The Couch Potato Report – November 27th, 2010
This week The Couch Potato Report goes 3D, eats, prays, loves and takes you to Deadwood, South Dakota.
It has now been four months since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa concluded with that fantastic final game featuring the Netherlands against Spain.
CBC carried the games in Canada, and we were treated to some fantastic insight and coverage. There were other broadcasters in nations around the world who also carried them, and they also gave their viewers one-of-a-kind coverageÖincluding showing some of the games in 3D.
Yes, you could watch the glorious game of soccer, live, in 3D and now THE OFFICIAL 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FILM is available IN 3D.
The World Cup’s official film is the very first sporting event that is available on the new Blu-ray 3D formatÖand it is only available in 3D. If you donít have a 3D player and television you wonít be able to watch it, but if you do it runs a very entertaining sixty-four minutes and includes interviews and footage from the entire tournamentÖthe good, and the bad.
THE OFFICIAL 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FILM IN 3D brought back some great memories for me of the tournament itself, and as a documentary ñ AND a soccer fan ñ I easily recommend it as the added dimension is put to good use hereÖI only wish it was also available in 2D so it could be viewed and enjoyed by everyone, not just people who have spent thousands of dollars to watch 3D releases at home.
Oh well, 3D it is, and Vuvuzelas it does have!!
I love the sound of those horns, and I also love the sound of Julia Robertsí voice and I have since I first saw her on screen in STEEL MAGNOLIAS back in 1989.
Julia is the star of this weekís second titleÖone that only has three wordsÖEAT PRAY LOVE.
EAT PRAY LOVE is based on the best-selling memoir ìEat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesiaî by Elizabeth Gilbert. The film was co-written and directed by Ryan Murphy ñ who also created the television show GLEE and in it Julia plays a woman who comes to the realization that she is not getting what she wants out of life, and, after a painful divorce, sets out on a journey of self discovery.
The film also stars Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, James Franco, and Academy Award nominee Richard Jenkins ñ from SIX FEET UNDER and THE VISITOR ñ who gives a brilliant performance as a man Julia befriends at an Indian ashram.
EAT PRAY LOVE features that great cast, and my beloved Julia, and it is a very likable film. I can see how some people would LOVE it, and I understand why the book was a bestseller, but I just didnít connect with the film emotionally, so I canít fully recommend it. It was good, but nowhere near great.
Sorry, Julia!!
Actually, I am going to champion this next film, one about street graffiti and graffiti artists called EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP.
What a cool movie this was, cool and enjoyableÖ. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is a documentary that may or may not be 100% trueÖbut that makes it even cooler!!
It is about an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker in Los Angeles who films absolutely everything he doesÖyes, everythingÖand because of that he stumbles into the world of street art and sets out to meet the reclusive, anonymous and hard to find artist known only as Banksy.
Banksy is a graffiti artist known around the world whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank and his work is amazing!! Had EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP just been about him, what inspires him, and his works it could have been spectacular!!
As it is ñ the shop keeper decides to become an artist and eventually the movie becomes all about him ñ as it is, the movie is very goodÖbut if you are looking for insight on Banksy, or a documentary only about Street Art, this is not it.
Still, like I said, I am championing it because it contains spectacular footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work, and I liked it!! EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is a cool flick!!
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP stars a man from France and FREEDOM is a film shot in France.
FREEDOM ñ or LIBERTE ñ is about a Gypsy family traveling the French roads during the Second World War. When they reach a town where they have usually stop for a few months and work in vineyards, they learn that a new law forbids them from being nomadic and so they try and settle down, but their need for freedom makes that difficult on them, and those who befriend them.
FREEDOM is based on real events and features some fantastic performances from both humans and animals, and I liked it. It is very slow at times, but I liked it.
The next release I have for you this week is an eight-part miniseries based on the International Best Selling historical novel THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett about the construction of a cathedral in the fictitious town of Kingsbridge. It all takes place in the Twelfth Century during a period of English history known as The Anarchy.
THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH features war, religious strife, power struggles and even love and all of it ñ as directed and acted by an incredible international cast that includes Canadian Donald Sutherland ñ is very well doneÖbut the end result is not great. Some of the scenes are, and a few of the performances are stand-outs, but I didnít think THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH was great in any way.
If you love the book, and series set around true-to-life historical events, you might enjoy it. Iím glad Iíve seen it, but I will never watch it again.
But I will watch V again!! V for Visitors, V for Victory, V for Very Entertaining!!
V originally aired in 1983 and was a two-part science fiction television miniseries about aliens known as “The Visitors” trying to gain control of Earth.
The original V was followed in the 1980s by V: The Final Battle and a short-lived series.
And now, in the twenty-first century, there is new version of the seriesÖand it looks to be short-lived too, although it managed to do something the original never didÖget a second season.
Season Two of the remake of V will premiere on January 4th, 2011, and V ñ THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is now available to own.
This new version of V is filmed in and around Vancouver and while it does have some unique stories and a nice cast, it also features some bad computer graphics and effects. I loved the original, and I like this new version, and I will watch it as long as it is on the airÖbut as I have said before, I will watch any science fiction films or television shows, good and bad.
And that is exactly what V ñ THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is ñ its good and bad.
I have some quick reviews for you now, before we get to this weekís Blu-Ray Beacon, starting with LOTTERY TICKET, a film about a guy in his twenties living in the projects who is holding a winning lottery ticket worth $370 million. But life is not as good as it sounds because it is a long Holiday weekend and he canít cash the ticketÖa ticket that everyone wantsÖand some will do anything to get it.
This is a great idea for a film, but LOTTERY TICKET doesnít effectively execute itís own ideas, and so the result is something that is okay, but nothing special.
Next up is CATS & DOGS ñ THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE, the second film in the series about the ongoing war between the canine and feline species.
This chapter sees the war put on hold when they join forces to try and stop a cat spy who has her own plans for World DominationÖthe aforementioned KITTY GALORE.
CATS & DOGS 2 is juvenile and fun! It was made for kids, but I liked it. Yes, some of the special effects and computer graphics look awful, but as a whole, it is good stuff.
This next film, should just be thrown into a hole and forgotten because itÖisÖawful!!
The original SEX AND THE CITY movie was surprisingly good, full of energy and good times, while SEX AND THE CITY 2 has nothing good, no energy at all, and it seems as if even the four main stars are tired of being these charactersÖwhich is too bad because I know lots of people ñ men and women ñ who enjoy Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samanthaís adventures.
This time, those adventures find the group heading off to Abu Dhabi, where one of Samantha’s many exes is filming a new movie. The other three ladies tag along in order to get away from the pressures of life, love, and work in ManhattanÖbut there are pressures of life, love, and work in Abu Dhabi too.
SEX AND THE CITY 2 is for fans of the show only, true fans, very hardcore fans. Otherwise, skip it because this chapter of the ongoing series is awful!! Absolutely awful!!
Okay, with that unpleasantness behind us, lets focus on some good stuff nowÖsome classics, in fact!!
This weekís BLU-RAY BEACON begins with THE MALTESE FALCON.
This is the classic 1941 film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett that was written and directed by John Huston. It was Huston’s directorial debut and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and his dealings with friends and enemies who are looking for his help in obtaining a priceless statuette of a falcon.
THE MALTESE FALCON is a true classic and on Blu-ray the black and white images look crisp and clear. I love this movie and if you have never seen it, or THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADREÖyou should.
This 1948 classic is another John Huston Humphrey Bogart collaboration as Bogey plays a member of a team of gold prospectors in Mexico during the 1920s.
It was a time when if you had gold, everyone else wanted it, and Bogart wanted to keep his.
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE was one of the first Hollywood films to be filmed almost entirely on location outside the United States and those locations look superb to this day.
This is one of the films people are talking about when they say, ìThey donít make ëem like that anymore!!î
Finally this week THE BLU-RAY BEACON shines on a fantastic television series set in what would become South Dakota.
DEADWOOD is a reinvention of the classic western genre, with very smart characters, quite foul characters, all who speak with well written, smooth, and quite profane language.
They actually act how you would expect people to act in a lawless, evolving town that attracts fortune-seekers, drifters, tyrants, and burned-out adventurers searching for a card game and a place to die.
DEADWOOD ran on HBO from March 21st, 2004, to August 27th, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons and the 13-disc set called THE COMPLETE SERIES features all 36 episodes in 1080p, and comes with audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, and a making-of documentary.
Mostly it has the show, this fantastic show with a great ensemble cast, and many historical figures actually appear as characters on the showósuch as Seth Bullock, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp, and many others.
Simply put, DEADWOOD is a fantastic show and it is one I very, very highly recommend!!
THE COMPLETE SERIES of the utterly fantastic show DEADWOOD, the classic films THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE and THE MALTESE FALCON, the absolute failure that is SEX AND THE CITY 2, the fun CATS & DOGS ñ THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE, LOTTERY TICKET, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of V, the miniseries THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, the foreign film FREEDOM, the great documentary EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, EAT PRAY LOVE starring Julia Roberts and the superb THE OFFICIAL 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FILM IN 3D are all available now for you to watch and own.
Coming up in Two Weeks on the next Couch Potato Report
The latest SHREK film, THE SORCERERíS APPRENTICE, THE TWILIGHT SAGA ñ ECLIPSE, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz star in KNIGHT & DAY, the original 1935 version of MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, and Christopher Nolanís fantastic mind-bender INCEPTION.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in fourteen days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here again next time on The Couch!
Month: November 2010
Categories
Wow!!
Warner Bros. trademarks “Quidditch” lingerie
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) ñ Sure, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” raked in an astounding $330 million worldwide in its opening weekend, but with “Part 2” coming next summer, Warner Bros. is facing the twilight of its magical franchise.
No fear. The studio still has lots of opportunity to milk its cash cow.
In a blog post entitled “Expecto Legalus” on Greenberg Glusker’s website, attorney Dan Nabel points out that Harry Potter’s favorite sport Quidditch has recently become an actual athletic event with a competitive circuit in New York City. Nabel examines whether Warner Bros. has any legal recourse to shut it down.
We already know that Warners isn’t too keen on Harry Potter condoms. And it turns out that the studio has grabbed extensive trademark rights over “Quidditch.”
The studio’s first rights grab came back in November 1999. Warners went with the basics, locking up the typical Quidditch merchandise that might one day be licensed to playmakers:
“(S)porting goods, games and playthings, namely, action figures and accessories therefore; plush toys; balloons; bathtub toys; ride-on toys; equipment sold as a unit for playing card games; toy vehicles; dolls; flying discs; electronic hand-held game unit; game equipment sold as a unit for playing a board game, a card game, a manipulative game, a parlor game, a parlor-type electronic game and an action type target game; stand alone video output game machines; jigsaw and manipulative puzzles; paper face masks; skateboards; ice skates; water squirting toys; balls, namely, playground balls, soccer balls, baseballs, basketballs; baseball gloves; swimming floats for recreational use; kickboard flotation devices for recreational use; surfboards; swim boards for recreational use; swim fins; toy bakeware and toy cookware; toy banks; and Christmas tree ornaments”
The fact that the studio trademarked “Quidditch” t-shirts will surprise nobody, but how about “Quidditch” lingerie?
“Clothing for men, women and children, namely, shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jogging suits, trousers, pants, shorts, tank tops, rainwear, cloth bibs, skirts, blouses, dresses, suspenders, sweaters, jackets, coats, raincoats, snow suits, ties, robes, hats, caps, sunvisors, belts, scarves, sleepwear, pajamas, lingerie, underwear, boots, shoes, sneakers, sandals, booties, slipper socks, swimwear and masquerade and Halloween costumes and masks sold in connection therewith”
It doesn’t stop there. Here’s what the studio secured “Quidditch” trademark rights to in 2007:
“Motion picture films featuring comedy, drama, action, adventure and animation, and motion picture films for broadcast on television featuring comedy, drama, action, adventure and animation; audio tapes, audio-video tapes, audio video cassettes, audio video discs, and digital versatile discs featuring music, comedy, drama, action, adventure, and animation; stereo headphones; batteries; cordless telephones; audio cassette and CD players; CD ROM computer game discs; telephone and radio pagers; short motion picture film cassettes featuring comedy, drama, action, adventure and animation to be used with hand-held viewers or projectors; video cassette recorders and players, compact disc players, digital audio tape recorders and players; radios; mouse pads; eyeglasses, sunglasses and cases therefore; game equipment sold as a unit for playing a parlor-type computer game; video and computer game programs; video game cartridges and cassettes; cellular telephone accessories, namely, hands-free accessories, cellular telephone covers and cellular telephone face covers; encoded magnetic cards, namely, phone cards, credit cards, cash cards, debit cards and magnetic key cards; and decorative magnets”
And then in 2008:
“Printed matter and paper goods, namely, books featuring characters from animated, action adventure, comedy and drama features, comic books, children’s books, magazines featuring characters from animated, action adventure, comedy and drama features, coloring books, children’s activity books; stationery, writing paper, envelopes, notebooks, diaries, note cards, greeting cards, trading cards; lithographs; pens, pencils and cases therefore, erasers, crayons, markers, colored pencils, painting sets for children, chalk and chalkboards; decals, heat transfers; posters; mounted and unmounted photographs; book covers, book marks, calendars, gift wrapping paper; paper party favors and paper party decorations, namely, paper napkins, paper place mats, crepe paper, paper hats, invitations, paper table cloths, paper cake decorations; printed transfers for embroidery or fabric appliquÈs; printed patterns for costumes, pajamas, sweatshirts and t-shirts”
And then in 2009:
“Bath linens, namely, bath towels and wash cloths; bed linens, namely, bed blankets, bed canopies, bed pads, bed sheets, bed spreads, pillow cases, comforters, duvet covers, mattress covers, dust ruffles, crib bumpers, pillow shams and bed spreads; textile wall hangings; curtains; draperies; linen; kitchen linens, namely, barbecue mitts, cloth doilies, cloth napkins, dish cloths, fabric table cloths, kitchen towels, fabric place mats, oven mitts, washing mitts, fabric table runners, pot holders and cloth coasters; handkerchiefs, quilts, and golf towels”
Even that was not enough to cover the gambit of all things “Quidditch.” So Warner Bros. made yet another trademark registration in 2009 over these rights:
“Clocks; watches; jewelry, namely, bracelets, ankle bracelets, brooches, chains, charms, cuff-links, earrings, lapel pins, necklaces, ornamental pins, pendants and rings”
Add it all up and Warner Bros. could open its own department store. The film franchise may be coming to an end, but the studio can sell Quidditch ankle bracelets forever.
Black Eyed Peas Playing Super Bowl Halftime Show
After months of speculation, the Black Eyed Peas have been officially confirmed as the musical entertainment of the Super Bowl XLV halftime show. The NFL announced today (Nov. 25) that the Peas will rock the Bridgestone-sponsored show from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 6, 2011.
The group’s performance follows the Who’s set at last February’s Super Bowl halftime show. Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am told Billboard.com last week that the group would be honored to join past Super Bowl performers like Prince, U2 and the Rolling Stones if they were tapped to play the halftime show next February.
“Alongside those cats, it’s like, ‘Wow, we’re in that company?! Oh, man…'” he said. “When those cats played the Super Bowl, their songs weren’t on the Top 40 at that time. So it’s like, wow, our songs are on the radio, and we’re in that company. That’s a sign that tells us where we can go with our career.”
The announcement precedes the release of the Black Eyed Peas’ new album, “The Beginning,” next Tuesday (Nov. 30). The eye-popping music video for first single “The Time (Dirty Bit),” which debuted at No. 12 on the Hot 100 last week, was released on Tuesday.
Categories
Admit it…you want it!!!!
The dark side calls: ‘Darth Vader’ costume on sale
LONDON ñ For sale: A chance to embrace the dark side.
Christie’s auction house is selling an original Darth Vader costume from the “Star Wars” movie franchise.
The outfit ó a jet-black helmet, mask and armor ó is expected to sell Thursday for between 160,000 pounds and 230,000 pounds ($250,000 to $365,000).
Christie’s says the costume is thought to have been made for “The Empire Strikes Back,” the second film in George Lucas’s sci-fi series, released in 1980.
The auction house’s head of popular culture, Neil Roberts, says the costume is one of the most iconic in the history of cinema.
Christie’s did not name the seller, identified only as an American private collector.
Album signed by John Lennon for his killer Mark David Chapman is up for sale
The album that John Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman hours before he killed the former Beatle is on sale for £530,000.
The copy of 1980’s ‘Double Fantasy’ was signed by Lennon as he left his home on December 8, 1980. He was then murdered by Chapman when he returned five hours later.
“The album is the most extraordinary artefact in rock and roll history,” autograph dealer Gary Zimet told NYPost.com. “It has Lennon’s signature on the cover and Chapman’s forensically enhanced finger prints on the sleeve.”
“I originally sold it in 1999,” he continued. “But it has come back up for resale. The current owner doesn’t want to be named because he received death threats.”
After Chapman killed Lennon, a maintenance man found the autographed album at the entrance to the Dakota, where Lennon lived. He then handed it over to Police as evidence.
For more information, visit Momentsintime.com.
Currently serving a life sentence, Chapman was recently denied parole for a sixth time.
Categories
Poor Axl!!
Axl Rose sues Activision for featuring Slash in ‘Guitar Hero’ game
Guns Ní Roses frontman Axl Rose filed a $20 million lawsuit Tuesday against Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock publisher Activision, according to Variety. The singer alleges that the videogame publisher broke a contractual promise by featuring former Guns Ní Roses guitarist Slash in the 2007 game. According to the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Activision obtained the song rights for ìWelcome to the Jungleî from Rose under the condition that Slash would not be featured in the game. However, the suit says Guitar Hero III ìprominently features Slash imagery in direct connection with the use of ëWelcome to the Jungle,í exploits the prior association between Slash and Guns Ní Roses, promotes Slashís and [his band] Velvet Revolverís separate interests, and includes Velvet Revolver tracks as available downloads, all of which was directly contrary to the contractual obligationsî of Activision.
Categories
More, more more…I want more!!!
No More Batman For Bale After The Dark Knight Rises
Those of you expecting a Batman 4 in 2015 should now recheck your hopes at the door. E! recently sat down with Christian Bale, who said that he believes this is that last time heíll don the cape and cowl of the caped crusader. But, as most news surrounding a Christopher Nolan film, nothing is set in stone until it comes out of the directorís own mouth. Bale had this to say about continuing the series:
“Until Chris [Nolan] tells me [there will be a Batman 4], I don’t believe it. It’s gotta be from his mouth, or else I don’t really know.”
As far as the story for The Dark Knight Rises goes, Bale is hardly more informed than we are, which is not much at all. Nolan always keeps his films veiled in several layers of mystery that only he himself will peel away as he sees fit.
“Chris will let me know what I need to know when I need to know it. I probably know a little bit more than some other people out there, but I think most people would be surprised at how little I do know. It just hasn’t been necessary yet. I know he’ll give me plenty of time to prepare for whatever I need to, and I’ll discover it. He’s a pretty damn good filmmaker. I trust that he’s going to come up with something wonderful.”
The idea of Bale not doing any more Batman films likely correlates with the idea of Nolan not doing any more either. This will be the directorís third outing in the series, and although the last installment became the most revered and highest grossing superhero film of all time, itís easy to see how someone will want to walk away before getting too tired of the job. Weíll have more on this as TDKR nears production, but until then, take all of this as rumor.
The Beatles rack up big sales on iTunes in first week
Forty years after breaking up, The Beatles are flexing their digital sales muscle, selling 450,000 albums and 2 million songs worldwide in their first week on iTunes, according to Apple Inc.
The 1969 classic Abbey Road, the final album recorded before the 1970 breakup, topped album sales, and George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sunwas the best-selling tune.
After years of holding out, The Beatles finally agreed to allow downloading of its catalog on iTunes beginning Nov. 16. And while most fans presumably already transferred their Fab Four CD libraries to computers and MP3 players, the first-week tally suggests a healthy surge of consumers willing to spend $12.99 and $19.99 for albums and $1.29 for tracks. The $149 Beatles Box Set, with 13 remastered studio albums and loads of video extras, is No. 10 on iTunes’ ranking of U.S. best-selling albums.
Hoopla over The Beatles’ move into digital space also drove sales of physical units. All 13 remasters enjoyed spikes and moved into Amazon’s top 100 last week, according to EMI.
Categories
Lets make this happen!!!
Me want ‘SNL’! Cookie Monster auditions on YouTube
NEW YORK ñ Me want “Saturday Night Live!”
Cookie Monster has made an audition tape to convince “SNL” that he can host the show. “Sesame Street” posted the video Wednesday on YouTube and Facebook.
Introducing the tape, Cookie Monster says he wants to “branch out beyond me cookie-eating career.” The four-minute video follows with Cookie Monster doing a run-through of an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
He performs a brief opening monologue, a “MacGruber”-like sketch dubbed “Macarooner,” a few “Weekend Update” jokes and a musical guest appearance as “Monster Gaga.”
Cookie Monster likely wants to follow Betty White’s lead. The 88-year-old White hosted an episode of “SNL” earlier this year after a Facebook campaign urged such casting.
NBC did not comment.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’: Warner Bros. sinks fangs into reboot
Today, Warner Bros. announced plans to remake 1992′s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which gave birth to the much-loved Sarah Michelle Gellar-headed TV series.
While details are sparse, filmmakers claim the movie would not revisit the vampire slayerís high school days, attempting instead to capture the ìwitty, tough, and sexyî heroine in a new way. The team behind the project includes Dark Knight producer Charles Roven and relative newcomer Whit Anderson.
The movie could hit theaters in 2012 or late 2011, according to the L.A. Times.