The Couch Potato Report - September 23rd, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on the rocket and some hard candy.
Last week on The Couch Potato Report I stated “One of the hardest types of films to make are biographies.”
I went on to say that “Movies are movies and since they are made to entertain and make money, sometimes facts and situations have to be changed for "cinematic" reasons.” And I explained that filmmakers call this "creative license."
When you are oblivious to what is fact and what is fiction, the story of a person’s life mixed with “creative license” can make for a very entertaining movie.
For instance, the Johnny Cash Biography WALK THE LINE features several very engaging scenes with Cash on tour with Elvis.
But, while the two did know each other in real life, they were never on tour together.
Since I didn’t know that, and it seemed plausible, I was entertained by it.
I was also entertained by the Canadian film THE ROCKET about Maurice “The Rocket” Richard.
This is a perfect example of how when you are oblivious to what is fact and what is fiction, the story of a person’s life mixed with “creative license” can make for a very entertaining movie.
And THE ROCKET is a very entertaining movie.
The first time I saw this film about the great Montreal Canadiens right-winger was at the theatre in Montreal that stands on the land where The Forum used to be. In that same space hockey fans watched Richard from his debut in 1942 until he retired in 1960. It was a unique feeling.
A feeling that I was sure had added to the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the film, even though I am a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and as such I can never acknowledge the greatness of the Montreal Canadiens or their players.
Then this week I sat down in my living room, far away from Montreal, and I watched THE ROCKET again.
And I was thoroughly entertained…again.
And even if you don’t like the Montreal Canadiens either, or you aren’t a fan of sports at all, I still think you will enjoy THE ROCKET.
It isn’t just the story of an athlete; it is the story of a person.
In the film THE ROCKET Maurice Richard is a man with a sole passion – playing hockey. After spending his days working at the factory, he throws himself body and soul into the game to pursue his dream.
He isn’t the biggest player on the ice, and he isn’t the most talented, but through his passion he becomes the best.
His coach, former Regina Capitals player Dick Irvin, Sr., pushes Richard just enough to get that best, and he also fuels The Rocket’s obsession to win.
As I mentioned, THE ROCKET isn’t just a sports movie. Personally, I found the film most effective when it was showing how Richard was treated by the other players in the league, not because he was on the Canadiens, but because he was French.
Yes, Maurice Richard was the first to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in 50 games, and the first to score 500 goals in a career.
And yes, he also played on eight Stanley Cup teams, was captain of 5 straight, and played in every National Hockey League All-Star Game from 1947 to 1959, and today he is an honoured member of The Hockey Hall Of Fame, but he was also so much more.
He was a husband, a father, and a proud French-Canadian.
His life and his accomplishments are inspirational and the film about him starring Roy Dupuis as Maurice Richard - is superb!
I can’t wait to watch it again, even if he is a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
Go Leafs, go!!!
Our next film this week isn’t as good as THE ROCKET, and I’m not sure I would even use the word good to describe it.
As a film, it kept me intrigued the whole time, and at one time I even wanted to fast-forward to the end just to see what was going to happen, but the characters in the movie are so disturbing that I could never say it is a good film.
The movie in question is called HARD CANDY.
It is about a 14-year-old girl who meets a 32 year-old man on the internet…and it turns out that she is the predator.
After spending time chatting online the girl agrees to meet the man at a local coffee shop, and that results in a trip to his home.
However, Jeff soon learns that Hayley isn't as innocent as she appears and I can’t say very much else without giving away some of the film’s many plot twists..., or disgusting you.
Now that is a word I would use to describe HARD CANDY: disgusting. Parts of the film actually disgusted me, but not for the reasons you might think.
At times during the movie both the girl and the man are at fault, and deserve punishment.
HARD CANDY is a film that challenges you to watch, and for that reason it succeeds as a film, regardless of the subject matter.
However, eventually that subject matter must come up, and it is for that reason that I am reluctant to recommend the film.
Now, if you enjoy seeing a film that you will want to discuss afterward, then you should definitely see HARD CANDY. Otherwise, look for something else.
I hear THE ROCKET is really good.
And THE ROCKET is now available on DVD along with HARD CANDY.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In Douglas Copeland’s SOUVENIR OF CANADA he tries to find out what makes Canadians, Canadians.
The legendary children’s character CURIOUS GEORGE finally gets his own movie!
And BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA – SEASON 2.5 will finally debut on DVD!!
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!
Sloan's bassist looks for feedback
TORONTO (CP) - Sloan bassist Chris Murphy won't be upset if some fans don't like the band's new album, as long as they're honest about it.
"Never Hear The End Of It," the Halifax foursome's first studio album since 2003, includes a whopping 30 songs, ranging in length from just over 50 seconds to more than five minutes.
While Murphy says some listeners may have a hard time getting through the entire album, which clocks in at more than 76 minutes, he's just hoping it generates some passionate feedback once it hits shelves Sept. 19.
"I don't mind if this record is polarizing," he said during a recent phone interview from his Toronto home. "I'd rather get reaction - whether positive or negative - that's more extreme.
"There are going to be a lot of people who can't get through the whole thing," he said. "It's dense."
Murphy says the response to the band's music has often been somewhere in the middle because "we're nice enough guys and everybody wants us to do well."
"I want people to say (about the new album) 'This is totally what I love' or 'What the hell do they think they're doing, those obnoxious assholes?"' he said. "I'd rather just generate talk."
The album has a bit of everything, including upbeat pop, slower ballads and even a punk-influenced song. The first single, "Who Taught You To Live Like That?," has a '70s rock feel to it. The band's trademark harmonies are also prevalent on the disc.
"We tried to make it so that it was varied enough so that it didn't get boring to listen to so that one would want to listen to it the whole way through," said Murphy.
All 30 songs are squeezed on one CD but the vinyl version had to be split into a dual-disc collection.
"Never Hear The End Of It," recorded on the band's label Murderecords, is Sloan's eighth studio album and first new material since 2003's 12-song disc "Action Pact." Murphy said he was anxious to do something different this time.
"The last record we made, for what it's worth, was quite succinct and short and very straight-ahead rock 'n roll," he said. "I just wanted to be as eclectic as we wanted to be on this record and not talk about what kind of songs were supposed to have - just sort of like whatever happens, happens.
Murphy said he liked "Action Pact," but that it lacked something.
"It's just not very eclectic, it's just pretty straight-ahead," he said. "And that wouldn't have bothered me except for that that's been our last record for three years or more."
Murphy and bandmates Jay Ferguson, Andrew Scott and Patrick Pentland stuck to their traditional routine, each writing their own songs for the new album. Murphy alone contributed more than 10 tunes.
"I have a whole solo album hidden in this record," said Murphy.
The album could almost be considered a compilation, a criticism that has been directed toward the band in the past. But Murphy doesn't find that description offensive.
"It never bothers me," he said. "For our last record, we tried to beat the compilation rap and make a cohesive-sounding record but to me it just ends up sounding very uni-dimensional."
After some 15 years together, Murphy admits the band doesn't always get along. Still, he's proud of the fact Sloan has stayed intact.
"I think it's cool that we're still the same four people that we were in 1991," he said. "I'm telling you, that's really rare. It's very hard to keep everybody interested and to keep everybody on the same page. There are not a lot of bands that have been going for that long with the same four people."
Sloan is scheduled to play with the Rolling Stones on Sept. 23 in front of a hometown crowd at the Halifax Commons. It's not the first time they've played with the legendary band after doing a couple Stones shows in Boston earlier this year.
"It's pretty cool," said Murphy. "It will be in Halifax and it's right when our record comes out."
So does Murphy see himself still rocking when he's in his 60s like Mick Jagger?
"You tell me who is ahead of me in the line for rock iconship in Canada," he joked. "You tell me."
New Releases, Sept. 19: Fergie, Elton John, Clay Aiken, Diana Krall
Elton John "The Captain and the Kid"
After a 31-year wait, the pop-rock legend finally delivers the follow-up to 1975's "Captain Fantastic and the Dirt Brown Cowboy," which is widely considered to be one of John's finest albums. Of course, he hasn't exactly been killing time during the break; over the years, John has become a major force on Broadway and in film.
The first single from the album is titled "The Bridge." The piano-rocker is supporting "The Captain and the Kid" with a major arena tour, which is currently set to conclude with an Oct. 7 date in Atlantic City. After that, it's back to Las Vegas for his ongoing gig at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
* * *
Clay Aiken "A Thousand Different Ways"
The "American Idol" runner-up is back with a new concept album, a cover collection of tunes from the '70s, '80s and '90s. Aiken delivers his versions of such well-known former chart-toppers as "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," "Here You Come Again," "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" and "I Want to Know What Love Is." The set also includes four new songs.
"A Thousand Different Ways" follows Aiken's multi-platinum debut, 2003's "Measure of a Man," and the holiday album "Merry Christmas With Love," which reportedly was the best-selling holiday disc of the 2004 season.
Aiken recently made news after the White House announced that the pop singer was in line to be named to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
* * *
Diana Krall "From this Moment On"
The popular jazz vocalist/pianist, who is arguably the genre's biggest contemporary name, returns with an 11-song collection of mostly jazz standards. The set includes such fine compositions as "Come Dance With Me," "How Insensitive" and "Willow Weep for Me." The music was arranged by John Clayton, which means this album should sound great.
According to published reports, the jazz singer and her husband, rock veteran Elvis Costello, are expecting twins in December.
* * *
Kenny Chesney "Live: Those Songs Again"
Chesney, one of the biggest draws in the concert industry, delivers a new live disc that features such fan favorites as "How Forever Feels," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "Beer in Mexico." The set also includes a duet of "When the Sun Goes Down" that features Uncle Kracker (who also appeared on the studio version).
* * *
Fergie "The Dutchess"
The Black Eyed Peas singer puts out her debut CD, which already boasts one certified hit in "London Bridge." In the most recent Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "London Bridge" was at No. 2, just behind Justin Timberlake's blockbuster "SexyBack."
* * *
More new releases:
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, "Thug Stories" (Koch)
Bonnie Prince Billy, "The Letting Go" (Drag City)
Guy Clark, "Workbench Songs" (Dualtone)
DJ Shadow, "Outsider" (Universal)
Lupe Fiasco, "Food & Liquor" (Atlantic)
Indigo Girls, "Despite Our Differences" (Hollywood)
Kasabian, "Empire" (RCA)
Jonny Lang, "Turn Around" (A&M)
Jesse McCartney, "Right Where You Want Me" (Hollywood)
Mushroomhead, "Savior Sorrow" (Megaforce)
Aaron Neville, "Bring It on Home... the Soul Classics" (Burgundy)
New Found Glory, "Coming Home" (Geffen)
Dilana Smith, "Wonderfool" (Red Bullet)
Chris Smither, "Leave the Light On" (Signature)
Ryan Star, "Songs From the Eye of an Elephant" (Koch)
DVD places the loot in 'Dead Man's Chest'
The third chapter of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, At World's End, is eight months away from theaters.
Industry observers expect the DVD of the year's biggest movie to easily be the year's top seller, beating another Disney title, The Chronicles of Narnia, which was released before Easter and sold more than 11 million DVDs in the USA alone.
"It's definitely a repeatable movie that people will want to own," says industry analyst Tom Adams of Adams Media Research. He predicts sales of 12 million to 13 million for Dead Man's Chest.
The sequels only fuel renewed interest in the movies that came before. During Dead Man's summer theatrical run, the DVD of the original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl shot back into the top five on the national DVD sales chart nearly three years after it was released.
"That's likely to happen again with the DVD release of the second one," Adams says.
The Dead Man's Chest DVD will come out in both a single-disc edition ($30) and a two-disc collector's edition ($35).
Both DVDs have bloopers and commentary from writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who also are writing the upcoming movie.
The collector's edition also comes with 10 featurettes, including a profile on Depp, an inside look at the movie's premiere on Disneyland's Main Street, a photo diary from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a feature on how Disneyland's popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction became the basis for a movie and an extensive making-of documentary.
For the DVD, Bruckheimer worked to be sure the special features give audiences something fresh.
"We wanted to give people more than they saw in the theater, a little insight into the filmmaking process," he says.
For the making-of featurette, "a documentary filmmaker followed us around during the prep work, and you'll see things that went wrong, as well as the joy of the first day of filming, which is really nice."
Bruckheimer says work on the third installment in the franchise is progressing nicely.
"We shot a lot of Chow Yun-Fat's stuff already, and we should finish the principal actors by the beginning of November, so we are quite a ways into it."
The third film is expected to open May 25, on Memorial Day weekend.
And by Christmas 2007, expect a DVD release and a boxed set of all three films.
Johansson happy with her curvy figure
NEW YORK - Scarlett Johansson struts her stuff in cleavage-baring dresses on the red carpet, but in real life, she'd rather remain a mystery.
"I can't stand those articles where people spill their life story," Johansson says in the October issue of InStyle magazine, on newsstands Friday. "After a while I feel like I know more about them than their best friend does — and that's weird. It's better when you don't know everything."
The 21-year-old actress, whose screen credits include "Lost in Translation" and "Match Point," plays a former prostitute in "The Black Dahlia," opposite Hilary Swank and Josh Hartnett.
Johansson says: "Do I ever get nervous about this, right now, being the pinnacle of my career? Yeah, I do. At the end of (filming) every movie I think, `Wow — this is the last one! Nice working with you.'"
She's more confident about her hourglass figure. "I'm curvy — I'm never going to be 5'11' and 120 pounds. But I feel lucky to have what I've got."
And, given the chance, she'd like to trade lives with President Bush. "Whose life would I like to step into for the day? The president's. I could probably get some things done in the Oval Office."
'Studio 60': Work never looked so fun
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - NBC, Monday, 10 ET/PT
* * * * (out of four)
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
Sometimes, where you're going is less important than who's taking you there.
So it doesn't matter if you have only limited interest in what goes on behind the scenes at a TV show. What matters with Studio 60 is that it stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet; it's directed by Thomas Schlamme; and it's written by Aaron Sorkin. And they're all at the top of their games.
Teeming with rich characters and terrific actors, brimming with wit, drama and unexpected urgency, Studio 60 brings its workplace to full, immensely entertaining life. But then, what else would you expect from the team that gave us Sports Night and The West Wing?
Their latest series is set at an SNL-type sketch show (though you may well feel you're actually backstage at Wing). Already in decline, the fictional Studio 60 is pushed over the edge by the live Network-like rant of the show's founder (Judd Hirsch).
In rushes the new president of "NBS" entertainment, Jordan McDeere (Peet), who was brought in by network head Jack Rudolph (Steven Weber) to right the ratings ship. Her idea: Bring back the brilliant writer/director team Jack forced out, Matt Albie (Perry) and Danny Tripp (Whitford).
Almost instantly, the news that Matt and Danny might return leaks to the show's director (Timothy Busfield) and its three stars: Simon (D.L. Hughley), Tommy (Nathan Corddry) and Matt's ex-girlfriend Harriet (Sarah Paulson). Their reactions are mixed, for reasons that become clearer next Monday.
As is usual with Sorkin, information about these characters and their relationships is parceled out in fits and starts so that we discover things piecemeal, as we might in real life. And, as usual, the lines sparkle even when the writer indulges his fondness for big set speeches.
There are times when Studio 60 is a little too self-important and self-referential. (It's impossible not to read Sorkin into Perry's character.) But while it is interested in the issues that are faced and stirred up by TV, it is definitely not a show about show business. This is a beautifully acted drama about the conflicts, pressures and joys that arise when people come together at work. In short, it's about life.
Who can't identify with that?
"Flyboys" makers defy Hollywood
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It is a box office gamble befitting the daring aviators who star in the movie "Flyboys," which opens on Friday.
A group of filmmakers and investors including producer Dean Devlin and ace pilot David Ellison, son of Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, spent more than $60 million of their own money to make and market a film no major studio would touch.
Not even Mel Gibson with his smash hit "The Passion of the Christ" spent $60 million. "Passion" cost $25 million, and independent films typically cost less than $5 million. Hollywood studios did not want to back "Flyboys" because they worried it wouldn't draw a big enough audience to make money.
But Devlin, whose hits include big budget "Independence Day," was passionate about "Flyboys" a tale of fighter pilots in World War I who risked their lives flying in rickety biplanes.
Devlin contends passion is lacking in studio moviemaking and says that if Hollywood wants to excite audiences, it must break away from box office-safe sequels, prequels, formulaic comedies and the same old dramas.
RISKY BUSINESS
Hollywood's history is filled with independent producers who took big financial risks and came out on top.
Their stories go back to the origins of movies and include billionaire Howard Hughes' 1930 World War I flying film "Hell's Angels," which at the time cost around $3 million to make and was the most expensive movie ever made.
Like "Hell's Angels," "Flyboys" tells of the first young men to face aerial dogfights. Their biplanes were made of wood and wire. Guns often jammed; engines frequently caught fire. The pilots' life expectancy was a mere six weeks.
"Flyboys" follows members of the Lafayette Escadrille who were U.S. pilots that flew for the French before the United States entered the war. Their tale is one of high-risk adventure in the air and human frailty on the ground.
"This was a story I never heard before, and it was in a unique story in a genre I wanted to see revived," Devlin said. He added that the last time a World War I flying movie was made by Hollywood was 1966's "The Blue Max" from 20th Century Fox.
In modern times, the cost of reproducing biplanes was too high for studio executives who questioned whether young men -- the key audience for action movies -- would care about old biplanes in place of their usual "Star Wars" fare.
MODERN-DAY FLYING ACE
New computer graphic imagery reduced the cost of making "Flyboys" because only a few real biplanes had to be made. The rest were digital creations.
Still, the movie's financing came together and fell apart "maybe 16 times" over several years, Devlin said, owing to the fact that few financiers had the same passion as Devlin.
Enter aspiring filmmaker David Ellison, 23, whom Devlin met through his lawyer. Ellison's father is No. 5 on the list of the richest men in the United States with a net worth estimated at $17 billion by Forbes magazine.
Observers might conclude Larry Ellison bought the movie role for his son, but David Ellison said that is wrong. The junior Ellison has distinguished himself as a top aerobatic pilot and he was passionate about the movie.
"I got involved with this on my own. I was like, dad, I'm doing this by myself," Ellison said. And on his role as one of the "flyboys," Ellison insisted he never wanted to take it.
Devlin said "Flyboys" director Tony Bill played a game of brinkmanship and argued the only way he would allow Ellison to invest was if the young pilot took a part in the movie.
Bill knew Ellison was a star among a core audience of aviators, and the film's backers have traveled to air shows to promote what they consider to be a family film that lacks the foul language, sex and nudity of many Hollywood studio flicks.
"Flyboys" debuts alongside major studio films "All the Kings Men," a remake of a 1949 hit and "Jackass 2," a sequel to a 2002 movie about people doing stupid stunts.
Whether a World War I tale can beat them in the weekly box office battle remains to be seen. But two things are certain, the story is fresh and the filmmakers fearless.
"If you want a safe investment, get a Treasury bill," said Devlin.