Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

POLTERGEIST re-make moving Forward; HOBBIT scribes ready to Go; will Oliver Stone’s W. walk the line between serious and parody and SUSPENDERS interviews Bill Maher!

I can’t help but shake my head when I read reports today in the Hollywood Reporter that MGM has hired Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, the screenwriters of BOOGEYMAN, to pen the script for their planned re-make of POLTERGEIST. Like many, I have reservations about re-makes in general, especially when classic films are involved.  Remember Poltergeist was produced, written and some say co-directed by Steven Spielberg at the peak of his brilliance so this would be an up hill climb at best. At worst it’s a greedy cash grab attempt by a studio that has no respect for the original… but what else is new. When I think of Poltergeist, I think of the summer of 1982. The film came out one week before E.T. the Extraterrestrial hit theaters. It is safe to say Spielberg had a pretty good year with both films coming up mega blockbusters. My rule of thumb for most re-makes is this: can the original be improved upon or taken in an interesting new direction. I don’t think either applies when it comes to Poltergeist.

Interestingly enough these two screenwriters are also attached to write the new version of THE BIRDS for Platinum Dunes. While I love the Alfred Hitchcock original, I have no problem here with a re-make as I think the concept can be taken in a new imaginative direction, something I don’t think is possible with Poltergeist.

I might be in the minority but so be it. I have to say I can’t get very excited about director Guillermo del Toro and producer Peter Jackson’s announcement that work has officially begun on the screenplay to the HOBBIT, the LORD OF THE RINGS prequel. Honestly I’m not a very big fan of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, as I felt they were overly long, hollow and without very much of an emotional core. I fully understand that movie watching is subjective but those films aren’t my cup of tea! Matter of fact neither was Jackson’s KING KONG which was a pretty empty spectacle!

After watching some footage of actor Josh Brolin as President George Bush in Oliver Stone’s upcoming W. on Access Hollywood, the performance appears to be a complete mimic of the man. From the four minutes I saw, it walks the line between serious acting and parody. My gut feeling is this movie will not have a middle ground. Apart from the script, it will either really work or totally miss, relying on Brolin’s performance.

From one controversial movie to another BILL MAHER, star of the upcoming RELIGULOUS, was on Larry King for the full hour Tuesday night. I’ll say this; whether you like him or not, it’s hard to deny that the guy has not only an interesting mind but the guts to talk about things many only think about. Personally I think he’s a GREAT interview!

August 24, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | And Beyond | , , | No Comments

Chuck’s Top Ten Disaster Films of all time

Please listen to our newest Radio Podcast as my co-host Michael Cooper and I talk about our TOP TEN DISASTER movies. One of our goals here at ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND is to deliver the very best and most entertaining broadcast you can find on Movies and Television on the internet. I believe at this point we are well on our way to doing that. Using our background in radio broadcasting and producing we can assure you that the ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND RADIO PODCAST will be a must hear weekly event for real movie and TV fans. We INVITE you to LISTEN and judge for yourself!

My co-host Michael and I got the idea to do a top ten favorite disaster movie list on our radio show after JJ Abrams and Universal announced a new Earthquake related film last week.

CHUCK CURRY’S TOP TEN DISASTER FILMS 

10. DANTES PEAK -1997, I really liked the chemistry between Pierce Bronson and Linda Hamilton. The solid direction by Roger Donaldson makes this volcanic eruption in Washington State an enjoyable affair.

9. CASSANDRA CROSSING - 1976, Cheesy but FUN story about a viral outbreak on a transcontinental train ride. I love Richard Harris as the films lead! It’s a pretty exciting film.

8. DEEP IMPACT- 1998, The second asteroid related film released that year. Tea Leoni leads a solid character driven film that has real emotional power in its last half hour!

7. TWISTER - 1996, Great tornado special effects, a nice pairing of Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt and a sensational score make this film a winner!

6. INDEPENDENCE DAY - 1996, My favorite alien invasion movie. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman lead a great cast! A truly terrific popcorn film!

5. THE DAY AFTER - 1983, Perhaps the most important Television film ever made. Jason Robards brought tremendous class to this project about the after effects of a nuclear explosion in Lawrence, Kansas. In its time, a true TV event!   

4. EARTHQUAKE - 1974, Storyline was pure soap opera, the SENSURROUND gimmick was really good, and how could you not love a disaster film with both Charlton Heston and George Kennedy as its stars! The special effects still hold up to this day!

3. TITANIC - 1997, I saw the film 7 times in a theater. Mixing two genres - love story and historical disaster, the film hit a nerve like few others in movie history. After this film’s immense success James Cameron was truly the king of the world.

2. TOWERING INFERNO - 1974, High Concept at its best. Irwin Allen was at the top of his game as he assembled two of the best actors of all time, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, to head the cast. Robert Wagner’s character’s death sequence is one of the genres best. Nominated for best picture that year! Totally compelling!

1. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE - 1972, Based on a gritty novel by Paul Gallico, Irwin Allen became the master of disaster with this terrific film about an ocean liner capsized on New Years Eve. Certainly a product of its time but, for me, the story still has tremendous power. From my side of the fence there’s never been a better character in a movie than Gene Hackman’s Rev Scott. My all time favorite film! Happy New Year!

August 24, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Radio Shows, Reviews | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments