The Couch Potato Report – May 10th, 2014
I’d like to introduce you to a Chilean woman – and movie – named Gloria this morning.
She is a 58-year-old divorcée with two grown children who now lives by herself.
Gloria doesn’t feel old, and doesn’t want to be alone, so she spends her nights at bars and parties where she can dance and meet people. Unfortunately for this very likeable woman, her hunt for love tends to result in one night stands, disappointment and emptiness.
Then our Gloria meets a man named Rodolfo who seems to be everything she’s been looking for. She even begins to imagine a permanent relationship.
But he might not be everything that he seems to be, everything that she wants him to be.
Chliean actress Paulina García plays Gloria and she has created a character that you like, that you root for and that you hope can find happiness. She seems like a real person and not just a movie character and I really liked this movie.
GLORIA – the film, not the character – is a little slow at times, but I still highly recommend it.
We move now to the movie done as a follow up to the 2004-2007 television series VERONICA MARS.
Kristen Bell from FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL starred in the show as a High School then College student who worked as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father.
There were rumours of a movie based on the show ever since it’s cancellation, but it was only given the green light by the studio last year after fans of the show raised almost $6 million through the crowdfunding website Kickstarter campaign.
The VERONICA MARS movie debuted in March, and is now a must own for fans.
But what about non-fans?
I’d never seen an episode of the show before watching the movie, but I still liked it. Yes, it primarily is for the fans, and those fans will not question how the murder and investigation of the death of a globally known celebrity coincidentally happens in Veronica’s hometown and seems to involve all of her old friends and enemies, and her ex-boyfriend is the prime suspect.
They won’t question that, and if you don’t either, you’ll enjoy VERONICA MARS. It is not a bad detective flick, and Kristen Bell is as smiley, cute and charming as always.
Now to SON OF BATMAN, the adaptation of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert’s 2006 storyline.
Batman learns that he has a violent, unruly pre-teen son with Talia al Ghul named Damian Wayne who has secretly been raised by Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins.
When Ra’s al Ghul apparently dies after a battle with his former right-hand man Deathstroke, Batman must work to stop his long-lost son from taking revenge and guide him to a righteous path, in order for the pair to truly acknowledge each other as family.
Not all of these direct to home viewing releases from the folks at DC are worthy of our time. Most of them have too much violence in them and not very much story.
But SON OF BATMAN is actually better than most. The story is great, the animation well done, and I liked it enough to call it very good.
Comic book fans, don’t miss it!
Hey…if you don’t already own BLAZING SADDLES on blu-ray, there is a new 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION now available which features a brand new, almost half-hour featurette called “Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West,” built around a new interview with Brooks.
Unfortunately, that’s the only thing new about the 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION, it hasn’t been remastered again or anything, so if you do already own it, you really don’t need to upgrade to this latest version.
Due to it’s highly offensive and very graphic language, BLAZING SADDLES isn’t for everyone, but I continue to laugh out loud at it every time I watch it and so I continue to highly recommend it.
Whether you pick up the 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION or any earlier version, you are guaranteed some huge laughs.
The 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Mel Brooks’ still hilarious BLAZING SADDLES; the very good animated film SON OF BATMAN; the primarily for fans, but okay for everyone detective flick based on the television series VERONICA MARS; and the great, if heartbreaking Chilean film GLORIA are all available now, either on disc or on demand.
And that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here again next time on The Couch!