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 | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , | Leave a Comment

The Future of SUPERMAN now appears evident; a chance to revisit THE GODFATHER on the big screen and THE ROCKER barely opens!

ETB RADIO SHOW - In this episode of Entertainment Today and Beyond Radio, Chuck Curry and Michael Cooper review Tropic Thunder with cuts and commentary from the stars. The top ten is all about Disaster Films – see if yours is here! LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck

Just as I predicted in my column the other day, it appears that Warner Bros will say goodbye to director Bryan Singer and any plans he had for a sequel to his SUPERMAN RETURNS. According to comingsoon, the studio has laid out plans for their upcoming DC film schedule and the next man of steel movie will RE-INTRODUCE Superman… meaning there will be no sequel to Superman Returns. I’m not surprised as I believe that it will be much easier to re-energize the fan base with the promise of something totally fresh but I feel bad for actor, Brandon Routh, who did a good job in Singer’s movie. It’s also probably the only chance he will ever get to be a big name in Hollywood. There’s little doubt in my mind that the studio heads learned a lot by the huge success of THE DARK KNIGHT. Today’s fans want a little edge to their superheros and I believe that’s what we’ll get when the next film in the franchise eventually goes into production. While I like Superman Returns, despite its flaws, I’m happy Warner Bros is going in a new direction. It really has to if it wants Superman to be a really viable franchise going forward. DC films and Warner Bros also have plans for big screen versions of The Green Lantern and The Flash.

According to themovieblog website Paramount pictures will re-release its classic films, THE GODFATHER ONE & TWO, into theaters across the country sometime in September. Director Francis Ford Coppla has spent the last year and a half re-mastering the 35mm original prints of the two films and says they have never looked better. I just love the idea. Why studios don’t re-release other great movies in their libraries is sort of surprising since all they have to pay for is the cost of marketing. Actually, after George Lucas re-released STAR WARS a few years back with a few digital corrections and the film grossed over a 100 million, I really thought it might develop into a trend. With all the garbage the studios dumps into theaters in January, February, September and October, I really think they should explore this idea more. I know I would like it and don’t think I would be alone!

Fox’s new comedy THE ROCKER, starring Rain Wilson (The office), bombed in its first day of release Wednesday. It grossed an anemic five hundred and seventy seven thousand dollars, placing tenth of all films currently in release. Link to Box-Office

August 23, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , | Leave a Comment

ETB Radio Show – Tropic Thunder & Top Ten Disaster Films!

In this episode of Entertainment Today and Beyond Radio, Chuck Curry and Michael Cooper review Tropic Thunder with cuts and commentary from the stars. The top ten is all about Disaster Films – see if yours is here!  LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck

August 21, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News, Radio Shows | , | Leave a Comment

Warner Bros reportedly at crossroads with SUPERMAN, 90210 not screened in advance for critics and Sept is almost here for our TV favorites!

Interesting column today posted by Anne Thompson of Variety which talks about the future of SUPERMAN over at Warner Bros. According to her sources, the studio is at a crossroads deciding where to take the franchise and is not quite sure what direction to take. Personally, I think the studio will eventually move forward and do a re-boot instead of bringing back Bryan Singer and producing a sequel to his SUPERMAN RETURNS. That would leave BRANDON ROUTH as the odd man out. That’s a bit sad, as I thought he was very solid in the role, but if they go in a new direction they most likely will use a new actor. As for the direction of the Man of Steel franchise, I have no doubt whoever makes the final decision will have to rip a page out of the Chris Nolan school of filmmaking and place the concept of real terrorism into the fabric of the next story line. While I like Singer’s Superman Returns despite its flaws, he made the mistake of going backwards, as his fondness for the original Richard Donner version was a little too apparent. He never took the character or the world he inhabited into a core reality like the Nolan Batman films did. Superman is still a great character, and I truly believe there is a huge audience for him on the big screen, but you have to up the anti in terms of edginess. It’s what today’s modern audience is demanding and there’s no reason this franchise can’t take itself in that direction.

According to Access Hollywood and other media outlets, the CW network will not send out any advance preview copies of their new 90210 show which is set to premiere on Sept 2nd. While many might take this as an ominous sign, I wouldn’t read too much into it as nobody thought this would be the second coming of Shakespeare. By the way, one interesting footnote to this show, actor Joe E. Tata who played Nat, owner of the peach pit, is part of this new version of the Beverly Hill’s show.

Entourage

Entourage

Bill Maher’s REAL TIME show returns to HBO a week from this Friday. For me it’s MUST SEE TV. A few other return dates of interest: HBO’s ENTOURAGE returns Sunday September 7; Grey’s Anatomy September 25; Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters September 28.

One other bit of TV news to report – Fox’s 24 will return with a two hour TV movie November 23 to bridge the gap leading up to the new season starting in January.

August 20, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

The HDNETM channel RULES! What’s in store this week at the MOVIES, an INTERESTING Ratings comparison and LOST re-works star DEALS!

I happened to catch JAWS last night on the HDNETM channel in the glorious widescreen high definition format and boy did it look great. Listen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there was no better time for movies than the 1970′s. JAWS is one of that decades crowning achievements and, in my mind, the best film Steven Spielberg has ever made. It’s also hard to believe that out of its three stars, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, only Dreyfuss is still with us. If you have this channel, and I can’t recommend it enough, they have some of the best movies on TV. Besides JAWS, this month they are showing PAPILLION, SUGARLAND EXPRESS, THE KARATE KID, NETWORK and much more. HERE’S A LINK TO THE SCHEDULE

As for this week’s new theatrical releases, it will be interesting to see if Rain Wilson of Office fame will be able to attract a decent crowd for his new comedy THE ROCKER. I’m also curious to see if the B-movie crowd shows up for DEATH RACE. Jason Stratham, this decade’s answer to Jean Claude Van Damn, stars.

An interesting bit of info to pass along – Saturday’s night’s NBC Olympic coverage in Beijing, which featured the record breaking 8th Gold Medal won by swimmer Michael Phelps, was witnesses by 31 million viewers. That was the best rating the network had for any program on a Saturday night since 1990 when the sitcom EMPTY NEST drew the same amount of viewers. I guess I never realized that show was so popular! AMAZING!

It’s being widely reported that MATTHEW FOX and the rest of the cast of ABC’s hit show LOST are re-negotiating their deals, with Fox getting a bump in salary to two hundred and fifty thousand an episode from one fifty. Good for him, as the show itself is not only the best thing on television but one of the greatest pieces of TV ever produced. As for Fox, since Lost, I have always envisioned him as the perfect actor to play the Rev Scott role in a direct remake of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. As we know now, the only similarity in the story Wolfgang Peterson’s version had with the 1972 blockbuster was the concept – not the characters. Fox has the leader role down pat! Oh Well!

August 20, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

WEEKEND BOX-OFFICE: TROPIC THUNDER opens at top spot with THE DARK KNIGHT a solid second!

TROPIC THUNDER, Paramount’s well reviewed and highly entertaining action comedy, opened in the top spot at the nation’s box-office. The big budget film pulled in 26 million over the weekend and 37 mill since hitting theaters on Wednesday. That’s roughly four mill short of what PINEAPPLE EXPRESS did in the same time frame. While Pineapple cost just 27 million to produce, it’s being reported that Tropic Thunder cost as much as 160 mill, a boat load of money with the attending pressure on its star and director, Ben Stiller. While this open is fairly solid, it’s also safe to say it’s on the soft side and the studio had to be expecting more. I’d like to think this film will have legs going forward when positive word of mouth kicks in but that theory doesn’t always hold water in this day and age of what’s next! Warner Bros THE DARK KNIGHT was knocked out of the top spot after four straight weeks at number one, placing second and pulling in another 16.8 mill, giving it a five-week total of 471 million. That now makes it the second highest grossing movie in U.S history behind TITANIC which stands at 601 mill.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS placed third pulling in a respectable 15.5 mill. Why people would choose to pay to see this third rate production in a once great franchise is anyone’s guess but expect a quick fade from theaters. MIRRORS, the new horror film starring Kiefer Sutherland, opened to an ok 11 mill in business to place fourth and the comedy, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, took a 60% hit in ticket sales as it pulled in 10 mill giving it a Ten day total of 62.9. HERES A LINK TO THIS WEEKEND’S TOP TEN

August 18, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | | Leave a Comment

Despite its flaws TROPIC THUNDER is a Crowd Pleasing laugh RIOT!

As action comedies go, director Ben Stiller’s large scale TROPIC THUNDER is a winner, delivering a high content of pure entertainment. This film is very ambitious, mixing Hollywood satire, silly over the top parody, and a whole lot of politically incorrect humor with some pretty cool action sequences. Ben Stiller, Jack Black and a terrific Robert Downey Jr. star as a group of actors filming a big time war movie, who are flown to a third world country by a desperate director (Brit funnyman, Steve Coogan) in order to give the proceedings a realistic feel. Little do they know things are about to turn a little too real when they get involved in a real life drug mercenary conflict, causing all hell to break loose. Stiller plays Tug Speedman, a once prominent action star looking to revive his career, who gets himself captured by a vicious gang of drug lords led by a ruthless kid, really well played by Brandon Soo Hoo (Sesame Street fame). Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a drug addicted comic actor known mostly for flatulence movies, and Downey Jr. plays an Oscar winning Australian method actor who transforms himself into a jive talking African American soldier. He’s so good in this film that I could see a possible best supporting actor nomination.

Tom Cruise hits a comic homerun in a smaller supporting role, playing a vile immoral studio chief named Les Grossman. Wearing a fat suit and full body hair, Tom is nothing short of terrific and will probably get him back in the good graces of the industry and his fan base, after the Oprah on the couch fiasco among other issues. Matthew McConaughey also does solid work as Stiller’s conflicted agent as do Nick Nolte, Danny McBride (Pineapple Express), Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby) and Brandon T. Jackson (This Christmas). The film isn’t perfect, as it has an awkward dead spot at the half hour mark when the story in the jungle is setting up, but once it gets its bearings the film has a terrific momentum that supplies big laughs and, unlike last week’s PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, the action oriented last act really works giving the audience a nice adrenaline rush. There’s also a sequence toward the end where a little boy who Stiller’s character has befriended is stabbing him in the back while he’s running across a bridge that had me buckled over in laughter. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen on screen in quite some time. The use of parody trailers in the movie’s beginning was also well done and very funny, and every cameo appearance works to full comic effect. Overall this is a high concept project that delivers and one of the best times I’ve had at the movies this summer! FOUR out of FIVE Zombies!

August 18, 2008 Posted by | Reviews | , , , , | Leave a Comment

TOP TEN SUPERHERO MOVIES OF ALL TIME by CHUCK CURRY

TOP TEN SUPERHERO MOVIES OF ALL TIME by CHUCK CURRY – CLICK ON TO OUR ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND RADIO PODCAST TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION! LISTEN NOW

10. BATMAN RETURNS- More a Tim Burton movie than a pure Batman film, Returns has poetic beauty and a sadness as it focuses on three oddball characters in Catwoman, the Penguin and Batman. While some people knocked Danny Devito here, I thought his take on the penguin was terrific.

9. IRON MAN- Robert Downey Jr. was the only special effect the film needed. A very entertaining origin movie with its only flaw being the adversarial showdown which wasn’t overly exciting.

8. BATMAN- Kudos to Tim Burton for putting the first serious Batman on film. Keaton was cool, Nicholson a blast and Danny Elfman’s score is one of the best in movie history. Flawed in storytelling but enough great stuff in it to make it a must see!

7. SUPERMAN- The very first epic undertaking of a superhero by a studio. Christopher Reeve was born to play the man of steel and Richard Donner will always have his place in movie history with this film. Widely regarded by other filmmakers as the way this genre should be done! 

6. SUPERMAN 2- Even better than the original as it features a terrific storyline and a great villain in Terrence Stamp as General Zod! Really a great movie!

5. SPIDERMAN- Very enjoyable origin story. Tobey McGuire was a perfect fit for Peter Parker and director Sam Raimi proved he’s is one of Hollywood’s very best talents behind the camera. 

4. SPIDERMAN 2- Fully fleshed out script and an undercurrent of sadness throughout make the sequel just about perfect.

3. UNBREAKABLE- M. Night Shylaman certainly had his mojo going strong when he made this film, perhaps creating the most original, and unique origin superhero story ever put on film. Certainly underappreciated by the masses, although many movie buffs regard it as a classic and I’m in that camp. “THEY CALL ME MR. GLASS”

2. BATMAN BEGINS- Chris Nolan was a godsend when Warner Bros handed him this dead in the water franchise. This was the first Batman movie with a fully realized story and Christian Bale was the right actor to pull it off. I loved the new Batmobile. Highly entertaining!

1. DARK KNIGHT- The most ambitious adult oriented film ever made featuring a superhero character. Stunning it in its intensityand featuring a legendary performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker. A tad bit too long but still a tremendous achievement!

August 15, 2008 Posted by | Radio Shows, Reviews | | 3 Comments

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