Category: The Couch Potato Report

The Couch Potato Report – May 30th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a small new Canadian film and a 29-year-old American one.
Have you ever found a film interesting that you couldn’t recommend?
The Canadian film WHOLE NEW THING fits that bill for me.
This made-in-Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia movie is about a thirteen year old boy who is enrolled in high school after years of being home schooled by his pseudo-hippie parents.
The boy is clever, intelligent and since he was raised in a household of casual nudity and openness about sex he is also androgynous.
We all know that kids can be cruel and the boyís transition from home to school doesnít go smoothly.
He does manage to get along well with the teachers, especially his English teacher.
However, this man has his own problems, including an ailing Mother.
The teacher’s problems increase once he realizes that the boy has developed a crush on him.
As I mentioned, I found WHOLE NEW THING interesting, and the Canadian cast featuring Rebecca Jenkins, Robert Joy, Daniel MacIvor, Callum Keith Rennie, and Aaron Webber as the boy are all superb, but I just didnít think the film was very good.
If you like small, interesting Canadian films, then I think you should see it. Otherwise don’t bother as the film isn’t very good.
The pace is slow, some of the secondary stories – especially the affair the boy’s Mother has – just seem added on because the filmmakers wanted to make the movie longer.
However, for some reason, maybe because it is a Canadian film, I found it interesting enough to watch right until the end.
I am glad I saw WHOLE NEW THING, as I really like small, interesting Canadian films, but I wonít ever need to see it again. Once was enough.
Yes, I like small, interesting Canadian films. I also like big huge American box office hits from the 1970s.
Films like SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.
Burt Reynolds stars in this film as ìThe Banditî, a man who is hired to deliver a tractor trailer full of beer.
Along the way he is pursued by a relentless sheriff. Jackie Gleason plays Sheriff Buford T. Justice.
Sally Field is Reynoldís love interest and Jerry Reed is The Banditís truck driving buddy.
I have seen this film almost every year since it originally came out and one of the reasons that I am continually entertained by it is the fact that it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is.
It is just ninety minutes of pure cinematic fun.
And now the new SPECIAL EDITION DVD for SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT features a remastered version of the film, a new ìMaking `Smokey And The Bandit’î feature and a CB Radio Tutorial.
I always wondered if they thought they were making Shakespeare when they were filming, or if they were having as much fun as the audience did watching it, and this new DVD gave me the answer.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT was fun 29 years ago when it first came out, and it is fun now.
Wow, has it really been 29 years?!?!
Oh well, either way the SPECIAL EDITION of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and the interesting Canadian film WHOLE NEW THING are both available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In the 4 disc set for ALF – SEASON THREE the former Gordon Shumway, refugee of the long-gone planet Melmac, continues to wreak hilarious havoc upon his adoptive Earth family the Tanners.
And the JOHN WAYNE – AN AMERICAN ICON COLLECTION is a two-disc set that features five of The Dukeís films.
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 – May 24th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a performance that should have won an Oscar, and one of the greatest filmmakers ever.
Several moths ago I correctly predicted that Reese Witherspoon would win the Best Actress Academy Award.
My reasoning at the time was that her work in WALK THE LINE was so good, and that she was so likable as a performer and person that the category would play out more like a coronation than a contest.
However, if the Academy Awards were actually given out each year to the actors and filmmakers who produce the best work, Witherspoon wouldnít have an Oscar now.
Instead, Felicity Huffman – normally seen on televisionís DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES – would have one for her work in TRANSAMERICA.
Huffman doesnít just play Bree, a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual awaiting gender-reassignment surgery, she is Bree.
Huffman transformed herself for the role. The way she moves, the way she speaks, the way she acts, and all of it is new and interesting.
She gave a superb performance and she deserved to win the Academy Award for her work.
In the film, as Bree is waiting for the surgery, she finds out she fathered a son, seventeen years ago, and she heads to New York, to bail her son out of jail.
The pair end up going on a cross-country journey and together they find the answers to some of lifeís questions that have been plaguing them.
TRANSAMERICA is heartfelt, honest, funny, painful, and Felicity Huffman is incredible in it, but the rest of the film just isn’t as good as she is.
That is primarily due to the pacing. While some might enjoy the length of time the film takes to get where itís going, I found it too drawn out.
Plus, while it has superb acting at itís core, TRANSAMERICA never seems to aspire to be brilliant.
The filmmakerís are content to tell their main story, with a few side stories along the way, but in the end, one person finds out another oneís secret and they arenít happy about the fact that that person has a secret.
That sense of familiarity hurts TRANSAMERICA, but otherwise, I highly recommend the film, primarily due to Felicity Huffmanís Oscar worthy performance.
No, TRANSAMERICA isnít perfect, but if you accept it – and itís subject matter – for what it is, you will witness a very good film.
And if you pick up THE CECIL B. DEMILLE COLLECTION you will witness 5 very good films!
Cecil B. DeMille was one of the world’s most successful filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century.
DeMille directed hundreds of silent films, before coming into huge popularity during the late 1910s and early 1920s, when he reached the apex of his popularity with such films as Don’t Change Your Husband (1919), The Ten Commandments (1923), and The King of Kings (1927).
DeMille was one of the first directors in Hollywood to become a celebrity in his own right, and he is regarded as a man who knew what the movie-going public wanted, and gave it to them over and over.
Gloria Swanson immortalized DeMille with the oft-repeated line, ìAll right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-upî in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, wherein DeMille played himself.
DeMille is probably best known for his 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which is very different from his 1923 film by the same title.
Cecil B. DeMille is one of the innovators who made moviemaking what it is today.
Inside THE CECIL B. DEMILLE COLLECTION you get his 1934 film CLEOPATRA, with Claudette Colbert as the man-hungry Queen of Egypt who leads Julius Caesar and Marc Antony astray.
This is the definitive CLEOPATRA, far superior to the Elizabeth Taylor version.
The set also includes 1935ís THE CRUSADES with Loretta Young; 1932ís THE SIGN OF THE CROSS with Fredric March; 1939ís UNION PACIFIC with Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and some great train wrecks; and the 1934 release FOUR FRIGHTENED PEOPLE about four passengers who escape their bubonic plague-infested ship and land on the coast of a wild jungle.
THE CECIL B. DEMILLE COLLECTION is a superb set of films, unfortunately all you get are the films.
There are no vintage short subjects, making of features, audio commentaries or behind-the-scenes documentaries.
The films are superb, yes, but had they been supplemented with some special features, if could have given us a unique look inside the films of one of Hollywoodís true legends.
As it is though, THE CECIL B. DEMILLE COLLECTION is still worth watching because we might not have some of the films we love today had Mr. DeMille not lead the way.
ìAll right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.î
THE CECIL B. DEMILLE COLLECTION featuring CLEOPATRA, THE CRUSADES, THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, UNION PACIFIC and FOUR FRIGHTENED PEOPLE is available now at a store near you along with the very good modern day film TRANSAMERICA.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The Canadian film WHOLE NEW THING is about a boy who is enrolled in high school after years of being home schooled by hippie parents. The intelligent and androgynous youth confounds his classmates and captures the attention of his English teacher, which leads to problems for everyone involved.
The SPECIAL EDITION of the 1977 classic SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT features a remastered version of the film, a new ìMaking `Smokey And The Bandit’î feature and a CB Radio Tutorial.
And the JOHN WAYNE – AN AMERICAN ICON COLLECTION is a two-disc set that features five of The Dukeís films.
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 – May 16th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some producers and some dinosaurs.
THE PRODUCERS is the film of the Broadway musical based on the original 1968 Mel Brooks film. This new version stars Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell.
Also new this week is DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS is the set for the 1991-1994 show about the life of a family of Dinosaurs who live in a modern world. They have TV’s, fridges, and all the amenities that you and I enjoy. The only humans in the show are caveman, who are viewed as pets and wild animals.
The Dinosaurs in the show were animatronic and created by the late Jim Henson. As a huge fan of the man I watched the show, hoping that it would have the class and humour of THE MUPPET SHOW or the many other shows that Henson has been a part of.
Sadly, he made the costumes, but he didnít write the scripts. That said, there are still a great many laughs to be had from DINOSAURS. Iím not sure it will gain any new fans with this DVD release, but as an old fan I know I am quite happy.
And now the box set for DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS is available at a store near you along with the original version of THE PRODUCERS and the new film of the Broadway musical THE PRODUCERS.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In TRANSAMERICA Felicity Huffman from TVís DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is a transsexual woman who must confront his past when he was a man.
And THE CECIL B DEMILLE COLLECTION is a 5-disc collection that is a tremendous example of the work of one of the innovators who made moviemaking what it is today.
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 – May 9th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a German city, a British Nanny, an American flop, and one classic disaster film that always satisfies.
When I hear that there is a new film coming to theatres that was directed by Steven Spielberg, well that is a film I want to see!
After all, this is the man who gave us JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, JURASSIC PARK, THE INDIANA JONES TRILOGY, SCHINDLERíS LIST, E.T. – THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, and many other superb and wonderful films.
Unfortunately, even great filmmakers have their off days, and even though his MUNICH was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, the film represents an off day for Steven Spielberg.
A very, very off day. There are parts of the film that are actually absurd.
The film begins during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
MUNICH is – as the movie says as it opens – ìInspired By Real Eventsî and it looks at the story of the Black September aftermath. Specifically about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day.
MUNICH is not a documentary, as Spielberg himself states in a 4 minute opening segment recorded specifically for the DVD, thus once the real life events at the Olympics ends, the ìinspired by real events partî takes over.
But this movie just isnít inspired at all.
MUNICH wants to be a thriller, and I will admit that – at times – it does possess thrilling elements. But most of the time it is a very slow moving, by the numbers dramatic movie with hints of action.
Then, at other times, it is absurd. For instance, there are several times when one of the main characters is thinking about what happened to the eleven Israeli athletes. He was never anywhere near Munich, and we never see him discussing the specifics of the event with anyone who was there.
Yet somehow he is able to envision the events in their entirety. I know this is called ìdramatic licenseî and the filmmakers put those flashbacks in there to help them tell their story, but these instances are absurd.
There is nothing memorable about MUNICH, and like A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ALWAYS, WAR OF THE WORLDS, AMISTAD, and THE TERMINAL, it is a Steven Spielberg film you should just stay away from.
But, you can expect to see me back in line when Spielbergís Abraham Lincoln Project and INDIANA JONES 4 open in theatres in 2007.
After all, when I hear that there is a new film coming to theatres that was directed by Steven Spielberg, well that is a film I want to see!
I also like to see all of Emma Thompsonís films.
From HOWARDíS END to SENSE & SENSIBILITY, THE TALL GUY and PETERíS FRIEND she is very reliable if you are looking for a good performance in a movie.
NANNY MCPHEE features Emma Thompson as a magical nanny who magically arrives to try and take care of seven children who behave so badly that all of their other nannies have run away.
I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to like NANNY MCPHEE as much as I did.
It is a film aimed for kids, but I watched the whole thing and enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say that adults should watch it without a child being present, it isn’t that good, but if you have to see it with them it won’t be a waste of your time.
I even enjoyed the predictable fairy-tale ending.
Nanny MCPHEE was fun!
On the other hand is RUMOUR HAS IT.
Jennifer Aniston from TVís FRIENDS is a woman who attends her sister’s wedding and learns family secrets. Secrets like the fact that her family was the inspiration for the book and film THE GRADUATE, and that she just might be the offspring of the well-documented event.
In addition to Jennifer Aniston, RUMOUR HAS IT also stars Kevin Costner from DANCES WITH WOLVES, Shirley MacLaine of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and Mark Ruffalo from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. AND it was directed by Rob Reiner, the man who gave us STAND BY ME, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THIS IS SPINAL TAP and A FEW GOOD MEN.
So with that pedigree, RUMOUR HAS IT should be pretty good, right?
Well it isnít. It isnít funny, it isnít engaging, and itís boring.
The only way that this film would ever be worth your time is if you are on a 5 or 8 hour flight and you just canít sleep. Maybe then, and only then, would RUMOUR HAS IT be worth your time, simply because you would have nothing else to do, and no where else to go.
But, if you donít have a flight planned for the near future, RUMOUR HAS It just isnít worth your time.
Ignore it!
Finally this week is the DVD re-release of the “classic” 1974 disaster film EARTHQUAKE.
The remake of POSEIDON has prompted the studios to re-release some of the “great” disaster films of the 1970s, including 1972’s original THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, 1974’s THE TOWERING INFERNO, and the aforementioned EARTHQUAKE.
These are the type of films that I will always stop and watch when they are on TV late at night, especially EARTHQUAKE.
They might look a little fake by todayís standards, but they always entertain me as they are star-studded fun.
EARTHQUAKE stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, and is about how all of their lives are effected when a major earthquake rips through Los Angeles and reduces the city to ruins.
EARTHQUAKE might not be high art, but it does earn high praise from me, and it is available now at a store near you, along with RUMOUR HAS IT, NANNY MCPHEE, and MUNICH.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
THE PRODUCERS is the film of the Broadway musical based on the original 1968 Mel Brooks film. This new version stars Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell.
SCRUBS – THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON features all 22 episodes from the series’ third year, and the episode called MY CREW UP is one of the best half hours I have ever seen on television!
Finally next week, DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS is the set for the 1991-1994 show about the life of a family of Dinosaurs who live in a modern world.
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 – May 2nd, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on one film that is ìniceî, one that is ìawfulî, and three TV show DVD Box Sets.
Of all the words used to describe movies, perhaps the most underused one is ìnice.î
Films are usually described as good, great, superb, horrible, bad, awful, entertaining, highly recommended, a waste of time, or worthy of your time, but very few films are ever called ìnice.î
So let me add one to the ìniceî category. The film made out of Steve Martinís wonderful novella ìShopgirlî is nice.
SHOPGIRL is a nice film!
Claire Danes from THE HOURS and BROKEDOWN PALACE plays Mirabelle, a disillusioned salesgirl and aspiring artist who sells gloves and accessories at a department store.
She has two men in her life: wealthy divorcee Ray Porter and struggling musician Jeremy.
Steve Martin plays Ray and Jason Schwartzman from RUSHMORE is Jeremy.
Mirabelle falls in love with Ray, while Jeremy falls in love with Mirabelle.
Eventually the shopgirl must decide which man will make her happier.
I loved Martinís original novella and when I heard they were making a movie out of it, I was actually disappointed. The story and the characters existed so beautifully in my mind, and that is where I wanted them to stay.
But somehow, the film is just as engaging as the source material and Danes, Martin and Schwartzman all give wonderful performances. More importantly, they all seem like real people, and in a day and age when too many films with love triangles are full of unbelievable characters, that is refreshing.
What is also refreshing is that SHOPGIRL is a nice movie. Yes, SHOPGIRL is ìnice.î It is also very good!
Oh the other hand is DIRTY LOVE.
Not only is DIRTY LOVE not good, but it is actually really, really bad. In fact, it was named The Worst Picture Of The Year at the most recent Golden Raspberry Awards.
The Golden Raspberry Awards were created in 1980 and are intended to complement the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer.
DIRTY LOVE stars and was written by former Playboy Playmate Jenny McCarthy. She plays a photographer trying to get back at her two-timing boyfriend after he breaks up with her.
The film, which earned just $58,116 at the box office, also won Razzies for worst actress, worst director and worst screenplay.
Now, donít be mistaken, I donít recommend you see DIRTY LOVE as it is a horrible movie, but if you would like to see what people have named The Worst Film Of The Year, DIRTY LOVE is now available on DVD.
Three new DVD Box Sets for old TV shows are also now available on DVD.
DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS is the set for the 1991-1994 show about the life of a family of Dinosaurs who live in a modern world. They have TV’s, fridges, and all the amenities that you and I enjoy. The only humans in the show are caveman, who are viewed as pets and wild animals.
The Dinosaurs in the show were animatronic and created by the late Jim Henson. As a huge fan of the man I watched the show, hoping that it would have the class and humour of THE MUPPET SHOW or the many other shows that Henson has been a part of.
Sadly, he made the costumes, but he didnít write the scripts. That said, there are still a great many laughs to be had from DINOSAURS. Iím not sure it will gain any new fans with this DVD release, but as an old fan I know I am quite happy.
I was also very happy to sit down and watch all 39 original, uncut episodes from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER – THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON.
The quintessential 1950ís American family of Ward, June, Wally and Beaver Cleaver are back and SEASON TWO has stories about building a boat through beating a bully and dealing with girls.
Ahh, if real life was only as easy as it was on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.
Or on THE COSBY SHOW for that matter!
THE COSBY SHOW – SEASON TWO features the 25 original second season episodes on four discs.
SEASON 2 includes the episode where the family honourís Mr. Huxtableís parents’ wedding anniversary with a show-stopping lip-sync routine to Ray Charles’s “Night Time Is the Right Time.”
This set also has the episode where the family shows Theo what the real world is like when they show him what takes to live on his own.
Thursday nights in the 1980s werenít complete without THE COSBY SHOW and now you can watch SEASON TWO anytime youíd like as it is available at a store near you.
So are LEAVE IT TO BEAVER – THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON, DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS, the awful DIRTY LOVE and the ìniceî film SHOPGIRL.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award nominated MUNICH is about a secret squad that tracks down the 1972 Olympic terrorists.
NANNY MCPHEE features Emma Thompson as a magical nanny who takes control of 7 naughty children.
In RUMOUR HAS IT Jennifer Aniston is a woman who attends her sister’s wedding and learns family secrets. Secrets like her family might have been the inspiration for THE GRADUATE.
And then there is the ìclassicî 1974 disaster film EARTHQUAKE, starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, and an all-star cast.
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 – April 25th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on another wide array of new releases, including the latest from Woody Allen and a documentary about fish.
Even people who have never seen one of his films know Woody Allen’s on-screen persona: The comical and brainy New Yorker in nebbish glasses, who is nervous about sex, death and modern times.
Even when he doesnít star in his films, his leading actors still usually play a variation of Woodyís persona.
Now I like Woody Allen, and I love his work. PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS and ANNIE HALL are three of my favourite films of all time.
However, I enjoyed the fact that the leading actor in Woodyís new film has no Woody-isms at all. Not one!
As usual, the film is well made and well written, but if no one told you it was a Woody Allen film, you might not even know.
No, MATCH POINT wonít have you thinking too much about Woody Allen, and it will only have you thinking a little bit about tennis.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers from BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is Chris, a former tennis pro who finds work as an instructor. He then meets Tom and he falls in love with Tomís sister Chloe.
Tom also introduces Chris to his fiancÈ Nola, and soon, they are having an affair.
Chris tries to juggle both women but at some point, he must choose between them.
Scarlett Johansson from LOST IN TRANSLATION plays Nola, and she does a wonderful job playing a woman who is originally chased, who then becomes the chaser.
If you think you know Woody Allenís work, take the time to be surprised with MATCH POINT. Or if you have enjoyed him in the past, but havenít bothered with his films since the 1990s began, well I recommend that you come back for more.
MATCH POINT is a great film, that is well cast and very well directed and written.
MATCH POINT is yet another one of last year’s best films.
The documentary DARWINíS NIGHTMARE wasn’t one of 2005’s best films, but it is still very good.
DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE takes a look at the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out all of the other fish in the local waters, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
The trend in documentaries these days is for the filmmakers to give you their opinions, and subsequently, their own conclusions.
DARWINíS NIGHTMARE just gives you the facts, with no opinions, and when it concludes, the only opinions you will have are your own.
DARWINíS NIGHTMARE isnít a perfect film, but it is interesting. In my opinion, that is all any documentary needs to be is interesting.
Let me also use the word ìinterestingî to describe Oscar winner Charlize Theronís work in the film AEON FLUX.
This science fiction film is based on the animated MTV series and takes place 400 years in the future.
Disease has wiped out the majority of the earth’s population except for one walled, protected city.
Theron plays Aeon Flux, the top operative in the underground rebellion. When she is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers some secrets that lead her to question everything she believes to be reality.
Now, I use the word ìinterestingî here because the film is just that; interesting.
Not in the same way any documentary is, but I was interested in seeing how it ended, and what all the secrets lead to, so to me, it was interesting.
I also always enjoy watching Charlize Theron in a movie, so I found that interesting too.
AEON FLUX isnít the best science fiction film of all time, but I liked it. It interested me, and it entertained me. It didnít do that well when it played in theatres last December, but if you like these types of films, check out AEON FLUX.
And if you enjoy science fiction of any kind, I urge you to start watching the remake of the 1970ís TV series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
The old series was primarily made for kids, which is why I loved it when it was first on.
This new series is a drama for adults about the fight to save humanity, that just happens to take place in science-fiction setting.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – SEASON 2.0 is a new 3 disc box set that is finally available for sale in Canada, after debuting in America in December. The set features the first ten episodes of Season 2 of one of the best shows that is currently on television.
There are three LAW & ORDER shows still actually on television, four of you count the semi-spinoff CONVICTION, but one LAW & ORDER series is no longer on TV.
LAW & ORDER – TRIAL BY JURY was the short-lived series showing the workings of the judicial system, beginning with the arraignment and continuing through the lawyers process of building a case, investigating leads and preparing witnesses and defendants for trial.
Jerry Orbach starred in the show as the familiar Detective Lennie Briscoe from the original LAW & ORDER, but when he died after the first few episodes, it never recovered.
Now, LAW & ORDER – TRIAL BY JURY- THE COMPLETE SERIES is available as three-disc set. It contains all 13 original episodes of the one LAW & ORDER series that has failed in the last sixteen years.
Admittedly, TRIAL BY JURY isnít a bad series, but there isnít anything special about it either.
And if you would like to own it, LAW & ORDER – TRIAL BY JURY- THE COMPLETE SERIES is now available at a store near you along with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – SEASON 2.0, AEON FLUX, DARWINíS NIGHTMARE, and MATCH POINT.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Steve Martinís wonderful novella ìShopgirlî is now the wonderful little film SHOPGIRL; the classic nineties film DELICATESSEN debuts on DVD; and so do the TV shows DINOSAURS – THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS and LEAVE IT TO BEAVER – THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON.
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 – April 20th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on ten releases that have been released over the past few weeks while I was on vacation.
Twenty-one days have passed since we got together on The Couch.
In that time there have been approximately 260 new DVD releases and re-releases.
Now, even if I had been here, I wouldnít have been able to cover them all.
But there are ten that I feel I should mention, albeit in an abbreviated form, either because I liked them, because I feel you should stay away from them, or just because if I donít tell you about them, you might now know they are available.
So let me get right to the first two releases that I want to cover: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA – THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding these two films so I will spare you a recap of their plots.
Each movie was a box office sensation for itís own reason, I only wish there was something sensational about them so I could highly recommend them to you.
Both movies have a lot to offer, and I do mildly recommend both of them as I think they are worth seeing, but both NARNIA and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN are ultimately not as good as they should and could have been.
Luckily, neither NARNIA nor BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN are bad. Bad films arenít worth your time.
They are worth seeing, FUN WITH DICK AND JANE is not. That is because FUN WITH DICK AND JANE is a bad movie.
Jim Carrey and TÈa Leoni star as a married couple that turns to crime to pay the bills.
Usually a Jim Carrey film is good for a laugh or two, FUN WITH DICK AND JANE is not.
The original 1977 version of FUN WITH DICK AND JANE was funny, interesting and entertaining, this new version is not.
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE is not funny, not interesting, not entertaining, and not worth your time.
Unless you have lots of time to kill. Then maybe it is worth your time.
However, if you have lots of time to kill, please allow me to suggest fun time killers like 80s TV shows MAGNUM PI, KNIGHT RIDER and THE A-TEAM!
The fourth season of all of these films are each now available in 3-disc box sets.
And with the KNIGHT RIDER set, it all comes to an end, as this is the FOURTH AND FINAL SEASON Box set.
But KNIGHT RIDER, and MAGNUM PI, and THE A-TEAM can live forever in your DVD library, if you want them to.
And if you have have lots of time to kill.
Yes, those 80s TV shows will live as long as you want them to.
CAROLE LOMBARD, MAE WEST and MARLENE DIETRICH will live forever, whether you or I have even seen all of their films. They are legends, and legends never die.
And now several of each of those legendsí films are available in new multiple disc sets as a part of THE GLAMOUR COLLECTION.
Carole Lombardís box contains her films HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE, LOVE BEFORE BREAKFAST, MAN OF THE WORLD, THE PRINCESS COMES ACROSS, TRUE CONFESSION and WEíRE NOT DRESSING.
In the Marlene Dietrich set you get MOROCCO, BLONDE VENUS, THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN, FLAME OF NEW ORLEANS and GOLDEN EARRINGS.
Last, but not least, the Mae West package features GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GOINí TO TOWN, IíM NO ANGEL, MY LITTLE CHICKADEE and NIGHT AFTER NIGHT.
The CAROLE LOMBARD, MAE WEST and MARLENE DIETRICH sets THE GLAMOUR COLLECTION all come highly recommended, and if you have never seen any of these stars’ films, these inexpensive sets are a great place to start.
The final title I want to tell you about this week is the 2-disc Director’s Cut edition of the Academy Award winning film CRASH.
Back in February CRASH won the Oscar for BEST PICTURE over BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN at the Academy Awards.
A few moments ago, I said that I wished that there was something sensational about BROKEBACK so I could highly recommend it to you.
That said, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN should have won Best Picture over CRASH. I enjoyed CRASH more, but BROKEBACK will be the film that we will still talk about years from now.
That said, let me put the future on hold and talk more about CRASH right now.
The DIRECTORíS CUT EDITION of CRASH features four additional minutes of footage and it extends several scenes.
The extra minutes donít change the fact that CRASH is a superb film. The kind of film that you will discuss and think about from the minute it ends.
It just makes it different. Not better, not worse, just different.
That DIRECTORíS CUT EDITION of CRASH is now available at a store near you, and so are THE GLAMOUR COLLECTION featuring CAROLE LOMBARD, MAE WEST and MARLENE DIETRICH; SEASON FOUR OF MAGNUM PI, KNIGHT RIDER and THE A-TEAM; FUN WITH DICK AND JANE – a movie that is no fun; THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA – THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
And that is the last three weeks…recapped!
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Woody Allenís MATCH POINT will have you thinking neither about Woody Allen or Tennis.
18 FINGERS OF DEATH is a ìsockumentary” of the world of martial arts films and it will take you on the lowest possible journey of the making of these films.
DARWINíS NIGHTMARE is an actual documentary on the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out the native species, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
Oscar winner Charlize Theron stars in the box office failure AEON FLUX, but the film is actually pretty good.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – SEASON 2.0 gives us the first ten episodes of Season 2 of the best science fiction show that is currently on television.
And LAW & ORDER – TRIAL BY JURY – THE COMPLETE SERIES is a three-disc set that contains all 13 original episodes of the one LAW & ORDER series that failed.
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 – March 28th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on one of 2005ís biggest movies and one of the yearís smallest.
Some movie fans like all types of films, while others are more discriminating.
The big blockbuster releases donít interest the discriminating, they only want smaller, character driven films.
However, the opposite is also true. Some movie fans have no interest in character driven films, they only want blockbusters.
This week, each group should be happy as I have one of both.
KING KONG is the blockbuster, and THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is the character piece.
Each one has itís own merits, and in the end, I will recommend both of them.
The merits of Peter Jacksonís remake of KING KONG are extensive: The story itself is a classic; the special effects are seamless; Naomi Watts acting is superb, especially when you bear in mind that her co-star is computer generated; and it was generated using the body movements of Andy Serkis, who was also Gollum in THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY.
Peter Jackson used his clout and success from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY to remake the 1933 classic KING KONG and this update takes place in New York in 1933.
Jack Black from SCHOOL OF ROCK is an ambitious filmmaker who finds a map to a mysterious Island.
He then fools cast and crew to go with him, and it is there where they encounter Kong, a twenty-five foot tall Silver Back Gorilla.
Naomi Watts from THE RING is the film, and the film within a filmís leading lady.
After the Islandís residents offer her up as a sacrifice, Kong seems instantly smitten.
In the original 1933 version of the film, and the last remake in 1976, the action in KING KONG came after the humanís rescued the woman from Kong. That is true in this version as well, but due to the fact that the movie runs over three hours, there is also plenty of other action as well.
I want to make specific reference to the scenes where Kong fights with dinosaurs. If you thought the creatures in JURASSIC PARK looked real, get ready to be blown away!! From now on this is the standard for computer-generated battles between creatures that are extinct.
There is also plenty of action once the humans capture KONG and take him back to New York, and there are plenty of stories there too.
If you havenít guessed it yet, I loved this version of KING KONG, just as I have loved the other versions.
At over three hours, I will also admit that ñ even though I loved it ñ the movie was too long. It would have benefited from having a good editor working alongside Jackson on it.
That said, when the rumoured three-hour and forty-five minute directorís cut comes out on DVD in November, I will be one of the first people in line to buy it.
KING KONG is what it is, a blockbuster, and it is a very good one at that!
The rumoured budget to make KING KONG was $207 million and it grossed over $500 million in theatres around the world.
By comparison, the budget for Noah Baumbachís film THE SQUID AND THE WHALE was $1.5 million, and it has grossed a little over $7.3 million.
It was no blockbuster.
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is a wonderfully made, smart and loving film about two brothers dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980’s.
Jeff Daniels from THE HOURS is their father and the always-superb Laura Linney from KINSEY is their mother.
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE may be the best film of 2005 that only a few people saw.
It is superbly acted and well written, and it is also very touching and heartbreaking, especially when the filmís title is explained.
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE was no blockbuster, and I loved it!
KING KONG was a blockbuster, but I loved that movie too!
And now both of them are available now at a store near you.
Coming up in three weeks on the next Couch Potato Report
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA ñ THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE brings the beloved literary classics to cinematic life; THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED is based on the true story of the 1913 US Open; Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni star in the remake of FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, and it is no fun at all; and then there is BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, a small film about a love story that has hardly received any press at all since itís release last December.
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 – March 25th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on an author, a
little chicken, Usher, and a prizewinner, from Defiance, Ohio.
Let me get right to the point: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work in CAPOTE is a must see!
In real life Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories and novels have become classics in the literary world.
Capote is best known for his 1966 book “In Cold Blood” and the 1958 novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor who has appeared in SCENT OF A WOMAN, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, BOOGIE NIGHTS, ALONG CAME POLLY, TWISTER
and ALMOST FAMOUS.
Hoffman has been good in all of those films, but in CAPOTE his work is brilliant!
The film CAPOTE is about the author’s work researching the details of the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Kansas for what would become the book “In Cold Blood.”
During that time Capote develops a close relationship with one of the killers.
CAPOTE is not a loving biography of the man, instead it is an honest look at what Capote was willing to do to finish his book.
And if I haven’t mentioned it yet, Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb in the film.
He not only master’s Capote’s unique voice and mannerisms, but he also lets us see the man who is both unsure that what he is doing is right, and completely sure his work will change the literary world forever.
CAPOTE is a great film with an incredible performance at its core.
Hoffman’s Oscar win as Best Actor was completely justified, and if you spend time with CAPOTE, your time will be justified as well.
On the other hand, if you spend time with the animated film CHICKEN LITTLE, your time will be wasted. Your kids time might not be, but yours will!
In CHICKEN LITTLE, after ruining his reputation with the town by warning “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” a courageous little chicken must come to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion.
The story is basically the classic, age-old tale, but the film about it is no classic.
But, if you have a young child, they might find some of the film entertaining.
As for me, I love animated films, and CHICKEN LITTLE just isn’t any fun.
Well, okay, one scene featuring the voice of the late, great Don Knotts as Mayor Turkey Lurkey is fun, but as a whole, CHICKEN LITTLE isn’t worth your time.
And neither is IN THE MIX, the film featuring singer Usher. I wouldn’t say that IN THE MIX is the worst film of last year, but it definitely deserves a place near the bottom of any such list.
The Grammy Award winning Usher plays a nightclub disc jockey who wants to start his own record label.
He is asked to play at a party for the welcome home party of a Mafia princess.
And as things go in movies like this, he saves the life of a very important mobster.
He then becomes the bodyguard for the young lady, they fall in love, and you never hear of his dream for a record label again!
Sure, Usher has on screen presence, and the princess is played by the beautiful Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, but unless you love Usher, or Chriqui, IN THE MIX is a useless movie.
It makes THE BODYGUARD with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner look like CITIZEN KANE by comparison.
Anyway, enough about IN THE MIX, let me move on to THE PRIZE WINNER OF
DEFIANCE, OHIO.
Julianne Moore from THE HOURS and FAR FROM HEAVEN stars in this based on
a true story film as a woman who enters as many commercial jingle-writing contests as she can to support her ten children and husband.
Moore is an optimistic homemaker with a husband who drinks the family’s extra money away and swears at the radio all night.
Now, I like Julianne Moore, I like her work, and I thought that this true to life story would be inspirational and wonderful
Instead it is a bad movie that wastes a wonderful performance from Moore.
That said, I have never seen such a beautiful ending in a movie I didn’t care for.
THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO might not be a great film, but it has inspired me to read the book the film is based on just to see if I can find the inspirational and wonderful story within that we don’t get in the movie.
IN case you’d like to save yourself some time, and do the same, the name of the book is “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less” and the author’s name is Terry Ryan.
As for the film they made from the book, THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO is available now at a store near you, along with IN THE MIX, CHICKEN LITTLE and the spectacular CAPOTE, starring Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Peter Jackson used his clout and success from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY to remake KING KONG; THE SQUID AND THE WHALE was another one of 2005’s best films; and in DREAMER a trainer and his daughter nurse an injured horse back to health
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 – March 14th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on three great movies and 4 mediocre ones.
On March 5th George Clooney won the Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in the film SYRIANA.
He was also nominated in the Best Director and the Best Original Screenplay categories for his movie GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Since SYRIANA isn’t scheduled for release on DVD until June, lets focus on the better of Clooney’s 2005 films, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
This superb film is set in the early 1950s, a time when the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States.
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin made his name exploiting those fears.
At the time, and in this film, real life television reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly took a stand and challenged McCarthy on their show.
As the pressure mounted for their network to fire them, and as their show lost it’s sponsors, both men decided to stand by their convictions, no matter the cost.
There are many great things that can be said about GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, but the one I will focus on first is the fact that you don’t have to know anything about Senator McCarthy or Edward R. Murrow to appreciate the conflict between them.
It happened fifty years ago, and it seems incredibly relevant, even today.
I would also like to point out that Clooney made this film in glorious black and white. Sometimes it is just good to watch a film that way.
Finally, and I am limiting myself to three because I could go on and on about the great qualities in this superb film, Clooney and his cast are all superb!
The Oscar nominated David Strathairn stars and Edward R. Murrow and his supporting cast includes Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr. and Ray Wise.
In addition to co-writing and directing the film George Clooney also plays Fred Friendly.
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK is smart, well made, and very entertaining.
It was one of the best films of 2005, and the accolades given to Clooney and his cast are all well deserved.
Prior to those accolades being given out, many people thought that Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg’s name would be heard as well.
After all his film A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is another one of 2005’s best.
However, with the exception of winning kudos from Central Ohio Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics Association, and France’s French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, the film only garnered a handful of nominations.
Yes, William Hurt was nominated for an Oscar in the Supporting Actor category, and Josh Olson’s script was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, but otherwise the Academy Awards overlooked this violent, but insightful, wonderfully acted, incredible film.
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE stars Viggo Mortensen from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY as a loving family man who is a well-respected citizen of a small town.
One night when two criminals show up at his diner, he defends himself and his staff. For his efforts he is branded a hero by his fellow residents and the media.
Suddenly, he has mobsters coming to see him, and the same people who loved him start to wonder if perhaps he isn’t who they think he is.
Perhaps he too is a mobster with a history of violence.
Now that is an awesome premise, and Cronenberg pulls it off.
Yes, some of the film’s violence may be a bit over the top for some people, but the story is so engrossing that it actually becomes secondary
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE may have been passed over by the people who give out awards for movies, but I recommend you don’t do the same.
At one time, I would have also recommended any film that Spike Lee made. That time was 1989 and Spike Lee had just given us the masterpiece DO THE RIGHT THING.
Unfortunately after that masterpiece, Spike gave us MO’ BETTER BLUES in 1990, JUNGLE FEVER in 1991, CROOKLYN in 1994 and CLOCKERS in 1995. If you add the four of those films up, they don’t equal DO THE RIGHT THING.
However, each of them does have something original and unique that only Spike Lee could bring to them.
And now all five of those films are available in one low priced set called THE SPIKE LEE JOINT COLLECTION.
I recently watched all five again and MO’ BETTER BLUES, JUNGLE FEVER and CLOCKERS still aren’t great, but DO THE RIGHT THING is still a masterpiece.
And CROOKLYN?, well regardless of the film’s quality, it will always be the reason that I got to speak with Spike Lee on Larry King Live!
Ask me to see the tape sometime if you’d like.
If you are a fan of Spike Lee’s films, but you just haven’t wanted to spend a lot of money to own them, then THE SPIKE LEE JOINT COLLECTION is for you!
It is available now at a store near you along with the superb films A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work in CAPOTE is a must see; CHICKEN LITTLE isn’t brilliant, but it is fun; IN THE MIX features R&B singer Usher in one of the worst films of last year; SOUTH PARK – THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON is the latest box set from the television show and Julianne Moore stars in the based on a true story film THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO as a woman who enters a commercial jingle writing contest to support her ten children.
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!