The Couch Potato Report - June 7th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels two documentaries, two sports related films and The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD returns!!!
When I first received this week's first release, or HOT POTATO, I wasn't sure what to make of it.
Was it a drama, a documentry? Did it play in theatres, or on TV? Who made it, was it Canadian?
THE WILD HORSE REDEMPTION was it's title, but I had not heard of it, and the DVD packaging wasn't very clear.
But now that I have seen it, I know - and can tell you - that it is a documentary that was a National Film Board/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation co-production.
I also know that it is a film that I can recommend to you!
THE WILD HORSE REDEMPTION takes place at a prison in an area of the desert near the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
At this prison hard-core criminals are given 90 days to tame and train mustang horses that have been corraled from the wild due to their over population..
Most of the inmates who volunteer for the program have never trained a horse before, ridden one, or even been near one before.
But maybe, just maybe, man and horse can work together to help each other find a better life.
The scenery in THE WILD HORSE REDEMPTION is beautiful to look at, the wild mustangs are an incredible sight to see, and the prisoners and guards we meet along the way are all unique people.
The ending isn't as strong as what preceeds it, but I still recommend the picture...especially if scenery or wild mustangs are things you enjoy watching.
THE WILD HORSE REDEMPTION is a very engaging and interesting documentary.
Our next film is also a documentary, and it it succeds at that.
Yes, VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW succeeds at being a documentary about Vaughn and four comedians who go on a 30-city, 30-day, 30-show bus tour from Hollwood to Chicago.
What it doesn't succeed at is being funny.
The film features footage from the tour's performances, as well as behind-the-scenes and a host of surprise guests, and while the curiosity about what would happen if you put all of these people together on a bus for a month is assuaged....but you funny bone will barely be tickled.
The film is an hour and forty minutes long, and this is the only joke that made me laugh.
That is it, that is the one time I laughed during VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW.
Maybe you will laugh more than I did, and if you like Vince Vaughan, and are a HUGE fan of his work in OLD SCHOOL, SWINGERS or WEDDING CRASHERS, then maybe you need to see this one.
Otherwise, ignore this movie because you will feel the opposite of the guys on the bus towards the end of the film.
If you watch it, and I don't think that you should, you will want VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW to come to an end.
However, if you are a fan of baseball and you start watching the television mini-series THE BRONX IS BURNING, even at 360 minutes, or six hours, you will still want more!
I sure did!!
John Turturro and Oliver Platt star in THE BRONX IS BURNING, which was adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning."
Both focus on baseball's triumph over the turmoil and hysteria of 1977 New York City as the NYPD pursue the Son of Sam serial killer and the blackout and resultant widespread looting in July, all while the city suffered through financial bankruptcy and massive municipal layoffs.
But in the end, the New York Yankees came to embody all of the hopes and fears of that unforgettable summer in baseball with Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson constantly fight, all while under George Steinbrenner's leadership.
THE BRONX IS BURNING uses actual footage from 1977 and recreates others, putting the actors in the scenes, some with mixed success as it is very obvious the actor isn't actually in the scenes they are imposed into.
But the real life drama of whether Billy Martin would be fired, whether bringing Reggie Jackson to New York was a mistake, and whether George Steinbrenner would leave all of them alone long enough to focus on playing baseball does allow the show to succeed as a whole.
And if you are like me, and you love the game of baseball, I think you will completely enjoy THE BRONX IS BURNING.
Even though I am a Toronto Blue Jays fan, which means I must hold nothing but complete disdain for the Yankees, I loved this series!
In fact, I loved it so much that I have already seen it twice...this is good stuff!
When Will Ferrell's new sports comedy SEMI-PRO opened in theatres back in February, I admit that I thought it would be good stuff as well.
That expectation came because Ferrell had succeeded in entertaining us, and making us laugh - many times out loud - with his other sports comedies TALLADEGA NIGHTS and BLADES OF GLORY.
Plus, SEMI-PRO is set in 1976, and Ferrell had also succeeded in mining that forever interesting decade for big laughs in the great film ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY.
Yes, SEMI-PRO had the chance to be great...but there are very few perfect seasons in the sporting world, and there are even fewer perfect careers in the cinematic one.
In the film Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon and he plays that same overconfident guy who shouldn't be confident at all role that he has mastered in his career. He is Jackie Moon here, the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association.
In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the National Basketball Association agrees to merge with the best four teams at the end of the season.
The Tropics are the worst team in the league, but with a little extra work and dedication, maybe, just maybe they will survive to play another season.
Or maybe not.
Along with Ferrell, the film stars the can-be-funny Woody Harrelson, Andy Richter, and Toronto's Will Arnett, but the end result is a film that tries hard to succeed, but ultimately doesn't.
It has some entertaining moments, and so I think SEMI-PRO is a good film to rent on an evening when you need a few laughs, and the 2-DVD UNRATED edition features an extra 9 minutes that weren't in the theatrical release.
But, know this going in, whatever version you watch, Ferrell has done better,... and here's hoping he does better again.
Finally this week is the return of something I did last year at this time.
I usually don't like to repeat myself, but since the action filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season is upon us....I'd like to offer up an alternative.
So, each week from now to the end of the summer movie season, I will once again tell you about at least one current release on DVD that you'll need your brain to enjoy....especially since most of them are subtitled.
Welcome to this year's FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD!
This week's film is the Dutch film WAITER, and this is one exceptionally interesting film!!
WAITER is about Edgar, a waiter who has an unfortunate streak of bad luck.
His wife is sick, his girlfriend is overly possessive, customers at work constantly bully him and his neighbours make his life impossible.
Fed up with the way his life is going, Edgar goes to the house of Herman, the scriptwriter who invented Edgar and is currently writing his story...as his story, and the film itself, plays on.
As interesting as WAITER is, I don't think that it is a great film, but it does have some great twists and turns, and I was fascinated by where it took me.
Search it out, the film is called WAITER, and it is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD!!
The interesting, but not great Dutch film WAITER, the not funny except for once VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW, Will Ferrell's latest sports parody SEMI-PRO, the great baseball mini-series THE BRONX IS BURNING and the unique Canadian documentary THE WILD HORSE REDEMPTION are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
If you find yourself in need of a gift idea for Father's Day or a Graduate, you are in luck as I will tell you about 8 new DVD BOX SETS, including the 5 DVD Set for ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, the 9-Disc release of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, plus CROSSING JORDAN, THE COSBY SHOW, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and the 17 disc set that is THE BBC NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION.
Plus, our FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD continues with the film that won the Palm D'Or - the Top Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the Romanian film 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS.
I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
Deal to keep Hockey Night theme song falls through
Negotiations to keep the Hockey Night in Canada theme song have collapsed, meaning the CBC program is now in search of another anthem.
Copyright Music & Visuals, the Toronto agency representing the song's composer, Dolores Claman, said on Friday that the deal had fallen through.
That news came as a surprise to the CBC, said Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports.
"We're disappointed, as many Canadians are," Moore said, adding he found out about the deal falling through from CBC News.
"We have no real idea why the deal fell apart," he said. "We're not sure why because the other side hasn't communicated with us.
"You have to ask the other side what happened."
Copyright Music & Visuals said it had offered the public broadcaster a chance to renew its licence to use Claman's song — a staple on HNIC since 1968 — on terms that were "virtually identical to those that have existed for the past decade."
Previously, each use of the song cost the CBC about $500, the agency said.
After the first two years of a new agreement, the rates would rise about 15 per cent, an increase Copyright Music & Visuals president John Ciccone called an industry standard.
"We offered to continue paying the richest licence fee in Canadian television, which was the price they asked for," said Moore. "We also offered to buy it outright for a high six-figure sum."
A call made to Ciccone by CBCSports.ca was not returned Friday.
Claman, who has written about 2,000 jingles over her career, is also credited with the Ontario theme A Place to Stand, which she co-wrote with her husband, Richard Morris, in 1967.
Contest for new theme in works
Moore said Friday the two sides had agreed upon a price, but added an "unfortunate set of circumstances," including an outstanding lawsuit, hovered over negotiations.
A lawsuit filed against the CBC in late 2004 by the composer alleges that the broadcaster was overusing the Hockey Night in Canada theme and has not been settled. Copyright Music & Visuals said the litigation hasn't interfered with the CBC's use of music, nor was settlement of the suit a condition for the proposed new licensing agreement.
"We really can't do business with a lawsuit hanging over our heads," Moore said. "We feel that we've done everything we possibly can."
CBC Sports will now move on and launch a new national contest in conjunction with Nettwerk Music Group to find a new theme song, he said. Canadians will be invited to write and record an original song for Hockey Night in Canada, with fans and a jury of experts choosing the best new composition.
The winner will receive $100,000 and proceeds from any royalties will go to minor hockey across the country. More details on the contest will be revealed in the next week.
"We expect a lot of terrific music, and we expect that the new theme for Hockey Night in Canada will be as iconic as the last two themes have been," Moore said.
Earlier on Friday, Liberal heritage critic Denis Coderre told reporters in Ottawa that Conservative Heritage Minister Josée Verner must defend one of Canada's most famous musical traditions and do everything possible to ensure the CBC continues to broadcast the theme.
"The Hockey Night in Canada theme is a part of Canada's culture that goes beyond sport," Coderre said. "If the minister wants to show that she cares about Canadian heritage, this is her chance."
Shania Twain opens up about split
Canadian country superstar Shania Twain has opened up about her split from her husband Robert (Mutt) Lange.
"As I am sure you have seen or heard; I am going through a rough time personally in my life," she wrote on her official website, thanking fans for their support in the wake of the breakup of her 14-year marriage to the famed music producer.
"I have so much to say but I know the best way for me to speak is through my music. ... I need some time to heal this broken heart but make no mistake; I will be back and hopefully stronger than ever."
Twain, 42, and Lange, 59, announced their split on May 15.
They have a son, Eja D'Angelo, 6.
People.com reported that Lange's relationship with Twain's close friend and secretary, Marie-Anne Thiebaud, was the reason for the split -- which Thiebaud vehemently denies.
The Police Pick Madison Square Garden For Final Gig
The Police's last-ever show will be held Aug. 7 at New York's Madison Square Garden, with proceeds to benefit New York public television stations Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21. Tickets will only be available via donations to the station, starting June 14.
That day, the stations will air a Police retrospective featuring new interviews with the band and vintage concert clips. Tickets will be sold to donors in pairs at four price levels: $150, $350, $500 and $750. Also available is a $5000 package featuring access to soundcheck, and a $2000 combo with prime seats and a private pre-show party.
Beginning Monday (June 9), members of the Police fan club will get first crack at tickets to the show, which will feature support from the B-52s. There is speculation that the concert will be broadcast at some point on public television, but details have yet to be announced.
When the basic details for the final show were announced last month during a New York press conference, the Police confirmed a $1 million contribution to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's MillionTreesNYC initiative to plant trees all over the city.
The Police's reunion tour began in May 2007 and was the top tour of the year at more than $212 million gross and nearly 2 million in attendance, according to Billboard Boxscore. Recent shows have seen the debuts of songs like "Hole in My Life," "Bring on the Night" and "Demolition Man," which were not on the set lists last year.
In related news, Sting will join Elvis Costello as performers in "Welcome to the Voice," an opera written by longtime Costello keyboardist Steve Nieve and Muriel Teodori. The Police frontman will be part of the ensemble from Nov. 20-25 in Paris.
Panettiere Launching Music Career With Candie's
As part of the latest deal linking its teen clothing line to a young female music act, fashion brand Candie's will help promote the song "Wake Up Call" from "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere's forthcoming album from Hollywood Records.
While financial terms were not released, Hollywood says Candie's will absorb the "majority of the cost" of the single, which will include a multimillion-dollar ad buy on cable and network TV, a print campaign and a music video.
The ad campaign will begin at the end of July, while the song will be released digitally Aug. 5. "Wake Up Call" will appear on Panettiere's still-untitled debut album, which is slated for 2009.
Candie's announced an advertising and marketing pact with Panettiere in February. The brand's incorporation of her music into the campaign follows in the footsteps of its deal last summer with Interscope and Fergie, whose songs "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Glamorous" were promoted in Candie's TV commercials.
While best-known to audiences as world-saving cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes," Panettiere's record deal with Hollywood precedes her prime-time success from the past two years, according to Hollywood Records senior VP of marketing Ken Bunt.
"We had to work within her crazy schedule to determine what direction she wants to go with her music," Bunt says. "Wake Up Call" is a reggae-flavored pop song that was written by Andreas "Quiz" Romdhane and Josef Larossi, who have previously written tracks for Geri Halliwell, Diana Ross, Il Divo and Westlife.
Simpson Turns Heads With Debut Country Single
Suffice to say there was healthy skepticism at country radio and on Nashville's Music Row when word began circulating last year that Jessica Simpson was recording a country album, due later this year via Columbia Nashville.
But at least by early indications, Simpson is on her way to swaying opinion in her favor. As reported yesterday, her first single, "Come on Over," makes a historic debut at No. 41 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart this week.
A flirtatious, uptempo song, it was co-written by Simpson with Rachel Proctor and Victoria Banks. "The fun thing about the song is that anxiety of wanting the guy to come over right then and there," Simpson tells Billboard. "Everybody's felt that before."
Columbia Nashville VP of promotion Jimmy Rector says radio is responding positively to the single. "More than anything, people are pleasantly surprised. A lot of people didn't want to like it, but when they heard it, regardless of pre-conceived notions, they realized this is a really good record."
One unnamed programmer went as far as to tell Rector, "'God help me, I really like this song.' That's the reality of what we were facing," Rector says.
Comments like that surprised Simpson, who remembers thinking, "Oh, my gosh, people want to hate me," when first told of radio's feedback. "That's kind of hard to grasp, but at least they're supporting it. At least they know good music and they play good music. I can't believe the single's doing what it's doing."
For her part, Simpson says the process of recording and releasing a country album is exciting. "I feel like a brand-new artist," she says. "It's a great feeling."
And early skepticism aside, Simpson feels like she's found a home. "I did a lot in the pop world and I had a great time doing it, but this just feels so much easier," she says. "There's a lot of soul in country and while I was making this album I discovered that. I can't imagine myself anywhere else, to be honest with you.
"I look in the mirror and I know I'm doing the right thing with my career and my life," she adds. "It's a great place of comfort."
RIAA honours Jewel for 18 million in US album sales
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jewel has been honored by the Recording Industry Association of America with a career milestone plaque commemorating sales of more than 18 million albums in the U.S.
Jenny Alves, RIAA's coordinator of artist industry relations, surprised the 34-year-old singer Thursday as she prepared to sign autographs at the Country Music Association festival.
"This is awesome. Thank you so much," said the singer, who also was scheduled to perform at the festival.
Jewel, whose full name is Jewel Kilcher, released a country album, "Perfectly Clear," on Tuesday. The lead single, "Stronger Woman," is No. 15 on the Billboard chart.
Perhaps best known for her pop and rock hits that include "Foolish Games" and "You Were Meant for Me," Jewel has sold 27 million albums worldwide since her 1995 debut.
She is touring with Brad Paisley this summer.