The Couch Potato Report – May 21st, 2005
This week The Couch Potato Report features television shows, movies, puppets and white noise.
When I am not working, spending time with friends, at the movies, golfing, skating, exercising, or doing something else, I can usually be found watching TV.
I like watching TV and one of my current favourites is SCRUBS.
SCRUBS is a comedy about a group of young doctors who are trying to live their lives, and adjust to the demands of working at a busy hospital.
J.D. is the idealistic one who also narrates the show, Turk is the surgical intern and Elliot is their very talented, yet neurotic friend.
Rounding out the cast is Karla, the knowledgeable, sarcastic nurse; the tough and demanding Dr. Cox; the pompous, condescending Dr. Kelso; and the janitor.
He is a great secondary character who delights in tormenting the idealistic J.D.
Every member of SCRUBSí cast is superb and the show has a goofy sense of humour and lots of snappy dialogue and visual jokes.
And now, much to the delight of my friends and I, SCRUBS ñ THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is now available in a three-DVD box set.
In a day and age when lesser quality shows get more press and better ratings, this box set is a great chance to catch up on what youíve been missing.
Or if you love the show as much as everyone I know does, then you can enjoy it as much as we do!
The characters on SCRUBS are all well developed and the situations are both hilarious and touching, often at the same time.
SCRUBS is my current favourite show on TV not called THE SIMPSONS, and if you have been complaining that the latter show hasnít made you laugh for years, then I suggest you spend some time with J.D., Turk, Elliot, Karla, Dr. Cox, Dr. Kelso and The Janitor.
They, and their show, are quirky, hilarious, and smart.
Yes, SCRUBS is my current favourite TV series. From 1990 to 1998 my favourite TV show was SEINFELD.
SEINFELDís 1992-1993 series is still the best season that any TV show has ever had. During that year the show was simply the best thing on television, and that includes THE SIMPSONS!
That one season gave us all of these classic, often quoted episodes:
√¨The Bubble Boy√Æ where George plays a game of Trivial Pursuit with the bubble boy and they get into a fight; √¨The Contest√Æ between George, Jerry, Kramer and Elaine all betting to see who can go the longest without doing…that; √¨The Pick√Æ where Jerry’s girlfriend thinks she caught him picking her nose; √¨The Outing√Æ√ñ √´not that there is anything wrong with that√≠; √¨The Implant√Æ features Jerry dumping his girlfriend when Elaine tells him that her breasts are fake and the classic √´double-dip√≠ line and then there is √¨The Junior Mint√Æ where Jerry can’t remember the name of his girlfriend, only that it rhymes with the word for a female body part.
This season really had it all!
And now, all of it is available on the four-disc DVD box set SEINFELD ñ SEASON FOUR.
The writing was unparalleled and Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards were all at the top of their game. There just isnít a bad episode in the entire box set.
SEINFELD ñ SEASON FOUR was brilliant in 1992-1993 and in 2005 it still is!
Since itís debut in 1997, many people have also called the TV show SOUTH PARK brilliant. It is not quite as brilliant as SEINFELD, but it also remains funny to this day.
Now the creators of SOUTH PARK have given us the hilarious puppet film TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. Yes, for the record, I said ìhilarious puppet film.î
In fact, even the filmís rating contains a reference to the fact that the film features puppets. The film is rated ìR Рfor graphic, crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language; all involving puppets.î
If the fact that TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE features puppets, and the fact that it is from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of SOUTH PARK, interests you, then you should see this parody of big budget Hollywood action blockbusters.
If it doesnít, then stay away from it, trust me, you wonít find it hilarious, witty, clever or interesting. And, with all due respect to your intelligence, you certainly wonít get the fact that it is a parody.
You will think it is dumb, stupid, sophomoric and a waste of your time.
As for me, I thought it was disgustingly hilarious! Yes, it was moronic and even though it appealed to my most infantile and immature side, I still liked it. I like SOUTH PARK and I liked TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE.
As I said a moment ago, it is a ìhilarious puppet film.î
If that sort of thing doesnít appeal to you, then allow me to suggest the Academy Award nominated film KINSEY instead.
KINSEY is the cinematic telling of the flawed but honorable man who revolutionized our understanding of human sexuality. Liam Neeson plays Indiana University researcher Alfred Kinsey, and the always superb Laura Linney is his understanding and supportive wife.
She was justifiably nominated for Best Supporting Actress at Februaryís Academy Awards for her work in this picture.
KINSEY has humour, charm, and intelligence. I enjoyed seeing it, and finding out more about the man who was Alfred Kinsey.
The movie isnít perfect, and the film doesnít have a great deal of narrative tension, but it is well written and acted.
In this instance, that is enough for me.
Plus, you will usually hear me recommend any movie that Laura Linney is in. She is one of the best actresses of this generation!
You will also usually hear me recommend any movie that Michael Keaton is in, well, a few years ago you would have anyway.
Between 1982 and 1989 Keaton starred in the superb NIGHT SHIFT, MR. MOM, GUNG HO, BEATLE JUICE, THE DREAM TEAM, BATMAN and PACIFIC HEIGHTS.
Since then, he appeared in the good, but not great MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE PAPER, SPEECHLESS, MULTIPLICITY, JACKIE BROWN and OUT OF SIGHT.
Yes, along the way, he has had his share of bad movies as well, but his good ones were ñ and are ñ just so good that the bad ones can be forgiven and forgotten.
In recent years, Keaton has been doing less and less film work, so earlier this year when it was announced that he was returning to theatres in WHITE NOISE, I was hoping he was coming back to comedies.
Sadly, WHITE NOISE isnít a comedy, but it was still good to see Keatonís energy on screen again!
In WHITE NOISE he is a man who tries to contact his dead wife through images and voices that are recordable on a variety of electronic media such as VCRs and computers.
In real life, according to paranormal researchers, this is actually possible.
In real life it might be possible, but what happens in WHITE NOISE seems possible, but not plausible.
However, even with its plot holes, WHITE NOISE has enough spooky moments and scenes to make it worth your time… if you are a fan of supernatural thrillers.
If not, you probably won’t care for it at all.
As for me, I found it just such a treat to see Michael Keaton in a film again that I liked WHITE NOISE.
You wonít proclaim WHITE NOISE to be an all time classic, but you will probably enjoy it.
I did!
I also enjoyed KINSEY, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, SEINFELD ñ THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON and SCRUBS ñ THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and they are all available now.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT is the story of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. Leonardo DiCaprio stars and Martin Scorsese directs the Academy Award nominated THE AVIATOR.
Coming up in two weeks, the classic 80s TV series MOONLIGHTING debuts on DVD with a six-disc box set that includes Seasons 1 and 2!
Iím Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE AVIATOR, and some other releases in seven days and MOONLIGHTING in fourteen days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next week on The Couch!
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