Category: The Couch Potato Report

The Couch Potato Report – March 7th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on friends, jarheads, and a goblet of fire.
Some films need to be seen in a theatre. They deserve getting the babysitter, planning a night out, spending $20 for tickets, and perhaps that much for snacks, and sitting in a theatre with other people, who may or may not talk during the movie.
Yes, some films just require the cinematic experience
Some other films are just good rentals.
The kind you pick up at the video store on the way home, and maybe you grab some snacks to enjoy after you put the kids to bed, or before you press play you just microwave some popcorn in the privacy of your own home.
The made in Saskatchewan Hollywood film JUST FRIENDS is the textbook definition of a good rental.
And now it is available on DVD!
JUST FRIENDS was shot in and around Regina and Moose Jaw in late 2004. The movie’s plot is simple: an overweight guy in New Jersey secretly pines for his best friend, but she only likes him as a friend.
After high school he loses the weight and moves to Los Angeles. When we meet him again he has a very successful job in the music industry.
Life is going well and he has no plans to every return home or see his high school crush again.
Through a mildly comical serious of events, he suddenly finds himself back home, just in time for Christmas.
No matter how successful, or thin, he might be, at his core he’s the same guy and his one time crush still makes him nervous.
JUST FRIENDS isn’t in the same class as the two funniest films of last year – THE 40-YEAR-OLD- VIRGIN and WEDDING CRASHERS – but it is the type of film that you will enjoy if you don’t expect too much from it.
There are laughs in JUST FRIENDS, there is emotion in it, and there is Regina and Moose Jaw!
And on the film’s DVD there is a special feature about the places in Saskatchewan where the film was shot. That feature is called “It’s Friggin’ Cold” and it features the cast and crew talking about the weather.
JUST FRIENDS might not be a classic comedy, but it is a good rental. As I said, it is the textbook definition of the words: “good rental.”
If you are a fan of the HARRY POTTER franchise, I suspect that you won’t just want to rent HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
This is the fourth installment in the franchise, and if you are unfamiliar with my feelings on the series, let me state it once again: “Not everything is created for me. I can’t like everything.”
That said, there were parts of GOBLET OF FIRE that I did actually like. I truly liked the parts of the film where the kids were getting to know each other again, and as they get older, coming to grips with having different feelings for each other then they are used to.
The stares and sighs, fights and the moments that we all had as teenagers while we were trying to figure out why we were doing them.
That stuff I really liked. Otherwise, man was this film long! I know fans of the series probably enjoyed the two-hour and twenty-seven minute running time and wanted more, but to me, man was this film long!
In the film Harry finds himself selected as an under aged competitor in a dangerous multi-wizardry school competition and as I said when HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN was released on DVD, if you love Harry Potter and his adventures, my opinion doesn’t matter as you’ve probably already bought or rented HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
So enough about HARRY POTTER.
Let me now talk with you – briefly – about this week’s other two major releases JARHEAD and PRIME.
A few moments ago I mentioned how some films need to be seen in theatres and others are good rentals. Well let me add a third group to the list: Some films just need to be skipped altogether.
JARHEAD and PRIME are those type of films.
JARHEAD is based on former Marine Anthony Swofford’s best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and about his experiences fighting in Kuwait.
The film follows Swofford from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty and none of it is even remotely involving.
In reality the Desert Shield and Desert Storm conflicts didn’t last very long , yet somehow this movie is over two hours long.
JARHEAD is a film only for people who have nothing but time on their hands, or love watching army pictures.
PRIME is a film only for people who really, really, really, really, like Meryl Streep or Uma Thurman. I can’t imagine any other reason why someone would see this film.
Personally, I have seen it twice. Twice I have seen it, and I can’t even tell you why the film is called PRIME.
Its not about math, and it isn’t about meat, yet it is called PRIME.
What I do know is that this film – about a career driven professional who falls for a young painter, who just happens to be the son of her psychoanalyst – should be ignored.
Yes, Uma looks great, as always, and Meryl Streep is still Meryl Streep, but PRIME has nothing to offer.
It isn’t even a good rental!
But the made in Saskatchewan film JUST FRIENDS is a good rental, and it is available now at a store near you, along with PRIME, JARHEAD, and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK early 1950s broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy. David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr., and George Clooney, who also co-wrote and directed the film, all star.
David Cronenberg’s A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE stars Viggo Mortensen as a man who becomes a hero when he kills two wanted men, and then becomes wanted himself.
And THE SPIKE LEE JOINT COLLECTION features 5 films – DO THE RIGHT THING, MO’ BETTER BLUES, JUNGLE FEVER, CLOCKERS and CROOKLYN – on a 3-disc set
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 – February 28th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on Johnny Cash, Jane Austen and a lady, and her tramp.
When I was a kid my Dad’s friend Mark Walsh used to always talk about and play music for us by Johnny Cash.
I have no idea where Mark Walsh is today, but I will never forget him for introducing me to Johnny Cash.
Even though I never met Mr. Cash, I feel as if I know him, because I know so much about him.
I know his real name is JR, I know about his drug problems, his religious beliefs, his wives, his children, and his music.
Most of all, I know about his music.
And it is because I feel like I know Johnny Cash that watching the film WALK THE LINE was so tough.
WALK THE LINE is a well made, engaging film that – on its own – isn’t tough to watch, but because Johnny and June Carter Cash are the subjects of the film, it was tough to watch because I know the subject so well.
That is unlike last year’s successful music biopic RAY.
I love Ray Charles’ music, but I didn’t know that much about his life, so all of RAY was new and interesting, and it inspired me to find out more.
However, there were a few times in WALK THE LINE when I found myself saying, “That’s not how that happened!”
But, I still loved WALK THE LINE.
That is primarily due to the Man In Black himself, but also because this is an exceptionally entertaining film.
WALK THE LINE looks at Cash’s life from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm, through his rise to fame and marriage to June.
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon give superb performances, and they do their own singing as well. The Academy Award nominations they received for their work are truly justified.
Johnny and June’s love story is at the heart of WALK THE LINE, but it is Johnny Cash’s music that is the film’s centre.
That music will always remain honest and true, just like Johnny Cash himself.
WALK THE LINE is a superb film, even if you find yourself saying: “That’s not how that happened!”
If you are a fan of Jane Austen the way that some of us are fans of Johnny Cash, you might find yourself saying something similar to “That’s not how that happened!” when you see the new film adaptation of her book PRIDE & PREJUDICE.
While this youthful retelling of the story about five sisters in Georgian England, and their mother’s attempt to marry them off, is very faithful to the original text, some purists may have some problems with the changes.
Purists can rest easy though because a few things haven’t changed; Elizabeth is still strong-willed and opinionated, and Mr. Darcy is still wealthy and a good romantic match for Elizabeth.
Keira Knightley from LOVE ACTUALLY and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL was given an Academy Award nomination for her work in PRIDE & PREJUDICE and even if I don’t believe she is entirely deserving of the honour, the film she is in is entirely deserving of your time.
When PRIDE & PREJUDICE was released in theatres last November the studio promoted it as “the greatest love story of all time.”
With all apologies to the folks at Universal, but isn’t the greatest love story of all time Walt Disney’s LADY AND THE TRAMP?!?!
Well, I think it is!
The classic animated film LADY AND THE TRAMP is about a young Cocker-Spaniel named Lady and her meeting with Tramp, a dog who lives life to the fullest, and their adventures together.
It is the perfect film for everyone because the animation is beautiful and the film is fun.
And now it is time to celebrate the film once more with the 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of LADY & THE TRAMP.
Disney’s new two-disc DVD set includes an all-new digital restoration with enhanced picture and sound; two never-before-seen deleted sequences; The making of Lady and the Tramp; plus you can learn about the real-life breeds that inspired the characters in the movie; and there is also an all-new “Bella Notte” music video.
As LADY AND THE TRAMP teaches us, no dog is above the law. But the new 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Walt Disney’s masterpiece LADY & THE TRAMP definitely stands above all of this week’s other new releases that are available now at a store near you, including PRIDE & PREJUDICE and WALK THE LINE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The made in Saskatchewan Hollywood film JUST FRIENDS debuts on DVD, alongside HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, the fourth installment of that uber-successful franchise.
In JARHEAD soldiers battle the heat and enemy in the first Gulf War, PRIME features Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep and HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
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 – February 14th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes the Doctor, David and Maddie and the Richard Pryor Collection.
DOCTOR WHO is a British Broadcasting Corporation science fiction show about a mysterious time-traveling adventurer known only as “The Doctor”.
Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television at 5:15 p.m. (GMT) on November 23rd, 1963. The BBC produced the show for the following twenty-six seasons, but with the show’s ratings falling it was cancelled as an ongoing series in 1989.
A TV movie was produced in 1996, but that did not lead to a regeneration for the series.
Although novels and audio plays provided new stories for the Doctor’s fans, the TV show remained dormant until last year!
The new series, starring Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and former pop star Billie Piper as his sidekick Rose, debuted on BBC on March 26, 2005, and on CBC on April 5th, 2005.
Now, it has debuted on DVD in a six-disc set!
The DOCTOR WHO 2005 -COMPLETE FIRST SERIES box set features all 13 of the episodes starring Eccleston. There is also a wide array of special features and interviews.
While I admit to being a huge fan of DOCTOR WHO, I can’t admit to having enjoyed all of the episodes from the series first twenty-six seasons. Some are great, yes, but some are quite cheesy, and even awful.
But I haven’t got one awful thing to say about this new series, even if it is still cheesy at times. The two main actors are a treat to watch, the storylines are all interesting, and the show is filled with some very good special effects.
The DOCTOR WHO 2005 – THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES box set is the first release of 2006 that I am truly excited about! It is a great show that makes a great box set!
Another great DVD box that I am excited about is the four-disc set for MOONLIGHTING – SEASON THREE.
MOONLIGHTING ran for five seasons from 1985 until 1989. Each week we were given an inside look at the unique cases that an ex-model and a wise guy detective ended up with at their private detective agency.
Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd were the shows two stars and Season Three was the time when they were part of a perfect show.
Once the two of them became a couple in later seasons the show went downhill, but Season Three is all uphill!
From twenty-four hours on a murder mystery train, to a trip to New York to Atomic Shakespeare, MOONLIGHTING – SEASON THREE had, and has it all!
MOONLIGHTING remains one of my all-time favorite television shows, and this is a great box set!!
I wish I could say that THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION was a great box set honouring a groundbreaking comedian who we lost late last year.
But even though the collection contains the very funny films WHICH WAY IS UP?, BREWSTER’S MILLIONS, CAR WASH and BUSTIN’ LOOSE, its not a box set.
Instead, it is a single DVD – in a box – with two films on one side, and two films on the other. That is not bad for low retail cost of the item, but when I first heard about this collection, I was hoping for an expansive set with bonus footage and special features.
The only special feature I found in THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION was the trailer for BREWSTER’S MILLIONS.
But, in the end, I can’t complain about the lack of special features and such because, in the end, it is the films that make the disc worth owning.
And WHICH WAY IS UP?, BREWSTER’S MILLIONS, CAR WASH and BUSTIN’ LOOSE are all films worth owning, and watching again. They are far from Richard Pryor’s best film work, but anytime the late, great comedian makes me laugh is welcome.
And I laughed a lot at THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION.
THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION, MOONLIGHTING – SEASON THREE and the superb DOCTOR WHO 2005 – THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES are all available now at a store near you.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Charlize Theron stars in NORTH COUNTRY as a woman who goes to work in a Minnesota Steel mine, to the dismay of her male co-workers.
Scott Baio is the title character in the goofy, but enjoyable 1980’s TV show CHARLES IN CHARGE.
The first season of the medical ensemble drama GREY’S ANATOMY also debuts on DVD; and so does SAW II.
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 – February 7th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes two films I love, three I don’t, and one that isn’t as good as the original.
If a filmmaker other than Cameron Crowe made ELIZABETHTOWN I would call it a self-indulgent, unsatisfying disappointment.
However, from FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH through SAY ANYTHING, SINGLES, JERRY MAGUIRE and ALMOST FAMOUS I have been a huge fan of his work, so I was more than willing to forgive him for ELIZABETHTOWN and I really enjoyed it.
But unless you are as big a fan of his as I am you might will probably think that ELIZABETHTOWN is self-indulgent, unsatisfying and a disappointment.
Orlando Bloom from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY is a man who causes the company he works for to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, and he then gets dismissed by his girlfriend.
As he is attempting to commit suicide, he finds out about the death of his father.
So he travels to his family’s small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown and on the way there he meets a flight attendant played by Kirsten Dunst from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.
Dunst may radiate emotion, but Bloom is bland, and by the time the film gets to the father’s funeral, which is just one of its many conclusions, you probably won’t even be interested in seeing how it ends.
Me, on the other hand, well I completely enjoyed it, just not as much as some of Crowe’s other films.
Yes, ELIZABETHTOWN is a self-indulgent, unsatisfying disappointment, but Cameron Crowe’s disappointments are better then some filmmaker’s best work.
And it is certainly better than three of this week’s other new releases. Releases that are so mediocre that they only deserve a passing mention.
JUST LIKE HEAVEN stars Mark Ruffalo from YOU CAN COUNT ON ME as a man who falls in love with a woman. The problem is only he can see her as she might be dead.
The recently Academy Award nominated Reese Witherspoon is the woman, and she is beautiful as always, but Ruffalo looks bored and I was bored. JUST LIKE HEAVEN is just a substandard romantic comedy, with very little romance or comedy.
DOOM is the film based on the best selling game. The Rock from BE COOL and Karl Urban from THE BOURNE SUPREMACY play Marines who must go to Mars to battle experiments gone bad.
If you are a fan of the game, or you love any film that has action and guns in it, maybe you will take something away from DOOM.
The only reason I watched this horrible movie to the end is because I find one of the actresses in the film to be very talented, and very beautiful. Her name is Rosamund Pike and you will hear me speak of her again in a few weeks when I speak about the new version of Jane Austen’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE.
For now, I am done speaking about DOOM, it is just too bad to waste any more of my time on.
But no matter how bad I think DOOM is, the film WAITING is worse.
This film stars Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris from JUST FRIENDS about a group of young people working in a restaurant.
Now that is a great idea for a movie!
But WAITING doesn’t capitalize on the idea and the result is stupid and idiotic.
It was so bad that I watched the documentaries on the DVD to see if the people who made it knew how bad it was. If they knew, or admitted it, I would have been more entertained. Instead, they feel they have made a real-to-life movie about what its like working in a restaurant, and they feel that they have produced an honest to goodness great film.
Since the guy who wrote and directed the movie worked in a restaurant and I haven’t, I will give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. As for this being a great movie, take my word for it, WAITING is not a great, good, or even mildly interesting movie. It is just a waste of your time!
So lets move away from the mediocre to BAMBI II, the straight to DVD sequel of the classic Disney film.
BAMBI II picks up right where the original BAMBI left off, and I mean story wise, not in quality.
Bambi’s stoic and serious father decides to raise the fawn, since his mother – as you may remember – was killed by hunters.
Bambi meets new friends and learns to live in the wild as he grows into a young buck, and if you have a young child who won’t sit still for the original BAMBI, because it is a bit slow, then they will probably like this sequel.
What makes me happy about the film is that the folks at Disney did a great job ensuring that the legacy of the original film wasn’t tarnished by a lackluster sequel. They took their time and produced a quality film. BAMBI II is very, very good.
But it will never join BAMBI as one of the most treasured, celebrated and beloved classics of all time. It may sit beside it on the shelf, but it will never join it.
The young kids will love BAMBI II, and those who revere the original won’t hate it. That is probably the best thing I can say about it.
Okay, now that I have gotten through all of those other films, let me give you the best of this week’s releases, which I have saved for last.
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT features the wonderful stop motion animated characters in their first full-length movie!
A very good, and entertaining movie!!
If you have never heard of Wallace and Gromit, or their creator Nick Park, let me briefly tell you that the latter gentleman created these stop motion animation characters for the short films A GRAND DAY OUT, THE WRONG TROUSERS and A CLOSE SHAVE. TROUSERS and SHAVE both won Academy Awards as Best Animated Short.
Nick Park also created and produced the stop motion animated film CHICKEN RUN in 2000.
That is their very successful, and well-deserved pedigree.
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT only expands on their legacy and Nick Park and company have given us a superb movie!
When a creature with an over zealous appetite is threatening the cancellation of their town’s annual vegetable competition, only Wallace and his ever silent dog Gromit can save the day!
Save it they do, entertain us they do!
THE CURSE OF THE WERE RABIT has plenty of inside jokes for longtime fans, a wonderful array of British style humour, and enough references to classic films to entertain one and all!
In a week full of films that aren’t worth watching, or are only barely worth watching because you are a fan of the filmmaker or star, WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT is a superb film for the whole family that comes highly recommended.
And it is now available at your favourite local video store along with BAMBI II, ELIZABETHTOWN, WAITING, DOOM and JUST LIKE HEAVEN.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I’ll talk about the new box sets for DOCTOR WHO 2005 SEASON ONE, MOONLIGHTING – SEASON THREE, CHARLES IN CHARGE – SEASON ONE and GREY’S ANATOMY – SEASON ONE.
There will also be a look at SAW II; THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION – which includes his films WHICH WAY IS UP?, BREWSTER’S MILLIONS, CAR WASH and BUSTIN’ LOOSE; and in PROOF the daughter of a brilliant man puts his affairs in order. The wonderful cast features Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins.
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 – January 31st, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes movies that somehow entertain us, so we like them.
Sometimes we like movies and television shows just because we like them.
Regardless of their artistic merits, quality, or integrity, they entertain us and we like them.
That is definitely true for me when it comes to the work of Tim Burton.
Regardless of how successful – or unsuccessful – his films are with audiences, I usually find myself enjoying them.
That all started in 1985 with PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE and it continues now with his latest film CORPSE BRIDE.
Much like TIM BURTON’S 1993 film A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CORPSE BRIDE uses the highly enjoyable stop-motion animation process to bring it’s characters to life…and in this case, death.
In CORPSE BRIDE Johnny Depp provides the voice of Victor, a man who is about to marry a woman named Victoria.
When he can’t seem to remember his vows he is sent into the woods to practice.
It is there where he finally gets it right, and he then places the ring on a twig that is sticking out of the ground.
The twig turns out to be the finger of a deceased bride who claims to be Victor’s lawful wife. She then takes him to the Land of the Dead so they can begin their new life together.
In addition to Johnny Depp the vocal cast of CORPSE BRIDE also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant and Christopher Lee. Every voice fits the character design and the film is fun!
Yes, it is about a bride who is a corpse, and that is a subject matter that might not be for everyone, but CORPSE BRIDE entertained me and I liked it.
I also liked KNIGHT RIDER, the 1982 to 1986 television series about a lone crimefighter who fights injustice with the help of an indestructible and artificially intelligent talking car.
Actually, I still like it! It never fails to entertain me, so I like it!
And now, the third season of KNIGHT RIDER is available in a three-disc box set.
In the history of the show season three is probably the one that is the best example of how entertaining the show is.
The camaraderie and working relationships between all of the main characters is strong, plus the actual KITT car has some upgrades as well.
No, KNIGHT RIDER was never the best show on television, but for some reason, it entertained me when it was first on, and the KNIGHT RIDER – SEASON THREE box set entertained me this week. So I like it!
I also like the 1984 science fiction film DUNE, although it is only an interesting, yet unsatisfying movie.
In fact, the new on DVD EXTENDED CUT is so bad, that director David Lynch took his name off of it.
When you watch the film, if you watch the film, it is listed as “An Alan Smithee Film.”
Alan Smithee was a pseudonym that was used between 1968 and 1999 by Hollywood film directors who wanted to be dissociated from a film for which they no longer wanted credit. It was used when the director could prove to the satisfaction of a panel of members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers that the film had been wrested from his or her creative control. The director is also required to keep the reason for the disavowal a secret. The pseudonym cannot be used to hide a director’s failures.
In 1997 the Director’s Guild decided to choose a pseudonym for each case separately, rather than re-use a particular pseudonym.
The extended version of the David Lynch film Dune was credited to Alan Smithee when Lynch objected to edits made to the film by its producers.
With or without Lynch’s blessing, That EXTENDED VERSION of DUNE has finally made its way to DVD, and if you like the original version, which still has David Lynch’s name on it, it is included on the disc as well.
Both versions of DUNE are set in the far future. A duke and his family are sent to a sand world, a world that produces a spice that is essential for interstellar travel. The fact that they are sent to this world is meant to destroy the duke and his family, but his son escapes and he seeks revenge, using the world’s ecology as one of his weapons.
From the first time I saw the movie years ago I never thought it was very good, but somehow it entertained me, and I like it.
But as I said about REPO MAN last week, I now say about DUNE: “DUNE will never be considered a classic by anyone who didn’t see it when it first came out, and it is for those people that this new EXTENDED EDITION is aimed at.”
So, in a nutshell, it is aimed at me.
If you are like me, you’ll be happy to hear that the EXTENDED VERSION of DUNE is available now available at your favourite local video store, along with the KNIGHT RIDER – SEASON THREE box set and TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In Cameron Crowe’s ELIZABETHTOWN Orlando Bloom is a man who must deal with losing his job and his father at the same time. Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon also star.
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT features the wonderful animated characters in their first full-length movie, and BAMBI II is the sequel to the classic Disney film.
In JUST LIKE HEAVEN Mark Ruffalo from YOU CAN COUNT ON ME plays a man who falls in love with a woman who is a ghost. That ghost is played by Reese Witherspoon.
In DOOM The Rock and Karl Urban play Marines who must go to Mars to battle experiments gone bad.
And WAITING is the story of a group of young people working in a restaurant.
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 – January 26th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes a flightplan, the aristocrats and three films from the 1980s.
I am now and I have always been a fan of Jodie Foster and her work.
Ever since 1976, when I first saw her onscreen as Tallulah in BUGSY MALONE, and as Annabel Andrews in FREAKY FRIDAY, I have been hooked.
Since then I have thoroughly enjoyed Jodie’s work in FIVE CORNERS, STEALING HOME, LITTLE MAN TATE, CONTACT, THE ACCUSED, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and PANIC ROOM, just to name a few of her films.
Much to my chagrin, Jodie only appears these days in a new film about once every 18 months.
Last September I was very excited to watch Jodie’s 2005 effort, the thriller FLIGHTPLAN.
But make no mistake, I don’t usually love a movie just because an artist I admire is in it. And yes, I admire Jodie Foster, and I find some enjoyment in all of her movies due to that fact, but in order for me to recommend it to you in this forum, FLIGHTPLAN has to stand on its own as a film.
Sadly, it doesn’t.
In the film Jodie plays a woman who is flying on a jumbo jet with her daughter from Berlin to America.
Along the way, at 30,000 feet above the ground, the child disappears without a trace and no one is able to confirm that the child was ever actually there.
I love that premise, and my opinions on Jodie Foster are well stated, but FLIGHTPLAN just has too many holes in the plot to allow me to recommend it.
Yes, you will remain curious throughout the movie as there is a great deal of suspense, and it is well paced with a running time of 98 minutes, but FLIGHTPLAN doesn’t answer all the questions that it asks, and the end result is only a mediocre thriller.
One that I can’t recommend to you, no matter how much I love the star.
Unfortunately, I also can’t recommend this week’s other major new release to you.
That film is THE ARISTOCRATS.
In this film one-hundred comedians, including George Carlin, Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Dave Thomas, John Stewart, Eric Idle, Chris Rock, Tim Conway, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, and many, many more, each tell “the dirtiest joke of all time” in their own unique way.
The joke starts off with a person telling a Manager that they have the greatest show business act of all time, and it ends with the words “The Aristocrats.”
Everything in between is what the comedians fill in.
And comedians have been filling in the middle part for years as it originated during the vaudeville years.
Unfortunately, not much of what they use in the middle is repeatable here as they use outrageously obscene scenarios to try and make other comedians laugh.
And if you watch the film you will laugh at least once. I laughed many, many times.
Yet, I can’t recommend the film.
That is because the scenarios that these comedians conjure up are so dirty, so foul and so disgusting that I don’t want anyone checking this film out because they heard it would make them laugh.
Yes, THE ARISTOCRATS will make you laugh, but it might also offend you.
Thus, I don’t recommend it, but it is a very, very funny film that I enjoyed immensely!
I have also enjoyed DEAD POET’S SOCIETY and GOOD MORNING VIETNAM.
Both of them star Robin Williams – who you can also see in THE ARISTOCRATS – and both of them are now available as SPECIAL EDITION DVDs!
In DEAD POET’S SOCIETY Williams stars as English professor John Keating. He works hard to entertain and inspire his students to form a love of poetry, and more importantly to “seize the day.”
The SPECIAL EDITION DVD features a commentary by Director Peter Weir, a collection of uncut, deleted scenes, a look back at the making of the film and more.
DEAD POET’S SOCIETY remains a superb film seventeen years after it’s release, but if we are talking about superb Robin Williams films, and we are, that list will always feature GOOD MORNING VIETNAM at the top of it!
In that film Williams plays real life person Adrian Cronauer, an unorthodox and irreverent radio announcer who breathes life into the stale and stiff US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam.
He does the type of things on his show I would love to do!
The GOOD MORNING VIETNAM SPECIAL EDITION DVD includes a thirty-four minute production diary, six behind-the-scenes features, and the real Adrian Cronauer explains how he created the “Good Morning Vietnam” sign on.
There is also about thirteen minutes of raw Williams performance footage, from which many of the movie’s best comedic moments were taken.
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM remains one of my favourite movies of all time, and this SPECIAL EDITION is a great addition to my movie library.
Finally this week is the new COLLECTOR’S EDITION of the 1984 film REPO MAN. Emilio Estevaz plays a young punk named Otto in the movie who becomes a repo man after helping to steal a car. Once he begins his new job he soon finds himself in the middle of a world that contains aliens, government agents and a huge repossession bounty on a 1964 Chevy Malibu.
REPO MAN will never be considered a classic by anyone who didn’t see the film when it first came out. It is for those people that this new COLLECTOR’S EDITION is for, especially since this is the fourth time that the film has been released on DVD.
I am not one of the people who love REPO MAN, but it remains a unique, cult film from my youth. Plus, it is the sort of obscure science fiction film that they don’t make anymore, and that makes it worth seeing, at least once.
The REPO MAN – COLLECTOR’S EDITION is now available at your favourite local video store along with GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, DEAD POET’S SOCIETY, THE ARISTOCRATS and FLIGHTPLAN.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I’ll talk about Tim Burton’s completely enjoyable stop-motion animation film CORPSE BRIDE; the third season of the TV show KNIGHT RIDER and I tell you what the name Alan Smithee means in the movie world as it relates to the EXTENDED EDITION of the 1984 movie DUNE.
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 – January 17th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes a LORD OF WAR and we’ll say GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, once again.
In this day and age of constant coverage of every film that comes out, I always like it when a movie comes out and doesn’t get very much publicity.
For the filmmakers that usually means the movie doesn’t do too well at the box office, but for me it sometimes affords the opportunity to watch a movie with no expectations.
And I like that.
I also liked Nicolas Cage’s new film LORD OF WAR, but more of my thoughts in a moment.
First, let me tell you what the movie is about.
Primarily LORD OF WAR is about Yuri Orlov. Yuri is a person who has always dreamt of a better life outside his Ukrainian village in New York.
Soon his dreams come true when he begins selling guns to local mobsters.
Through hard work and good fortune he eventually becomes one of the most successful arms dealers in the world.
One of Yuri’s most successful relationships is with an African warlord and his psychotic son.
Unfortunately, the relationships he has with his younger brother, his wife, and the federal agent who is determined to bring him down, aren’t as successful, or as lucrative, and he soon starts to confront the morality of his work.
LORD OF WAR only made about $25 million at the box office. By comparison the unwatchable remakes of BEWITCHED and HERBIE THE LOVE BUG each made over $60 million.
But no matter how much money it did, or didn’t make, it is a film worth seeing.
Nicolas Cage’s performance is perfect and the movie contains just the right number of anti-war sentiments, along with a good dose of humour.
You also get a crash course in international arms dealing, but that is beside the point.
LORD OF WAR is an interesting, underexposed film, and because I didn’t know too much about it before I pressed play, I enjoyed it and I think you will too!
Back in 1999 I enjoyed an underexposed film called AMERICAN PIE, about three friends who make a pact they hope to complete before graduation.
Two years later, I enjoyed AMERICAN PIE 2 a little bit less that the first one, and two years after that, I am not sure I even enjoyed AMERICAN PIE 3: AMERICAN WEDDING.
These are the type of films that get less interesting with each sequel as the original cast and crew depart for other work.
And now, some of the people who brought you AMERICAN PIE present BAND CAMP. In fact, the actual name of this movie is AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS BAND CAMP.
Sadly, the only people left this time around are Canadian comedic icon Eugene Levy, as Jim’s Dad, and the guy that played “The Sherminator”, and they only have supporting roles.
Instead, we get a whole new cast of kids, lead by Steve Stiffler’s brother Matt. Steve Stiffler was one of the characters from the first three films and he remains a great movie character.
The brother is just a pale imitation of the original, and so is this whole movie.
In the film Matt Stiffler is sentenced to a summer at Band Camp. He plans on taking it easy, and following in the path of his older brother, who is now making GIRLS GONE WILD-like videos, but once he arrives he finds out that he is expected to work hard and contribute.
Along the way, he falls in love, and he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time more than once.
The movie isn’t great, but it isn’t horrible either. If you liked the original three AMERICAN PIE films, or the PORKY’S movies, then you might enjoy the adult language and situations in AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS BAND CAMP. Otherwise, skip this one.
I doubt I will ever watch it again, but I am not disappointed I’ve seen it once.
Two films that I have seen more than once over the years are DEAD POET’S SOCIETY and GOOD MORNING VIETNAM.
Both of them star Robin Williams and both of them are now available as SPECIAL EDITION DVDs!
In DEAD POET’S SOCIETY Williams stars as English professor John Keating. He works hard to entertain and inspire his students to form a love of poetry, and more importantly to “seize the day.”
The SPECIAL EDITION DVD features a commentary by Director Peter Weir, a collection of uncut, deleted scenes, a look back at the making of the film and more.
DEAD POET’S SOCIETY remains a superb film seventeen years after it’s release, but if we are talking about superb Robin Williams films, and we are, that list will always feature GOOD MORNING VIETNAM at the top of it!
In that film Williams plays real life person Adrian Cronauer, an unorthodox and irreverent radio announcer who breathes life into the stale and stiff US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam.
He does the type of things on his show I would love to do!
The GOOD MORNING VIETNAM SPECIAL EDITION DVD includes a thirty-four minute production diary, six behind-the-scenes features, and the real Adrian Cronauer explains how he created the “Good Morning Vietnam” sign on.
There is also about thirteen minutes of raw Williams performance footage, from which many of the movie’s best comedic moments were taken.
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM remains one of my favourite movies of all time, and this SPECIAL EDITION is a great addition to my movie library.
It is available now at your favourite local video store along with the SPECIAL EDITION of DEAD POET’S SOCIETY, AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS BAND CAMP and the underrated, but very good film LORD OF WAR.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Jodie Foster returns to movies in the thriller FLIGHTPLAN; THE ARISTOCRATS features one hundred big name comedians telling the exact same joke, each in their own unique way; And the classic 1981 Albert Brooks comedy MODERN ROMANCE is being released on DVD for the very first time!
Plus, Al Pacino, Rene Russo and “The Sexiest Man Alive” Matthew McConaughey topline TWO FOR THE MONEY a film about bookies in the sports-gambling business.
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 – January 14th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report features a film that I don’t understand all the fuss over, and some films that I will fuss over.
I admit it.
I admit that from time to time there are movies that come out that are universally praised and loved, yet I can’t understand why.
Even if I have respect for the actors and the filmmakers, I am usually left wondering what all the fuss is about.
The last movie that left me feeling this way was Clint Eastwood’s MYSTIC RIVER, and now you can add THE CONSTANT GARDENER to that list.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t see what all the fuss is about regarding this film based on the best-selling John le Carr√à novel.
I respect the source material and I like the actors in the film, but as I watched THE CONSTANT GARDENER I was constantly waiting for something to happen.
And when something did happen, I just didn’t find it satisfying.
However, many other people who have seen the film did find it satisfying.
And I don’t understand why.
In the film Ralph Fiennes from THE ENGLISH PATIENT plays a stereotypically stiff British diplomat based in Africa who falls in love with the fiery Rachel Weisz from ABOUT A BOY.
He’s happy to turn a blind eye to the truths surrounding them, but she takes on the humanitarian plight of the Africans, sometimes at the expense of his career.
Then she and an African doctor she is rumoured to be having an affair with are murdered and Fiennes gets involved in the investigation.
He discovers corruption and that the Africans are being used by giant pharmaceutical companies as guinea pigs to test new drugs.
Eventually, his own life is in danger, and that all sounds interesting…right?
But man did I find the film boring!
Yes, the acting is excellent, and the film is well made, but I wasn’t involved in the story, and in the end I was left less than interested. Not bored, mind you, but close.
I don’t think THE CONSTANT GARDENER is a bad film, but I didn’t like it, and I am not sure why anyone else would either. I just don’t get it.
Read the book, skip the movie is what I suggest.
Now even though it was suggested to me by several people that I skip the thriller RED EYE, I didn’t, and even though it isn’t a quality film like THE CONSTANT GARDER, RED EYE is what I would describe as a “good rental.”
Rachel McAdams from WEDDING CRASHERS, THE NOTEBOOK and MEAN GIRLS is a woman who is kidnapped by a stranger on an airplane.
She is told that if she doesn’t help with the plot to assassinate the deputy secretary of Homeland Security her father will be killed in his home.
The kidnapper’s name is Jackson Rippner – ha ha ha – get it? Jack Ripper? Oh, that is inventive!
Not much else is as inventive as that in RED EYE, and that is hardly inventive at all, so how did I arrive at the conclusion that this is a “good rental”, you ask.
Well, first off, the lovely and talented Rachel McAdams is on the verge of becoming a major film actress, and she’s Canadian, so to see her in her early work will be interesting in the years to come.
Secondly, Cillian Murphy, the actor who plays Jackson Rippner, is just so creepy. And in this case, creepy is good!
And finally, even though you have to sit through more than an hour to get to it, the final 30 minutes are filled with some real cinematic tension.
No, I don’t think RED EYE should be at the top of anyone’s list as a movie that needs to be seen, but if everything else that you wanted to see is out, and you like thrillers, then RED EYE is a “good rental.”
I was hoping to proclaim the documentary GRIZZLY MAN to be better than just a “good rental”, but I am not even sure that it is that.
GRIZZLY MAN centers on amateur grizzly bear expert Timothy Treadwell who traveled to Alaska to study and live with the bears.
In October of 2003 Treadwell was killed by a bear, along with his girlfriend.
Filmmaker Werner Herzog was given access to over 100 hours of video shot by Treadwell during the latter portion of the 13 summers he spent in Alaska.
The film shows you the dreamer, the idealist, the failed actor, the recovered alcoholic, and the seemingly ungrounded man that Timothy Treadwell was.
What it doesn’t show you is a much of that footage that was shot with the bears.
Herzog keeps cutting away to people talking about Treadwell and his fate. A fate that one person says is “…what he deserved.”
Had it included more footage of the bears in their natural habitat, and Treadwell with them there with his passion and desire to protect them on full display, GRIZZLY MAN could have been a superb movie.
As it is the film is a mildly entertaining look at a man’s life, as told by others with only sporadic looks at what the man at the centre was trying to do.
I liked GRIZZLY MAN, but I was prepared to love it. The film let me down.
I also feel the film SERENITY let me down, but I may have let it down too.
Serenity is the movie that is based on the failed TV science-fiction show FIREFLY.
Both the TV show and movie are about the crew of a star ship freighter. Captain Reynolds and his motley crew make their living doing odd jobs out on the frontier, some of them not exactly legal.
They bicker and at times almost come to blows, frequently due to the fact that one of the character’s sister is wanted by the government after she was rescued from a top secret laboratory.
Even though I was told that I didn’t need to see the series to enjoy the film, I constantly felt as if I was missing part of the back-story.
That is where I failed SERENITY.
Where it failed me is the fact that it wasn’t as interesting as STAR TREK, STAR WARS, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or many of the other science fiction films that came before it.
No, you don’t have to be original to be good, but when you can’t be original, it is still important to be good.
I didn’t think SERENITY was good.
People who are fans of the series FIREFLY, and the movie SERENITY, are called Browncoats. For the record, my coat is black and I won’t be changing the colour anytime soon.
I also won’t be changing my allegiance to movies made about KING KONG anytime soon. Ever since I saw the 1976 remake of the film, I have been hooked. I have seen the original 1933 version and the 1976 update several times, and I must admit that I have also seen Peter Jackson’s new version…three times.
It is for people just like me that the new box set containing PETER JACKSON’S KING KONG PRODUCTION DIARIES has been released.
PRODUCTION DIARIES is an impressive 2-DVD set that gives us an inside look at the six-month production process of the newest film with 54 featurettes produced while the movie was still being filmed.
Nothing is off-limits and after you have seen both discs you will feel as if you know what goes on behind the scenes on a major motion picture set.
In addition to the DVDs the box set for KING KONG PETER JACKSON’S PRODUCTION DIARIES also has a 52-page production memoir and some art prints.
I enjoy the character of King Kong, I’ve enjoyed all of the films made about him, and I enjoyed the backstage look I got from PETER JACKSON’S PRODUCTION DIARIES. I also found out something I didn’t know…they are already making sequels!
KING KONG PETER JACKSON’S PRODUCTION DIARIES, SERENITY, GRIZZLY MAN, RED EYE and THE CONSTANT GARDENER are all available on DVD right now.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Nicolas Cage is an arms dealer in LORD OF WAR who confronts the morality of his work.
Al Pacino, Rene Russo and “The Sexiest Man Alive” Matthew McConaughey topline TWO FOR THE MONEY a film about bookies in the sports-gambling business.
Some of the people who brought you the AMERICAN PIE films present a sequel of sorts called BAND CAMP.
And I will tell you about the SPECIAL EDITIONS of two classic Robin Williams films DEAD POET’S SOCIETY and GOOD MORNING VIETNAM.
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 – January 9th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report features movies that I have only seen in theatres.
Most weeks here on The Couch Potato Report I speak about films that I have watched at home on DVD.
This week, I haven’t watched any of the films I will speak about at home. I saw them all in movie theatres.
I will watch all of this week’s releases at home eventually – no matter what I thought of them in theatres – because I want to see them all again.
But over the past few weeks I was on vacation visiting friends and meeting my girlfriend’s family for the first time, so there wasn’t any extra time to watch movies.
Thus, this week, let me talk with you about this week’s new DVD releases as they were seen in theatres.
Up first is the summer comedy blockbuster WEDDING CRASHERS.
In WEDDING CRASHERS Vince Vaughn from OLD SCHOOL and Owen Wilson from MEET THE PARENTS are a pair of womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of women who’s inhibitions might be lowered due to the romantic feelings in the air.
Trouble arises for the duo’s lifestyle when one of them actually falls in love at a wedding.
WEDDING CRASHERS is one of my favourite films of 2005 and that is primarily due to the fact that Vaughn and Wilson have such great chemistry as friends.
Plus, the supporting cast that includes Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour and Rachel McAdams are all perfect.
If you like to laugh, this is a film for you!
I wanted to see WEDDING CRASHERS from the moment I saw the trailer and now that it is out on DVD I want to see it again.
I am also looking forward to seeing BROKEN FLOWERS again.
Bill Murray from LOST IN TRANSLATION stars as a long-time bachelor who receives a letter telling him he has an unknown son who might be looking for him.
He doesn’t seem interested at first but he is urged to investigate this mystery by his neighbour, a man who is an amateur detective.
So Murray travels across America to visit four former lovers to see if they can shed any light on the mysterious letters.
Those lovers are played by Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Sharon Stone.
Unlike WEDDING CRASHERS, BROKEN FLOWERS isn’t for everyone. It is too slow moving and sad for a mass audience, yet it is exceptionally well acted, written and directed, but at times it is also a very funny film.
That humour primarily comes from Bill Murray’s incredibly expressive face and his expressions of disgruntled cynicism and irony.
Ultimately I would call BROKEN FLOWERS a film for people who like small films that allow you the chance to draw your own conclusions. Conclusions about the people in the film and the movie’s resolution.
It isn’t a masterpiece, but it is very interesting.
The suspense thriller DARK WATER isn’t a masterpiece either, and from what I remember when I saw it in a theatre a few months ago, it isn’t even very entertaining, but for some reason I still want to watch it again.
That might be due to the fact that I am a fan of Jennifer Connelly from A BEAUTIFUL MIND, but it could also be due to the fact that there is no way the movie can be as bad as I remember.
In DARK WATER Connelly is a woman who is going through a messy custody battle with her husband over their daughter.
Since they don’t have much money they move into the only apartment they can afford – a dark, depressing place, with water leaks in the ceiling.
Before long, scary things begin to happen and the daughter has seemingly made an imaginary friend – one who tells her mysterious things about her mother.
Much like THE RING and THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER is a remake of a Japanese film.
But where the original was, well, original*and interesting, this remake is not. It is all build up, build up, build up, leading to an incredibly unsatisfying resolution.
Yet I still want to see DARK WATER again. I remember it as unsatisfying, but maybe with lower expectations it will be more enjoyable a second time.
I doubt it, but I remain optimistic.
I’ve only seen them so far in theatres, but if you missed them on the big screen, DARK WATER, BROKEN FLOWERS and WEDDING CRASHERS are all available on DVD right now.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Ralph Fiennes is a widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife’s murder in THE CONSTANT GARDNER.
In RED EYE Rachel McAdams from WEDDING CRASHERS is kidnapped by a stranger on an airplane and threatened by the potential murder of her father.
The documentary GRIZZLY MAN is about two grizzly bear activists who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.
And the TV show FIREFLY becomes the movie SERENITY.
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!