Conan invites Canuck pals
HOLLYWOOD -- Conan's comin' and he's bringing some Canadian friends with him.
Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, Will & Grace star Eric McCormack and Canadian bands Nickelback and Barenaked Ladies will be among the celebrity guests when Late Night With Conan O'Brien comes to Toronto on Feb. 10-13, organizers announced last night.
O'Brien isn't just inviting Canuck stars. Also on the guest list is Adam Sandler, who stars with Drew Barrymore in the feature film 50 First Dates, which hits theatres that week.
The four shows will be taped at Toronto's Elgin Theatre and will air weeknights at 12:35 a.m. on NBC.
This will be a rare public appearance by Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. He starts a two-episode guest stint on NBC's Scrubs on Feb. 5 playing a surgeon who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder.
As well, the hardest working comic in Canada, Ron James, will get a shot at some NBC face time. Myers is a big fan of James, who had a CBC special earlier this season.
"We're absolutely thrilled with the quality of stars lined up already," said Peter Soumalias, who is spearheading local organizing efforts. "We eagerly await the rest of guest list, which will be announced shortly."
O'Brien's producers hope to land some local heroes who aren't quite as well known in Hollywood.
Spidey, Harry and Shrek Lead Movie Lineup
LOS ANGELES - You'd think there isn't an original idea left in Hollywood with all the sequels, spinoffs and remakes crowding the 2004 movie lineup.
Yet fans are not likely to complain, considering the savory characters featured in this year's many retreads, which include about two dozen sequels and prequels and at least a dozen updates of old movies or TV shows.
The three heavy hitters arrive in quick succession during the busy summer season:
- "Shrek 2" premieres just before Memorial Day, as the animated ogre with the Scottish brogue (again voiced by Mike Myers) accompanies his princess bride Fiona (Cameron Diaz) to meet her parents, with their pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy) along for the ride. Julie Andrews and John Cleese join the voice cast as Shrek's disapproving in-laws, and Antonio Banderas provides the voice of crafty cat Puss-in-Boots.
- "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" debuts in June, with author J.K. Rowling's boy sorcerer (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) in their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This time, the gang faces an escaped convict (Gary Oldman) who's coming after Harry for mysterious reasons. Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as wise headmaster Dumbledore.
- "Spider-Man 2," opening over Fourth of July weekend, reunites director Sam Raimi with Marvel Comics' anxious-teen-turned-superhero Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter's pal Harry Osborn (James Franco). Now a college student, webmaster Peter battles new super-villain Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who has been transformed into the tentacled "Doc Ock."
While most sequels ratchet up the action, Raimi chose to ratchet up the moral and personal dilemmas and private quandaries that set "Spider-Man" apart from many Hollywood franchises and helped turn it into a $400 million mega-hit.
"The next one is going to seem a little smaller and more intimate. I hope people are not hoping it's bigger and better. Hopefully, they'll think it's smaller and better," Raimi said. "I really turned the film inward on the characters, and it seems like that's what the audience responded to in the first film. So we focused on developing the characters to the next level, and the actors have taken the performances, all of them, up a notch."
The sequel picks up two years after "Spider-Man," which ended with Peter turning his back on his great love, Mary Jane, realizing it was a sacrifice he had to make to travel the high road with his superpowers.
"In those two years, we see the weight of this decision upon Peter Parker," Raimi said. "It's a much tougher road than he ever thought. And the sacrifices he makes here are much more extreme than he ever thought.
"It's about the growth of a boy into a man. Really, a simple coming-of-age story. This boy just happens to be one bitten by a radioactive spider."
"Harry Potter" fans who want to see every detail from the books translated into the screen versions might be uneasy over the projected length of "Prisoner of Azkaban." Director Alfonso Cuaron expects to bring the movie in at less than 2 1/2 hours, the shortest of the series so far and well under the nearly three-hour running time of the last installment, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."
This time, Rowling's story lent itself to a tighter script than the first two flicks, Cuaron said.
"I'm sure that somebody is going to miss something very specific that was ingrained in his or her mind when they read the book. But I think fans are going to love the movie," Cuaron said.
Cuaron signed on for "Harry Potter" after making the racy Spanish-language hit "Y Tu Mama Tambien." He hesitated initially, wondering if it was a good idea to leap into blockbuster country, where every frame would be under the microscope of a profit-minded studio and an eager but finicky audience.
Helping to put the filmmaker on the Hogwart's Express was a remark from a friend, who told him, "in serving Harry Potter, you may do the best film of your career," Cuaron said. "It turned out to be probably the most free experience I ever had in a studio movie."
On the other hand, Andrew Adamson felt a bit artistically constricted on "Shrek 2." A co-director on both "Shrek" movies, Adamson felt he and his collaborators wrapped up the 2001 original too neatly, making it tougher to develop the sequel.
Adamson's main beef: He wishes they had not let Shrek and Fiona marry at the end of the first film. The filmmakers could have strung out the romantic mayhem in the sequel if the two had yet to tie the knot, Adamson said.
"But it actually forced us to push the story through more twists and turns and prevented us from letting the film fall back into sequel cliches," Adamson.
Among the twists: Turns out Shrek wasn't the fairy-tale true love meant for Fiona, after all. A guy named Prince Charming was (Rupert Everett provides the voice of the unlucky-at-love prince).
While the filmmakers had not been thinking sequel on the first "Shrek," they have left more leeway to continue the story after the new installment, Adamson said.
"This time at least, we're preparing for it. We're trying not to make the same mistakes," Adamson said. "In the first movie, Shrek learned he could be lovable to some degree. This movie, he learns how to love, and at some point, he needs to learn to love himself. So there is still more to be told about these characters. They still have room to go."
This year's non-sequel and non-remake highlights include a "Wedding Singer" reunion for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the romance "50 First Dates"; Tom Cruise as a hitman in "Collateral"; Kurt Russell in "Miracle," the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team; Gene Hackman as an ex-president running for mayor in "Welcome to Mooseport"; the end-of-the-world thriller "The Day After Tomorrow," with Dennis Quaid; Nicole Kidman's "The Interpreter," a tale of United Nations intrigue; Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg reteaming for the drama "The Terminal"; and Will Smith in the sci-fi adventure "I, Robot."
Also: "The Village," the latest fright flick from M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense"); the epic "Troy," with Brad Pitt as Greek hero Achilles; the musical "Andrew Lloyd Webber's the Phantom of the Opera," directed by Joel Schumacher; Oliver Stone's "Alexander," with Colin Farrell as the great conqueror; Leonardo DiCaprio in the Howard Hughes biography "The Aviator," directed by Martin Scorsese; Russell Crowe as Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock in Ron Howard's "Cinderella Man"; and the comic-book adaptations "Constantine" with Keanu Reeves, "Catwoman" with Halle Berry, "Hellboy" with Ron Perlman, and "The Punisher" with Thomas Jane.
Among the year's other sequels: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer and pals return in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," which co-stars Queen Latifah, who gets her own spinoff, "Beauty Shop"; "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," with Anne Hathaway and grandma Julie Andrews on a hubby hunt; "Kill Bill — Vol. 2," the conclusion to Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino's vengeance saga; and Renee Zellweger's return to romantic misadventures in "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."
Also: Matt Damon's second time out as the amnesiac spy in "The Bourne Supremacy"; Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller's "Meet the Parents" follow-up "Meet the Fockers"; "Blade: Trinity," Wesley Snipes' third time as the vampire slayer; Frankie Muniz in "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London"; "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," with the Great Dane and his ghost-hunting gang; Naomi Watts in the horror tale "The Ring 2"; and John Travolta's "Get Shorty" postscript "Be Cool."
With "Ocean's Twelve," George Clooney reprises the title role from the heist hit "Ocean's Eleven," a remake of the Frank Sinatra flick.
The assassination thriller "The Manchurian Candidate," another Sinatra film from the '60s, gets an update with Denzel Washington in the lead.
Among other remakes and adaptations: Nicole Kidman in the comic thriller "The Stepford Wives," about a town of oddly obedient women; Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as cop partners in "Starsky & Hutch," updated from the '70s TV show; Tom Hanks in the Coen brothers' retelling of "The Ladykillers," about a gang of inept crooks; The Rock as a take-no-prisoners sheriff in "Walking Tall"; "Flight of the Phoenix," starring Dennis Quaid in the story of crash survivors scavenging their wrecked plane to build a new one; "Van Helsing," a new take on the "Dracula" saga, featuring Hugh Jackman; "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," which transplants the romance to 1950s Cuba; Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon in "Shall We Dance," based on the Japanese film; and "Dawn of the Dead," with Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley among survivors in a world of undead zombies.
Other movies, while not straightforward remakes, mine familiar territory. Hilary Duff's "A Cinderella Story" gives a modern twist to the fairy tale as a downtrodden stepdaughter who meets her prince online then leaves behind her cell phone rather than a slipper for him to track her down.
Jennifer Garner does the child-in-an-adult-body thing a la "Big" in "13 Going on 30," about a teenager who wishes for a new life and suddenly finds herself stuck in the body of her grown-up self.
Writer-actress Nia Vardalos follows up her surprise blockbuster "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with "Connie and Carla," a romance that carries shades of the cross-dressing comedies "Some Like It Hot," "Tootsie" and "Victor/Victoria."
"Connie and Carla" stars Vardalos, Toni Collette and David Duchovny in the tale of two female musical-theater singers who witness a murder and hide out from mobsters by posing as drag queens — "women dressed as men dressed as women," Vardalos said.
The success of the low-budget "Greek Wedding" has landed Vardalos in the middle of big-money Hollywood. The music budget alone on "Connie and Carla" equaled the entire $5 million cost of making "Greek Wedding," Vardalos said.
Sky-high expectations often trip up newly minted stars on their first follow-up to a major hit. But Vardalos figures she's already taken that tumble with the failed TV adaptation "My Big Fat Greek Life."
"I'm not worried about the sophomore jinx. That already hit me with the TV show," Vardalos said. "I'm now in my junior year, and I feel great."
Music Industry Sues Hundreds Over Piracy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. music industry on Wednesday said it is suing 532 people identified only as "John Doe" in anti-piracy lawsuits after a recent court ruling forced record labels to abandon earlier methods of tracking down online copyright infringers.
The Recording Industry Association of America, which has been fighting the digital piracy it blames for a three-year slump in CD sales, said it filed four separate suits against 532 users of undisclosed Internet service providers.
In a new legal tactic, the trade group identified song swappers by numerical Web addresses. It plans to discover their names and locations through subpoenas.
The RIAA has been unable to sue suspected individual song swappers by name since mid-December, when a federal appeals court sided with Verizon Communications and ruled that ISPs did not have to respond to subpoenas filed as a prelude to lawsuits requesting the names of users.
Three of the suits were filed in New York, and the fourth in Washington, DC, RIAA President Cary Sherman said on a conference call with journalists.
"Our campaign against illegal file sharers is not missing a beat," Sherman said.
In recent years, record labels and even musicians likeMetallica and Sheryl Crow have campaigned against peer-to-peer networks like Napster and Kazaa, claiming they have contributed to plummeting CD sales and cheated them out of royalties by letting people swap music for free.
The RIAA refused to disclose the ISPs involved in the John Doe suits, but Verizon said it had recently been notified it would soon be getting subpoenas.
Sarah Deutsch, Verizon vice president and associate general counsel, said the company had not seen the lawsuits and had not spoken with the RIAA regarding the suits, but said it had received nearly 50 e-mail advance notices from the RIAA, saying it would soon be receiving subpoenas from attorneys.
PEER-TO-PEER GROUPS RULED EXEMPT
The RIAA had previously invoked a 1998 digital-copyright law to force ISPs to turn over suspects' names, an approach upheld by a lower court.
But the appeals court found the law does not apply to peer-to-peer networks, where infringing material is stored on individual hard drives rather than on public Web sites.
Sherman said the decision complicated and raised the cost of the industry's anti-piracy efforts, and he predicted that settlements would likely rise to reflect the higher costs.
Verizon's Deutsch, on Wednesday said the suits should discourage frivolous subpoenas and protect customer privacy and due-process rights.
"The past method was an unsupervised digital dragnet," she said. "The difference is now the subpoenas have to be administered under a judge. Our goal is to comply, although we don't know any details. We're interested to see if the RIAA is trying anything new here," she said.
Legal experts believe the new tactic should help ease tensions between the RIAA and ISPs.
"The ISPs still have privacy issues that have not been totally resolved. A court-issued subpoena will have to be done excruciatingly properly or an ISP will not obey it," said Len Rubin, a Chicago-based copyright attorney, adding the ISPs will scrutinize subpoenas carefully, looking for discrepancies.
Others like Sen. Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican who chairs a Senate investigations committee and has held hearings on digital piracy, criticized the latest round of lawsuits.
"The decision by the RIAA to rely primarily on the fear of the courts and litigation to pummel (peer-to-peer) users is unfortunate and misdirected," Coleman said.
"While it's an improvement that the record industry now has to play by the same rules as everyone else who goes into court, they are still heading in the wrong direction," said Cindy Cohn, legal director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Since September, the RIAA has settled 233 of 382 lawsuits for about $3,000 each and has agreed on another 100 settlements in principle. The rest are still in court.
The latest suits are also targeted against what the RIAA deems as the most "egregious" cases of copyright infringement.
A study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found the number of people who downloaded music from the Web fell by around half by late 2003 from the early part of the year.
Gibson Expects 'Worst to Come' Over Christ Film
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - The controversy that has followed Mel Gibson's film about the death of Christ could be persecution or just inspired publicity, but the film-maker himself predicted "the worst is yet to come" on Wednesday at a meeting with 4,500 evangelical Christian pastors.
A day after reports that a high Vatican official denied that Pope John Paul gave a thumbs up to his film, "The Passion of the Christ," Gibson prepared to show it to another hand-picked audience, this time the Global Pastors Network conference meeting in Orlando.
As with past screenings, media were barred, as were Jewish groups worried that the film could incite anti-Semitism if it suggests Jewish authorities in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago were largely responsible for the crucifixion of the man Christians worship as the incarnation of God.
On Tuesday, an aide to the pose denied media reports that the pontiff had praised the film's Biblical accuracy, saying, "The Holy Father told no one of his opinion of this film."
Gibson did not mention the Vatican denial when he addressed the pastors. He thanked them for their prayers, but warned, somewhat ominously "I anticipate the worst is yet to come. I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong."
Gibson said the film gestated in his imagination for 12 years as he meditated on the gospel stories of a God who became human so he could pay the price for human sin.
"He could have done it by pricking his finger and shedding a little blood. He didn't; he wanted to go all the way," Gibson said.
While Gibson thanked the pastors for their support, his publicity director, Paul Lauer, urged them to send youth groups to the R-rated flick when it opens on Feb. 25 on 2,000 screens in the United States.
The rating, apparently based on the graphic depiction of the crucifixion, means those under age 17 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
Lauer predicted that if the film posts good numbers on its opening weekend, "I think there'll be a lot of powerful people in Hollywood saying, 'Somebody get me a Jesus picture."'
This week's Couch Potato Report was posted today instead of yesterday.
Scroll down and enjoy!
I'll meet you on the couch.
Welcome Back Weezer
Universal Music Enterprises has set a March 23 release date for two highly anticipated Weezer items: the DVD "Video Capture Device" and an expanded reissue of the group's 1994 debut, "The Blue Album." As previously reported, The DVD is expected to run three hours and feature music videos, live footage and optional band member commentaries, while the album reissue will include a second disc of B-sides and rare tracks.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on Weezer's next studio album, which, as previously reported, is being produced by Rick Rubin. The band is expected to be in pre-production on a new batch of songs through the end of the month, after which time it will return to the studio to record the material. "Happily, between Rick Rubin and Weezer, quality control standards are at an all time high," according to the band's official Web site.
New Janet Jackson Album Due In March
Janet Jackson's as-yet-untitled new album will be released March 30 via Virgin, according to a label spokesperson. Beyond collaborations with longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson has also worked with Missy Elliott, Dallas Austin and producer Rich Harrison, who was behind the boards for Beyonce's "Crazy in Love." The artist is planning to tour this summer in support of the album.
As previously reported, Jackson will be part of the MTV-produced, AOL-sponsored Super Bowl XXXVIII, although it is unknown if she will debut material from the upcoming release. P. Diddy, Kid Rock and Nelly will also be on hand for the festivities.
The new album is the follow-up to 2001's "All for You," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. It has sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The title cut reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
COULD IT "BE" MORE EXPENSIVE?
NBC is charging a record $2 million per 30 second spot during the May 6 Friends finale, according to TV Guide.
BE PART OF THE MEMORIES:
A pair of tickets to the taping of the final episode of Friends is being auctioned off on eBay. Bidding has already hit $10,000 for the tickets--the only two available to the public for the taping. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Lili Claire Foundation, which helps children born with neurogenetic disorders.
Freaks and Geeks get the last word
Fans of the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks seemed to go unheard as the show was quickly pulled off the air, and then completely ignored. But a huge petition has prompted Shout! Factory to release the entire series on six discs this spring.
All eighteen episodes of the show are included with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1along with twenty-eight audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, alternate ending, outtakes and bloopers, cast auditions, behind-the-scenes footage and NBC promotional TV spots. A 28 page booklet will also be included and it all arrives on April 6th.
Juno Award tickets for Edmonton gala to go on sale Valentine's Day
EDMONTON (CP) - Tickets for this year's Juno Awards, one of the country's premier music events, will go on sale on Valentine's Day.
Beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 14, music fans can contact Ticketmaster for the 33rd annual Juno Awards. The awards show will take place at Edmonton's Rexall Place on Sunday, April 4. Ticket prices range from $91.50 to $57. A limit of four tickets per person will be sold.
Last year, tickets for the Ottawa show, hosted by Shania Twain, sold out in 22 minutes. A host and performers for the 2004 ceremonies have yet to be named.
Hoffman Heads 'Focker' Clan for Comedy Sequel
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Dustin Hoffman has been cast as Ben Stiller's father in "Meet the Fockers," the sequel to the 2000 comedy hit "Meet the Parents."
As with the original, the Universal Pictures project is being directed by Jay Roach. Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo are returning in their original roles.
The sequel sees Greg Focker (Stiller) and his fiancee, Pam Byrnes (Polo), thinking everything is hunky-dory now that Greg has won over his soon-to-be in-laws, Jack (De Niro) and Dina Byrnes (Danner). But that's before Pam's parents meet Greg's parents, the Fockers. The hyper-relaxed Fockers and the tightly wound Byrneses are mismatched from the start.
Hoffman won Oscars for his work in "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Rain Man." He last appeared in "Runaway Jury." He and De Niro appeared together in the prophetic 1997 satire "Wag the Dog."
'American Idol' Returns to Stellar Numbers on Fox
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The quest for instant pop fame and a new TV take on matrimonial mayhem scored big with viewers as the return of "American Idol" and the debut of "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" struck ratings gold for the struggling Fox network.
The third edition of "Idol" premiered on Monday night to 28.2 million viewers overall and a whopping 12.5 rating in the benchmark demographic of 18-to-49-year-olds, making it the biggest show of the night and the biggest debut of any series on any network this season, according to figures issued on Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.
Monday's "Idol" now ranks as the second-highest-rated nonsports telecast so far this season in 18-to-49-year-olds behind a Jan. 15 episode of NBC's "Friends," while just two episodes of the CBS hit series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" have drawn more in total viewers, Fox said.
The return of "American Idol" also gave a boost to the launch of another key Fox reality series, "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance," which averaged nearly 21.4 million viewers to rank as the second-most watched program of the night and prove the enduring appeal of matrimonial melodrama.
The reality show centers on a young bride-to-be trying to get through a formal engagement and marriage to a world-class lout -- over the sensible protests of her parents -- in order to win $1 million.
But while the search for America's next pop star on "Idol" increased its audience about 13 percent from its first half-hour to the second, "Fiance" lost nearly 20 percent of its total viewers at the half-hour.
Still, Monday night's performance marked a welcome triumph for Fox, a unit of News Corp. Ltd., which has been struggling to shake off a ratings slump and was counting on the premieres of both shows to re-energize its schedule.
It was the strongest Monday night for Fox since the finale of "Joe Millionaire" last year. That show, along with the second installment of "American Idol" last January, transformed Fox's fortunes from dismal to dazzling at the end of last season.
Fox started the new season with improved ratings for its baseball playoffs coverage but faltered with misfires by several new shows, including the porn-themed drama "Skin," the sitcom "Luis" and a second installment of "Joe Millionaire."
Elsewhere on prime time Monday, NBC's "Average Joe: Hawaii" saw its 18-49 ratings jump nearly 40 percent in its third episode at 10 p.m., apparently benefiting from reality TV fans looking for something else to watch once "American Idol" and "Obnoxious Fiance" were off the air, and from the fact that CBS aired a repeat of "CSI: Miami."
This week in The Couch Potato Report four movies, count 'em four, four movies that are worth seeing!
I like watching movies.
I like going out to the movies, watching movies at home and visiting friends houses to see movies. I've even traveled to other cities, provinces and countries sometimes with the sole intention just to see movies.
Like I said, I like watching movies. Especially when they are good and not a waste of time.
I am pleased to tell you that this week there are four new films to tell you about. I am even more pleased to report that all four are good and quite worth your time.
We'll start this week out with a western called OPEN RANGE.
After a decade of movies that weren't very good Kevin Costner came here to Western Canada to direct OPEN RANGE.
Set in the Old West Costner and co-star Robert Duvall lead cattle across the land, grazing wherever the land is good.
After a territorial murder the cowboys seek vengeful justice against the ruthless rancher who threatens their law-abiding survival.
Now I've never been in a climactic shootout, but I suspect that the masterfully staged ones that take place in OPEN RANGE are laced with the shock and suddenness of real-life gunfire.
But it isn't all gunfire and cattle, this is a beautiful film that is rich in character development and contains an abundance of thick-hided humor.
Costner plays his role just right Robert Duvall offers us one of his finest cinematic performances.
OPEN RANGE might not be as good as Costner's other western - DANCES WITH WOLVES - or Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN but I liked it a lot. I especially enjoyed its slow pace and the opportunity it offers to get lost in the old west.
The films of the old west, especially Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST served as the inspiration for director Robert Rodriguez' EL MARIACHI films.
1995's DESPERADO was the middle film of the trio and now we have the completely enjoyable ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO. In this installment El Mariachi protects the Mexican president from coup plans.
The film is a complex with an engaging story to follow, complimented by some riveting action scenes and classy dialogue.
Antonio Banderas continues to personify The Mariachi, with Salma Hayek returning as his love interest. They are supported in wonderful performances from Johnny Depp of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, missing-in-action 80's star Mickey Rourke and William Dafoe from THE ENGLISH PATIENT. And I can't forget the stunning Eva Mendes.
As a big fan of these ELMARIACHI films I was pre-destined to like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, but even if you've never seen the other two films in the trilogy there is a lot to like in this movie.
Movie. Spelled M-O-V-I-E.
Okay, I got it right!! I can spell movie!
It's unlikely any actual spelling bee would offer such an easy word to spell. I know that for a fact as I've seen the spelling bee documentary SPELLBOUND. And you should see it too! It is wonderful.
Now who would have thought that a documentary about spelling-bee contestants could be wonderful, or even as suspenseful as a Hitchcock thriller? SPELLBOUND follows eight kids from their early victories in regional spelling bees to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
SPELLBOUND is an out-and-out nail-biter. Each of the kids gets captured so vividly that you can't help but get emotionally immersed in their brave, nerve-wracking struggle to spell slippery, treacherous words.
And none of them are as easy as movie. M-O-V-I-E. Look, I spelled it right again!
But enough about my ability to spell, just search out SPELLBOUND at your local video store. It is a riveting, wrenching, must-see movie.
That title again: S-P-E-L-L-B-O-U-N-D.
Another title to search out, and spell for your local video store proprietor is SWIMMING POOL.
If you feel like watching a movie that you can discuss and dissect afterward than SWIMMING POOL is your movie.
This erotic thriller also offers a potent, voyeuristic charge as it takes you through a seductive tale of murder and complicity.
British mystery novelist Sarah Morton seeks peace and relaxation at her publisher's French villa, only to find his brash, sexually liberated daughter Julie arriving shortly thereafter. What begins as mutual annoyance turns into something more sinister and duplicitous, alternating between Julie's predatory dalliances with men and Sarah's observant, perhaps jealous fascination.
A delicate dance of trust, curiosity, and gradual understanding ensues, until a twist ending that forces you to reevaluate everything you've seen.
Everything!
Jump into SWIMMING POOL. You might not feel refreshed, but you will feel engaged.
OPEN RANGE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, SPELLBOUND and SWIMMING POOL are all great films and are all available to rent and own right now.
COMING NEXT WEEK
RADIO - A football coach mentors a mentally challenged boy. (Cuba Gooding
Jr., Ed Harris, Sarah Drew)
LE DIVORCE - French and American social customs and behaviors are observed in a story about an American visiting her Frenchman-wed sister in Paris. (Naomi Watts, Kate Hudson)
THIRTEEN - A thirteen-year-old girl's relationship with her mother is put to the test as she discovers drugs, sex, and petty crime in the company of her cool but troubled best friend. (Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Holly Hunter)
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you on The Couch!