My Two Cents: This Week's Number One Hit from 1977 (40 Years Ago): "How Deep Is Your Love" - The Bee Gees

Hello, one and all.

40 Christmases ago, the UK/Australian family act The Bee Gees would score their fourth number one US single with "How Deep Is Your Love". It was a ballad that was a smash years since their first US number one single: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"; which also had the word "How" in it. It was also the lead-in single to the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever", the John Travolta film that catapulted the one-time Sweathog from "Welcome Back, Kotter" into movie stardom. It would also cement the trio's status as one of the hottest pop acts from the 1970's. Their youngest brother, the late Andy Gibb, was also a pop superstar in his own right, scoring his first US number one with his debut single: "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", written by his older brother, Barry Gibb. 

Many '70's artists had hits based off Gibb song compositions. Yvonne Elliman, Samantha Sang and Frankie Valli to name a few. Follow-up hits would continue from the hit movie and soundtrack which became the biggest selling soundtrack of all-time; until the 1992 soundtrack for the Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston vehicle: "The Bodyguard", would eclipse the 1977 bestseller. Their hit would also usher in 1978 and the hit streak onto the summer and fall of that year.

Rounding out the top five of that year, Pat Boone's singer/daughter Debby Boone had her white-hot, ten-consecutive-week end, pushing her to number two with the theme to the now-ever-forgotten movie "You Light Up My Life". Linda Ronstadt would hold steady at number three with her Roy Orbison cover: "Blue Bayou". The Greensboro, NC R&B/funk group, L.T.D. (standing for Love, Togetherness and Devotion) scored their highest-peaking hit at number four with their disco hit: "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again". Finally, Linda Ronstadt would have her second hit in the top five with another cover; this one from Buddy Holly and his band The Crickets: "It's So Easy".

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2018.

The 1977 Bee Gees Video

Can "Stephen King's IT" Be Nominated For a 2017 Best Picture Oscar?

With horror movies making a comeback, Jordan Peele's "Get Out" is already awards buzzing; can this full-bloodied Stephen King horror story make it to the Oscar Best Pic Ten?

So, on December 19, 2017, the new version of "IT" will hit digital media and those of us, like myself with Amazon are already queueing our hard-earned dollars to relive one of the best and most-successful horror movies of the year. It is also one of the more successful reboot films of the decade. For those of us with short attentions spans, us 1970's children will indeed remember the chilling 1990 two-part TV miniseries that gave us the brilliant Tim Curry performance of Pennywise, the dancing (and child-eating) clown. Yet, director Andy Muschietti gave us a nuanced, intelligent, human and yes, undeniably scary adaptation of the 1986 Stephen King 1000 plus page bestseller gave us Bill Skarsgård as the voraciously nasty evil Pennywise, this time out, The film has grossed almost $700 million on a $35 million budget and with a second film: "IT: Chapter Two" poised for release in September of 2019. It made my very super-duper short list of the best films of 2017, but, will it even stand a chance at this year's Academy Awards?

Another horror film with wild buzz this year was Jordan Peele's "Get Out" which is already generating buzz as a possible contender. I admittedly haven't seen it yet, but it's on my catch-up list. As a die-hard horror fan, I was thrilled that filmmakers are starting to make quality horror films again, but it would be a stretch to expect a possible nomination for this film. The only Stephen King horror film to win an Oscar was "Misery" in 1990 and that was for Kathy Bates' mesmerizing performance. But other King adaptations weren't so lucky. "Carrie" from 1976 received acting nods for Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, but they lost. Frank Darabont ("The Walking Dead") had the one-two punch of having "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile" both earned ceaseless praise and were Best Picture contenders in 1994 and 1999 respectively, but didn't win any. "The Exorcist", "The Silence of the Lambs", "The Sixth Sense" and "Black Swan" were all contenders and all, save "The Sixth Sense" had won Oscars; with "Lambs" the only Best Picture winner so far.

I will be the first to admit I'm not a fan of reboots, but since the source material in questions was a TV miniseries on ABC-TV and not an actual film, I have no qualm about seeing this film receive such recognition. Although, can a very violent, CGI-laden, teens-spewing-profanity with a child-eating clown earn the respect of the American Film Academy? With Peele's film receiving massive accolades and this film being considered by many as one of the best Stephen King adaptations (by many, considering it the best, although Brian De Palma's 1976 film adaptation still stands as the king...or queen), I am somewhat hopeful. 

Stay tuned, horror movie lovers.

Watch The 2017 Trailer!

Holiday Movie Review: 'Home Alone' (1990)

The holiday movie that proved a child could be a one-man security system.


"This is my house! I have to defend it!"

- Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McAllister


Hello one and all.

I'm not sure why this movie stuck, but it did. In my early youth, I was a less discerning lad of 18 years who would eat up anything advertised for the multiplexes back then; and this of course, was before the advent of YouTube. John Hughes was a perennial favorite writer/director of mine since "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club", but after one of his best movies, "She's Having a Baby" from 1988 with Kevin Bacon flopped, it would seem almost expected that he would reinvent himself as a kiddie movie writer/director. In 1989, he would re-team with John Candy with his rebound hit: "Uncle Buck", which would cast a relatively unknown child actor named Macaulay Culkin who had a toe-to-toe scene with the late venerable comedian. He would then be cast as an 8-year-old kid part of an extended family in his next movie, a holiday romp called "Home Alone".

Released in November of 1990, it would be heavily marketed on the new Fox TV network (20th Century Fox studios of course, being the parent company and the studio that released it) and re-introduce us all to a long dormant comedy subsection: The Holiday Comedy. Directed by Chris Columbus, known for his hit teen-caper comedy, "Adventures In Babysitting" and for writing "Gremlins" and "The Goonies", Columbus and Hughes would tap into a fascinating premise and that was, the inadvertent ditching of a family member by accident (especially someone under the age of 10) and the complicated dynamics of family, but from the perspective of a child. Also, adding a third; what happens when moronic adults who burglarize for a living are face-to-face with a resourceful 8-year-old boy who can do wonders with Matchbox cars, tar, blowtorches, barbecue tongs, BB guns, paint cans, glue guns, pillow feathers, tree ornaments, irons, ice and of course, a runaway pet tarantula.

The gist of the plot. Kevin McCallister's extended family are desperate to pack and get the kids suppered and ready for bed, as they have an early morning flight to Paris, France at dawn. McCallister is the very snarky, but perceptive kid who is always marginalized. A police officer (or perhaps one impersonating one; played by the always reliable Joe Pesci) is doing some reconnaisance on the house while a pizza delivery kid awaits payment for the supper. Kevin's boorish older brother (Devin Ratray) delights in tormenting his younger brother over the fact that he ate the last only-cheese pizza and blitzes him, causing pandemonium in the kitchen. Kevin's mother (Catherine O'Hara) and father (the late John Heard), of course, side with the older brother and punish him for the night. Of course, Kevin indulges in some wishful thinking in hoping his family vanishes and never returns. Of course, a blizzard knocks out the power and they miss their early wake-up airport van call. The entire house brood makes a mad dash to get ready to leave and they do make it to the airport on time and it seems like a pleasant enough flight - until Mom realizes mid-flight that she had forgotten to wake up the punished lad and have him accounted for.

Subplot gist. The phony cop and his partner (Daniel Stern) are neighborhood cat burglars dubbed the Wet Bandits, who stake the block for vacationing holiday families. The McCallister's being one of them, their house seems an apropos target, until they learn that Kevin was indeed left behind by accident , but are willing to risk a kidnapping charge. What they of course didn't count on, was Kevin's resilience and his ability to keep the the dopey adults from keeping the house from being pilfered and ransacked. Meantime, Mom makes a desperate and frantic flight with too-many-pit-stops home where she meets (no surprise) Good Samaritan polka player John Candy who channels his "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" character, and rescues her with a ride home with his band.

In conclusion, I still can't recollect why I enjoyed this film so much, except to say that it had so many pleasing elements that it's either hard to choose or even to care why. It just is. It has the fun ingredients of a kiddie dysfunctional family comedy as well as a "Three Stooges" slapstick comedy with all the bumps, bruises, yet strangely zero blood poundings-to-the-head, although I still wonder just how much internal bleeding and concussions these guys fictitiously avoided. Culkin, as a child star, held our attention with his sweet cockiness and charm, although its still sad that this may be his one-and-only claim to fame. Pesci and Stern were perfect second bananas and yes, the "Tarantula-to-the-nose" scene still busts my internal organs to this day. O'Hara and the late Heard prove likable parents and yes, Ratray succeeds at being the "Older Brother From Hell" who gets his just desserts in the end.

"Home Alone" was such a smash that with little to no shock, yielded a sequel in 1992: "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York", which had the exact same elements, but had little to zero of the charm and fun of the first. It may also be noteworthy (or better yet, infamous) of a certain real estate developer who would meet our young hero at a hotel lobby and point out where the restroom is. He is now sadly running our country.

Happy Holidays.

Watch the 1990 Trailer!

My Two Cents: Number One 30 Years Ago. "Faith" - George Michael (1987)

Hello one and all.

Exactly 30 years ago today, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, who was known to the world as the iconic George Michael, scored his first solo number one smash with "Faith", the lead off song to his 1987 debut solo album of the same title. He had scored a number two hit with his second solo hit, the controversial funk/pop hit; "I Want Your Sex", but was denied the top spot, perhaps because the song was only played after hours, but sold relatively well. His solo effort marked a departure from the sun-shiny, teen pop image he had when he was one-half of the UK pop duo, Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in an effort to give him a much more adult and mature sound and image. As a solo artist, his musical repertoire would include more R&B, funk, rockabilly, jazz and even country.

"Faith" would stay in the top spot for four weeks and other hits off the album would include, "Father Figure", "One More Try", "Monkey"; all number smashes as well and "Kissing a Fool", would become a top five smash. Years of solo success would also haunt the superstar would would wrestle, then be open about his homosexuality and his tireless efforts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. He would also fight very hard against the bubblegum image he felt was expected of him from his record company, Sony.

Sadly in 2016, at the age of 53, Michael would pass away on Christmas Day of myocarditis. Like many music icons we lost in 2016, he was much loved and many tributes poured in. His solo career began with this smash which evokes the sound of rockabilly made famous by Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley.

Rounding out the rest of the Billboard top 5: The UK metal band lead by David Coverdale, Whitesnake, scored their second top 10 (their last one) with the power ballad: "Is This Love", a song allegedly written for Tina Turner. The late Whitney Houston would hold at number 3 with the dancey pop hit: "So Emotional" which would go to number one in 1988. Then-teen pop queen Debbie Gibson had her second top 10 hit with "Shake Your Love" and the late former Beatle George Harrison had a comeback hit with "Got My Mind Set on You".

George Michael: Faith

Classic CJG Review: 'Carrie' (1976)

Brian De Palma's seminal masterpiece about an Ugly Duckling who turned her senior prom into a living nightmare!

"Witch! That's Satan's power!"

"It's got nothin' to do with Satan, Mama. It's me - me! If I concentrate hard enough, I can move things!"

Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie as Carrie and Margaret White.

Hello and welcome one and all!

This is the one. The movie that made me love horror movies! The movie that became the template for all others. Sure, Alfred Hitchcock gave us the brilliant oft-imitated "Psycho". Roman Polanski made us scared of pregnancy with "Rosemary's Baby", William Friedkin gave us the head-spinning, pea-soup-vomiting, crucifix-carrying classic, "The Exorcist" and John Carpenter made us dread October 31st with his iconic killer masterpiece, "Halloween".

But, director Brian De Palma did the unthinkable. Turning a popular Stephen King novel and turning it into something more profound and deeper than initially created. A mistreated misfit teenage girl who only wanted love and acceptance only to be pushed beyond the brink after a horrible prank on her senior prom after being crowned Prom Queen causes her to have a meltdown of cataclysmic proportions - oh yeah, she had the power of telekinesis which would cause that rite of passage/descent into horror to be indelibly etched into the minds of movie-goers for years to come; including this one.

I was only 12 years old when it was shown on a local syndicated television network. I was already familiar with Sissy Spacek's work and of course, John Travolta had been a mainstay on TV shows/movies like "Welcome Back, Kotter", "Saturday Night Fever", "Grease", and I was actually aware of his 1981 film with De Palma called "Blow Out", in which he reteamed with his "Carrie" co-star Nancy Allen. The film was heavily edited for television, but the story intrigued me. Having been a victim of bullying and of abuse via religion, somehow the story spoke volumes to me. 

The most terrifying character as it were, would be Margaret White, played memorably by the iconic Piper Laurie, who plays the character so matter-of-factly, that it left many a shudder in me. She played Carrie White's criminally-insane, Fundamentalist Christian mother who barricades her daughter in a closet, forcing her to pray to a wax figure of a bleeding Jesus (actual fact, it was a statuette of St. Sebastian) and to swear off socializing at school fearing it would lead to sex. What makes this woman an absolute monster is that all of her misguided Christian-oppression disguised as motherly love is a very blatant form of child abuse. It never underlies this fact, but Laurie, under De Palma's brilliant direction, gives a pull-out-all-the-stops performance that makes the character far too human than we really want. The Oscar-nominated performance after a 16-year absence, would cement her in the annals of horror movie-dom as the always scary stand-by: The Mother from Hell.

The plot as best as I can describe it. Sissy Spacek (an Oscar-nominee herself in this) is Ugly Duckling high school senior, Carrie White. A bullied misfit who has just had her first-ever period. It's here that her telekinetic powers manifest. She's afraid of the extent of them, but trains her herself to control them. After a shower room tampon-pelting incident, two girls are about to decide Carrie's fate. Sue Snell (Amy Irving in her film debut) is the repentant good popular girl who is genuinely sorry for abusing Carrie for something she was clearly ignorant about. How to make amends? She gives up her high school prom date; her popular jock boyfriend Tommy Ross (William Katt, also debuting) in order to integrate her into the student body.

The opposing force? Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen, also a debut and who would star in De Palma's two seminal thrillers: "Dressed to Kill" (1980) and "Blow Out" (1981); and was briefly married to him as well), who just outright hates Carrie. Reasons we don't know why, but let's assume that maybe Carrie is the better human being in the whole school? She learns of the prom-date-torch-passing and vows to make Carrie pay for just being her....by killing a live pig, draining its blood into a bucket; hiding under the stage with a rope tying the bucket to the rafters and waiting for the right moment to tip it over, Her dim-witted boyfriend Billy Nolan (John Travolta in an early film role) assists and allows Chris to rig the prom so that both Carrie and Tommy are voted King and Queen of the Prom. It's a fun night at first, with even Carrie's protective gym teacher (Betty Buckley) giving them her blessing. But, as the names are announced, we get the slow-motion treatment of the happy couple (with even Sue happily bearing witness, until she begins to notice the rope). We sense the impending disaster and when the bucket finally tips over...

***SPOILER ALERT (Eh...you know what? Why bother?)***

For a 41-year-old horror film, we should know what happens by now. It had a 1999 sequel, "The Rage: Carrie 2" and a 2002 remake and a 2013 reboot (more on that later). It even had not one, not two - but SEVERAL musical stage versions! The Stephen King story had been translated into many languages, was used in many subplots and even had its classic shock-through-the-throat ending re-imagined by any horror movie director from here to Timbuktu. This film, as the novel, had also raised awareness about high school bullying; which is a major plus - but in turn, has also been heavily banned in many high school libraries due to connections with high school massacres such as Columbine and Virginia Tech among many others. 

In conclusion, the film and story touch an open nerve. A real horror movie can do that. This one does and does it admirably. Horror stories are just an extension of drama and a really great horror story can also have a great impact on its audience. While the opening films mentioned are all brilliant in their own right; THIS film had something those didn't have or have enough of. Pathos. You feel compassion toward the Sissy character (a testament to Spacek's incredible performance), at least, if its something you can relate to. 

Another credit will go to director Brian De Palma, a controversial filmmaker who has opened many a nerve with his brazen, in-your-face style and films as unapologetic as "Sisters", "Phantom of the Paradise", "The Fury", "Dressed to Kill", "Body Double", "The Untouchables", "Mission: Impossible", "Snake Eyes", "Mission to Mars", "Femme Fatale", and "Passion". This, and his wildly controversial film, his 1983 remake of "Scarface", with superstar Al Pacino, were both daring and potent films that dared to cross the line and even have we (the audience) empathize and care about its anti-heroes. One being an abused teenager who descends into tragedy and the other, a drug kingpin who creates, revels and is undone by tragedy.

A true horror classic. One never forgotten by me, and never will.

My Two Cents: Yes, I also made the mistake of seeing the Kimberly Peirce 2013 reboot (remake, re-hash, repeat offender: blah-blah-blah). I will admit I didn't hate it. As I said, the Stephen King story is timeless and was well-planted into the 2010's; but despite Julianne Moore's chilling interpretation of Margaret White and a solid turn by Judy Greer as the sympathetic gym teacher, Ms. Desjardin (n.e. Betty Buckley's Miss Collins in the 1976 film); I found Chloë Grace Moretz woefully miscast in the title role. Yes, she's a terrific actress and has given many memorable performances, such as "Let Me In" (2010) and "Hugo" (2011), but I felt was too pretty for the role. She was serviceable, but never surpassed the brilliant Sissy Spacek performance. 

I've said it before, I'll say it again. There's NEVER a substitute for the original. 

The 1976 Trailer

My Two Cents: Number One on Billboard Exactly 40 Years Ago. "You Light Up My Life" - Debby Boone (1977)

Hello one and all.

I was a mere boy of 5 years when this artist scored her one and only number one smash: "You Light Up My Life". A song that stayed atop the Billboard Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks and became the decade's most successful bestselling record. The daughter of 1950s superstar Pat Boone savored success with the song, winning that year's Grammy for Best New Artist and the Joseph Brooks composition winning the Oscar for Best Original Song for his 1977 film that he also wrote and directed. The film, which starred Grease's Didi Conn, had a soundtrack version recorded by the late Kvitka Cisyk that was lip-synched by Conn in the film. Boone's version may have been the most successful song of the 1970's, but it also became the most polarized and later scorned and despised. Boone herself admitted that she's been on the fence regarding the song and its success. It was also the subject of how massive success could lead to enormous failure as Brooks himself became the subject of accusations by many actresses who claimed he had raped them on a casting couch, As he awaited sentencing, Brooks committed suicide in 2011.

Behind this hit was Crystal Gayle's country/pop crossover hit: "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Loretta Lynn's sister would peak at number two with this song. Behind her was the Brothers Gibb a.k.a. The Bee Gees with their first release from the now iconic soundtrack "Saturday Night Fever": "How Deep Is Your Love" which would peak at number one at the very last week of 1977, knocking Boone's megasmash off the top. The superband Chicago would continue their hot streak with their ballad, "Baby, What a Big Surprise", which peaked at number 4. Finally, Linda Ronstadt took Roy Orbison's 1963 hit: "Blue Bayou" to number 3, weeks later.

Until next time.

The 1977 Video

My Two Cents: Number One This Week In 1987 "Heaven Is a Place On Earth" - Belinda Carlisle

On December 5, 1987; 30 years ago, this former Go-Go from Hollywood, scored her first number one pop smash with this pop/rocker that had a dash of mild spirituality in its lyrical content. It was her first,a nd only number one smash after she left the all-female group she fronted for a solo career that began in 1986 when she debuted with her number three hit: "Mad About You".

It would be the charttopper right behind the "Dirty Dancing" theme, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", by Righteous Brother Bill Medley duetting with 70's pop singer Jennifer Warnes. Former "Wham!-er" George Michael was savoring solo success with his first solo album: "Faith" with its lead-off single already poised for the pole position. Sadly, at age 53 on Christmas Day last year, he passed away from myocarditis. Chicago-born and bred pop/rock songwriter/singer Richard Marx had his second top-10 smash with "Should've Known Better". Finally, the UK metal band almost hit the pole position with their second top-10 smash hit: "Is This Love", their followup to their number one debut: "Here I Go Again".

*Source: Billboard Hot 100 - December 5, 1987

The Video

Courtesy of MCA Records.

My Two Cents: Annie (2014)

Dir. Will Gluck

Cast:

Quvenzhané Wallis
Jamie Foxx
Rose Byrne
Bobby Cannavale
Cameron Diaz
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
David Zayas

As a fan of the 1982 film adaptation of the uber popular Broadway stage hit based on Harold Grey's "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, gets a punched-up, hip-hoppified reboot courtesy of executive producers Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Will Smith and company. Does it make it any better? No. It wasn't such a groundbreaking story to begin with. I did enjoy the Carol Burnett performance as the shrewd and bitter drunk Miss Hannigan; the manager of the orphanage that begat the Aileen Quinn-starring original. Also, Quinn seemed apropos for the part. She also gave a stirring rendition of "Tomorrow" that I always enjoyed from the soundtrack I had bought at the time of its release.

Now, for my take on the 2014 version. Quvenzhané Wallis, who was Oscar-nominated for 2010's "Beasts of The Southern Wild" and holds the record as being the youngest nominee of all time, acquits herself nicely as the new Annie, a plucky NYC foster child who is able to see the good in the world's most jaded city. Even her foster mother (or madam, perhaps - Cameron Diaz in a role that may have kept her out of movie roles for quite an eternity) tries to hate the shit out of her, but finds herself having too soft a spot for her in the end.

By now, unless you've lived in a bomb shelter for the better part of 40 years, you know that Annie (Wallis) will be a political pawn for a billionaire cell phone mogul who's running for NYC mayor (Jamie Foxx who's renamed Will Stacks instead of Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks) whose annoying quirks and need for "space" are the obvious tell-tale signs that the filmmakers won't upset the formula. As for the musical dance numbers, they have the charm of a viral Youtube Nicki Minaj video (PG-rated, of course) on autotune. At least, the John Huston-directed 1982 version, that despite being polarized and still pretty maligned had the benefit of some very splashy choreography and the star-wattage of Carol Burnett as the cruel Hannigan, Ann Reinking as the resourceful Grace Farrell; Warbucks' secretary and Tim Curry as the nefarious villain Rooster Hannigan.


Is the remake a total dog? Not really. Wallis is so charming and likable that she allows me to overlook all of the film's fatal flaws. Rose Byrne adds sweetness to the new Grace Farrell and the foster kids' rendition of "Hard Knock Life" put a smile to my face as I watched it and Foxx and Wallis shared a nice musical number in a helicopter over Ellis Island. More moments like this one and "Annie" 2014 might've made the grade. Still, Diaz's overwrought performance of Miss Hannigan may be the reason why she hasn't graced us movie-wise in three years. Here's hoping to Almighty God that there's no sequel....with or without her.