The Couch Potato Report – December 5th, 2009
This week The Couch Potato Report peels thieves with sticky fingers, a man with great hands, and the girl from Monaco.
The Report begins this week with the Quebec made film STICKY FINGERS.
Roy Dupuis from THE ROCKET and the television series LA FEMME NIKITA stars in this film as a thief, who recruits his old gang to pull off the ìcrime of the centuryî.
Unfortunately, on the night of the robbery, the police show up, but there is a back-up plan ñ one of the robbers is chosen by the group to escape with the two million dollars.
However, after serving four years in prison, the other thieves learn upon their release that they will only get their share of the loot on two conditions – they have to walk a pilgrimage of 830 kilometres, and above all they must have changed their ways and become good people.
STICKY FINGERS features some twists and turns that you might not see coming, and it has a fun and interesting cast.
Unfortunately, it also features some very predictable scenes, and it moves very slow at times, and those facts prevent it from being a great movie. But, if you are looking for something a little different, this film is pretty good.
I liked it.
I especially liked the scene where the thieves take the names of famous Montreal Canadiens hockey players in order to get fake passports.
What was really enjoyable about that was that Roy Dupuis didnít proclaim himself to be Maurice Richard, even though he played him in a film.
Now if you happen to be a fan of that superb 2005 film about Maurice Richard, called THE ROCKET, well there is a new 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of it that is brand new on stores shelves this week as well.
It not only features the film, but this new version of THE ROCKET also has the great National Film Board documentary that was made about Maurice Richard 1998 and features archival footage of him on and off the ice from the early ’40s, when only a few thousand people turned out for pro hockey games, to the 1950s, when the Montreal Forum was bursting with delirious fans.
The 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of THE ROCKET is a must own for hockey fans, even those of us who love the Toronto Maple Leafs!!
There are critics who have stated that this next film is a must own or a must see, but it is my opinion that the movie is neither of those things.
I rarely say this about a movieÖbut HUMPDAY is just awful.
When you see this one on the shelf at the store, even the packaging wants you to think that it is something great. Right on the front of the box is the quote: ìPhenomenally funny!î
But it isnít funny, I didnít laugh once.
My advice to you, no matter what you hear or read about this movie, is to ignore it. It is a complete waste of your time!!
In their attempt to be unique, HUMPDAYís story is about two male, lifelong, heterosexual friends who decide, while partying one night, to make a movie about them having sex together to enter into a film festival.
When they sober up, the one who you think will change his mind doesnít, and the one you think wonít doesÖbut in the end, they decide to go through with it.
Now, I am not easily offended, so the thought of these two guys being together doesnít bother me, but they donít offer any legitimate reason to follow through with their drunken planÖand so the whole film came across to me as just a gimmickÖan idea that a filmmaker had, but couldnít justify in their final script.
If you enjoy watching art movies that push the envelope a little bit, then you might get some enjoyment out of HUMPDAYÖand I usually doÖbut this time I did not.
This movie is just awful, it isnít funny, it isnít entertaining, it isnít even that well made!! Stay as far away from it as you can!!
I have another art film for you now, this one isnít the complete mess of HUMPDAY, but it isnít much better, and that is too bad as it is the latest release from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, the man who gave us the interesting films Down by Law, Mystery Train, Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Broken Flowers.
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is about a mysterious loner who is in the process of completing a criminal job.
But we donít know what it is, and the film doesnít have much dialogue. Not much is said, and even less is done.
If that is you, if you like your films full of silent moments where you can either ponder them, or think about what you need to get done after it is over, then THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is for you!!
I donít personally think the film was very good, but I admit I was hooked right up until the very end to see what happened.
One film I did like, is the French film THE GIRL FROM MONACO.
This movie is about a prestigious lawyer and his serious security guard who meet a wild child weather girl in Monaco.
The lawyer is merely trying to work on his case, but she changes his life foreverÖin good and bad ways.
The main reason I enjoyed the film so much is that the actress who plays the woman – Louise Bourgoin ñ is beautiful, and her character is someone who is just trying to live life and have fun, and that comes across on screen.
THE GIRL FROM MONACO gets a little bit dark by the end, but along the way there are some very good lines, and the movie is fun.
I did, I liked it!!
I also liked the latest film from Woody Allen, but I think you have to really love and respect him to enjoy it like I did, or you just really have to love Larry David and the show CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
Yes, Woody and Larry have teamed up for the film WHATEVER WORKS.
WHATEVER WORKS is basically a love story between Larry Davidís self-proclaimed genius Boris and a Southern beauty queen with a heart of gold and a brain of wide-open spaces, as played by Evan Rachel Wood from THE WRESTLER.
For me, the film works because of itís humour, because of the unlikely chemistry between the two stars, and ñ not unlike his work on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM – because Larry David just goes for it. He is an actor who doesnít care if you like him, he is just doing what he enjoys.
Hey, WHATEVER WORKS!
Hey, remember George W. Bush? He was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009?
Well, after Bush left office, the great Will Ferrell staged a one-man show on Broadway as a comedic farewell to him.
And now YOUíRE WELCOME AMERICA ñ A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH is available on DVD.
In the show, Ferrell plays the ex-President as the same bumbling, falsely self-confident character that he did on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
He doesnít offer much political commentary, but instead he does an 80 minute show full of mostly true anecdotes and stories.
WILL FERRELL ñ YOUíRE WELCOME AMERICA ñ A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH is a very entertaining show, and offers up some huge laughsÖeven though, as you are laughing, you may get caught up in the fact that it actually happened!!
I have two summer blockbusters for you now, two films that I actually sort of enjoyed the second time I saw them, but didnít like them very much the first time.
The first one is the sequel to the 2006 hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, where everything comes alive at night in New York Cityís Museum Of Natural History.
In NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM ñ BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN the setting moves from New York to Washington.
Ben Stiller is back as Larry Daley and he infiltrates the Smithsonian in order to rescue his old friends Jedediah and Octavius.
Along the way, he meets some new exhibits that come to lifeÖI mean people.
Amy Adams from ENCHANTED play Amelia Eirhardt, and she is great, the whole cast is great!
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM ñ BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN is a film that is good for the whole family, and even though I didnít enjoy it as much as the first film, it is still fun.
The other summer blockbuster I have for you is the fourth film in the TERMINATOR series, and the second one to come out with no involvement from James Cameron, the Canadian filmmaker who originated the series back in 1984 with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the cyborg who comes back in time to try and prevent the eventual leader of the resistance forces from ever being born.
In TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION, it is now 2018 and John Connor is all grown up.
Christian Bale from THE DARK KNIGHT is now playing John Connor, and in this chapter, we are post JUDGEMENT DAY and the resistance is trying to prevent the machines from finishing their self-aware task of destroying all of humanity…and his own existence.
TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION is obviously not as good as TERMINATOR 2 ñ JUDGEMENT DAY, and not as original as the original TERMINATOR, but it does feature some very cool explosions and effects, and a very good cast. When I watched it again this week, I liked it.
If you enjoy seeing things blow up real good, then this is a good rental.
Sam Worthington from James Cameronís upcoming film AVATAR and an actress named Moon Bloodgood also co-star in TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION and if you are a fan of her Blair Williams, then there is another release this week that you might want to watch.
Her character is the lead in TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION ñ THE MACHINIMA SERIES.
The story here takes place in 2016, two years before the events of SALVATION, and is uses animation from a video game to create it’s landscape and characters.
This film introduces us to Blair Williams and her backstory, and and also clarifies some plot gaps in the TERMINATOR SALVATAION movie.
TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION ñ THE MACHINIMA SERIES is not anything special, but of you are a huge fan and completist when it comes to the TERMINATOR series, then it is a must see.
The Blu-Ray Beacon this week shines itís spotlight on two new releases, and the first one takes us to the great state of New Jersey.
THE SOPRANOS is the multiple Emmy Award winning show about the Mob in New Jersey that ran from January 10th, 1999 to June 10th, 2007.
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON debut on Blu-ray this week, and in High Definition, this showÖfuggedaboutit!!! It looks amazing!!
The packaging of THE SOPRANOS ñ THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on Blu-ray is almost identical to the DVD, and there are no exclusive Special Features, but if you love this show, I highly recommend this new set as it looks amazing!! The show has always been spectacular, but nowÖeven more son.
Fuggedaboutit!!!
Finally this week is a Blu-ray that I was very excited to watch ñ loving almost every space related release as I do ñ and I was not let down.
MOONSHOT is great!!
MOONSHOT uses original NASA footage that has been transferred to high definition, along with the re-enactments and dramatic scenes that Buzz spoke about to cover the Apollo 11 mission.
We go from the astronauts home life and families, to the argument over who would be the first to walk on the lunar surface, and I found all of it fascinating.
If you enjoy movies about the moon and the moon landing, I easily recommend this one. This is good stuffÖand yes, I also say that, even if you donít enjoy movies about the moon and the moon landing.
MOONSHOT, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of THE SOPRANOS, TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM ñ BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, WHATEVER WORKS and the 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of THE ROCKET are available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
TERMINATOR ñ SALVATION ñ THE MACHINIMA SERIES, THE LIMITS OF CONTROL, THE GIRL FROM MONACO, WILL FERRELLís ñ YOUíRE WELCOME AMERICA ñ A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH, the awful HUMPDAY and the Quebec film STICKY FINGERS are all available now only on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Some of Hollywoodís biggest names – Meryl Streep and Amy Adams star in JULIE & JULIA; Johnny Depp toplines PUBLIC ENEMIES; Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino appear in Michael Mannís HEAT; and Tom Hanks walks THE GREEN MILE.
Also next week, THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON of LOST, and LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL debuts on BLU RAY
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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