THE COUCH POTATO REPORT - January 5th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels Canada, a film made in Canada, the work of a master filmmaker, and Gilligan's Island.
Well, here we are...only a few days into a whole new year.
Have you got all of your vacations for 2008 planned out yet?
If you haven't, our Hot Potato this week is full of ideas, and it will take you from coast to coast to coast.
It is a DVD called O CANADA - A HISTORIC AND MAJESTIC 3-PART JOURNEY ACROSS CANADA.
Narrated by the great Peter Gzowski the first part of O CANADA is called POSTCARDS FROM CANADA and it will take you on a truly breathtaking, fact-filled trip through our home and native land.
Including some destinations both unfamiliar, and very familiar.
With stunning footage, and insightful commentary, this National Film Board Of Canada movie is full of travel ideas for those of us who live in Canada, and those who might be thinking about coming for a visit.
There is also a feature called A CANADIAN SCARPBOOK with more than a hundred photographs and another named ULTIMATE CITY ARIEL ADVENTURES that shows you Vancouver, Quebec City, Niagara Falls, Toronto and some other cities from the air.
Yes, this is a great DVD to own, give, or use to make travel plans with.
Again, it is called O CANADA - A HISTORIC AND MAJESTIC 3-PART JOURNEY ACROSS CANADA.
Search it, you will not be disappointed!!
Now, had you been looking for Academy Award nominated actors Paul Giamati and Clive Owen earlier this year, you would have found them, and the beautiful actress Monica Belluci in Canada as well.
They were all there making the very energetic action film SHOOT EM UP.
Man, I enjoyed this film! It features cartoon violence at it's finest, and great actors just having fun!!
Owen, from CLOSER and INSIDE MAN stars as a mystery man with both an extensive military background and a fondness for carrots, not unlike a certain wascally wabbit.
Our man wants nothing more than to be left alone, but he soon finds himself embroiled in a complex political conspiracy once he aids a pregnant woman who is being chased by a hitman.
Paul Giamati from SIDEWAYS is that hitman and Monica Bellucci from MALENA and the final two MATRIX films is Owen's love interest.
They are all perfectly cast in a film that is loud, violent...and I loved it!
This is a movie that friends will recommend to each other, and it will be watched and enjoyed as a cult classic for years.
If loud and violent don't bother you, then check it out, and watch some serious actors letting loose and having fun!
SHOOT EM UP is one of my favourite films of the past year, I enjoyed it that much!
I can't say that any of the films in STANLEY KUBRICK - THE WARNER HOME VIDEO DIRECTORS SERIES 10-DVD BOX SET entertained me as much as SHOOT EM UP, but I still revere all of them as classics.
So, hoping they would all grow on me, I sat down again and rewatched the remastered special editions of 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut.
I also watched the feature length documentary about the director called "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures", which is also included in this set.
As I said, I revere all of these films, and consider them classics, and I think Kubrick is a master filmmaker, but I do not like all of these movies.
I can appreciate them, but I don't watch them with any sort of frequency.
My favourites are still THE SHINING and FULL METAL JACKET, but maybe you love 2001, as I know many people do, or A CLOCKWORK ORANGE...or maybe even EYES WIDE SHUT.
If you are a fan of films, and filmmakers, then STANLEY KUBRICK - THE WARNER HOME VIDEO DIRECTORS SERIES 10-DVD BOX SET is just the thing for you!
Up next this week, Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from a tropic port
Aboard a tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour.
A three hour tour.
Gilligan's Island aired for three seasons from September 26, 1964 to September 4, 1967, and now every episode of the show, including the rare pilot episode featuring two women not named Ginger or Mary Ann, and many other special features are all available in the 9-DVD Box Set GILLIGAN'S ISLAND - THE COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION.
No, the show isn't Dostoyevsky, but it was never intended to be...it is was it always has been, just fun...and funny!
Finally this week are the the latest releases in the WALT DISNEY TREASURES collection - THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD: VOLUME 3, OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT and DISNEYLAND: SECRETS, STORIES AND MAGIC.
The WALT DISNEY TREASURES are two-disc DVD sets of classic Disney works, covering work from the studio's earliest days to more recent releases.
I was originally most excited about the third Donald Duck release, because I love his classic cartoons, until I started to watch the other two.
Yes, THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD: VOLUME 3 does feature 31 one-of-a-kind Donald Duck Cartoons, but DISNEYLAND: SECRETS, STORIES AND MAGIC takes us behind the scenes of the theme park when it was being built.
Among other things, it uses time lapse photography to show us how fields of Orange groves became "The Happiest Place On Earth."
And the insightful OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT set shows us the character who could have been Disney's main character, instead of Mickey Mouse, if Walt hadn't let the copyright expire.
Each of these three newest entries into the WALT DISNEY TREASURES collection have intereresting stores, and they are all included on the DVDs. They are great to watch, to study, and to enjoy!
WALT DISNEY TREASURES collection - THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD: VOLUME 3, OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT and DISNEYLAND: SECRETS, STORIES AND MAGIC, GILLIGAN'S ISLAND - THE COMPLETE SERIES, STANLEY KUBRICK - THE WARNER HOME VIDEO DIRECTORS SERIES 10-DVD BOX SET, the energetic and entertaining action film SHOOT EM UP, and the spectacular O CANADA - A HISTORIC AND MAJESTIC 3-PART JOURNEY ACROSS CANADA are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
THE TUDORS - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is an Emmy Award-nominated CBC television series that is based upon the early reign of Henry VIII; EAGLE VS. SHARK is a quirky little film from New Zealand, starring Jemaine from FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS.
DEEP WATER is a real life documentary about a man who lied about sailing around the world; 3:10 TO YUMA is an interesting remake of the western classic starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale; and THE COSBY SHOW - VOLUME 5 AND 6 feature more antics from the timeless Huxtable family.
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!
Flipper Drafts Novoselic For New Album
Fifteen years since its last studio album, influential punk outfit Flipper is up and running once more.
"I think that we're 99% there, if not done," drummer Steve DePace tells Billboard.com of a new, as-yet-untitled Flipper album. "We've got 10 songs, and we just did another round of mixing. The album sounds great -- I think it's some of our best work ever. That also is an indicator for more future songs to come. We know we can write songs with Krist now that sound just like Flipper."
The "Krist" that DePace mentions is none other than former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who has been a Flipper member since 2006 -- joining original members Bruce Loose (vocals), Ted Falconi (guitar), and DePace. After previous bassist Bruno DeSmartass gave notice in September 2006, Flipper needed a replacement in time to play an All Tomorrow's Parties show in London in December, curated by Thurtston Moore.
"I chatted with Thurston and told him that I had this idea to contact Krist Novoselic," DePace recalls. "Thurston called Krist, and he said, 'Absolutely, I'd be honored'."
With Novoselic on board, Flipper eventually got to work on a new album, with producer Jack Endino at the helm. "We started recording in August. We set up a makeshift studio at Krist Novoselic's place up in Washington. Krist said to us, 'Jack Endino is still a really good friend of mine. I can have him come down, we can set up a studio at my place, and record new songs'."
DePace is enthused about new songs like "Be a Good Child," "Night Falls Like Dirt Rocks," "Triple Mass Murder Suicide," which was inspired by the shootings at Virginia Tech University.
Despite singer Loose recuperating from recent back surgery, Flipper hopes to support the new release with live dates. "We're going to go back into rehearsals in February, and hopefully into the spring and summer, we're going to be out there touring." Updates can be found on the group's MySpace page.
Also on the horizon is a DVD of vintage Flipper performances, "Flipper Live: Target Video 1980-81," due Feb. 19 via Music Video Distributors. There are also plans to reissue the band's entire back catalog in 2008.
Canada's labels slam proposed digital 'tax'
TORONTO (Billboard) - A revolutionary plan that would effectively legitimize file-sharing here has been slammed as "a pipe dream" by Canadian labels.
The Songwriters Assn. of Canada proposes to allow domestic consumers access to all recorded music available online in return for adding a $5 Canadian ($4.96) monthly fee to every wireless and Internet account in the country.
The SAC claims that the proposal, which has been presented to labels' bodies the Canadian Record Industry Assn. (CRIA) and Canadian Independent Record Production Assn. as well as publishers' groups, would raise approximately $1 billion Canadian ($993 million) annually. Although the SAC does not detail how revenue would be collected and distributed, it says it would go to artists, labels and publishers.
The idea doesn't strike a chord with everyone. The SAC proposal "would signal the death of paid music services in Canada," said Alistair Mitchell, CEO of Canadian music service Puretracks. "It would be saying we're just giving up on developing new models. The concept is so flawed, I don't know where to start."
"This proposal is incredibly well thought out and well constructed," acting SAC president Eddie Schwartz said. Producer/songwriter Schwartz, whose songs have been performed by Joe Cocker, Pat Benatar and Donna Summer, says the scheme would "allow people to gain access to the entire repertoire of Western music" for only $60 Canadian per year.
That, he added, "amounts to $0.16 ($0.159) per day. (Which) seems like a pretty good deal." Schwartz said it's unlikely that users with both a wireless phone and an Internet account would have to pay twice for access.
MANY HURDLES TO CLEAR
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Assn. estimates that Canada had 18.5 million wireless phone users and 7 million residential Internet users at the end of 2006. In 2006, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the trade value of recorded music fell 9.1 percent to $598.7 million Canadian ($529.8 million); CDs accounted for 85 percent of that total.
CRIA president Graham Henderson said he has discussed the plan with Schwartz, but his organization is reluctant to become involved. "We don't want to pursue what amounts to a pipe dream that is presented as a quick fix," he said. "We'll lose focus on the real issues that will help us resolve the industry's problems."
Schwartz said he has received positive feedback from consumer groups. But he noted that the plan would require clearance from the Copyright Board of Canada, and the SAC has not yet taken the concept to the regulatory body.
The SAC also has yet to present its proposal to Canadian Internet service providers, although some are dismissive of the plan.
"It appears (the SAC) would ask wireless carriers and ISPs to collect this surcharge on their behalf," said a spokesman for Bell Canada, one of the country's largest telecommunications companies and the majority owner of Puretracks. "(That) would not go over well with our client base, especially with the large number already signed up for our (legal) mobile and online music services."
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2004 that ISPs are not responsible for the actions of clients using their Internet services. One senior source at a Canadian ISP said, "ISPs are not required to -- nor would they -- police this kind of usage. Nor would they charge, collect and remit what is in essence a tax."
However, the proposal has received support from the Canadian Music Creators Coalition, a group of 187 acts, including the Barenaked Ladies and Avril Lavigne.
Artist Andrew Cash described the SAC suggestion in a statement on behalf of the CMCC as "the first progressive proposal we've seen in Canada to address file-sharing."
'07 Box Office Bears Brand of Spidey
Los Angeles (E! Online) - If 2007 was any indication, Indiana Jones and Speed Racer are going to enjoy 2008.
Brand was king at last year's box office, as 7 out of 10 of the top-grossing movies were extensions of long-standing franchises.
"It does seem like movie stars can help, but it's more like the brand name really helps," says Chad Hartigan, a box-office analyst for the tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.
Spider-Man 3, the latest big-screen adventure for the 45-year-old Marvel Comics star, led the way with $336.5 million, per final studio figures compiled this week by Exhibitor Relations.
It was joined in the top 10 by the familiar likes of Shrek the Third (second place, $321 million), Transformers (third place, $319.1 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (fourth place, $309.4 million), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (fifth place, $292 million), The Bourne Ultimatum (sixth place, $227.5 million) and The Simpsons Movie (10th place, $183.1 million).
If Pixar is considered its own brand, then the list grows to eight with the animation giant's Ratatouille (eighth place, $206.4 million).
300 (seventh place, $210.6 million) and I Am Legend (ninth place, $206.1 million) were the only top 10 entries that didn't come complete with a legacy of book, comic or toy lines, although even 300 was based on a historical battle, and I Am Legend was a remake of an iconic sci-fi novel.
Observes Box Office Mojo's Brandon Gray of Hollywood's 2007 game plan: "Very few risks were taken."
Not that playing it safe isn't its own reward. The movies combined to gross a record $9.6 billion, up 4 percent from 2006, thank you Spider-Man and ticket prices that were, coincidentally, up about 4 percent from 2006.
The majority of the money rolled in from March, when 300 began its onslaught, through the sequel-laden summer and then again in December, when I Am Legend, National Treasure: Book of Secrets ($142.9 million) and the surprisingly chipper Alvin and the Chipmunks ($153.6 million), all opened big. Elsewhere, Hartigan says, "everything else didn't cut the mustard."
In the end, actual attendance was flat, up less than 1 percent from 2006. The 1.4 billion tickets sold put moviegoing at 1997 levels, per Box Office Mojo.
"The audience did not grow," Gray says. "It doesn't mean the box office wasn't healthy. It means it was status quo at best.
"There need to be new movies and new franchises created."
So, is that what we'll be getting in 2008? Um, no, says Gray: "There isn't much new going on."
But there are more brand names on the way. The coming months will see: The latest James Bond, Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia movies; the return of Indiana Jones, via Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; and the big-screen debuts for a cartoon king (Speed Racer), a comics favorite (Iron Man) and a beloved sitcom (Sex and the City).
Per usual, few introductions will be needed.
Here, meanwhile, are more tidbits from the '07 box office, per data from Exhibitor Relations and Box Office Mojo:
• Scads of movie stars, from George Clooney (Michael Clayton ) to Nicole Kidman (The Golden Compass, The Invasion), from Tom Cruise (Lions for Lambs) to Brad Pitt (The Assassination of Jesse James), from Ben Stiller (The Heartbreak Kid) to Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson's War), had trouble selling tickets; Will Smith (I Am Legend) didn't. He alone led a star-driven vehicle to the top 10. Says Gray: "Will Smith has cemented his status as the star of the moment." • Judd Apatow spawned two hit comedies (Knocked Up and Superbad), but nobody helmed a bigger live-action comedy hit than Walt Becker. He would be the director of the one, the only Wild Hogs ($168.3 million)—the biggest hit of John Travolta's career, the biggest non-CGI hit of Tim Allen's career, the biggest hit of Martin Lawrence's career and the biggest hit of William H. Macy's career. Muses Hartigan: "Four leads who probably couldn't buy a hit on their own, but put them together..." • Travolta actually starred in two '07 hits, albeit one, Hairspray ($118.9 million), in the guise of a plus-size woman. • All told, 27 films made at least $100 million; 12 movies made at least $150 million; nine films made at least $200 million; and four films surpassed $300 million. • Spider-Man 3 climbed to 15th place on the list of all-time top grossers, knocking 1994's Forrest Gump down a notch. But when the superhero movie's take is adjusted for inflation, it ranks 92nd—70 spots below the estimable Mr. Gump. • When is a hit not a hit? When Evan Almighty hangs in there to top $100 million—it crossed the finish line at $100.3 million—but doesn't make anybody forget that it cost $175 million to produce. Similarly, Bee Movie ($124.5 million) couldn't match its pricey budget. • More fun with movie math: Live Free or Die Hard ($134.5 million) made more money, but sold fewer tickets, than any of the previous three Bruce Willis action titles. • Among the sequels in the top 10, The Bourne Ultimatum was alone in doing more business than its previous installment. • Couple comedies were big, provided the couples were comprised of two men, à la Superbad ($121.5 million), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ($119.7 million) and Blades of Glory ($118.6 million). • Among the movies in the $100 million club, only one, Enchanted ($113.9 million), was led by a female character. • What became of the other movies with female leads? Not much, as evidenced by the receipts of The Nanny Diaries ($25.9 million), Nancy Drew ($25.6 million) and Sydney White ($11.7 million). • What became of movies about our post-9/11 world? Even less, as evidenced by the takes of Reign Over Me ($19.7 million), Lions for Lambs ($14.9 million), Rendition ($9.7 million), In the Valley of Elah ($6.8 million), and Grace Is Gone ($36,613), • Jessica Simpson's probably gone on shopping sprees bigger than the year-end take of her comedy Blonde Ambition, which opened Dec. 21, and, through two sparsely attended weekends, "grossed" $5,561. • Compared to Simpson, fellow pop star Justin Timberlake was a box-office force with Alpha Dog ($15.3 million) and Black Snake Moan ($9.4 million). • Paula Abdul needn't have shed so many tears over Bratz ($10 million). • The Grindhouse ($25 million) rule: Two movies are not necessarily bigger than one. • The problem of enjoying a superbig hit, à la Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119.2 million—the top-grossing documentary of all time), is that your pretty-big hits, à la Moore's Sicko ($24.5 million—the third-biggest documentary of all time), look small by comparison.
Here's a recap of the top-grossing 2007 films, through Dec. 31, as based on tallies compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Spider-Man 3, $336.5 million
2. Shrek the Third, $321 million
3. Transformers, $319.1 million
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, $309.4 million
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, $292 million
6. The Bourne Ultimatum, $227.5 million
7. 300, $210.6 million
8. Ratatouille, $206.4 million
9. I Am Legend, $206.1 million
10. The Simpsons Movie, $183.1 million
SAG: Actors won't cross lines at Globes
LOS ANGELES - Golden Globe-nominated actors are expected to snub the awards in support of striking Hollywood writers, the actors union said Friday.
After canvassing nominees over the past several weeks, Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement, "there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross" the picket lines to present or accept an award.
It was unclear how the move might affect the awards set for broadcast on NBC on Jan. 13.
Michael Russell, a spokesman for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which stages the Golden Globes, did not immediately return telephone or e-mail requests for comment about the move by actors.
The Writers Guild of America had refused to grant a waiver to allow its members to work on the Globes, the People's Choice Awards and the prestigious Academy Awards.
A total of 72 actors are among this year's Golden Globe nominees. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has repeatedly tried to seek the blessing of the writers guild.
The actors' union said previously that the choice to attend or not was a personal one that its members would make for themselves.
In his statement Friday, Rosenberg referred to "considerable outreach" by the actors guild to nominees and their representatives in recent weeks.
The writers strike, which began Nov. 5, has broad implications for the way Hollywood does business, since whatever deal is struck by writers on payment for shows offered on the Internet could affect talks with actors and directors, whose contracts expire next June.
Rosenberg also weighed in on the late-night talks shows, which are back on the air. Some are working without writers after failing to strike deals with the writers guild.
Rosenberg stopped short of pressing actors to skip the picketed shows, like Jay Leno's "Tonight."
"We urge our members to appear on the two programs that have independent agreements with the WGA, `The Late Show with David Letterman' and `Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,'" he said.
Actors who appear on other shows have to cross picket lines, he said.
That creates "the same situation that has led to the consensus among actors to skip the Golden Globes," Rosenberg said.