The Couch Potato Report – April 30th, 2011
This week The Couch Potato Report strikes you with the truth, goes on a few dates, and takes in the human planet.
Mixed Martial Arts ñ or MMA – is a full, sometimes very violent contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills to be used in competitionsÖincluding Jiujitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, Boxing and Wrestling.
MMA is also known as cage fighting or ultimate fighting.
Georges St-Pierre ñ who is often referred to as GSP ñ is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC.
GSP is also one of two fighters from Montreal featured in the documentary THE STRIKING TRUTH, the other is David “The Crow” Loiseau and this film juxtaposes their two careers with St-Pierre’s meteoric rise and Loiseau facing personal challenges and not always doing so well.
Both GSP and ìThe Crowî are good people, very charismatic and their stories are interesting, but this film is lovingly produced, meaning on the rare occasions when it does focus on the negative, it only mentions it in passing and so while I did like it there is no getting around the fact that it is really only for people who are huge fans of these men or mixed martial arts.
So if that is you, enjoy!!
There is a lot of hard work involved in winning a championship, whether it is as an MMA fighter, or in the ongoing NHL playoffs.
Believe it or not, it can also take a lot of hard work to win the lotteryÖas you can see in the documentary LUCKY.
Hard work, guess workÖpraying, all of that and much more is on display in this film about the lottery in America and some the industry’s biggest winners.
Also on display are some big losers tooÖand I say that simply because they have never won the big bucksÖfor no other reason.
Winning, losing, winners, losersÖyou meet all sorts of people and hear all sorts of stories in this film!
LUCKY is a very entertaining documentary, and so it isnít much of a gamble if you pick it up. Odds are youíll enjoy it.
The lead character in this next film also gambles.
Two-time Academy Award Winner Kevin Spacey stars in CASINO JACK as a Washington lobbyist. He is a man who wants everything that life offersÖmostly for himself, but sometimes for others as wellÖand he doesnít care who gets in the way as he cons, schemes and commits fraudulent acts to get it.
He even enlists the help of a less than credible lawyer, played by former Saturday Night Live liar Jon Lovitz.
CASINO JACK is based on the true story of Jack Abramoff, who was convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy. He was as the centre of a corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials, a U.S. Representative, nine other lobbyists and Congressional aides.
In real life, this story is completely fascinatingÖon filmÖin this filmÖit isnít. The acting is top notch and the movie is well made, but it isnít all that intriguing. The true story is, the movie story is not and as a result CASINO JACK is not a movie I recommend.
Although it was great to see Jon Lovitz working again!!
Another swinging bachelor is the title character of the Canadian-made animated comedy series THE DATING GUY.
THE DATING GUY is an adult cartoonÖone for grown-upsÖabout four twenty-something friends ñ Mark, Woody, Sam and VJ ñ and their weekly adventures as they hunt for love.
The show also offers up insightful and informative conversations between the friends about the ins and outs of dating a werewolf to the subtleties of seduction.
It isnít the greatest show I have ever seen, but it is fun and funny and I was very entertained by it and now you can enjoy all thirteen episodes of SEASON ONE of THE DATING GUY yourself because they are available now in a three disc set.
THE DATING GUY is an animated show set in Toronto, SOUTH PARK is one set in ColoradoÖbut you might know that as the show began airing itís fifteenth season this weekÖyes, SOUTH PARK has been on the air for fifteen seasons now and THE COMPLETE FOURTEENTH SEASON is now available to own!!
As I watched this three disc set this week, I laughed out loudÖrepeatedlyÖand I had seen all of the episodes at least a couple of times before, yet I was still laughing because the show is still great!
In this FOURTEENTH SEASON Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny plug into social networking, fight the state of New Jersey, and we learn the secret identity of MysterionÖand so much more!!
I have highly recommended the previous thirteen seasons of SOUTH PARK, and so ñ yes ñ I also do that for THE COMPLETE FOURTEENTH SEASON.
I love this show and all of its characters!!
SOUTH PARK continues to be a fantastically entertaining show, and had it not been for a comedian named Ernie KovacsÖit might now have ever existedÖand I always find it hard to say ìThere would have been no this, if it wasnít for this.î, because who knowsÖmaybe there would have been. Maybe someone else would have provided the necessary inspiration.
But in this case, I say it without issueÖthere would have been no SOUTH PARK, no David Letterman, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, or most of the other legendary comedy showsÖhad it not been for a man named Ernie Kovacs.
He is tame by todayís standards, yes, but back thenÖhe did it long before anyone else. Ernie Kovacs was a visionary and between 1951 and 1962 he broke rules that hadnít even been made yet and created a way of doing things that is taken for granted by most people who watch comedies today.
THE ERNIE KOVACS COLLECTION is a six disc box set that has over 15 hours of shows from the brilliant television career of this hugely influential comic artist, showing his offbeat humour and creative experimentation with the medium of television.
Kovacs is a man who died young ñ he was only 42 years old when he died in a car crash in 1962 ñ and THE ERNIE KOVACS COLLECTION is a fantastic look at his work, along with the early days of television, and comedy as we know it todayÖwhen they were both just starting.
I highlyÖvery highly recommend it!!
Ernie Kovacs is a comedy icon, and I adore him and his work!! I have also showed adoration in the past for a film from writer director Sofia Coppola called LOST IN TRANSLATION. That Academy Award winner is beloved in my world!
Sofiaís latest will not get such praise or adorationÖinstead, in just a few moments I will label it as boring.
Interesting, but boring.
The intent of the SOMEWHERE is to be a look at the life of a lonely and bored Hollywood star who feels empty inside and is going through the motions in everythingÖbut learns to love again after he spends time with his daughter.
Yes, it is a film about someone who learns to love againÖbut most people wonít love it because it is boring.
This is a very boring movieÖbut, at times, it is also goodÖnot often, but on occasion.
Elle Fanning ñ Dakotaís sister ñ plays the daughter and forgotten talent Stephen Dorff is the father and since I love LOST IN TRANSLATION, I thought I would like SOMEWHERE as they are very similar, but ultimately I did not becauseÖdid I mention that it is boringÖslow and boring? Plus, I didnít like the ending at allÖso you should skip this oneÖeven if you also loved LOST IN TRANSLATION.
HeyÖhow about a bad movie nowÖbut a good bad movieÖone that is so awful, that as long as you know going it that it is going to be awful, you might enjoy itÖthat kind of bad movie?
How about that nowÖcourtesy of a project called DINOSHARK?!?!
Yes, the DINOSHARK was frozen in glacial ice over 150 million years ago and now it has traveled to Puerto Vallarta to eat anything in its pathÖand to suffer through some bad acting.
DINOSHARK is an awful movie, with wooden acting, horrible special effects and even the continuity is badÖpeople are in the water one minute, and their hair is completely dry the nextÖbut all that saidÖI LOVED IT!!!
It is an awful, awful movie, but it is also awfully fun!!
On the other hand is the film DALYLIGHTÖthe 1996 Sylvester Stallone disaster film set in the Holland Tunnel between New York and New Jersey.
Explosions have collapsed both ends of it and Sly plays a hero who is trying to lead people trapped inside to safety and this film ñ which ñ as I mentioned is on the other hand ñ is a bad movie that thinks it is good.
It isnít.
DAYLIGHT has a few good action movie sequences, but for the most part it is just another one of those films about people who are trapped inside something and are trying desperately to get out.
DAYLIGHT is new on Blu-ray this week, and the disc comes with all of the old DVD bonus features and the transfer is very goodÖbut even though I am a HUGE fan of Sylvester Stallone and action movies ñ good and bad ñ this movie has never been one that I would recommend.
Finally this week, the Blu-Ray Beacon shines on a fantastic piece of workÖthe eight part BBC series HUMAN PLANET.
HUMAN PLANET is the latest series from the same documentary unit that also gave us PLANET EARTH, BLUE PLANET and LIFE and it is a fantastic look at the relationship between humankind and nature.
If you enjoy nature documentaries ñ as I do ñ you will thoroughly enjoy the trips this series lets us take from the frozen Arctic to steamy rainforests, and from tiny islands in vast oceans to parched deserts, and so much more!!
Donít miss HUMAN PLANET and you chance to see and hear some of the remarkable ways that people have found to adapt and survive.
It is another home run from the BBC Documentary Unit and on blu-ray it all looks and sounds amazing!!!
HUMAN PLANET, DAYLIGHT, DINOSHARK, Sofia Coppolaís SOMEWHERE, the exceptional ERNIE KOVACS COLLECTION, THE COMPLETE FOURTEENTH SEASON of SOUTH PARK, SEASON ONE of the Canadian animated comedy show THE DATING GUY, the not great political pseudo comedy CASINO JACK, the lottery documentary LUCKY, and the documentary THE STRIKING TRUTH about Georges St-Pierre and David “The Crow” Loiseau are all available now for you to watch and own.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The Canadian film CURLING about a father and his daughter, Vancouverís Seth Rogan stars in the wannabe action adventure THE GREEN HORNET, and Ron Howard ñ the man who has given us so many great films over the years ñ now offers up the unwatchable film THE DIMEMMA.
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 again next time on The Couch!
Month: April 2011
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Interesting decision.
FOX shelves weather-themed Seth MacFarlane crossover
Seth MacFarlane has rarely shied from controversial topics or from poking fun at things other people might find insensitive. FOX, on the other hand, has a threshold.
In light of the weather events that raged across the American South this week, leaving a swath of destruction and hundreds of casualties in their wake, FOX has quietly shelved this Sunday’s (May 1) three-episode “American Dad”/”The Cleveland Show”/”Family Guy” crossover.
The Animation Domination crossover, which had been promoted as unprecedented early this week, was set against the backdrop of a hurricane hitting Stoolbend, Quahog and Langley Falls.
For reasons entirely self-evident, FOX has decided that this may not have been the most appropriate weekend to showcase storm-set comedy.
A trio of repeats are now slated in place of the crossover. It’s hard to imagine FOX shelving the three original episodes permanently, but as of now, no official rescheduling has occurred.
Forecast for Reynish is return to weekend radio
CBC Radio listeners will be hearing a familiar voice starting May 14.
Dan Reynish will return to Saskatchewan Weekend after a year and a half as the weather presenter on the TV news.
“The story with TV was that we found a fantastic person to come in and do the weather on TV,” said Reynish.
Reynish hosted the Saturday and Sunday morning show for six and a half years.
“The fun thing about it is that I know that there are people out there who are excited about this, and I match their excitement.”
Jamie Mauracher from Winnipeg will assume TV weather duties and Candace Holmstrom will go from Saskatchewan Weekend to the afternoon news, Reynish said.
He wanted to try television when the opportunity came up, but often heard from fans of Saskatchewan Weekend that they missed him. At the recent world curling championships, Reynish was encouraged to have fans tell him “When are you going to be done playing with television?”
They’d also ask about his mother, whom he’d phone up on Mother’s Day in Newfoundland. Reynish was flabbergasted – he hadn’t talked to his mother on air for more than two years.
“I just hope they can forgive me for staying away,” he says of his listeners.
Only Reynish’s internal clock will be unhappy with the move. On TV, he was in the office by 11 a.m. For radio, he has to wake up at 3: 30 in the morning.
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Could this be the best news ever?!?!?!
Hudson to take film hiatus
Kate Hudson intends to take a break from movies after she welcomes her second child later this year – because she doesn’t want to miss her kids growing up.
The Almost Famous star is expecting a baby with Muse rocker Matt Bellamy, who proposed to her last week.
Hudson continued to work after she gave birth to her son Ryder, now seven, from her marriage to The Black Crowes star Chris Robinson – but she is adamant she will now be more picky about film roles so she can spend more time at home.
She tells Britain’s Hello! magazine, “I’ll have the baby to look after and Ryder is at an age where it’s so fun with his baseball and karate. If I work, I’ll have to go away from that and I don’t want to miss another second of it.
“I’ll carry on working but only if the film’s really special. Maybe this is the time in my career where I shift focus and spend more time at home. It’ll be interesting.”
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Goodbye, Michael Scott!!
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It is a damn fine record!!
Beastie Boys stream new album
The Beastie Boys refused to be downhearted about the leak of the ìcleanî version of their new album – theyíve hit back by streaming an explicit version online.
A bootlegged recording of the trioís upcoming Hot Sauce Committee Part Two emerged on the internet last week – two weeks before its official release date next month.
But the rappers have now counteracted the leak by allowing fans to hear the ìdirty nasty versionî of all 16 tracks.
A statement on their official website reads, ìUnfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, the ícleaní version of our new album, The Hot Sauce Committee pt 2 has leaked.
ìSo as a hostile and retaliatory measure with great hubris we are making the full explicit aka filthy dirty nasty version available for streaming on our site. We hope this brings much happiness, hugs, and harmony.î
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Ahhh, the nineties…so long ago!!
The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Reissues, New Album in the Works
This fall EMI Music will begin reissuing The Smashing Pumpkinsí albums originally released from 1991-2000.
The rereleased albums will be fully remastered, and each deluxe version will include bonus material.
The global catalog campaign will begin with the bandís 1991 debut Gish, followed by Siamese Dream and the compilation album Pisces Iscariot.
In 2012, EMI plans to reissue Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness , The Aeroplane Flies High and Adore, with Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II: The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music to be released as one package in 2013.
The band has announced that they will return to the studio in May to record Oceania, as part of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, their current in-progress work. The band already released nine tracks off of the album and plan to premiere one more, ìOwata,î next week.
Colin Finkelstein, COO of EMI Music North America, said in a statement, ìWeíre excited to work with Billy Corgan to release remastered and expanded editions of the bandís visionary albums, including previously unreleased recordings, and for EMI Music to exclusively distribute other gems from The Smashing Pumpkin vaults, as sourced by Billy.î
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I am sure that we all wish her well!!
Katie Couric confirms CBS exit
LOS ANGELES – News anchor Katie Couric said on Tuesday she was leaving her job at ‘CBS Evening News” but said details of her next job were still being discussed.
Couric, 54, who became the first female solo anchor of a U.S. weeknight network newscast in 2006, said in an exclusive statement to People magazine that she was “looking at a format that will allow me to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling”.
Details of when and where such a show would air had yet to be determined, she said.
“I have decided to step down from the ‘CBS Evening News.’ I’m really proud of the talented team on the ‘CBS Evening News’ and the award-winning work we’ve been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I’ve done for ’60 Minutes’ and ‘CBS Sunday Morning.’
“In making the decision to move on, I know the ‘Evening News’ will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future,” Couric said in her statement.
Couric said earlier this month that she was considering other options after her five-year contract at “CBS Evening News” ends in early June.
Couric, a former co-host of rival NBC’s morning talk show “Today” for 15 years, has been unable to raise her CBS news broadcast out of third place in the ratings despite the initial media hoopla over her appointment.
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I might go again next year!!
Academy announces key dates for 2012 Oscars
Despite 2011’s lackluster affair, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced no changes to the date for the 84th Academy Awards, which will again be held at the end of February. The ultimate red-carpet soiree is set to take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 with final ballots due Feb. 21.
Last year, the academy contemplated moving the affair up at least a month in an effort to combat the awards fatigue that has crept into the season due to multiple award shows that begin in January and continue, practically every weekend, until the Oscars. Ultimately, the academy held off on moving up the event due to fears that the NFL playoff season would get in the way and that voters wouldn’t have enough time to see all the films prior to voting. Academy President Tom Sherak has indicated that he’d still like to push up the timing of the show, but clearly that issue has been tabled for the coming year.
Nominations are to be announced on Jan. 24, with final ballots mailed on Feb. 1. The nominees luncheon is scheduled for Feb. 6.
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Love that series, faults and all!!!
‘Terminator’ Back With Arnold To Star: Schwarzenegger In Package Shopping Now; ‘Fast Five’s Justin Lin To Direct
He’s baaack! Arnold Schwarzenegger is attached to star in a rights package that CAA is shopping today that will revive The Terminator, one of Hollywood’s most iconic scifi franchises. The agency is dropping the package on studios this afternoon. I’m told that already, Universal, Sony and Lionsgate, and CBS Films are looking hard at the package. There is no screenwriter attached at this point, and Robert Cort is producing. This is the first real activity on The Terminator project since February 2010, when the property emerged from a bankruptcy auction and into the possession of Pacificor. The Santa Barbara-based hedge fund posted a bid of $29.5 million, with the promise that additional multimillion-dollar payments for each film would go to Halcyon, the company that made the 2009 McG-directed Terminator Salvation. That film starred Sam Worthington as the cyborg and Christian Bale as John Connor, and the storyline launched the battle between Skynet and the human survivors of the apocalypse, the war foreshadowed in James Cameron’s visionary 1984 original film. Halcyon wanted to make several films but ran out of money. At the time of the auction, Pacificor beat out a combined bid by Lionsgate and Sony planning to make back-to-back sequels to bring the franchise to a natural creative conclusion.
While many felt at the time that Pacificor overpaid and that Lionsgate and Sony would have been better matches for the material, CAA has chosen an optimum time to seek a new deal. I wrote back in February that Universal quietly was trying to arrange for Lin to be helmer of the project. At the time, some turned up their noses. Given the strong international grosses being racked up by Fast Five and the expectations for a strong domestic opening this Friday, Lin has a lot of heat. And Schwarzenegger is looking to recapture past marquee glory ending his run as California State Governor. Schwarzenegger has circled several projects including Last Stand for Lionsgate, but here, he’s the star, returning to the signature role that once established him as the world’s biggest movie star.
Much like the Superman property, The Terminator has a ticking clock on the rights. There is a stipulation in copyright law that if you assign your rights, you get them back in 35 years. In this case, Cameron assigned his rights to Hemdale, and the North American rights will revert back to him in 2018. Now, Cameron has more or less washed his hands of the Terminator franchise, but I’m told a new deal would have to be made with him if the plan was to keep making Terminator installments beyond that period. There is plenty of time to make at least two Terminator films before that happens, and that might be sufficient to end the saga that so far has spanned four films. Any financier that makes those films owns them free and clear. Rumor is the project price tag is at least $25 million upfront, against a purchase price near $36 million, not including paydays for Schwarzenegger or Lin. It would stand to reason because of the amount Pacificor paid in 2010 and the interest it has carried since. I’m told there is no set price, but this will likely be a whopping sale by the time the dust has settled and the bidding is complete.