Category: The Couch Potato Report

The Couch Potato Report – May 24th, 2014

For many years now War has been good for business for Hollywood. While musicals and westerns and most other genres tend to go out of style every now and then, there are always movies about fighting and War being released.

In fact, there are three this week, including the made-in-Toronto action, adventure, drama POMPEII which features warring gladiators.

Our hero, a slave-turned-gladiator, finds himself in the doomed Roman city of Pompeii in a race against time to save his true love from having to marry a corrupt Roman Senator, played by the great Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland of 24.

And as Mount Vesuvius erupts – which it does, in 79 AD, destroying the city of Pompeii, leaving it mostly buried under twenty-feet of ash – as Mount Vesuvius erupts, the gladiator must fight to save himself and his beloved, AND get away as the city crumbles around him.

Kit Harington – who was Jon Snow on GAME OF THRONES – plays the gladiator, and he, Keiffer and the rest of the cast aren’t bad. The problem here is the director isn’t up to the material.

In the past, Paul W.S. Anderson has given us the RESIDENT EVIL films, the remake of DEATH RACE, AVP: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR and a handful of other not great low budget action films.

POMPEII is never awful, but I went in with very, very low expectations. I’ll give it a mild recommendation to you, just as long as there is absolutely nothing else to watch. And I mean absolutely nothing else.

This next war movie actually takes place during World War II.

George Clooney plays an art expert who is asked by the President of the United States to put together and lead a platoon of fellow art experts.

Their responsibility is to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

In addition to Clooney – who also co-wrote and directed the picture – the rest of THE MONUMENTS MEN are Matt Damon, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Bill Murray.

I am a huge fan of every member of the cast of this film, which also includes Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, and together they provide us with some really great scenes, but as a whole the movie doesn’t add up to something that is worthy of this cast or your time.

It’s too slow, there’s not always enough going on to hold our attention, and it doesn’t move smoothly between the seriousness of war and the whimsy and humour the script and actors bring to their roles.

THE MONUMENTS MEN could have been something great, but in the end it’s just for people who are huge fans of the cast.

We’re staying in World War II for this final fighting film, STALINGRAD, a Russian film, about The Battle of Stalingrad.

That was a major battle of the second World War. Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in the southwestern Soviet Union.

A group of Russian soldiers fight to hold a strategic building in their devastated city against the German army.

STALINGRAD is the first Russian movie completely produced using Canadian IMAX technology and it looks great. There are some really interesting and impressive shots in the movie.

But the movie itself just slowly moves along. After some great action and battle scenes to start the film, the two sides just wait each other out. And then there are the two women who are there for the men to fight over and fall in love with. Those storylines didn’t really connect with me either.

So STALINGRAD is great to look at, but only mildly entertaining otherwise. Should war movies be the genre you enjoy the most, search this one out. Otherwise, skip it.

Finally this week, a comedy, that sort of features war, but in a more comedic sense. The war between men and women when they fall head over heels in love.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT is a romantic comedy starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant.

It’s based on the 1974 David Mamet play “Sexual Perversity In Chicago” and is a remake of the 1986 film of the same name. That film starred Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins and it is fantastic!!

I’d even call it one of the best romantic comedies of the eighties and so you can imagine that I didn’t think we needed a remake.

And you’d be right…but – much to my surprise – I actually enjoyed the remake.

I’m not usually a fan of Kevin Hart, from RIDE ALONG and GRUDGE MATCH, as all he really does is yell in movies, but here he is toned down and that helps. Plus, television actors Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant are very charming together.

I will always love the original ABOUT LAST NIGHT, but I do also recommend the remake. In fact, see them both. They are each great romantic comedies.

The very good remake of ABOUT LAST NIGHT; the interesting but only okay WWII film STALINGRAD; George Clooney’s World War II based THE MONUMENTS MEN – which has some great scenes but is only an okay movie; and the made-in-Toronto mildly okay gladiator disaster flick POMPEII are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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 – May 17th, 2014

There are few directors working today whose films I look forward to more than those of Spike Jonze.

He has a unique vision and voice that was first introduced to the world when he began making music videos in the early 1990s for bands like The Breeders, Sonic Youth, Weezer and the Beastie Boys. His award winning 1994 video for the Beasties song “Sabotage” was both a homage to, and parody of 70’s crime drama shows.

Spike Jonze then debuted in theatres with BEING JOHN MALKOVICH in 1999 and then gave us ADAPTATION in 2002, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE in 2009 and his latest is a great movie that is simply called HER.

HER is Spike Jonze’ Academy Award winning story about a lonely divorced writer in the not-too-distant future who falls in love with his newly purchased, personalized operating system, or OS. This OS has been designed to meet his every need.

Yes, to clarify, it’s about a man who falls in love with his computer. She, is HER.

Joaquin Phoenix from WALK THE LINE and GLADIATOR gives a relaxed, calm performance in HER and Scarlett Johansson from THE AVENGERS and LOST IN TRANSLATION gives the computer her voice, and personality. It’s easy to for us viewers to understand how he could fall for HER, but his ex-wife does not understand.

Spike Jonze won Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards and that was the perfect Oscar for him to win as HER is exactly that…original, just like everything he does.

I highly recommend HER, and all of the films he has made. They are just the right combination of odd, quirky and beautiful.

Hey, if you’ve ever sat and watched one of the action fantasy thriller films UNDERWORLD – starring Kate Beckinsale as a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races – and thought, they should do something like this with Frankenstein, well you are in luck.

I, FRANKENSTEIN, from the makers of the UNDERWORLD films, is almost exactly that, minus the vampire and werewolves.

Here, Frankenstein’s creature finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans – the gargoyles and the demons.

See, no vampires or werewolves here, there are gargoyles and the demons.

I, FRANKENSTEIN isn’t very original – in any way – and the special effects are very low budget, but it isn’t horrible, and the cast including Aaron Eckhart from THE DARK KNIGHT and Yvonne Strahovski of CHUCK is pretty good. All in all, I liked it enough to recommend to fans of this type of films, and fans of the UNDERWORLD series. To you I say enjoy!!

Due to the fact that he is co-starring in theatres right now with Canadian Seth Rogen in the summer box office smash NEIGHBORS, Zac Efron is about to get a whole bunch of new fans. People who don’t know him from the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL films.

Those new fans could do worse than search out a new release called THAT AWKWARD MOMENT, a predictable but not unlikeable romantic comedy about three male best friends in their twenties who don’t necessarily want to be in relationships, yet they are.

See, the guys actually made a bet that they wouldn’t find girlfriends. They made a pact that they would stay single so they could hang out and party and drink and let the good times roll.

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT is also about some other things people deal with in relations, like that moment, that awkward moment, when one person asks the other “Where is this going?”, but it’s primarily about the guys.

I am on record as usually always enjoying movies about friends just hanging out, and that is true here as well. Unfortunately there are parts of this movie that just don’t work – for instance – whether you have a pact with your friends or not, if the parent of someone you’ve been spending time with dies, and you’re human at all, you will go to that funeral. You just go.

That awkward moment in THAT AWKWARD MOMENT when Efron doesn’t go, doesn’t ring true and that is one of the reasons the film is not great.

But I liked it enough to recommend it, as long as you go in with low expectations. Low, low, low expectations.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen NEIGHBORS yet, that flick is great!!! Very smart and funny!!

Finally this week, we put to rest the television series EASTBOUND AND DOWN.

When we first meet up with Kenny Powers in this FOURTH AND FINAL SEASON of EASTBOUND AND DOWN he has settled down out of the limelight with the love of his life, but not for long. A chance encounter with an old teammate reminds him how much he loves the high life, how much he loves rich, famous, and arrogant and so he works to get that back.

But once he gets it all again…will he be able to keep it this time?

Don’t bet on it.

I’ve always thought that EASTBOUND AND DOWN should have ended after the second season. The third and this fourth one just haven’t been as good. As much as I love this show – and the character of Kenny Powers, created and portrayed by Danny McBride – a little of him goes a long way sometimes.

But ultimately I still recommend the series as it is laugh out loud funny most of the time. Just know going in that it is very, very profane. Thanks for the memories, Kenny Powers!
THE COMPLETE FOURTH AND FINAL SEASON of the not as funny as it once was – but still laugh out loud funny – series EASTBOUND AND DOWN; the predictable but not unlikeable bromantic comedy THAT AWKWARD MOMENT; the not great but also not awful action sci-fi flick I, FRANKENSTEN; and the quirky, odd and beautiful romantic drama HER, from writer-director-cinematic visionary, Spike Jonze, are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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 – May 10th, 2014

I’d like to introduce you to a Chilean woman – and movie – named Gloria this morning.

She is a 58-year-old divorcée with two grown children who now lives by herself.

Gloria doesn’t feel old, and doesn’t want to be alone, so she spends her nights at bars and parties where she can dance and meet people. Unfortunately for this very likeable woman, her hunt for love tends to result in one night stands, disappointment and emptiness.

Then our Gloria meets a man named Rodolfo who seems to be everything she’s been looking for. She even begins to imagine a permanent relationship.

But he might not be everything that he seems to be, everything that she wants him to be.

Chliean actress Paulina García plays Gloria and she has created a character that you like, that you root for and that you hope can find happiness. She seems like a real person and not just a movie character and I really liked this movie.

GLORIA – the film, not the character – is a little slow at times, but I still highly recommend it.

We move now to the movie done as a follow up to the 2004-2007 television series VERONICA MARS.

Kristen Bell from FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL starred in the show as a High School then College student who worked as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father.

There were rumours of a movie based on the show ever since it’s cancellation, but it was only given the green light by the studio last year after fans of the show raised almost $6 million through the crowdfunding website Kickstarter campaign.

The VERONICA MARS movie debuted in March, and is now a must own for fans.

But what about non-fans?

I’d never seen an episode of the show before watching the movie, but I still liked it. Yes, it primarily is for the fans, and those fans will not question how the murder and investigation of the death of a globally known celebrity coincidentally happens in Veronica’s hometown and seems to involve all of her old friends and enemies, and her ex-boyfriend is the prime suspect.

They won’t question that, and if you don’t either, you’ll enjoy VERONICA MARS. It is not a bad detective flick, and Kristen Bell is as smiley, cute and charming as always.

Now to SON OF BATMAN, the adaptation of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert’s 2006 storyline.

Batman learns that he has a violent, unruly pre-teen son with Talia al Ghul named Damian Wayne who has secretly been raised by Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

When Ra’s al Ghul apparently dies after a battle with his former right-hand man Deathstroke, Batman must work to stop his long-lost son from taking revenge and guide him to a righteous path, in order for the pair to truly acknowledge each other as family.

Not all of these direct to home viewing releases from the folks at DC are worthy of our time. Most of them have too much violence in them and not very much story.

But SON OF BATMAN is actually better than most. The story is great, the animation well done, and I liked it enough to call it very good.

Comic book fans, don’t miss it!

Hey…if you don’t already own BLAZING SADDLES on blu-ray, there is a new 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION now available which features a brand new, almost half-hour featurette called “Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West,” built around a new interview with Brooks.

Unfortunately, that’s the only thing new about the 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION, it hasn’t been remastered again or anything, so if you do already own it, you really don’t need to upgrade to this latest version.

Due to it’s highly offensive and very graphic language, BLAZING SADDLES isn’t for everyone, but I continue to laugh out loud at it every time I watch it and so I continue to highly recommend it.

Whether you pick up the 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION or any earlier version, you are guaranteed some huge laughs.

The 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Mel Brooks’ still hilarious BLAZING SADDLES; the very good animated film SON OF BATMAN; the primarily for fans, but okay for everyone detective flick based on the television series VERONICA MARS; and the great, if heartbreaking Chilean film GLORIA are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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 – May 3rd, 2014

Sometimes, no matter how much talent is involved in a film, they still can’t produce something that is worth watching.

Take the drama LABOR DAY, for example. It stars Academy Award winner Kate Winslet from TITANIC and Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Plus, the film was co-written and directed by Montreal born filmmaker Jason Reitman, who was an Oscar nominee for both JUNO and UP IN THE AIR.

All that talent – in front of and behind the scenes – still doesn’t make LABOR DAY worth watching.

Winslet plays a depressed divorcee who is also a single mom. She doesn’t leave her house often, and when she does it takes a great deal of effort to work up the courage.

On one trip to the store with her son Henry they are confronted by a bleeding man who insists they give him a ride.

They discover that he is an escaped convict, and as he spends the Labor Day weekend with them, the son gets the Father he’s always wanted, and the Mother falls in love.

It turns out that he’s a misunderstood escaped convict, with a heart of gold.

LABOR DAY has more than a few good moments, with this much talent involved it had to, but as a whole it is just a bore. As much as I hoped I would, I didn’t enjoy it, and so I can’t recommend it.

The story behind the film ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW is much better than the film itself.

Writer/Director Randy Moore used undercover filming techniques to shoot the flick around Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and he did it without the permission of the owners, thinking they would sue to stop it’s release and thus give him a ton of free publicity.

But the studio went the other way, they ignored it, and unless you are going to listen to the commentary and focus on the making-of featurette to hear the whole story, you should ignore it too.

With elements of horror, fantasy, and attempts at comedy ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW follows a family of four in Walt Disney World as they spend their last day in the park. Due to the Father’s poor decision making, just about everything that can go wrong does…but he’s not totally to blame for how the day – and the movie – comes to an end.

Like I said, stick with the Bonus Features and ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW is a very interesting cinematic journey. One I highly recommend. But don’t just watch the movie. It is not great.

Right now I have a mild recommendation for SEASON FOUR of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE!!

ENTERPRISE takes place 100 years before the adventures of James T. Kirk and Spock in the original television series.

Scott Bakula from QUANTUM LEAP plays Captain Jonathan Archer of Earth’s first Warp 5 starship, the Enterprise. He and his crew literally begin STAR TREK’s adventures, saving the planet time and time again.

Of all the STAR TREK shows, ENTERPRISE has always been my least favourite, but I admit that I did have some fun re-watching the series again this week on blu-ray.

It looks great in HD and features a wealth of brand new retrospective features.

Huge fans…don’t miss SEASON FOUR – THE FINAL SEASON  of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE on blu-ray. Casual fans, I’d maybe wait until the price goes down in a few months.

I was at a charity event last fall in New York City that featured musicians Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters, along with comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart and Bill Cosby. Legends one and all!

Yet the performer who stole the night was a comedian that I’d heard of, but never heard. Jim Gaffigan was so hilarious that night, I can’t remember when I laughed harder.

And now you can laugh at him too as his stand up special JIM GAFFIGAN – OBSESSED is available.

He talks about everyday scenarios that we can all relate to, and enjoy a laugh because of.

I really enjoyed JIM GAFFIGAN – OBSESSED, and I will watch it again and share it with friends. He is one of the best comedians working today, and has quickly become one of my favourites.

The very, very funny JIM GAFFIGAN – OBSESSED; SEASON FOUR, the final season of the always good but never great STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE; the movie with a better back story than a screenplay ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW – seriously, watch this one for the bonus materials; and the boring but well acted drama LABOUR DAY, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin and directed by Canadian Jason Reitman, are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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
April 12th, 2014

If this first film I have for you this week was made by Hollywood, and featured an all-star cast, I wouldn’t be as positive as I’m about to be. But since it is a small, made in and around Montreal, Canadian film, I’ll be nice.

I’ll say it…I just don’t expect as much from Canadian films like this, but with lowered expectations I usually enjoy them.

Had THREE NIGHT STAND starred Jennifer Lawrence, Keira Knightley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt – for example – and been shot in and around Aspen, Colorado, I would have been very disappointed in it.

But since it was filmed in the Laurentians and stars Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath from the television show BEING HUMAN and Emmanuelle Chriqui, from ENTOURAGE, I am more than happy to cut it some slack.

THREE NIGHT STAND is about a married couple who leave Montreal for a long-deserved romantic getaway weekend. Once they get to the ski lodge, and find out that it’s run by his ex-girlfriend, a woman he is still obsessed with, everything changes…but – as happens in movies like this – they decide to stay anyway.

THREE NIGHT STAND is never great – in fact at times I was wondering how in the world we are supposed to believe that one, yet alone two gorgeous women were ever interested in this guy – and the continuity is pretty bad at times…in one scene they are skiing, then they’re on a snowmobile, then they’re skiing again…but it is likeable enough for me to mildly recommend it.

Oh, and if you watch the boxing comedy GRUDGE MATCH with low – and I mean very low – expectations, you should enjoy it too.

This one features Robert De Niro – who played real life boxer Jake La Motta in the film RAGING BULL – and Sylvester Stallone – umm, Rocky Balboa in the ROCKY series of movies. That’s the gimmick, that is what’s worth seeing, Raging Bull against Rocky. The story and the film itself…not so much.

Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp and Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen have fought twice and each man won once. There was never a third fight.

But now, this pair of aging rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout – one because he needs the money, the other because he needs the spotlight – and that fight will take place 30 years after their last match.

Oscar winner Kim Bassinger from L.A. CONFIDENTIAL plays Stallone’s former love interest, the women who came between the boxers.

GRUDGE MATCH features Rocky versus Jake La Motta, yet it never seems to get that. There are a couple of brief nods to those films, but otherwise it wants to stand on it’s own merits, and it doesn’t quite make it. The weight of those other movies eventually gets in the way.

I liked the cast, thought the story was okay, but I wanted more. So if you go in with lowered expectations, you might just enjoy it.

Personally, I can only mildly recommend it.

Of all this week’s new releases, the movie I enjoyed the most was the second film in Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT TRILOGY.

And I did really enjoy THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG!

Fans of Jackson’s adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RIGHTS and 2012’s THE HOBBIT – AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY have already seen it, now own it, and they don’t need me to recommend it…but movie fans who’ve been wondering if they need to see these films, to you I say yes.

As the dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim their homeland, from Smaug the dragon the special effects are spectacular! They story, well the story will stand the test of time and live forever – and the dragon – voiced by SHERLOCK’s Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing!!

Even the new character that Jackson and his writers created – Tauriel, who is not in the books, but is played by Alberta born actress Evangeline Lilly, who was Kate on LOST – even she fits in and is great!

I have never really been a fanboy of THE HOBBIT, but I really THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG. The barrell escape scene alone is worth your time and money.

Bring on THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN!! I am so pumped for it’s release on December 17th!!

Back in 2007, a horror film was released called PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Since then there have been four sequels, of deteriorating quality.

The first one was simple – a young couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence after moving into a suburban home – and each subsequent one tried to up the ante.

Well, by the time the virtually unwatchable PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 was released in 2012, the series was dead in the water.

Happily, the producers decided to give the series’ main storylines a break – for the most part – and earlier this year gave us PARANORMAL ACTIVITY – THE MARKED ONES.

As I said, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 was so bad that I had absolutely no faith in this one, and I think that is why I thought it was pretty good. The ending doesn’t work at all…but I even sort of kind of liked that.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY – THE MARKED ONES is not great in any way…in any way…but I can easily recommend it to fans of the series.

And finally this week, the film that won Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, last month, the Italian comedy THE GREAT BEAUTY.

Here is a picture about Jep Gambardella, a journalist who has used his charm and powers of seduction to enjoy the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades.

Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he’s been a permanent fixture in the city’s literary and social circles, but after turning 65, everything changes, and Jep finds himself taking stock of his life.

Just like LA DOLCE VITA, there is no real “story” in THE GREAT BEAUTY, we just see things happening, but it all adds up to Jep’s increasing disillusionment with his lifestyle, one he wants to give up…except that he enjoys it too much.

THE GREAT BEAUTY is a little indulgent at times, but the people in it all seem real, and Italy looks amazing! I really enjoyed it and can easily recommend it, warts and all

The very good Academy Award winning THE GREAT BEAUTY; the okay – if you like the horror series – PARANORMAL ACTIVITY – THE MARKED ONES; the very entertaining sequel THE HOBBIT – THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG; the okay, for fans of the cast, GRUDGE MATCH starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone, and the mildly likeable made-in-Quebec would be romantic comedy THREE NIGHT STAND – co-starring Emmanuelle Chriqui, from ENTOURAGE – are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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
April 5th, 2014

It has been a long time since there’s been a Keanu Reeves film to review here on The Report. The last time the Toronto raised performer was featured was in November of 2012 when I gave a glowing review to the blu-ray re-release of his 1989 comedy BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.

Prior to that, for a new film, we have to go all the way back to 2008 and my mixed review for the remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

For a while, Reeves was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, with THE MATRIX TRILOGY, SPEED and POINT BREAK among his many hits.

Of late, he’s just been doing smaller films…which is why it was such a surprise last year when it was announced that he had been cast as the lead in the martial arts film 47 RONIN.

A Ronin is a Japanese samurai with no lord or master. A samurai becomes masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master’s favor or privilege.

47 RONIN is a fantasy action film about a real-life group of Ronin in 18th-century Japan who are trying to avenge the murder of their master

47 RONIN cost approximately $175 million and while it grossed close to $150 million worldwide, the movie made less than $39 million in North America and so is viewed as costly box office disaster.

But you know what, with lowered expectations, it isn’t that bad. The effects are very good and 47 RONIN is actually a pretty good martial arts action film.

It’s never as great as any of Keanu Reeves biggest hits, but I enjoyed it enough to give it a mild recommendation.

I also enjoyed, but I highly recommend the sequel to one of the most entertaining, and most quoted films of all time, the 2004 comedy ANCHORMAN – THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY.

This time around in ANCHORMAN 2 – THE LEGEND CONTINUES, Ron Burgandy and his news team get back together and move from San Diego to New York City and the advent of the 24 hour news channel.

Overall ANCHORMAN 2 is not a great movie – most of what happens is just recycled from the first film – but it has some fantastic scenes, some spectacular cameos, and my gosh is it funny.

Plus, the blu-ray comes with a wealth of Special Features AND three different versions of the film: the theatrical, an extended cut, and a Super Sized version that is 2 hours and 23 minutes long that has some all-new storylines, a musical number, and a whole bunch of new jokes.

It is childish, predictable, and very, very stupid at times, but I loved ANCHORMAN 2 – THE LEGEND CONTINUES! It made me laugh out loud and I can’t wait to watch it again!

The Little Rascals – also known as Our Gang – is a series of comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures.

Created by comedy producer Hal Roach in 1922, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way, and for featuring boys, girls, whites and blacks all together as equals.

The gang was last featured in the 1994 movie, and now we have THE LITTLE RASCALS SAVE THE DAY.

In the film Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, Petey the dog and the whole gang are trying to stay out of mischief as they try anything anything and everything to try and raise the money needed to save their grandma’s bakery.

But – as usual – they can’t seem to do anything right!

I grew up watching the original Little Rascals when I was a kid, and they were accessible to kids of all ages, so I love these characters, but THE LITTLE RASCALS – SAVE THE DAY is too predictable and not that funny. It’s just not a great movie, and that is too bad.

But I will still recommend it to young children. Maybe they will love it, and grow up to discover the original Our Gang shorts from the 1920s. There are a lot of laughs to be had with those ones.

And finally, the two-time Academy Award winning film FARGO has been re-released this week in a new remastered version and it looks and sounds better than ever!!

When small-time Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard hires two less than perfect thugs to kidnap his wife so he can collect the ransom from his wealthy father-in-law everything goes wrong, especially when the very chipper and very pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson takes the case.

FARGO has never needed help as far as how great a movie it is, but in it’s various digital releases over the years – from laserdisc to this blu-ray – as it’s gone from studio to studio through different ownership deals, it’s visuals have suffered.

That has now been rectified. Sadly there are no new special features, but the old bonus material is all still included and the packaging now reflects the original theatrical poster.

Should you already own FARGO on blu-ray, you don’t really need to pick this one up, but I’m glad I did. It is a modern day classic and I want to know that I have the best version available.

The remastered edition of the Coen Brothers still great black comedy FARGO; the not great for adults, but okay for kids comedy THE LITTLE RASCALS – SAVE THE DAY; the spectacular fun of ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES; and 47 RONIN starring Keanu Reeves, headlining a movie for the first time in a while, are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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 – March 29th, 2014

We start this lean, thin Couch Potato Report week with a bloated, excessive, three hour movie about the bloated, excessive lives and careers of some real life New York City stock brokers in the early 1990s.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET features an all-star cast lead by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey and it was directed by Martin Scorsese.

Based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET stars DiCaprio as a successful and wealthy New York stockbroker whose firm specializes in securities fraud and corruption on Wall Street in the 1990s.

Everything his firm does, from lunch to office parties, they do to excess.

Jonah Hill – in an Academy Award nominated performance – is Leo’s partner and friend.

The reason the people in this film get away with just about everything is because they are so likeable, the cast is so likeable, but the movie isn’t. I’ve seen it twice now, and while the 3 hour running time does go by fast, and there are some really funny, laugh out loud scenes, I felt nothing when it was over.

Not like, not hate, not waste of time, nothing.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is an ode to excess, early nineties style. Should that or the cast and filmmakers appeal to you, don’t miss it. Otherwise, I recommend that you look for something else to watch.

And if you are looking for something else to watch, let me recommend THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of the very funny television series VEEP starring Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus from SEINFELD as the Vice-President of the United States.

Selina Meyer is a former Senator, now Vice President, with dreams of living in the White House, and in SEASON TWO she makes her play for the Presidency. Happily, much like in SEASON ONE – whether it is with her or her capable yet usually bumbling staff – nothing really ever goes as planned.

VEEP is not a slapstick style funny, the humour comes from the exceptional writing. Plus, it is so well cast. There is just so much to like about this smart and funny show.

I really enjoyed THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON as much as I did the first season and I highly recommend them both.

We’re going overseas now for the made-in-Paris mystery drama THE PAST.

Bérénice Bejo, the Argentinean-born actress best known as the silent-movie flapper in THE ARTIST, is a clerk in a pharmacy living in a run-down house in a Paris suburb.

Her estranged Iranian husband, has flown back at her request to finalize their divorce as she’s pregnant and wants to get married again. She also needs some help with her kids.

She has two children with other men, and her new fiance has moved in, but he’s dealing with some issues of his own. His wife is in a coma and his young son wants to go back home.

Everything in THE PAST would benefit if only all of their problems would just stay in the past, but they don’t and as a result we are treated to a very interesting film that has drama, but also mystery as we slowly find out why the wife is in a coma.

THE PAST is a great film from the Iranian director of the Academy Award winning film A SEPARATION.

Search this one out. I really enjoyed it.

We have arrived now at DELIVERY MAN, starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, and Vancouver’s Cobie Smulders. It is a remake of the 2011 French-Canadian film Starbuck.

Vaughn plays a wants to be well meaning guy who is usually just selfish and unreliable. He works as the delivery man in his family’s butcher shop, is being pursued by thugs who he owes $80,000 to, and his girlfriend is pregnant.

But all of that is nothing as he soon finds out that the fertility clinic he made donations to in order to help pay for college made a mistake and he is the biological father of 533 children. AND, 142 have joined a class action lawsuit to force the clinic to reveal his identity.

Forced with all of that, as happens in movies like this, he decides that maybe he wants kids.

At times DELIVERY MAN is funny, and at others it is very dramatic. Sadly, it is never a great movie… there are too many story elements that only come up to service the plot, and there is no way one of the characters would ever help Starbuck keep his secret once he knows it.

But Vince Vaughn is his usual likeable self, and the film is never awful, so I can mildly recommend it.

Very, very mildly, but a recommendation nonetheless.

Make no mistake, I don’t, mildly or otherwise, recommend this next release, one of the worst things I have ever had to sit through.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – THE MOVIE is a complete waste of time, for young and old alike.

This movie wants to have things both ways. It wants to be an educational film, taking us back to see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

But it also wants to be a kids film as it tells the story about an underdog who triumphs to become a hero for the ages.

It just doesn’t work either way, or on any level.

In addition to everything else that’s wrong with it, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – THE MOVIE features dinosaurs talking to each other, but their mouths don’t move. They only move when they make natural dinosaur noises.

This movie is a waste of time, so I suggest you skip it. Even young kids are likely to be bored by it after a few minutes.

Finally this week: It was on February 8th, 2013, that Bruce Springsteen was honored as the 2013 MusiCares Person Of The Year.

MusiCares was established in 1989 by the Recording Academy to provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need, through innovative programs and services.

MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR: A TRIBUTE TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN is a concert featuring stellar list of artists paying tribute to the honouree, including Alabama Shakes, Patti Smith, Mavis Staples, Zac Brown, Mumford & Sons, Natalie Maines, Ben Harper, Jackson Browne, Tom Morello, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Elton John and Neil Young, among many others.

This tribute also has Bruce himself and the E Street Band performing new songs and a few favorites.

MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR: A TRIBUTE TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN is a must have for fans – like me – a very entertaining concert film for music fans, and the money that it raises goes to a great cause – to help music people in times of need.

The very entertaining MUSICARES TRIBUTE TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN; the absolutely useless WALKING WITH DINOSAURS; the never awful, but not great would be comedy DELIVERY MAN; the interesting and thought provoking French film THE PAST; the great second season of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ VEEP; and the well-made, but empty THE WOLF OF WALL STREET are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And 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 – March 22nd, 2014

Too often kid’s movies come out that the young ones watch repeatedly for days and at a time, that offer little to no entertainment value for adults. But every once in a while, one comes out that is good for the whole family. An animated film that everyone can watch, repeatedly.

This week is one of those once in a whiles as the Academy Award winning Best Animated Feature FROZEN is now available to watch at home.

Believe it or not, with their decades of groundbreaking animation history, prior to FROZEN winning Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars, Walt Disney’s Animation Studios had never won that award.

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, and featuring the voices of Kristen Bell from VERONICA MARS, Idina Menzel from WICKED and ENCHANTED, and Josh Gad of THE BOOK OF MORMON, FROZEN is about young princess Ana who must try and convince her estranged sister, Queen Elsa, to reverse the spell she has unleashed that turned their kingdom to eternal winter.

There is so much to love about FROZEN, but the two main things I enjoyed the most were the songs, including the Academy Award winning song LET IT GO.

And the other thing I really enjoyed about FROZEN was snowman sidekick Olaf, who loves warm hugs and can’t wait to experience his first Summer.

FROZEN is fun for the whole family and I can highly recommend it both for one viewing, and one hundred, on repeat.

Even the special features are fun!!

No, prior to winning the Oscar for FROZEN, Disney had never won the Best Animated Feature trophy. But the studio has won Academy Awards over the years, many of them, including five in 1965 for MARY POPPINS. This film about a magic nanny who goes to work for a cold banker’s unhappy family is a true classic.

The film made about the making of MARY POPPINS may not be a classic itself, and it may not all be true, but it is pretty good.

This is SAVING MR. BANKS.

This story about the making of MARY POPPINS, featuring the man the studio is named after, was made by the Walt Disney studio, so you know that it isn’t overly critical. Instead it offers up the story of how Disney convinced the reluctant author of the books to give him the rights with plenty of sweetness and sugar.

And as we learned from Mary Poppins herself, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

The cast of SAVING MR. BANKS is what ultimately saves the film from just being a Disney story about a Disney story. Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks and especially Paul Giamatti are all great and while the film itself is not great, I still enjoyed it and can recommend it.

The first time I saw director David O. Russell’s AMERICAN HUSTLE, I said to the friends I was with that I knew I would really enjoy it the second time.

Between the weight that came with it as Russell’s follow up to Academy Award winning films THE FIGHTER and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and the all-star cast, my expectations were so high the first time that it couldn’t have met them.

But that second time, that second time I loved AMERICAN HUSTLE!!

Christian Bale and Amy Adams are con artists who are forced by an FBI agent – played by Bradley Cooper – to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including the mayor of Camden, New Jersey, who Jeremy Renner from THE AVENGERS brings to life. Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence plays the blunt, very unpredictable wife of Bale’s character.

AMERICAN HUSTLE is smart and funny and interesting and one that you shouldn’t miss…and if you don’t like it the first time, come back to it and give it a second shot. THat second time around is what counts with this one.

“Long Walk to Freedom” is the name of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. First published in 1995, it profiles his early life, coming of age, education and the 27 years he spent in prison.

Under the apartheid government, Mandela was regarded as a terrorist and jailed on the infamous Robben Island for his role as a leader of the then-outlawed African National Congress.

Upon his release he achieved international recognition for his leadership as president in rebuilding the country’s once segregated society.

The last chapters of the book describe his political ascension, and his belief that the struggle continues against apartheid in South Africa.

The book is 656 pages long, so it has the room to cover his whole life. The movie based on the book – MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM – tries to do the same, cover his whole life, but movie scripts are usually about 100-120 pages so it has to leave a lot out, and it should have left a lot more out, because some of what it covers, happens way too fast to make much of an impression.

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM is not a bad movie, and it features some tremendous performances from Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, but it tries to cover way too much and ultimately it is hard to connect with the movie.

The man himself is a true icon, the film about him is only okay.

My suggestion, skip the movie, read the man’s autobiography instead, and then share it with a friend.

The last film I have for you this week is a true classic, the 1965 Academy Award nominated drama THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY.

Directed by Academy Award winner Carol Reed – who also gave us THE THIRD MAN – THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY stars Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II.

Partly based on Irving Stone’s biographical novel of the same name this is the story of the conflicts between the two men during the painting of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY starts with a great twelve minute history lesson on Michelangelo and his work, and I enjoyed every second of that, and the film itself.

It is now available on blu-ray in HD and I highly recommend it.

The still classic film THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY; the well-meaning and well-acted, but not great biopic MANDELA LONG WALK TO FREEDOM; the great crime drama AMERICAN HUSTLE; the mildly entertaining Disney history lesson SAVING MR. BANKS and the great – for the whole family – Academy Award Winning Frozen are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

And that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here again next time on The Couch!