The Couch Potato Report

Today’s New Releases
This week in The Couch Potato Report – some cartoon friends I used to spend every Saturday morning with and a new cartoon that doesn’t quite work.
Foist up, its Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and that’s not all folks!
Regardless of the fact that they haven’t appeared in a new cartoon that’s worthy of their legacy in years the Looney Tunes are still the highest standard in animation.
They’re the fabulously funny friends we grew up with every Saturday morning on TV! And if you didn’t grow up with them personally, I bet you know someone who did.
Now, 56 of the very best animated shorts ever created have been released on DVD for the first time ever in THE LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION!
This four-DVD collection is a great chance for cartoon-lovers eager to re-live the golden age of animation. More importantly, its a chance for us to have Saturday morning anytime we’d like.
In addition to the cartoons the set includes an exclusive amount of bonus features from expert commentaries to insights into the evolution of these classic characters.
THE LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION is the ultimate animated experience for anyone who’s ever made their own breakfast, let their parents sleep in, and couldn’t wait to hear our friend Bugs query: “Ehhh? what’s up, Doc?”
While we were getting up early on Saturday mornings, some of our parents were sleeping in because they were up late on Friday nights watching The Hulk.
In the late 1970’s the comic book character THE HULK became a TV show. In 2003 it became a movie.
Did I like it? Well, I didn’t hate it.
Will you like it? I’m not sure.
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The character of the Hulk first appeared in 1962 in comic books. No matter its incarnation the story is still the same: A man exposed to radiation changes into a big green hulk when he gets angry.
In the TV show actor Lou Ferrigno played the Hulk. In this movie version the Hulk is computer generated. Highly sophisticated computer animation was used to create the character and although it wasn’t totally believable, it was pretty good.
The human side of THE HULK, the Jekyll and Hyde dichotomy of Bruce Banner, the man behind the hulk, was pretty good too.
But overall, something was missing from THE HULK. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.
Director Ang Lee successfully combined action and drama in COUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, but he didn’t quite pull off that same combination in THE HULK.
So I guess I can’t fully recommend THE HULK to you, unless you are a fan of the comic, or TV series, or are just curious.
As I mentioned, THE HULK is known by some as a 1970’s TV series. Two more recent TV shows are also new releases this week.
THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON OF THE SOPRANOS features all 13 episodes of the widely debated fourth season of this incredible show. I thought Season Four contained too much yakking instead of whacking, and way too much domestic family over business Family, but what are you gonna do. Even a mediocre season of THE SOPRANOS is better than 90% of everything else out there.
In most minds that 90% includes MARRIED…WITH CHILDREN. But if you need to own the escapades of Al, Peg, Kelly and Bud Bundy that you’ll be happy to know that MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is now available to own.
THE LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION, THE HULK, THE SOPRANOS: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON and MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON are available in stores right now.
COMING NEXT WEEK
Finding Nemo – A father and son clown fish become separated in the most successful animated film of all time. (Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ellen DeGeneres)
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde – Elle Woods heads to Washington to initiate legislation in this horrible follow-up to one of the most charming movies ever made. (Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Bob Newhart)
Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights – A coach and marketing guy join forces to coach a team in Sandler’s first foray into animation. Lets hope he doesn’t have a second. (Adam Sandler, Kevin Nealon, James Barbour)
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you on the couch!