Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

A LOOK at THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123

pelham1231Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, here are the first two stills released from director Tony Scott’s remake of THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123.
While there’s certainly top notch talent involved with this new version, it will be hard to recapture the efficiency of Joseph Sergeant’s 1973 incarnation which captured everything that makes a pelham1232movie thriller great. I regard it as one of the 1970’s very best films. The new version stars Denzel Washington (looking less than trim) as the hero, NYC transit detective Lieutenant Zachary Garber, who battles the film’s villain John Travolta (Mr. Blue) who takes over a subway car and holds its passengers hostage for a large ransom. Pelham rides into theaters July 24, 2009.

January 5, 2009 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | , , | No Comments

Entertainment Today and Beyond Radio - 2009 Movie Preview

Chuck and Michael preview upcoming 2009 must-see Movies LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck
Listen when you want >Get the Radio Show RSS FEED HERE


A SPECIAL INVITATION TO LISTEN TO OUR ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND RADIO PODCAST

First off I would like to thank each and every person who has stopped by to check this site out. Since I started Entertainment Today and Beyond in June I’ve had a blast writing it. In a very competitive landscape I feel the site has given a unique perspective on Movies and TV – mine! ETB has what I believe is the most UNIQUE, best produced and highly entertaining Movie and TV Radio Podcast and I’m really proud of that fact. My radio co-host, Michael Cooper, and I have developed a great niche idea that is getting tremendous feedback from all our radio listeners. We currently broadcast a TOP 5 program (We both pick five different films) on a weekly basis which can be heard on WEW in St Louis. Our fast moving program is filled with cool audio clips, one of the TOP reasons fans keep coming back to the site. Check out our Radio Show Archive. I personally want to thank my co-host and producer Michael Cooper, as he’s done nothing short of an AMAZING job both behind the microphone and as the producer of the program. I invite you to click on and LISTEN. I Hope you enjoy what you hear and keep coming back! Let me know what you think!

January 3, 2009 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

2008 Cinescape

January 2, 2009 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

MARLEY & ME REVIEW - Spoiler Warning that involves ending!

marleyandme_galleryteaserBased on newspaper columnist John Grogan’s best selling book about his life, Marley & Me is a winning story of a married couple who wind up owning one of the most undisciplined destructive canines imaginable. While I can’t speak for non-dog lovers, I found Marley & Me to be an entertaining and moving movie that should pull in sizeable loot at the box-office. The story follows newlyweds John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan who pick out the seemingly adorable Marley from a pen of lab puppies at a discount price. As it turns out, it’s far from a steal.

From the get go it’s apparent that the dog is untrainable as he proceeds to maul, chew and stampede everything in his sight. Marley disobeying a dog trainer (Kathleen Turner, looking less than flattering) and doing his business on the beach are two of the movie’s funnier moments. Still, John and Jenny embrace him as they eventually start to build a family. As time goes by, John and Jenny change jobs, have more kids and move to new places. All while Marley remains a constant fixture in their lives - they love him despite his incorrigible behavior. While his actions continue to be frustrating and somewhat destructive he never the less remains a likeable lug.

Despite the way the film has been marketed, Marley is not always the story’s sole center of attention. Great detail goes into the Grogan’s relationship and John’s work life. This is handled in a fairly realistic way, showing the ups and downs of life and the chemistry between the two leads, which is really good. Owen Wilson is easily one of the most likable personalities in movies today and his casting is a big reason why this film works as well as it does. Alan Arkin, who plays Grogan’s eternally dry but highly likeable editor and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), who plays John’s journalist buddy, also add a lot to the film. Movies like Marley & Me will always have their distracters, with some crying emotional manipulation but I disagree! While the last 20 minutes is a true tear jerker, it certainly rings true. I, like so many others, have lost a dog and the movie ending is the way it usually plays out. While movies can stimulate many emotions like happiness and laughter, sadness is also a necessary outlet and healthy to explore. The film deals with that issue in an honest way as it explores the reality of Marley in his later years and his passing. I believe a good cry is a healthy thing and I never felt manipulated in the least. While parents might want to keep very young kids away (personally I don’t think they should), Marley & Me was an interesting journey well worth taking. While not a great film, it is a solid one that I was totally involved in and touched by. I certainly recommend it. 3.5 Zombies out of 5.

December 28, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

Entertainment Today and Beyond Radio - Best Movies of 2008

Chuck and Michael review the best movies of 2008LISTEN HERE and let us know what you want to hear about. email Chuck

December 26, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

Holiday Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OUR READERS AND LISTENERS FROM ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND

ALSO A HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOUT OUT FROM

its-a-wonderful-life-titleGEORGE BAILEY

 

 

diehard2JOHN McCLANE

 
edward-promo-006EDWARD

 

batman-penguinOSWALD

home-alone
KEVIN

 
scroogedFRANK CROSS

 

JACK CAMPBELLfamily_man_movie

 

 

gizmo-christmas-hat-suggestions

AND GIZMO

December 26, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

Will Ferrell’s LAND OF THE LOST Poster just released

landofthelost-poster-fullsize1Universal has released the poster to its summer release of LAND OF THE LOST. While the poster is fairly cool, the direction of this project is not! There’s no doubt that the original 1970’s Saturday morning television show was cheesy, but it was NOT a comedy. The concept about a modern day family transported back into prehistoric times actually had some solid Sci-fi themes and was an entertaining program that I used to watch religiously when I was a little kid. Will Ferrell obviously felt the concept would play well for laughs, so he hijacked the property. Personally, I’d rather see a film version played straight that respects the source material. This is one of the reasons I hate Ben Stiller’s Starsky and Hutch. Ferrell’s take on The Land of the Lost opens June 5, 2009. Poster comes courtesy of Cinematical

December 25, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

TOP TEN 2008 Television ITEMS worth reflecting on

true-blood-poster10. TRUE BLOOD- HBO’s vampire series was as wacky a show as I’ve seen all year, and I say that in a good way. I look forward to Season Two.

9. FX channel- With shows like Nip Tuck, Rescue Me, Damages and The Shield, the basic cable network has become a force to be reckoned with!

8. 90210- While NOT quite as good as the original Beverly Hills 90210, it’s not the disaster many predicted. It’s actually very watchable entertainment that should get better as it goes along.

smalls8-loisclark7. SMALLVILLE- The long running program has received a nice creative rebound this season. The new focus on the budding romantic relationship between Lois and Clark has put renewed energy into the show. Personally, I think Tom Welling would make a great big screen man of steel.

6. BROTHERS AND SISTERS- Not since Knots Landing in the 1980’s has Television seen such fun nighttime guilty pleasure. Sally Field and the rest of the cast have chemistry in spades. My only question is - how many family dinners can these characters have? 

5. GREYS ANATOMY- For the record, I still like the show, but in many aspects it’s jumped the shark. Already this season we’ve seen a main greysanatomycharacter sleeping with a ghost and interns operating on each other. Bizarre stuff indeed. Not to mention the behind the scenes unhappiness of a few of their high profile cast members. Still, its one of televisions biggest hits, attracting more than 15 million viewers a week!     

4. JAY LENO- The announcement of a 5 night a week 10 PM  timeslot for Leno starting next year was not only a shocker, but proof network executives are grasping at straws to solve their ratings erosion problem.

3. DEXTER- For the third straight year this Showtime program dexter_lcontinued to WOW. The addition of Jimmy Smits was a brilliant move as his star power proved to work beautifully against our serial killer hero, Dexter Morgan’s, quiet confidence. Michael C. Hall continues to be a revelation in the title role.

2. LOST- If there is a show with writers that have more imagination that these guys please let me know. I continue to be amazed at how they keep the program fascinating each and every episode. Quality that should be applauded.

1. NETWORK RATINGS- Quite simply, they continue to slide. With competition from cable (both basic and pay) and the internet, network ratings continue to slide. The Leno move is the first real sign that Executives are throwing up the red flag with no answer in sight!

December 23, 2008 Posted by chuckcurry | Reviews | | No Comments

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