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The Couch Potato Report

In case you need something to watch (or avoid) this weekend.

The Couch Potato Report – April 21st, 2007
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some great Canadian inventions and two very different films about two very different American presidents.
First up this week is the DVD release of the exceptionally interesting CBC Television special THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION.
I am a technology freak. A gadget geek. I like reading about them, finding out where they came from, how they work…and I am usually one of the first people on my block to have a new item when it comes out for sale.
So it was with great excitement back on Wednesday, January 3rd, that I sat down to watch THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION, a two hour show that celebrated the finest innovations and innovators our country has ever produced.
Canadians from Coast to Coast to Coast used the CBC’s website to vote for the invention they thought was the greatest and the show counts down the top fifty, ending up at our nation’s greatest invention.
And I enjoyed this show immensely.
No, sadly, it wasn’t perfect, but I did learn alot about some unique items, some I didn’t know were Canadian.
For the record, the Lightbulb, the Telephone, Five Pin Bowling, Pacemaker, the Electric Wheelchair, Ski-Doo, Electric Oven and the Paint roller were all invented by Canadians!!
Now, I have heard of the man who hosts the show – CBC Radio’s Bob McDonald from Quirks and Quarks – a great radio invention that can be heard on CBC Radio One Saturdays – including today – from 12 am to 1 pm.
And yes, I also know who astronaut Chris Hadfield, basketball MVP Steve Nash, Playwright and Columnist Drew Hayden Taylor, home decoration specialist Debbie Travis, and writer Margaret Atwood, are, as well as several of the other commentators.
But, in all honesty, I didn’t know who some of the commentators were, and I found that worked against the show, not the inventions – the show.
However, if you already know who Mike Holmes, Mariam McDonald, Abena Otchere, Vikram Vij, and Joyce Gunhouse or Judy Cornish are you won’t have that problem.
No, THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION isn’t perfect, but what it does exceptionally well is tell us the who, when and where of these inventions.
That is why it is a must see, and a great DVD to own.
Up next this week is one movie about an American president that is worth seeing and one that you should skip.
I’ll start with the one that you should see: DEATH OF A PRESIDENT is a British made film that follows the investigation of the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush on October 19th, 2007.
This film uses actual footage of Mr. Bush, Vice President Cheny, and other top level officials and combines that with interviews with actors who are playing written roles.
The film has a great script and teh story is is told as an investigative documentary that takes place a few years into the future and examines the as-yet-unsolved crime.
There was only one time, once during DEATH OF A PRESIDENT where the illusion that this was a real documentary was broken.
I won’t tell you where that is, as perhaps you won’t notice it and you won’t fault the film at all.
For me, that was the movie’s only flaw. Otherwise, it was an exceptionally well done, and very interesting movie. It is one I think you should see, regardless of your political views of the Bush administration.
DEATH OF A PRESIDENT is about the fictional assasination of the current sitting U.S. President and I recommend you see it.
BOBBY is a film about the real assasination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a man who could have become president.
Kennedy was a great man. This is not a great film and you should ignore it.
Bobby Kennedy remains a fascinating character almost 39 years after his death, but instead of focussing on him writer-director Emilio Estevez instead uses Kennedy’s assasination as a backdrop, instead, trying to engage us with the mostly uninteresting stories of 22 people who just happened to be at the Ambassador Hotel when Kennedy was killed.
The cast of BOBBY – including Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Elijah Wood, Lindsey Lohan, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen – is quite impressive, and their acting is not at fault here.
This film could have taken place at any hotel in any city on any date.
Using the Ambassador Hotel on June 6th, 1968, is a failed attempt to give the film meaning.
It doesn’t work. The only part of BOBBY that will ever be remembered are the clips of Kennedy’s speaches that are contained in the film.
And with the events this week in Virginia and HOuston, some of his words and questions remain just as relevant as ever.
Someday there will be a great movie made about this great man, but BOBBY isn’t it.
However, it is now available on DVD alongside the fictional and interesting DEATH OF A PRESIDENT and the exceptional CBC television special THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION.
Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report
I’ll talk about Helen Mirren’s exceptional Oscar Winning performance in THE QUEEN; the spectacular documentary series PLANET EARTH; we’ll go to CHILLY BEACH, the Canadian island town where the tourists are few and the beer is plentiful; I’ll tell you why you need to ignore the DVD release of the classic television series WKRP IN CINCINNATI; and in THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW from 1955 and 56 we get to see the man at work before he made “The Tonight Show” his own.
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!