The Couch Potato Report – December 16th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a joyeux noel, the end of silence, a beerfest, Robin Hood, Miami vice and more!
There are many films and programs that people watch every year at Christmas. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and SCROOGED are just five examples, but I could easily make the list a dozen titles long.
Now, there is a new film for you to watch every December, its called JOYEUX NOEL.
On December 24, 1914 a spontaneous, unscheduled, and unapproved truce took place between German, French and Scottish soldiers along the front lines during the first World War.
The soldiers exchanged cigarettes, food and alcohol, played soccer, and allowed the removal and burial of dead soldiers from no mans land.
JOYEUX NOEL is a French-made film with subtitles that is a fictionalized account of this truce.
I think that JOYEUX NOEL is a wonderful film and it will be a film I watch every year with the other Holiday themed movies I enjoy, but before you think the whole film is warm and fuzzy, it does take place during war, and the film does begin with the brutal realities of same.
But as night falls on Christmas Eve, the fighting stops and the best part of the movie begins, and that good stuff includes music.
JOYEUX NOEL is a beautiful film and i fyou are looking for a new classic to enjoy this holiday season, search it out.
And if you are looking for a quite, odd, yet somehow interesting Canadian film try and find THE END OF SILENCE.
THE END OF SILENCE is an interesting, slow moving story about a Russian ballerina and her new relationship with an antiques salesman…and his ex-wife.
Canadian singer Sarah Harmer plays the ex-wife, and she does a decent acting job.
Decent is also the word I would use to describe the whole film – it isn’t great, it isn’t horrible, it isn’t good, it isn’t bad…it is decent.
It is a movie about what isn’t said and what happens in the silent space between words.
THE END OF SILENCE isn’t anywhere near one of the best films of the year, but I still enjoyed it.
THE END OF SILENCE uses good acting and writing to tell it’s story, our next film eschews both of those things. Instead, it uses beer
As we move now into a brief recap of some other films that came out over the past few weeks, I start with BEERFEST, the latest film from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe and the people who gave us SUPER TROOPERS.
In BEERFEST two brothers travel to Germany for Oktoberfest, only to stumble upon a secret, centuries-old competition described as a “Fight Club” with beer games.
If you like movies that are very funny at times, and not funny at all at other times, than this sophmoric movie is for you. Otherwise, ignore it.
As a fan of the eighties TV series MIAMI VICE I couldn’t ignore the fact that there was a movie version of the series released to theatres this year.
And now that movie is a DVD with a different version of the film that played in theatres.
MIAMI VICE, the show and the movie, are about Sonny Crocket and Ricardo Tubbs, two undercover cops in Miami.
I loved and love the TV series and when I saw the film version of MIAMI VICE in theatres I have to admit I didn’t care for it.
But the version of the movie that appears on DVD is much better, and very reminicent of the series that spawned it.
If you have enjoyed the movies HEAT and COLLATERAL, two other movies directed by Michael Mann, then I think you’ll enjoy the DVD version of MIAMI VICE, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crocket and Tubbs.
Another movie that came out while I was away is Walt Disney’s classic animated version of ROBIN HOOD
Walt Disney’s version of ROBIN HOOD came out when I was 5, and everytime I watch it I feel that old again, and I like that feeling.
Plus, this new MOST WANTED EDITION has a newly restored picture, so it it looks and sounds better than ever.
Now, the final movie I have for you is PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST.
I had planned to offer my thoughts and opinions on this second film in the theatrical series about Captain Jack Sparrow, William Turner and Elizabeth Swann, but on the first day it was released it sold almost 5 million DVDs.
Then, in it’s first week of release, it sold over 10 and a half million copies, making it the biggest home video debut of any new release this year.
DEAD MAN’S CHEST is now poised to become the number one live-action DVD of all time, an honour that currently belongs to the original PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN that went on to sell more than 18 million units.
So, with all of the attention and sales that it is garnering, why do I bother telling you about the film? I mean, does it really need any attention at all from me?
Well, normally I wouldn’t bother, but I just enjoyed the darn film so much, I felt like sharing.
Plus, it gives me another opportunity to tell my favourite pirate joke of all time:
What is a pirates favourite letter of the alphabet? Arrrrrrrrrrr!!
Ah, I love that Joke!
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAN MAN’S CHEST, ROBIN HOOD – THE MOST WANTED EDITION, MIAMI VICE and BEERFEST are all available on now on DVD, along with the enjoyable Canadian movie THE END OF SILENCE and the new Holiday classic JOYEUX NOEL.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I will discuss the two highest grossing Canadian films of all time BON COP BAD COP and PORKY’S because they are both new on DVD and I’ll also tell you about a television show called KENNY VS SPENNY that I just couldn’t stop watching, even when I really wanted to!!
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!
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