Category: The Couch Potato Report

The Couch Potato Report – September 13th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some films that may change your appetites.
Some films are meant to simply entertain.
They make us laugh or cry, and once they are done, you feel entertained….even emotionally nurished.
Other movies want to do more than that…they want to engage you, feed your brain, stir up feelings or emotions, and possibly even incite change.
This week’s HOT POTATO is the latter type of film.
It is the documentary THE FUTURE OF FOOD.
THE FUTURE OF FOOD takes an in-depth investigation into unlabelled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have been making their way on to our grocery store shelves for the past decade or so.
The movie features many farmers who are in disagreement with the food industry, and it shows the impacts that new technology has had on their lives and livlihood.
Some of the farmers in the film are even from Saskatchewan…including Vonda ortganic Farmer Marc Loiselle.
THE FUTURE OF FOOD also shows the costs of a globalised food industry – in dollars, livlihoods and human lives – and it features some of the legal issues that some farmers have faced at the hands of the huge companies who are trying to control the seeds that are out there, and as a result, food itself.
Bruno’s Percy and Louise Schmeiser’s case against Monsanto is prominantly featured….and their story remains very compelling
Working against THE FUTURE OF FOOD is the fact that the movie doesn’t have a strong enough narrator, but that is only a tiny flaw.
It is ultimately a movie I would recommed – to everyone – as it does feature some shocking facts about the food that we eat, and it does a pretty good job showing multiple sides of the issues it raises – especially when talking about Organic farming versus traditional methods – and it did make me think and engage me.
And as I have said before, on several occasions, that is what a documentary is supposed to do.
What a documentary is NOT supposed to do is only give you one side of a story…sadly, that is exactly what THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO does.
Even though there is a short scene explaining why they don’t offer MONSANTO’s side of their story, the fact that this is a one sided documentary really hurts it…unless you have a grudge against the company, then you will love it!!
If you are unfamiliar with the company, some of Monsanto’s “accomplishments” are the production of Agent Orange, PCBs, and genetically modified crops such as Roundup Ready soybeans that, far from being a boon to farmers around the world, threaten their livelihood and undermine biodiversity.
Simply put, they are one of the biggest chemical companies in the world and the provider of the seed technology for 90 percent of the world’s genetically engineered crops.
But whether you support the company, or despise them, any documentary has to offer both sides, and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO just paints a grim picture of a company with a long track record of environmental crimes and health scandals.
Is there a bright side, something – anything positive about what the company is doing?
If there is, this film doesn’t show it.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO has a lot about it that I would recommend, but due to the one sided slant it offers, the fact that the filmmaker is repeatedly seen doing Google searches on a computer to find out the information that she needs, and the fact that she actually does some interviews on the phone instead of traveling to the city where her subject is in – even though she does travel to other cities for other interviews – all of that just added up to a movie that had some interesting stories and facts, but ultimately doesn’t make me feel the need to tell you to see it.
If THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO sounds appealing to you, then you should see it. If it doesn’t…just skip it.
There are three other titkles for me to tell you about this week, and I will begin with the best of the three, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the quirky, fun and entertaining television show ELI STONE, starring the exceptionally beautiful, lovely and talented Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge.
The show also stars the great Ontario born actor Victor Garber from ALIAS and Jonny Lee Miller from TRAINSPOTTING as Eli Stone, a lawyer who begins to see things – and hear George Michael’s music everywhere he goes.
It turns out that he has a brain aneurysm, which are causing his visions, and unless he follows the path that they lay out – a path that offers little monetary gain but a lot of moral goodness – the visions don’t stop.
Yes, you gotta have faith.
Ultimately, putting it’s gimmick aside, ELI STONE is just another procedural lawyer show where there are cases to be won and lost.
This one is perhaps a bit too preachy and idealistic at times, but I like idealistic, and even though some of the cast outside of Miller, Garber and the exceptionally beautiful, lovely and talented Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge aren’t as appealing as the three main stars, I like the show.
If you have been looking for a show about lawyers with a twist, ELI STONE might be the show you have been looking for.
Okay….usually when a film is as bad as the next new release I have for you, I would just ignore it. I wouldn’t give it a seconds worth of airtime as it doesn’t deserve it.
That is certainly true of THE PROMOTION, an absolutely awful film…but due to the fact that it stars some people who you and I usually like to see in films and on our televisions – including Seann William Scott from the AMERICAN PIE films, John C. Reilly of TALLEDEGA NIGHTS and CHICAGO, Fred Armisen from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Jenna Fischer from BLADES OF GLORY, and she plays Pam on THE OFFICE and Lili Taylor from the classic 80s film SAY ANYTHING – due to that cast, this film must be mentioned here…just so I can tell you to stay away from it.
This is one of the worst movies ever made…it isn’t funny, it has nothing entertaining to offer you, the cast is completely wasted, and it is a complete waste of time.
Again, the movie is called THE PROMOTION…it is about two assistant managers of a corporate grocery store vie for a coveted promotion….and it is garbage…even if you have liked the cast in their past roles…skip it! Ignore it…just walk on past!!
Whatever their intentions, they made a piece of garbage!
Moving on, well my friend, it is time for our annual alternative to the action filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season.
Again this year, I spent some time telling you about at least one current release on DVD that you would need your brain to enjoy.
And now, it is time for the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD to conclude, and our final entry this year is the Russian film POISONED BY POLONIUM: THE LITVINENKO FILE.
Alexander Litvinenko was a former officer of the Russian State security service, and later a Russian dissident and writer.
On November 1st, 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized. He died three weeks later from lethal poisoning by radioactive Polonium, which was slipped into his tea during a meeting with two visitors from Moscow.
CLIP – POISONED – Asylum
TIME – 15 seconds
POISONED BY POLONIUM allows Litvinenko to tell his own story in this film, in his own words, using never seen before footage and interviews with his widow, his friends and his alleged killers.
The film attempts to recreate a world of intrigue, high-stake politics, love, loyalty and betrayal, and at times it succeeds. At other times, quite unfortunately, this film is just boring.
I liked POISONED BY POLONIUM: THE LITVINENKO FILE, and if espionage or spies intrigue you, then I think you will enjoy it too.
It isn’t a must see, but it is an effective way to end this year’s FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD!!
But fret not…whenever there are Foreign Films that are worthy of a mention, I will have them for you…no matter what time of year it is!
The Russian film POISONED BY POLONIUM: THE LITVINENKO FILE, the useless film that you should avoid at all costs called THE PROMOTION, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of the entertaining show ELI STONE, and the engaging documentary THE FUTURE OF FOOD are all available now on DVD.
The one-sided documentary THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO comes out on Tuesday.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I will talk about the made-in-Manitoba film THE STONE ANGEL, SEASON ONE of the television series DIRTY SEXY MONEY starring the great Donald Sutherland, and the comedies BABY MAMA, FLETCH and the 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of THE BIG LEBOWSKI…starring Mr. Lebowski.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – September 6th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels a moving Canadian documentary, and an interesting Brazilian film.
I am a huge fan of documentaries! Sure, I enjoy films that come from the unique creativity of screenwriters, and I love comedies, but if given a preference, I will usually choose to spend an evening watching a documentary, because these films inform us about situations we might not hear about – good AND bad – and introduce us to folks we might never get to meet.
So even with all of the huge other releases that I have for you, this week’s HOT POTATO is the Canadian documentary THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN.
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN is a film that may haunt you. journey through the ashrams and streets of Vrindavan, India, the final resting place for many widows, who, essentially, go there to die.
Filmmaker Dilip Mehta’s film is sort of follow-up to his older sister Deepa Mehta’s WATER – which looked at the plight of widows in India circa 1938.
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN put real faces on widows similar to those depicted in that Oscar-nominated Canadian film.
And instead of heavy-handed narration, he simply focusses his camera on the women and lets them tell their stories.
Sometimes, they aren’t easy to watch, or hear – as the stories are mostly about widows who are abandoned by their families and relatives once their husbands die – but THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN is a great documentary as it will make you feel empathy for the people in it, without being political.
It is not an easy film to watch, but it is one that I think should be seen.
Switching gears completely, up next this week is one of my favourite films of all time! It is not a documentary, and it is not serious in any way…although it is serious fun!!
I am talking about Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!
Originally released in 1992 this stop motion animated film is primarily about Jack, the bored and unhappy “Pumpkin King” of Halloween Town.
He sets out to find something exciting and discovers “Christmas Town”, eventually deciding to take over the duties of Santa to deliver toys to children around the world!
Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara – from SCTV and the HOME ALONE films – provides the voice of the movie’s female lead, and potential love interest, Sally.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is now available in a new 2 DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION, and even though several o fthe Special features are recyled from previous DVD releses of the film, there are also some all-new features, and the picture has never looked or sounded better.
If you love this film as I do, this new version is a must have.
And if you have never seen it, well as you might guess, I highly recommed this Academy Award nominated film!
It is beautiful to look at and listen to, the story and characters are all unique, and it is just plain fun.
Pick it up, and enjoy!!
If you are a fan of THE LITTLE MERMAID there is a chance that you could enjoy the next release I have for you this week, but I suspect that it is better suited to the child you now live with or know, as opposed to the child who still lives inside of you.
THE LITTLE MERMAID – ARIEL’S BEGINNING is not bad in any way, I actually enjoyed it, but it just doesn’t have the magic of the original…a film I enjoy, maybe even more than THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!
THE LITTLE MERMAID – ARIEL’S BEGINNING is actually a prequel to the 1989 film that put Disney’s Animation studios back on the map after years of less than stellar films.
In this movie, after the King outlaws music, Ariel and her six sisters live a humdrum existence, while governess Marina Del Ray scemes to take over the Chielf Of Staff position from Sebastian The Crab.
A chance meeting with a fish named Flounder changes everything.
THE LITTLE MERMAID – ARIEL’S BEGINNING is a direct-to-DVD film, and even though it is not as good as the original film, I still enjoyed it as I like the characters.
And I am sure kids, and many of the children inside adults will enjoy it too.
Next up is the 7-DVD Box Set THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION
THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION features the documentary WILD MAN BLUES about his Jazz Band’s European tour, and six of his films, including MIGHTY APHRODITE.
The other movies in the set are DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, CELEBRITY, EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU, SCOOP, and one of my favourite Woody Allen films ever made BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, starring B.C. raised Oscar nominee Jennifer Tilly.
If you don’t already own these films, THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION is a great way to get them all at once. Great stuff here!!
This week’s entry in THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD is also great stuff, it is the Brazilian film THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION.
This film takes place in 1970 as two parents are scared and in a hurry to leave their son with his grandfather, but the father promises to return before the Brazilian National Soccer Team’s first game in the World Cup.
The parents drop the boy off, and his Grandfather’s neighbour tells him that he had a heart attack and died.
The neighbour looks after the kid, and together they exist. They don’t necessarily grow or learn from each other…but their lives go on.
THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION has intrigue, politics, sports, friends, love…it almost has it all. Sadly, it is just a few emotional scenes away from perfect, but I still really enjoyed it.
THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION is this year’s second-to-last entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD and it is available now on DVD, along with the 7-DVD set THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION, the enjoyable THE LITTLE MERMAID – ARIEL’S BEGINNING, the superb 2-DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION of Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and the moving Canadian made documentary THE FORGOTTEN (START CLIP HERE) WOMAN.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation of some of the genetically engineered foods that are now on our grocery store shelves, and how they are made.
This film features some Saskatchewan farmers – Marc Loiselle from Vonda, and Bruno’s Percy and Louise Schmeiser.
Also next week, the documentary THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO; and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD concludes with the Russian film POISONED BY POLONIUM: THE LITVINENKO FILE, about ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – August 30th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels everything from fine to confessions and summer rain.
Well, if is Day One of a Looooooooooong Summer Weekend, and if the weather forecast holds out, Sunday and Monday could be a bit cloudy and wet…perfect weather to sit indoors at your house, apartment or cottage and watch DVDs in…so I just happen to have 6 new releases for you this morning, starting with the made in Quebec film EVERYTHING IS FINE.
Imagine if you had four friends, and they all committed suicide, seemingly as part of a pact….but they left no notes, no description as to why they did it.
Sure, you would obviously grieve them, but wouldn’t you also wonder why they did it, and why you weren’t included?! Wouldn’t you need to know that?!?
Well, that is the premise of EVERYTHING IS FINE, and I admit it, the thought of this happening with my friends really creeped me out!!
As the sole survivor, Josh is constantly asked by those around him, including the parents of his friends, if he knows why they did it.
His own parents are also worried about his increasingly fragile mental state as he becomes more and more distanced from the world around him.
The only person Josh seems to have any connection to in the film is his dead best friend’s girlfriend, but even she can’t get any answers from him…if he has any.
EVERYTHING IS FINE possesess an admittedly morbid premise, and while there are some moments of levity, it is obviously a seriously dramatic film.
It is also about 20 minutes too long, it takes it’s time getting to the conclusion, and there is one other issue that I have with it that I can’t tell you about without giving away the ending…so I won’t do that, but I do recommend the film.
I also think you should see this week’s next release, and there is no death in this one, but there is sadness….sadness that you may feel for – and toward – the real life people we meet in the documentary CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO.
This movie is about the some of the people who portray costumed superheroes on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, specifically Superman, Wonder Woman, The Hulk, and Batman.
All four are aspiring actors, they all have very different backgrounds, and different reasons for posing with tourists in Hollywood and working for tips.
As a fan of movies, and someone who always likes to see documentaries about people, especially people who may be flawed in one way or another, I really liked CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO and found it very interesting. At times I was fascinated by what was going on, at other times I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but during it all, I enjoyed it and think you will too.
Yes, at times I was fascinated by what was going on, in CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO, and at other times I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
And, now that I have said that out loud, that was exactly the same feeling I had while watching SEASON TWO of the television show HEROES…a show that had such a spectacular SEASON ONE…but started off it’s sophomore campaign with several episodes that were almost unwatchable.
And now that SECOND SEASON is available on DVD…so we can fast froward through the unwatchable scenes and new, useless characters, and just enjoy the good…because after series creator Tim Kring apologized to fans last fall after the first few episodes aired, the show did get really good again!
HEROES is a show about real people, living their lives, who “thought they were like everyone else… until they realized they have incredible abilities.”
HEROES tells it’s story like a comic books with short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing storyline, and as the 11 episodes that made up SEASON TWO played out in front of me, I forgot how much I enjoyed the show…once it got better, that is.
If you like to wait for anthology shows like this to appear on DVD because you don’t have the patience to watch them week to week on television, enjoy!!
Another TV show new on DVD this week is SEASON FOUR of HOUSE.
After four seasons, HOUSE – about a maverick medical genius who works with young diagnosticians at a Teaching Hospital set in New Jersey who go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish a common task: diagnosing and treating unusual ailments – after four seasons, the show is still very interesting, and very good.
If you enjoy unique medical shows with unique characters and situations, and you have never seen an episode of this show, then check out HOUSE.
It is a great show!
One movie that was not great this week, that really thought I would be, is the “documentary” WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? is the latest release from filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, the guy who gave us the fast food expose that was SUPER SIZE ME.
This release sees Spurlock searches for Osama bin Laden by visiting countries associated with the Al-Qaeda leader, as well as others affected by Al-Qaeda.
Along the way he interviews people individuals about their views of various related topis, and tries to find the man who has a bounty on his head of 25 million dollars.
His search is also taking place during the latter stages of his wife’s pregnancy and most of Spurlock’s commentary is actually based on the concerns of becoming a father.
Now, I liked SUPER SIZE ME, and I am a fan of his TV show 30 DAYS and his style of filmmaking, so I thought I would like this movie as well.
Unfortunately there is too much Morgan Spurlock in this film, and he just isn’t as funny, or entertaining as HE thinks he is, and the movie suffers for that.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? isn’t awful, but I would have liked to see more of the world, and less of Morgan Spurlock in it.
Oh, well, at least the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD is letting me see the world – if only cinematically – and this week, we are off to Spain to dance in the SUMMER RAIN.
As the summer comes to an end this Labour Day weekend, SUMMER RAIN is our film this week.
It is a coming-of-age story about first loves, lusts and obsessions of friends on vacation at the end of the 1970s.
Usually I love these types of films, ones about friends just hanging out and spending time together, but – unfortunately – SUMMER RAIN has way too many characters, too many storylines, and it is way too artistic for it’s own good.
So, SUMMER RAIN is not a great film, but that said…foreign films always seem to intrigue me, usually right up until the end, so I have no regrets about sitting through it.
If you enjoy seeing movies made in other countries, or done in languages that you don’t necessarily speak every day, or if you just enjoy movies about friends hanging out…then you should check it out.
SUMMER RAIN is now available on DVD, along with the wants-to-be funny documentary WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?, the television shows HOUSE – SEASON FOUR and HEROES – SEASON TWO, the very entertaining CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO and the made-in-Quebec film EVERYTHING IS FINE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN is a Canadian made documentary about some of the 20 million widows from India who are abandoned by their families and literally turned out into the streets when their husbands died.
And, there is also a new 2 DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION of Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS new on DVD, and even though the action filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season technically ends this weekend, The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD will continue next week – since I still have some great films to tell you about, starting with the Bralilian film THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – August 23rd, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some hockey wives, Miss Pettigrew and The Foreign Film Festival will take us to China.
The world’s eyes – and maybe even your own – have been focussed on China over the past two weeks, due to the Olympic Games, and we have another Olympic Update coming up at 8:53 am, plus – since our eyes are there anyway – I have a Chinese movie called STILL LIFE to tell you about this morning.
But this week’s HOT POTATO is the incredible guily pleasure that is MVP – THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES.
MVP is about a professional hockey team, and the women who love the men who play on that team…both on and off the ice!
MVP debuted on CBC television back in January, and I saw a few episodes when it aired, but since I usually have other things to do on Friday nights and weekend, I stopped watching – and recording it after a few episodes, knowing that I would catch up with it when it came out on DVD.
And I am glad I did!
It is pure, over-the-top excitement, a true guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed every second of it!
If you enjoy pure soap opera writing, and shows where every woman is super-model gorgeous and every man is a hunk, then MVP – THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES is a show for you!!
However, if you enjoy DVDs that are more prim and proper, then I would recommend MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY to you.
I also enjoyed every second of this film!
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY is based on the 1938 novel by British author Winifred Watson.
Frances McDormand from FARGO stars as Miss Pettigrew, a starving governess who just can’t seem to keep a job, until she meets Amy Adams from ENCHANTED.
Amy plays a young golddigging singer who is trying to have it all – including love – while she attempts to sleep her way to a potential starring role in a major theatre production in London, while keeping the man who is letting her stay in his apartment away, while being with her piano player, who just got out of jail.
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY has a great pace, and it includes some vintage, screwball comedy energy, and I liked it. It isn’t perfect, but I liked it.
What I did not like – in any way – was this year’s remake of the classic horror film PROM NIGHT.
The thing is utterly pointless and is a complete waste of time!
In this remake of the 1980 Canadian film, a teenage girl is the sole survivor of her family’s massacre at the hands of an obsessed teacher, who returns three years later to finish his campaign on the eve of her senior prom.
Let me reminise for a moment…in the old days, these horror films had a back story, one that made sense, and if someone’s life was taken by an insane person or maniacal murderer, it was because they were violating one of the set rules of the horror genre.
The sadistic activities in PROM NIGHT happen just because someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and to me, that just makes a film like this full of gratuitous violence and ultimately pointless.
Plus, all of the kids in this film – and the current generation of these horror films – are portrayed as entertainment lovers and pop-culture officianados…and so, wouldn’t they have seen THE SCREAM TRILOGY of films?!?
The films from the nineties that exposed all of the cliches of the horror genre…wouldn’t they have seen them, and avoided many of the predicaments that they find themselves in…ones like Neve Campbell described in the original 1996 SCREAM film.
The new version of PROM NIGHT is very insulting…it is a cliche filled mess that is a complete waste of your time.
THE SCREAM TRILOGY of films are all available on DVD now individually, and in a new inexpensive two-disc set that will be out on Tuesday.
Skip the remake, see the TRILOGY.
Finally this week, is the complete opposite of a horror film, it is the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD.
With the eyes of the sporting world on Beijing right now, please allow me to put your cinematic eyes on the Chinese film STILL LIFE
STILL LIFE is a slow moving, quiet and very engaging film that was shot in the old village of Fengjie, a small town on the Yangtze River which is slowly being destroyed by the building of a Dam, effecting the lives of everyone around it.
It tells the story of two people in search of their spouses, and it is fascinating as each story plays out.
STILL LIFE was a surprise winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the 2006 Venice Film Festival and I really enjoyed it…but be warned, the description on the back of the case gets it wrong.
The case focusses on the story elements about the Dam, but it isn’t about that. It is actually a love story featuring some barriers that devide people being together instead and STILL LIFE is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD, and it is available now on DVD, along with the pointless remake of PROM NIGHT, the fun MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, and great guilty pleasure that is MVP – THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES.
The new, 2-DVD set for THE SCREAM TRILOGY will be in stores on Tuesday.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I will talk about the Quebec film EVERYTHING IS FINE; the unique documentary CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO; and SEASON TWO of the television show HEROES.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – August 2nd, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some films that are interactive, and a five part biography of Earth.
Our first two films this week are being billed as INTERACTIVE. If you don’t like what is happening on screen at certain times, you just push ENTER on your remote and the story line and scene changes.
Unfortunately this unique idea can’t save either film, as no matter how many times you hit enter the end result is still a mediocre movie.
That is ceratinly the case with this week’s HOT POTATO…the Canadian made, National Film Board release that is LATE FRAGMENT.
LATE FRAGMENT has several plots and due to the fact that it is non-linear – and interactive – it give you the choice to watch the stories of three strangers. Faye, Kevin and ThÈo.
They – and their stories – all come together in a restorative justice group therapy session, after each has become involved in a crime, either as perpetrator or victim or both.
In the sessions the victims and offenders share their stories in hopes of finding wholeness, balance, forgiveness, redemption and a sense of safety.
There are 380 available opportunities for you to hit the ENTER button, and for me the concept of an interactive movie just overshadowed the film itself.
I kept pressing ENTER, because you can’t just sit and watch the film…you have to push ENTER in order to prevent the film from staying in a loop…and each time I pressed the button I hoped that the movie would engage me…but it didn’t.
LATE FRAGMENT isn’t a happy movie, and I wasn’t interested in the characters, so even though I had several different choices literally at my fingertips…I just didn’t care.
I am 100% sure that there will be people who will love this movie, and will watch it repeatedly, in order to see all of the different ways it can play out, but that person is not me.
After eventually getting to the film’s conclusion, I just couldn’t wait to press one more button…eject.
The interactive film LATE FRAGMENT is an interesting concept…but not an interesting movie.
And that is true with the other film featuring some interactivity that I have for you this week, the “comedy” HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY
You know I liked the first HAROLD AND KUMAR film…2004’s HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. It was a fun little film about two stoner friends who just want to get some hamburgers, and the problems that prevented them from getting them. It was fun, stupid and an entertaining time at the movies.
This sequel is none of that. It is not funny, it is actually racist at times, always profane and even though I don’t usually have a problem with those sort of things in an out and out comedy…I just hated this movie!
And like LATE FRAGMENT, HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY has an interactive element to it.
Using the bonus feature “Dude, Change the Movie!,” you can alter the direction of the film at various moments.
Some of the changes merely add a quick joke or two, while others send the film in a completely different direction, including drastically changing the ending, and one change even eliminates the plot of the film.
If the studio green lights a third HAROLD AND KUMAR film, I hope they remembered the low budget origins of the first movie, and skip the expensive high budget path that this second movie took.
It is just a bad movie, no matter what your frame of mind is at the time you press play.
Up next this week is the BBC series EARTH – THE BIOGRAPHY, from the same folks who gave us the PLANET EARTH and the BLUE PLANET series.
Yes, EARTH – THE BIOGRAPHY is a five-part series that look at how our our planet was formed, and how it is changing.
While not as completely compelling as the PLANET EARTH and BLUE PLANET series, EARTH THE BIOGRAPHY is still an exceptional series and very worthy of your time.
The made in Toronto movie HUSTLE – about baseball player Pete Rose and his gambling problems that lead to his banishment for life from the sport – is also worthy of your time…but only if you are a huge baseball fan, or fan of the history of the game.
The made-for-TV movie is not great by any stretch of the imagination…but the Special Features certainly are.
Those truly Special Features include that press conference where Rose’s suspension was announced, interviews with the man during and after the scandal broke, and much more.
HUSTLE is good stuff for baseball fans like me.
Now, as you may know, due to the millions of dollars that has been spent to promote and advertise it, there is a new film in the MUMMY series that is now in theatres.
The latest one is called THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, and because there is a new one, Universal has released the two previous MUMMY MOVIES starring the Canadian raised Brendan Fraser in Two Disc Deluxe Editions.
The first Fraser MUMMY film is still a fun and entertaining movie, and THE MUMMY RETURNS – while not as great, is also still pretty good. Both of them are certainly better that THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR…but I will have more on that when the DVD comes out in December.
PLUS, also new on DVD, as a tie in to this new MUMMY movie is the very first movie starring a Mummy…the 1932 classic THE MUMMY starring Boris Karloff.
Now this DVD is the true discovery for fans of these types of films…it is truly a conematic classic, and it has never looked better in any home viewing medium!!
Pick it up and enjoy!!
Finally, it is time once again for THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD, this week starring CHAOTIC ANNA from Spain.
CHAOTIC ANA is about a woman named Ana and it tells the story of her life from the ages of 18 to 22.
But it might not necessarily be her life…her existence seems like a continuation of other lives of young women who all died in a tragic way, and we experience it all through through her hypnosis.
CHAOTIC ANA is a visually provacative and engaging film, that is exotic at times, erotic at others, and yet it is also horrific at times as well.
It is a very interesting picture that had me really wanting to find out what was really going on…and why….and because of that, and Manuela VellÈs, the actress who plays Ana…I really enjoyed it.
The Spanish movie CHAOTIC ANA, the 1932 Boris Karloff classic THE MUMMY, Brendan Fraser’s 1999 THE MUMMY and 2001’s THE MUMMY RETURNS, the Pete Rose TV-Movie HUSTLE, the engaging EARTH THE BIOGRAPHY, the non-comedy HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY and the failed Canadian interactive film LATE FRAGMENT are all available now on DVD.
Coming up in three weeks – on August 23rd – on the next Couch Potato Report
The CBC series MVP – THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES will be out on DVD along with the action films DOOMSDAY, ROGUE and PROM NIGHT.
Plus, the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD will continue with the Chinese film STILL LIFE
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in twenty-one days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – July 26th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels films made in Regina, Moose Jaw, Montreal and Australia. Yup, we are global!
Even though the film crews and people who work on the movies and shows made here in Saskatchewan do great work that is easily on par or better that the work done on any other location in the world, the actual films themselves don’t always stand up for repeat viewing.
Sure, there have been a few movies made here that I would – and have happily sat through a second, third, or even fourth time – but for the most part – with all due respect to those local folks who work hard on these films – the truth is – that there haven’t been a lot of cinematic classics that have been filmed in our province.
Sadly, that remains the case with this week’s HOT POTATO…the made-in-Regina and Moose jaw film SLEEPWALKING, starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron from MONSTER and this summer’s HANCOCK.
However, even though it isn’t a cinematic classic, it is still a pretty interesting film.
Theron stars in SLEEPWALKING as a mother who leaves her teenage daughter with her well-meaning brother, along with a note indicating that she has a plan and will be back.
The hapless brother then loses his job, gets evicted from his apartment and Social Services decides to take the girl away from him.
So they run away…in search of a better life….and they run straight to his abusive father’s farm.
The father is played by the great Dennis Hopper.
No, SLEEPWALKING isn’t a cinematic classic…and for a while around the 55 minute mark it gets really, really slow…but the total result is an interesting and intriguing movie, with some very good scenes, and a very nice ending.
The movie isn’t for everyone, but I think that it is definitely worth seeing if slow, dramatic movies are what you enjoy .
And it is certainly worth seeing if you worked on it, or know someone who did.
From a movie made in our province, let’s head to Quebec now for the latest release from Academy Award nominated director Denys Arcand, the man who gave us JESUS OF MONTREAL, THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS and THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE.
His latest is the very entertaining comedy DAYS OF DARKNESS
DAYS OF DARKNESS takes place in Montreal – primarily at Olympic Stadium no less – in the not-too-distant future in a time when all is not well. People are dying, oceans are rising and countless epidemics are sweeping the country.
Jean-Marc Leblanc is an underachiever public servant; married to an ambitious real estate broker, and they don’t seem to have much use for each other.
She for him because she is busy, and he for her as he is constantly fantasising about a better life with four gorgeous women, including actress Diane Kruger of the NATIONAL TREASURE films.
He envisions her as a confidant and multiple award winner.
When his wife leaves him, he starts to put his life back together, and the result is a great time. Sure, the Medievil Festival scenes go on a bit too long, but the stuff with the brutally honest doctor is very funny.
There are more than a few great moments in this very witty film, the Rufus Wainwright cameos are very funny, and it makes great use of foreshadowing as well…and…
Sorry, yes, I do have a lot of other films to get to this week, so let me surmise by saying that I enjoyed DAYS OF DARKNESS.
I wanted to enjoy SUPERHERO MOVIE and the direct to DVD release GET SMART’S BRUCE AND LLOYD – OUT OF CONTROL, but unlike DAYS OF DARKNESS, they were only mildly entertaining.
As I am sure you can figure out, SUPERHERO MOVIE is a spoof of superhero films, mainly the first SPIDER-MAN.
The film also pays tribute to AIRPLANE! and THE NAKED GUN, two films that co-starred the same Regina born actor, and yes, that same actor – Mr.Leslie Nielsen – co-stars in SUPERHERO MOVIE.
Sadly, SUPERHERO MOVIE – even at only 77 minutes is waaaay too long, and there are only a few funny scenes. If you have seen AIRPLANE! then you know almost all of the jokes here, and if you have seen SPIDER-MAN, then you know the whole story and that doesn’t leave a lot for me to recommend…other than AIRPLANE! and the original SPIDER-MAN.
They are great films!!! As for SUPERHERO MOVIE…surely you can’t be serious.
Just as SUPERHERO MOVIE needs AIRPLANE! and SPIDER-MAN, the film GET SMART’S BRUCE AND LLOYD – OUT OF CONTROL needs this summer’s GET SMART remake to exist.
In that summer blockbuster Bruce and Lloyd are the two gadget technicinas that provide Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 with the support they need to work on their missions.
In this direct-to-DVD release the story runs concurrently to the events in the feature film, but it is a standalone story as Bruce and Lloyd are given their own assignment: to recover an invisibility cloak that has been stolen.
If you enjoyed the GET SMART remake, or are a huge fan of Anne Hathaway – who co-starred along with Steve Carrell in the film and makes a cameo in this DVD release – then you might get a kick out of BRUCE AND LLOYD – OUT OF CONTROL.
At only 62 minutes, it isn’t too long, and there is some good stuff in it…most notably Anne Hathaway…but all told, unless you have all the free time in the world, I say skip the direct to DVD release and just go and see the GET SMART film.
That is because GET SMART’S BRUCE AND LLOYD – OUT OF CONTROL misses the mark, by that much.
If you have a lot of driving to do this summer with young kids, and you need some new DVDs to entertain them along the way, I have two to tell you about this week.
The first is the 45th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of Walt Disney’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE.
THE SWORD IN THE STONE is a little slow by today’s animation standards, but it remains a fun film for kids who have a bit of an imagination.
The other release that I think would be great for kids in the car is the first release in the UNSTABLE FABLES series – THREE PIGS AND A BABY.
This series of stories are computer animated films produced by The Jim Henson Company…the same folks who gave us The Muppets…and they retell classic fairy tales and fables with an irreverent, unfaithfull and modern twist.
THREE PIGS AND A BABY is about how the three pigs become the target of a special-ops team of wolves.
It is a great program for kids, and might even have you adults laughing as well.
Enjoy the kids DVDs, and safe travels!!
Finally this week is ROMULUS, MY FATHER from Austrailia.
It is this week’s entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD.
ROMULUS, MY FATHER tells the story of Romulus and his less-than-faithful wife Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity on their farm, and in their lives, as they raise their son, Raimond.
The film is incredibly well made and acted, and it won the Australian Film Institute awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and a Young Actor’s Award was presented to Kodi Smit-McPhee, the young man who plays the son.
If you enjoy very slow moving films that are very dramatic then ROMULUS, MY FATHER is a must see!! It is heartbreaking at times, uplifting at others, and features some good twists and turns that you won’t necessarily see coming.
I liked it, ROMULUS, MY FATHER is a good movie, and this Australian film is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!
ROMULUS, MY FATHER; the kids DVDs UNSTABLE FABLES – THREE PIGS AND A BABY and SWORD IN THE STONE, the not bad GET SMART’S BRUCE AND LLOYD – OUT OF CONTROL, the mildly okay SUPERHERO MOVIE, the Quebec film DAYS OF DARKNESS and the made-in-Saskatchewan movie SLEEPWALKING are all available now on DVD.
Coming up in on the next Couch Potato Report
LATE FRAGMENT is a Canadian made interactive film that allows YOU to decide how it ends.
I will also talk about EARTH – THE BIOGRAPHY, HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY and THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD entry next week is CHAOTIC ANNA from Spain.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – July 19th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels an awful movie, some unique
documentaries andÖcome drink with me.
Up first this week is the latest film from Oscar nominee Ellen Page from
JUNO, and Genie and Gemini Award winning director Bruce McDonald – the man
behind ROADKILL, HARD CORE LOGO and DANCE ME OUTSIDE.
Yes, the two titans, the current cover girl and established best man of
Canadian cinema team up for this week’s Hot Potato.
The film is called THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS and it is possibly the absolute
worst film that I have ever seen.
In the film Page’s Tracey Berkowitz is looking for her missing little
brother Sonny, a boy who thinks he’s a dog…and the film follows her as
she looks for him, lives her life before he goes missing, and plays games
and talks with her shrink and the boy she has a crush on.
Now had the film followed a linear storyline, and just told the story, the
result might have been interesting, but it doesn’t.
Instead McDonald piles images and sounds on the screen.
At times there are up to 16 different scenes happening on screen, and just
as many audio tracks.
Now the explanation from the director as to why there are that many images
and sounds on screen at the same time is due to the fact that he want sthe
viewer to feel as if they are inside Tracey’s head, and since her brain
isn’t thinking in a linear fashion…her story shouldn’t either.
My response…that is just an excuse to cover up a bad film, and even at
77 minutes, this is one of the worst films I have ever seen, with Ellen
Page playing the same character that she always plays…yet again..
If you are a film student, someone who abhors mainstream movies, or just
seem to enjoy films that people say are garbage, then perhaps you will
find THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS to be visually stunning and provocative.
But I don’t share that opinion, this film just annoyed me….and I think
that films should inform or entertain, not annoy.
So, to be 100% clear, in the 17 years that I have been doing The Couch
Potato Report, I have never hated a film more than THE TRACEY
FRAGMENTS…period, end of story.
Up next this week is a film that is infinately better that THE TRACEY
FRAGMENTS…okay, that isn’t saying much, but HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is
better, and not a complete waste of your time, so it is definitely a step
up!
The two Canadian filmmakers behind HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD follow that band from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day.
Imagine all you wanted to do was rock out and make music with your
friends, but due to a war in your country, it just wasn’t possible…you
can’t even see them for fear of being killed…and they only live 15
minutes away.
Well that is what this film is about.
HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is a very interesting, but unfortunately it is not
a compelling documentary. The people in the band and their stories are
interesting, but the filmmakers aren’t able to completely succeed in
telling the Iraqui’s story as they spend too much time telling their own
story about what it took for them to make the movie.
But I do recommend it, especially if you like heavy metal, are a musician,
or have ever felt that you or your art were being oppressed here in
beautiful war-free Canada.
Alright, let switch gears now to two titles that I completely enjoyed, and
would recommend for the who family.
They are MEERCAT MANOR – THE STORY BEGINS and SEASON ONE of the show
MEERKAT MANOR.
Man this is good stuff!!
A meerkat is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family.
Timon, the character that Nathan Lane voiced in the film THE LION KING was
a meerkat.
MEERKAT MANOR is a show that blends traditional animal documentary style
footage with narration, making it sort of a Meerkat soap opera….one that
at times is very dramatic, like Shakespeare dramatic!
Both the STORY BEGINS movie, and SEASON ONE of the show feature some great footage, including scenes from a few well-placed underground cameras, and well-written narration.
Due to the fact that there is death involved in the show, it isn’t for
very young or sensitive kids…but otherwise it is a very interesting for
the whole family, and it is all completely real.
Yup, it is good stuff!! Check it out and have some fun!!
BATMAN – GOTHAM KNIGHT is also good stuff…well, no, okay, it is great
stuff!!
This direct-to-DVD anthology film is inspired by Japanese anime and it
features six short stories, from several different filmmakers, and most of
them are pretty good.
The stories help bridge the gap in the timeline between the 2005 film
BATMAN BEGINS and the new, spectacular movie THE DARK KNIGHT….which is
in theatres now.
GOTHAM KNIGHT is partially a stand alone unique experience all it’s own,
and a tie-in for the new film.
PLUS…on the two-disc edition…there is also a great documentary about
Bob Kane, the man who created Batman back in 1939.
BATMAN – GOTHAM KNIGHT is primarily it is just a release for huge fans of
Batman like me, people who can’t get enough of the caped crusader, so if
you are like me, enjoy!!
If you are the opposite of folks like me, folks who love the action
filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season.
Well, each week during the summer movie season I am telling you about at
least one current release that you’ll need your brain to enjoy in this
year’s FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD
This week’s film is COME DRINK WITH ME from Japan, and it is the 2003
version of the film, not the original one from 1966.
In the film a group of bandits kidnaps the governor’s son and demands
their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange.
There is drama, love, tension…and lots of great martial arts fighting!!
COME DRINK WITH ME doesn’t have the best martial arts choreography that
you will see in a film, in fact some of it is a bit slow by today’s
standards, and it isn’t even the best Foreign Film that you will see this
summer, but I still enjoyed it, and it is the latest entry in The FOREIGN
FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!
COME DRINK WITH ME, BATMAN – GOTHAM KNIGHT, MEERCAT MANOR – THE STORY BEGINS and SEASON ONE of MEERKAT MANOR, HEAVY METAL IN BAGDAD and the awful film THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS are all available now on DVD.
Coming up in on the next Couch Potato Report
I will offer my thoughts on the made-in-Saskatchewan film SLEEPWALKING, and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD entry is the Award Winning ROMULUS,
MY FATHER from Australia.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in
seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – July 5th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels releases that will take us to Dakota, Bruges, Yankee Stadium and California.
I am a huge fan of movies about friends getting together.
Whether it is PETER’S FRIENDS – where some former University students get together in England, THE BIG CHILL – featuring a reunion at a funeral, this summer’s SEX AND THE CITY MOVIE – with Carrie and the girls getting back together again, or DAZED AND CONFUSED – about friends hanging out and living life on the last day of school, I just love these movies!
Well, I usually do, anyway.
This week’s HOT POTATO is a friends getting together movie, a Canadian made one no-less, and it is called DAKOTA.
When one of their friends tries to commit suicide, five old friends all come back home to be with him.
Some come willingly, others are tricked and manipulated, but ultimately they six all end up back together under the same roof, hanging out, talking, and as is inevitable at these types of real, and cinematic gatherings, reminscing and thinking about the past.
As I said, I like movies about old friends getting together, and I really wanted to like this one too, but when people talk about Canadian films being way too full of melodrama, this is the type of film they are referring to.
Not one person in this entire movie is happy, they are all depressed and unsatisfied, and…well…melodramatic.
DAKOTA isn’t bad, but it isn’t a good film either. If you are a fan of small Canadian films that come across as small Canadian films, then you should search this out.
Otherwise, don’t go to Dakota.
Why not go to Bruges instead!!
Bruges is city in Belgium that is located in the northwest of the country. Due to the act that the historic city centre is so well preserved – with some buildings and sculptures dating back to the year 1134 – and earlier – it is actually a World Heritage Site, meaning The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – or UNESCO – considers the city centre of Bruges to be of outstanding value to humanity.
It is one of the world’s most beautiful places, and the city is at the heart of the comedic crime drama IN BRUGES
After a job in London, hit men Ray and Ken are ordered to go to the storybook Flemish city, and told to cool their heels for a couple of weeks.
So the two men fill their days living the lives of tourists…but one of them would rather be anywhere else.
Eventually Ray and Ken find themselves surrounded by locals, tourists, violent medieval art, an actor shooting a European art film, and a potential romance for Ray.
But eventually the storybook storylines must conclude, because – after all, IN BRUGES is a film about two hitmen waiting for their next assignment, and the movie becomes about life and death.
IN BRUGES stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as the hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes from SCHINDLER’S LIST playing their gangster boss and I liked them, and this film a lot.
It is crass, interesting and very, very good. It features some very interesting twists and turns, and I can easily recommend it to you.
I can also easily recommend the next release I have for you. This one is called YANKEE STADIUM: BASEBALL’S CATHEDRAL – OPENING DAY 1923 TO OPENING DAY 2008, and if you like baseball, history, sports, old buildings, or stories about any combination of those things, then this is a must see!
Since it first opened in 1923 Yankee Stadium has been more than just a place where people play baseball. There have been concerts, football games, memorial services, rallies, boxing matches, a wedding, and even several religious events as Pope John Paul The Second and Pope Benedict The 16th both celebrated Mass there.
But primarily, there has been baseball at Yankee Stadium and baseball players and some of the most iconic things that those players ever did, and said, took place at The Stadium.
Players like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, David Wells, Reggie Jackson, and Lou Gehrig.
Even at almost three hours, I personally soaked up every minute of the 2-DVDs in YANKEE STADIUM: BASEBALL’S CATHEDRAL, and while there were times when I thought that there was way to much New York Yankees history, and not nearly enough Yankee Stadium history, I still completely enjoyed it.
Unless the Yankees make the playoffs this year, and if the season ended today they wouldn’t, this Cathedral of baseball is set to close on September 21st, with the new Yankee Stadium opening literally across the street in 2009.
It will be missed…but luckily we now have this DVD Set as a keepsake.
And if you are a fan of the late seventies TV show CHIPS, well you have a new DVD Set to keep as well!
CHiPs is the police drama about the adventures of Ponch and John, two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers, that ran from September 15th, 1977, until July 17th, 1983, for a total of 6 seasons.
The four-disc set for SEASON TWO is now available, and this show will always be fun to watch! If you have never seen it, or haven’t seen it in years, and you are missing a daily or nightly television fix due to summer re-runs, pick this up and have some fun!!
Okay, the final title that I have for you this week is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD and it is a movie called GONE WITH THE WOMAN from Norway.
GONE WITH THE WOMAN was Norway’s Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the Academy Awards this year and it takes a look at some of the ups and downs of relationships as a nameless bachelor finds his life overtaken by a chatty female, who he decides to falls in love with, but then he meets someone else.
This movie had a lot of great moments and dialogue, in once scene where a decision is made one characters asks – “Don’t you realize the consequences?!?”
And get the reply – “I can’t go around realizing all day.”
There is a lot of great stuff in this film, but there are also times when the film forces us viewers to wait, since the lead character is a guy who waits, and waits and waits, but ultimately GONE WITH THE WOMAN is a pretty good film, one that I easily recommend.
The Norwegian film GONE WITH THE WOMAN is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD, and it is available now on DVD, along with the always entertaining COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of CHiPS, the great documentary YANKEE STADIUM: BASEBALL’S CATHEDRAL, the very, very good comedic crime drama IN BRUGES and the great example of Candian melodrama, but only a mildly entertaining film, DAKOTA.
I will be out at the Craven Country Jamboree site all next weekend, so coming up in TWO WEEKS on the next Couch Potato Report, I will tell you about the latest film from Oscar nominee Ellen Page, and Genie and Gemini Award winning director Bruce McDonald.
It is called THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS and it is possibly the absolute worst film that I have ever seen.
I will also tell you about the documentary HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD; MEERKAT MANOR; BATMAN – GOTHAM KNIGHT; and THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL entry is COME DRINK WITH ME from Japan.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in fourteen days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – June 28th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels a few Canadian films, one about rails and ties, and My Name Is Juani, from Spain.
It is the pre-Canada Day edition of The Report, and the the Hot Potato this week comes from La Belle Province, it is the Quebec film CRUSING BAR or MEET MARKET, en anglais.
This film is a comedy, with some very funny scenes, about four very different men from very different lifestyles, who are all going out to try and find some companionship on a Saturday night.
The four men don’t know each other, and they don’t even interact in the movie, but they do all have a connection.
All four of them – the very shy nerd, a broken- hearted junkie, a snob yuppy, and a middle-aged married man – are all played by the same actor.
Michel CÙtÈ plays all four lead characters, and he gives all four a unique series of body movements and voices.
CRUISING BAR or MEET MARKET – en Anglais – was actually released in Canadian theatres in 1989, but it is only debuting on DVD now, and I am glad it is. It isn’t perfect, but it is very, very good and I easily recommend it…and the cheesy 80’s disco music it features.
Our next two films don’t feature one actor giving multiple performances, but they do both have the same guy playing one role.
That guy is Vancouver born Ryan Reynolds and the films are DEFINITELY MAYBE and CHAOS THEORY.
Did I like them…definitely…well, maybe…lets get to the facts…but first this clip.
In DEFINITELY MAYBE Reynolds is a man who tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter, after she pesters him relentlessly to do so.
Abigail Breslin from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is the daughter.
Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks and Isla Fisher are the women who Reynolds has romanced and they, he, and Breslin are all pretty good in this film, and the film itself would like to be a cross between WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and THE PRINCESS BRIDE…but ultimately it comes up just a bit shy.
I liked it, and it has a really nice ending, but as a whole DEFINITELY MAYBE is a film that I would only say is definitely not bad.
I would also say that the other Ryan Reynolds film I have for you would like to be not bad, but it isn’t even worthy of that mild praise.
CHAOS THEORY isn’t awful, but it definitely is the lesser of these two films.
In this made-in Vancouver film, Reynolds is a man who has every day of his life planned out, but when he misses the morning ferry, his whole life changes in a way that could never have planned, let alone imagined.
After his planned out world falls apart, he becomes completely spontaneous as his life falls apart…and I wish I could tell you chaos reigns…the good type of chaos…but instead the film just becomes overly dramatic, and while there is some good stuff in CHAOS THEORY, there just isn’t enough for me to say very many good things about it.
So, if you liked Ryan Reynolds work in VAN WILDER, or the made in Saskatchewan film JUST FRIENDS, and you need to make a choice between CHAOS THEORY or DEFINITELY MAYBE…see the latter…or just close your eyes and pick…let chaos reign, baby!!!
MAMA’S BOY is this week’s next release, and it is the type of film that we have seen before…this one marks the third time in the past two years, in fact, that we have seen the story of an mid-twenties man who either whon’t move out of his Mother’s house, or can’t let her be happy with the man she has fallen for.
FAILURE TO LAUNCH came out in 2006 with Matthew McCoaughey…MR. WOODCOCK was last year’s entry, it starred Sean William Scott and Billy Bob Thornton, and this year we have MAMA’S BOY, with Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels and Diane Keaton.
Poor, poor Diane Keaton!
Jon Heder from NAPOLEON DYNAMITE plays a twenty-nine year-old slacker named Jeffery who lives with his mom.
His lifestyle is threatened when Mom and her self-help guru boyfriend fall in love.
MAMA’S BOY also stars Canadian born actress Sarah Chalk from SCRUBS, but even her presense, and the fact that the film co-stars the great Diane Keaton can’t save this mess.
At one point, Anna Ferris – who also stars in this film, an dthe previoulsy mentioned made-in-Saskatchewan movie JUST FRIENDS – calls the Jeffery character pathetic…and that is what he is. The lead actor in MAMA’S BOY is pathetic, and as a result the film is not worth your time, just like FAILURE TO LAUNCH and MR. WOODCOCK weren’t.
RAILS & TIES is our second to last release this week, and it is a very well written and acted movie, that marks the directorial debut of Allison Eastwood, daughter of Clint.
Kevin Bacon plays a train engineer who is at the controls during a deadly collision.
A young boy escapes the accident, and he, Bacon and Bacon’s terminally ill wife – played by Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden – all form a unique bond.
RAILS & TIES is a very, very dramatic movie, but it is very worthy of your time.
And this week’s entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD is also worthy of your time!!
This week I’d like to tell you about the you, fresh and hip film MY NAME IS JUANI from Spain
In this film a small-town girl named Juani and her best friend leave to seek fame and fortune in the big city.
Once they arrive in Madrid – population 3.2 million – some of their dreams are fulfilled and others are dashed.
Through it all the young actresses and the filmmakers give us music, cars, gadgets, and unique on screen visuals to wash it all down with.
Unfortunately, the ending of MY NAME IS JUANI is extremey unsatisfying, but this is still a very good film, and it is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!
The entertaining Spanish film MY NAME IS JUANI, the very dramatic, but very good RAILS & TIES, the useless MAMA’S BOY, Ryan Reynold’s latest two films – CHAOS THEORY and DEFINIETLY MAYBE and the Quebec movie CRUISING BAR or MEET MARKET – en Anglais – are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The Canadian made film DAKOTA about two friends who were once were inseparable; now they barely speak; the British film IN BRUGES; the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD continues with GONE WITH THE WOMAN from Norway; and the 2 DVD set YANKEE STADIUM looks at BASEBALL’S CATHEDRAL from OPENING DAY 1923 TO Opening Day 2008.
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report – June 21st, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some muffins for Granny and asks if you feel lucky. Well, do ya? Punk?!?
Saturday is National Aboriginal Day.
It is an important day in our Country.
In cooperation with national Aboriginal organizations, the Government of Canada designated June 21 National Aboriginal Day. This date was chosen because it corresponds to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and because for generations, many Aboriginal groups have celebrated their culture and heritage at this time of year.
National Aboriginal Day provides an opportunity for us all to become better acquainted with the cultural diversity of Inuit, MÈtis and First Nations peoples, discover the unique accomplishments of Aboriginal peoples in fields as varied as agriculture, the environment and the arts, and celebrate their significant contribution to Canadian society.
One sad chapter of Canadian’s history that is bound to come up today is the Canadian residential school system, partially due to the Prime Minister’s recent apology on behalf of the Canadian Government in front of an audience of First Nations delegates in the House of Commons.
Perhaps, on a day of Celebration for Canada’s Aboriginal people, referencing the residential school system isn’t a good idea…but, those who forget their history are condemed to repeat it…and this sad chapter of our country’s history must never be forgotten!
And that is why the Hot Potato this week is MUFFINS FOR GRANNY.
MUFFINS FOR GRANNY is filmmaker Nadia McLaren’s story of her grandmother.
To tell her Granny’s story, she uses home movies, and animation.
She also features seven elders who talk openly and honestly about their experiences in residential school in Ontario, and how if affected them.
The stories in MUFFINS FOR GRANNY are so powerful and tough to hear, especially if you don’t know a lot about what happened in the residential schools, or have never spoken to someone who survived the experience.
The work of the filmmaker with a project like this is to not let the movie get in the way of the stories being told on screen, but unfortunately McLaren’s movie does get in the way at times.
Some of the Survivor’s stories are edited together with others, and they would have been much more effective had she just left the camera on the Elders until they were done telling their story, and there were times that silence would been more effective than adding music.
But, regardless of my “reviewer” issues with it, this one film that I feel stands above any criticisms I could offer.
MUFFINS FOR GRANNY is a documentary that everyone should see, so we can all find out what happened in the residential schools, and help the ongoing healing process…if we can.
You might not find MUFFINS FOR GRANNY in every store, but it is one that you should search out and watch with others.
Our next release this week, switching genres completely, is one that you will find in almost every store…it is THE DIRTY HARRY (START CLIP) ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION.
This seven-disc box set features newly remastered versions of all five “Dirty Harry” films, as well as a wide array of new and old commentaries, special features and documentaries that take us deep into what Inspector Harry Callahan and Clint Eastwood have meant to pop culture.
The set also includes reproductions of telegrams related to the production, a 40-page souvenir booklet and the documentary “Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows,” a comprehensive look at Eastwood’s career that is narrated by Morgan Freeman and features many stars in their own right talking about the man.
THE DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION is a fantastically comprehensive set, and if you are a fan of these films, or Clint Eastwood…it is a must have!
This week’s next two films should have come together in a Box Set, or been released as a Two-Disc Special Edition, but they don’t…however, I am going to speak about them as if they are one.
And if you like music, especially the unique sounds that were being produced in the late seventies and early eighties, then do not miss the film CONTROL and the documentary JOY DIVISION!
Joy Division were a British band from Manchester who evolved from their initial punk rock influences, to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s.
Despite the band’s growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis with epilepsy and he found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.
In May 1980, on the eve of the band’s first American tour, Curtis, overwhelmed with depression, committed suicide.
The film – CONTROL – is a profile of Ian Curtis, with some facts changed for cinematic effect, and the documentary JOY DIVISION is a fact filled chronological account of the band.
I love Joy Division, and so I completely enjoyed both of these releases.
If you love the group as well, or just enjoy films about musicians and music then you should see them as well.
I think the documentary is the better of the two, but they do go together, even if love will tear us apart.
Okay, let me quickly tell you about the romantic comedy FOOLS GOLD and the non-comedy BE KIND REWIND.
Quickly only due to the fact they are only worth seeing if there is absolutely nothing else available!
FOOLS GOLD is definitely the better of the two as Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughay reunite, and the chemistry they had in HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS is still present.
In this film they play about a recently divorced couple who rekindle their romantic life while searching for a lost treasure.
Admittedly, I liked FOOLS GOLD, because I like Kate and Matt, but there is way too much plot and it gets less interesting as it plays out.
BE KIND REWIND is a film that I should have LOVED because it is about movies, but unfortunately it is a misfire from the same director who gave us the brilliant ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND!!
When all of their video tapes go blank due to a magnetic presence in co-star Jack Black, two hapless friends have to recreate the films as there are customers who are still looking for movies to watch, and the friends don’t want the store’s pwner to find out what they have done.
And – as it turns out – the recreations turn out to be more popular with customers than the originals.
There are some entertaining moments, and if you are a lover of films as well, there might be a few moments when you find yourself smiling at BE KIND REWIND, but ultimately it is a cliche filled film of scenes that we have seen many times before…and that is too bad as I wanted to love this movie, and I didn’t.
But if there is nothing else on the shelf, and you are in the mood for a film, it isn’t awful.
Faint praise, I know, but I have reserved the praise I have left this morning for this week’s entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD!
This week’s film is THOSE WHO REMAIN from France.
Bertrand and Lorraine are those who remain.
Those who try and find a way to live each day while their spouses are being treated for cancer.
To help each other bear the guilt they feel from being alive, Bertrand and Lorraine become friends and they help each other get through the days, until an attraction develops.
There are moments in THOSE WHO REMAIN when you may find yourself actually yelling at the characters as they make decisions that you might not agree with, and that is why – even though it is a very slow moving film – I think you should search this one out as well.
It is just so infuriating at times, but the French film THOSE WHO REMAIN is worthy of your time, and it is available now on DVD…, along with the non-comedy BE KIND REWIND, the okay rental FOOLS GOLD, the great CONTROL and the documentary on the band JOY DIVISION, the fantastic THE DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION and the residential school documentary MUFFINS FOR GRANNY, a movie that you might not find in every store, but it is one that you should search out and watch with others.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I will have five new films for your summer movie viewing, and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD rolls on with MY NAME IS JUANI from Spain
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here next time on The Couch!