The Couch Potato Report - February 2nd, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels a pair of Canadian made films, a pair of TV shows on DVD and The King Of Kong.
This week, the Hot Potato, the main release I would like you to know about is a a film that received 12 Genie Award nomination last Monday, including one for the Best Canadian Motion Picture of 2007 Award.
That film is a dramatic adaptation of retired general Roméo Dallaire's experiences in Rwanda, and like the book it is based on, the film is called SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL.
By now I am sure you are aware of who Roméo Dallaire is, and I am just as sure that you know of his fateful months as Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, during which he witnessed the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
So this morning, I will focus on the film that was made of Dallaire book, a film that stars the great Roy Dupuis as Roméo Dallaire.
The story of Dallaire's time in Rwanda is so compelling, tragic, and ultimately hard-to-fathom, that seeing it dramatised in a film is a bit unusual...and because it is a film, and not a documentary, when some of the atrocities are taking place, they didn't actually seem real to me.
I don't know if that is because I am so familiar with this story, and what took place in Rwanda, that in a movie I was more distanced from them that I would be in a documentary, but I was well aware at all times that I was watching a movie.
Was this really how it happened, I kept wondering...or was this scene or that scene done just for dramatic affect?
Yes, I was skeptical about the film version of SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL...until I listened to Romeo Dallaire's commentary on the DVD, and heard him comment on it's realism.
For me, a film should stand on it's own, and not need a commentary to save it...so ultimately, while Roy Dupuis does just as spectacular job playing Dallaire as he did portraying Maurice Richard in THE ROCKET a few years ago, and he might just win the Genie Award as Best Actor, just as he did portraying Maurice Richard.
SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL is not a bad film, it is exceptionally well made and acted, and deserves all of it's Genie Award nominations, and if you are not aware of who Roméo Dallaire is, and don't know about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, then you should definately see it.
But you should also see the documentary SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMEO DALLAIRE, and read the book "Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda", because not once during either of those will you question if what you are being exposed to really happened.
SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL is a Canadian film that was released last year.
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ is a Canadian film that came out in 1974.
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ is a comedy-drama film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler, and the DIRECTOR'S CUT is now available, a version that is 15 minutes longer than any other previous DVD release.
Duddy Kravitz is a confident kid from Montreal who is determined to "make it", no matter what it takes. Lie, cheat, steal...whatever it takes.
So he plans and schemes and dreams and he finally finds what he thinks is his meal ticket: a lakeshore property in the Laurentian mountains.
However, he never seems to realize what he is sacrificing, and by the time he does, it may be too late.
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada's audio-visual heritage, and if you have never seen this film on video, in it's previous incarnation on DVD, or late at night on CBC television, then I think you shoudl check out this new DIRECTOR'S CUT DVD.
Sadly, there are absolutely no Special Features....not one...but it is still a great Canadian picture.
PLUS, it stars a young Richard Dreyfus who made the small Canadian film THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ in 1974, in between two Hollywood films, themselves reveared as classics, AMERICAN GRAFFITI and JAWS.
Up next is a 2-disc TV on DVD set that might help you, if you are still missing your favourite American Television shows due to the ongoing Hollywood writer's strike, now in it's 12th week.
This set is for THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON of Larry David's classic show CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
After he finished working as the executive producer and main writer on SEINFELD, a show he co-created, Larry David debuted a new show, one about a man named Larry David, who is a semi-retired multi-millionaire living in the world after he worked on SEINFELD.
Now, the character of George Costanza in SEINFELD was based on Larry David, and if you have ever wanted to see a show that was just about GEORGE then this is it.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is pure George Costanza.
It is also a show that doesn't use scripts, instead the cast get detailed scene outlines and then they improvise their dialogue.
Dialogue that is usually very, very funny. While admittedly not for everyone, if you need some TV comedy these days, then CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is a show for you.
Finally this week is another one of my favourite films of 2007, a documentary called A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS - THE KING OF KONG, a film about the world's two best arcade players - of Donkey Kong!
Even if you have never played a video game, either at home or in an arcade, and think that a film about two people who do play them wouldn't interest you at all...I advise you to think again.
THE KING OF KONG is incredibly fascinating as it follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world's high score for Donkey Kong away from reigning champion Billy Mitchell.
Steve Wiebe is our hero, reigning champion Billy Mitchell is the villain, and he is pure evil. If someone created him in a screenplay, you would not beleive this was a real person, but he is real, and he does not like to come in second.
THE KING OF KONG is entertaining, it is funny, and it provides a great insight into the world of people who love videos games, maybe a little bit too much.
DONKEY KONG remains my favourite arcade video game of all time, but the entertaining THE KING OF KONG is a movie that can easily stand on it's own,...just like the DONKEY KONG JR. arcade game.
A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS - THE KING OF KONG, THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON ofthe superb CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, and the Canadian made films THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ and SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, based on the memoirs of Romeo Dallaire's time in Rwanda, are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Paul Gross stars in SLINGS & ARROWS a Canadian TV series that takes place at a troubled Shakespearean festival. It won the Best Dramatic Series Gemini Award last year.
Previous Oscar winner Jodie Foster stars in THE BRAVE ONE, and with the Oscars taking place in three weeks, I will tell you about three of this year's nominated films: THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD - which was made right here in Western-Canada; ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE starring Cate Blanchett and the documentary NO END IN SIGHT, which features a comprehensive look at the the Iraq war and the United States occupation of the country.
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!
EA confirms Rock Band for Wii
In a third quarter conference call on Thursday, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello confirmed the "coming launch" of Rock Band for Nintendo Wii.
Unfortunately, details on pricing, a ship date, and downloadable content were not disclosed, though it should be expected sometime this year.
Speculation of Rock Band on Wii began last April, when Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said, "We will, at some time, bring Rock Band to every [important] platform," adding that "the Wiimote is something that holds enormous promise."
Rock Band has been heavily lauded by critics and gamers alike for taking the formula of what Guitar Hero does so well (rocking out) and adding to it with drums, vocals, and digital band chemistry.
Denise Richards Voted Worst Bond Girl Ever
Denise Richards has a curious distinction in the world of 007, but it's one she'd rather live without.
The 36-year-old actress was named the Worst Bond Girl Ever by fans, reports the UK's Daily Mail from an unscientific poll.
Richards played nuclear physicist Christmas Jones (you call her Dr. Jones!), a scientist with a penchant for midriff-baring tanktops and short shorts, in 1999's "The World is Not Enough" opposite Pierce Brosnan playing the British super spy.
One fan commented, "Even Q didn't have a gadget to escape from that disaster."
The second most-hated Bond girl was former "Charlie's Angels"/"That '70s Show" actress Tanya Roberts who played geologist Stacey Sutton in 1985's "A View to a Kill."
The original Bond girl Ursula Andress was named the best for playing Honey Ryder in "Dr. No." Her emergence from the water is an iconic scene. Second in line for praise is ex-"Avengers" star Honor Blackman, who played the colorfully named Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger."
Blackman was noted for "introducing fans to the series' first real woman -- a gorgeous dame who can fly and plane and kick butt as well as coo and woo."
The full lists of Worst and Best Bond Girls:
WORST BOND GIRLS
1. Denise Richards as Dr Christmas Jones in "The World Is Not Enough"
2. Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton in "A View To A Kill"
3. Corrine Clery as Corinne Dufour in "Moonraker"
4. Maryam D'Abo as Kara Milovy in "The Living Daylights"
5. Karin Dor as Helga Brandt in "You Only Live Twice"
6. Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight in "The Man With the Golden Gun"
7. Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier in "License to Kill"
8. Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead in "Moonraker"
9. Lynn-Holly Johnson as Lili Bahl in "For Your Eyes Only"
10. Maud Adams as Octopussy in, you guessed it, "Octopussy"
BEST BOND GIRLS
1. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in "Dr. No"
2. Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger"
3. Diana Rigg as Tracey Divicenzo in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
4. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale"
5. Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova in "The Spy Who Loved Me"
6. Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in "Goldeneye"
7. Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin in "Tommorrow Never Dies"
8. Lotte Enya as Rosa Klebb in "From Russia With Love"
9. Jill St. John as Tiffany Case in "Diamonds Are Forever"
10. Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock in "For Your Eyes Only"
Microsoft bids $44.6 billion to buy Yahoo
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp offered to buy Yahoo Inc for $44.6 billion, in a bold bid to transform two ailing Internet businesses into a worthy competitor for market leader Google Inc.
In what would be the biggest Internet deal since the ill-fated Time Warner-AOL merger, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer sent a letter to Yahoo's board on Thursday night to offer $31 per share in cash and stock.
The price is a 62 percent premium over Yahoo's Thursday close, but only about a quarter of what the Internet company was worth at the height of the dotcom bubble in 2000.
Yahoo would give Microsoft dominance in Web banner ads used by corporate brand advertisers. It also attracts more than 500 million people monthly to sites devoted to news, finance and sports, and Yahoo Mail is the No. 1 consumer e-mail service.
The shares of Microsoft, which has a market capitalization of about $300 billion, fell 6.6 percent as some investors worried the world's top software maker may be overpaying for Yahoo and could have a hard time getting a return on its investment.
Critics say the two companies have too many overlapping businesses -- from instant messaging to email and advertising, as well as news, travel and finance sites -- and both are weak in the Web search market, where Google dominates.
"They have to do it because they've tried everything they can do to fix MSN. Yahoo is the most visited site in the world, so it goes without saying that, given the current valuation, this is the perfect time for them to buy it," said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
But he added: "Google is running away with the search market and that's obviously the best part of the market. The likelihood that Google gets caught is slim to none."
Yahoo said on Friday its board will evaluate the unsolicited offer. Its shares shot up about 48 percent to $28.33. The shares of Google, which has a market value of about $160 billion, fell 8.58 percent to close at $515.90.
TRANSFORMATIVE OR CULTURE CLASH?
Speculation about a Microsoft-Yahoo deal has swirled through the markets for more than a year, as investors looked for a joint stand against the ever more powerful Google.
Google's share of the U.S. Web search market rose to 58.4 percent by December from 52.6 percent in January last year, while Yahoo's fell to 22.9 percent from 26.9 percent, and Microsoft's fell to 9.8 percent from 10.4 percent, according to comScore data.
Skeptics say Microsoft and Yahoo have very different corporate cultures and worry about a clash such as the one that marred AOL's $182 billion purchase of Time Warner in 2001, which is seen as the worst merger in recent history. Time Warner Inc is now valued at only $57 billion.
The perception is that Yahoo, an iconic Silicon Valley company with a free-flowing, fun-loving attitude, may not fit in with the button-up, competitive Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker.
"Culture is the big thing where people have some concerns," said Jupiter Research analyst Bobby Tulsiani. "If they have anything in common, they're both tired of losing to Google, so they can agree on that probably."
CEO Ballmer, in his most aggressive move to shape the future Microsoft, said the deal would transform its money-losing Internet division, which it sees as critical to growth, into a profitable pillar of its business.
"We have been losing money. Our plan here would be to not lose money in the future," he said on a conference call.
Ballmer said Microsoft has had on-and-off talks with Yahoo for 18 months, but was told by management a year ago that the timing was not right -- in an apparent reference to Yahoo's then Chairman and Chief Executive Terry Semel.
Semel was replaced by Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang as CEO in June and resigned as chairman on Thursday.
"With the Semel roadblock now gone, there is reason to think this (merger) is now likely to happen," said RBC Capital Internet analyst Jordan Rohan, noting Yahoo is running out of options in the face of a weakening business climate.
RICH VALUATION
Under the proposal, Yahoo shareholders can choose to get $31 cash, or 0.9509 of a share of Microsoft common stock. The deal in aggregate must consist of one-half cash and one-half Microsoft common stock, the software maker said.
Microsoft's current stock price of $30.45 values Yahoo at around $30, or a rich 57 times forecast 2009 earnings, according to Reuters Estimates. In comparison, Google is trading at around 20 times forecast 2009 profit.
Some analysts said Microsoft was overpaying for a company that warned earlier this week it faced "head winds" in 2008, forecasting revenue below Wall Street expectations.
"To me, the premium seems exorbitant, for what is a dwindling business. I personally don't see how the synergies of Microsoft-Yahoo is going to take on Google," said Tim Smalls, head of U.S. stock trading at brokerage firm Execution LLC.
Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry said Yahoo is not worth more than $20 per share as its only worthwhile properties are Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Answers and Yahoo Finance.
But others said the price is low enough for rival bidders to emerge, noting Yahoo traded at $34.08 in late October.
"There could be a little more money on the table," said Laura Martin, an analyst at Soleil-Media Metrics. "The company is in play. Yahoo will not be able to stay independent. Other bidders will emerge before this is over."
Analysts cited Comcast Corp, Viacom Inc and General Electric Co among possible bidders, although they also said few companies had the balance sheet to compete with Microsoft or were as natural a fit for Yahoo.
As Yahoo shares are trading close to Microsoft's valuation, it indicates few investors expect a sweeter offer.
ANTITRUST CONCERNS
Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith acknowledged other bidders could emerge, but said any attempt by arch-rival Google to acquire Yahoo would face insurmountable antitrust hurdles.
Antitrust experts said regulators would likely take a close look at a Microsoft-Yahoo deal, but as the two are dwarfed by Google, the deal will ultimately likely be approved.
Microsoft said the online advertising market is expected to reach nearly $80 billion by 2010 from over $40 billion in 2007. It paid $6 billion last year to buy online advertising services firm aQuantive as a bulwark against Google's growing position.
The software company forecast at least $1 billion in annual cost savings for the merged entity, from synergies in areas such as combining engineering talent.
Bernstein Research said the deal appeared to be less about expanded business potential and more about cost-savings that can be wrung out of shrinking redundant operations.
"We are relatively comfortable with (Microsoft's) estimate of $1 billion in annual synergies. It appears to us that the majority of the synergies are on the cost side," said the note from Bernstein analysts Charles Di Bona and Jeffrey Lindsay.
Morgan Stanley and Blackstone LP scooped the prize banking job of advising Microsoft on the deal, according to sources familiar with the matter, while Yahoo is being advised by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Michelle Williams: 'My heart is broken'
NEW YORK - Michelle Williams ended her silence Friday, saying her "heart is broken" over the death of "Brokeback Mountain" actor Heath Ledger. The 27-year-old actress and Ledger became a couple during filming of 2005's "Brokeback," in which they costarred as husband and wife. They later moved to New York, and had a daughter, Matilda, born October 2005.
"Please respect our need to grieve privately," Williams said in a statement. "My heart is broken. I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day."
Before they split last year, Ledger and Williams lived together in Brooklyn's quiet, tree-lined Boerum Hill neighborhood. Last week, well-wishers left bouquets of flowers outside the four-story, sage-green brownstone with a black wrought-iron fence.
"His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time, and we know that he is with us still," Williams said. "She will be brought up in the best memories of him."
Ledger, 28, died in his Manhattan apartment Jan. 22. Authorities suspect a possible drug overdose, but the cause of his death is still pending the outcome of toxicology tests. Police said several prescription drugs were found in the Manhattan apartment where the actor's body was found.
Williams, who also played Jen Lindley on TV's "Dawson's Creek," was nominated for a supporting-actress Oscar for her "Brokeback" role. When Ledger died, Williams and Matilda were in Trollhattan, Sweden, where she had been shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth."
Though she was soon spotted returning to the Brooklyn home where the couple once lived together, she managed to dodge reporters and steer mostly clear of camera crews, and chose to stay silent until Friday's statement.