Category: The Couch Potato Report

The Couch Potato Report – November 3rd, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report safety is not guaranteed, but I do guarantee that I’ll recommend THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

Sometimes, it is my complete pleasure here on The Report to shine the spotlight on a smaller film, one that you might not even notice and certainly wouldn’t watch unless someone pointed it out to you.

This is one of those times and so, ahead of the big studio comedy THE CAMPAIGN starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, I would like to tell you about a movie called SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED.

Aubrey Plaza from the television show PARKS & RECREATION stars here as one of three magazine employees who are assigned to do a story on a man who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.

And safety is not guaranteed.

As I watched SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED I really enjoyed the characters and their backstories, and felt empathy for them…and also had more than a few laughs. I especially enjoyed the fact that the film made it seem as if I was watching real people on screen, and not just movie characters.

I also hoped that the ending would serve the rest of the film well and not be a let down…and I am happy to say that I was not let down at all.

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED isn’t perfect, but it is an odd and quirky and fun little movie that I really enjoyed.

Search it out, I think you’ll enjoy it too.

As is true with big budget films, not all small films are created equal. Sometimes low budget, odd and quirky don’t work. That is the definitely the case with one called RUBY SPARKS.

This is the story of a once successful novelist who has writer’s block and just can’t seem to come up with any ideas for his long overdue second book. He is also struggling with finding love.

One night, after dreaming about a woman in the park, he begins to write about her…and she turns up in his house.

The writer manages to create a character named Ruby Sparks that will love him…thus solving his writer’s block temporarily…and when there is something he doesn’t like about her, he changes her.

Yes, this is a tale about being careful what you wish for…unless you can re-write your wish.

Now everything about RUBY SPARKS, to me, including the fact that it is from the same directors who gave us LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE back in 2006, set it up to be a nice surprise of a film…but it isn’t odd and quirky in a good way. And at one point, the writer is actually mean to Ruby…and that scene didn’t work for me at all.

RUBY SPARKS isn’t a bad movie, but it isn’t necessarily good either. I can’t honestly say I disliked it, so let me give it a very mild recommendation.

I will also give the big-budget comedy THE CAMPAIGN starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis a mild recommendation, because while the film does have some HUGE laughs…it doesn’t have enough of them.

Will Ferrell stars here as a long serving U.S. congressman who is a starting to get too comfortable in his position and is rubbing some of his rich constituents the wrong way, and so they recruit Galifianakis’ naïve man-child – who just wants to make his father proud of him – to run as the opponent.

And as I said, there are some HUGE laughs, especially in the scene where Ferrell is asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer.

Almost every scene that Ferrell and Galifianakis are great, but THE CAMPAIGN doesn’t work as well when they are apart.

This isn’t a classic comedy, but it is worth the price of a rental as you will laugh. I sure did!

I didn’t laugh while watching director Tim Burton’s big screen version of the 1970s soap DARK SHADOWS, starring Johnny Depp.

I also wasn’t scared. I wasn’t anything, for although the film has a spectacular cast and great production values, it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it a comedy? A drama? A horror film? A fish-out-of-water tale? It has no idea, and as I result, I just didn’t care.

Depp plays a vampire who is set free after being buried for two-hundred years to discover out that his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection. The cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee and even Alice Cooper.

Great cast, bad movie.

No, DARK SHADOWS isn’t the worst film that I have seen this year, but it is in the top ten. Skip it, you don’t need to waste your time on it.

So far, the 2012-2013 television season hasn’t provided me with too many new shows to watch, which is too bad as I like to watch television shows, to see how characters and storylines develop over a multi-episode and multi-season arcs.

NASHVILLE is about the only new show that I am hooked on…and that is actually okay as had I had more new stuff to watch, I wouldn’t have been able to re-watch – and completely enjoy – the entire fifth season of MAD MEN over the past couple of weeks.

And enjoy it I did!!

MAD MEN is the Emmy winning show about an advertising agency in the 1960s, and it’s unique cast of characters, most notably the mysterious but extremely talented ad executive Donald Draper.

In SEASON FIVE of MAD MEN, the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce agency continues to survive, and even thrive at times, as the staff adapt to changing times.

Whenever I watch MAD MEN I constantly wish that all television, all forms of entertainment could be this good. The writing is spectacular, the acting superb, and the attention to detail in the sixties set pieces and props is amazing!!

This world exists, these people exist and if you aren’t watching this show yet, I highly recommend that you do.

MAD MEN – SEASON FIVE is as good as entertainment gets!!

For four of the last five years MAD MEN was named the winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and going into Emmy Night, back on September 23rd, there was no reason to believe that it wouldn’t win a fifth straight trophy.

Yet, somehow, it didn’t.

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series this year went to a new show called HOMELAND…and while that too is an exceptional show, I don’t think it is anywhere near as good as MAD MEN.

But it is an exceptional show.

HOMELAND is a tense, well written show with some great performances from Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.

It is about a Marine Sergeant who returns home eight years after going missing in Iraq and the manic, driven and bipolar CIA officer who suspects that this new national hero might actually be plotting an attack on America.

At first her superiors believe her, but then they start to think that maybe she is “working too hard”. Eventually she puts herself in a compromising position and has to be removed from the case…but she never actually gives up.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of HOMELAND features a tremendous storyline that unfolds over the course of the show’s twelve episodes and I really, really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it.

After re-watching it all again, I still don’t think that it is better than MAD MEN…but they are both exceptional, and that is good enough for me.

Not exceptional is the two part television re-make of the 1978 film COMA…not exceptional in any way…this thing is pointless!!

Even if there had never been that 1978 original – starring Montreal’s Geneviève Bujold and Michael Douglas – this new version would still be boring, I just truly did not care and I wanted it to end!!

COMA is about a young medical student who discovers that something sinister seems to be going on in her hospital.

Healthy patients are slipping into comas on the operating table after routine procedures…and you won’t care.

This new version is slow moving and boring, it is poorly written and the acting is sub-par.

Skip the remake of COMA at all costs…there are better things that originated on television to watch…like HOMELAND or MAD MEN.

Finally this week, let’s go back to September 25th, 1987, for that was the release date of what would become a modern day classic…THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

Based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman THE PRINCESS BRIDE combines romance, comedy, adventure, and fantasy with more instantly quotable lines and phrases than you’d expect from one movie.

THE PRINCESS BRIDE is about a kidnapped princess and Westley, her true love, his search to find her, and the people he meets along the way.

The 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION blu-ray of THE PRINCESS BRIDE offers this beautiful film up in a pristine way, and it also has a wealth of special features, new and old. Here’s director Rob Reiner along with stars Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, reunited and in conversation.

I love this movie, and think it is one that should be shared with everyone…young and old alike. So if you have never seen it, that seems:

Pick it up and enjoy!!

THE 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Rob Reiner’s modern day classic THE PRINCESS BRIDE, the pointless remake of COMA, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the Emmy Award winning series HOMELAND, SEASON FIVE of the still amazing show MAD MEN, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s pointless big screen version of DARK SHADOWS, the not spectacular, but funny enough comedy THE CAMPAIGN, the okay little movie RUBY SPARKS and the very enjoyable small film SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

SEASON ONE of the made-in-Toronto television series BOMB GIRLS, the reboot THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, the 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, and I will also talk about the 6 disc set CAROL’S FAVOURITES from THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW…including the classic skit WENT WITH THE WIND!

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – October 27th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report is Magic Mike, another trip to Madagascar and we’re off on a mystery tour.

It is the final weekend before Halloween, the final opportunity for the studios to release some cinematic scares, and I have a made-in-British Columbia horror thriller to let you know about this morning starring Toronto born actor Eric McCormack from the television series WILL & GRACE.

Yes, in BARRICADE the guy known around the world as a comedian now plays a father who takes his kids to a cabin in the woods to help them get away from it all…but what starts as a quiet retreat turns into a fight for survival!!

BARRICADE is not the scariest film you will see this pre-Halloween Weekend, but it does have some pretty good frights and scary delights as it tells a tale of things that go bump in the night.

Call that a mild recommendation…and for my reviews of other recent horror thrillers for All Hallow’s Eve, including AMERICAN HORROR STORY, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS and HALLOWEEN 4 go to cbc.ca/couchpotato.

Channing Tatum is an actor who has appeared in the films G.I. JOE, DEAR JOHN, THE VOW, 21 JUMP STREET and HAYWIRE. While making that latter film with Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh Tatum brought him an idea he had, loosely based on his own life. Before he became an actor, Tatum was a male exotic dancer in Florida, and that is how MAGIC MIKE was born.

And the result is a very entertaining movie!

MAGIC MIKE stars Channing Tatum as an experienced dancer who teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.

Matthew McConaughey from DAZED AND CONFUSED and A TIME TO KILL is their boss, a man who also spends time on stage, but behind the scenes might not be the trustworthy buddy he seems to be.

Yes, as I said, MAGIC MIKE is a very entertaining movie fun of characters you will have fun hanging out with…and all of them – men and women – are exceptionally beautiful to look at.

Admittedly, it does get a bit predictable in the middle because what goes up in movies like this absolutely has to have a tragic fall, but I still enjoyed it and can easily recommend it.

I can also easily recommend the kids film MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED…and not just to kids, but to everyone.

Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra and Alex the lion are still trying to get back to the New York Zoo – after ending up in Madagascar – and in this adventure they end up in Europe where they join a traveling circus that just might get them home.

MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED is bright and colourful and fun for the kids, and for us adults are some great characters and the always entertaining penguins.

I really enjoyed this movie, and I’m already looking forward to MADAGASCAR 4!!

Imagine this…a seventy-mile-wide asteroid that can’t be stopped asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. There are three weeks until impact, at which time all of humanity will be wiped out.

What would you do in a situation such as that? Would you party and have fun, in an attempt to spend your final weeks having a good time? Or would you decide to sit around alone and watch television, feeling sorry for yourself because everyone around you is out having fun?

Let me put that to you another way…what is more interesting to you, a movie about those people having fun, or the sad sack who just wants to be left alone.

I want the fun one…that sounds great with endless possibilities!! Unfortunately we have one with the other story. SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD stars Steve Carell as a Sad Sack…snore!!

Keira Knightley from the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films is horribly miscast here as a neighbour who convinces him to leave his house and seek out his high school sweetheart. But guess what, along the way they fall for each other and you won’t care.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD is a movie with some nice moments but as a whole it just doesn’t work. Along the way they meet people who are enjoying themselves in preparation for the end, and I wanted to stay with them.

Just skip this film…it isn’t worth your time.

There are two releases that centre around historical figures this week. One is a fantastical history thriller, with a few actual facts thrown in for good measure, and the other is an out and out documentary.

I’m starting with the one that is a movie, because it is just so darn entertaining.

This is ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER!!

This action fantasy horror film is based on the 2010 mashup novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith and features the real-life 16th President of the United States as having a secret identity as a hunter of vampires.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER is what it is and if you buy the premise then you will be highly rewarded by a very creative film that weaves history with some really inventive action scenes and it is all done with just the right tone. This is a film that definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER is not an Academy Award winner, but it is very entertaining!!

I really, really enjoyed it!!

The second release this week that centres around a historical figure is the two part documentary APOCALYPSE – HITLER.

Adolf Hitler is infamous for his crimes against humanity and this film examines his rise to power, a rise that was completely unexpected and devastating.

It is important for everyone to know how he was able to get the power he had – because those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it – and that – combined with some very interesting historical footage – is what makes APOCALYPSE – HITLER something that I recommend everyone see.

This is a very good documentary about an awful human being.

Finally this week is a release that some see as misunderstood, while others revere it as a classic.

Come along for a ride now, won’t you? With THE BEATLES and their MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is an hour-long film starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr that originally aired on BBC1 on Boxing Day 1967.

The story here is that The Beatles charter a special bus for a mystery tour from the city to the shore.

Along the way the passengers meet some interesting characters…and the band plays songs.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR wasn’t well received when it first aired, and the recently released blu-ray for the film includes some an all-new Director’s Commentary Track from Paul McCartney, who addresses some of the criticism.

THE BEATLES’ MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR might not be as much a classic as some of the other things the band did, but it remains an important part of the legacy of the band.

It is too quirky and odd for me to recommend it to everyone, but I continue to enjoy it every time I see it – and this blu-ray looks and sounds amazing – and so I do ultimately recommend it. Everyone should see it at least once in their life.

THE BEATLES – MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, the documentary APOCALYPSE – HITLER, the very entertaining fantastical history thriller ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, the less than entertaining comedic romance wannabe SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, the very entertaining – for the whole family – MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED, the very entertaining – for grown-ups – MAGIC MIKE, and the made-in-British-Columbia only okay horror thriller BARRICADE are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star in the election year comedy THE CAMPAIGN and we’ll celebrate the 25th anniversary of the modern day classic, THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – October 20th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report – Neil Young takes us on a journey, a Moonrise Kingdom and Pete’s Dragon turns thirty-five.

Everybody is from somewhere, everybody has a place where they grew up, even music superstars like Neil Young.

Young was born in Toronto and shortly after his family moved to the rural town of Omemee, Ontario, where he lived until the age of twelve.

In the concert documentary NEIL YOUNG: JOURNEYS he returns to the place he refers to as a “…nice little town.”

Neil visits his childhood home and other places in Omemee with his brother and shares stories of his past and his family.

I mentioned that NEIL YOUNG: JOURNEYS is a concert documentary and in addition to the time spent driving around Omemee, Neil also performs a solo show live at Massey Hall in Toronto.

I couldn’t get enough of NEIL YOUNG: JOURNEYS, and when it was over I wanted more. The time he spends telling us about where he grew up is amazing, and the concert is great as well. This film offers a unique look at a Canadian music icon and I absolutely loved it.

I also loved the latest film from director Wes Anderson, who has previously given us the movies RUSHMORE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and FANTASTIC MR. FOX.

This one is called MOONRISE KINGDOM and it is a beautiful film.

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman and Harvey Keitel and tells the story of a pair of teenagers in love who decide to run away from the confines of their town, and as a result the adults – and a group of Khaki Scouts – set out to find them.

Like all of Wes Anderson’s films, MOONRISE KINGDOM is quirky and even odd at times, but the sets and script are pitch perfect and the result is something that I not only liked and enjoyed, but admired.

Admittedly, due to how quirky they are, Anderson’s films aren’t for everyone, but they certainly are for me. I highly recommend MOONRISE KINGDOM. It is one of my favourite films of the year.

On the other hand…is one of the worst films of 2012. Adam Sandler’s THAT’S MY BOY is not only awful, it is complete garbage and a total waste of your time!

Sandler stars here as a man who – when he was a teenager – fathered a child with his teacher. She went to jail, and he became a celebrity, all while raising the boy as an immature single parent.

The main part of the movie centres on the two – now as men and very estranged and Sandler – needing money to stay out of prison – crashes his son’s high society wedding looking for a payday.

The son hates him, while everyone else seems to enjoy his crass and blunt outlook on life.

Simply put, THAT’S MY BOY isn’t funny and that is its ultimate downfall. It is a two hour comedy that isn’t funny, isn’t populated with anyone you will care about and you should avoid it at all costs.

This is one of those movies that is as bad as it looks.

Hey remember the 1980s, specifically the music of the 80s? Rock and roll, performed by bands who all had big hair and made fun, enjoyable music full of big hooks?

I remember the 80s well, and when I heard there was a musical based on the songs of the decade I was very excited, after all I was in high school at the time and the music of that eighth decade was my life!

But even though that musical, called ROCK OF AGES, has the music, it is devoid of one thing that music was – fun.

ROCK OF AGES just isn’t any fun.

The story here of a small town girl and a city boy who meet on the Sunset Strip of Los Angeles as they both pursue their dreams, and several other storylines, all take a back seat most of the time to the well-choreographed production numbers and the music.

But none of it is any fun…check out this overly dramatic reading of Foreigner’s Juke Box Hero.

ROCK OF AGES just takes itself too seriously, it is so serious at times that I actually laughed out loud at it and how earnest it thinks it is. That is the main reason I didn’t care for it…they missed a tremendous opportunity to do a grown up version of the television show GLEE, but instead of a Grown-Up Glee this is just a waste of time…with the exception of the bonus materials.

The bonuses include some of the actual stars from the eighties – including members of Night Ranger, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot and Styx – talking about the era and their songs.

ROCK OF AGES isn’t the worst film I’ve sat through this year, but with the music it features and a cast that includes Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise it is certainly one of the most disappointing.

I will say this about Tom Cruise though, the guy can sing.

With the clock ticking away, and the October days falling by the wayside, we get closer and closer to Halloween and the studios continue to release horror films and thrillers to garner your attention and entertainment dollars.

The one that has come out this week is called CHERNOBYL DIARIES and – of all of the ones that have come out, and are on their way – this one has one of the most interesting concepts…unfortunately a bad ending gets in the way of the whole thing paying off.

Six tourists hire an extreme tour guide to takes them to the abandoned city that was the home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor.

As they explore, they soon discover they are not alone.

CHERNOBYL DIARIES has a good young cast, and a great premise, but because of the ending it is not great.

Because it is Halloween time of the year, I do mildly recommend it to those who enjoy horror thrillers, but only to them.

Everyone else should just skip it.

Let’s head to Indian Head, Saskatchewan, now…or as it is known in the Canadian television series LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, Mercy, Saskatchewan.

In THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON of this entertaining, informative and educational show Amaar and Rayyan settle into married life, and changes are afoot…not just in their home but all around Mercy.

This is the final set for LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, as they are no longer filming new episodes, and that is okay with me as both during this season and THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON the show started to become less engaging.

The show does succeed – and make me laugh – more than it fails…so I will continue to recommend it, whether you go to a Mosque, Church, Temple, or Synagogue.

Another new TV ON DVD set that is now available is THE COMPLETE SEASON SEVEN of the sitcom HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, about a guy named Ted who continues to search for the woman of his dreams in New York City…with the help of his four best friends.

This latest season isn’t its strongest…at times it seems as if the writers are running out of ways to keep the show going…instead of just letting us meet the woman Ted falls for…but even a weak season of this show is better than the best of some of the other shows on the air.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER is good TV!! I like hanging out with these people…even when they have fun at Canada’s expense.

From time to time, the show FAMILY GUY is still fun, and I do laugh because of it…although not as often as I used to.

But it does make me laugh…occasionally even out loud. Yes, I did laugh at VOLUME 10 of FAMILY GUY when I watched it this week.

This FAMILY GUY set contains 14 episodes, and even though FAMILY GUY is a show that has been well past its prime for years…with decent episodes few and far between…I do still laugh at it, occasionally.

So, allow me to recommend FAMILY GUY – VOLUME 10 to those who love the show, always have, and always will!!

We go back to 1977 now, to conclude this week’s edition of The Report, for it was in 1977 when a movie was released about an orphan boy and his magical dragon.

PETE’S DRAGON is a live-action film but its title character, a dragon named Elliott, is animated.

It is also a musical.

PETE’S DRAGON was nominated for two Academy Awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score – and the music all sounds great on the new 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION blu-ray, but I mostly continue to love this film because of how much it struck a chord with me when I was a kid…and how it makes me feel when I watch it to this day…it always makes me want a dragon of my own.

The 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of PETE’S DRAGON comes with a wealth of special features and if you loved it as a kid, don’t miss it!

The 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of the still fun PETE’S DRAGON, VOLUME 10 of the past its prime FAMILY GUY, THE COMPLETE SEASON SEVEN of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON of the made-in-Saskatchewan series LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, the okay but never great horror thriller CHERNOBYL DIARIES, the awful eighties musical ROCK OF AGES, Adam Sandler’s THAT’S MY BOY – which is a complete waste of time, the beautiful and entertaining film MOONRISE KINGDOM, and the great concert documentary NEIL YOUNG: JOURNEYS are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

The British Columbia made horror thriller BARRICADE, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MAGIC MIKE and THE BEATLES – MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR debuts on blu-ray featuring an all-new commentary from Paul McCartney.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – October 13th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report are two Canadian horror thrillers and E.T. comes home in HD.

With Halloween only a couple of weeks away the studios have started to release films that are best enjoyed at this time of year…as it gets darker earlier, when the leaves are all falling off the trees and when there is something extra creepy and scary in the air.

The Regina and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, made horror thriller CHAINED definitely fits in at this time of year! It stars Vincent D’Onofrio from the television series LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT as a man named Bob.

Bob is a cab-driving serial killer who stalks his prey on the city streets and brings them to his remote home in the country, where he’s assisted by his reluctant protégé Rabbit.

Rabbit was captured by Bob and chained to a bed when was a little boy, and as he grows older he must make a decision regarding whether he will follow in Bob’s footsteps, or break free from his captor.

The absolute best thing about CHAINED is the performance by Vincent D’Onofrio, who is completely menacing and believable as this character. I never doubted that his character was capable of all the horrific things he was doing, and that isn’t always true in a film like this.

It starts off strong, has an interesting middle, and kept me wanting to see what was going to happen all the way through, but unfortunately, the ending of CHAINED seems like it is from a completely different movie, and that is what prevents me from giving it more than just a mild recommendation.

I never disliked it, if only it had a better ending.

I actually did dislike the made in Rockwood, Ontario, horror thriller THE BARRENS. Ontario fills in for New Jersey and Stephen Moyer from TRUE BLOOD stars here as a man who takes his family on a camping trip deep in the woods and becomes convinced that they are being hunted by the legendary monster of the New Jersey Pine Barrens: the Jersey Devil.

Are they being hunted by the mythical creature…is it actually real, or is he merely going crazy? By the time THE BARRENS got to the answers, I just didn’t care. The film is never boring, it just isn’t all that interesting and I didn’t care for it at all.

I suggest you stay away from THE BARRENS. With Halloween just a few weeks away, there will be better horror thriller films coming along soon enough.

When I made my list of the films I was most excited to see prior to the start of the Summer Movie Season this year the ALIEN prequel PROMETHEUS – directed by Ridley Scott, the man who gave us that 1979 science fiction masterpiece – was near the top of my list.

When I made my list of the Top Five films I enjoyed the most after the summer had come and gone, PROMETHEUS barely made my top five.

But it did make the top five, and – at times – it is a very good film, it just isn’t as good as it could have been.

The main problem with PROMETHEUS is the fact that a team of explorers heads into space to try and discover the origins of mankind on Earth. Yes, there are space creatures…eventually…but they spend far too much time searching for the creator, faaaaaaar too much time.

Now, I’m not against a science fiction film that makes me think…as long as the thinking and the plot don’t get in the way.

PROMETHEUS has far too much thinking and parts of the story just don’t work. However, the action scenes and the sets are amazing – once the aliens do appear – but the abundance of story elements that don’t work prevents the film from being a classic.

It definitely has a home in the ALIEN series of films…I liked it much better than 3 or ALIEN RESURRECTION…but PROMETHEUS is nowhere near the film it could have been.

Call that a mild recommendation.

Pop singer Katy Perry has had a very successful last few years. Six of the eight singles released from her 2010 album TEENAGE DREAM went to number one on the charts, and the other two peaked at numbers two and three.

Her music and lifestyle are all fun…or at least they seemed fun. While she was riding the top of the music charts, her personal life and marriage to British comedian Russell Brand was falling apart.

As this is the twenty-first century, all of Katy’s highs and lows were filmed and are now on display in the concert documentary KATY PERRY: THE MOVIE – PART OF ME.

Now I like Katy Perry, I own her music and I went to see her in concert, and this movie shows her, warts and all. But I don’t want to see her warts. It is heartbreaking seeing her cry as her marriage is ending, and I didn’t need to see that.

KATY PERRY: THE MOVIE – PART OF ME could have been a much better film if it was a documentary about her life as a teenager aspiring to become a star – and the film has plenty of old footage too – and then showed her at the top of the music world.

Now THAT would have been a great movie. As it is, with all the drama, it is just an okay film aimed at fans only.

One of the most unique television series that has aired in the past few years is AMERICAN HORROR STORY.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the show has twelve episodes telling the complete tale of a family of three who move from Boston to Los Angeles to try and get a fresh start on live.

Unbeknownst to them, the restored mansion they buy is haunted by the people who used to live – and who died – there.

There is so much going on during the twelve episodes in the first season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY and almost all of it will have you thinking, “Whaaaaaaaat?!?”

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of AMERICAN HORROR STORY doesn’t finish anywhere near as strong as it starts, it basically goes on one episode too long, but overall it is so super creepy and enjoyable that I will still highly recommend it anyway.

This is television at its best!!

Did you know that Zooey Deschanel from the films ELF and ALMOST FAMOUS and Emily Deschanel from the television series BONES are sisters?

They are, and both of them have sets for the latest seasons of their respective television series now available.

THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON of BONES is coming up, but first THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of Zooey’s NEW GIRL.

Zooey stars as the NEW GIRL, a woman in her twenties who catches her boyfriend cheating on her, so she leaves and moves in with three guys she meets through the want ads.

There is no way that would ever happen in real life, and there is no way that these guys would put up with this very, very annoying character. No way at all!!

Now, Zooey is a cute actress, she’s adorkable, and at times she – and the new girl – are hard to dislike…at times. Overall though, this is not a great show, even though it has a few laughs, some nice moments between the roommates and several fun quirky moments by the female star.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of NEW GIRL isn’t ever awful, even when she is awfully annoying. Honestly, I neither liked it or disliked it. But since It is my responsibility to offer up a yes or no, I would give it a mild skip.

You don’t really need to see it, even though it has some cute moments with Emily Deschanel’s younger sister Zooey.

As for Emily Deschanel’s show, BONES, in THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON she and partner Booth had their baby.

This is the show about a forensic anthropologist and her partner – at work and after work – an FBI agent played by David Boreanz from ANGEL.

Their team to continue to investigate the cause of death for victims in and near Washington, D.C., even though they usually don’t have anything more than flesh or mere bones.

Seven years in BONES continues to offer interesting stories with good twists and turns and a cast who continue to work very well together. Plus, it is even funny at times.

I really enjoyed THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON of BONES and this is a show from a Deschanel sister that I can easily recommend.

I have a little film for you now. A little film with a big cast.

CONCEPTION stars Julie Bowen and Sarah Hyland from MODERN FAMILY, Connie Britton of AMERICAN HORROR STORY, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Pamela Adlon, David Arquette, and even Jonathan Silverman, among others, and it is a comedy about nine very different couples on the night they conceive.

The downside of most ensemble romance comedies like this is the fact that we never get to spend enough time with any one set of characters, and so it can be difficult to make a connection to any of them.

CONCEPTION features that very likable cast, so it is a bit easier to care for these characters, and the end result is a movie that is pretty good. It is never great, but I liked it anyway.

You won’t find this one everywhere, so you’ll have to search it out, but I think you’ll enjoy it when you do.

The aliens in PROMETHEUS and the entire ALIEN film series are well known to movie fans around the world, but I think it is safe to say that the alien in E.T. – THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL is the best known cinematic space traveller of all time.

Steven Spielberg’s 1982 box office smash is new on blu-ray this week and it is time to reintroduce yourself to him, and Elliott, Gertie and Michael as their film looks and sounds amazing in HD!

In addition to the still heartwarming film, the blu-ray for E.T. – THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL also comes with a wide array of bonus materials, including an all-new interview with director Steven Spielberg.

This film about an alienated boy who befriends an extraterrestrial who gets stranded on earth remains a very entertaining movie that the whole family can enjoy. I highly, very highly recommend it.

Steven Spielberg’s still classic film E.T. – THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, the well-cast and enjoyable ensemble comedy CONCEPTION, THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON of the still good BONES and THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the not that good show NEW GIRL, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the very good AMERICAN HORROR STORY, the for-fans-only concert documentary KATY PERRY: THE MOVIE – PART OF ME, the not as good as it could have been ALIEN prequel PROMETHEUS, the not that interesting made-in-Ontario horror thriller THE BARRENS, and the pretty good made-in-Moose Jaw and Regina horror thriller CHAINED are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

Wes Anderson’s fun new flick MOONRISE KINGDOM, SEASON FIVE of MAD MEN, SEASON SIX of LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE, Adam Sandler’s awful THAT’S MY BOY, and in the documentary JOURNEYS, iconic Canadian musician Neil Young takes us to the small town in Ontario where he grew up.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – October 6th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report: three Canadian films and Cinderella, Cinderella, all I hear is Cinderella!!

Our support of the Canadian film industry continues once again this week on The Report with two films primarily made in Toronto and this first one, which was made in Montreal and on the International Space Station.

TOUCH THE SKY is documentary about a man from Quebec named Guy Laliberté and his dream of travelling into space. The film follows him through his training and beyond, and all the while there is drama as we learn that space travel doesn’t come easy.

I have always dreamt of going into space, but I had neither the aptitude or the finances. As the owner and founder of the word renowned Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté has the money, and whether or not he has the skills that would usually allow him to go or not, he is certainly very passionate about his goal.

TOUCH THE SKY is a very interesting film that features some great historical footage and insightful information about space travel from several people who have actually been there.

I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has ever wanted to travel to space. The insight this film offers into what it takes to get there is amazing, and what we are shown along the way is unparalleled.

TOUCH THE SKY even has U2!!

The shot-in-Toronto thriller THE SAMARITAN is up next, and it is a thriller that offers some great twists and turns as Samuel L. Jackson plays an ex-con who wants to go straight after spending twenty-five years in prison, but his former partner’s son has other ideas.

Samuel L. Jackson gives a great performance in THE SAMARITAN and as things continue to tighten around the character, and he realizes that he has very few options left, he gets even better.

Unfortunately the writing and some of the supporting cast can’t match Samuel L. Jackson’s efforts and the end result is a film that is very good, but not great. You won’t see the twists and turns it takes coming, but you also might not care once they play out.

That is why I can only mildly recommend THE SAMARITAN. It’s not a must see, but if you do check it out I think you’ll agree that it is worth the price of the rental.

The less said about this next film the better, and that isn’t because it isn’t very good, but because the less you know going in, the creepier 388 ARLETTA AVENUE is.

And make no mistake, this made-in-Toronto movie is creepy!!

Who made a mixed CD and left in in the car of a young couple? Who is watching them, and who has put cameras into their home?

As 388 ARLETTA AVENUE progresses, and we see the action through more and more hidden cameras – in the young couple’s home , and where they work – you will be desperate to know what is going on…and you will be creeped out every step of the way!!

388 ARLETTA AVENUE isn’t 100% satisfying, but it is very close. Yes, not unlike the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films and most of these “found footage films” you do have to suspend disbelief more than a little bit for them to work, but this one does work.

I really enjoyed it!!

Two movies, two TV shows. That is what I have for you this morning, and when it comes to the movies, I hope that you never have to sit through either of them. I did, so trust me when I say that you don’t have to.

PEOPLE LIKE US stars Chris Pine from the STAR TREK reboot, Elizabeth Banks of THE HUNGER GAMES, Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Pine plays an irresponsible man in his twenties who finds out – after the death of his father – that he has a sister. But after receiving the news, and meeting his sister, played by Banks, he doesn’t tell her that they are related.

Instead, he just starts to spend time with her and her young son – and she starts to fall for him – and so you spend the entire film knowing that she will eventually find out, and knowing that she won’t be happy about it, and that all happens and it all plays out in a very predictable manner.

PEOPLE LIKE US has a great cast, and the story is inspired by real life events, but the film is boring. They cast is so good that you will wish everyone in the film happiness…but you will not care what happens to them.

Skip this movie, ignore it, it just isn’t worthy of your time.

THE LUCKY ONE isn’t worthy of your time either. It too is a “why doesn’t one person just tell another person something right away and avoid all the drama?!?” type film, and there isn’t one second in this one that you won’t see coming a mile away.

This mess stars Zac Efron from the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL films as a Marine who finds a picture while serving in Iraq and then manages to survive while after serving three tours.

After he is discharged he then decides to track down the woman in the picture as he believes she was his good luck charm, helping him survive the war.

THE LUCKY ONE is based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, who also gave us THE NOTEBOOK, A WALK TO REMEMBER, DEAR JOHN and many others.

Some of the adaptations of his books have worked, this one definitely does not. It is predictable, the cast carries no weight, and you absolutely will not care what happens to anyone in this movie.

Personally, once it ended I considered myself the lucky one as I was done watching this mess.

Skip it…you will not like this movie. I sure didn’t.

Two movies, two TV shows…and with the movies behind us, let’s get to the TV stuff now, shall we, especially since it actually is worthy of your time.

MAGIC CITY is where we have set up residence, specifically Miami Beach, Florida, circa 1959.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan from GREY’S ANATOMY and WATCHMAN stars in this show as Ike, the owner of a luxurious hotel. However, in order to finance his dream hotel he had to sell his soul – and partial ownership – to a mob boss.

And as Ike tries to remain an honourable man, both his mob ties and the CIA threaten to take him down.

MAGIC CITY was never awful, but it always seemed like a low-budget gangster show to me. The sets and stories are all okay, but the cast doesn’t feature any really big names…and so, it is never captivating the way a Scorsese mob movie is.

Negativity aside…I actually enjoyed THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of MAGIC CITY, I did, I enjoyed it as it builds to a great finale, and there are some very beautiful people who star in the show, but overall it really never is anything special…although I did enjoy it.

So, let me call that a mild recommendation.

The last television show on The Report this week is the very inventive and engaging PERSON OF INTEREST.

Created by some of the people who have made LOST and the DARK KNIGHT films this show is about an ex-CIA hitman and an eccentric tech genius who team up to prevent crimes in New York City, before they happen.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of PERSON OF INTEREST is set in the present day, but uses future technology and smarts to allow it to stand above most of the action and procedural shows on TV these days.

And as the season goes on, in addition to smart individual episodes, it builds a very interesting overall plot as well.

PERSON OF INTEREST is just a good show and I really enjoyed watching it.

Finally this week, let’s go back to 1950, shall we? For that was when Walt Disney released his animated version of the fairy tale known as CINDERELLA.

Every eligible maiden is to attend the Royal Ball, and that includes the put upon Cinderella, but when her cruel stepmother tries to prevent her from attending , she gets some unexpected help from some lovable mice and her Fairy Godmother.

CINDERELLA has never been one of my personal favourites, but I do still regard it as a classic, an dthis new Diamond Edition blu-ray allows the film – that is now sixty-two years old – to look and sound better than ever.

Plus, it features a wealth of bonus features new and old.

Simply put, CINDERELLA is a classic the whole family can enjoy together and I happily recommend that you do.

Walt Disney’s classic film CINDERELLA, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the very good show PERSON OF INTEREST, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the interesting but rarely great show MAGIC CITY, the boring duo THE LUCKY ONE and PEOPLE LIKE US, the creepy and enjoyable Canadian film 388 ARLETTA AVENUE, the very good Toronto made action movie THE SAMARITAN and the insightful and interesting Canadian space travel documentary TOUCH THE SKY are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Yes, we do love to support Canadian films here on The Couch Potato Report!!

Coming up inside the next edition of The Report

Another Canadian film, the made-in-Ontario horror film THE BARRENS starring Stephen Moyer from TRUE BLOOD, Ridley Scott’s pseudo ALIEN prequel PROMETHEUS, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of AMERICAN HORROR STORY, and Steven Spielberg’s classic film E.T. – THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL debuts in High Definition 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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 29th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report – we take a waltz, survive progress, touch the sky and meet The Avengers.

Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress from Toronto who first became known through her role on the CBC series ROAD TO AVONLEA.

She also starred in the films EXOTICA, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, GO and DAWN OF THE DEAD, among many others, before she made her feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the Academy Award nominated drama AWAY FROM HER.

Her second film as a director is called TAKE THIS WALTZ and it stars Oscar nominee Michelle Williams from BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and MY WEEK WITH MARILYN as a restless married woman who falls for a man she meets on a plane, a man who just happens to live across the street

Williams character is married to Vancouver’s Seth Rogen from KNOCKED UP and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. He is a loving, caring husband trying to cater to her ever changing moods and desires and although she does love him…there is an emptiness inside her. Something seems missing.

Desire, restlessness and emptiness are at the core of TAKE THIS WALTZ and even though it isn’t predictable, it does get a bit boring in the middle. I actually grew impatient with the main character and although I felt bad for the predicament she was in, I just wanted her to make a decision already.

I have the utmost respect for Sarah Polley and I really enjoy Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen’s work as actors, and that respect and adoration are the only reason why I can mildly recommend TAKE THIS WALTZ. With lesser talents it could’ve been a complete waste of time. As it is, it isn’t the best movie of the year, but it isn’t the worst either.

Moving forward and what that means to humankind is at the core of this next release, the documentary SURVIVING PROGRESS.

SURVIVING PROGRESS is a Canadian made documentary that looks at the double-edged reality of the grave risks we pose to our own survival all in the name of progress.

This movie features some incredible visuals to go along with the facts, figures and opinions being offered by people such as Canadian author Margaret Atwood and theoretical physicist and author Stephen Hawking.

Unfortunately SURVIVING PROGRESS offers a little too many facts, figures and opinions and it gets to be a little bit much at times. This is a documentary that doesn’t believe in the less is more approach.

But that said, it is very interesting, and will give you a lot to think about…and the visuals are incredible. I say check it out.

The characters in the made-in-Vancouver film THE CABIN IN THE WOODS are also trying to survive, but it isn’t progress that they are afraid of, it is the creatures lurking outside.

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is a horror thriller about five friends who venture to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for a weekend and soon must fight for their lives…but, BUT…what makes this film different that the many, many, many others that have shared this premise is the fact that this group of friends is being watched by a crew in a studio, and that crew has the ability to manipulate just about everything that is going on.

The main problem I had the first time I saw THE CABIN IN THE WOODS was that I was trying to figure out what was going on…why are these people manipulating what is happening in and near this cabin? I just couldn’t get past that, and so I didn’t think it was very good.

But when I watched it again this week, knowing the secret, I really enjoyed it. It’s smart, and entertaining, and even though it is a horror thriller genre picture, it is also a movie that tears apart many of the stereotypes we usually see in this sort of film.

Yes, it does all start to fall apart a bit at the end, but don’t think too much about that or about anything in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS when you watch it – and horror fans do need to watch it!

Just shut of your brain and enjoy!

It is my pleasure now to offer up a trio of films for you, a trio that you should search for. You aren’t likely to find them everywhere, but if you look for them, or do a search within all the titles available on-demand, you will be rewarded with a nice piece of filmmaking.

The first one is called DELICACY and it is from France. In it, Audrey Tautou from the great film AMELIE is a widow still deep in mourning over the loss of her husband three years after his death.

One day at work, completely out of the blue, she kisses a colleague and they begin dating…even though no one – not even her close friends…understand what she sees in the guy.

DELICACY is a great cinematic romance and I really enjoyed it. This is a tremendous film full of nice people and I highly recommend it.

Greta Gerwig is a beautiful and very talented young actress who has appeared in several high profile films – such as the romantic comedy NO STRINGS ATTACHED and the re-make of ARTHUR – but she is far from a household name.

Her two latest films are now available for home viewing and in LOLA VERSUS she is a woman dumped by her boyfriend just three weeks before their wedding.

Lola is now a single woman approaching thirty, and after the break-up she finds herself looking for – not just love – but a life, occasionally with the help of her friends.

Greta Gerwig is very good in this film, but the best performances come from Bill Pullman and Debra Winger who play her parents.

The biggest problem with LOLA VERSUS is that the cast is better than the movie. It is never great, but it is okay. I didn’t love it, but I liked it and can mildly recommend it.

Now, a Greta Gerwig film I can’t recommend is one that is actually a HUGE disappointment. DAMSELS IN DISTRESS is the latest release from the great writer-director Whit Stillman, who also gave us the nineties classics METROPOLITAN, BARCELONA and THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO. That last film came out in 1998, and since then…nothing!

And now he is back…unfortunately.

DAMSELS IN DISTRESS stars Gerwig as the leader of a group of girls on a college campus who are working to change the male-dominated environment. They also want to try and help fellow students avoid depression, grunge and low standards of every kind.

Whit Stillman is a filmmaker who writes great dialogue, the words he writes all stand out and every single one of them mean something. But the characters he writes aren’t always likeable, some are outright unlikeable. However, in his past films, he had great and likeable actresses such as Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny and Mira Sorvino reading his dialogue, and it always worked.

In DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, the actresses – other than Greta – just aren’t up for the task and so the dialogue and the situations don’t work. It all just seems completely implausible.

DAMSELS IN DISTRESS does have a few nice surprises, and several moments that are pure Whit Stillman, but not enough and the result is a boring, uninteresting film.

I missed Stillman’s work in the fourteen years he was away, and I hope it doesn’t take him that long to make another movie. But more than that, I hope when he does make another one, it is better than DAMSELS IN DISTRESS.

What a disappointment!

At the Emmy Awards last weekend the great show MODERN FAMILY was once again named Best Comedy Series, for the third straight time, and when you watch THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON of this brilliant show – and I highly recommend that you do – you will see why.

MODERN FAMILY is about a multinational, multisexual and exceedingly complicated extended family and their hilarious antics, and it is all filmed in a pseudo-documentary style – the same format that is used for the show THE OFFICE.

MODERN FAMILY is a fantastic show that is heartwarming, heartbreaking and exceptionally funny!

If you have never seen it, see it!! It is laugh out loud funny and even beautiful at times. I LOVE MODERN FAMILY and very highly recommend THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON, all three seasons!!

I thought I would also love 2 BROKE GIRLS, the premise and the lead actress – Kat Dennings from THOR – all appealed to me, but I didn’t love it. I’m not even sure I liked it.

This is a show about two women in their twenties who find themselves working together at a small diner and forge a friendship because of their dream of quitting and raising enough money to have their own business.

Good premise, nice cast, but what absolutely didn’t work for me is how abrasive the Kat Dennings character is.

Admittedly, she is an actress who has had a pretty good career being the sarcastic one in anything she’s appeared in, but what she says and does in this show never seems real. She goes on tirades against people and customers here in situations that would never happen in real life, and there are no consequences.

Yes, okay, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of 2 BROKE GIRLS has a few laughs, and some nice moments between the two leads, but not enough. Ultimately I just didn’t care enough about them to say I enjoyed it in any way.

I also didn’t enjoy TERRA NOVA in any way…not in one single way. This cross between STARGATE and JURASSIC PARK was a complete waste of my time.

TERRA NOVA is a would be science fiction mystery adventure show that begins in the year 2149, a time when the planet is dying. The Shannon family – and others – are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a civilization…and you won’t care.

TERRA NOVA has already been cancelled, and now THE COMPLETE SERIES is available to watch and own, but don’t bother. The special effects are poorly done, the dinosaurs all look fake and the family drama isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, and done much better.

Skip TERRA NOVA – THE COMPLETE SERIES, you have better things to do with your time.

One science fiction mystery adventure show that does work – that continues to work – that continues to offer thrills and be thrilling – is the television series FRINGE.

FRINGE is sort of a cross between The X-Files and The Twilight Zone, combined with the film Altered States. It was co-created by J.J. Abrams, who also gave us ALIAS and LOST.

It is about an unorthodox team, lead by a female FBI agent who works with a once institutionalized scientist and his son in order to solve cases that are all connected to a series of unexplained events, and in THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON we get even more answers to just what is going on…in the mythology of the series…as even more questions are posed as the battle between the two worlds on the show heats up.

FRINGE is a very entertaining show that has a great cast, including Canadian Joshua Jackson from DAWSON’S CREEK, and it is kooky, creepy, odd and interesting…and sometimes it is even all of those things at the same time.

The stand-alone episodes aren’t always as good as the ones that are part of the series’ ongoing mythology, but the majority of them are still above average.

FRINGE continues to be a show that I really enjoy and THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON is something I easily recommend.

Finally this week, the biggest movie of 2012…Marvel’s THE AVENGERS.

In this tremendous comic book based action film Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, Chris Evans – Captain America, Mark Ruffalo – The Hulk, Chris Hemsworth is Thor , Scarlett Johansson plays Black Widow and Jeremy Renner is Hawkeye as Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings them all together to help save the Earth from Loki and his army, and – in the beginning – not everything goes as planned.

THE AVENGERS has that superb cast, a great story, some incredible action scenes, actual emotion, and it is fun and funny!! It is absolutely everything that a summer action film should be, which is the easy answer as to why it is now the third highest grossing film of all time.

Now, would I recommend THE AVENGERS to people who don’t like movies based on comic books? I absolutely would! This is a very entertaining piece of filmmaking that works on absolutely every level.

THE AVENGERS, THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON of FRINGE, THE COMPLETE SERIES of TERRA NOVA, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of 2 BROKE GIRLS, THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON of MODERN FAMILY, DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, LOLA VERSUS, DELICACY, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, the interesting SURVIVING PROGRESS and the not predictable, just not great comedic drama TAKE THIS WALTZ – directed by Sarah Polley – are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

The great Canadian space documentary TOUCH THE SKY, Johnny Depp stars in Tim Burton’s big screen version of the seventies gothic soap opera DARK SHADOWS, Disney’s CINDERELLA gets the HD treatment, we travel to MAGIC CITY for THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of that crime drama, and I’ll also tell you about the made in Saskatchewan thriller CHAINED from Director Jennifer Lynch.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 22nd, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report are some of the best releases of the year, including Indiana Jones on Blu-ray!

Up first this week is a made-in-Vancouver dramatic/fantasy/mystery/thriller called DONOVAN’S ECHO. Danny Glover from the LETHAL WEAPON films stars here as Donovan, a math genius who helped create the first atomic bomb, then – wracked with guilt – devises a plan to save the planet through energy conservation. But as he focusses more and more on his work, he loses focus on his family and when his wife and daughter are killed in an accident he runs away and leaves everything behind.

The film begins thirty years later as he returns to his hometown.

All of Donovan’s past life and experiences are told in flashbacks in the present day as a series of events unfolds that draw parallels to his tragic past. Everyone he meets and everything that happens seems to be connected, and Donovan gets increasingly adamant that it all means something.

But his brother-in-law, and others, don’t quite see it that way.

In addition to Glover, the cast of DONOVAN’S ECHO includes the great Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood – from THE SWEET HEREAFTER and the STAR TREK reboot – and the film has the right tone for the supernatural story it wants to tell, but the plot and the writing get in the way as it slows down and is borderline boring in the middle.

It has some good ideas, but as a whole it isn’t fully realised. I admit that I wanted to see how it ended, but I didn’t really care once it did.

DONOVAN’S ECHO is never awful, but you have better things to do with your time.

Now, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, now this is a great way to spend your time!!

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is a wonderful comedy-drama directed by John Madden – who gave us SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE – and features an ensemble cast that includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson. They are all part of a group of British pensioners who move to a retirement hotel in India.

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is a lovely movie that features a cast that bring so much weight to their roles, and some incredible scenery. It is smart and entertaining and fun and funny. I really, really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

This is one of my favourite films of the year!!

This next film is also one of my favourites of 2012…however, due to its content, I’m not going to tell you too much about it.

What I will say is that HYSTERIA is about the accidental invention of a device that remains one of the best-selling items in the world.

Set at the end of the 19th century, in addition to being about the invention of the non-said device, HYSTERIA is also a love story between a young doctor, and a prim and proper Victorian woman, until the doctor falls for her older sister that is.

HYSTERIA is a very interesting film, for grown-ups, that is based on true events I knew nothing about. It is predictable at times…you can see the ending coming a mile away…but it is interesting, and even funny at times.

I really enjoyed it. Due to its content, I can’t recommend it to everyone, but I do recommend it.

These two releases that I have for you right now are both witty, exceptionally well-written, and laugh out loud funny.

They are also waaaaaaaaay out there with comedy so obtuse and dark at times that not everyone will appreciate them.

But I do appreciate them, love them, and couldn’t be happier to now own them both, especially the first one – the six-disc set for the early nineties sitcom GET A LIFE starring Chris Elliott.

Chris Elliott is known by millions today from his work on Everybody Loves Raymond, and in the films THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and GROUNDHOG DAY, but in 1990 he was only really known as The Guy Under The Seats on Late Night with David Letterman. His career outside of Letterman’s world began with GET A LIFE, where he played a thirty-year-old paperboy who still lived with his parents.

As with everything Chris Elliott has done since, his humour is a little out there…too odd for most people…but those who love it, love it a lot!!

The new set for GET A LIFE – THE COMPLETE SERIES features all of 35 episodes and a wealth of retrospective features. For some reason, what it doesn’t include is Chris Elliott. He doesn’t appear in any of the new material, and that is too bad as he is one comedian that I just can never get enough of.

Luckily director Judd Apatow – who gave us THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP is there instead, to offer his thoughts on a show he never worked on, but loved.

Get a life? Got it on DVD and even though it remains one of the dumbest shows ever made, and the second season is nowhere near as good as the first, I love it!!

Anyone who watched it when it first aired absolutely must pick up this set!!

No, there is no new Chris Elliott stuff on the GET A LIFE set, but the new three-disc set STEVE MARTIN – THE TELEVISION STUFF does feature plenty of new of Steve Martin looking back at his work.

Mostly though, the discs feature his brilliant work!

STEVE MARTIN – THE TELEVISION STUFF features some of the great things that the man produced for television in the seventies, eighties and into the nineties. It has over six hours of rare stand-up performances, television specials, and so much more.

And it is that much more that I particularly love having on DVD, especially the appearances he made at Awards shows, on Saturday Night Live and with David Letterman and Johnny Carson.

STEVE MARTIN – THE TELEVISION STUFF is a tremendous release and made me laugh out loud almost from start to finish.

STEVE MARTIN – THE TELEVISION STUFF and THE COMPLETE SERIES of Chris Elliot’s GET A LIFE are both fantastic and I highly recommend them both. I hope you enjoy them as much as I always have.

Last – and absolutely not least – this week is what just might be the release of the year on blu-ray, the five disc set INDIANA JONES – THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES

Indiana Jones first appeared in the fantastic 1981 film RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, then in the very good TEMPLE OF DOOM in 1984, the absolutely amazing THE LAST CRUSADE appeared in 1989, and then – after too many years off screen – the character unfortunately returned – in the awful THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL in 2008.

All four films – yes, even the waste of time fourth one – are now available in High Definition and all of them look and sound amazing!!

George Lucas created the character, Steven Spielberg directed the films, and Harrison Ford brought him to life and all of them appear in the bonus materials on the extra disc in the set.

INDIANA JONES – THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES is a spectacular set that has three of the greatest action adventure films ever made…and a fourth one that features killer ants, swinging monkeys, aliens and Shia LaBeouf?!? Yes, well, even with that fourth film, this is still a must have.

I love these movies, maybe even that fourth one a little at times, and I highly recommend this tremendous set!!

THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES of INDIANA JONES, STEVE MARTIN – THE TELEVISION STUFF, THE COMPLETE SERIES of Chris Elliot’s way out there show GET A LIFE, HYSTERIA, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, and the not great made-in-Vancouver dramatic/fantasy/mystery/thriller DONOVAN’S ECHO are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

The made in British Columbia and Saskatchewan mystery THE TALL MAN starring Jessica Biel; THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON of the great show MODERN FAMILY, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of AMERICAN HORROR STORY; director Whit Stillman’s DAMSELS IN DISTRESS; and the biggest movie of 2012…THE AVENGERS.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 15th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report the second biggest movie of all time, Snow White and The Huntsman.

A lot of people have returned to the RMS Titanic this year, due to the fact that it was one-hundred years ago that she hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland.

Even Kapuskasing, Ontario, born filmmaker James Cameron returned to Titanic in 2012 as he re-released his movie about the doomed vessel, a movie that remains the second highest grossing film of all time, behind only his own film AVATAR.

TITANIC has now found it’s was to Blu-ray and it now looks and sounds even more impressive than ever.

TITANIC was so successful, won so many awards, was such a pop culture phenomenon and remains so beloved to this day, that I don’t need to recap the plot for you.

As I watched it again this week I was reminded why so many people – including myself – love it so much.

It’s because Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have such great chemistry together, the effects and recreation of the boat are amazing, and the story is both completely engrossing and heartbreakingly tragic.

I have loved TITANIC since the first time I saw it, and the new Blu-ray takes us even deeper inside the film with some all-new retrospective extras that feature almost all of the entire cast and crew…including the great Kate Winslet.

There is also an all-new ninety-minute documentary included here called “Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron” that features engineers, architects and historians examining why the Titanic sank, using new technology that has come to light since the film was released.

TITANIC is an amazing film, that has resulted in an amazing Blu-ray set, from an amazing Canadian filmmaker and I highly recommend it.

A few weeks ago I lamented the fact that – somehow – 2012 had – for some unknown reason – become the year of the Snow White film. I made that statement while reviewing the film MIRROR MIRROR and I concluded by stating that it wasn’t anything special at all, and that you should just skip it.

In just a few moments, I will also conclude my review of the latest attempt at retelling the classic Grimm Brothers story with that statement because when it comes to the film SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, it should actually be called SNORE WHITE.

Even now, while thinking about it, I am getting sleepy because of how boring it is.

The Huntsman is ordered by the Evil Queen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her in this film, but he winds up becoming her protector and mentor.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN stars Kristen Stewart from the TWILIGHT films as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth of THOR and THE AVENGERS as The Huntsman, and the always lovely Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen.

Charlize is the only thing about this movie that is even remotely entertaining. Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, just looks miserable the whole time.

I’ll admit that SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN does have some interesting twists on the story, and a few well-choreographed fight scenes…and there are a lot of fight scenes…but it doesn’t possess enough of anything to make it worth your time.

This movie just isn’t anything special at all, and so you should skip it.

It happens sometimes that I will watch a film from start to finish and still have no idea where the title of it comes from.

The action thriller CLEANSKIN is one of those movies.

It’s about a British secret service agent in London who is trying to track down a suicide bomber and his terrorist cell, but I have no idea what the title means. If it was explained in the movie, I missed it.

I went online once I was done watching the movie and I now know that a “Cleanskin” – in this case – refers to an undercover operative unknown to his or her targets, or a terrorist unknown to national security services.

And now I know.

CLEANSKIN starts off strong – not unlike a James Bond or Jack Ryan film – and I wanted to see what happened in the end, but along the way it is quite slow and even boring at times and so I can’t recommend it.

It was never awful, it’s just not good enough for me to suggest you see it.

I also don’t think you need to see the wannabe stoner comedy HIGH SCHOOL either, although it does have a pretty good cast, an unseen premise, and some funny moments.

In HIGH SCHOOL a valedictorian parties with the local stoner just before the school announces that there will be drug testing.

If he fails he will lose his scholarship, so he devises a plan to ensure the entire student body and faculty also fail their tests.

The cast of HIGH SCHOOL features Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, Emmy Award winner Michael Chiklis, Colin Hanks from DEXTER, Michael Vartan of ALIAS, Curtis Armstrong from REVENGE OF THE NERDS and even Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson.

The main problem here is that HIGH SCHOOL is a comedy that isn’t funny. I laughed a couple of times, but not that often. That is why you should skip the film.

There are better stoner comedies out there. Check out the made-in-Toronto HALF BAKED instead.

As the onslaught of TV Shows on DVD from last year continues – with the new season now upon us – finally this week is the SECOND SEASON of a police procedural show called BLUE BLOODS…starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Winnipeg born actor Len Cariou.

The show BLUE BLOODS is about a family of New York City cops, their dealings on the street, and their dealings with each other.

THE SECOND SEASON of BLUE BLOODS is a well-written and well-acted show, full of characters that you will actually care about. It isn’t the greatest police procedural show of all time…but it is very, very good.

I liked it and I can easily recommend it.

THE SECOND SEASON of BLUE BLOODS, HIGH SCHOOL, CLEANSKIN, the boring SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, and James Cameron’s still amazing TITANIC are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

The made-in-Vancouver dramatic/fantasy/mystery/thriller DONOVAN’S ECHO; THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL; KATY PERRY – THE MOVIE: PART OF ME and all of the INDIANA JONES films debut in HD on blu-ray in the five disc set THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 8th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report is a film about a Canadian gangster, purgatory and some Aristocats from Paris.

It’s rare that we hear stories about Canadian gangsters.

There have been plenty of stories about Bonnie & Clyde, Al Capone, John Dillinger, Lucky Luciano, John Dillinger, Henry Hill, Bugsy Siegel, and many other American gangsters, but have you ever heard the story of Edwin Boyd, a Canadian criminal and leader of the Boyd Gang in the late forties and early fifties?

Well, Edwin Boyd was born the son of a policeman in Toronto in April of 1914. He had several run-ins with the law during the Great Depression of the 1930s and then served with the Canadian Army during World War II.

After being discharged, he failed to find adequate permanent employment so on September 9th, 1949 Edwin Boyd robbed a bank, turning to a life of crime to provide for his wife and children.

In the film EDWIN BOYD: CITIZEN GANGSTER, he is portrayed as a Canadian folk hero as he leads the notorious Boyd Gang through a series of bank robberies, we see him as a family man just trying to provide for his family, and Edwin is also a son who has let his Father down.

Scott Speedman from FELICITY and the UNDERWORLD films stars here, and the result is a very good gangster picture. EDWIN BOYD: CITIZEN GANGSTER is not a classic, but it is very good. The cast is strong, the story well told, and above all else I really enjoyed seeing this Canadian story told.

I easily recommend it.

Up next this morning is the Academy Award nominated documentary PARADISE LOST 3 – PURGATORY.

This is the sequel to the films PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS and PARADISE LOST 2: REVELATIONS. All three are about the arrest, 18 year imprisonment, and eventual release of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, otherwise known as the West Memphis Three.

The West Memphis Three are three men who were tried and convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas.

These films are considered to have played a substantial role in generating publicity, awareness, and support for the innocence of the West Memphis 3 and helping them get released.

PARADISE LOST 3 – PURGATORY is a fascinating film about a gross miscarriage of justice and I highly recommend it, even if you have never seen the other two.

There is a film now available to buy and rent that has a fantastic cast. Well known and personable actors Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt and Alison Brie all star. Plus, this film was written and directed by the same folks who made the great romantic comedy FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and produced by the guy who gave us the very entertaining releases THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, ANCHORMAN, KNOCKED UP and BRIDESMAIDS.

It had the pedigree to be amazing, but THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT is not amazing. It is way too long for a romantic comedy and while it does have a few really big laugh out loud laughs, there are not enough of them.

In THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT a young couple put their wedding on hold for so long that enough obstacles get in the way that they eventually start to wonder why they are even together. So they break up, and maybe…just maybe…they will get back together by the end.

Loved the cast, loved the ending, and it is occasionally very clever, but ultimately I didn’t care for THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT. I wanted to, but the film got in the way.

Skip it, no matter how much you want to see it.

Once again this week there are some television show seasons now available for you to own, as the new television season is about to start. I have three sets to tell you about, and I will begin with HAVEN, the one made in Canada.

The very beautiful Chester, Hubbards and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia fill in for Maine in this show and in THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of HAVEN FBI Agent Audrey Parker not only has to continues to solve murders and cases in the town that is a haven for people with supernatural powers, but she continues to discover the truth about her own mysterious past.

HAVEN is a supernatural police procedural series loosely based on the Stephen King novel “The Colorado Kid” and while it isn’t great, it is very good.

The cast of mostly unknown American actors and recognizable Canadian faces work well together and that Southern Shore of Nova Scotia is so picturesque to look at.

I didn’t love THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of HAVEN, but I did enjoy it.

Up next is a show starring the very beautiful Canadian born actress Emily VanCamp, who is best known for her roles on the series EVERWOOD and BROTHERS & SISTERS.

REVENGE is about a young woman who becomes a part of a close-knit community populated by people who have no idea that she is only there to exact revenge on those who destroyed her family.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of REVENGE is a great guilty pleasure. Emily VanCamp and the fantastic actress Madeline Stowe – from STAKEOUT and 12 MONKEYS – are so much fun to watch as they plot and scheme against people, and each other.

Yes, the show has far too many forgettable characters and storylines, but I enjoyed watching it and seeing how it would play out. More to the point, it made me care enough that I wanted to see if Emily would get her revenge.

I am really looking forward to SEASON TWO!!

There will be more next week, but the final TV show set that I have for you this week is the best show on television about underworld characters since THE SOPRANOS went off the air.

Set in the 1920s during the during the Prohibition era BOARDWALK EMPIRE stars Steve Buscemi from FARGO and THE BIG LEBOWSKI as Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who is part politician and part gangster.

Not unlike that other gangster filled show set in New Jersey, BOARDWALK EMPIRE also features a supporting cast of characters you will want to see get away with their crimes on occasion.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE is a great show, that is exceptionally well made, written and full of engaging characters and performances, but what works against it is the fact that it is the type of show you never need to see it again…once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.

This week I watched THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON and now that I’ve seen it, I can tell you that I liked it and this is a show I really respect, but I’ll never watch any of it again.

So, let’s call that a mild recommendation for SEASON TWO of BOARDWALK EMPIRE

I would like to tell you about a great dramatic action thriller called ROUTE IRISH now. Set in Liverpool, England, this is a story about a private security contractor in Iraq who questions the official explanation of his friend’s death.

The friend died along a stretch of highway in Baghdad, Iraq that is heavily fortified and known as Route Irish.

Due to heavy military traffic and high-profile convoys, the route was extremely dangerous in the years following the invasion. The many roadside bombs, suicide bombers attacking its checkpoints, drive-by shootings and random shooting from the areas on both sides of the road have led to its notoriety.

But the contractor doesn’t believe his friend dies as a result of any of the events that take place there and so he sets out to discover the truth, by any means necessary.

ROUTE IRISH is fascinating from start to finish, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Now that Back-To-School is over, stores have their Halloween goodies out. And not just the big box stores and drug stores, places that sell movies too!!

HALLOWEEN 4 – THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS and HALLOWEEN 5 – THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS and now out on blu-ray and available for you to add to your library.

There is no getting around the fact that the first HALLOWEEN is still the best one of the ten in the series – so far, but HALLOWEEN 4 is also a great genre picture. When it came out, it re-set the bar for the series.

Unfortunately, whatever good will that fourth film generated went away because of the boring fifth chapter. I can still barely sit through THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS.

Fans of the series will be pleased to hear that both blu-rays for HALLOWEEN 4 and 5 come with some brand new special features, and the films do look as good as they ever have.

Bottom line, if you are a fan of this franchise, you’ll need to own these. If not, you can just skip them.

Finally this week, we’re off to Paris for Walt Disney’s 1970 film THE ARISTOCATS has debuted on blu-ray and this fun for the whole family film about a group of privileged cats from the city of lights looking to find their way back home with the help of a smooth talking tomcat looks and sounds great in HD.

THE ARISTOCATS has never been one of my favourite Disney classics, but it is still a great movie that is full of colourful characters and the blu-ray has a wealth of great special features…both old and new.

THE ARISTOCATS, HALLOWEEN 4 – THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS and HALLOWEEN 5 – THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS, ROUTE IRISH, THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of BOARDWALK EMPIRE, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of REVENGE, THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of the made-in-Nova Scotia series HAVEN, THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, PARADISE LOST 3 – PURGATORY, and the very good Canadian film EDWIN BOYD: CITIZEN GANGSTER are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

Kristin Stewart from the TWILIGHT films stars in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN; Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, and Matthew Morrison co-star in WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, and the second biggest movie of all-time debuts on blu-ray…James’ Cameron’s TITANIC.

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 again next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 1st, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report are the walking dead and the very first Foreign Film nominated as Best Picture.

Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Either in person, or when featured in a movie it is a stunning place to behold.

The would be comedic drama A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS was shot in Niagara Falls, and while the Horseshoe Falls and area once again look amazing, the film itself is nothing special.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS stars Harvey Keitel from THE PIANO and RESERVOIR DOGS as a less than perfect Father who uses his last will and testament to inform three of his five sons that they are dying.

Upon hearing the news, they individually set off to reverse a lifetime of mistakes.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS has a very good cast – that also includes Alberta’s Tricia Helfer from BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA, Scott Caan of the new HAWAII 5-0 and character actor J.K. Simmons from THE CLOSER – and the Falls look amazing!!

Unfortunately, the film the Falls are in just doesn’t really work, and it has an ending that is a complete cop out. I actually said out loud, “Is that the best that you can do?!”

I never disliked A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS, and I don’t think it was a waste of my time, but I wouldn’t recommend it. There is better stuff out there for you to watch.

Better stuff to watch, like THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of THE WALKING DEAD!

THE WALKING DEAD is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard and it tells the story of the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse as a small group of survivors, travel across a ravaged United States in search of a new home – (START CLIP HERE) one far away from the walking dead.

SEASON ONE of the show only had six episodes, and that limited run combined with great writing and acting, and some truly shocking moments gave the creative team more leeway when it came to making SEASON TWO. Sadly, they made the mistake of producing thirteen episodes and that meant that storylines are stretched out and the fast pace of the first season was lost as the show really slowed down in the second one.

However, THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of THE WALKING DEAD gets better as it goes along and by the end it is on par with SEASON ONE. I love this show. The twists, the turns, the zombies, the people, I love it all!!

If you have never seen the show, or read the comics, I highly recommend both and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…as I said, I loved THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of THE WALKING DEAD and am looking forward to SEASON THREE starting October 14th!!

You have to feel bad for Kelowna, BC born actor Taylor Kitsch these days. At the start of 2012 he looked to be on the verge of a breakout year with roles in two action movies that had the potential to be huge hits, JOHN CARTER and BATTLESHIP.

However, both films cost upwards of two-hundred million dollars to produce yet only made around seventy million dollars at the North American Box Office. Both were huge bombs, and while neither flopped – necessarily – because of Taylor Kitsch, you have to feel bad for him.

BATTLESHIP is a movie inspired by the board game of the same name…yes, this is a movie inspired by a board game…as well as the films ARMAGEDDON and TOP GUN. In addition to Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård, pop singer Rihanna, and Brooklyn Decker also appear in this alien invasion science fiction naval war film.

I will admit that BATTLESHIP does have a some cool action scenes and things do blow up real good, but not enough of them for the movie to be worthy of the two hours and eleven minute running time.

The filmmaker sunk this battleship, it is a complete waste of time. Don’t get caught in its wake.

And better luck next year, Taylor Kitsch!!

I had no idea what was coming up when I pressed play this week on JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK.

Okay, I’ll be honest, with a title like that I guess I had some idea.

This film is not supposed to be a classic, it is meant to be a cheesy b-movie, but that said, the producers should have put some effort into making their sharks not look totally fake, and they could have hired some actors who could act a little.

They could have, but they didn’t.

Easily explained, JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK is about a series of deadly shark attacks in New Jersey…along the Jersey Shore…like the television show JERSEY SHORE with JWoww, The Situation, Snooki and Pauly D.

Even at their worst though, those guys are occasionally fun to hang out with. The gang here are not.

JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK wants to be JAWS meets JERSEY SHORE, but it isn’t those things, it isn’t anything except a waste of your time.

Just skip it.

We stay near water now, actually on the water for the stop-motion animated film THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS from the good people at Aardman Animations, who also gave us WALLACE & GROMIT.

This film is nowhere near as good as anything starring that classic duo, but it has its moments. Not many, but it has some.

Directed by Peter Lord, who also gave us CHICKEN RUN – another great Aardman Animations production – THE PIRATES! features Hugh Grant as a Pirate Captain who sets out on a mission to become Pirate Of The Year.

That all encompassing desire takes the Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London.

As you might imagine, a story about a Pirate Captain who wants to become Pirate Of The Year really isn’t all that interesting, and so THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS won’t keep you – or your youngsters glued to the TV for very long.

But while you are watching, there are a great many props, inside jokes and posters that appear in the background of the film from start to finish and they are fun.

For instance, The Pirate with Gout has a Blue Peter badge on his hat. Blue Peter is the world’s longest running children’s TV show, having first aired in 1958. Badges are awarded for appearing on the show, or in recognition of achievement.

That stuff was fun to spot, but most of THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS isn’t fun and so I can’t recommend it.

Nature documentaries, I love ‘em!! That is something I have said dozens of times over the years here on The Couch Potato Report, and I am never ashamed to say it again…even right now!!

Nature documentaries, I love ‘em!!

CHIMPANZEE is the latest nature documentary that has been released. This one introduces us to and then documents the attempts at survival by an orphaned three-year-old chimp named Oscar who is separated from his troop.

It won’t ruin the dramatic ark for me to tell you that Oscar is adopted by another chimp, so I will let that be known, lest you think this is a depressing story.

Because of the real-life story that plays out CHIMPANZEE has some real drama, and it is a very good film.

But the reason I don’t highly praise it is because I didn’t care for Tim Allen’s narration. I am a fan of Tim Allen, the voice of Buzz Lightyear, and Tim Allen from the show Home Improvement, but his style just didn’t work for me here and at times he even took away from the story that was unfolding on screen.

Ultimately, I did like CHIMPANZEE. It is a very good movie, that I do recommend, but they should have gotten someone else to narrate it.

We end this week with the first.

At the 11th Academy Awards held on February 23, 1939, the French film LA GRANDE ILLUSION became the first foreign language film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

LA GRANDE ILLUSION is now available on blu-ray and this seventy-five-year-old film looks and sounds amazing!!

Directed by Jean Renoir, this film takes place during the First World War. Two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German Prison Of War camp.

They try to escape several times until they are sent to a seemingly impenetrable fortress.

LA GRANDE ILLUSION is interesting and engaging and it is with good reason that is regarded by critics and film historians as one of the masterpieces of French cinema and among the greatest films ever made.

If you have never seen it, I highly recommend that you search it out.

It is such a great film!!

Jean Renoir’s 1937 classic LA GRANDE ILLUSION, the very good nature documentary CHIMPANZEE, the occasionally fun – but not that often – family film THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS, the not great action comedy JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK, the summer flop BATTLESHIP, the superb second season of THE WALKING DEAD and the not very good made-in-Niagara Falls A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

The Canadian crime drama EDWIN BOYD: CITIZEN GANGSTER; the made-in-Nova Scotia series HAVEN; THE ARISTOCATS bow on blu-ray and Jason Segel and Emily Blunt star – and are at the centre of – THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT.

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 again next time on The Couch!