on the record. It’s still great though and is highly reminiscent of his Off the Wall dance tracks that came three years earlier (and will show up on this here list).

24. “Will You Be There?” (from Dangerous – 1991)

Sort of cheesy? Yes. Best remembered for its video and inclusion in the film Free Willy? Yep. Call this a guilty pleasure MJ track if you will, but I love Michael’s vocals on here and the choir that closes it out.

23. “You Are Not Alone” (from HIStory – 1995)

My second MJ slow jam was written and produced by R. Kelly and is the first single in U.S. history to debut at #1.  It’s got a pretty memorable video featuring then wife Lisa Marie Presley, too.

22. “In the Closet” (from Dangerous – 1991)

The third single from 1991’s Dangerous album is a Teddy Riley produced New Jack Swing banger. Once again – the B&W music video featuring Naomi Campbell and directed by famed photographer Herb Ritts is a classic.

21. “Earth Song” (from HIStory – 1995)

This environmentally conscious and operatic tour de force served as MJ’s third single off 1995’s History and is my favorite among his socially conscious anthems (you won’t find “Heal the World” on this list). It’s the artist’s largest selling single ever in the United Kingdom.

And that’s all for now, folks! I’ll be back tomorrow with part two and numbers 20-16.