Thursday, October 4, 2012
AFI 100: #80 - The Apartment
Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a low level corporate shrill in NYC. Baxter works as an insurance clerk for a large company headquartered in downtown. He's just a young kid trying to climb the corporate ladder through long hours and dedication, or so we think. We find out Baxter has a fairly nice apartment across the street from Central Park, but he often doesn't go directly home after work. It's not because of his dedication, but because of a strange arrangement he has made with his office superiors. Baxter has agreed to lend out his apartment on various weekday nights as a secret home base to four different executives in the company so they can have secret liaisons with their young mistresses.
We see how much trouble this causes Baxter. In one scene, he gets sick from sleeping out in the winter air of NYC when one of the bosses is using the apartment a little later than usual. Then the next day when Baxter just wants to go home and recover from sickness the rest of the night, he has to work like crazy to rearrange the bosses' scheduled visits. We see that the bosses themselves don't seem to care that Baxter's health, but rather only about their own affairs.
Besides work, Baxter also has a crush on a cute and sharp tongued elevator girl within his building. The girl, Miss Kubelik, is played by Shirley MacLaine.
Eventually Baxter's generosity to his bosses pays off with four great recommendations from them to the director of HR. There, the HR director, Mr. Sheldrake, played by Fred MacMurray, promotes Baxter to an office position. However, he clever deducts why Baxter is so popular and asks to borrow the apartment himself. The rub comes when we ironically discover that Sheldrake is using Baxter's apartment to romance Miss Kubelik.
Hijinks ensue as we see the true nature of adulterous relationships and when Baxter is ambushed by a tough situation. Eventually Baxter has to make a decision. What does he want more? Advancing his career or the girl of his dreams.
"The Apartment" is a good movie. It's an interesting look into 1950s/1960s life in NYC a la AMC's "Mad Men." Jack Lemmon does a great job portraying Baxter who is a nice, enthusiastic guy trying to find his way in the world. Unfortunately, Baxter is too eager to please and often finds people taking advantage of his generosity and convenience. It's gratifying to watch the film as he realizes high company positions may not be worth the price of being a pushover and losing out on what he really wants. The movie can sometimes be sad and serious with its subject matter. One example of this is seeing Baxter as an isolated bachelor engrossed in his work. However, I never felt the movie's lighter mood was ever compromised.
I think ultimately people are drawn to the movie because they relate to Jack Lemmon's character. Most of us have been in his shoes as a young professional sometimes feeling lonely and bored.
Movie Rating: *** - Average
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
AFI 100: #93 - The French Connection
To be honest, I have wanted to view this film for a very long time. I was always attracted to the mystery and the thrill it seemed to promise. It's definitely a movie people such as my dad remember and note as a good movie.
The movie stars Gene Hackman (Hoosiers, numerous other movies) and Roy Scheider (most notably Jaws) as two cops in NYC working the narcotics beat in the 1970s. Hackman is tough guy cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a reckless man who doesn't care much for doing things by the book and is relentless in his quest to bust more junkies. Schneider plays his more reasonable partner Buddy "Cloudy" Russo. Together they shake down low level junkies in bars hoping to get the glory of the big bust.
As the cops are cleaning up the city, they happen upon a low level criminal who seems to be involved in a large international drug deal with a French heroin magnate. The rest of the movie chronicles the cat and mouse game as the cops shadow, stake out, wire tap the involved parties as the "bad guys" try to close the lucrative deal in NYC.
The movie shows 1970's NYC as a gritty, dirty place with subdued colors. Along the course of the film, we begin to discover that the character of the cops matches that setting. Doyle is relentless in his quest to bust more criminals through any means possible. He is shown senselessly beating perpetrators during arrests and interrogations, pushing for wiretaps, shooting adversaries in the back, and being utterly destructive in the famous car chase scene. The things he does makes civil liberties attorneys drool with anticipation. Even his colleagues seem to think his results lack true impact and cause all kinds of collateral damage. He is a despicable character to say the least. In contrast, the French drug lord is suave, urbane, and sophisticated. He is very well dressed, cultured, and surprisingly well behaved. Therein lies the rub of the movie: Who are the good guys? Who the bad guys? And more importantly who do you want to win in this battle of wits?
The question presented to us as viewers is that old Machiavellian one of "Do the ends justify the means?" Can we do immoral things to punish and eliminate immoral people and activities (think US Patriot Act)? Perhaps the most shocking question posed is "How do you feel when you pull out all the stops (thus comprising yourself), but you still come up short?"
The French Connection is a sometimes thrilling look at the world of cops and criminals. The setting and characters are done well. However, I was really disappointed overall with the movie. The movie was sometimes very slow with all the stake outs and shadowing going on. Also I was not pleased with the ending because I felt it was very abrupt and incomplete. I don't think it's worthy of being on the AFI 100 list.
Movie Rating: ** -Bad
The movie stars Gene Hackman (Hoosiers, numerous other movies) and Roy Scheider (most notably Jaws) as two cops in NYC working the narcotics beat in the 1970s. Hackman is tough guy cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a reckless man who doesn't care much for doing things by the book and is relentless in his quest to bust more junkies. Schneider plays his more reasonable partner Buddy "Cloudy" Russo. Together they shake down low level junkies in bars hoping to get the glory of the big bust.
As the cops are cleaning up the city, they happen upon a low level criminal who seems to be involved in a large international drug deal with a French heroin magnate. The rest of the movie chronicles the cat and mouse game as the cops shadow, stake out, wire tap the involved parties as the "bad guys" try to close the lucrative deal in NYC.
The movie shows 1970's NYC as a gritty, dirty place with subdued colors. Along the course of the film, we begin to discover that the character of the cops matches that setting. Doyle is relentless in his quest to bust more criminals through any means possible. He is shown senselessly beating perpetrators during arrests and interrogations, pushing for wiretaps, shooting adversaries in the back, and being utterly destructive in the famous car chase scene. The things he does makes civil liberties attorneys drool with anticipation. Even his colleagues seem to think his results lack true impact and cause all kinds of collateral damage. He is a despicable character to say the least. In contrast, the French drug lord is suave, urbane, and sophisticated. He is very well dressed, cultured, and surprisingly well behaved. Therein lies the rub of the movie: Who are the good guys? Who the bad guys? And more importantly who do you want to win in this battle of wits?
The question presented to us as viewers is that old Machiavellian one of "Do the ends justify the means?" Can we do immoral things to punish and eliminate immoral people and activities (think US Patriot Act)? Perhaps the most shocking question posed is "How do you feel when you pull out all the stops (thus comprising yourself), but you still come up short?"
The French Connection is a sometimes thrilling look at the world of cops and criminals. The setting and characters are done well. However, I was really disappointed overall with the movie. The movie was sometimes very slow with all the stake outs and shadowing going on. Also I was not pleased with the ending because I felt it was very abrupt and incomplete. I don't think it's worthy of being on the AFI 100 list.
Movie Rating: ** -Bad
Movie Review Ratings
Before beginning to write out my thoughts about various movies, I will outline my rating system. Personally, I like the five star system for rating a movie's quality. It is as follows:
One Star * - One of the worst movies I have seen. Don't waste precious time on this.
Example: Adam Sandler's "Just Go With It", an awful movie that made my skin crawl just watching it.
Two Stars ** - Disappointing movie. Not good.
Example: "Public Enemies." Just didn't click as I had hoped.
Three Stars *** - Average. An OK movie. Most movies fall into this range
Example: Too many to count. I thought "The Blind Side" definitely falls into this range.
Four Stars **** - A good movie. Well made and worth seeing in theaters
Example: "Marvel's Avengers." Very well put together, entertaining, funny, and took super hero movies to the next level.
Five Stars ***** - Spectacular movie. One of the best I have ever seen. Highly recommended. A true and often timeless classic.
Example: "Citizen Kane." Lauded by most as the best of all time. Watch it and you will see why. It changed the game.
For AFI 100 movies, I will add an additional rating. This rating is in relation to the movie being ranked on the list and follows stock analysis ratings.
Overrated - Movie is ranked too high by AFI. Didn't live up to expectation.
Neutral - Ranked about right on the AFI list.
Underrated - Should be ranked higher. Undervalued.
For purposes of reference, I will be using the revised 10th year anniversary AFI 100 (2007) ratings to refer to movies and their rankings.
With all that said, let's starting writing some posts.
One Star * - One of the worst movies I have seen. Don't waste precious time on this.
Example: Adam Sandler's "Just Go With It", an awful movie that made my skin crawl just watching it.
Two Stars ** - Disappointing movie. Not good.
Example: "Public Enemies." Just didn't click as I had hoped.
Three Stars *** - Average. An OK movie. Most movies fall into this range
Example: Too many to count. I thought "The Blind Side" definitely falls into this range.
Four Stars **** - A good movie. Well made and worth seeing in theaters
Example: "Marvel's Avengers." Very well put together, entertaining, funny, and took super hero movies to the next level.
Five Stars ***** - Spectacular movie. One of the best I have ever seen. Highly recommended. A true and often timeless classic.
Example: "Citizen Kane." Lauded by most as the best of all time. Watch it and you will see why. It changed the game.
For AFI 100 movies, I will add an additional rating. This rating is in relation to the movie being ranked on the list and follows stock analysis ratings.
Overrated - Movie is ranked too high by AFI. Didn't live up to expectation.
Neutral - Ranked about right on the AFI list.
Underrated - Should be ranked higher. Undervalued.
For purposes of reference, I will be using the revised 10th year anniversary AFI 100 (2007) ratings to refer to movies and their rankings.
With all that said, let's starting writing some posts.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Classic Movie Kick: AFI 100
Time to dust off this blog. It's been a long time, but I am back and motivated to write a bit more.
Movies are a big part of our culture. Some people are movie buffs and always see the latest flicks in the theater, while others have never seen "Star Wars" well into adulthood.
I have seen my fair share of movies, but I could never claim to be an expert on classic movies. In years past, I was always filled with curiosity when I watched the AFI TV specials about their top 100 movies of all time. Obviously, I had seen some of them, but many of the greatest ones were a complete mystery to me. It had always been a goal to see more of these classics at some point in my life.
I am finally gearing up for that goal now. After watching movies from a list off another website, I realized that many of the movies overlapped with the AFI 100. Since I was watching a decent amount of them anyway, I figured I just start knocking off the ones I hadn't seen yet.
So in the next few weeks, I will be posting some thoughts and reviews about AFI 100 and other movies that I come across. Hopefully it will mark a triumphant return to blogging.
Movies are a big part of our culture. Some people are movie buffs and always see the latest flicks in the theater, while others have never seen "Star Wars" well into adulthood.
I have seen my fair share of movies, but I could never claim to be an expert on classic movies. In years past, I was always filled with curiosity when I watched the AFI TV specials about their top 100 movies of all time. Obviously, I had seen some of them, but many of the greatest ones were a complete mystery to me. It had always been a goal to see more of these classics at some point in my life.
I am finally gearing up for that goal now. After watching movies from a list off another website, I realized that many of the movies overlapped with the AFI 100. Since I was watching a decent amount of them anyway, I figured I just start knocking off the ones I hadn't seen yet.
So in the next few weeks, I will be posting some thoughts and reviews about AFI 100 and other movies that I come across. Hopefully it will mark a triumphant return to blogging.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Jeremy Tyler Decision Part 1
Jeremy Tyler is not your typical high school junior. Instead of daydreaming about Prom, Graduation, and moving on to college, Jeremy is thinking about adjusting to professional adult life. Tyler is a 6-11 basketball star from San Diego who has decided to forgo his senior year of high school and become a professional basketball player internationally.
This trend began last season. Brandon Jennings, a McDonald's All American high school phenom decided to skip his freshman year of college at Arizona and play professional basketball in Italy for one year (It was said he was academically ineligible for college). Thus he could comfortably be paid while waiting out the NBA/NCAA rule of having high school seniors delay one year before declaring for the NBA draft. This year, Jennings returned to the US and was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now Tyler has taken the trend a step further. He is skipping his last year of high school to become a professional basketball player. Recently, Tyler signed a one year contract worth $140,000 to play for the Israeli team, Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League. Not bad for a kid without a high school diploma.
Jeremy, who initially committed to Louisville, claimed it was time to go professional. He was tired of being hacked and triple teamed on the high school courts. The level of competition wasn't challenging, and he wanted to showcase his all around game skills rather than be planted permanently in the paint.
His bold decision tells me two things. First of all, people are willing to make daring moves just to bypass and protest the NBA/NCAA's rule of having to wait one year out of high school before entering the draft. Secondly, more than ever, American basketball is moving more and more toward a youth professional development model used in other parts of the world and in other sports.
The cause of this commotion is the fabled "One and Done" rule issued by the NCAA (College Presidents) and the NBA (David Stern). This rule is unnecessary and absurd. They claim they want to protect the kids from making mistakes. They point out that for every Kevin Garnett, there is a Korleone Young. In reality, the motivations for this rule are quite contrary. NBA veterans didn't like the flood of younger players pushing them out of the league. Also the NCAA and its College Presidents loved the fact that the "one and done" superstars would generate excitement and revenue for college basketball. This is the same NCAA who makes millions of dollars from these players and yet denies them a dime in a show of exploitation. The fact of the matter is that high school players have proven ready and able to play in the NBA. Look no further than LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Rashard Lewis. These players have thrived in the NBA and didn't need college basketball. If people are capable of making it at this age, then why dictate that they can't try. Last time I checked, people took responsibility for themselves and their own risks. Without this rule, we wouldn't be talking about Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler. Do we really want our next generation of stars to showcase themselves while playing in Europe and Asia?
As an avid basketball fan, my answer to this question is a resounding no.
This trend began last season. Brandon Jennings, a McDonald's All American high school phenom decided to skip his freshman year of college at Arizona and play professional basketball in Italy for one year (It was said he was academically ineligible for college). Thus he could comfortably be paid while waiting out the NBA/NCAA rule of having high school seniors delay one year before declaring for the NBA draft. This year, Jennings returned to the US and was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now Tyler has taken the trend a step further. He is skipping his last year of high school to become a professional basketball player. Recently, Tyler signed a one year contract worth $140,000 to play for the Israeli team, Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League. Not bad for a kid without a high school diploma.
Jeremy, who initially committed to Louisville, claimed it was time to go professional. He was tired of being hacked and triple teamed on the high school courts. The level of competition wasn't challenging, and he wanted to showcase his all around game skills rather than be planted permanently in the paint.
His bold decision tells me two things. First of all, people are willing to make daring moves just to bypass and protest the NBA/NCAA's rule of having to wait one year out of high school before entering the draft. Secondly, more than ever, American basketball is moving more and more toward a youth professional development model used in other parts of the world and in other sports.
The cause of this commotion is the fabled "One and Done" rule issued by the NCAA (College Presidents) and the NBA (David Stern). This rule is unnecessary and absurd. They claim they want to protect the kids from making mistakes. They point out that for every Kevin Garnett, there is a Korleone Young. In reality, the motivations for this rule are quite contrary. NBA veterans didn't like the flood of younger players pushing them out of the league. Also the NCAA and its College Presidents loved the fact that the "one and done" superstars would generate excitement and revenue for college basketball. This is the same NCAA who makes millions of dollars from these players and yet denies them a dime in a show of exploitation. The fact of the matter is that high school players have proven ready and able to play in the NBA. Look no further than LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Rashard Lewis. These players have thrived in the NBA and didn't need college basketball. If people are capable of making it at this age, then why dictate that they can't try. Last time I checked, people took responsibility for themselves and their own risks. Without this rule, we wouldn't be talking about Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler. Do we really want our next generation of stars to showcase themselves while playing in Europe and Asia?
As an avid basketball fan, my answer to this question is a resounding no.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Welcome to the Sky
Most people know that I have always wanted to go skydiving. I have talked about it many times. As the years passed, I watched as acquaintances and friends went and later posted their pictures. Eventually, I grew tired of procrastinating and waiting for friends to come with me. Most people were too scared to do it, so I decided to take matters in my own hands.
Back in October of 2008, I heard that the Chicago Sports and Social Club had an outing for skydiving from a friend. I looked into it and decided to sign up. I made an early morning bus trip with tons of strangers out to the Western Suburb of Hinckley, IL, home of Chicagoland Skydiving Center. After a promising morning, clouds settled in and we never got the chance to go due to the weather. However, I had signed all the paperwork, paid all the fees, and taken the basic training. So I left with a debit like card full of my skydiving credits. It was good for one year.
For many months during the Winter and Spring I thought about that card and when I could return to make my jump. I was just waiting for favorable weather conditions.
Once May rolled around, a few things caused me to schedule my jump. First of all, my good friend, Jake, was skydiving out in Cali with his little brother. Secondly, I heard that Jay Niice and Julian from Chicago's B96 jumped over a weekend. This made me realize that I had to take action. So the next Monday, I took a break from working and called CSC. I took a chance and scheduled a jump for Sunday. I then waited nervously all week watching weather.com. The forecast was sunny, then rainy, and finally sunny again right before the big moment. I was set, there would be no weather delays this time.
I drove out to Hinckley early on a Sunday morning. I checked in at the desk and within fifteen minutes I was called out to the hanger. In a whirl of events, I was suited up, and had a harness tied around me. I briefly met my skydiving instructor and quickly had the camera man interviewing me. They joked about being scared and dying, but I was never really worried. I had dreamed about this moment on many nights. Some nights it was a pleasant freefall while other nights were terrifying nightmares. Either way I was ready.
I was quickly ushered out to the plane. It turns out that I was added last minute to a flight full of hard core jumpers. I sat in the small, cramped plane flanked by my instructor and camera man.
As the plane elevated, I watched the dial altimeter's needle slowly move. It quickly went from zero to 15000 feet. It was at this point that everything started to come together. Everyone starting filing to the front of the plane. I watched as they nonchalantly dropped out of the side door. They made it look easy. I strapped onto my instructor and we waddled to the side door. My camera man hung on to the outside of the plane, waiting for us to drop. I looked down and saw countryside way below. This was the time where most people would freeze up. The time their brains would scream "No, don't do this!" To be honest, I didn't have much time to think or resist. My instructor counted to three and before I knew it we were on our way out of the plane. It was a total shock, I couldn't quite comprehend what was happening since I was tumbling.
Eventually I came to a stable position, facing the ground. The instructor tapped my shoulder which meant I could spread my arms and legs. The feeling of flying was exhilarating. The sound of air was whisking past my ears. I was screaming and yelling, but like in space no one else could hear me. The one thing that shocked me was the fact that I couldn't really breathe. I definitely wasn't ready for that. I played around with the camera man, trying to grab his hand and use him to spin myself. It wasn't long before play time was over. The instructor showed me his digital altimeter, which meant it was time to deploy the parachute.
Now before taking off I made sure to see the bright orange ripcord handle on the instructor's hip. For the life of me, I didn't quite remember where the handle was while falling thousands of feet toward the earth. I searched for a bit and just as I saw it, the instructor pulled it. Before I knew it, I was shot upward with the parachute overhead.
I also had the preconceived notion that the parachute descent would be scary for me. I believed freefall would be less scary than being slowly suspended so high off the ground. Rather it was a peaceful journey down. I liked looking below and seeing the lay of the land as well as the other skydivers landing in the field.
Soon, the ground was closing in. I watched and realized for the first time how fast we were really descending. It was kind of scary to think how fast you fell even with a parachute on. I lifted my legs and we slid into a landing. As I sat on the ground, I was dazed and lost in a natural high. It was one of those feelings you had after being on a thrilling roller coaster. I had realized what I had just done.
Skydiving is a thrilling adventure. I am glad I did it, and I recommend it to everyone else as well.
Back in October of 2008, I heard that the Chicago Sports and Social Club had an outing for skydiving from a friend. I looked into it and decided to sign up. I made an early morning bus trip with tons of strangers out to the Western Suburb of Hinckley, IL, home of Chicagoland Skydiving Center. After a promising morning, clouds settled in and we never got the chance to go due to the weather. However, I had signed all the paperwork, paid all the fees, and taken the basic training. So I left with a debit like card full of my skydiving credits. It was good for one year.
For many months during the Winter and Spring I thought about that card and when I could return to make my jump. I was just waiting for favorable weather conditions.
Once May rolled around, a few things caused me to schedule my jump. First of all, my good friend, Jake, was skydiving out in Cali with his little brother. Secondly, I heard that Jay Niice and Julian from Chicago's B96 jumped over a weekend. This made me realize that I had to take action. So the next Monday, I took a break from working and called CSC. I took a chance and scheduled a jump for Sunday. I then waited nervously all week watching weather.com. The forecast was sunny, then rainy, and finally sunny again right before the big moment. I was set, there would be no weather delays this time.
I drove out to Hinckley early on a Sunday morning. I checked in at the desk and within fifteen minutes I was called out to the hanger. In a whirl of events, I was suited up, and had a harness tied around me. I briefly met my skydiving instructor and quickly had the camera man interviewing me. They joked about being scared and dying, but I was never really worried. I had dreamed about this moment on many nights. Some nights it was a pleasant freefall while other nights were terrifying nightmares. Either way I was ready.
I was quickly ushered out to the plane. It turns out that I was added last minute to a flight full of hard core jumpers. I sat in the small, cramped plane flanked by my instructor and camera man.
As the plane elevated, I watched the dial altimeter's needle slowly move. It quickly went from zero to 15000 feet. It was at this point that everything started to come together. Everyone starting filing to the front of the plane. I watched as they nonchalantly dropped out of the side door. They made it look easy. I strapped onto my instructor and we waddled to the side door. My camera man hung on to the outside of the plane, waiting for us to drop. I looked down and saw countryside way below. This was the time where most people would freeze up. The time their brains would scream "No, don't do this!" To be honest, I didn't have much time to think or resist. My instructor counted to three and before I knew it we were on our way out of the plane. It was a total shock, I couldn't quite comprehend what was happening since I was tumbling.
Eventually I came to a stable position, facing the ground. The instructor tapped my shoulder which meant I could spread my arms and legs. The feeling of flying was exhilarating. The sound of air was whisking past my ears. I was screaming and yelling, but like in space no one else could hear me. The one thing that shocked me was the fact that I couldn't really breathe. I definitely wasn't ready for that. I played around with the camera man, trying to grab his hand and use him to spin myself. It wasn't long before play time was over. The instructor showed me his digital altimeter, which meant it was time to deploy the parachute.
Now before taking off I made sure to see the bright orange ripcord handle on the instructor's hip. For the life of me, I didn't quite remember where the handle was while falling thousands of feet toward the earth. I searched for a bit and just as I saw it, the instructor pulled it. Before I knew it, I was shot upward with the parachute overhead.
I also had the preconceived notion that the parachute descent would be scary for me. I believed freefall would be less scary than being slowly suspended so high off the ground. Rather it was a peaceful journey down. I liked looking below and seeing the lay of the land as well as the other skydivers landing in the field.
Soon, the ground was closing in. I watched and realized for the first time how fast we were really descending. It was kind of scary to think how fast you fell even with a parachute on. I lifted my legs and we slid into a landing. As I sat on the ground, I was dazed and lost in a natural high. It was one of those feelings you had after being on a thrilling roller coaster. I had realized what I had just done.
Skydiving is a thrilling adventure. I am glad I did it, and I recommend it to everyone else as well.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
King of Pop
Today, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson passed away.
Despite his eccentricities and scandals, there is no denying that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest music artists and performers to ever live. His resume speaks for itself. He first burst out on the scene as the precocious lead singer of the Jackson 5, displaying a powerful voice and funky dance moves. He later went solo releasing "Thriller" which is the best selling album of all time worldwide. He revolutionized music videos with long epic storylines and dance numbers as seen in the video for the "Thriller" single. His dance movies were smooth, innovative, and jaw dropping. How many people could pull off the "Smooth Criminal" lean, jumping on to their tippy toes, or 720 degree spin moves? People the world over (including myself) are still trying to figure out the moonwalk.
Michael Jackson is one of those people whose name and persona is known all over the world. His influence is readily apparent in music and popular culture. Why else would people wear white socks with high waters or single sequenced gloves? Also without Michael Jackson, there would be no Usher or Chris Brown. It's that simple. He really was larger than life.
When I look back on Michael Jackson, a few key moments will always come to mind. I will recall the little boy in hippie stylings singing "I Want You Back" (my favorite J5 song). I will remember him lighting up the floor tiles in the music video of "Billie Jean." Finally, I will always see the live performance of "Billie Jean" for Motown 25 where he first publicly busted out the moonwalk on national television.
His style, moves, and music will always live on.
Video of Motown 25 "Billie Jean" Performance
Despite his eccentricities and scandals, there is no denying that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest music artists and performers to ever live. His resume speaks for itself. He first burst out on the scene as the precocious lead singer of the Jackson 5, displaying a powerful voice and funky dance moves. He later went solo releasing "Thriller" which is the best selling album of all time worldwide. He revolutionized music videos with long epic storylines and dance numbers as seen in the video for the "Thriller" single. His dance movies were smooth, innovative, and jaw dropping. How many people could pull off the "Smooth Criminal" lean, jumping on to their tippy toes, or 720 degree spin moves? People the world over (including myself) are still trying to figure out the moonwalk.
Michael Jackson is one of those people whose name and persona is known all over the world. His influence is readily apparent in music and popular culture. Why else would people wear white socks with high waters or single sequenced gloves? Also without Michael Jackson, there would be no Usher or Chris Brown. It's that simple. He really was larger than life.
When I look back on Michael Jackson, a few key moments will always come to mind. I will recall the little boy in hippie stylings singing "I Want You Back" (my favorite J5 song). I will remember him lighting up the floor tiles in the music video of "Billie Jean." Finally, I will always see the live performance of "Billie Jean" for Motown 25 where he first publicly busted out the moonwalk on national television.
His style, moves, and music will always live on.
Video of Motown 25 "Billie Jean" Performance
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