The Worst Film Ever

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is one of my favorite shows in 1990's. Aired on CBS from 1996 to 2000, the show follows the adventures of Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler) who mysteriously receives a newspaper before it is actually published and with this knowledge tries to prevent terrible future events in Chicago, IL. Sometimes he would need the help of his pals such as stockbroker Charles Fishman (Fisher Stevens) and blind girl Marissa Clark (Shanésia Davis-Williams). Charles Fishman is the glue that held the show together in my opinion. He was funny, and somewhat had depth in his character arch. He like helping people, but he also would like to make profit out of knowing events out of the newspaper. While Gary Hobson was the Boy Scout superhero of the group, Marisa acts like Gary's self-appointed conscience in the show. The characters were likable, and all too human at times, making them even more likable. The show was more likable with the Chicago atmosphere. Each episodes was pretty different from the rest, as some episodes tend to follow the same repeated patterns. One week it was humorous and the next heartbreaking. In my opinion, from all the four seasons, there are a few episodes that do stated out. The first one is the Season 1, Episode 2, "The Choice", where Gary faces a difficult decision of choosing between stopping a fatal plane crash or saving the life of a young girl. It was such an emotional episode that deals with Sofia Choice dilemmas. Any dilemma where choosing one cherished person or thing over the other will result in the death or destruction of the other makes great watching. Season 1, Episode 3, "Baby" is also a pretty good episode, rather than being emotional and intense. This movie shows the funny side of the show, with the newspaper telling Chuck that we will delivered twins on the L and him trying to avoid any pregnant women throughout the whole day. It made me laugh. Other episodes that were interesting were when Gary travel back into time like Season 2, Episode 21 "Hot Time in the Old Town" & Season 4, Episode "Everybody Goes to Rick's" where Gary witness events such as 1871's The Great Chicago Fire and 1929's St. Valentine Massacre. A great deal of guest stars came into the show such as Coolio, Robert Ebert, George Takei, and probably the best one of all, Louis Gossett, Jr. who gave an amazing performance in Season 2, Episode 2, "The Medal" playing a Vietnam Vet with Posttraumatic stress disorder. I didn't like the cross-overs episodes like the one with the cast of 'Chicago Hope' or 'Martial Law'. I thought those were really dumb. Some of the Season 3 and Season 4 episodes got really childish and extremely repetitive. Still, writers Vik Rubenfeld and Pat Page did a great job on the show, not only in bringing new modern day fantasy concept to television, but also making it entertaining. I don't believe that the creators based the show, on the 1944 feature film 'It Happened Tomorrow' a film that centered upon a newspaper reporter who received a newspaper a day in advance. I think it just happens that two people in two different eras had the same idea. It was a bit funny, how the show came to be. The creators pitch the show to Tristar by having mock newspaper created just for the meeting, and didn't tell any of the producers about it. When the producers read it, they found out that they were reading tomorrow newspapers. Thus, that is how the show was created based on the accounts of the writers. In the end of season two Chuck (Fisher Stevens) leaves the show as a regular character, leading to some major changes in season three. He left to do some movie roles in New York City. While Fisher Stevens did the voice opinion during the opening and closing of each episode. The device of his voice-over narration was shifted to at first Gary and then Marissa in season three. Soon the theme song was changed. The addition of Kristy Swanson was add to Season 3, to add a love interest to Gary Hobson. She does her role alright, but it's not a ground breaking performance. Despite that, the show still had strong ratings and loyal fan base but, CBS pull the plug in Season 4. At less, Early Edition was able to wrap the show up with the final episode unlike other shows, explaining the backstory of the newspaper and why Gary gets it. Plus, it made room, just in case if anybody willing to reboot, a story explaining why Gary give up the newspaper to somebody else. The show was canceled to make room for reality shows that CBS is coming out. With canceling Early Edition, Survivor (2000) became the hit show that year. While Season 1 & 2 might be easier to find, sadly as of this writing. Season 3 and 4 hasn't been release to DVD sells. Since Sony Pictures Home Entertainment owns the international DVD rights to the show, people in other country might not see any releases for a long time. I like how the show is titled in some of these countries. In Canada, it's known as Dinsdale's Folly and in Hungary, it's known as the chosen - The American prophet, In Germany, it's known as Alone Against The Future and wow, these titles are way off. Still, the show can be seen in reruns such channels like TV Guide Network as of this writing. It's appropriate for nearly everybody. Plus, it had a cute cat. So get out there and find the Early Edition. It's would watching.

Why "Early Edition" never got much attention I'll never know, because it was brilliant. I mean that without exaggeration; if ever a show deserved to be called brilliant, this is it. The concept alone was genius, because it was an attention-grabbing idea that didn't need much explanation... a guy gets a peek into the future each day through the local newspaper, and it's up to him to set things right. The writing was amazing, alternating between comedy and suspense. Some episodes were hilarious, and others were downright scary.The thing I most admired about the show, I think, was the way it never ran out of ideas. A concept as simple as this one could get stale fast, and to tell the truth the show probably would have gone downhill if it had run longer, but during its four years it was always coming up with new twists and variations on the central idea. What if Gary had to save someone he didn't want to save? What if Gary had jury duty and couldn't leave his hotel to save people? What if Gary's paper was accidentally destroyed? What if Gary's not the only one who gets tomorrow's paper? Each episode had a cool new story that always made it fun to watch.The three cast members were great, too. Kyle Chandler's Gary is probably the nicest character in TV history, and he had perfect chemistry with his friends Chuck and Marissa (how many shows have a blind black woman as a main character)? Even when Chuck left the show and other characters came and went, the two leads held it up all by themselves. I used to watch this every weekend on CBS, and I still miss it. Ah, good times.(P.S. I can't believe this isn't on DVD yet. CBS, what is wrong with you!?)

Like my header says, I really am not surprised that CBS pulled the plug on EE. The show had potential to be so much more, but it was more or less the same every episode. It would start with Gary waking up at 06:30 to the sound of the cat meowing and the thud of the paper hitting the floor. He would then read the headlines and you just knew that everything would be put right by the end of the episode. They would occasionally make it so that Gary wouldn't save the day, but those episodes were so rare, you could count them on one hand. Fisher Stevens even said himself that it got boring playing the same note over and over. In fact, the shows predictability was one the reasons why he left at the end of the second season. Then there were the many implausibility's and appalling continuity. Here are some examples:1. Gary broke his leg in the episode 'Where or When,' yet in the following episode 'The Fourth Carpathian,' he was perfectly fine and there was no mention of his injury nor was it ever brought up in the rest of the series.2. Marissa's blindness is also a mystery. First of all (in the pilot), she had been blind since birth, but in other episodes, she had lost her sight in early childhood and had some memory of being able to see.3. The steps that were present outside McGinty's throughout the first season disappeared at the start of season two and never reappeared. They were even missing in 'Everybody Goes to Rick's,' an episode from the fourth season that took place in 1929, long before Gary bought the place.4. It had been established that the headlines in the newspaper changed when Gary altered the timeline, but in 'Time,' when Gary found Luscious Snow's old papers, the headlines telling of Gary's death were still present, despite the fact that Luscious had saved Gary. The newspaper should have read 'Stranger prevents boy from being knocked down' or words to that affect.There are so many more blunders like this that it would be impossible for me to enumerate them. If you want a quality drama with a character that puts right what once went wrong, then watch 'Quantum Leap.' And Oh.... Boy, speaking of QL, Sam Beckett should sue Gary Hobson for stealing his catchphrase. Don't waste your time with this!

CBS didn't give a damn about but it stole our hearts anyway! Kyle Chandler is Gary Hobson, a mistreated stockbroker who gets an unusual gift.His wife dumps him on their wedding anniversary and he moves to a run down hotel where he starts getting tomorrow's newspaper today delivered by a cat.Oh it's funny,it serious, Gary has two friends who can steal the show since they're both excellent too. S*P*O*I*L*E*R for movie "It Happened Tomorrow"Having said that I had read a post saying this show was based on the movie "It Happened Tomorrow" (1944)starring Dick Powell.I bought the DVD and the poster is right.I don't why isn't mentioned in the background of the show but it's more than just a similar idea.In the movie the old man brings the newspaper instead of a cat.He appears mysteriously like the cat at a unusual time and he's dead just as Snow is. The guy that gets the paper is named Larry instead of Gary and he works at the paper writing obituaries.Actually if the show had had Gary working at the paper he would have had an easier time of getting to his appointments. Larry also does what Gary did in the pilot.Used the paper for quick money by playing the winning race results at the track to get a large sum of money quick.Only Gary's motive was different.Larry was a combination of Gary and Chuck.He also saved someone after he asked Pops to read him the story.One other thing in the movie and done on the show-A want ad is read for a job.When the party inquires he is told no job exist,then a person is fired right on the spot and the boss says put an ad in tomorrow's paper!Oh, and Pops worked at the paper just like Snow,only he kept the obituary records.Little things that go on in the movie have been used in the show.Like the episode when Gary reads his own obituary.That happens in the movie too but it's done better.Much more lighthearted and clever.There's also a connection between Larry and a hotel in town.The movie also had the trio-Larry(Gary),a lovable con man,the Prof(Chuck)and a romantic interest who knew about Larry special paper,Sylvia(Marissa).I have always said Marissa was Gary's love interest and I think had she not been African-American the show would have gone that way. I still love the show but someone should have given credit to the person who's idea the movie was based on.Here are the credits from the movie.Rene Clair's "It Happened Tomorrow" Screenplay and Adaption by;Dudley Nichols and Rene Clairoriginals by:Lord Dunsany,Hugh Wedlock & Howard Synder and ideas of Lewis R Foster