The Couch Potato Report - May 10th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels two films that just were not made for me, and two others that were.
I have said this before, and I am sure that I will say it again from time to time - not every film made can be enjoyed by everyone.
Specifically, not every film that is made is one that I will, or can like.
Now, there is a difference between movies that are bad, and movies that have some merit, but I - and maybe you - just aren't the audience for.
Hopefully, we all find films that we love, be they comedy, action, adventure, romance, horror, or animated, be we woman, man, boy or girl.
This week, I have two movies that I am sure somebody will love, but that body is not me.
Not at all!!
I'll start with this week's Hot Potato, the Canadian made film HOW SHE MOVE - about a high school student who is forced to leave her private school to return to her old, crime-filled neighborhood where she re-kindles an unlikely passion for the competitive world of step dancing.
Nope, not for me at all!!
HOW SHE MOVE is well made, I didn't necessarily have a problem with the writing or the choreography, and the young cast were all competent enough actors...but whether it is HOW SHE MOVE, STEP UP, YOU GOT SERVED, or any of the many other films in recent years that take a young man or woman who is heading toward the wrong side of the tracks, and gives them a second chance in life simply because they learn how to dance...these films do nothing for me.
They don't invlove me, they don't move me, and they don't entertain me...but they might for you...so if they do, then HOW SHE MOVE might satisfy your needs, otherwise, step away from it...you've been served!!
Alright, I lumped HOW SHE MOVE together with the rest of that type of dance films to illustrate that they are not for me, but when it comes to teh genre that this week's next film resides, I admit it, I do love romance films - be they romantic comedies or romance dramas.
But even within that genre, there will be some occasions when I do not love a movie or two, and that is the case with what I think is a failed romance drama - the name of this one is P.S. I LOVE YOU.
In this movie, Hilary Swank from MILLION DOLLAR BABY and BOYS DON"T CRY is a woman who is madly in love with her husband, and then he dies from a brain tumour.
However, in the midst of her grief, on her 30th birthday, she gets a taped recording from him.
After that message ends, and the letters start to come in, she starts to live and laugh, and maybe even love again, even though she has a broken heart.
Now, the issue that I had with this film was that I wasn't able to get past that fact that while the husband was dying that he would use all of his remaining time to arrange and organize and plan not just the delivery of the letters, but the HUGE events that surrounds each one.
Now I am a huge fan of Hilary Swank and think she is one of this planet's most beautiful women, and there are moments in PS I LOVE YOU that are very, very touching, and at times it did engage me.
But as a whole, this two-hour and six minute film did nothing for me. The romance and heartbreak seemed real enough, and the actors including Gerard Butler, Kathy Bates, Harry Connick Jr., Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow were - for the most part - all very good, but as much as I wanted to like the movie and these characters, I just didn't care for it...or them.
And that is why I say that it just wasn't a movie for me.
Is it a movie for you? Perhaps it is, but not every film made can be enjoyed by everyone, so if this seems like a film that you would like, then good luck!
So I don't recommend either PS I LOVE YOU or HOW SHE MOVE, but I am a huge fan of this week's next two releases, both films from the ninties, both now available on DVD in new Deluxe Editions.
And I will start with YOU'VE GOT MAIL..., now this is a romance film that I love!
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star as two rivals in business who hate each other when it comes to the work that they do, but fall in love anonymously over the internet.
Younger folks may watch this film and wonder why they are emailing each other and not just having an online chat using instant messaging or iChat, but since those options weren't available to the majority of us when this film came out ten years ago, they are using what they had.
And yes, it has been ten years since YOU'VE GOT MAIL came out.
This new DELUXE EDITION of the film features several great retrospective looks back at the movie, but most of all it contains the film and the chemistry that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan share on screen.
Yup, ten years later, I still love this one!!
And twelve years later, I still really love TWISTER!!
This still great film is about people who chase tornados, and it features some great special effects of storms and the things that get obliterated by them.
The new TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION of TWISTER features a wealth of features about the science of real tornados, and several that look back at the movie, and some of it's most memorable moments, including the "cow scene" where a cow goes flying past the stars, as it is caught in a funnel cloud.
That is good stuff!!
The TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION of the still great action film TWISTER, the DELUXE EDITION of the filled with chemistry YOU'VE GOT MAIL, the failed romance drama PS I LOVE YOU that was made for people other than me, and the Canadian made film HOW SHE MOVE - that was also NOT made for me are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The great Canadian film DANCE ME OUTSIDE debuts on DVD; and so does SEASON THREE of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!
Also next week, Matthew Perry plays a chronically depressed screenwriter in NUMB.
Six characters embody a different aspect of Bob Dylan's life and work in I'M NOT THERE.
And THE GREAT DEBATERS is the second film from DIRECTOR Denzel Washington.
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!
Karen Allen thrilled over Indy return
LOS ANGELES–Nothing ever seems to change in the stormy love-hate relationship between Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.
The characters created by Harrison Ford and Karen Allen in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark are back at it with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, due out May 22.
"As the film begins, they haven't seen each other for a long time, and suddenly, they're thrust back together," Allen told The Associated Press this week. "They kind of pick up from where they left off. A few bumpy roads have passed between them since then that they have to work out with each other."
Allen has always been the fan favourite among the women Indy, forever fighting and making up with Indy in the first three films, with viewers long hoping for the two to reunite.
Director Steven Spielberg's future wife, Kate Capshaw, became the archeologist's love interest in the second movie, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Allen's Marion could not have appeared in that one, since Temple of Doom took place earlier than Raiders, which marked the first time she had seen Indy in a decade.
The next movie, 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, took place after Raiders, and Allen joked that "I guess I could have been in that one, but they decided to go with Sean Connery," who played Indy's estranged dad.
Alison Doody provided Indy's romantic entanglement in Last Crusade.
Allen was aware that Ford, Spielberg and producer George Lucas had been wrangling for ages over a fourth Indiana Jones movie. But she did not know anything for sure until Spielberg called her early last year.
"There had been a rumour for many, many years that they were trying to find a script everybody was going to be happy with," Allen said. "I would get little bits of information from time to time, usually rumour-mill kind of stuff, but I hadn't heard anything for a long time. I had no idea when they finally got a script that my character was back."
Though Allen was more interested in stage work and serious films, Marion offered a rare chance to play a strong, full-blooded woman in a big Hollywood action flick.
Marion's first moments on screen said it all as she chugged through a drinking contest and gave Indy a greeting he would not soon forget.
"She was a very wonderfully written character," Allen said. ``How can you go wrong when you meet a woman in a bar in Nepal and she's drinking men under the table, yelling at large men in Nepalese and ordering them out of the bar, and when she first sets eyes on Indiana Jones, she socks him in the jaw? It's a great introduction to the character, and it's hard to imagine she's not going to win a lot of fans."
And what about the speculation that Indy's new young sidekick, played by Shia LaBeouf, is the love child of Indy and Marion?
"You'll have to wait and see," Allen said.
Coldplay launches world tour in North America
After next month's free show in New York City, British alt-rockers Coldplay will dive into a full North American outing to support their forthcoming album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends."
The first leg of the band's world tour officially kicks off July 2 in Washington, DC, and currently encompasses nearly 30 dates across the US and Canada through November. In the midst of the trek, Coldplay will jet to Japan Aug. 9-10 for the Summer Sonic Festival. North American shows are listed below and those overseas can be found at the group's website.
Last month, Coldplay announced it would play a free show at New York City's Madison Square Garden June 23 to preview "Viva la Vida." Hopeful concert-goers can sign up at the band's website to win tickets, and one lucky fan will also score airfare from their home town and hotel accommodations. Coldplay has also booked a similar free concert June 16 at London's Brixton Academy.
"Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" is slated to hit North American record outlets June 17. Fans who pre-order the set from Apple's iTunes Music Store will be able to download the title track immediately, and will get two free bonus tracks upon release.
The album's lead single, "Violet Hill," recently made its radio debut and is holding steady in the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The tune is streaming at Coldplay's MySpace page.
"Viva la Vida," produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, follows Coldplay's 2005 Grammy-nominated set, "X&Y," which entered The Billboard 200 at No. 1. That album has since sold more than 10 million copies on the strength of modern-rock/pop hits including "Talk," "Fix You" and "Speed of Sound."
June 2008
23 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden (free show)
29 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
July 2008
2 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
3 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
5 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
6 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
8 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
9 - Kansas City, MO - Spring Center
10 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
19 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
21 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
24 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
27 - Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Festival
29 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
30 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
August 2008
1 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
3 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
4 - Chicago, IL - United Center
October 2008
20 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
21 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
26 - East Rutherford, NJ - IZOD Center
29-30 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
November 2008
3 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
11 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
18 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
19 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
21 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Energy Solutions Arena
Behind the times: Wii to get Rock Band DLC on discs
A lack of storage "can't stop the [downloadable] rock" from hitting Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2 versions of Rock Band, says MTV Games.
In an effort to bypass the lack of storage space found on both Wii and PS2 for downloading additional game content, MTV Games on Monday announced the "Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1," available July 15 for $29.99 smackers.
The retail disc bundles 20 songs previously made available as $1.99 single downloads to both PS3 and Xbox 360 owners, which you probably already know, are privy to ample hard drive space. Track Pack Vol. 1 includes:
30 Seconds to Mars The Kill
All American Rejects Move Along
Blink - 182 All the Small Things
Boston More Than a Feeling
David Bowie Moonage Daydream
Faith No More We Care A Lot
Grateful Dead Truckin'
The Hives Die, All Right!
KISS Calling Dr. Love
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme' Three Steps
Nine Inch Nails March of the Pigs
Oasis Live Forever
Paramore Crushcrushcrush
The Police Synchronicity II
Queens of the Stone Age Little Sister
Ramones Teenage Lobotomy
Smashing Pumpkins Siva
Stone Temple Pilots Interstate Love Song
Weezer Buddy Holly
Wolfmother Joker & the Thief
Rock Band, already available for Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2, will be available for Wii on June 22. The upcoming version is no frills, however, lacking support of both downloadable songs and online multiplayer, the latter of which is supported in impressive form on Guitar Hero III for Wii.
ABC Makes Up for Lost 'Lost'
ABC is making official what the producers of "Lost" have been saying for some time: Fans of the show won't be shortchanged any episodes.
The show will film 17 episodes for each of its final two seasons, instead of the 16 initially planned when ABC and the show's creative team hammered out a three-seasons-and-that's-it deal last year.
The extra shows in 2009 and 2010 will make up for the two episodes lost to the writers' strike this season, meaning the total number of episodes (48) isn't changing.
Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have been saying as much for a while. In a conference call with reporters last month, Lindelof said they expected to deliver the two shows they couldn't this year in the future.
"I think it means there will be 34 left," he said. "We did 14 this year because of the strike, but we promised 16, which means we owe two more hours."
"We're not actually shortening the total number of episodes," Cuse added. "We're just deferring them into seasons five and six."
"Lost" has three episodes left this season, all of which Lindelof and Cuse consider part of the season finale. The first part airs Thursday, May 15, and the conclusion airs as a two-hour show on May 29. The show is taking May 22 off to make room for a two-hour "Grey's Anatomy" finale.
Dave Grohl writes Metallica letter about new album
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has written an open letter to Metallica, urging them not to release new material until it is "kick-ass".
In the letter Grohl inquires as to whether the band have completed drum parts for their new material – jokingly hinting that he has his eye on a part in the band.
The letter, posted on Blabbermouth, reads:
"Hey, it's Dave! Remember me? Yeah, I'm the guy that's been listening to your band faithfully since 1983. I bought your first album 'Kill 'Em All' from a mail order catalogue called Under The Rainbow, I think. Actually I can't remember. It was 1983 for Christsakes! But that album changed my life and I've been listening to your albums ever since (even 'St Anger'!).
"I can't wait to hear the new shit, and no matter what you guys do I'll always be first one at the shop waiting to hear it. I'm sure you'll come out and blow everybody's fuckin' minds, because you're fuckin' METALLICA!
"Good luck. And don't release it until it's kick-ass.
"Yours, Dave Grohl.
"P.S. Are you finished recording the drums yet?"
The record, the follow-up to 2003's 'St Anger', is due out in the autumn.