Entertainment Today and Beyond

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ETB Radio: PUSH, Paul Blart: MALL COP, Must See DVD Releases

Push, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Dakota Fanning’s future and Must See DVD releases LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck

January 23, 2009 Posted by | Radio Shows | , , , | Leave a Comment

IRON MAN 2 news, 2012 release pushed back, AUSTRALIA performing overseas and ratings for HOUSE and FRINGE

ironman_logoIron Man 2 news- According to Variety, actor Mickey Rourke has been offered $250,000 to play the villain in the sequel to the comic book blockbuster. Considering Rourke is coming off critical acclaim for his role in The Wrestler it appears to me that this offer is an insult. While studios are making cutbacks just like every other corporation in this country, I’m still shocked at this number and would be surprised if he takes it. Marvel continues to make some of the strangest negotiating deals I’ve ever seen on this project, playing hardball with everyone from director, Jon Favreau, to Terrence Howard, and recently Sam Jackson. One has to wonder what kind of catering service will be used when production gets underway. LOL

Sony has pushed back the release date on Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic 2012 from July 10 to Nov 13, 2009. The studio is claiming that the film fits its Tentpole need at the backend of the year and gives the production team more time for all its extensive special effects. John Cuscak, Woody Harrelson and Amanda Peet star.   

Australia- While director Baz Luhrmann’s epic film sputtered at the box-office here ($48,037,928), it has managed to do much better overseas. The movie, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, has grossed $118,500,000 abroad, giving it a combined total of $166,537,928 on a production Budget of $130,000,000. I really enjoyed Australia and hope its gains more popularity on DVD. It’s well worth seeing!

House- Fox received an almost 3 million viewer ratings boost on Monday night for its hit show House. The program pulled in 15 million viewers, up from the 12 million who were watching it on Tuesday nights in the fall. While I like House, I don’t consider it a must see any more. I’m still disappointed that the writers have failed to explore in any real detail what makes the Hugh Laurie character tick outside of the office.

Fringe- Fox’s Fringe returned Tuesday night attracting 12 million. That’s an increase of around 3 million viewers with American Idol as its new lead in. Fringe is a must see show. It’s a very unique and fascinating program with a solid cast lead by actress Anna Torv, who is terrific as the programs lead FBI Agent Olivia Dunham.

January 21, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

12 ROUNDS TRAILER

twelve-roundsHere’s a LOOK at the trailer to the latest WWE theatrical effort, 12 ROUNDS, starring wrestler John Cena. This action film, directed by Renny Harlin, revolves around a cat and mouse game between a cop and a serial killer. I’m a Harlin fan and think the guy has gotten a bad rap in Hollywood. Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a great action film, Cliffhanger is one of Stallone’s best, Long Kiss Goodnight is an underrated gem and Deep Blue Sea is terrific b-movie fun. Now he’s a hired gun directing a wrestler for producer Vince McMahon. 12 Rounds will be released by 20th Century Fox March 27, 2009.

January 21, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , | 3 Comments

MY BLOODY VALENTINE scores at box-office, GRAN TORINO still flying high, One year anniversary of the passing of HEATH LEDGER and LOST returns this week

mybloodyvalentine3d_galleryMY BLOODY VALENTINE – Lionsgate got the solid opening ($21.9 million) it badly needed out of horror film, My Bloody Valentine, which is the remake of the 1981 film of the same name. Reviews were generally positive for the 3-D film which is a lot of fun and a nifty throwback to the way this genre was done in the late 70’s and 80’s. Unlike the slick looking and mostly hollow watered down horror product being produced nowadays, Valentine really looks and feels like it was made two decades ago. I must say it was great to see Tom Atkins back in this genre. The actor, now 73 years old, is a pure joy. A veteran of films like The Fog, Halloween 3 and the classic B-film, Night of the Creeps (his line “Thrill Me” is as good as it gets), is a welcome addition to any film. I give My Bloody Valentine 3.5 out of 5 zombies. It’s a fun time at the movies. With recent Box-office bombs like Punisher War zone and The Spirit, Lionsgate should do what it does best and stick with the horror.

GRAN TORINO- Clint’s terrific film held up great week to week, dropping off less than 25% in ticket-sales. With a total of $73 million at the box-office and great word of mouth, the film should pull in over $125 million before all is said and done. That on a production budget of $25 million. One has to think that there’s a studio exec at Warner Bros asking Eastwood if he would consider doing a sixth Dirty Harry film. It won’t happen but I’m still sure they’re asking!

THE WRESTLER- Fox Searchlight will expand the critically hailed film onto 400 screens this weekend. It’s currently playing on only 144. The film has grossed $5,062,000 to date.

THE DARK KNIGHT- On Friday Warner Bros will re-release the highest grossing film of 2008 into 200 theaters across the country, including IMAX.

heath1HEATH LEDGER- This Thursday marks the one year anniversary of his tragic and senseless death. Entertainment Weekly has done a 22 page retrospective that is well done and certainly worth reading. It’s on stands now. I first really became aware of Ledger when I went to see The Patriot in the summer of 2000. Ledger was really good playing the son of Mel Gibson in the Roland Emmerich film about the beginning stages of the American Revolution. He showed some serious screen presense. While I enjoyed Ledger in subsequent films like A Knights Tale and Brokeback Mountain, I – like many – was perplexed when it was announced he would play the Joker in The Dark Knight. I just didn’t see him in that role. Like many I was blown away by his work in the Chris Nolan sequel as it’s a performance that will be talked about for decades to come. Movies will miss Heath Ledger!

LOST- Reminder: the ABC series returns this Wednesday night for season number 5. There’s little doubt in my mind that Lost is one of the very best programs ever produced and it’s a must see event.

January 19, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News, Reviews | , , | 1 Comment

Entertainment Today and Beyond Radio: Clint Eastwood: Gran Torino and other classics & The Worst of 2008!

Chuck and Michael talk Gran Torino and Clint Eastwood’s other must-see films – plus a review of 2008′s worst at the box-office LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck

January 17, 2009 Posted by | Radio Shows | , | 1 Comment

Matthijs van Heijningen to direct The Thing prequel and Army of the Dead, X-Men Origins: Wolverine re-shoot

According to Bloody Disgusting, Dutch director Matthijs van Heijningen (The Black Meteor) is now set to helm Strike and Universal’s Prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter Horror movie, The Thing. Carpenter’s film, starring Kurt Russell, was not a box-office hit when it was released the same weekend as Steven Spielberg’s E.T. but, over the years, has built a strong fan base who regard the film as a classic in its genre. While it’s sort of a shame that they never made a sequel with Russell years ago, I hope this director stays focused on strong and interesting actors to star in his new film. The quality of his actors was one of the main reasons Carpenter’s version is so good, alongside its great visual effects. Director Heijningen is also attached to producer Zach Snyder’s epic Zombie film “Army of the Dead”, to be set in Las Vegas. It’s clear this guy must have some real talent to be attached to these two genre projects, as he has no real track record that fans can identify with.

With word coming out Friday that Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie cast and crew are going back in January to film what is being called extensive re-shoots, one has to wonder exactly what that will mean for the final product. While Director, Gavin Hood, will be doing the re-shoots himself it’s been no secret that there had been creative disputes between him and Fox CEO, Tom Rothman, during the movies principal photography. While many blog site writers did cartwheels when the movie trailer was released last month, I had serious reservations. While I like Hugh Jackman, I think making a character with claws coming out of his hands the star of the show is not an easy thing for a writer and director to pull off unless it’s a Freddy Krueger film. It now appears that it needs some major tinkering, which in many instances means trouble for the movie as a whole. Not always, but more times than not.

January 17, 2009 Posted by | Reviews | , | Leave a Comment

Steve McQueen Bio picture, Ricardo Montelban remembered, Mickey Rourke’s Golden Globe, Nip Tuck’s new season

Paramount Pictures and producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters have announced plans for a Bio-pic on STEVE MCQUEEN. The story will be based on the 1993 biography Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel and will follow his Hollywood life, his love of motorcycles and also deal with his off-screen antics, including drug experimentation. There’s NO doubt that McQueen was a true Icon and one of the very best screen personas the business has ever seen. To understand that just look at his performance in the 1974 disaster classic The Towering Inferno and see how much he elevated that film simply by his presence. Two other big McQueen favorites of mine were The Great Escape (simply sensational) and The Blob, his first starring role (his stature elevated this B-movie into a genre classic).

Ricardo Montelban- The world lost another DECENT human being on Wednesday when the 88 year old actor passed away. While many know him best for his classic television series, Fantasy Island, or as the great villain Khan in the Star Trek 2, I must admit I’m pretty partial to his ultra-likeable turn in a supporting role as the Zoo Keeper, Armando, in Escape from the Planet of the Apes. R.I.P. Mr. Montelban.

Mickey Rourke- It’s been fun watching Mickey do the talk show circuit after winning the Golden Globe best actor award for his terrific turn in The Wrestler. While watching him on Jay Leno a few days ago it was hard not to think of Rourke at this stage in his life as sort of a real life Rocky Balboa. He comes across as this big, somewhat lovable, lug who speaks his mind in a very honest and refreshing way. I remember sitting in a movie theater almost two decades ago watching “Johnny Handsome” and saying to myself that this guy really has it. You simply can’t watch The Wrestler and NOT see the character of Randy “The Ram” Robinson through the eyes of Rourke’s real life journey.

Nip Tuck- After watching the first two episodes of the newest season on the FX channel the show remains my favorite television guilty pleasure. No other program has that combination of pure entertainment mixed with moments that make you cringe. When watching it you simply never know what will happen next as the writers play by NO rules. I really believe actor Julian McMahon’s Christian Troy is as interesting and complex of a character as we’ve seen on TV in quite some time. He is great in the role.

January 17, 2009 Posted by | Reviews | , , , | Leave a Comment

The Karate Kid Remake, Watchman problems, Gran Torino Oscar-buzz, Chelsea Cinema

The Karate Kid remake:  According to Variety, Jackie Chan will take on the role of Mr. Miyagi in the already announced remake of The Karate Kid. While Chan is an entertaining guy and a great martial artist he is NOT an actor. Pat Morita, who played the character in four films, received an Oscar nomination for the 1984 original. His performance was quite memorable. With Will Smith’s son Jaden already aboard as the film’s lead this appears to be a project that seems misguided at best. Jaden is only ten years old which makes him a decade younger than Ralph Macchio when he appeared in the first film in the series. While I’m open minded on most remakes this one just seems so unnecessary especially with this absurd casting.

With Warner Bros starting to promote its March release of WATCHMEN I’m still NOT sold that this will be as big with the masses as many seem to think. YES it’s getting a ton of hype on most movie blog sites but so did Snakes on a Plane. While I fully understand that the graphic novel it’s based on has a great reputation, and its director Zach Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) is a talent, the trailers have NO emotional impact whatsoever. Visually interesting no doubt, but so far they don’t excite me. I just don’t see the non fan-boy crowd looking at this as a must see attraction, unless of course the film opens to rave reviews which is always a possibility. At this point Warner Bros needs to do a better job showing a compelling storyline. Its current trailers and TV spots have failed to do that – at least to this point.

Coming off its big weekend at the box-office, I have a strong gut feeling that Clint Eastwood’s GRAN TORINO might get an Oscar nomination for best picture. While I’m confident Eastwood will get a nod for best actor, I feel there is at least a 50/50 chance that the film itself will be nominated.

For anybody who is in the NYC area, the Chelsea Cinema on 23rd St and 7th Ave, host of the Weekly Clearview Classic series is putting a fan favorite back up on the BIG screen. They will show the 1972 disaster classic, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, Sat January 24 at 10 pm. I just bought a ticket online and can’t wait to see it again. As many know who read this blog it’s my all time FAVORITE movie.  Visit Clearview Cinemas

January 14, 2009 Posted by | Reviews | , , , | 2 Comments

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