The Couch Potato Report - December 5th, 2009
This week The Couch Potato Report peels thieves with sticky fingers, a man with great hands, and the girl from Monaco.
The Report begins this week with the Quebec made film STICKY FINGERS.
Roy Dupuis from THE ROCKET and the television series LA FEMME NIKITA stars in this film as a thief, who recruits his old gang to pull off the “crime of the century”.
Unfortunately, on the night of the robbery, the police show up, but there is a back-up plan – one of the robbers is chosen by the group to escape with the two million dollars.
However, after serving four years in prison, the other thieves learn upon their release that they will only get their share of the loot on two conditions - they have to walk a pilgrimage of 830 kilometres, and above all they must have changed their ways and become good people.
STICKY FINGERS features some twists and turns that you might not see coming, and it has a fun and interesting cast.
Unfortunately, it also features some very predictable scenes, and it moves very slow at times, and those facts prevent it from being a great movie. But, if you are looking for something a little different, this film is pretty good.
I liked it.
I especially liked the scene where the thieves take the names of famous Montreal Canadiens hockey players in order to get fake passports.
What was really enjoyable about that was that Roy Dupuis didn’t proclaim himself to be Maurice Richard, even though he played him in a film.
Now if you happen to be a fan of that superb 2005 film about Maurice Richard, called THE ROCKET, well there is a new 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of it that is brand new on stores shelves this week as well.
It not only features the film, but this new version of THE ROCKET also has the great National Film Board documentary that was made about Maurice Richard 1998 and features archival footage of him on and off the ice from the early '40s, when only a few thousand people turned out for pro hockey games, to the 1950s, when the Montreal Forum was bursting with delirious fans.
The 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of THE ROCKET is a must own for hockey fans, even those of us who love the Toronto Maple Leafs!!
There are critics who have stated that this next film is a must own or a must see, but it is my opinion that the movie is neither of those things.
I rarely say this about a movie…but HUMPDAY is just awful.
When you see this one on the shelf at the store, even the packaging wants you to think that it is something great. Right on the front of the box is the quote: “Phenomenally funny!”
But it isn’t funny, I didn’t laugh once.
My advice to you, no matter what you hear or read about this movie, is to ignore it. It is a complete waste of your time!!
In their attempt to be unique, HUMPDAY’s story is about two male, lifelong, heterosexual friends who decide, while partying one night, to make a movie about them having sex together to enter into a film festival.
When they sober up, the one who you think will change his mind doesn’t, and the one you think won’t does…but in the end, they decide to go through with it.
Now, I am not easily offended, so the thought of these two guys being together doesn’t bother me, but they don’t offer any legitimate reason to follow through with their drunken plan…and so the whole film came across to me as just a gimmick…an idea that a filmmaker had, but couldn’t justify in their final script.
If you enjoy watching art movies that push the envelope a little bit, then you might get some enjoyment out of HUMPDAY…and I usually do…but this time I did not.
This movie is just awful, it isn’t funny, it isn’t entertaining, it isn’t even that well made!! Stay as far away from it as you can!!
I have another art film for you now, this one isn’t the complete mess of HUMPDAY, but it isn’t much better, and that is too bad as it is the latest release from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, the man who gave us the interesting films Down by Law, Mystery Train, Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Broken Flowers.
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is about a mysterious loner who is in the process of completing a criminal job.
But we don’t know what it is, and the film doesn’t have much dialogue. Not much is said, and even less is done.
If that is you, if you like your films full of silent moments where you can either ponder them, or think about what you need to get done after it is over, then THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is for you!!
I don’t personally think the film was very good, but I admit I was hooked right up until the very end to see what happened.
One film I did like, is the French film THE GIRL FROM MONACO.
This movie is about a prestigious lawyer and his serious security guard who meet a wild child weather girl in Monaco.
The lawyer is merely trying to work on his case, but she changes his life forever…in good and bad ways.
The main reason I enjoyed the film so much is that the actress who plays the woman - Louise Bourgoin – is beautiful, and her character is someone who is just trying to live life and have fun, and that comes across on screen.
THE GIRL FROM MONACO gets a little bit dark by the end, but along the way there are some very good lines, and the movie is fun.
I did, I liked it!!
I also liked the latest film from Woody Allen, but I think you have to really love and respect him to enjoy it like I did, or you just really have to love Larry David and the show CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
Yes, Woody and Larry have teamed up for the film WHATEVER WORKS.
WHATEVER WORKS is basically a love story between Larry David’s self-proclaimed genius Boris and a Southern beauty queen with a heart of gold and a brain of wide-open spaces, as played by Evan Rachel Wood from THE WRESTLER.
For me, the film works because of it’s humour, because of the unlikely chemistry between the two stars, and – not unlike his work on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM - because Larry David just goes for it. He is an actor who doesn’t care if you like him, he is just doing what he enjoys.
Hey, WHATEVER WORKS!
Hey, remember George W. Bush? He was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009?
Well, after Bush left office, the great Will Ferrell staged a one-man show on Broadway as a comedic farewell to him.
And now YOU’RE WELCOME AMERICA – A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH is available on DVD.
In the show, Ferrell plays the ex-President as the same bumbling, falsely self-confident character that he did on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
He doesn’t offer much political commentary, but instead he does an 80 minute show full of mostly true anecdotes and stories.
WILL FERRELL – YOU’RE WELCOME AMERICA – A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH is a very entertaining show, and offers up some huge laughs…even though, as you are laughing, you may get caught up in the fact that it actually happened!!
I have two summer blockbusters for you now, two films that I actually sort of enjoyed the second time I saw them, but didn’t like them very much the first time.
The first one is the sequel to the 2006 hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, where everything comes alive at night in New York City’s Museum Of Natural History.
In NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN the setting moves from New York to Washington.
Ben Stiller is back as Larry Daley and he infiltrates the Smithsonian in order to rescue his old friends Jedediah and Octavius.
Along the way, he meets some new exhibits that come to life…I mean people.
Amy Adams from ENCHANTED play Amelia Eirhardt, and she is great, the whole cast is great!
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN is a film that is good for the whole family, and even though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first film, it is still fun.
The other summer blockbuster I have for you is the fourth film in the TERMINATOR series, and the second one to come out with no involvement from James Cameron, the Canadian filmmaker who originated the series back in 1984 with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the cyborg who comes back in time to try and prevent the eventual leader of the resistance forces from ever being born.
In TERMINATOR – SALVATION, it is now 2018 and John Connor is all grown up.
Christian Bale from THE DARK KNIGHT is now playing John Connor, and in this chapter, we are post JUDGEMENT DAY and the resistance is trying to prevent the machines from finishing their self-aware task of destroying all of humanity...and his own existence.
TERMINATOR – SALVATION is obviously not as good as TERMINATOR 2 – JUDGEMENT DAY, and not as original as the original TERMINATOR, but it does feature some very cool explosions and effects, and a very good cast. When I watched it again this week, I liked it.
If you enjoy seeing things blow up real good, then this is a good rental.
Sam Worthington from James Cameron’s upcoming film AVATAR and an actress named Moon Bloodgood also co-star in TERMINATOR – SALVATION and if you are a fan of her Blair Williams, then there is another release this week that you might want to watch.
Her character is the lead in TERMINATOR – SALVATION – THE MACHINIMA SERIES.
The story here takes place in 2016, two years before the events of SALVATION, and is uses animation from a video game to create it's landscape and characters.
This film introduces us to Blair Williams and her backstory, and and also clarifies some plot gaps in the TERMINATOR SALVATAION movie.
TERMINATOR – SALVATION – THE MACHINIMA SERIES is not anything special, but of you are a huge fan and completist when it comes to the TERMINATOR series, then it is a must see.
The Blu-Ray Beacon this week shines it’s spotlight on two new releases, and the first one takes us to the great state of New Jersey.
THE SOPRANOS is the multiple Emmy Award winning show about the Mob in New Jersey that ran from January 10th, 1999 to June 10th, 2007.
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON debut on Blu-ray this week, and in High Definition, this show…fuggedaboutit!!! It looks amazing!!
The packaging of THE SOPRANOS – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on Blu-ray is almost identical to the DVD, and there are no exclusive Special Features, but if you love this show, I highly recommend this new set as it looks amazing!! The show has always been spectacular, but now…even more son.
Fuggedaboutit!!!
Finally this week is a Blu-ray that I was very excited to watch – loving almost every space related release as I do – and I was not let down.
MOONSHOT is great!!
MOONSHOT uses original NASA footage that has been transferred to high definition, along with the re-enactments and dramatic scenes that Buzz spoke about to cover the Apollo 11 mission.
We go from the astronauts home life and families, to the argument over who would be the first to walk on the lunar surface, and I found all of it fascinating.
If you enjoy movies about the moon and the moon landing, I easily recommend this one. This is good stuff…and yes, I also say that, even if you don’t enjoy movies about the moon and the moon landing.
MOONSHOT, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of THE SOPRANOS, TERMINATOR – SALVATION, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, WHATEVER WORKS and the 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of THE ROCKET are available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
TERMINATOR – SALVATION – THE MACHINIMA SERIES, THE LIMITS OF CONTROL, THE GIRL FROM MONACO, WILL FERRELL’s – YOU’RE WELCOME AMERICA – A FINAL NIGHT WITH GEORGE W. BUSH, the awful HUMPDAY and the Quebec film STICKY FINGERS are all available now only on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Some of Hollywood’s biggest names - Meryl Streep and Amy Adams star in JULIE & JULIA; Johnny Depp toplines PUBLIC ENEMIES; Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino appear in Michael Mann’s HEAT; and Tom Hanks walks THE GREEN MILE.
Also next week, THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON of LOST, and LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL debuts on BLU RAY
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!
Costello makes 'Spectacle' of U2
Music fans fantasize that all the biggest rock stars know each other. And they live together in a big house.
"Like the Monkees," Elvis Costello said enthusiastically.
"Or Help!" added Costello, referring to the Beatles movie. "We live in a row of terrace houses, and they're connecting inside."
That Help! house was so damn cool, we always wanted to live there.
"Yeah, me too," Costello said. "With the sunken bed ... there are plenty of people who have lived that out."
The fact is, there are some fellow titans of rock that Elvis Costello knows very well, and others that are mere acquaintances, if that. Costello's experience hosting Spectacle -- the second season of which gets under way Friday on CTV, with Bono and the Edge from U2 -- has taught Costello that good friends don't automatically make good interviews.
"Only a couple of them are people I know really well," Costello said of the second-season guest list, which includes the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Nick Lowe, Sheryl Crow, Levon Helm and Ron Sexsmith.
CTV is airing the U2 episode of Spectacle -- which sees Costello talking to, and performing with, Bono and the Edge -- as a pre-Christmas treat. The rest of the second season will air sometime in 2010, although filming has been completed already.
"We did two in Toronto at the Masonic Temple (MTV headquarters) and the rest in New York at the Apollo again," Costello said. "This second season has a different personality in that it's based more on songs rather than on the careers of individuals. We concentrated on framing things very tightly in the musical fashion."
Costello introduces Bono and the Edge with a rap about how U2 has joined the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the Who and Led Zeppelin in the rock pantheon, as unlikely as that might have seemed when U2 formed in Ireland in the late 1970s.
"You have to be happy if you open the series with Bono and Edge," Costello said. "And they're coming along to the Masonic Temple -- it's hard to imagine Led Zeppelin ever played there (but they did, in 1969). When you've got television production in there, you've got 700 people, maybe less. And U2 is playing to 40,000 people the next day at the Rogers Centre.
"It came home to me halfway through the show, around the time Bono started thanking everybody on the show from the stage, I thought, 'What incredible generosity it was for them to let themselves take part in this.' They didn't know what I was going to ask them. It's not all scripted. There's no collusion."
We asked Costello if he'd ever fantasized about having Spectacle travel back in time so he could interview and jam with some of the dearly departed titans of rock -- people such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, etc.
"I haven't actually had that imagining," Costello said. "But now that you say it, you could go on forever."
And then you all could move in together. Like The Monkees. Or Help!
'Anvil!' captures top prize at International Documentary Assn. Awards
Underdog of the year Anvil continued its winning streak when the documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" took the top prize at the International Documentary Assn.'s 2009 Documentary Awards today.
Sacha Gervasi's film about the Canadian metal outfit won the Distinguished Feature award at a ceremony in Los Angeles; this was the second honor bestowed upon the film by the association, which presented Gervasi with the Music Award earlier in the week. Gervasi and Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner accepted the award.
The award is something of a vindication for "Anvil," which failed to secure a spot on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' shortlist for a best documentary Oscar. The decision was widely decried by fans and critics alike, who had praised the film as among the year's best.
Other awards presented at the ceremony were the Distinguished Short Film prize, which went to Michael Angus and Murray Fredericks' "Salt," about the arid landscape of Lake Eyre in South Australia. The Career Achievement Award was presented to legendary documentarian Errol Morris ("Fast, Cheap and Out of Control," "The Gates of Heaven," "The Fog of War") by his longtime collaborator, composer Philip Glass. Veteran director and producer Nicolas Noxon received the Pioneer Award. Independent film advocate and entertainment lawyer Michael Donaldson was given the Amicus Award, and "Al Otro Lado" director Natalia Almada took home the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.
A tribute to journalists and documentary filmmakers who lost their lives this year was paid by Current Media's Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor by a North Korean court this year before international intervention secured their release.
"Blind Side" tackles top spot at movie box offices
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Football film "The Blind Side" tackled the top spot at North American box offices with $20.4 million in ticket sales for a rare climb up the charts in its third week, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
Vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" dropped one place from last weekend to No. 2 with $15.7 million in ticket sales, and new release "Brothers," about soldiers returning home from war, landed in third place with $9.7 million.
The rise of "The Blind Side" bucks the accepted Hollywood wisdom that a new film will claim the No. 1 spot in its first week, then drop down the charts in subsequent weeks.
But "Blind Side," starring Sandra Bullock in the feel-good movie based on a real-life story about a woman who takes a homeless boy and helps turn him into a football star, opened at No. 2 three weeks ago. Its cumulative ticket sales now stand at $129 million in the United States and Canada.
"Blind Side" was released by Time Warner studio Warner Bros. and made by privately held Alcon Entertainment.
"New Moon" pushed its North America ticket sales total to just over $255 million, and worldwide the movie has now raked in $570 million, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office. It was distributed by independent Summit Entertainment.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" also rose up the charts one notch, landing at No. 4 and adding $7.5 million to its coffers. Its gross domestic ticket sales now stand at $115 million.
After five weeks in theaters "A Christmas Carol" swapped places over the weekend with another Walt Disney Co movie, comedy "Old Dogs," which fell one place to No. 5 with $6.9 million in ticket sales.
NEW RELEASES
Along with "Brothers," only two other new releases made the top 10. Action flick "Armored" tied for No. 6 spot with $6.6 million, and "Everybody's Fine," starring Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore, was No. 10 showing $4 million in ticket sales.
Disaster movie "2012" also took in $6.6 million, and after four weeks in theaters has now collected $149 million in domestic theaters and $517 million internationally for a worldwide total of $666 million, its distributor said.
Martial arts flick "Ninja Assassin" and animated comedy "Planet 51," took in $5.0 and $4.3 million, respectively, to land in the No. 8 and No. 9 spots and round out the top 10.
Elsewhere, George Clooney movie "Up In the Air," about a man who fires people for a living, opened in 15 U.S. theaters this past weekend after being named the year's best film by the U.S.-based National Board of Review earlier this week.
It took in nearly $1.2 million for a per screen average of roughly $79,000, according to distributor Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. It will expand broadly around the U.S. in coming weeks.
"Brothers" was released by Lionsgate Entertainment. "Armored," "2012" and "Planet 51" were released by divisions of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Sony Corp.. "Everybody's Fine" was released by Disney's Miramax Films, and "Ninja Assassin" was distributed by Warner Bros.
Weezer singer hurt when bus skids off road in NY
GLEN, N.Y. – The lead singer of the rock band Weezer has suffered minor injuries after the group's tour bus hit some ice, skidded across the New York State Thruway and slid into a ditch.
Police say singer Rivers Cuomo and the band's assistant were taken to a local hospital following Sunday's early morning accident in upstate New York, about 40 miles west of Albany. The assistant also suffered minor injuries.
Cuomo's wife and 2-year-old daughter were also in the bus. They were not hurt.
State police say the group was driving to Boston when the vehicle struck ice and the driver lost control.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, Weezer had a handful of hits two years later with the songs "Undone — The Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So."
Underwood aims for family fun with variety show
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The variety show was once a television staple, and Carrie Underwood thinks it might be time for a resurgence.
The country music star hosts Monday's "An All-Star Holiday Special" on Fox, and believes it's just the tonic for the regular TV lineup.
"I think it's really great they're making a comeback because I think it's really good family programming, and nowadays it seems like every show is about, like, murder or police and people shooting at each other," Underwood said.
The 26-year-old Oklahoma native was too young to catch the golden age of the variety show. It once was as common as the reality show with stars like Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell sisters, Sonny and Cher, and even The Muppets mixing music and comedy to draw in a family audience.
But Underwood did her research before shooting her show in Los Angeles earlier this fall.
"I remember a little bit of the Mandrell sisters and I have gone back and seen episodes of their show just to kind of, I don't know, get some ideas and kind of see how it's done from a master's perspective," she said.
She also had variety show veteran and country music star Dolly Parton on the set to lend advice. Underwood said she'd never met Parton until they did the show together, and the two hit it off right away — especially when they realized they lived close to each other.
"I told her and she was like, 'You don't live far from me, let's get together. Do you like Southern cooking? You don't look like you eat,'" Underwood said.
Brad Paisley, fellow "American Idol" winner David Cook, "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest and Neil Patrick Harris also appear in the special, along with Underwood's mother and sister.
The show caps quite the year for Underwood. She won the Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year award in the spring, and her new album, "Play On," debuted at No. 1. She also hosted the Country Music Association Awards for the second straight year.
After a quiet holiday with family, she'll turn her attention to touring in the new year, hitting the road next spring.
"I think my whole life next year will be revolving around touring," she said.
Kennedy Center honors Springsteen, De Niro, others
WASHINGTON – With a little help from Carol Burnett, a new star from the hit TV show "Glee" and other top entertainers, political Washington is saluting five of the nation's top artists with the Kennedy Center Honors this weekend.
A surprise list of star performers will honor Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro and comic genius Mel Brooks Sunday night during a show attended by President Barack Obama and other power players from Washington and Hollywood.
Also receiving the honors — which recognize individuals who have defined American culture through the arts as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy — are jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry.
"It's different than everything else," Springsteen, 60, said of the award Saturday night at a State Department dinner honoring the group. "We worked really hard for our music to be part of American life and our fans' lives. So it's an acknowledgment that you've kind of threaded your way into the culture in a certain way. It's satisfying."
The show will air nationwide Dec. 29 on CBS.
State Department officials would not say whether security for Saturday's event had been heightened after a Virginia couple recently sneaked into a White House State dinner. The gala Sunday is Obama's first big event since Micheale and Tareq Salahi slipped past White House security Nov. 24.
The Secret Service runs security for Kennedy Center events the president attends, and everyone who enters must have a ticket that will be checked at the door.
Burnett led a series of toasts at a more private celebration for the honorees Saturday night after a dinner for about 200 hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Several of the honorees, Clinton said, have been at the forefront of cultural diplomacy. Brubeck, who turns 89 on Sunday, was sent abroad in the Cold War, she said, to serve as an ambassador with his music in countries teetering between democracy and communism.
And Springsteen played a rock concert in East Berlin for 160,000 people just 16 months before the Berlin Wall fell — a concert many Germans remember 20 years later, Clinton said.
"In every time and every culture, artists have lit the way toward progress," she said. "They've helped to provide a common language, a fabric that weaves us together as human beings."
Then there's the more irreverent arts. Even the mention of Brooks' number "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers" was enough to draw chuckles.
Brooks, 83, said it's special to receive the honor during the Obama administration. He said he'll whisper something in the president's ear about the need for more federal funding for the arts.
"I think when all my awards go to e-Bay, it will be the last," Brooks said of the Kennedy Center medallion. "That's how much I treasure it."
Many workers and guests were even more gaga Saturday night over seeing Matthew Morrison from TV's "Glee." They recognized him as Mr. Schuster, the high school teacher and glee club coach from the Fox show.
Morrison said he was elated to visit Washington to help honor Brooks.
"I like crossing the line every now and then, and he's kind of the master of crossing that line, being a little offensive at times," Morrison said. "The man is a living legend."
Other big names in town for the honors include Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone and others. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was seated near Clinton, along with journalist Barbara Walters. She turned heads Saturday night, arriving as actor Frank Langella's date.
Jon Stewart was seated at Springsteen's table, along with Caroline Kennedy.
Former President Bill Clinton, a saxophone player, offered a moving toast for Brubeck. He said he first saw Brubeck's quartet in concert when he was about 15 years old and was "utterly captivated."
Later when Clinton invited Brubeck to the White House in 1994, the musician quizzed the president on what songs besides "Take Five" he liked from Brubeck's album, "Time Out," which was released 50 years ago this month. He even asked Clinton if he could hum the bridge to "Blue Rondo a la Turk." And Clinton passed the test.
A week later, Brubeck sent the president an autographed picture and chart from the song.
"It hangs in the music room of my home today," Clinton said. "It hung in the White House every single day I was there."