The Couch Potato Report - February 24h, 2007
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a show and movie I just don't understand and one group won't just shut up and sing.
The Trailer Park Boys is a popular Canadian mockumentary television series that premiered in April of 2001 and focusses on the misadventures of Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and the other residents of the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park, in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
Filmed like a documentary, and seen from the camera person's point of view, the low-budget program has been very succesful, in fact it is the highest rated Canadian series on the cable network Showcase.
And now there is TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE.
The movie features a storyline that is not related to the TV show, but features many of the same characters.
In the film Ricky and Julian get arrested for robbing an ATM machine and when they get out after spending 18 months in jail they come up with a scheme to steal large amounts of untraceable coins.
Now, let me be honest. I don't get it!
I personally know people who love this show and the characters.
I've seen their ratings, so I know that there are people across Canada - and the world for that matter - who love the Trailer Park Boys - and the film was nominated in the category of BEST MOTION PICTURE at the recent 27th Annual Genie Awards.
But I do not get it.
I don't understand the appeal, I have never laughed, not even once at the TV series or the movie, and I don't like any of the characters.
I don't know why anyone would watch this stuff.
But that is the beauty of the entertainment business! There is something for everyone!!
I don't have to like TRAILER PARK BOYS for it to be succesful, and you don't have to like everything that I like.
So if you are a fan of the TV show, then you need to see TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE. If you are like me, and just don't understand why anyone would subject themselves to this piece of entertainment, than ignore it and let what happens in Sunnyvale Trailer Park stay in Sunnyvale Trailer Park.
Yes, in the entertainment business there is something for everyone and this week the next two titles are for me, and I will recommend each of them very highly.
Especially the documentary DIXIE CHICKS - SHUT UP AND SING.
Prior to that off the cuff statement from lead singer Natalie Maines in London the Dixie Chicks were one of the most successful bands on the planet.
After it, the entire world changed for the singer and her bandmates Martie and Emily.
But it wasn't just their record sales that were affected by what was said, and this spectacular film documents all of it.
SHUT UP AND SING was produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck and it shows the firestorm of organized and personal right wing attacks that erupted against the Chicks for expressing a negative personal opinion about President George W. Bush.
In addition to the maestrom, the film also shows the ladies' resiliance as they attempt to put it behind them and start working on their new album.
An album that would go on to win all five categories for which it was nominated at the recent Grammy Awards, including the coveted Song, Record, and Album of the Year.
I am a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks, and I am also a huge fan of documentaries that take us inside stories and places we wouldn't normally get to go. SHUT UP AND SING does both, and it is a film I think you should see.
There is even a reference to our province in it.
The final release I have for you this week is THE PRESTIGE.
This film is about the rivalry of Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two Victorian era stage magicians in late 19th- and early 20th-century London.
Angier blames Borden for a tragic accident, and a competitive one-upmanship ensues, in which both magicians, obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, stop at nothing to uncover the secret of each other's acts, with deadly results.
Co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the man who gave us the superb films MEMENTO and BATMAN BEGINS, THE PRESTIGE stars Christian Bale as Borden and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier and also features Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo and Andy Serkis.
And that is all I am going to say about this movie, other than to tell you to see it, and don't think too much about it.
THE PRESTIGE is a tremendous film, and it is my opinion that the less you know about it, the more you will enjoy it.
The tremendous film THE PRESTIGE, the spectacular documentary SHUT UP AND SING from the Dixie Chicks and TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE, the movie that proves that there is something out there for everyone to enjoy, are all available now on DVD.
I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more reviews for you 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!
Timbaland 'Back With A Vengeance' On New Album
Producer Timbaland told Billboard in a 2001 interview that he'd never make a solo album as an artist. But that's exactly what will arrive March 27 in the form of "Shock Value," which, as previously reported, features such high-profile collaborators as Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Elton John and Fall Out Boy.
"I had some of this album in mind before I hit with Justin and Nelly," he tells Billboard. "But Justin solidified it for me. He said I needed to do something for myself. I've never been this anticipated in my whole life when it comes to my own record. It's like a Jay-Z, Kanye West or Young Jeezy. But I'd really rather people like me as an entertainer versus an artist. I just like to entertain."
Timbaland describes "Shock Value" as "taking you through different emotions. It flows like a movie with different parts: horror, comedy and drama. My mission is to blow up boundaries, taking my music outside the box. It will shock the system."
Before roaring back to the top of the charts in 2006, Timbaland admits he was embittered by a period of time when the industry was indifferent to his ever-evolving sound. "I knew I wanted to do something different musically," he says. I got criticized for that. Labels wouldn't give me a shot. They were saying, 'He's lost it; he's over.' That's why I'm talking so cocky now. I got tired of people smiling in my face and then talking behind my back."
Next up on Timbaland's production docket are "Eve, M.I.A., Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and Madonna," he says. "Missy and I still talk. She's like a sister to me and I'm with her till death do us part. I haven't gone into the studio yet with Madonna. I need to call someone now to talk about that further."
Asked who he'd like to work with that would surprise people, Timbaland replies, "the Rolling Stones because they make classic records, and I need one of those classic, Titanic records. I also want to work with Sade. And for personal reasons I'd like to work again with Ginuwine.
Van Halen Tour On Hold But Still In The Works
A prospective Van Halen tour with original frontman David Lee Roth has derailed. Sources tell Billboard.com the decision to postpone the outing indefinitely was not due to any internal strife among band members. Insiders close to the situation say a tour is still in the works and will happen, though when is anybody's guess.
The tour, negotiations for which were first tipped here on Jan. 24, will feature Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang on bass. A spokesperson for the Van Halen brothers confirmed the tour in a Feb. 3 press release.
Indeed, wheels were in motion for a 40-date, Live Nation-produced amphitheatre tour to be announced Feb. 20, including venues and on-sale dates.
The Van Halen camp has yet to make any official announcement about the postponement or the reasons behind it.
Canadian Oscar nominees celebrate with L.A. lunch
Director Deepa Mehta and animator Torill Kove were among the Canuck film luminaries who had lunch with the consul general of Canada on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Academy Awards.
Two major Canadian nominees — Ryan Gosling and Paul Haggis — were no-shows.
Gosling, originally from London, Ont., is nominated in the best actor category for his dark portrayal of a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson.
Fellow Londoner Haggis — the toast of the Oscars last year after his film Crash won best picture — is up for a screenwriting award on Sunday for the Clint Eastwood war saga Letters From Iwo Jima.
Mehta's Water is competing in the best foreign-language film category. She is from Toronto.
"That's what's so great about being Canadian, I have often said — Water is a Canadian film," said Mehta.
"I feel very proud — India, the country of my birth, gives me its inspiration for its stories but Canada gives me the freedom to tell those stories," she said.
Kove, from Montreal, is nominated for her animated short The Danish Poet.
Others invited to the lunch hosted by Consul General Alain Dudoit included Paul Massey, who is up for a sound mixing award for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Massey was born in England but lived in Toronto for 13 years.
The Oscar broadcast begins Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Borat Passes On Presenting Oscar
Sacha Baron Cohen will not be a presenter at Sunday's Academy Award ceremony, because he could not appear as his famous character Borat Sagdiyev. Baron Cohen has been reluctant to make appearances as himself, preferring to do interviews as the star of the faux documentary Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Oscar broadcast producer Laura Ziskin tells the Los Angeles Times, "He was asked, but he declined." There had been speculation that the comedian's participation in the ceremony would bring a welcome shot of excitement to the broadcast. Baron Cohen's acceptance speech at the Golden Globe ceremony last month was one of the most talked-about events of the night. When he won an acting award, he paid homage to his co-star Ken Davitian's naked backside, which was part of a memorable moment in the film. Although Baron Cohen passed on presenting, he could still appear on stage if the film wins for Best Adapted Screenplay.