Beavis and Butt-head - More details for Volume 2

When Beavis and Butt-Head first appeared on MTV more than a decade ago, critics dismissed them as brainless couch potatoes who did nothing but watch TV and make lewd jokes about bodily functions. Today we know they were ahead of their time. Beavis and Butt-Head's unique idiocy profoundly changed television, movies, pop culture and the world. This historic box set, personally edited by creator Mike Judge, includes their finest episodes, specials, promos and guest appearances that so enriched a grateful and stupid nation. Creator, Mike Judge has chosen his next set of favorite episodes & music videos for this collector's edition box set.

Paramount and MTV have released more information on the second volume of Beavis and Butt-Head, featuring 40 cartoons (226 mins) selected by Mike Judge. Here's what we can expect:

Music Videos:
Beastie Boys: Sabotage
Seaweed: Kid Candy
Pantera: I'm Broken
Mercyful Fate: The Bellwitch
Compulsion: Delivery
Madonna: Secret
Six Finger Satellite: Parlour Games
Pizzicato 5: Twiggy, Twiggy
Rush: Stick It Out
Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees
Extreme: Hole-Hearted
Helium: Pat's Trick
MC 900 Ft. Jesus: If I Only Had A Brain
Taint of Greatness: The Journey of Beavis & Butt-Head, Part 2
Butt-Bowl '94
Butt-Bowl '95
Butt-Bowl '96
MTV 20th Anniversary Special
Calvin Klein Ad Parodies
Moron-a-thon Clips
Unaired I Love the 90's Segment
Beavis and Butt-Head Promos
Montages
Previews

The set goes on sale June 6.

"Brokeback" DVD ride set for April 4

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Brokeback Mountain," which stunningly lost the best picture Academy Award this month to "Crash," is being rushed out on DVD in two weeks to capitalize on Oscar buzz, its distributor said Monday.

The gay-cowboy romance will be available on April 4, according to Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The release is notable, not only because the film is still playing in theaters, but because there is usually a six-week window between the announcement and the street date. Observers say the narrowing gap reflects the growing clout of mass merchants over video specialists.

"You don't need six weeks to sell to Wal-Mart," said one insider.

"Brokeback" is the latest in a series of high-profile films with drastically shortened DVD solicitation periods. While the March 28 release date for "King Kong" had been speculated on by the media since early February, Universal didn't officially announce the Peter Jackson remake until the second week in March. Similarly, 20th Century Fox waited until mid-February to announce the February 28 release of "Walk the Line."

The "Brokeback Mountain" DVD boasts a documentary in which stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal discuss their preparations for the film, such as training for a rodeo and for wrangling. There's also a profile on Ang Lee, who won the best director Oscar for "Brokeback," as well as interviews with Oscar-winning scribes Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana as they discuss bringing Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx's short story to the screen.

Music DVDs see growth spurt, data show

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The music DVD business grew at a higher rate in 2005 than the DVD business overall, according to sales data issued Tuesday.

Excluding CD-DVD combos, suppliers last year sold 21.4 million music DVDs, up from 20.6 million in 2004, according to Nielsen Entertainment research presented at the second annual Music DVD Awards. That translates to nearly 4% growth compared with growth of less than 1% for the DVD business overall.

Even so, music DVDs account for just 2.7% of total music transactions recorded in 2005, the first year the total number of transactions topped 1 billion. CDs still account for the vast majority of music purchases, Nielsen research shows, with 61.7%, followed by digital tracks at 35.2%.

Among retailers, mass merchants are in the lead when it comes to music DVD sales, enjoying 7% growth in 2005. Also on the upswing is the DualDisc, a hybrid that consists of a bonded disc with CD content on one side and DVD content on the other. Nielsen research shows that since the format's official bow in February 2005, 9.7 million DualDiscs have been snapped up by consumers, or 15% of total music sales.

During the conference, produced by trade publication Home Media Retailing in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter, DEG: the Digital Entertainment Group and the Video Software Dealers Assn., panelists discussed ways to grow the market while realizing music DVDs always will be a niche business.

Music DVDs can serve as a strong branding opportunity for an artist or group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment senior vp sales Harry Safter said. His company's release of a Los Lonely Boys DVD served as a bridge between two album releases, keeping interest and visibility high for the Texas-based country-rock group.

Labels primarily consider DualDisc an audio product, and they aren't abandoning the practice of releasing double-disc sets that include a DVD and CD separately. "The days of a single-format world are over," said Bill Sondheim, executive vp at DualDisc Worldwide for Sony BMG.

Also possibly on the horizon are more window-like strategies for music DVDs and the music market as a whole, panelists said.

The ideal window strategy for a music DVD would be to time it with an artist's new album release and tour, offering a digital-cinema blast around the street date and then have a TV airing, said Steve Sterling, senior vp programming and production at Live Nation, formerly Clear Channel Entertainment Home Video.

"If I could schedule that every time, I'd feel good about spending $1 million-$2 million on a release," he said. "But it's still art we are dealing with here, and it's very hard to put art in a bottle, let alone on a schedule."

How to monetize all the opportunities that the Internet and digital delivery can offer is a key issue the business must start addressing to keep up with the consumer, panelists said. Music DVDs need more and better marketing to draw in the core fans and broaden the awareness of product as it hits the streets.

Earl Hickey, Meet Stewie Griffin

LOS ANGELES -- Imagine for a moment a TV world in which Earl Hickey, after winning his $100,000 and getting run over by a car, doesn't see Carson Daly talking about karma from his hospital bed.

Imagine, instead, that he instead took a life lesson from ... Stewie Griffin.

Or, save yourself some imaginative effort and just wait until the first season of "My Name Is Earl" is released on DVD sometime later this year. Because then you'll find out.

Greg Garcia, creator of the hit NBC comedy, unveiled plans for the show's first-season DVD set Tuesday night (March 7) to the audience at the Museum of Television & Radio's annual Paley Festival. He says it should be released before the show's second season begins in the fall, and it will contain a fair number of bells and whistles including commentary tracks and selections from "hours and hours" of gag-reel footage cast and crew have accumulated this year.

"We're actually doing 15-minute mini-episode [that asks] what if Earl [Jason Lee] passed by Carson Daly and landed on Stewie from 'Family Guy,'" Garcia says. Garcia is a former producer on "Family Guy," and both it and "Earl" are produced by 20th Century Fox TV.

Lee and Garcia also discussed the origins of television's most famous facial hair since the heyday of "Magnum, P.I." Garcia says that NBC initially was hesitant about having a mustachioed Earl, "but Jason said, 'Trust me, I look funny with facial hair.'"

The network did, however, convince Lee to trim the 'stache back a little bit. "I originally went for a fu manchu, but NBC said no. I guess it made me look a little bit too trashy," he says. "So we sort of shaved off the chu and left the fu man."

"My Name Is Earl" is in the homestretch of production for this season, with three episodes and part of a fourth left to shoot. Garcia says in the season finale, we'll find out the No. 1 item on Earl's karmic to-do list, which was the misdeed he performed just before he won the lottery.

Other upcoming episodes include two that were screened for the audience Tuesday: one in which Earl and Randy (Ethan Suplee) try to make up for all the bad Mother's Days they've given their mom (Nancy Linehan and Beau Bridges reprise their roles as Earl's parents) and a flashback-heavy episode that shows how Earl, Randy, Joy (Jaime Pressly) and Darnell (Eddie Steeples) lived through Y2K.

New, improved on DVD, "Network" hasn't aged a day

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "I think I'd like to be an angry prophet denouncing the hypocrisies of our time," fallen news anchor Howard Beale tells co-workers in the opening minutes of Paddy Chayefsky's masterpiece "Network."

Writer Chayefsky, equally mad as hell, used his black comedy about a raggedy fourth TV network to denounce the hypocrisies of 1976 and warn of media evils to come.

Like his creation Sybil the Soothsayer, "Paddy was capable of seeing the future," director Sidney Lumet says. Chayefsky warned of entertainment masquerading as news, corporate meddling, violent reality shows, the tyranny of ratings, foreign ownership of U.S. media -- essentially the strip-mining of what already was a vast wasteland.

"The vision that the movie displayed so eloquently is alive today," producer Howard Gottfried maintains. Adds Lumet, "TV today has become its own satire."

Warner Bros. has released "Network" in a double-disc set that's tagged "Still mad as hell after 30 years." Disc 1 includes a sober but quite good commentary from Lumet, who focuses on who won what Oscar, why he rehearses actors and the thinking behind the "Network" lighting scheme, in which "even the camera is corrupted" as the movie descends into anarchy.

The extra features leadoff is a making-of by DVD documentary specialist Laurent Bouzereau. It includes chapters on the late Chayefsky, the "mad as hell" phenomenon and the film's powerhouse actors. The docus cover a lot of material and get the job done, but don't expect much of that loopy "Network" spirit.

Also on Disc 2, Chayefsky ponders "Network" on a segment of the talk show "Dinah!" And there's an hour-long Lumet retrospective from 2005, when he received an honorary Oscar, partly to atone for oversights that included losing the best director award (for "Network") to John Avildsen for "Rocky."

"THE DEATH HOUR." A GREAT SUNDAY NIGHT SHOW FOR THE WHOLE

FAMILY.

Aside from "Network's" on-air killing of a TV personality -- "because he had lousy ratings" -- all of its outrageous events happened in real life, Lumet points out.

"Network" anchorman Beale (Peter Finch) starts his wild ride by threatening to kill himself on camera. Crazy talk, but it mirrored headlines of the time. In 1974, as Chayefsky was writing "Network," a Florida TV personality shot herself to death on a morning show, saying it was "in keeping with (the) policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts." In the world of "Network," an on-air suicide was good for "a 50 share, easily."

The home video hit "Faces of Death" followed "Network" by two years, launching an above-ground snuff franchise. "Cops," "The Morton Downey Jr. Show" and Howard Stern were in the wings.

Today, death and violence -- real and imagined -- do brisk business in all media. News divisions draw and redraw the line between electronic journalism and morbid pandering. Freeway chases don't always end with surrenders and handcuffs, a percentage play that keeps viewers tuning in at 10 and 11. Local TV news "is as corrupt as anything I've ever seen," Lumet charges.

As for death in primetime, the director says: "On one of the reality shows it'll happen. There will be a real death. And it'll be shown to you, I promise."

Ratings are money, Chayefsky said in 1976. "If you follow the desire to get ratings . . . we will pursue this right into 'Coliseum '77' -- in which we will throw Christians to the lions every Saturday night."

The message of "Network," he said, was, "When do we say 'Hold it!' A human life is a hell of a lot more important than your lousy dollar."

Star Faye Dunaway reflects: "The reason ('Network') was so funny was because it was so outrageous. You're thinking, 'C'mon, nobody's going to kill somebody on television, are they?' And now we sort of think, yeah, we think so."

THE NEWS DIVISION WILL BE REDUCED FROM AN INDEPENDENT

DIVISION TO A DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTABLE TO NETWORK.

Walter Cronkite, who worked with Lumet on the historical re-enactment series "You Are There," recalls CBS news staffers' reactions to "Network": "I understand it was supposed to be a combination of drama and comedy, but to us it was all comedy -- it was so overdrawn. . . . We howled with laughter."

Chayefsky talked extensively with NBC's John Chancellor but otherwise relied on his own adventures in live television. Cronkite says accusations that Chayefsky and Lumet were turning on the medium that made them were just "sour grapes from some who were envious." Adds Lumet: "We didn't leave TV. It left us."

Of ratings demands on network news, Cronkite says, "It is a fact that the pressure is there" to entertain. But taken too far, "The newspeople would revolt, pressure and maybe quit." As they did in "Network." Sort of.

Cronkite, whose daughter Kathy played the film's Patty Hearst lookalike, says the film's legacy is "it waved a banner of warning to the TV industry that it better not let things do as far as it did on that (UBS) network."

ALL I WANT OUT OF LIFE IS A 30 SHARE AND A 20 RATING.

Faye Dunaway's portrayal of lone-wolf programming VP Diana Christensen won her the best actress Oscar -- and it is her top-billed performance that gets the most attention in the DVD extras.

Diana, "who learned life from Bugs Bunny," stalks the sagging UBS network's news division, eventually hijacking its madman anchor for her evening news carnival. The ratings potential of her show "The Mao Tse-Tung Hour," featuring the criminal exploits of black radicals, brings the slinky executive to orgasm. She beds the everyman news chief (William Holden), stealing him from his wife and then stealing his division.

The part "wasn't easy to say yes to," Dunaway says. "I was advised not to do it. Because, you know, she didn't have a soul. She was a TV baby. There was a vacantness behind those eyes. People were afraid I'd be thought of that way."

Theater veterans Dunaway and Finch helped Holden adjust to Lumet's drawn-out rehearsals, a new one on the longtime film star. Dunaway says rehearsals "always struck me as insane not to do" on films.

SHE GETS THE WINTER PASSION; I GET THE DOTAGE.

Three "Network" players won Academy Awards: Dunaway, Finch (posthumously) and Beatrice Straight. There were five acting nominations in all, making the cast the most honored in Oscar history.

Straight, a stage actress, took home the supporting actress gold for one five-minute scene, in which Holden's newsman tells his wife of 25 years he's in love with the beautiful young programming exec. Her reply, in a heartbreaking monologue, contains some of Chayefsky's finest writing. Lumet says he deliberately exhausted the actress by making her do repeated takes, then captured this amazing scene.

Ned Beatty, who played a corporate chieftain, likewise was nominated for a single scene in which he uses the voice of doom to warn Beale that he's "meddled with the primal forces of nature." Beatty, who mimicked his hometown holy roller for the tirade, describes himself as just "a day player" on the film.

"Network" couldn't beat "Rocky" in the best picture race, a loss that Chayefsky took hard. "I think it's a hell of a film," he told Dinah Shore.

VIDEO DIFFICULTIES ARE TEMPORARY -- PLEASE DO NOT ADJUST

YOUR SET.

The new! improved! "Network" DVD smokes Warner's bare-bones versions of 1998 and 2000. Images are suitably colorful and handsome for a '70s film, though the presentation suffers from some speckling and unwelcome grain. The stereo Dolby Digital seems challenged by the audio's occasional spikes, lessening their intended impact. The aspect ratio is 2.35:1; the video employs the enhancement for widescreen monitors.

Woody serves up Match Point

A serious departure for Woody Allen in virtually every respect, Match Point still bares the soul of its director from start to finish. Dreamworks will unveil the story of luck and disaster on DVD this spring.

A one-time tennis pro, Chris Wilton (was used to falling just short in his life. But when he befriends Tom Hewett (and marries his sister, Chloe), the doors are opened to the kind of money and success that Chris had once only dreamed of. Chris should have settled for happiness, but he is torn by his attraction to Tom’s impossibly beautiful and sensual fiance, Nola. The attraction turns to an obsession that forces Chris to make a critical choice. Now everything in his life hinges on if Chris falls short again…and whether or not his luck runs out.

The DVD like all Allen films will be in mono only, but with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. No supplements appear to be included.

The DVD arrives on April 25th with a $29.98 suggested retail price.

DVDs: Oscar special

Sunday is Oscar's golden moment so it is no surprise that a slew of Oscar-nominated films are coming to DVD.

One crucial factor is that most of the 2006 Academy Award nomination leaders are art films and/or edgier material, not mainstream studio blockbusters. So they need awards to fuel their financial success, in theatres and on DVD.

Of the 35 films that received at least one Oscar nomination in the feature categories for 2005, 12 have already been released and the rest are pending.

Here are the titles that are available:

WALK THE LINE

Out on DVD tomorrow. James Mangold's stirring biopic of legendary country music couple Johnny Cash and June Carter earned five Oscar noms but missed out in the best picture category. Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are acting contenders, with Witherspoon cited as the likely best actress winner. Both actors are excellent dramatically and -- because their vocal stylings invoke the originals -- ace the singing, too.

The DVD is available in the basic one-disc release, in separate full and widescreen editions. It has Mangold's excellent, thoughtful commentary plus 10 deleted scenes with optional commentaries.

Better is the widescreen-only, two-disc Collector's Edition that, in addition to five souvenir postcards, has the same first disc plus a second disc of first-rate bonus materials. There are extended versions of three songs, with Cocaine Blues the star entry. Strong featurettes background Cash & Carter, focus on the upheavals of 1968 as the year of crisis and redemption for Cash and explain how Mangold struggled for a decade to make this film.

The crucial thing missing is live performances by Cash & Carter. For that, and a lot of religion, turn to tomorrow's widescreen DVD release of Gospel Road: A Story Of Jesus (1973), in which Cash talks/sings through a docu-drama about the life of Jesus, with Carter as Mary Magdalene. It is crudely done but heartfelt.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Out tomorrow as well. Joe Wright's lovely reworking of Jane Austen's classic novel earned four nominations, key among them Keira Knightley as best actress. The DVD is available in separate full and widescreen editions that boast good extras.

Wright's droll commentary is articulate, as is his participation in the four featurettes which delve into the history of Austen and the making of the film. The highlight is listening to Donald Sutherland wax poetic about Knightley, whom he adores and respects, and watching Brenda Blethyn with her bubbly brood of girls on set.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Out on DVD March 14. George Clooney's sly second film as a director is less a conventional narrative and more of a poetic mood piece about a political era: The upheavals of Joe McCarthy's Communist witchhunts of the 1950s. It earned six noms -- including best picture, Clooney as best director and the wonderfully subtle David Strathairn, who plays crusading TV journalist Edward R. Murrow, as best actor.

The widescreen DVD will feature a sometimes funny, even silly, but often useful commentary shared by Clooney and co-writer/co-star Grant Heslov. The DVD is good but this is a title that demands more, perhaps even a civics lesson. A special edition DVD would be welcome.

CAPOTE

Out on DVD March 21. Bennett Miller shocked Hollywood with the subtle yet explosive quality of his biopic about colourful writer Truman Capote and his controversial research for In Cold Blood. The film earned five noms, including as best picture and Philip Seymour Hoffman as best actor. Hoffman is the front-runner for not merely his mimicry of Capote's high-pitched voice but his embodiment of Capote's tragic internal conflicts.

The widescreen DVD will contain a lineup of excellent extras, none of them hype and all created with the same clear-minded care as the film. Among insights, Miller says of casting Hoffman: "It was a huge risk for Phil to take. The possibility of profound humiliation is always there."

CRASH

On DVD since Sept. 6 last year; a special edition due April 4. Paul Haggis, who was born in London, Ont., leapt into the public eye by writing Million Dollar Baby. Now his remarkable L.A. race drama has six noms, including as best picture, with Haggis named as best director and for best original screenplay (shared with Bobby Moresco).

The original DVD, available in full or widescreen, has a commentary shared by Haggis, Moresco and Don Cheadle, as well as a punchy featurette on the making of the film and its ambition to illuminate the race struggle. "This is a passion piece," Haggis says. That is why the special edition due in April is appropriate. Even more is a good thing.

OSCAR'S DVD LIST

Release dates for selected Oscar nominees:

Crash: Sept. 06, 2005
Batman Begins: Oct. 18, 2005
Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge Of the Sith: Nov. 1, 2005
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory: Nov. 8, 2005
War Of The Worlds: Nov. 22, 2005
Cinderella Man: Dec. 6, 2005
The Constant Gardener: Jan. 10
Hustle & Flow: Jan. 10
Junebug: Jan. 17
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: Jan. 31
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit: Feb. 7
North Country: Feb. 21
Walk The Line: Feb. 28
Pride & Prejudice: Feb. 28
Howl's Moving Castle: March 7
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire: March 7
Good Night, And Good Luck: March 14
A History Of Violence: March 14
Capote: March 21
The Squid And The Whale: March 21
Memoirs Of A Geisha: March 28
King Kong: March 28
Brokeback Mountain: April 4
Crash: April 4 (Special Edition)
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe: April 4
Munich: TBA
Match Point: TBA
Syriana: TBA
Mrs. Henderson Presents:TBA
Transamerica: TBA
The New World: TBA

The Couch Potato Report - February 21st, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report includes two releases that I don't really have an opinion on.

Each week I sit here and give you my thoughts, musings and opinions on new video and DVD releases.

Whether it is a release I loved - like DOCTOR WHO - or one I hated - such as WAITING - I usually have an opinion.

This week I don't.

Over the past seven days I watched the film NORTH COUNTRY and the first season of the TV show GREY'S ANATOMY, but neither release moved me enough to have an opinion about it.

I didn't like them, I didn't hate them. I didn't enjoy them, I didn't not enjoy them.

Wait, was that a double negative? Well, if there is a double negative in my thoughts, at least there isn't a double negative regarding this week's two releases.

No negatives, no positives, just some thoughts. So let me get to them.

I'll start with NORTH COUNTRY.

This film is "based on real life events" that took place in the late seventies and eighties at a mine in Minnesota state.

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron from MONSTER stars as a woman who goes to work in the mine, to the dismay of her male co-workers.

Theron only wants the job because she has two children to feed after leaving her husband and the mine will pay six times what she was making elsewhere.

From her first day on the job she learns that she isn't wanted. Even the human resources manager tells her and her female counterparts that he doesn't want them there and if it wasn't for the Supreme Court, he wouldn't have hired them.

But NORTH COUNTRY is only partially about the hardships that Theron and her co-working women face in the mine. It is also about the first class action sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed against the mine in the early 1990's.

A case of which the outcome is clearly revealed on the film's packaging, an outcome I am not going to give you.

The women in NORTH COUNTRY's story are threatened, attacked, degraded and made to feel like second-class citizens.

While watching the movie I felt sorry for them, and I felt saddened that they had to put up with this abuse just because they wanted to earn a living.

But once you know the outcome of the lawsuit, there is no drama in the film. The middle of the film, the "how do they get from the mine to the conclusion" has little to offer as a movie, and by the end of the two hour plus running time I was indifferent.

It is a very positive thing that these real life women fought back against their oppressors. Everyone should do that! The fictionalized movie named NORTH COUNTRY that tries to tell their story is neither positive nor negative.

It isn't good enough to recommend it and it isn't bad enough for me to tell you to ignore it.

Charlize Theron may have received an Oscar nomination for her work, but the movie she is in just didn't move me enough to have any feelings about it whatsoever.

And neither did the first season of the medical ensemble drama GREY'S ANATOMY.

The second season of this show airs on TV Sunday nights and last week the show was the fourth highest watched program in North America.

Now, GREY'S ANATOMY - SEASON ONE is available on DVD.

GREY'S ANATOMY is a one-hour drama that is primarily about five young and very competitive surgical interns at a fictional hospital in Seattle.

The doctors all juggle romance - in and out of work - and try to remain friends while they simultaneously try to grab the best cases and perform surgeries.

I never got in to the show when it first debuted, and I don't watch GREY'S ANATOMY now, but I did sit down and watch all nine of the episodes on this new 2-DVD set.

As I was watching them I started to think of the medical dramas that I have enjoyed over the years from ST. ELSEWHERE to SCRUBS, and while I didn't feel that GREY'S ANATOMY was in the same league as those shows, I had no problems watching all 9 of the episodes, and the DVD's extra features.

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, and I didn't try and figure out how the show is doing so well in the ratings.

I watched it, it ended, yet I don't have an opinion about it.

Of course, I suppose the fact that I don't have an opinion on GREY'S ANATOMY or NORTH COUNTRY can be taken as a negative review since if I liked them I would just say I liked them.

However, I didn't like them, and I didn't dislike them.

I watched them, and they are over.

And now both NORTH COUNTRY and GREY'S ANATOMY - SEASON ONE are available at a store near you for you to watch and see if you can form an opinion about them.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

The superb WALK THE LINE is a cinematic look at the early years in the life of Johnny Cash.

Jane Austen's book PRIDE & PREJUDICE is given a youthful update with Oscar nominee Keira Knightley leading the cast.

And it is time to celebrate the 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Walt Disney's masterpiece LADY & THE TRAMP.

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!

Napoleon Dynamite gets the Special Edition treatment

Scheduled for release in May, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has just unveiled plans for Napoleon Dynamite - Like The Best Special Edition Ever!
“Napoleon Dynamite” is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight red 'fro, sweet moon boots, and skills that can’t be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his brother, Kip, and avoiding his scheming Uncle Rico. When two new friends enter Napoleon's life - shy Deb and mustachioed Pedro - the trio launches a campaign to elect Pedro for class president and make the student body's wildest dreams come true. But if Pedro is to beat by stuck-up Summer, Napoleon will have to unleash his secret weapon...

This 2-disc Special Edition will contain an anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film complete with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, as well as Dolby surround tracks in English, French and Spanish. Additionally, the release will contain a Commentary Track featuring Jon Heder, director Jared Hess and producer Jeremy Coon.

A selection of Deleted Scenes will be included, complemented by optional commentary, as well as a Photo Gallery.

On the second disc of the release you will find The Short Film “Peluca” complete with a commentary track, as well as a Featurette called “The Wedding Of The Century!” “The Real Napoleon Dynamite” is another Featurette found on the release, as well as a “Behind-the-scenes” featurette. Then there will be the MTV Interstitials as well as Outtakes from these interstitials, as well as Interstitial Raw Tapes.

Last but not least, you will get to see “Napoleon Sightings,” a selection of “Napoleon Dynamite” Interstitials and Clips including the ESPN clip – “2005 Scripps National Spelling Bee”, clips from TRL, clips from the MTV Movie Awards, the opening of SNL with Jon Heder, Cartoon Network-Napoleon Bonomite, the 2004 Teen Choice Awards-Napoleon Dynamite & Nicole Richie Playing Tetherball, the 2005 Teen Choice Awards-Hissy Fit Award, new outtakes and deleted scenes, sweet Jumps-Nap on the bike outtakes, Lord of the Dance-freestyle dance of Napoleon filmed during Peluca and Chugger - alternate scenes of chugging sports drink.

“Napoleon Dynamite - Like The Best Special Edition Ever!” will be in stores on May 16 and carry a $26.98 suggested retail price.

Doctor Who - Canadian Release Of 2005 Show Delayed?!?!

The 2005 version of Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor, was delayed in the USA until the 4th of July holiday, due to the SciFi Channel's pick-up of the show for broadcast in the USA on the popular cable network.

The Canadian release, as of last week, was still on track for its long-planned February 14th release.

Even though Amazon.ca's website now states "Usually ships within 24 hours." there are some internet rumours that the streetdate is now March 7th.

I have ordered it from Amazon.ca and in my account information it states: "Delivery estimate: Feb 21 2006 - Feb 23 2006."

I can't get any real confirmation on this, but if it is delayed until March, it is still coming out four months ahead of the south-of-the-border DVD release!

Cash dividend: 3 "Line" DVDs arriving February 28

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hoping to ride on the Oscar buzz for "Walk the Line," 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is rushing the Johnny Cash biopic to DVD in three versions February 28.

"Line" is up for five Oscars, including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix, who portrays the Man in Black, and best actress for Reese Witherspoon, who plays his wife and musical partner, June Carter.

Consumers can choose from a single-disc widescreen edition, a single-disc full-screen edition and a two-disc special edition packed with extras.

All three versions come with a commentary by director James Mangold and 10 deleted scenes.

The two-disc edition also comes with three extended musical sequences, three featurettes and collectible postcards.

The film won three Golden Globe Awards last month, for Phoenix and Witherspoon and as best picture in the musical/comedy category.

"Baywatch" washing up on DVD

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Beach-and-babes TV series "Baywatch" is finally headed to DVD.

A late-summer best-of set, with episodes chosen by star Pamela Anderson, will be the initial release, followed by complete series sets.

"Baywatch," which aired from 1989-2001, is again making headlines, with a big-budget movie in the works from director Eli Roth ("Hostel," "Cabin Fever").

The series gained fame for its look at the Southern California beach lifestyle as seen through the eyes of a team of sexy lifeguards.

Armstrong Recalls 'Moonlighting' Days

Curtis Armstrong had an atypical introduction to film and television work.
"I was spoiled going into movies, because my first movie was 'Risky Business' and I was spoiled for television by 'Moonlighting,'" says the veteran character actor.

Armstrong arrived on "Moonlighting" early in its third season, a transitional moment for the private investigator comedy. The show had just received 16 Emmy nominations, including a somewhat peculiar outstanding drama series nod.

"Once 'Moonlighting' had established its reputation for being clever and flip and self-referential, that's what everybody was looking for and at the same time everyone's looking for that, maybe the leads are saying, 'You know, we've done a pie fight and we've done drag. Now I would like to do something that gives me a little exercise.'" Armstrong says.

Introduced as an unwilling love interest for Allyce Beasley's Agnes, Armstrong's Herbert Viola initially provided an awkward, bumbling injection of humor, allowing stars Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd to concentrate on their emotions.

"As much as it may have pleased Bruce to do serious dramatic stretches on that show, it may not have been what the audience particularly wanted," explains Armstrong. "They might have liked the flip, crazy David Addison of the old days, so they needed somebody to dress up as a woman and pop out of a cake and that was me."

The show's third season, premiering on DVD on Tuesday (Feb. 7), had only 15 episodes. Amidst that truncated schedule came classics like "Atomic Shakespeare," the show's take-off on "Taming of the Shrew."

"They wrote the script, which was so clever, and they had these fabulous costumes ... and then we went to shoot at the Court of Miracles at the backlot of Universal and, for me, this was the biggest thrill of my life, because I had grown up loving the old Universal horror movies and the Universal Sherlock Holmes movies, which all took place on that set," Armstrong recalls.

That season also featured "The Straight Poop," a behind-the-scenes exploration of the animosity between Willis' Dave Addison and Shepherd's Maddie Hayes, which parodied tabloid rumors surrounding the real on-set antics.

"Because of the tensions around the set there were different camps and you had to avoid being in any of the camps -- and I'm not just talking about two camps, there were other camps," Armstrong says. "They were dancing around this Maypole of weirdness and stress."

Armstrong only recently revisited his "Moonlighting" experience, screening an episode for his daughter.

"It was enough to live it and I've never really been compelled to relive it," he laughs.

Armstrong has found Europeans associate him with "Moonlighting," while Americans recognize his familiar face from films like "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Better Off Dead." Armstrong has never had a problem being approached by fans, even ones calling him "Booger."

"The way I look at is, if you're an actor and you have one role in a career that people remember with affection and write you letters about and stop you in the street, then you're damned lucky. To have more than one is an incredible blessing."

PHASE OF THE 'MOON'

Twenty years after it debuted, "Moonlighting" is still a constant presence for stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis and show creator Glenn Gordon Caron.

Shepherd and Willis, who shot to fame on "Moonlighting," famously had their ups and downs — with their own lives and with each other — during the show's storied run.

The third season of "Moonlighting," which some consider the show's best — and a season fraught with interruptions, delays and agita on the part of ABC execs — is being released Tuesday on DVD (Lion's Gate).

"I think we'd be fine working together," Shepherd says. "People sure want Bruce and I to work together again. They want the 'Moonlighting' reunion, obviously, but Glenn doesn't know how to do it.

"He feels like we shouldn't revisit it because we did it so well. Just leave it in the past," Shepherd says.

Tuesday's DVD release reminds everyone of one of the most tumultuous, nerve-wracking, controversial and exciting seasons for any show in TV history.

"I do have a diary that I kept," says Shepherd. "I dictated it into a cassette recorder. And I wouldn't want that published."

Everyone knows about the on-set fighting, the delayed scripts, the weeks between original episodes and the prints — delivered to ABC so late the nights they aired, the network saw the new episodes the same time as America.

And, in the midst of it all, Shepherd gave birth to twins.

"Oh, how in the world did I do that?" laughs Shepherd, just back from Sundance with her new movie "Open Window." "I really don't know how."

The show only produced 15 episodes in that third season, thanks to that pregnancy, a skiing accident with Willis and the lengthy delays as Caron crafted scripts. But the results were legendary.

One episode began with a Movietone newsreel story about the lack of episodes. Another episode — a stop-gap clip job — featured gossip queen Rona Barrett on the set talking with cast members about their squabbles.

And then there's Maddie getting married to a dweeb she barely knew, Dave and Maddie finally sleeping together and perhaps the most famous "Moonlighting" episode of all: "Atomic Shakespeare," their re-telling of "The Taming of the Shrew."

The fights ("I once threw a director's chair against a wall," admits Shepherd) didn't get in the way. In some ways, they helped.

"When we met, Bruce and I had this great sexual chemistry and also the idea of sending each other up," says Shepherd.

"We would see the absolute worst in each other as characters, as David and Maddie. We fought before every scene in which we had a fight.

"At some point, I realized it and mentioned it to Bruce and he said, 'Yeah, you're right.' That didn't change it."

The twins Cybill gave birth to played a big role, too.

"When we did the interviews and commentary for the DVDs, Bruce thanked me profusely for getting pregnant because it made it possible for him to do 'Die Hard.' "

'Mermaid' Swims to DVD Oct. 3

The Little Mermaid will be the next Walt Disney animated classic to get the full VIP treatment on DVD.

The 1989 film won two Oscars (for best song and best original score) and is credited with revitalizing Disney’s animated features after a long dry spell. It will arrive in stores Oct. 3 (prebook Aug. 8) at $29.99 as the studio’s eighth “Platinum Edition” DVD, a designation that brings with it significantly more bells and whistles than a standard DVD release.

The film is Disney’s eighth Platinum Edition DVD — following Lady and The Tramp, which streets Feb. 28 — and marks the first time The Little Mermaid will be available on DVD in seven years.

“The Little Mermaid is a monumental film in the history of Disney animation that is beloved by everyone,” said Gordon Ho, EVP of brand marketing and business development for Buena Vista Home Entertainment. “It signaled the beginning of a new era of animation at the Walt Disney Studios that included Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.”

Ho said Mermaid is the most-requested Disney movie for release on DVD and will be backed by a massive marketing campaign similar to that for Cinderella, last year’s holiday-season Platinum Edition release. Cinderella went on to sell more than 6.5 million units and, according to Nielsen VideoScan data, is the No. 8 DVD seller of 2005, outselling such major new theatricals as Batman Begins and Ray.

Like other Platinum Edition releases, The Little Mermaid will be a two-disc set, with one disc reserved solely for bonus materials. Several cutting-edge features still are being developed, along with such expected extras as deleted scenes, commentaries, and featurettes on various aspects of the making of the movie. The DVD also will include several musical bonuses.

Ho said the film itself has been digitally restored, as has the audio track.

And like Cinderella, Ho said, Disney Consumer Products is working with a variety of partners to develop “a whole range of licensed products” to hit stores at the same time as the DVD, from costumes and other apparel to dolls and toys — more than 2,000 new products, in all.

“One of the greatest things about working on DVD releases like The Little Mermaid is that unlike a big theatrical release, we have the ability to plan very far in advance because we don’t have to guess whether the film will become a hit,” Ho said. “It already is.”

Two 'Narnia' versions to hit DVD in April

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Disney has big DVD plans for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," preparing two versions of the blockbuster hit for release on April 4.

Both the single-disc version ($19.99) and a two-disc edition ($29.99) will include two commentaries with director Andrew Adamson, one in which he's accompanied by other filmmakers and the other, by children. Both versions also will come with pop-up windows throughout the film with facts on the movie and "Narnia" author C.S. Lewis.

The double-disc "Narnia" also will come with a booklet, concept art, storytelling diaries of the filmmakers, a "making of" featurette, an interactive map of Narnia and other extras.

Also in the works from Disney is a single-disc version of "Chicken Little," the studio's first computer-animated film produced in-house rather than by Pixar. The DVD will be out March 21 and include music videos, "making of" featurettes on the animation process and the vocal talent, and deleted scenes, including an early take in which Chicken Little is a girl voiced by Holly Hunter.

Disney also has begun showing an 11-minute preview of the direct-to-video sequel "Bambi II" on the film's Web site (http://www.bambi2DVD.com) in advance of the February 7 street date. The belated sequel to the 1942 animated classic will be in stores only 70 days before it is placed on moratorium.

The controversial sitcom Action comes to DVD in February!

The show too controversial for network television Action: The Complete Series – Uncut and Unbleeped!, starring Jay Mohr, Illeana Douglas, Buddy Hackett, Jarrad Paul and Jack Plotnick, debuts on DVD this February from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

“Action” took on Hollywood and the censors with its no holds barred, bleep-filled take on the film industry. Executive Producers Joel Silver, Ted Demme and Don Reo took great pride in pushing sitcom boundaries with their wry, campy and irreverent humor along with a “no mercy” attitude toward Hollywood and the show’s characters. Shot with just a single camera, the innovative series featured cameos by top talent in almost every episode, including appearances by Keanu Reeves, Salma Hayek, Sandra Bullock and Scott Wolf.

In the show, mega-producer Peter Dragon (Jay Mohr) has a track-record of huge box-office hits, and a hugely inflated ego, even by Hollywood standards. A Xantac-popping, stereotypical over-the-top producer who everyone loves to hate, Peter’s record of box office hits was perfect … until his last cinematic bomb. Determined to remain on the Hollywood "hit" list he resorts to desperate measures. Dragon hires Wendy Ward (Illeana Douglas), a former child TV star who is now a call girl, to be his new development executive since she’s the only one he can trust to tell him the truth. Rounding out the cast are Jack Plotnick as Vice President of Development Stuart Glazer, Jarrad Paul playing neurotic writer Adam Rifkin and Buddy Hackett as Uncle Lonnie, the head of security who spends most of his time sleeping on the couch.

The DVD version will feature all 13 episodes from the show in 2-disc DVD set. The release is scheduled for February 21 and will carry a $24.96 suggested retail price.

The year in DVD

From collector's editions to favourite shows, Hollywood brought it home

DVD sales have long been Hollywood's crutch of choice. While movie audiences have been shrinking for years, the home entertainment business has assured robust profit margins for studios that now rake in more cash from DVDs than box office. 2005 leaves us, however, with the industry facing an uncertain future. In question is who will win the critical battle to determine what next-generation DVD technology looks like. Sony, which backs Blue-ray high-definition discs, appears to be the likely victor because it has the support of both Hollywood studios -- and will be built into next year's PlayStation 3 game console.

Opposing the Blu-ray group (not to be confused with the Blue Man Group) is a consortium, including Toshiba, that has developed the HD DVD format. Time is of the essence because sales of flat-screen high-definition television sets are spiking.

Worrisome, too, are recent reports that DVD sales may be peaking amid a pop culture landscape exploding with entertainment choices and ever-new technologies.

We say -- let the suits do the fretting. We're happy to kick back and pop in our favourite movie. Here are the Calgary Sun's picks for the best movies released in 2005 on DVD.

1) SIDEWAYS: Alexander Payne's keenly-observed follow-up to About Schmidt is both a mellow character study and a high farce drunk with emotion. The commentary by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church reveals the easy rapport they share on-screen translates off-camera too.

2) MILLION DOLLAR BABY: "I'm just doing what feels right," Clint Eastwood tells effusive interviewer James Lipton (Inside The Actors Studio) during a chat with Oscar-winning trio Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman on the DVD. "I don't think too much about it." True, as a director, Eastwood makes every blow count. His wrenching, Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby is as spare and economical as the screen icon himself. Eastwood's drama is as much about faith, sacrifice and contrition as exchanging left hooks.

3) STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH: The year's biggest DVD -- and movie -- redeemed creator George Lucas with its sinister tale of how Anakin Skywalker finally fell to the dark side of the Force to become Darth Vader. The DVD's bounty of extras is a Wookiee-like shout-out to fanboys.

4) CINDERELLA MAN: Ron Howard's biography of Depression-era boxing legend James Braddock is a crowd-pleaser that entertains more than it illuminates. That said, it's also packs a sucker punch thanks to an Oscar-worthy turn by Russell Crowe. For fans, the DVD goes so far to provide analysis of the actual Braddock-Baer fight that concludes Howard's drama.

5) THE INCREDIBLES: Smart, sly, sleek and sophisticated entertainment that continues Pixar's unprecedented dominance of all that is animated (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo). The two-disc DVD is crammed with extras -- the standout being the Brad Bird-directed short film Jack Jack Attack.

6) BATMAN BEGINS: Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins scraps the neon gaudiness of Joel Schumacher's movies and puts Bats (Christian Bale) back in black. It's darker, fiercer and far more ambitious than the previous films.

7) FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY: Punctuated by cheerfully offensive humour that wouldn't have flown on Fox, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story plays very much like an extended episode as the matricidal infant searches for his real father.

8) MARCH OF THE PENGUINS: Think mating is hard for humans? Try being an emperor penguin in the South Pole. Or better still, watch this spectacular documentary from the warmth of your living room.

9) KUNG FU HUSTLE: Imagine The Matrix's Morpheus discovering Wile E. Coyote is "The One" and you begin to understand the over-the-top zaniness actor-director Stephen Chow's go-for-broke live-action cartoon comedy achieves. Chow knows that just because your film is fun, doesn't mean it has to be stupid.

10) THE UPSIDE OF ANGER: Joan Allen provides the fiery centre of Mike Binder's hilarious, human comedy, but it's Kevin Costner -- delivering his best performance in eons as Allen's neighbour -- who steals the show as a has-been baseball star turned talk-radio DJ who begins a boozy romance with the simmering widow.

BEST TV ON DVD

DAILY SHOW INDECISION 2004: The most hilarious DVD of 2005 is this collection of memorable election-themed bits from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Included is correspondent Stephen Colbert's featurette: Requiem for a Show That Was Daily.

SCRUBS -- THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON: In praising Arrested Development, critics often overlook this medical comedy starring Zach Braff. It's whimsical, sweet and consistently funny.

LOST -- THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON: Among eight hours of buried bonus treasure are audition tapes, fun facts (Evangeline Lilly almost didn't get the part of Kate because they couldn't get the Canadian actress a work visa) and what-might-have-beens (producers wanted Michael Keaton to play Jack -- and then kill him off).

THE OFFICE SEASON 1: A worthy remake of the British original thanks largely to Steve Carell's fitfully funny performance as a boss whose incompetence approaches the superhuman.

MUPPETS: THE MUPPET SHOW: SEASON 1: It's Muppet-ational. Each episode in this boxset features optional pop-up "Muppet morsels" that teach you about the show as you go.

MIAMI VICE SEASONS 1 AND 2: Enough '80s goodness to make you want to gag yourself with a spoon. This cop drama fused an MTV aesthetic to genre television, changing the look and sound of the small screen.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 1: This dark, gritty remake has reimagined the cheesy show into a space-bound parable for today's anxiety-ridden paranoid world.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: Nobody ever did comic noir better than Hitchcock, as evidenced by these engrossing 39 episodes of this 1950s series.

NIP/TUCK: SEASON 2: It's as silly as it is sinful, but this drama about cosmetic surgeons is heartlessly addictive.

EMERGENCY: SEASON 1: Before ER, there was this 1970s drama about paramedics.

BEST COLLECTORS EDITIONS

GLADIATOR EXTENDED EDITION: After the likes of Alexander and Troy, Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning epic Gladiator only looks better than it did in 2000. The three-disc DVD includes a new widescreen edition of the film that's 17 minutes longer, along with new commentary by Scott and star Russell Crowe -- who won an Oscar for his role -- and an embarrassment of behind-the-scenes riches.

VINTAGE MICKEY: This 90-minute disc continues the recent Disney trend of releasing classic animated footage on DVD. Vintage Mickey contains nine cartoons, including The Birthday Party, Plane Crazy, Mickey's Revue, Building A Building and the legendary Steamboat Willie.

THE JAMES DEAN COLLECTION: James Dean has been dead for half-a-century, but the actor remains a pop culture icon. The Complete James Dean Collection includes two-disc special editions of Dean's best-known films: East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956). This is the first time East of Eden has been out on DVD. The set even includes the "Drive Safely" ad Dean shot before his death in a car crash.

TOY STORY ANNIVERSARY EDITION AND TOY STORY 2 SPECIAL EDITION: It's been a decade since this pioneering CG-animated comedy from Pixar Studios about the secret lives of toys revolutionized the industry. But Toy Story and its sequel are much more than just a landmark in cinematic technology -- they're deliriously joyous movies that, for sheer entertainment value, are unparalleled. The two-disc special edition of the original includes deleted scenes, games, making-of featurettes and a preview of Pixar's next film Cars.

GHOSTBUSTERS GIFT SET: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are superbly deadpan as a trio of paranormal investigators who get a lot more than they bargained for when New York is overrun by ghoulish spirits in the sublime 1984 original. Too bad the 1989 sequel is a letdown -- a tepid, misguided retread. This gift set includes both films as well as a host of extras, including three featurettes, deleted scenes and commentary from Ramis and director Ivan Reitman.

JAWS 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: Steven Spielberg was just 26 years old when he directed Jaws. He lurched into the project, almost sank with the difficulties of shooting a scary drama at sea, and then found himself with a hit movie that remains as shocking today as it was in 1975. The 30th Anniversary Edition DVD is a classy two-disc set which includes an excellent two-hour documentary.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: The two-disc edition of this classic features Gregory Peck's Oscar acceptance speech, commentary from director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula, the theatrical trailer as well as a documentary about the legendary leading man. There's also an introduction penned by author Harper Lee.

THE DEER HUNTER: The last thing this five-time Oscar-winner needed was a longer version, yet the film, collected here in a two-disc set, provides keen insight into a particular time in the American psyche. A very young Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken are superb as life-long friends torn apart by the tragedy of the Vietnam war.

THE STING: This sly and wickedly smart Oscar-winner stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who established the standard by which all cinematic buddy flicks are measured. A comedy and caper set in the 1930s about two con men, it remains a vast entertainment.

CINDERELLA PLATINUM EDITION: Cinderella, the downtrodden maid-turned-glass-slipper-wearing-princess, has a fairy godmother to make her gorgeous. Cinderella, the Walt Disney musical, has digital wizards to restore its shimmering beauty -- something that's abundantly evident in the studio's sparkling new Platinum Edition release of the 1950 animated musical based on the Grimms' fairy tale. Along with the restored picture and sound, the two-disc DVD features an embarrassment of extras.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: Tim Burton's enchanting fable about a boy (Johnny Depp) who is blessed but mostly cursed with razor-sharp scissors for hands. Since its release in 1990, Edward Scissorhands has been hailed as Burton's most personal film, possibly explaining why it's his best.

THE BRUCE LEE ULTIMATE COLLECTION: Five of Bruce Lee's martial arts movies -- The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Game of Death and Game of Death II -- are collected in this informative must for fans of the superstar.

BILL & TED'S MOST EXCELLENT COLLECTION: For some, Marlon Brando will always be Stanley Kowalski. For others, Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle. And for others, Keanu Reeves will always be Ted of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel, which starred Reeves and Alex Winter, as a pair of affable '80s-era dufuses. This Excellent Collection features an air guitar tutorial, interviews and even a cartoon episode of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures. To this we say, "Whoa."

DONNIE DARKO: DIRECTOR'S CUT: Since its 2001 release ,this surreal drama starring a pre-Brokeback Mountain Jake Gyllenhaal, developed enough of a cult following to justify a director's cut. It remains one of the odder American films not directed by David Lynch in the past 20 years.

The Couch Potato Report - December 13th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features one of the best, and one of the worst films of the year.

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine.

I put that theory to the test one week in late August when I was in need of some hilarity.

Luckily I wasn't disappointed, and I felt better after one dose, but I went back for two more.

The medicine I took was a movie called THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN.

Steve Carell from ANCHORMAN and BRUCE ALMIGHTY is THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN.

The plot of the film is exactly what the titles suggests, it's about how a 40-year-old virgin named Andy looks for love.

Not just sex, but love.

Along the way Andy discovers chest waxing, speed dating, and he is encouraged by his friends and co-workers.

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN is incredibly funny, all of the main and supporting characters are personable and interesting, and the dialogue is always entertaining, and sometimes insightful.

When I needed to laugh, this movie made me laugh, and every time I have watched it since, I still laugh just as hard.

I don't think you can ask for more from a comedy than that.

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN is one of my favourite films of the year.

On the other hand is THE ISLAND.

I wouldn't call THE ISLAND the worst film of 2005, but it is definitely close.

In the film Ewan McGregor from BIG FISH and Scarlett Johansson of LOST IN TRANSLATION star as clones.

They are residents of what they perceive to be a utopian facility sometime in the mid 21st century.

Every resident of this carefully controlled environment hope that they are chosen to go to the "The Island" - reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet.

But soon McGregor's character finds out that he, and everyone else in the facility are clones.

After that, the film's interesting premise is thrown aside and THE ISLAND becomes a run and hide, explosion and chase film.

That isn't too big of a surprise as the movie was directed by Michael Bay, the man responsible for the less-than-subtle films ARMAGEDDON and PEARL HARBOUR.

McGregor and Johansson are both talented, personable actors with great physical appeal, but they are wasted in THE ISLAND and if you watch the movie your time will be wasted as well.

To recap, I think THE ISLAND is a waste of your time.

Some other people think that sitting and watching TV is the ultimate waste of time.

For others - like me - watching TV is an enjoyable way to relax and be entertained.

When I was in high school I used to relax and be entertained by MIAMI VICE. Soon after I completed my education, THE SIMPSONS became a staple of my daily and weekly TV watching.

Now, there are new box sets available for both shows!

MIAMI VICE: SEASON TWO and THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON.

The former continues to follow the adventures of the vice squad detectives of the Miami Police Department; specifically the adventures of Crockett and Tubbs.

The 3-disc set for SEASON TWO features the 22 episodes of the 1985-86 season and begins with "Prodigal Son," a two-hour episode that transplants Crockett and Tubbs to New York.

Along the way are guest stars Peter Allen, Gene Simmons, Pam Grier, Phil Collins, Bruce McGill, David Strathairn, Little Richard, Bob Balaban, and G. Gordon Liddy.

MIAMI VICE is a TV show that is a product of the 80s, and many of the episodes reflect the period so effectively that at times it does seem a bit dated.

But that is also a part of its charm. I enjoyed MIAMI VICE in the 80s and I still recommend MIAMI VICE now because it remains a great show and a great waste of time.

MIAMI VICE ran from 1984 to 1989 and the year it went off the air was the same year THE SIMPSONS debuted.

THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON contains all 25 original episodes, and another incredible array of commentaries, deleted scenes and extras.

Some of the episodes in the season include the answer to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", the Radioactive Man movie, Bart selling his soul for five dollars, "Lisa the Vegetarian", featuring Paul and the late Linda McCartney, "King-Size Homer", Sideshow Bob returns, former President George Bush moves next door, "Homerpalooza", and "The Treehouse of Horror' special features Homer in 3-D.

My favourite is "The Simpsons 138th Show Spectacular', hosted by Troy McClure - who is voiced by the late, great Phil Hartman.

THE SIMPSONS is still airing new episodes, and will be back next year for it's eighteenth season, but it is the episodes in the seasons that are already available on DVD that make it worth watching, owning, and laughing at.

And even if watching TV is a waste of time, remember laughter is the best medicine.

THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON, MIAMI VICE: SEASON TWO, THE ISLAND and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN are all now available at a store near you.

Coming up in three weeks on the next Couch Potato Report

Bill Murray stars as a man who travels across the country to find his son in BROKEN FLOWERS, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are WEDDING CRASHERS, and the TV show FIREFLY becomes the movie SERENITY.

Also on the next Report, Jennifer Connelly's talent and beauty can't save DARK WATER and Jessica Alba only has her beauty on display in INTO THE BLUE.

And then there is the documentary GRIZZLY MAN about two grizzly bear activists who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.

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.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Seinfeld: Season 5

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has also added some hidden features on 'Seinfeld: Season 5' for you to uncover. Here is how to get to them.

Insert the third disc of the DVD set and from the Main Menu go to the 'Extras' section. There, highlight the menu entry 'Setup' and then press the 'Right' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight the zig-zagging lifeline on the screen. Now press the 'Enter' key and you will see the Seinfeld cast discuss the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

Now insert the fourth disc of the DVD set and from the Main Menu go to the 'Setup' section. Highlight the menu entry 'subtitles' here and then press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight the heart symbol and if you press the 'Enter' key now you will get to observe a suggested camera angle of the ugly baby.

Seinfeld: Season 6

A number of Easter Eggs can also be found on the season 6 DVD set of 'Seinfeld' from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Insert the first disc of the set in your DVD player and form the Main Menu go to the 'Setup' section. There, highlight the 'Main Menu' entry and press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control to highlight the enter key on the keyboard. Press 'enter' now and you will see a clip of the Seinfeld cast talking about the Rob Reiner tribute.

Now go to the 'Extras' section of the disc and highlight the entry' Running With The Egg: Part 1. Press the 'Up' arrow key to highlight the poison spray can.

Press the 'Enter' button and you will get to see the Seinfeld-imation.

Now insert the second disc and go to the 'Extras 'section, accessible from the Main Menu. There, highlight the menu entry 'Setup' and press the 'Right' arrow key on your remote control twice to highlight the pecan. You will now see a small clip featuring Jerry Seinfeld talking about the little things in the show.

Time to insert the third disc of the set. There, go to the 'Extras 'section and highlight the 'episodes 'menu entry. Then press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control to highlight the pencil, which will take you to a clip of Jerry Seinfeld talking about the Dark Side.

Finally, insert the fourth disc of the DVD set and go to the 'Extras' section. Highlight the menu entry 'Cramer vs. The Monkey' and then press the 'Up' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight the hot dog and if you press 'Enter' now you will get to view a clip of Jerry discussing the pain he caused on the show.

The Couch Potato Report - December 6th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a Cinderella man, and a man who is no longer with us.

It is rare when a film that is as good as CINDERELLA MAN fails to find an audience.

And make no mistake, CINDERELLA MAN is good, and it did fail to find its audience when it was released in theatres in June.

Now that it is available on video and DVD I hope the film finds it's audience, because it is a film that is worth seeing.

In CINDERELLA MAN Russell Crowe from GLADIATOR plays James J. Braddock, a real person who lived and was a boxer in the early 1930's and during The Great Depression.

As the depression takes away his money, and injuries take away his career, almost everyone in his inner circle turns their back on Braddock. Eventually his injuries end his boxing career and he struggles to support his family.

Renee Zellweger from COLD MOUNTAIN plays Braddock's loving and supportive wife.

Unable to fight, Braddock looks for any kind of work he can get, but he also believes that he will box again.

Through a twist of fate, the day does arrive, and he gets a second chance at success.

CINDERELLA MAN is a complex film with great acting from Crowe, Zellweger and Paul Giamatti from SIDEWAYS. The movie also benefits from the experienced direction of Ron Howard.

Be warned though, if you are looking for the type of sentimental melodrama that Howard brought to A BEAUTIFUL MIND, THE MISSING, and some of his other films, you won't find that here.

The desperate struggle of the Depression is on plain view, and the boxing scenes are very realistic and at times they are very violent.

No, CINDERELLA MAN didn't find its audience in theatres, but I hope that people who enjoy well made, quality movies will ensure it finds success on video and DVD, because this is a film that should be seen.

As a side note, CINDERELLA MAN was filmed in Toronto, partially at Maple Leaf Gardens. The theatre where I first saw it in was on the site of where the Montreal Forum used to stand. Thus, for me, in addition to enjoying this boxing film, I was enjoying memories of hockey's greatest rivals as well.

But I digress, and we move on now to a film that has been available on video for years but is now - finally - debuting on DVD.

That film is 1988's IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON.

With the world pausing to remember that it has been 25 years since we lost the man, the time is right for this film to be released again.

The film is part documentary, part biography, and all Lennon and it was put together using nearly 240 hours of film and videotape that Lennon took during his life.

Director Andrew Solt took that material and created a fascinating story of one of the most complex and fascinating people in music history.

If you are fan of John Lennon, or The Beatles, this movie is a must have.

And if you are curious about why people are making such a big deal about this guy twenty-five years after he died, then IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON is a great place to start.

I have worn out my video copy, so I am pleased to now own IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON on DVD.

For the record, I will never own the movie versions of FANTASTIC FOUR or THE DUKES OF HAZZARD on DVD, or video for that matter.

That isn't because the films are horrible, but just because I will never need to see them a second time. Yes, each one does have parts that are worth seeing, just not a second time.

As far as FANTASTIC FOUR is concerned, that is too bad as I remain a huge fan of the comic book to this day. But films based on comic books have to be judged by their source material and this film doesn't hold up.

The source material in the film sees Reed Richards, Victor Von Doom, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm travel into outer-space in order to do research into human DNA.

Things don't go as planned, and the result is superhuman powers. Four of the five use their powers for good, Victor Von Doom does not.

To its credit, FANTASTIC FOUR is a light-hearted and funny adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously, but that also works against it. If the people making the film took it more seriously then a better movie could have been the result.

Since they don't, the character development is only mildly interesting, and there isn't much action in the movie until towards the end.

FANTASTIC FOUR isn't horrible, but it could have been great.

Great like the X-MEN films and THE INCREDIBLES.

The film version of the 1970s and 80s TV show THE DUKES OF HAZZARD isn't horrible either, and it also doesn't take itself too seriously either, but unlike FANTASTIC FOUR, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is just stupid - and not always in a good way.

The plot of the film, as it is, centers around Cousins Bo and Luke Duke, their sexy cousin Daisy, and their Uncle Jesse's attempts to save the family farm from destruction by the town's corrupt and evil commissioner Boss Hogg.

In order to save the farm the cousins must elude the authorities over and over again in their car "The General Lee."

But as I said, the film is just stupid, and so are many of the characters in it. On occasions when that stupidity involves Deputy Enos, or pop star Jessica Simpson as Daisy, the film is mildly entertaining.

All other times, it isn't.

No, the film version of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD isn't horrible, but it is definitely the last, and least of this week's new releases.

And it is now available at a store near you along with FANTASTIC FOUR, IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON, and the overlooked in theatres CINDERELLA MAN.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

Steve Carell from THE DAILY SHOW is THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanson star as clones in THE ISLAND, and there will be new box sets available for MIAMI VICE: SEASON TWO and THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH 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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - November 29th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features 8 new releases, and I will overuse the word "surprise."

One of the most successful films of the year was a complete surprise.

It was surprise that it did as well as it did at the box office, and it was surprisingly entertaining.

That film is MARCH OF THE PENGUINS a documentary about the over-100 kilometer journey that emperor penguins have to make every year in order to survive and procreate.

The film is narrated by Morgan Freeman and at times it is dramatic, suspenseful, and informative. At other times it is just funny and entertaining.

Actually, the film is entertaining from start to finish.

Penguins can either be waddling entertaining, or incredibly graceful and in MARCH OF THE PENGUINS you get to experience both.

The film is a perfect mix of science and entertainment and the whole family will enjoy it.

Yes, the documentary MARCH OF THE PENGUINS was a surprise.

So was the documentary MURDERBALL.

I had no idea what to expect from this film about quadriplegic rugby - or "Murderball" as it was formerly known.

The film shows us players in modified wheelchairs in a hardcore, full-contact sport trying to win Gold at the Athens Paralympics. But in addition to MURDERBALL being about the sport, it is also about some very interesting people who play it.

The film is a unique mix of sports documentary and inspirational profiles of triumph over adversity.

The majority of the people in MURDERBALL are disabled, but since the film doesn't focus on that, by the end of the film you won't be thinking about that it at all.

Unlike MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, MURDERBALL isn't for the entire family. But both documentaries are completely entertaining, and both are full of surprises.

MR. AND MRS SMITH isn't full of surprises, in fact it doesn't have any. But some films don't have to have surprises, or be a surprise to be entertaining.

And make no mistake, MR AND MRS SMITH sure is entertaining.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play an unhappy couple who are bored with each other and their mundane day to day home life.

Their relationship improves once they discover their mutually-hidden identities as world-class assassins.

Unfortunately they have each been hired to kill the other one.

No MR AND MRS SMITH doesn't contain any major surprises or plot twists, but the performances of Pitt and Jolie are fun to watch and the dialogue is a treat to listen to. Plus, Jolie looks amazing as always, and Pitt is always fun to watch in a film.

Director Doug Liman gave us a better action film with THE BOURNE IDENTITY, and MR AND MRS SMITH should've been a better movie than it is, but I still enjoyed it.

I also sort of enjoyed SKY HIGH, even if I am not in the film's target demographic.

In this film the son of superheroes must save the world, and I suspect the demographic the filmmakers were shooting for was between 12 and 16 years of age.

Sky High is a high school in the clouds for kids with super-human powers or abilities.

At this school gadgets, acts of bravery, and magical skills are part of high school the same way that peer pressure and dating are.

SKY HIGH isn't unique, especially if you've seen THE INCREDIBLES, but it is a surprisingly fun film, whether you are in the correct demographic or not.

Finally this week, I would like to talk about THE MUPPET MOVIE, THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND and THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL because all four films are being re-released to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kermit The Frog.

Yes, it has really been 50 years since Jim Henson introduced us to Kermit The Frog.

I have made no attempt over the years to hide my adoration for Jim Henson and The Muppets, so I won't bother to review these four releases for you, other than to say that I watched all four again this week and they still entertained me on every level, especially THE MUPPET MOVIE and THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL.

I've seen each of these films dozens of times over the years and it still surprises me how much I am entertained by them.

Happy Anniversary Kermit!

THE MUPPET MOVIE, THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND, THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, SKY HIGH, MR AND MRS SMITH, MURDERBALL and the superb MARCH OF THE PENGUINS are all available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

CINDERELLA MAN is the underlooked, but very good, true story of heavyweight boxer Jim Braddock starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti.

IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON is the superb 1988 documentary about the man made with home movies. The audio from those movies allows Lennon himself to
be the narrator.

The movie version of the classic comic book FANTASTIC 4 is less than classic, and much less than fantastic, but it isn't horrible. On the other hand the film version of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is horrible, but somehow it is worth seeing.

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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - November 22nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features Cruise, Spielberg and "The Beav."

For some summer films, like THE LONGEST YARD, FANTASTIC FOUR, and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, it was easy to check your brain at the door and just enjoy them.

Doing that with some other summer movies was harder, primarily due to expectations.

For instance, if Steven Spielberg decided to make another science fiction movie, there would be expectations.

After all he's the man who made CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and E.T. - THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL.

And if that film starred Tom Cruise, the world's biggest movie star, and was going to be based on the classic H.G. Wells book "The War Of The Worlds", well, talk about expectations!

In the end, despite that pedigree, and the best special effects money can buy, the newest version of WAR OF THE WORLDS isn't very good.

The film is very faithful to the book and the story still focuses on aliens who are looking destroy humankind as quick as possible.

But unlike the WAR OF THE WORLDS inspired INDEPENDENCE DAY this movie doesn't give us much of a thrill ride. Ultimately, that is why I didn't find it very entertaining.

Yes, it has the special effects, Spielberg's unflappable direction, and Cruise's reliable performance as a divorced father who has to rise to the challenge to save his kids, but it doesn't have enough thrill ride moments to make it a great action film, or even a great summer movie.

In reality, it is just a dramatic film with some summer explosions thrown in for good measure.

But it is the second most popular film of 2005 in theatres, so people must have enjoyed it, right?

Well, I didn't enjoy it when I saw it in a theatre, and when I watched the DVD this week I was more than bored.

WAR OF THE WORLDS has great special effects, great directing, a great cast and a great premise, but unfortunately the sum of the movie's parts are nowhere near great.

Another film base on a book is also new on video and DVD this week and I hope this film becomes a cherished holiday classic alongside IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.

When THE POLAR EXPRESS was released in theatres a little over a year ago much of the publicity the film received was due to the fact that the film used a "performance capture" technique to translate live performances into all-digital characters.

I admit that if you focus on the technological side of the film you won't enjoy THE POLAR EXPRESS as much as you should.

However, if you can enjoy the film you will find it to be a classic! It is a wonderful celebration of the Christmas spirit, and yes I said Christmas and not Holiday Spirit.

Late one Christmas Eve night, a doubting boy boards a magical train with many other pajama-clad children. The train is headed to the North Pole and only one of the children will be chosen to receive a magical gift that only those who still believe in Santa are eligible.

Tom Hanks' voice stars in THE POLAR EXPRESS and he is directed by Robert Zemeckis, the man who gave us FORREST GUMP and the BACK TO THE FUTURE FILMS.

Yes, THE POLAR EXPRESS is visually stunning, but the story is what is most overwhelming. And who knows, it might even fill you with the childhood joy of Christmas.

Christmas - and Holiday - gift giving might be easier this year if you have people on your list who love TV shows on DVD.

After all there is a wide array of DVD Box Sets already available, and this week we add four more.

And I must admit that it is about time for one of these releases!

My friends, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER has finally debuted on DVD!

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER premiered in the fall of 1957 and instead of looking at life from a parents point of view it focused on the adventures of seven-year-old Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver and his 12-year-old brother, Wally.

Ward and June Cleaver try to keep their youngest son in line, but he always ends up in one kind of jam or another.

Some of the stories are a little dated today, but the show's charm still shines through. It remains one of the best TV shows ever and now all 39 episodes from the show's first season have been digitally remastered and they are available in a three-disc box set.

"Seinfeld" is another classic television show, albeit from a different era. SEINFELD - SEASON 5 and SEASON 6 are also new on DVD this week.

Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer continue to go through life, discussing and experiencing things that we can all relate to on one level or another.

SEASON FIVE includes: The Puffy Shirt, The Sniffing Accountant, The Bris, The Lip Reader, The Stall and The Opposite and you will find The Big Salad, The Gymnast, The Soup, The Race, The Label Maker and The Kiss Hello on the SEASON SIX set.

Each of the sets are four discs and they also include an array of retrospective interviews and behind-the-scenes features.

Since I have already raved about seasons ONE to FOUR here on The Couch Potato Report, you know I love the show, so let me just conclude by saying: Giddy-up!

The final DVD set that I am going to speak about this week is also our final "leftover." Yes, we have now covered all of the major titles that came out while there were no shows this summer.

So, that final "leftover" is the DVD set for A DIFFERENT WORLD - SEASON ONE.

IN 1987 the show debuted as a spin off of THE COSBY SHOW. Daughter Denise was sent off to college to find out that there was "a different world" awaiting her outside the Huxtable house.

In addition to Lisa Bonet as Denise, this first season of the show stars the young, and always beautiful, Marisa Tomei, who would eventually go on to win an Academy Award for her work in MY COUSIN
VINNY.

Denise, Maggie, Whitley, Dwayne Wayne, Ron. They are all still attending Hillman College on this new 4-DVD box set.

A DIFFERENT WORLD - SEASON ONE, SEINFELD - SEASONS 5 & 6, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - SEASON ONE, THE POLAR EXPRESS and WAR OF THE WORLDS are all available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the superb documentary THE MARCH OF THE PENGUINS; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in MR. AND MRS. SMITH as a couple who hide their real jobs from each other; and in SKY HIGH the son of superheroes must save the world.

There is also FAMILY GUY - VOLUME THREE, MURDERBALL and THE MUPPET MOVIE, THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND and THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL are being re-released to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kermit The Frog!

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 week on The Couch!

Peak 'Seinfeld' Seasons to Be Released

NEW YORK - "Seinfeld" has not suffered from shrinkage. Seven years after its finale, not only does the classic sitcom air up to two hours a day in some markets, but the reruns remain fresh enough to spark watercooler chitchat about everything from puffy shirts to mimbos.

"Isn't it weird how present it still is on the television landscape?" Jerry Seinfeld wondered during a recent joint interview with Jason Alexander (who played George), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) and Michael Richards (Kramer).

"I hear it all the time, `We go to bed with you guys. We never miss it,'" says Alexander.

Tuesday marks the DVD release of seasons five and six, a period when "Seinfeld" was at its peak with episodes like "The Fusilli Jerry," "The Face Painter" and "The Opposite."

"Most people, you do a TV series, it ends three, four, five years later; it's a relic," Seinfeld says. "But we're still hearing from the people, the audience, the people on the street, as if we're still doing it.

"It feels alive."

Seeing the four principals together again is like a reunion of the Beatles — for the actors as well, who are rarely together any more. Despite last year's acrimony over DVD proceeds, today they revel in each other's company, quickly recounting dialogue when certain scenes are mentioned.

Recalling Kramer's exploits to save a severed pinky toe by commandeering a city bus, Alexander repeats Jerry's line: "You kept makin' all the stops?"

"They kept ringing the bell!" Richards replies, in character.

And they all laugh — it's still funny to them. Similarly, on many of the DVD commentaries, insider insight devolves into simple laughter; the viewer no longer has a guide, but a companion on the couch.

"The show had an intense comedic energy that you do not find on other shows," Seinfeld says. "There's an intense comedic scene happening all the time, and that's the way we tried to make them, really packed, tight, strong — and that just holds the audience."

Alexander adds, "On this show, the comedy was the thing, so if you had to kind of trash a character a little bit..."

"Or entirely," chimes Louis-Dreyfus, whose character perhaps suffered the most — a long, subtle descent from "sponge-worthy" to flirting with Newman, if needed.

"Seinfeld" nearly didn't get the chance to become a hit. It wasn't until the third or fourth season that the show really found its rhythm and audience.

"It seemed early on that it was such a specific audience and when every new element of the audience came on, I was just thinking, `Wow,'" Alexander says. He remembers being astounded when he saw, through his mother's friends, "the senior citizen community groovin' on our show."

"It really was written and geared for a very specific audience, but our comedic strength trumps all of that," Seinfeld says. "The subject matter, the dialogue, the tone isn't right for most of America."

Part of what he's referring to is the racy material. Though vulgarity is often hidden by acrobatic metaphors and pregnant omissions ("You know, I was alone..."), "Seinfeld" still managed to slide plenty past the censors.

How did they get away with their most heralded triumph, "The Contest," from season 4?

"We were somewhat unsupervised," Seinfeld says. "The audience was there and the network is not going to complain if everyone's liking the show."

But one fact of television life is that it can't help but eventually feel dated. While "I Love Lucy," "M A S H" and "Cheers" still have their charms, they are very much of their era.

The absence of cell phones, Jerry's old computer and the group's fondness for "Melrose Place" may soon feel antiquated. Louis-Dreyfus cringes at some of her outfits and hairstyles, and is quick to correct Seinfeld's claim that her clothes have aged more than his.

After the show ended, Seinfeld, 51, mostly went back to standup, a journey chronicled in the documentary "Comedian." The other three have tried new shows: Alexander with last season's canceled "Listen Up," Richards with the failed "The Michael Richards Show," and Louis-Dreyfus on "Old Christine," which debuts at midseason on CBS.

But being pigeonholed by "Seinfeld" is a price the cast will gladly pay. "What actor wouldn't want that kind of experience?" says Louis-Dreyfus, 44.

Perhaps inevitably, the foursome is further removed from "Seinfeld" than many fans. Richards, 56, says he never says "Giddy up!" — "not even when I'm on a horse."

They say they rarely watch their old show, though Alexander, 46, recounts the fun of watching "Seinfeld" with his children, who were surprised what a jerk their father was.

The cast will nevertheless have plenty to remind them of "Seinfeld." People actually practice Mr. Constanza's pseudo Christmas holiday, Festivus, for example. Alexander still gets shouts of "Can't-stand-ya" and "these pretzels are makin' me thirsty!" Louis-Dreyfus hears "yada yada yada," and Seinfeld is asked "where's Kramer?"

So what does Richards get?

"Wish you were back."

Sartorial 'Seinfeld' latest in DVD marketing

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As the market for TV series repackaged on DVD becomes a bigger and bigger chunk of the overall home video business -- it's now at 25%, or about $4 billion a year in consumer spending -- studios are upping the ante in packaging and marketing as well.

Complete-season sets of the original "Star Wars" trilogy come in specially crafted plastic containers built to look like the TriQuarters used in the films. For Season 6 of "The Simpsons," 20th Century Fox ditched the customary cardboard box in favor a plastic case shaped like Homer's head. Warner Home Video has begun staging gala launch parties for DVDs of such classic TV shows as "Gilligan's Island" and "Dallas." And in September, a "Desperate Housewives" DVD release party was canceled only at the last minute because of media coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

The latest: Sony Pictures is offering consumers Seasons 5 and 6 of "Seinfeld" in an elegant $120 gift set that includes a copy of a handwritten script and a miniature replica of the famed "puffy shirt" that triggered Jerry Seinfeld's notorious whine, "But I don't want to be a pirate."

The gift set, which arrives in stores Tuesday, is the latest in a series of extravagant trappings for the celebrated series' DVD rollout that began last fall with an elegant launch party at New York's Rainbow Room and continued the next day with the real puffy shirt's enshrinement in the Smithsonian.

"We're essentially treating 'Seinfeld' the same as we do big theatricals because it's become an integral part of American culture," Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president Benjamin Feingold said. "Everyone knows 'Seinfeld."'

What's next for Seasons 7 and 8, which will be released in tandem in November 2006?

"We're on the boards now," said "Seinfeld" executive producer Howard West, who with partner George Shapiro oversees the DVD production and marketing. "We have to go back and examine all the episodes, but rest assured it will be big."

The Couch Potato Report - November 16th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features some good, some bad, and some very funny penguins!

With the holiday season fast approaching the home entertainment industry continues to release strong titles for your gift giving consideration.

The latest animated film the industry is hoping you will pick up is MADAGASCAR.

Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer lend their voices to - respectively - Marty the Zebra, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, Melman the Giraffe.

They are four friends who all live in the New York City Zoo.

Marty the Zebra decides that he wants to know what is outside of the walls he's surrounded by and he escapes. The friends realize that they have to rescue him so they escape as well to try and bring him back.

Their escape and eventual capture leads to a public outcry about the state of mind of animals in captivity and the friends find themselves back in the wild.

I know, it all sounds a bit boring, doesn't it?

I love animated films, but when MADAGASCAR opened in theaters back in May I didn't go see it because that synopsis, and the film's trailers, didn't make the film look remotely entertaining.

Yet when I finally sat down last week and watched the film, I found it very entertaining.

Especially all of the scenes involving the penguins!

This group doesn't need Sidney Crosby to be it's savior, they score all on their own!

The plot in MADAGASCAR isn't superb, the story isn't anything you haven't seen before, and the animation isn't as good as what you've seen in THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO, or even CHICKEN LITTLE, but for some reason MADAGASCAR works.

And those penguins are tremendous!

I also use that word - tremendous - when I talk about the TV show SCRUBS.

SCRUBS is situation comedy that gives us an interns'-eye view of hospital life and the torturous, tragic, and triumphant route to becoming a doctor.

The show has a great cast and is exceptionally written.

SEASON TWO of the show features the continuing development of the characters of JD, Turk, Elliot, Carla, and Dr. Cox and the Janitor!

I already said that I find the show tremendous, but I feel just as comfortable describing it as hilarious, poignant, and just plain entertaining!

There won't be new episodes of the show airing on TV until January. In the interim SCRUBS - SEASON TWO is a 3-disc box set with all of the 22 hilarious episodes from SCRUBS sensational second season. And it is available right now!

Plus, it is tremendous, hilarious, poignant...did I mention that already?

I did? Well, let me just move on to THE SKELETON KEY then.

This film is a mildly entertaining supernatural thriller that takes place in rainy, mild Louisiana.

Kate Hudson from ALMOST FAMOUS plays a compassionate caregiver who takes a job in the rural plantation home of a woman and her invalid husband.

The place is creepy and in all of the house's rooms are secrets, especially in the rooms that no one goes in.

Ohhhhh!!!!

I like Kate Hudson, and I usually enjoy supernatural thrillers, but this one just has too many scenes that have nothing going for them other than a stereotypical scary movie music score.

The main spell in the film only effects you if you believe it. I didn't believe it, so the film didn't effect me.

If you don't expect much, maybe you will enjoy THE SKELETON KEY more than I did.

Finally this week, I want to compare a brand new film that has just been released to this week's "leftover."

Both HAPPY ENDINGS - the new film - and CRASH * the "leftover" - are ensemble dramas with large casts.

Both tell many stories with one or two things that happen that tie everyone and all their stories together.

But both aren't successful in keeping you engaged as a viewer.

CRASH does, HAPPY ENDINGS does not.

Let me start with the latter.

HAPPY ENDINGS features three main stories. Lisa Kudrow from FRIENDS is having an affair with a masseuse when a wannabe filmmaker blackmails her to get a movie made.

Her gay stepbrother believes that his boyfriend may be the father of the child of a lesbian couple.

And a homeless, gold-digging karaoke singer tries to make her life better.

Even re-reading those story points, I think it would make a great film. But they don't.

HAPPY ENDINGS is interesting, but it just isn't engaging enough to hold your attention. It certainly didn't hold mine.

The film's characters are interesting, but their situations are not.

The result can only be described as a disappointment.

Now CRASH on the other hand is engaging from start to finish!

CRASH is an intelligent, completely engaging and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents.

Those residents include a politically nervous white district attorney and his wife who get car-jacked by two black youths; a rich black T.V. director and his wife who get pulled over by a white racist cop; and a black detective who is investigating a white cop who shot a black cop.

Normally I would never focus on a character's race in a review, but CRASH is a film that demands it.

Canadian writer/director Paul Haggis spins his characters in unpredictable directions, and refuses to let any one of them become a stereotype.

CRASH is a film that will anger you, entertain you, enrage you, and make you smile, but most of all it will make you think.

The cast of CRASH includes many well known actors, including Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Esposito, Terrence Howard, and rap star Ludacris, but it is the writing and the film itself that make it worth seeing.

HAPPY ENDINGS is an ensemble picture that doesn't work at all, CRASH is one that does.

Both films are available now at a store near you. So are MADAGASCAR, SCRUBS - SEASON TWO and THE SKELETON KEY.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

The summer blockbuster WAR OF THE WORLDS is Steven Spielberg's take on H.G. Wells science fiction classic. Tom Cruise and Tim Robbins star.

Tom Hanks is the star of the animated film version of the classic book THE POLAR EXPRESS. He voices five characters in this heartwarming story about a group of children are taken to the North Pole to meet Santa.

Three television shows from different eras are new releases on DVD. I'll talk about LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, SEINFELD - SEASON 5 and SEASON 6 and A DIFFERENT WORLD - SEASON ONE is our final "leftover."

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 week on The Couch!

New Line makes Dumb a little Dumber

New Line Home Entertainment has just unveiled plans that a new version of the hilarious Farelly Brothers comedy Dumb And Dumber is coming to DVD in January, featuring an Unrated cut of the film with 6 minutes of additional, never-before seen footage inserted back into the movie.

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are too lame to live - and too dense to die - as a pair of deliriously dim-witted pals on a cross-country road trip to return a briefcase full of cash to its rightful owner. Along the way they'll confound cops, kidnappers and anyone and everyone who had the misfortune of crossing their paths in this comic caper for every idiot in the family!

The 2-disc Platinum Series release will feature an anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film, complete with a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital track in English and a number of extras, such as 3D Animated Menus and 2 Alternate Endings. Also included on the release are 9 Deleted Scenes as well as a new Retrospective Documentary. Further the DVD will contain a selection of Trailers, TV Spots and Fake Trailers.

Scheduled for release on January 3, “Dumb And Dumber: Unrated” will carry a $19.97 suggested retail price.

The Corpse Bride rises

Tim Burton's return to the world of creepy puppets comes to DVD early next year with the arrival of The Corpse Bride from Warner Home Entertainment.
Set in a 19th century European village, this stop-motion, animated feature follows the story of Victor, a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his real bride, Victoria, waits bereft in the land of the living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love.

The disc will come in seperate fullscreen and anamorphic widescreen versions, both in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX. Extras on the disc include the three documentaries Tim Burton: Dark vs. Light, Voices from the Underworld and Danny Elfman Interprets the Two Worlds, the featurettes Making Puppets Tick and Inside the Two Worlds, interviews, art galleries and an isolated score.

With a $29.98 suggested retail price, the DVD arrives on the 31st of January.

Kiss Keeps Rocking With Live DVD

Make-up clad rock icons Kiss will on Dec. 13 release a double-disc concert DVD, "Rock the Nation Live!," via Image Entertainment. Although there are countless Kiss home videos and DVDs on the market, "Nation" sets itself apart with an abundance of rare songs, the "Kiss Powervision/Select-A-Kiss" option to hone in on an individual member and candid behind-the-scenes vignettes.

Taped in summer 2004 in Washington, D.C., and Virginia Beach, the DVD features core members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons flanked by guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. "We were playing a lot of songs that Kiss hadn't played in years, or haven't played at all," Thayer tells Billboard.com. "One day, Doc McGhee, the manager, came into the dressing room, and said, 'We really need to film and record this show, because it's so good. It's probably the best Kiss performance I've seen.' So we said, 'OK.' That was the spark that got the whole thing going."

"At any moment, a viewer can choose what they want to see, and use different camera angles," Stanley adds. "So if you happen to have the good taste to see me, you can watch pretty much solely that. It's really your mix and your version of the show. I don't think we can forget that the band is really in peak form, and that's really shown on this DVD."

Stanley admits he was thrilled to air out such Kiss oldies as "Christine Sixteen," "She" and "Parasite" during the tour. "To be able to go out and play every and any Kiss song was very freeing," he enthuses. "We reached a point where a lot of the tours after the reunion tour were virtually the same set list, and it wasn't because we didn't want to play other songs. Once Tommy and Eric came in, on any given night, we could change the show, and really dig deep into our catalog. A band that's been together this long not only should be able to play 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and 'Love Gun,' but [also] 'Two Timer' or 'Got To Choose.'"

Still, fans continue to await a vault-clearing visual release, a project that Stanley acknowledges is closer to reality than ever before. "Yesterday was the beginning of planning really the ultimate Kiss experience," he says. "That Scorsese/Dylan piece ['No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'] was eye opening, at least to me, in terms of how you can be immersed in a time capsule, and not only see the music and be part of the crowd, but also get a sense of who Dylan was then. There are times when I'm much more interested in actual footage of somebody in the moment than somebody reminiscing 20 or 30 years later. It's fascinating to see where somebody was at, and what their mindset was in the midst of storm, as opposed to looking back on it. That set a really high bar, and I think that is more likely our approach at this point."

For now, it is unknown when Kiss may return to the road. "There's definitely talk," Stanley acknowledges. "I had a hip replacement a year ago, and that unfortunately didn't go as well as it should have, and they did it again, and that also didn't go as well as it should have. So the recovery from that has been longer, although about six weeks ago we did a corporate show for 15,000 people, in Columbus, Ohio. The band is as good and ready to go as ever. The difference is that I have to make sure that I can commit 100% of my energy for a tour, and not just a show."

Here is the track list for "Rock the Nation Live!":

Disc one:
"Love Gun"
"Deuce"
"Makin' Love"
"Lick It Up"
"Christine Sixteen"
"She"
"Tears Are Falling"
"Got To Choose"
"I Love It Loud"
"Love Her All I Can"
"I Want You"
"Parasite"

Disc two:
"War Machine"
"100,000 Years"
"Unholy"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You"
"Detroit Rock City"
"God Gave Rock & Roll to You II"
"Rock and Roll All Nite"

The Couch Potato Report - November 8th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a movie remake, a TV show spinoff, and Live 8 on DVD.

The first movie I ever saw in a theatre was WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, a film based on Roald Dahl's book CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Admittedly, I don't remember much about my first cinematic experience, but I will never forget the film.

Gene Wilder was brilliant as the title character, and the sights and sounds that fed my senses inside the chocolate factory were overwhelming!

To this day, when I hear the words "come with me, and you'll be, In a land of pure imagination," I am instantly taken back inside Willy Wonka's world.

And I love it there!!!

I love it there so much, that when I heard that director Tim Burton was going to do his own version of the film, it didn't bother me. I was also okay with Johnny Depp taking over as Willy Wonka.

To their credit, Burton and Depp did a great job and there are many things to enjoy in their film.

However, I like my original version better.

That isn't necessarily because one version is better than the other, after all it is Roald Dahl's original story that is the basis for both, but I still prefer the original.

And I bet thirty-four years from now, when they inevitably make another film version, there will be someone who proclaims the 2005 version to be the preferred one because it was the first film they saw.

Whichever film you prefer, the story will always be the same unique tale of Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who is fortunate enough to receive one of only five golden tickets that grant the holder exclusive entry into recluse Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and they will get to experience the wonders with.

Once inside, due to the winners' unfortunate personality traits, they eventually disappear until only one ticket holder remains.

That person is in store for a wonderful gift, if he can accept it.

And of course, if you haven't read the book, or seen either movie, I don't want to give anything away.

However, the book and the newest film are called CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

But I digress.

It might not be my preferred version of this classic story, but Depp and Burton's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is very entertaining. Specifically, Depp does an incredible job playing a very, very unlikable character. His Wonka is actually very mean at times, but in a good way.

I say just think of this as a guilty pleasure and enjoy it.

Another guilty pleasure this week is the DVD set for A DIFFERENT WORLD - SEASON ONE.

IN 1987 the show debuted as a spin off of THE COSBY SHOW. Daughter Denise was sent off to college to find out that there was "a different world" awaiting her outside the Huxtable house.

In addition to Lisa Bonet as Denise, this first season of the show stars the young, and always beautiful, Marisa Tomei, who would eventually go on to win an Academy Award for her work in MY COUSIN VINNY.

Denise, Maggie, Whitley, Dwayne Wayne, Ron. They are all still attending Hillman College on this new 4-DVD box set.

Another 4 disc box set that is now available is the LIVE 8 BOX SET.

On July 2nd some of the biggest names in the music industry- including Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Mariah Carey, Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Black eyed Peas, Jet, Elton John, The Who, Sting, Paul McCartney, U2 and a re-formed Pink Floyd - took part in a series of concerts around the world. Two decades after he gave the world LIVE AID Bob Geldof staged an even more ambitious series of continent-spanning concerts dedicated to raising funds and public consciousness about international debt relief.

This Box Set focuses on the two biggest concerts that took place in London and Philadelphia. Sadly, even though there were a series of shows there is very little from them in this set.

That is the bad, but there is plenty of good on the LIVE 8 BOX SET. In addition to the concerts themselves there is also a backstage documentary and the entire performance from Pink Floyd and their pre-concert rehearsal.

Now if you are interested in the individual concert DVDs from Toronto, Paris, Rome or Berlin, they are also available as single discs.

However it is the Box Set that is most worthy of your time.

Plus, royalties from sales of the set will go to the Band Aid Trust for the relief of hunger and poverty in Africa.

From LIVE 8, we go now to this week's "leftovers."

Up first is the superb 2001 TV show UNDECLARED about Steve Karp and his fellow freshman dorm-mates.

They are all about to embark on one the greatest experiences of their lives...unfortunately for Steve, the girl he slept with last night has a boyfriend, and his lonely and recently divorced father is tagging along for the ride.

If you were a fan of the under appreciated FREAKS AND GEEKS then you will enjoy the humour and honesty that is front and centre in UNDECLARED.

And now UNDECLARED- THE COMPLETE SERIES is now available in an incredible 4-disc box set with an array of extras.

I declare that I love UNDECLARED, and I am quite pleased that I now own THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD.

I am just as pleased that I now own a movie version of Douglas Adams' classic book THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.

After almost twenty years development THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY was finally turned into a movie this year.

For those unfamiliar with the story, everyman Arthur Dent wakes up one morning to discover that the entire planet of Earth is about to be destroyed for an interplanetary bypass.

Dent is saved by his best friend, and alien-in-disguise Ford Prefect and that sets the stage for a series of interesting and goofy trips across the galaxy, accompanied - of course - by the trusty Hitchhiker's Guide.

Many of my friends revere Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" book, and the BBC television series. Many of them were subsequently disappointed in this film adaptation.

But I enjoyed it. The cast seems to be having a good time, and the result is a fun, breezy movie that is a treat to watch.

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY movie might not be as good as the book, or the series, but it is an entertaining film nonetheless!

And it is available now at a store near you, along with CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, A DIFFERENT WORLD - SEASON ONE, the LIVE 8 BOX SET and UNDECLARED.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

The funny film MADAGASCAR features four zoo animals who end us shipwrecked outside of their friendly confines.

SCRUBS - SEASON TWO is the 3-disc box set with all of the 22 hilarious episodes from SCRUBS sensational second season.

THE SKELETON KEY is the title and the item that reveals the secrets of an old mansion.

And our "Leftover" is the 2005 version of CRASH. In this exceptional film several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters.

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 week on The Couch!

The Top Selling TV Shows on DVD

IN case you are curious, or just love useless facts, here they are!

Rank Title Units sold in millions Revenue in millions

1. Chappelle's Show: Season 1 Uncensored 3.68 $95.6
2. Family Guy, Volume 1 3.21 $120.4
3. The Simpsons: The Complete First Season 2.96 $110.8
4. Seinfeld First and Second Seasons 2.55 $95.6
5. Chappelle's Show: Season 2 Uncensored 2.51 $94.3
6. Band of Brothers 2.25 $180.2
7. Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell 2.13 $25.5
8. Sex and the City: The Complete First Season 2.07 $77.5
9. Family Guy Volume 2 2.06 $53.6
10. The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season2.03 $76.1M

Source: Home Media Retailing through Oct. 31

Titanic: Special Collector's Edition

Paramount Home Entertainment has included three hidden features on the Special Collector’s Edition of James Cameron’s blockbuster epic 'Titanic.'

Insert disc 3 from the DVD set and from the Main Menu access the 'Marketing' section. On the following sub-menu, highlight the entry 'Fox TV Special: Titanic – Breaking New Ground' and then press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight the life preserver on the right side of the screen.

Press the 'Enter' key and you will see the skit from the 1998 MTV Movie Awards with Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and James Cameron.

Next, go to the 'Deleted Scenes' section and select the 'chapter' menu entry. On the following screen, highlight 'Chapter 29,' the extended Carpathia sequence, and then press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote. This will highlight the couple at the bottom of the screen. Press 'Enter,' and you will see the Saturday Night Live 'Titanic' skit featuring Bill Paxton.

Finally, go to the 'Special Features' section and select 'Still Galleries.' On that section’s sub-menu, highlight 'Production Artwork.' This will take you to the box on the right side of the screen. Highlight 'View Entire Gallery' and then press the 'Up' arrow key on your remote control to highlight the arrow in the middle of the screen. Press 'enter' now and you will see the short animated film 'Titanic in 30 Seconds with Bunnies.'

Top-flight titles target post-holiday DVD rush

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Although the jury is still out on the ultimate strength or weakness of the fourth quarter, studio DVD marketers are charging ahead with plans for next year.

Already, three big theatrical features -- one a certifiable blockbuster -- have been slotted for January release. "The Wedding Crashers" (New Line) will arrive in stores January 3 with a $207.8 million theatrical pedigree. A week later comes "Red Eye" and "Transporter 2."

Other likely January titles include "Flightplan" and "The Constant Gardener," which is generating a lot of buzz in awards circles.

Contenders for February DVD releases include " Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "Just Like Heaven" and "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," and "A History of Violence"

"It's a fantastic time for home video," Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders said of the January-February time period. "That's why New Line has 'Wedding Crashers' and we had 'Troy' in that same slot last year. We were very pleased with the results."

Sanders credited the booming gift-card market, which according to Deloitte & Touche USA Llp. grew 20% last year and boosted retail sales by an estimated $18 billion.

"As gift cards become bigger and bigger retail items, we have a greater opportunity to sell DVDs after the holiday period," Sanders said.

It's not just new releases, either. Dozens of classics have been slotted for January and February release, including Warner's "Oscar Classics Collection," consisting of seven Academy Award-winning films that never before have been available on disc. Arriving in stores January 31: best picture winner "Cimarron" (1931), "The Champ" (1931), "Captains Courageous" (1937), "The Good Earth" (1937), "Kitty Foyle" (1940), "Johnny Belinda" (1948) and 1956's "Lust for Life."

The Couch Potato Report - November 2nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a classic end to a classic saga and three leftovers.

It is amazing what memories we keep with us from our childhood.

For some, there are the memories of lying under a tree on a summer day, looking up at the clouds.

Others have memories of trips to the city to go shopping with siblings and mom and dad.

I have those memories, and many more as well from my childhood. Many of them remain vivid to this day.

One more very vivid memory that I have kept from my childhood is the way I felt back in 1977 when I first saw a movie called STAR WARS.

I was simply overwhelmed!

The intervening years have seen that film changed, "updated", and renamed STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE, but every time I see the film, or think of that summer 28 years ago when I first saw it, I feel like a kid again and I remain overwhelmed.

The release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in 1980 and THE RETURN OF THE JEDI in 1983 only cemented my passion.

When prequels to those films came out in the late nineties, my passion remained.

There were many people who's passion for STAR WARS diminished after the release of STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE in 1999 and STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES in 2002, but I wasn't one of them.

With every STAR WARS film, I felt like a kid again.

A kid sitting in a darkened movie theatre with a drink and some Maltesers getting ready to be taken to a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Now, with this week's release of STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH on DVD the saga is complete.

It is the sixth and final film in the series and Lucas has said that he will do no more movies. Yes, he will tinker with the six he has already created, but he won't be making any new ones.

But if it had to end, I am glad it ended with REVENGE OF THE SITH, because tis is one superb film.

A film that gives us the final piece of the puzzle in the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of Darth Vader.

There are terrific battle scenes, inside jokes and treats for longtime fans, and a well written dramatic arc...

Umm,...okay, that last part isn't true.

Lucas has never been known for his writing skills, and REVENGE OF THE SITH does suffer from his penchant for bad dialogue from time to time.

Nevertheless, even if it is poorly written in places, the reality is that Lucas is still a great overall storyteller.

Now, the tale of a galaxy long ago and far away is complete.

And I, for one, am glad I was able to see how it played out.

Should you be asking if you will like this film if you haven't seen any of the others, well, here's the answer.

Take the time and watch them all! You won't even have to wait for 28 years to see how it ended, like I did!

STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH is now on my shelf beside the other films. It will stay there forever.

THE INTERPRETER is also sitting on my shelf, but it will not be there forever.

In the film Nicole Kidman plays an interpreter for the United Nations who overhears a possible assassination plot one night as she returns to collect her things.

Sean Penn is the Secret Service agent who believes her at times, and doesn't at others.

Come to think of it, that is the overlying theme of the whole movie.

Sometimes you will believe THE INTERPRETER is a great film, other times you won't.

The first hour is almost all believable, but after that director Sydney Pollack doesn't let his film have very much focus.

Should we believe Kidman's character? Should we not?

The film never shows us what she is thinking or feeling, so it is hard. Penn is his usual reliable self, but THE INTERPRETER is a leftover this week that is best looked over as you walk by it on the shelf.

At best, I would call it a mediocre thriller.

At its best SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE was one of the funniest shows on TV.

Many consider its best to have been during the show's first five years.

Should you count yourself one of those people, or you are curious to see how great the show used to be, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and al of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players all star is SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: LIVE FROM NEW YORK - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS.

Just don't expect full skits as this is not a best of DVD.

This is a documentary that features many of the cast and crew who worked on the show during those first five years.

Even if you don't think the show's best years were from 1975 to 1980, this is still a fascinating documentary on what it took to get the show on the air in the first place.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: LIVE FROM NEW YORK - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS is a 154 minute look back at how some of the comedy we enjoy today was created, and I completely enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed ALF, the TV show about the alien life form from the planet Melmac who crashed landed on earth and lived with a human family.

In fact, it is something else I have fond memories of from my childhood.

Our final leftover this week is ALF - SEASON TWO.

Originally released on August 23rd, this four disc set includes a wide array of laughs, plus cameos by the cast of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, plus Alf hosts the David Letterman show.

I don't know if the fact that I enjoyed watching the whole second season means that I am living in the past, or that the show is still funny.

Who knows, maybe it means both.

Either way, ALF - SEASON TWO is available now at a store near you, along with SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: LIVE FROM NEW YORK - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, THE INTERPRETER and STAR WARS: EPISODE III - Revenge Of The Sith.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

Johnny Depp takes over as Willy Wonka in director Tim Burton's 2005 version of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

In 1987 TV's Denise Huxtable left THE COSBY SHOW for A DIFFERENT WORLD, and now SEASON ONE of that show is available on DVD.

On July 2nd some of the biggest names in the music industry took part in a series of concerts around the world. Now there is a 4-DVD LIVE 8
BOX SET.

Our "Leftovers" next week are the superb 2001 TV show UNDECLARED and the movie version of Douglas Adams' classic book THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE
TO THE GALAXY.

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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - October 25th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features some things you never need to see twice, and some that can be watched over and over and over again!

There are only a few hour long television shows that I can watch a second, or third time. For some reason, after the drama has played out, and I know what happens, I just can't enjoy them any more.

For instance, I have enjoyed almost every episode I have seen of "The West Wing", "24", "Law & Order", "Homicide", and "Kojack" on television, but when I sat down to watch their respective DVD sets I was,...well I was bored.

There are exceptions, notably "The X-Files", "Miami Vice" and "Lost", but for the most part I just can't get into most of these hour long dramas the second time around.

And the same is true with the show ALIAS. When the show began airing new episodes for it's fourth season in January I made a point to be home every Wednesday night to watch them.

However when I sat down this past week to watch the 6-DVD Box Set for ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON, I could barely get through it.

Now, if you didn't make a point of being home every Wednesday from January to May of this year just so you could watch a TV show about Sydney Bristow, an international spy recruited out of college and trained for espionage and self-defense, then maybe you will enjoy this box set.

As for me, well, I got through it, and there were episodes I mildly enjoyed, but I was,...well, I was bored.

But, I am still glad I had the set to watch as it has a wide array of extras.

In addition to featuring all 22 Episodes from the fourth season, the Box Set includes an interview with star Jennifer Garner, a Director's Diary, Blooper Reel, Deleted Scenes, commentary of four episodes, and much more!

In ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON family secrets come to light and old foes once again return. It is a season of betrayal, suspense, and one of the best season cliffhangers ever!

That is, if you have never seen it before.

I recommend this box set, because I know what it entails, but that doesn't mean I will ever watch it again.

I also doubt I will ever watch HERBIE: FULLY LOADED again.

That isn't because it is a bad film, it just doesn't have anything that would make me watch it again.

And that is too bad as I have watched the original Herbie movie THE LOVE BUG, and all of it's sequels many times since I started watching movies in the early 1970s.

I love all of these films about a Volkswagon Bug with a mind and a heart of its own.

But with HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, I guess it is time to realize that I am too old for this franchise, and just pass it on to the youth of today.

So youth, in HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, Lindsay Lohan from MEAN GIRLS stars as a woman who gets an old Volkswagen Beetle for a graduation present.

She soon ends up racing against a champion in the sport on her way to a very satisfying conclusion.

Luckily for the viewer, Lohan and the entire cast realizes that they aren't making an Oscar winning picture so they just have fun with the material.

The result is an entertaining enough film that the whole family can enjoy.

The whole family might not ever need to see it twice, but they will enjoy it.

Now, if there are things that you never need to see again, then there must be things that must be seen a second time. Or third, or fourth...

Some of those exact things are collected on THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE.

If you missed my reviews of the original THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION, or my review of THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME TWO I will tell you that I called them both "incredible anthologies of classic cartoons."

Now that THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is available, I hope it doesn't come as too big a shock when I proclaim this new 4-disc set with 60 more of the most legendary cartoons ever created to also be "an incredible anthology of classic cartoons."

VOLUME THREE's cartoons range from the debut of Porky Pig in 1935 to the end of the Warner Bros. animation studio in 1963.

Plus, each of the four discs has a varied lineup of cartoons so you don't end up watching cartoon after cartoon of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, or Road Runner. Each disc has a few of everyone!

A few of everyone, and a few for everyone!

THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is a must own for all fans of animation.

And so is this week's first "Leftover!"

The classic Disney animated film CINDERELLA was released on DVD for the first time on October 4th and the studio did a great job with their 2-disc DISNEY SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION.

This version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale was first produced in 1950. To this day it remains one of the most enduring animated films of all time.

As superb as the film is, the best part of this PLATINUM EDITION are the supplemental features. Those features are a wealth of archival material and they include "The Cinderella That Almost Was," a feature that tracks the development of the project through decades of original Disney concepts, characters, and songs.

If you or your kids have been waiting for this film to come out on DVD then I guess it is as CINDERELLA's classic song says "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

Our second "leftover" this week is SCTV - VOLUME 4.

When these shows originally aired Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis and Catherine O'Hara had departed the series, Martin Short became a superstar in their absence.

The VOLUME 4 box set does feature the SCTV parodies of "The Towering Inferno," "Christmas Specials," "Midnight Cowboy" and "Sweeps Week", along with musical guests John Cougar Mellencamp, Joe Walsh, and Crystal Gayle, but the primary reason this box is a must have for comedy lovers is because it contains the episodes that parody the CBC.

In that same episode is the parody of the early seventies Canadian film "Going Down The Road", which is just as much an integral part of Canadiana as the movie it spoofs.

SCTV - VOLUME 4 is classic Canadian comedy and it is available now at a store near you. For that matter, so are the CINDERELLA DISNEY SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION, THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE, HERIE: FULLY LOADED, and ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

The saga concludes with STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH!!

Finally, we get to see Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side and become Darth Vader!

We will also get to see Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn starring in THE INTERPRETER; John Belushi, Gilda Radner and the Not Ready For Prime Time Players in SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: LIVE FROM NEW YORK - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS and ALF - SEASON TWO features...Alf.

Remember him?

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 week on The Couch.

'Titanic' rises again in 'ultimate' 3-disc set

When the special edition of Titanic arrives in stores Tuesday, movie fans will finally be able to pick up the definitive DVD version of Hollywood's biggest-grossing movie.

Director James Cameron says he's so pleased with the three-disc set ($30) that he won't go back for another round, something that has become standard practice.

Noting that his blockbuster Terminator 2 already has come out on DVD in four different incarnations, including an "ultimate edition," Cameron says: "Our intention here was to jump through all those intermediate iterations and get right to the ultimate version and tell people, point blank, this is it. This is the ultimate disc."

The film is notable not only for its $600 million gross but also for its controversy. The Titanic budget spiraled out of control to reach $200 million. And midway through production, 20th Century Fox sold half the rights to Paramount.

Cameron now concedes that even he had misgivings about whether the film would turn a profit. "It was a chick flick set in 1912, it was three hours long, and everybody dies in the end — how could it possibly be successful?" he says with a laugh.

"I don't think anybody really believed in its upside potential, myself included."

When Titanic finally hit theaters the weekend before Christmas 1997, a ho-hum opening almost led to panic in the boardrooms of both studios. But the film didn't taper off; it steadily chugged its way into the record books. It was No. 1 on the box-office charts for an astounding 15 weeks.

"That's something that simply doesn't happen anymore," says Robert Dowling of The Hollywood Reporter. Today's movies, he says, typically take in one-third of their gross the first weekend and rarely remain No. 1 for more than a week.

The controversy over the film's production probably helped, Dowling says.

"If you remember the amount of press that movie got, about people losing their jobs and how much money it was costing, that's going to stir up interest."

Titanic also was able to stay on top for so long because of repeat viewers. "What makes a movie work," Dowling says, "is it resonates with where the world is at the time, and every once in a while everything just hits the right note. And Titanic was such a movie. People felt good when they saw it, told everyone else to see it, and then if they really liked it, saw it again."

Cameron has his own theories: "There was this kind of pre-millennial angst in the air, and the film keyed to that sense of impending disaster and how important it is to live life well. The lesson of Titanic is you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or even tonight.

"People used to mock us and say, 'Well, we know how it ends.' And we said, 'Yes, you also know how your own life will end — with death.' It's just a question of what you do in the meantime."

COMPUTER 'WIZARD'

In the new, high-resolution DVD of "The Wizard of Oz," a bolt is visible between the Tin Man's eyes. You can clearly see the trapdoor used by the Wicked Witch of the West. And if you look closely, there's a fishing line holding up the Cowardly Lion's tail.

The latest digital version of the beloved classic, in stores Tuesday, is so crisp that the moviemakers' production tricks are clearly revealed.

"We didn't remove the fishing lines as a matter of philosophy," says Rob Hummel, senior vice president for production technologies at Warner Bros., who oversaw an eight-month restoration on the 1939 classic. "We didn't add or remove anything, just revealed what was already there by making the images much clearer."

For the movie's third release on DVD, the film was scanned using an ultra-resolution process that captured four times as much detail as the previous digital restoration in 1997.

The expensive process has been used on only three earlier Warner titles, "Singing in the Rain," "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Gone With the Wind," all of which were filmed in Technicolor.

Early Technicolor films were shot with special cameras that used filters and mirrors to produce three separate reels of black-and-white film, each representing one of the primary colors, which were added in the printing process.

"Some old black-and-white films like 'Casablanca' are unbelievably sharp, but the edges of Technicolor films tend to be soft because of problems in aligning the three negatives," Hummel explains. "What we did was to use computers to painstakingly line up the three images."

Though the results are spectacular, Hummel says the full effect won't be visible until new high-definition DVD formats arrive next year.

As part of the process, dirt was automatically removed for the first time using a new software program.

"But we did have a problem with the software removing the ruby slippers in some of the long shots," Hummel said. "That's why we use humans to correct the process."

The new restoration of "The Wizard of Oz" - No. 6 on the American Film Institute's list of Greatest American Movies - gets a big thumbs up from Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft.

"Thank God for Warner Home Video doing this," Luft says from Ireland, where she is on a concert tour. For Luft, it's important that the movie be preserved for future generations.

"Now it looks just as if you were looking through the cameraman's viewfinder," Luft says. My mother would really love that people can now see the movie in all its glory."

Looney Tunes finally goes to Vol. 3

After what seems to be a sizeable wait. Warner will be releasing a third 4-disc collection of Looney Tunes Golden Collection. The set will again contain a wealth of extras and shorts.

Disc 1: Bugs Bunny Classics will contain Hare Force, Hare Remover, Hare Tonic, A Hare Grows in Manhattan, Easter Yeggs, The Wabbit Who Came to Supper, Bowery Bugs, Homeless Hare, The Case of the Missing Hare, Acrobatty Bunny, Wackiki Wabbit, Hare Do, Rebel Rabbit, Hillbilly Hare and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!.

Disc 2: Hoolywood Caricatures and Paradies includes Daffy Duck in Hollywood, Hollywood Capers, The CooCoo Nut Grove, Porky’s Road Race, The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos, She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter, The Film Fan, Speaking of the Weather, Thugs with Dirty Mugs, Goofy Groceries, Swooner Crooner, Wideo Wabbit, The Honey-Mousers, The Last Hungry Cat and The Mouse That Jack Built.

Disc 3: Porky and the Pigs has I Haven’t Got a Hat, Porky’s Romance, Porky’s Party, Porky in Egypt, Porky and Teabiscuit, Pigs Is Pigs, Pigs in a Polka, Porky Pig’s Feat, Daffy Duck Slept Here, Bye, Bye Bluebeard, An Egg Scramble, Robin Hood Daffy, The Windblown Hare, Claws for Alarm and Rocket Squad.

Disc 4: All-Stars Cartoon Party features Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur, Super-Rabbit, Daffy Duck and Egghead, A Gruesome Twosome, Draftee Daffy, Falling Hare, Steal Wool, Birds Anonymous, No Barking, Rabbit Punch, An Itch in Time, Odor-able Kitty, Walky Talky Hawky, Gonzales’ Tamales and To Beep or Not to Beep.

Additional features include commentaries, rare shorts, docuemtaries, featurettes and an unaired pilot.

The DVD set arrives this coming Tuesday from Warner.

The Couch Potato Report - October 20th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a batman, some zombies, a gladiator, and The Dude.

It is my belief that even people who don't consider themselves to be fans of comics and comic books, usually still have a favourite comic book character.

Whether it is "Garfield", "Peanuts", "Spider-man", "Andy Capp","Foxtrot", "House Of M", "New Avengers" or "Dennis The Menace", I think we all have a favourite comic book character.

For the past few weeks I have been reading "The Complete Far Side" and "The Complete Calvin And Hobbes" books, and I love both of those, and I have also always been a big fan of "Underdog" and "Bugs Bunny", but my favourite all-time cartoon character is still "Batman."

Throughout the years I have been able to enjoy Batman in comic books, television shows, and movies.

To this day the 1989 BATMAN movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader remains my favourite movie based on a comic book character.

However, that film is no longer the leader by a long shot. It now has a sidekick!

Batman was originally created and introduced by Bob Kane in 1939. At his inception, Batman was a dark character who walked the tightrope between hero and vigilante.

In the 1960s a campy TV series starring Adam West transformed the character into a silly-but-likable good guy in gray spandex.

Happily, Tim Burton gave Batman some of his edge back in his film, but that movie, and it's four sequels, focused more on the villains, and our hero was relegated to the position of supporting character.

After 1992's BATMAN RETURNS Burton gave up on the Batman film franchise and after the abysmal 1997 film BATMAN & ROBIN, directed by Joel Shumacher, the fans of the character gave up on him as well.

Batman has lived on in the comics since then, but as a movie character, he was dead.

Well, he was dead until the release of the film BATMAN BEGINS earlier this year.

For this new film director Christopher Nolan went back to the basics, throwing away the camp style of the TV show and the late 90's movies, and the dark and gothic elements of Tim Burton's vision.

The result is a film that has a great script, superb cast, and it tells how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It is the tale of how Batman begins, or began if you will.

It isn't necessarily a prequel to the 1989 film, but if you watch the two of them together, it sure can be.

Director Christopher Nolan and new Batman Christian Bale have given us a film that not only cements Batman's place as the most interesting comic book character, but they have once again made him one of the best superheroes in films as well!

BATMAN BEGINS has restarted the movie franchise and I, for one, hope that Nolan and Bale decide to team up for a second film!

If they do, who knows? Maybe I won't be able to proclaim Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN movie as my favourite movie based on a comic book character any more.

However, I suppose that I will always proclaim THE BIG LEBOWSKI to be the best bowling movie ever!

Even though they are used now, when THE BIG LEBOWSKI was released in 1998 hardly anyone was using words like "best" or "classic" to describe it.

That is because the film was Joel and Ethan Coen's follow-up to the Academy Award winning film FARGO and since LEBOWSKI wasn't as unique or original as FARGO, it was deemed by many to be a disappointment and it quickly disappeared from theatres.

Since it appeared on video and DVD, however, it has gained the audience it so richly deserves!

Yes, it is about bowling, but THE BIG LEBOWSKI is so much more!

It is a film about a lazy, drug using underachiever named Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski who ends up in the middle of a kidnaping scheme.

The plot is secondary as the film has a laid back, loose charm that makes it easy to watch, and enjoy!

Jeff Bridges from SEABISCUIT and TIDELAND is "The Dude" and the supporting cast features Coen brothers regulars John Goodman, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi.

No, it wasn't a success in 1998, and the new COLLECTOR'S EDITION of THE BIG LEBOWSKI isn't going to sell 30 or 40 million copies either, but if you like great characters, hilarious dialogue, and bowling in your movies, then spend some time with THE BIG LEBOWSKI, or as some of us call him, "The Dude."

Or if that isn't your cup of tea, how about a zombie movie?

LAND OF THE DEAD sees director George A. Romero return to the zombie movie genre he invented back in 1968 with NIGH OF THE LIVING DEAD. LAND OF THE DEAD is Romero's fourth film in his zombie series, and his first since 1985's Day of the Dead.

In the series, and this film, the living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans are living in a city with lakes and walls protecting them as they try and stay alive.

LAND OF THE DEAD isn't as original and inventive as it could have been, but the cast of Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and horror film favorite Asia Argento do a good job with the material they have been given.

LAND OF THE DEAD has nothing to offer people who aren't fans of zombie pictures, but it has enough to satisfy people who are fans of the genre until the next zombie flick comes along.

Let me digress from pontificating about the value of zombie pictures now and go
right to this week's "Leftover."

This week I invite you to serve yourself up the delicious EXTENDED EDITION of the Academy Award winning film GLADIATOR.

This new version includes 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary about the film that includes some never-before-seen footage.

The extra 17 minutes don't make the film better or worse, they just allow the film to be more of a good thing.

Prior to a few weeks ago I hadn't watched GLADIATOR since it first came out in 2000. Some friends of mine love the film and one of them even named their son after the title character, but I never made the time to see it twice.

After watching the EXTENDED EDITION, I can honestly say that I won't take 5 years to come back to the film.

The original and this EXTENDED EDITION of GLADIATOR are impressive achievements.

Both the Extended Version and the original theatrical version of the film come in this new 3-disc set, plus there is an all-new audio commentary by director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe and a great "Are you Not Entertained?" Trivia track.

The GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION will definitely entertain you and it is available now at a store near you, along with LAND OF THE DEAD, THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION of THE BIG LEBOWSKI and the superb BATMAN BEGINS.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

Is the box set for the TV show ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON and the movie version of the TV show BEWITCHED.

Herbie The Love Bug was seen in a new film this year, sadly, HERBIE: FULLY LOADED features too much Lindsay Lohan and not enough Dean Jones.

THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is a 4-disc set that features sixty more of the most looneytic Looney Tunes ever unleashed on rabbit, duck, pig or humanity!

And then there are new Collector's Editions of THE WIZARD OF OZ and TITANIC coming out as well.

Plus, next week I will have two "Leftovers" for you, the SCTV - VOLUME 4 Box Set that features the episodes about CBC and the classic Disney animated film CINDERELLA.

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 week on The Couch!

Sundance marks 25 years with DVD set

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Giving a nod to the Sundance Institute's 25th anniversary, an 11-DVD collection of festival favorites is being readied for a November 22 release.

" Sundance Film Festival Collection: Celebrating 25 Years of Sundance Institute" includes 10 movies plus an additional disc of interviews, behind-the-scenes shots from the Sundance Institute labs, and footage from the Sundance Film Festival.

Films that will be part of the collection include Stephen Soderbergh's "sex, lies and videotape," which won the Audience Award at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival; Kevin Smith's cult favorite "Clerks," winner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 festival; "The Usual Suspects," the acclaimed thriller from Bryan Singer that premiered at the 1995 festival; "Smoke Signals," which was developed by Chris Eyre at the 1995 Sundance Institute Filmmakers lab and won the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 festival; and the Sundance Film Festival's 1999 Grand Jury Prize winner, "American Movie," from director Chris Smith.

Also featured in the collection are the Oscar-winning "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), developed by Kimberly Peirce at the 1997 lab; Todd Field's critically hailed "In the Bedroom," for which stars Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek were given Special Jury Prizes at the 2001 festival; 2002 Grand Jury Prize winner "Real Women Have Curves," from director Patricia Cardoso, which also garnered Special Jury Prizes for Lupe Ontiveros and America Ferrera; 2003 Grand Jury Prize winner "Capturing the Friedmans," the acclaimed documentary from director Andrew Jarecki; and another 2003 Grand Jury Prize winner, "American Splendor," helmed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

Special features on the bonus disc include interviews with Sundance founder Robert Redford; a documentary on the Sundance Institute; filmmaker interviews; and scenes from the Sundance lab sessions for two films included in the collection.

The boxed set will include a booklet with an introduction by Redford and a review of the institute's work in independent film, film music and theater.

Q&A: Jeff Dowd Is the Real 'Lebowski'

NEW YORK - Call him the Dude. That or his Dudeness, Duder or el Duderino — if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Addressing Jeff Dowd — the real life inspiration for Jeff Bridges' character in "The Big Lebowski" — is not a formal affair. But as the cult of the Coen brothers' 1998 mistaken identity comedy has grown, so has Dowd's fame.

The 55-year-old film producer first met Joel and Ethan Coen when he helped promote their 1984 debut, "Blood Simple." The Coens decided the large, boisterous Dowd, who referred to himself as "the Dude," would yield endless possibilities if inserted into a genre film — a Los Angeles film noir.

"It was sort of imaging him in the context of a (Raymond) Chandler kind of story that got us started on the script," Joel Coen says on the new collector's edition DVD of "The Big Lebowski."

Eight years later, the fan base for the movie continues to grow. A new collector's edition DVD comes out Tuesday, and New York will host the "Lebowski Fest" Oct. 21-22 — the fourth year fans will dress up as characters from the film, bowl a few games and sip the Dude's signature white Russians.

Imdb.com notes that the Dude, "the laziest in all of Los Angeles County," says "man" 144 times in the movie. Unfortunately, Dowd didn't drop one "man" talking to the AP, but he did discuss his peculiar "somewhat icon status."

AP: How similar are you to the Dude we know from the movie?

Dowd: A lot of the body language is 110 percent spot on. That's very, very similar. Some of the dress is pretty close. This is what Joel and Ethan imaged I would have been like in the `70s. There was a period of time after when we were very active politically in the late `60s — there was no "movement" anymore. A fair amount of people hung out for a couple years. We were hanging pretty heavy, and indeed for a while we drank white Russians somewhere between tequila sunrises and Harvey Wallbangers, or whatever the drink of season was.

AP: Did the Coens tell you they were working on "The Big Lebowski" with you in mind?

Dowd: I actually heard it through a guy named Ben Barenholt who produced a couple of their movies. "The boys are doin' a movie about 'ya, Dude." They told me shortly after that.

AP: Did you work with Jeff Bridges beforehand?

Dowd: Just a day, but he got it. I'm pretty easy to mimic. (Robert) Redford does a good impression of me too. I'm kind of bigger than life and the way I use my hands and mumble and lay back with my belly sticking out. In the script, it says, "The Dude, in rumpled clothes. Casualness runs deep."

AP: Do you bowl?

Dowd: Not that much. I know where Joel and Ethan got the bowling idea. It was during "Blood Simple," when I was helping them with the marketing and distribution. I had an idea to throw a party at a bowling alley in Santa Monica and it was like a thousand people. That's where that came from.

AP: Sam Elliot narrates at the start of the movie that the Dude is "the man for his time and place." Is that true of you as well?

Dowd: I've been fortunate enough to be in the right place and the right time for the better part of half a century — being around a lot of interesting people and a lot of interesting events. ... I'm there at 17 years old traveling around Europe with the Living Theater and, by chance, the Rolling Stones. I was around Ralph Nader when he started up his PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) organization. I got involved with Redford ... there's a whole story about the first year of Sundance and how it was started. I was involved in the last demonstration against Richard Nixon at the Spokane World Fair. (Dowd was a member of the Seattle Seven, an anti-Vietnam protest group alluded to in "Lebowski.")

AP: I hear you're writing an autobiography?

Dowd: I'm almost done. It's called "The Dude Abides." It's about how friends can get together and do things positively and hopefully using this somewhat icon status I have now, bequeathed to me by Joel and Ethan ... it'll help empower the younger generation.

AP: What's it like, this "icon status"?

Dowd: The persona of that character automatically is an icebreaker. People are like, "Wow! The Dude!" And they want to give you a big handshake or a hug. It's a very friendly feeling for them and obviously for me. It's different than what happens with people being in awe with a star — it's like a friendly thing. People seem to be instantly at ease. From my point of view, that's great, because that's how the world should be anyway.

AP: Do you indeed have a rug that really ties the room together?

Dowd: Absolutely.

Airplane! is back on the radar with a new DVD version

The 1980 Zucker, Zucker & Abrahams production Airplane! is returning to DVD this winter, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

The Airplane! – Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition puts you in first class, serving exactly what you asked for – more side-splitting laughs and more behind-the-scenes secrets, as an ex-fighter pilot is forced to take the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning. The persons and events in this films are fictitious – fortunately – as it turns into an off-the-wall comedy.

This version will offer up an anamorphic widescreen transfer of the movie with a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital track. The release will also include a Commentary Track by producer Josh Davidson, and writers/directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker.

The version presented on the release will be the “Longhaul Version” featuring Deleted Scenes and Interviews all threaded into the film, accessible via Branching throughout the movie. A Trivia Track will also be included as well as the movie’s original Trailer.

“Airplane! – Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition” will be ready for take-off on December 13. Ticket prices start at $19.99.

'Pulse' DVD chronicles final Pink Floyd tour

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pink Floyd will release the long-awaited DVD for its concert film "Pulse" in Europe on December 5, and in North America the following day.

The project -- handled by EMI in Europe and Columbia in North america -- was originally released on VHS in 1995 in conjunction with a double-disc CD set of the same name. The film chronicles the band's 1994 tour in support of the album "The Division Bell," which turned out to be its last.

The video was taped during a 14-night run at London's Earl's Court and is highlighted by the first complete performance of the 1973 album "Dark Side of the Moon," which can be found on the second disc. The first disc of the DVD features a blend of older hits ("Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2," "Learning To Fly") and material from "The Division Bell" ("Keep Talking," "Take It Back").

Among the bonus features are the back-screen stage projections for such songs as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "High Hopes" and the majority of the "Dark Side of the Moon" material, plus videos for "Learning To Fly" and "Take It Back."

Bonus performances of four "Division Bell" songs are included in the feature "Bootlegging the Bootleggers," while the documentary "Goodbye to Life As We Know It" offers previously unseen off-stage footage of Pink Floyd on the road.

In its original home video form, "Pulse" spent 176 weeks on Billboard's Top Music Video chart. The album version debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The Couch Potato Report - October 11th

This week The Couch Potato Report features a movie that is good for a laugh or two, a TV show that is good for several more and a release that is a leftover.

I like Will Ferrell.

I have laughed - and laughed hard - at his work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and in the movies OLD SCHOOL, ELF and ANCHORMAN.

Since I have enjoyed his work in the past, I look forward to his new films as well, as I figure they will be good for a laugh or two.

That figuring proved to be correct when I watched Ferrell's latest film, a soccer comedy called KICKING AND SCREAMING.

No, I didn't laugh a lot, and you won't either, but it is good for a laugh or two.

In KICKING AND SCREAMING Ferrell is a man who has never lived up to his father's expectations.

Dad is a man's man who is big on winning and toughness and the son...is not.

Robert Duvall plays the father and when he trades his own grandson from the soccer team he coaches, Ferrell becomes the coach of his son's new team.

His son's really bad new team.

Along the way to the championship game, where father and son - and father and son - face off, there are lessons to be had, games to be won, and lost, and a few laughs to keep you entertained.

Some of those laughs even come from Football Hall-Of-Fame Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who seems to be having a great time playing a caricature of himself.

There is nothing about KICKING AND SCREAMING that makes it a great movie, not even the usually reliable Ferrell, and there is certainly nothing about the film that is unique.

But it is entertaining, and it is good for the whole family. Plus, it is good for a laugh or two.

On the other hand, SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON is good for many, many laughs!

When the sixth season of South Park aired in 1997 is saw creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone using their show to poke fun at almost everyone and everything that seemed to be relevant at the time.

It also saw their writing skills improve and that allowed the show to become funnier, an lose some of the more juvenile, less clever, humour that the show had started to rely on.

Oh don't get me wrong, the juvenile humour is still there, but it is better written.

Included in the SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD set is "The Return of Lord of the Rings to the Two Towers" episode, one of the funniest South Park episodes ever!

As I have in the past, I will admit that you have to be a fan of SOUTH PARK to enjoy the DVD box set that is SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD. Since I am a fan, I enjoyed this set, and I eagerly await the Season SEVEN set!!

If you have been eagerly awaiting the return of The Couch Potato Report, let me first say "Thank you", and secondly say "I have been awaiting it's return as well!"

Over the past eight weeks, since the last edition of The Report, there have been approximately 1000 titles released on DVD and video.

So over the next few weeks I will spotlight some of those releases, or as I am calling them "Leftovers."

This week I am not saving the best of those releases for last, I am putting it first!

The show STORYTELLERS airs on the music channel VH1 in America.

Each week on the show some of the world's best, and best known, singers and songwriters play their music and tell the stories behind their greatest songs.

In the past STORYTELLERS has featured Elvis Costello, Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, James Taylor and David Bowie, among others.

On April 23rd of this year it featured Bruce Springsteen!!

Now imagine that you could sit and listen to one of your favourite artists play a song and then dissect it line by line, explaining what he was thinking while he wrote it, and who or what it is actually about.

Since Bruce Springsteen is one of my favourite artists I no longer have to imagine it because he did it!! And it is now available on DVD!!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - VH1 STORYTELLERS is nearly two hours long and features a total of 8 complete Springsteen songs including the classics "Thunder Road" and "Blinded By The Light" as well as songs from his recent album DEVILS & DUST.

If you are a fan of the man, or are just interested in how some artists write songs, then this is a release for you!

It is insightful and entertaining and along with SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON and KICKING AND SCREAMING, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - VH1 STORYTELLERS is now available at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the summer blockbuster BATMAN BEGINS and THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION of the classic bowling movie THE BIG LEBOWSKI!!

And yes, for the record, I did just say the phrase "classic bowling movie."

Our "Leftover" next week is the EXTENDED EDITION of the Academy Award winning film GLADIATOR. This new version includes 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary that includes some never-before-seen footage.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's The Couch Potato Report.

Enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

Good DVD News!

Universal has announced the DVD release of Steve Carrell's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, for 12/13 (SRP $29.98).

There will be three versions available on DVD - an anamorphic widescreen unrated edition with 17 minutes of additional footage, and full frame versions of the theatrical cut and the unrated version (For the record, the theatrical cut will not be available in widescreen).

Extras will include a gag reel, additional footage from the You Know How I Know You're Gay? scene, Line-o-Rama (featuring a look at the cast saying their lines in different ways) and more.

The unrated edition will add additional deleted footage (under the label Andy's Fantasies) and My Dinner with Stormy (a featurette in which actor/co-producer Seth Rogen has dinner with porn star Stormy Daniels).

Who Needs Theaters, Anyway?

The major movie studios are stepping up their production of movies intended to go directly to the home video market, Home Media Retailing reported Monday.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment president Craig Kornblau told the publication, "We have a $24 billion business that consumers absolutely love ... and yet there is very little content made only for this business."

Many of the new features being produced for DVD release are being described as "franchises" -- essentially sequels to successful films. Last week, Universal launched "Universal DVD Originals" with Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, a sequel to 1993's Carlito's Way. On Dec. 27, the studio will release the DVD sequel American Pie: Band Camp, starring Eugene Levy.

Sony plans to release Single White Female 2: The Psycho on Oct. 25 and 8MM2 on Nov. 22. New Line is planning sequels to 1994's 8 Seconds and last year's The Butterfly Effect.

And Paramount Home Entertainment President Meagan Burrows told the publication that the studio is "in the process of developing a new [DVD] comedy label."

The Couch Potato Report - October 4th

This week The Couch Potato Report is still only doing a summary.

BUT, this is the last week for that! I guarantee that!

Y'see, I work for CBC radio and in addition to producing The Couch Potato Report for this website, I also do it for my show - Saskatchewan Weekend.

For the past 8 weeks I have been locked out by my employers, and thus I haven't been able to receive the films in my usual manner, so I haven't been able to watch and review them.

Yes, for the past two weeks I have been stating that "starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!"

Well, since my Union and CBC's management have come to terms and reached a deal, which I suspect my fellow Union members will ratify in the next few days, I will have the full Couch Potato Report here next week!!

I am going back to work, so I will be getting back to doing the work I love, and that includes The Couch Potato Report!!

For now, please bare with me, bear with me even, and enjoy these summaries:

I love her, but I must admit that I have yet to see Nicole Kidman's work in THE INTERPRETER. I hope to see it once the lockout is over, and I certainly hope it is better than what she has given us of late.

Lately she has been terrible in the many remakes she has done.

Even though I haven't seen it, I can tell you that in THE INTERPRETER she plays a UN translator who overhears an assassination plot. Sean Penn also stars.

So, at this point, I can't tell you if THE INTERPRETER is a classic.

However I can easily state that the 1950 Disney film CINDERELLA is a classic!

And now the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION DVD is available for you to share with your family.

Enjoy it!

Personally, on first viewing, I didn't enjoy the second season of the classic Canadian TV show CORNER GAS as much as the first.

But now that I have spent some time with the CORNER GAS - SEASON TWO DVD set I must admit that I am enjoying them now, upon second viewing.

And that is one of the many benefits of DVDs!!

For the uninitiated, CORNER GAS is set in the fictional town of Dog River Saskatchewan, and focuses on the life (or lack thereof) of gas station owner Brent LeRoy, coffee shop proprietor Lacey Burrows and the folks who populate the area.

It is funny, entertaining, and along with THE INTERPRETER and the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION DVD, CORNER GAS - SEASON TWO is now available at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the return of full reviews (I promise!!!), including my comments on:

KICKING AND SCREAMING - Will Ferrell is at his full, frenzied power as Phil Weston, a married, uncoordinated would-be sportsman with an uncoordinated would-be sportsman son--and an unresolved relationship with his coach father, Buck (Robert Duvall), who has very little tolerance for the uncoordinated. When Buck trades his own grandson to a real loser of a little league soccer team, Phil naturally takes over underdog coaching duties and the two men butt heads. You could easily, and perhaps rightfully, dismiss all of this as a dumb, demented Meatballs or Bad News Bears rip-off, but it's pleasantly dumb and sometimes hysterically demented.

SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON - The sixth season of South Park saw creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone using the animated Comedy Central cash cow to poke fun at anyone (Jared from the Subway commercials for one), everyone, and really, anything that pops into their heads. Included in the Season 6 DVD set is "The Return of Lord of the Rings to the Two Towers" episode, one of the funniest South Park episodes ever!

Coming up in Two weeks are BATMAN BEGINS and THE BIG LEBOWSKI - THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION!!

I'm Dan Reynish, enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

Kevin Smith re-edits 'Mallrats' for DVD

For better or worse, Kevin Smith lets it all hang out. That's why he just restored the worst version of his biggest failure for the 10th Anniversary Extended Edition of Mallrats.

"It's not very good," the 35-year-old New Jersey filmmaker told The Toronto Sun with a mischievous chuckle in a telephone interview from his home in Red Bank.

The newly re-edited version of Mallrats restores the long, rambling prologue to the movie that was in his shooting script, Smith says. It also extends the overall running time by 37 minutes and turns the comedy into a shambling (if occasionally brilliant and funny) mess. For example, it now takes about half an hour for Jason Lee, as the lovable slacker, to drag his butt to the mall.

"If people didn't like this movie, this DVD is not going to make them like it any more," Smith says. "It'll make them go: 'See, we were right!'"

So why the paradoxical delight in presenting this version of his second movie, the controversial link between the hits Clerks and Chasing Amy?

First of all, Smith says, fans can, on the same DVD, opt for the original, 95-minute theatrical release, the one that became a cult favourite. Every possible extra has now been jammed in. This is it for Mallrats.

"What I've always liked about the collection format," Smith says of the appeal of video, laserdisc and now DVD, "is the idea that you can present all this stuff and nothing is wasted. Because, not for nothing did we spend two or three days shooting all that opening footage. And, even though it doesn't work, I would hate to see it sit on a shelf somewhere in a corner when you could put it out.

"There are movies like the first Spider-man that had a bunch of cut footage that they didn't wind up putting out on the DVD. I found that disappointing because I would like to see what they felt didn't work about that movie.

"I'm just not one of those people who say: 'Let's bury the mistake!' I think I'm more like, 'Let's show everybody how stupid we were!' "

Re-editing Mallrats also turned out to be an invaluable learning tool, as was making the movie in the first place.

"The thing I walked away with on this 10th anniversary DVD was how rankly amateurish we were going into Mallrats. It was weird being in the middle of that footage. Both Mosier (producer Scott Mosier) and I were just like: 'My God, we were terrible!'

"And it was especially nice to do it in advance of shooting the next movie. We're doing Clerks 2 next."

Smith & company matured as a filmmaking team, Smith says. "Clerks is a first movie. The movie is what it is because of its budget and us being nascent filmakers. Mallrats really was a film school to a large degree, the film school I dropped out of (in Vancouver). It was where I learned, oh, we need coverage (alternate angles and closeups in scenes); and we need to be a lot more visually interesting; and it's not about turning on a camera and letting things happen in front of it.

"Unfortunately, it cost them $6 million to teach me all that, which I could have done a lot cheaper by going to NYU (New York University) film school. But it would have taken me far more time. So, yeah, it was kind of invaluable. I used to pick on Mallrats as the $6-million casting call for Chasing Amy. But it was much, much more. It was us kind of learning what never to do again."

Too many movie stars made him do Clerks 2

Kevin Smith is doing Clerks 2 to get away from famous movie stars, including his pal Ben Affleck, who co-starred in his last movie Jersey Girl. It is also one of the reasons he walked away from a planned big-screen version of The Green Hornet, Smith tells the Sun.

Says Smith: "The cynical take on it is: 'Well, Jersey Girl didn't work so he's going back to the well.' And those people are not exactly wrong. It's just that they're missing the target but hitting the tree.

"Jersey Girl didn't work (it bombed at the box office after the latest twist in the Bennifer fuss hit the headlines) but it's not why I'm going back to Clerks. Coming off Jersey Girl, it's just that I don't want to work with famous people for a while. I don't like having a movie that is kind of at the mercy of the people that you've cast.

"Jersey Girl, I don't think it's the rule but it's not quite the exception. It was tough to watch that movie getting brought down by somebody's relationship, something that I have no (control) over. So Jersey Girl did have an influence on me doing Clerks 2 but it wasn't the obvious."

As for The Green Hormet, it was the famous people problem plus a lack of confidence that he could handle a $70-million production. "Green Hornet was a bit of that, but it was more than this movie is way too big for someone like me. I don't have enough talent to pull that off."

The Couch Potato Report - September 27th

This week The Couch Potato Report is still only doing a summary.

BUT, this is the last week for that! Starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!

I know what you are thinking, "didn't Dan write that last week?" Well, the answer is yes. Soon I will need to get back into my regular routine, but this week I spent the time I would normally writing reading books and playing PSP.

Am I slacking off? Perhaps. Am I still locked out and making the best of a bad situation? Definitely!

For now, please bare with me, bear with me even, and enjoy these summaries:

Up first is FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY. This is a direct-to-DVD release and is being promoted as a FAMILY GUY movie. In actuality it is three unaired episodes of the hilarious TV show edited together.

That said, since it is a direct-to-DVD release, the "film" includes words, phrases and things that they can't do on TV.

PLUS, as I mentioned, they are unaired episodes!!!!!!

Creator Seth MacFarlane has said that FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY is sort of a gift to the fans who helped get his show back on the air.

So those fans will enjoy it, in fact they will love it.

Especially the segment that features Stewie as Saddam Hussein in a worm hole. It is priceless!

Anyone who is a non-convert to the show won't become a fan because of FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY, but if you are already a fan, enjoy Seth's gift!

A few years ago the good people at Blue Sky Studios gave us the gift of a great film called ICE AGE.

This year they follow that wonderful piece of animation with another one. This one is called ROBOTS and while it isn't as good at it's predecessor, it is still pretty darn entertaining!

The round, bouncy, and ramshackle forms of hero Rodney Copperbottom and his computer-animated friends are part of an ornate and weird world. A world you won't mind visiting!

Rodney (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a young inventor who sets off for Robot City to work for Big Weld (Mel Brooks), the supreme inventor of the mechanical world. But upon his arrival, Rodney discovers that Big Weld has disappeared, and the slick, shiny Ratchet (Greg Kinnear, As Good As It Gets) is phasing out the spare parts that lumpen robots need to function and replacing them with "upgrades"--expensive and glistening new exoskeletons.

ROBOTS also featuring the voices of Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Jennifer Coolidge, and many, many more.

And it is very, very fun!!

So is the hilarious, direct-to-DVD release FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY!

That film, and ROBOTS, are both available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the return of full reviews (I really, really hope) including my comments on:

Nicole Kidman's work in THE INTERPRETER. She has been terrible in the many remakes she has done and I will tell you if she is any better in this film about a UN translator who overhears assassination plot. Sean Penn also stars.

The names of the people who starred in the 1950 Disney film CINDERELLA are Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, and Verna Felton.

Their work has helped the film stand the test of time and now there is the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION available for you to share with your family.

I'm Dan Reynish, enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

And here's a list of notable TV-on-DVD titles coming your way this fall:

27 September:

Gilmore Girls – The Complete Fourth Season
Hogan's Heroes – The Complete Second Season
Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Third Season
Law & Order Special Victims Unit 2
SpongeBob SquarePants – Season Three
Creature Comforts – The Complete First Season
The Amazing Race – The Complete First Season

4 October:

Stargate SG-1: Season Eight
The Bob Newhart Show: Season Two
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One

11 October:

Veronica Mars: Season One
South Park: Season Six
Arrested Development: Season Two

18 October:

CSI New York: Season One

25 October:

Alias: Season Four
The L Word: Season Two
Point Pleasant: The Complete Series
Hart to Hart: Season One
In Living Color: Season Four
Tales from the Crypt: Season Two
Bewitched: Season Two

1 November:

Sex and the City: The Complete Series
Star Trek Enterprise: Season Four

8 November:

The White Shadow: Season One
Beavis & Butt-head Vol. 1: The Mike Judge Collection

15 November:

Friends: Season Ten
The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20 th Anniversary DVD Collection
Fantasy Island: Season One
Stargate Atlantis: Season One
Charmed: Season Three
That ‘70s Show: Season Three
Scrubs: Season Two

22 November:

Seinfeld: Seasons Five and Six
The Golden Girls: Season Three
Home Improvement: Season Three
Leave it to Beaver: Season One
The Andy Griffith Show: Season Four

29 November:

Family Guy: Season Three
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season Five

6 December:

24: Season Four
M*A*S*H: Season Nine
Full House: Season Two The West Wing: Season Five

13 December:

The Dukes of Hazzard: Season Five
Gilmore Girls: Season Five

20 December:

ER: Season Four
The Amazing Race: Season Seven

27 December:

The Shield: Season Four

Coming back for seconds, thirds...

After three smash American Pie movies, the film's producers figure fans are up for a fourth slice.

But American Pie: Band Camp won't arrive in theaters; it's going direct to DVD. And only Eugene Levy remains from the original cast of the hit comedy franchise.

For movies that have developed fan bases through several theatrical sequels, direct-to-DVD versions can be a cost-effective way to wring more dollars out of an established movie franchise.

Producer Martin Bregman, whose Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, the prequel to 1993 Carlito's Way, arrives on DVD Tuesday, says that with rising production costs and star salaries, "in many cases a film will go directly to DVD because it's simply a more profitable situation for a studio."

Carlito's Way had a budget of $30 million, vs. $9 million for Carlito's Way: Rise to Power.

Direct-to-DVD sequels — which generally don't have the stars who carried the original films or the budgets — were once limited to animated films, horror and sci-fi franchises. Now, thrillers, dramas and comedies are getting the treatment.

"It's all about the story," says Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which is distributing Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. "The quality is higher, and the films we are choosing are ones that really found their audience in a massive way through DVD."

The American Pie trilogy took in $351.2 million in theaters and sold millions of DVDs, Kornblau notes, while a special-edition DVD of Scarface - like Carlito's Way, a modern gangster film produced by Martin Bregman — generated more than $100 million in consumer spending, twice its theatrical gross.

Some films don't warrant a full-blown theatrical release; the cost for making prints of a movie, plus advertising it, now average $34.4 million, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Home video "is a $24 billion (a year) business," Kornblau says. "And yet there is very little content made only for this business."

Bregman says many adults prefer watching movies on DVD to going to theaters. "A good movie is a good movie, regardless of where it's shown."

Luis Guzman, who was in the original theatrical Carlito's Way and stars in the prequel, agrees.

"As an actor, sure, there's nothing like walking into a theater and sitting in the back and seeing how the audience reacts to a movie you've done.

"But at the same time, for me, there's nothing like being able to sit home with my family and watch an awesome movie right there on DVD. Technology has made it possible to have a home theater system in your living room that's just as good as going to the movies."

------ Familiar titles, different faces

Direct-to-DVD sequels often don't have the same stars as the originals. Details of some upcoming releases:

Out Tuesday, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (Universal, $27), actually a prequel, finds Jay Hernandez (Ladder 49, Friday Night Lights) portraying a young Carlito Brigante, played by Al Pacino in the 1993 original. Luis Guzman plays hit man Nacho Reyes.

On Oct. 25, Single White Female 2: The Psycho (Columbia TriStar, $25), a sequel to the 1992 movie about roomates gone bad, stars Brooke Burns (TV's North Shore) and Kristen Miller (Team America: World Police).

On Nov. 11, 8mm2 (Sony, $25), a sequel to the 1999 snuff-movie thriller that starred Nicolas Cage, arrives.

On Dec. 27, American Pie: Band Camp (Universal, price not set) focuses on Steve Stifler's little brother, Matt, played by newcomer Tad Hilgenbrinck. Eugene Levy, the only major cast member from the three previous movies returning for this, plays a camp counselor.

In 2006, a sequel to the 1994 bull-riding movie 8 Seconds is due, as is a sequel to the 2004 thriller The Butterfly Effect, and a fifth House Party, the second sequel to the urban comedy to go direct to DVD.

YOU BASTARDS!

Comedy Central releasing the sixth season of South Park on DVD Oct. 11.

'Concert For Bangladesh' Finally Coming To DVD

The George Harrison-led "Concert for Bangladesh" will make its DVD debut Oct. 25 via Rhino, the same day Capitol releases a remixed, remastered CD of the project. Rhino is also creating a deluxe edition set with a reproduction of Harrison's handwritten lyrics for the then-new song "Bangla Desh," a postcard set, a sticker and a print of the original show poster.

Staged on Aug. 1, 1971, at New York's Madison Square Garden, the show raised funds via UNICEF for Bangladeshi refugees caught in the middle of the country's battle for independence from Pakistan.

It featured Harrison performing alongside Bob Dylan (making a rare public appearance in the wake of a serious motorcycle accident), Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Badfinger and Leon Russell. The event was chronicled the following year on a triple-LP set and a feature film.

Rhino's DVD restores the original 99-minute movie in 5.1 sound and tacks on a wealth of extras, including a rehearsal performance of "If Not for You" with Harrison and Dylan and a soundcheck take on "Come on in My Kitchen" with Harrison, Clapton and Russell, plus Dylan performing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," an outtake from the theatrical release.

The DVD will also include a 45-minute documentary, "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited 2005," which features interviews with Bob Geldof and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Artist royalties from the sale of the "Bangladesh" DVD will be donated to UNICEF.

Here is the track list for "The Concert for Bangladesh":

"Bangla Dhun"
"Wah-Wah"
"My Sweet Lord"
"Awaiting on You All"
"That's the Way God Planned It"
"It Don't Come Easy"
"Beware of Darkness"
Band Introduction
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Youngblood"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry"
"Blowin' in the Wind"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Something"
"Bangla Desh"

Sin City - The Real One - Is Coming!

The Frank Miller's Sin City: Recut & Extended Edition is due on December 13th.

This extended edition of the film will include expanded versions of each of the film's four individual segments (Customer Is Always Right, The Hard Good-bye, Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard) split out into short films on their own, each with their own title cards.

You'll be able to watch them each separately, or in any order you like.

The Couch Potato Report - September 20th

This week The Couch Potato Report is still only doing a summary.

BUT, this is the last week for that! Starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!

For now though, here are the summaries:

For the MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION Kevin Smith and his staff are striving to give us fans a lot of material with this upgrade, as they did with CLERKS X. Ten years down the road MALLRATS is still a very funny little film. So press play and enjoy it!

THE LONGEST YARD is the 2005 remake of the 1974 film about prison inmates who form a football team to take on the prison;s guards. Adam Sandler stars in this version and so does Burt Reynolds, who was the star of the original. Chris Rock and rapper Nelly also appear.

I must admit that I didn't see THE ADVENTURES OF SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL, the latest kids film from director Robert Rodriguez, but I respect his work enough to let you know that it is out.

In the film, according to the synopsis, a young boy helps his superhero friends save world. If you have fans of the SPY KIDS films in your home, this is probably a safe bet.

And if you bet that MIND HUNTERS sucks, you are probably going to win that bet too!

This film about a killer who targets FBI agents that are training on a secluded island is so bad it sat on the shelves in the studio's vault for three years before they finally released it.

But, as we've learned from indigestion problems, sometimes you just have to get it out there so you can feel better.

Well, it is out there, ignore it and feel better!

Oh, by the way, Val Kilmer, Christian Slater and LL Cool J are the stars.

MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION, THE LONGEST YARD - both the 1974 and the remake, and MIND HUNTERS are all available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the return of full reviews, including my comments on:

The hilarious, direct to DVD release of FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY and the fun animated film ROBOTS, and more!

I'm Dan Reynish, enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

'Wedding Crashers' DVD skipping holiday rush

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Wedding Crashers," the fourth-biggest movie of the year with domestic ticket sales of $204 million, will skip the holiday-selling season and instead arrive January 3 on home video.

The news comes at a time when most suppliers are pushing out their summer movies and other high-profile titles before the holidays, in the hopes of maximizing the traditionally busy fourth quarter, when the video industry generates about 40% of its yearly revenue.

"Wedding Crashers" is coming to DVD in R-rated and unrated, "Uncorked" editions. Special features include commentaries from stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn and director David Dobkin; deleted scenes; a "Wedding Crashers" game; and several featurettes. The "Uncorked" edition also will include nine additional minutes of footage cut from the theatrical release.

The film will also be available on the Universal Media Disc (UMD) video format that plays on the new PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system.

Fox is getting a head start on the holiday-selling season by releasing "Robots," one of the year's biggest movies, on September 27. Of the 33 films that grossed at least $25 million in theaters between Memorial Day-Labor Day, 28 are coming to DVD before year's end, while a 29th film, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," likely will arrive in stores before the holidays as well, sources said.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory sweetens your November

Warner Home Video has just unveiled details about the upcoming release of the latest Tim Burton movie, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and Charlie, a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.

The film will be available in two versions, a 2-disc Deluxe Edition and a Single-Disc Version. The single-disc version will contain two bonus materials, Challenges: Oomp-Loompa Dance Machine and a Documentary, named “Becoming Oompa-Loompa: How Did They Turn One Man into Thousands of Oompa-Loompas?!?”

In addition to these features, the Deluxe Edition will also contain a Biographic Featurette about Roald Dahl, as well as additional Challenges such as “The Inventing Machine,” “The Bad Nut,” and “Search For The Golden Nugget.”

Also included is the Featurette “Becoming Oompa-Loompa” in which you can see how actor Deep Roy was turned into an army of Oompas. Another Featurette is “Attack Of The Squirrels” featuring a look at the trained nut-sorting squirrels, and other featurettes.

You can unwrap “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” on November 8. The single-disc version carriers a suggested retail price of $28.98 while the Deluxe Edition will carry a $30.97 price tag.

Toy Story: The 10th Anniversary Edition

On the 10th Anniversary Edition of Pixar’s 'Toy Story,' the studio has laos included a large number of Easter Eggs. So many, in fact, that it is easy to lose track of them.

Insert the second disc of the DVD set and on the 'Main Menu' press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control until you highlight the badge at the bottom of the screen. Press 'Enter' now to view a clip of what all of Andy's toys do while he's at school.

Now, go to the 'Deleted Scenes' menu, and there press the 'Down' arrow key until you highlight another badge at the bottom of the screen. Press the 'Enter' key to view a funny clip of Woody having a nightmare.

Next up, from the 'Main Menu', select the 'Behind the Scenes' menu entry. From there, press 'Down' until you highlight yet another badge. Press 'Enter' to view a clip of Buzz Lightyear teaching some of the toys how to be like him.

Now, from the 'Behind the Scenes' menu, select 'Design' (not 'Designing Toy Story!). Once here, press the 'Down' arrow key until you highlight another Badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of what Woody does during his spare time.
From the same menu, select 'Sets' at the bottom of the screen. Once you get there, press 'Down' until another badge is highlighted. Now press the 'Enter' key to view a clip of some of the other toys playing tricks on Rex.

Without leaving this menu, select 'Color' at the bottom of the menu and on the following screen highlight the 'Sets' menu entry and then press the 'Left' arrow key to highlight yet another badge. Now it’s time to press 'Enter' again for a clip of Hamm and the Aliens having fun.

Now it is time to return to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu. Select 'Story' and once you're on this menu, hit 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Press the 'Enter' key to view a clip of Rex and one of the other toys telling scary 'Toy Stories.'

Return to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu now and then select the 'Production' menu entry. On the next screen press 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of the Aliens doing flips off the Jack-In-the-Box.

Now, back on the 'Behind the Scenes' menu again, select 'Music and Sound' and from there, press the 'Down' key until you highlight another yellow badge. If you press 'Enter' now you’ll have the chance to view a clip of Rex, Hamm, Buzz, Woody, and the Aliens watching TV.

Without leaving this menu, select 'Randy Newman Demos'. From here, press 'Down' until you highlight another yellow badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of Rex educating everybody about dinosaurs.

Time to go back to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu now and enter the 'Publicity' section. To highlight another badge, simply press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control a few times. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of Woody and Buzz finding miniature versions of themselves in a plastic bucket.

Next, go all the way back to the disc’s 'Main Menu' and select 'Set Up.' On the following menu, press 'Down' until you highlight another yellow badge. Now press the 'Enter' key and you can view a clip of the Aliens annoying Woody by showing off.

Finally, go back to the 'Main Menu' and select 'Index'. From here, press 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Hit 'Enter' and you'll be taken to a hidden sub-menu called 'Toy Story Treats.' These are all of the Easter Eggs on the DVD put into a menu by themselves.

And, of course, at the bottom of this menu is another badge. Press 'Enter' to view a clip of woody playing on a wooden block.

The Couch Potato Report - September 13th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a synopsis of some of the films that were released over the past few weeks, some from this week, and three from next week!

The Report will return soon in its well-known form, but in the interim, here are some notable newer releases.

In the incredibly interesting film CRASH several people's lives in Los Angeles are intersected following a random car-jacking. Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton and Sandra Bullock star.

The Universal Studios Legacy Series Collection is full of stars!

Presented in lovingly created Limited Edition two-disc DVD sets, The Legacy Series releases are all critically-acclaimed, Academy Award winning Hollywood gems. They are all digitally remastered for unsurpassed state-of-the-art picture quality. They feature fully restored audio with all-new enhanced 5.1 tracks, collectible packaging and unique extras bringing even more value to this one-of-a-kind series.

The inagural titles are: THE DEER HUNTER, winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, The film is one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood.

Finally, THE STING was a winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. This critical and box-office hit from 1973 provided a perfect reunion for director George Roy Hill and stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who previously delighted audiences with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Set in 1936, the movie's about a pair of Chicago con artists (Newman and Redford) who find themselves in a high-stakes game against the master of all cheating mobsters (Robert Shaw) when they set out to avenge the murder of a mutual friend and partner.

Also now available on video and DVD is the film version of the classic book THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. As in the tome earth is leveled to make way for hyperspace express route. Is it as good as the book? Are any movies based on books?

That said, this one is pretty damn entertaining! Martin Freeman from THE OFFICE plays Arthur Dent, and the cast also includes Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel.

FEVER PITCH is also based on a book, and the Farelly Brothers ruin NIck Hornby's wonderful story! In this version SNL reject Jimmy Fallon is a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan who has an unlucky love life akin to his team. Drew Barrymore is the latest woman in his life and trust me! It sucks, ignore it!! Read the book instead.

Or you can watch TOY STORY: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. The edition of the landmark film repackages most of the extras found in the original Ultimate Toy Box set plus a few more. Two keen retrospectives are new, one with an assortment of talents including Roy Disney and Peter Jackson chiming in on the film's impact. The other is a roundtable with Lasseter and three of the creators simply talking about the experiences without--thankfully--any cutaways to noisy film clips. There's a load of other extras since the Ultimate Toy Box was one of the first and best DVD sets. Missing (besides the second film, which will be released separately) is the effects- and music-only tracks. Added is a whopping DTS soundtrack along with a remixed Dolby 5.1 track. The DVD has a higher transfer bit rate for a better picture, but only high-end enthusiasts will notice it. Since the film is a digital-to-digital transfer, both versions are eye-popping. A must-have set unless you have the Ultimate Toy Box.

Another must have box set is FRAGGLE ROCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

Man did I enjoy my time re-watching this set about a fun-loving group of furry subterranean creatures. C'mon! Dance your cares away with the complete first season of Fraggle Rock, Featuring all 24 episodes - never before available on DVD! Filled with all the Fraggley Fun you've been waiting for. Share in the music and memories that have kept fans rockin' for more than 20 years! So save your worries for another day and experience 715 minutes of frag-tastic fun in the untimate Fraggle Rock collection.

And our final title that is currently available in this synopsis filled edition of The Report is LAS VEGAS - SEASON TWO. The unparalleled Nikki Cox stars with James Caan in one of television's greatest guilty pleasures. If you love it, admit it.

If you don't skip it!

Okay, lets re-cap: CRASH, THE DEER HUNTER, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE STING, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, FEVER PITCH, the TOY STORY: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, FRAGGLE ROCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and LAS VEGAS - SEASON TWO are all available now at a store near you!

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - SEASON ONE is a complete re-imagining of the 1970s series – upping the ante on the action, adventure, and drama that made the original so popular. Now, experience all 13 thrilling episodes of Season 1 and the four hour TV miniseries that started it all in this 5 disc DVD set loaded with explosive bonus features and presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.

On the DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - SEASON ONE DVD set, the 23 episodes are presented in widescreen format, and six of the episodes can also be viewed in "unrated, extended" versions. The additions--usually one scene, and no racier than the regular broadcast versions--are seamlessly integrated into the episodes, but series creator Marc Cherry's introductions help the viewer figure out what they are, and he explain how he thinks each addition affects the episode.

Finally, more up my alley, i sthe MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION. As with CLERKS X, Kevin Smith and his staff are striving to give us fans a lot of material with this upgrade. Ten years down the road MALLRATS is still a very funny little film. So press play and enjoy it!

Coming soon: The Return of the weekly Couch Potato Report!

Alternate endings tweak interest

What if you could change the ending to your favorite movie?

Hilary Swank makes a full recovery in Million Dollar Baby. The princess in Shrek stays desirable. E.T. decides to make Earth his home.

Those plot-smashing endings are a stretch, but more DVDs are offering viewers a look at alternate endings that once wound up on the cutting-room floor.

"An alternate ending is a great way to provide added value because it brings film fans into the creative process," says Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Universal will release The Interpreter, starring Nicole Kidman, with two endings — the one shown theatrically and the other premiering on the DVD — on Oct. 4.

"Sydney Pollack had actually shot two different conclusions to the film, but obviously only one could make it into the theatrical version," Graffeo says.

Universal's research has identified alternate endings as consumers' favorite bonus feature. The studio offered viewers an alternate ending on The Bourne Identity DVD in 2003. And New Line Home Entertainment has offered alternate endings on DVDs going back to 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which came to DVD in 1999.

"It differentiates the DVD experience from the theatrical experience," says New Line executive vice president Matt Lasorsa. "Before when you heard there was an alternate ending in which, say, the character dies, you could only read about it. Now, with DVD, we have the opportunity to bring that to the consumer."

On the Final Destination DVD, New Line tacked on an alternate ending and created a 15-minute featurette about the test screening and the poor audience reaction that led to that ending being scrapped, Lasorsa says.

"It provides an inside look at how studios test movies," Lasorsa says.

DVDs of Joy Ride, with Paul Walker, and Hide and Seek, with Robert De Niro, came out this year with four alternate endings, and Alien vs. Predator has another beginning.

Fever Pitch arrives on DVD today in two versions: the movie that showed in theaters and a "collector's edition" with several more minutes from the film-ending scene in which the Red Sox win the World Series.

"The hardest thing in the world about making a movie is to satisfactorily end it," FeverPitch co-director Bobby Farrelly says. "We almost always have a couple of different endings in mind, and it's informative to show the audience the different direction you might have gone."

On Dumb and Dumber, Farrelly says he and his brother, Peter, shot five endings before settling on the scene in which Lloyd and Harry pass up a chance to board a bus filled with bikini-clad women.

The alternates, including one in which the two turn down a cushy job, "just didn't work," Farrelly says. "They were amusing but left the audience a little unsatisfied."

On There's Something About Mary, Ted (Ben Stiller) "was going to get hit by a bus after all he'd been through, but it wasn't good at all, so we went back to a traditional happy ending."

Those endings didn't make it onto DVD — at least, not yet.

Other do-overs due soon

It's not exactly Gone with the Wind's Rhett Butler deciding he gives a damn after all, but here are some alternate endings coming out on DVD:

• In The Outsiders DVD, due Sept. 20, the redone ending is closer to the S.E. Hinton book.

• In The Interpreter, due on DVD Oct. 4, Nicole Kidman's character appears on the floor of the United Nations for a dramatic showdown.

• In a nine-minute alternate ending to Titanic, due Oct. 25, shipwreck explorer Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) has a meaningful confrontation with the elderly Rose (Gloria Stuart) as she is about to toss her diamond necklace overboard.

•The Perfect Man, starring Heather Locklear and due Nov. 1, has two endings and two beginnings.

MORE DVDS ABOUT NOTHING

The fifth and sixth seasons of "Seinfeld" will be released in two DVD volumes Nov. 22 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

A holiday gift package of the two four-disc sets includes a collectible version of the Smithsonian-enshrined shirt and a reproduction of the hand-written script for season four episode "The Pilot," by Jerry Seinfeld.

Among the bonus features will be "Sein-imation" scenes -- classic "Seinfeld" scenes reimagined for animation using original cast voices, plus fresh outtakes, bloopers, deleted scenes and audio commentary.

'The Outsiders' Cast 20 Years Later

The cast of "The Outsiders" was a rare assemblage of young, upcoming talent — in Matt Dillon's words, "everyone wanted to be cast in it."

The casting, led by Francis Ford Coppola and producer Fred Roos, was untraditional — an all-day affair on a sound stage with actors being rotated to read together. Ralph Macchio says the unusual experience is "now infamous," while C. Thomas Howell remembers it as "one of the most grueling processes that I've gone through as an actor."

More than 20 years later, the film's cast — most of whom weren't well known at the time — reads half '80s nostalgia, half contemporary A-list.
___

C. Thomas Howell: Ponyboy Curtis, the lead in this ensemble cast, was Howell's breakout role. On "The Outsiders" DVD, Howell says, "I feel like I really owe my career to that project." He would go on to star in many of the movies likely to be mocked on a VH1 special, including, "Red Dawn," "Soul Man" and "Side Out."

Now living with his wife and three children in California, he has kept busy mostly with TV movies. During a reunion shown on the DVD, Coppola makes a disparaging remark toward "movies of the week," which Howell, now 40, defends: "Someone's got to do them."

Ralph Macchio: A year after "The Outsiders," Macchio would star in his career-making movie, "The Karate Kid." Since that trilogy, Macchio, now 43, has never managed to grow beyond Mr. Miyagi's tutelage, but did have a nice role in 1993's "My Cousin Vinny" as one of the "utes" falsely accused of murder. He also made a cameo as himself earlier this year on HBO's "Entourage."

Diane Lane: Lane had been an actress for much of her childhood, but her turn as the sweet, red-haired, drive-in dream in "The Outsiders" made her known. After some questionable choices through the'80s, Lane rebounded with the "Lonesome Dove" miniseries. Her career might be at its apogee right now: she was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for "Unfaithful" and can carry a film herself ("Under the Tuscan Sun").

Matt Dillon: Like Lane, Dillon's filmography is checkered. After typecasting himself into troubled rebels — which culminated in Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy" — he starred in "Singles," "Beautiful Girls" and "There's Something About Mary." This year, he has been lauded for his performance in "Crash."

Tom Cruise: Though he had a small part in "The Outsiders," no one has risen higher than Cruise. The future "Top Gun" star had made some noise two years earlier alongside Timothy Hutton and Sean Pean in "Taps." Even then, though, everyone on the set could see Cruise's serious and intense approach to acting. Roos says, "I think he saw where he wanted to be even from that age."

Rob Lowe: After Lowe's big screen debut in "The Outsiders," he was "left for years wondering why" most of his part was cut — but in the new edition Lowe has been restored. In between, the young actor, remembered by Roos as "incredibly pretty," starred in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Youngblood." He has since mixed comedy ("Wayne's World," the "Austin Powers" movies) with Oval Office drama ("The West Wing").

Patrick Swayze: Swayze was as '80s as anybody thanks to movies like "Dirty Dancing" and "Roadhouse." After "Ghost" and "Point Break" in the early '90s, Swayze fell off for most of the decade, but had a small part in the cult hit "Donnie Darko." On "The Outsider" DVD, the 53-year-old tells Coppola, "After you, everybody in my life was a bozo." He recently produced his wife's (Lisa Niemi) directorial debut, "One Last Dance."

Emilio Estevez: While the '80s were good for Estevez ("The Breakfast Club," "Young Guns"), the '90s weren't bad either ("Mighty Ducks," "Judgment Night"). Though he's been MIA for years, the 43-year-old will soon direct "Bobby," a movie he wrote about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The recently announced cast includes Anthony Hopkins and Elijah Wood.

Sofia Coppola: The tiny part of Little Domino in "The Outsiders" was her first credited role. In her father's words, "Little Domino now is one of the more important woman directors in the country."

Live 8 DVD release set for November

Circle November 8th as the release date of the Live 8 DVD.

The four-disc set, "the biggest live event DVD project of its kind" according to label EMI, will bring together performances from the worldwide series of Live 8 concerts which took place around the world on July 2.

The collection contains three discs of live footage taken from the Live 8 shows staged in London and Philadelphia alongside key highlights from the seven other events staged across the world, including Molson Park in Barrie.

Every artist who performed at London's Hyde Park and Philadelphia's Museum Of Art will appear on the DVD, many of them with their full sets.

The Couch Potato Report...

...will return soon!!

I promise!!

Dan

Peter Segal’s Tommy Boy

Architect of arguably the greatest comedy of the last twenty years, Peter Segal did to Tommy Boy what no other director has been able to; he successfully translated a Saturday Night Live aesthetic to the silver screen.

Penelope Spheeris came close - dangerously close - with her version of Wayne's World , but for a sheer representation of the off-the-cuff, volatile zaniness that is the signature of the best kind of SNL skits, nothing gets closer than Chris Farley's and David Spade's endlessly-rewatchable banter in Tommy Boy.

It's hard to believe it's been ten years since the release of the movie that gave us “Fat Guy in a Little Coat,” but for the anniversary, DVDfile.com sat down with Tommy Boy director Peter Segal and talked about the film's development and legacy.

- How did the idea of a 10th anniversary DVD edition of Tommy Boy come about?

It was pretty simply, actually. Lorne [Michaels] called me about a year ago and said, “I think we should do a ten year anniversary DVD.”

-Seems easy.

Yeah. And Chris Zito at Paramount Home Video is a big Tommy Boy fan, so it was a no-brainer there, and, most importantly, someone told me six years ago that Tommy Boy had made $60 million on video. It's a continual top-ten title - at least it was . So Chris saw no problem in blowing it out for a 10th anniversary edition.

- This might be a dumb question, but where did you find all this bonus material? Does Paramount keep dailies in a vault or something?

Some of the Paramount archives are in a vault in Pennsylvania; there are millions of feet of film preserved there in underground cave vaults. That's where we found the stuff.

At first we only found a portion of the dailies. Shipments would come to L.A. and my editor would look through them and recognize things that weren't in the finished films. Then bits and fragments of things would lead to more searching and so on and so on.

We spent six or eight months doing this.

- What was it like revisiting the film in this way?

It was great, especially in the development of this DVD, because the stuff between [David] Spade and Chris [Farley] that wasn't in the film was just as funny as the stuff that was.

- If it was so funny, why did you cut it?

Oh, you have to just stop at some point. Farley and Spade could go on forever, but elongated scenes in a movie like this . . . it's like eating too much ice cream. After your fortieth scoop, you're going to get sick.

- What's it like looking at the movie today?

Well, you can't really judge a movie until a few years pass. You need a certain perspective in order to evaluate what you had and what you did. We were lucky because Tommy Boy stuck in pop culture and became a DVD on everyone's shelf. I'm on team planes every once in a while - with the Boston Red Sox or the San Diego Chargers - and somebody's always playing it. It's always on cable.

So in a lot of ways, I don't quite have that hindsight perspective because Tommy Boy has never really gone away. It's gratifying and charming knowing how much the film has been ingrained in people.

- How did you get involved with the film in the first place?

I had worked with Chris Farley on an HBO special and on The Jackie Thomas Show and I thought he was one of the funniest people on the planet. I wanted to do his first starring vehicle, and right after I made Naked Gun 33 1/3.

There was this script going around town called Billy the Third - it was sketchy, a blueprint for something. Paramount had passed on me taking the project because I had too many ideas for it; I thought it needed a lot of work. Then they went to other people and no one else was interested, and then they came back to me.

Once we ripped the lid off, we decided we really wanted to gut the engine of this thing. And it became doubly difficult process because we were shooting the film in the summer and we had to finish it before SNL started back up in the fall. And we didn't quite make it. It was an arduous task for Chris and David to fly back and forth between New York and Toronto (where we were shooting the film).

- How much of the film was scripted and how much was invented on the spot?

Fred Wolf worked with Chris and David on SNL , and he'd make index cards of funny bits they did. We'd utilize that sometimes. And there was one time where we were waiting for a lighting setup when they came up with the “Does this suit make me look fat?” / “No, your face does” riff. Man, we'd take anything. I'd follow those guys around with a pad.

I'd call Fred in New York, “We're at a gas station and we need something funny!” Then he'd tell me to have Chris dance around like an idiot singing a song from Flashdance. And we'd do it. That definitely wasn't in the script.

Overall, I'd say what you see on screen in the film is 80% scripted.

- Last question: What's it like doing a commentary track for a DVD?

My first one was for Naked Gun 33 1/3 and all the way through it, I whispered like a golf announcer because, you know, you're not supposed to talk when you're watching a movie! (laughs) The best thing with commentaries is to have an actor or a writer in the room so you can construct some banter, but you wind up alone sometimes.

I think the best way to interview a director, though, is to have featurettes, like we do on this Tommy Boy DVD. That way you can show by example rather than just have people listening to a disembodied voice on a commentary track.

TV on DVD Sales Continue to Soar

DVD collections of TV shows accounted for 15 percent of all DVD sales this year, even though they made up just 7 percent of the releases, Nielsen VideoScan said Thursday. Sales of the collections are up 26 percent over last year and show a continuing rise as movie rentals slow down. Sales of TV DVDs, according to Nielsen VideoScan, accounted for nearly 20 percent of all DVD sales during the week ended Aug. 21.

Three 'Titanic' DVD editions set sail October 25

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Three different editions of "Titanic" will be released October 25 on DVD, but only one will be available for North American consumers.

A three-disc "special collector's edition" of the world's biggest movie will only be issued in the U.S., Japan and Korea, said Thomas Lesinksi, president of worldwide home entertainment at Paramount Pictures.

"Titanic" fans in Europe, Australia and Latin America will get to choose between a two-disc special edition and a four-disc "deluxe collector's edition."

All three DVD editions feature a nine-minute alternate ending to the film, which has never been seen before; a branching feature that lets viewers access 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage as they watch the movie; and three new commentaries, one from director James Cameron, one from cast and crew and a third that takes a historical look at the real-life sinking of the luxury ocean liner.

The three- and four-disc editions also feature more than 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including the passionate kiss between Jack and Rose and the couple's final moments together; various production and special effects featurettes; and a TV special, "Breaking Ground," about the making of the landmark 1997 film.

The four-disc edition also comes with three "Titanic" parodies, a selection of trailers and "The Heart of the Ocean," an HBO First Look TV special about the movie.

"Titanic" remains the top-grossing movie of all time, with domestic box office earnings of more than $600 million and a worldwide tally of $1.8 billion. "Titanic" was first released on DVD in 1998 in a single-disc edition that sold about 1 million copies.

Tommy Boy - Holy Schnike Edition

On their release of 'Tommy Boy – Holy Schnike Edition' Paramount Home Entertainment has also added a few exciting little gems. Here is how to find them all.

Insert the second disc of the DVD set and from the Main Menu go to the 'Featurettes' section. There, highlight the menu entry that reads 'Main Menu' and then press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control to make a 'Smiley Face' appear next to it. Hit the 'Enter' key to see a clip of Chris Farley talking about how they make his hair look weird.

Now, go to the 'Additional Scenes' menu. From here, select the 'Deleted Scenes' menu entry and then highlight the 'Additional Scenes' entry at the bottom of the screen. Press the 'Right' arrow key to bring up another 'Smiley Face' and then hit 'Enter' to view a behind-the-scenes clip with Chris Farley and David Spade doing a scene in the movie where Tommy Boy finds out that he has his own office.

Next, from the 'Additional Scenes' menu select 'Extended Scenes' and on the following screen highlight the 'More' menu entry. Press the 'Up' arrow key on your remote control to make another 'Smiley' appear and then hit 'Enter' to view some outtakes from the 'I'll sell the brake pads!' scene.

Back on the 'Additional Scenes' menu select 'Alternate Takes'. On the next menu screen highlight the 'Additional Scenes' menu entry at the bottom of the screen and then press 'Left' to make yet another 'Smiley' appear. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip with Farley and Spade telling about a small stunt-gone-wrong.

Now it’s time to go back to the disc’s 'Main Menu.' There, select the menu entry called 'TV Spots.' Once there, highlight the entry 'Foundation' and then press the 'Right' arrow key to reveal another hidden ‘Smiley.' Press the 'Enter' key now to view a clip of Chris Farley getting stuck in a revolving door.

The Couch Potato Report - August 22nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a sequel that isn't very good, a TV show that is, and an extended version of a film that is even better!

Up first is THE RING TWO. The film isn't as good as the original as an unmarked videotape continues its cycle of violence. Naomi Watts is back in the lead role, but the film offers nothing that is worth seeing, Watch the original, skip the sequel.

The sequel to ALF - SEASON ONE is ALF - SEASON TWO! The show remains one of my favourites from the 1980s and this four disc set includes all 25 episodes from the TV series about an Alien Life Form living on earth.

It still makes me laugh!!

I never laughed at Russell Crowe in GLADIATOR, but I did enjoy it!

Now the GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION DVD offers us an all-new, widescreen extended version of the film, including 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary that includes some never-before-seen footage.

The film is awesome, and this version is great. It doesn't make the film better, but you have more of it to enjoy.

And enjoy it you will!

The GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION, ALF - SEASON TWO, and THE RING TWO are all available right now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

One of my all-time favourite films finally debuts on DVD! So, expect me to gush about QUICK CHANGE.

The classic film THE BLUES BROTHERS is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a new edition. I suspect I will gush about that as well.

I know I will gush about the HOLY SCHNIKE EDITION of TOMMY BOY. I will also explain the phrase "Holy Schnike."

I'm Dan Reynish and I will 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 week on The Couch!

'Gladiator' DVD a real killer

It is fascinating, five years later, to see how well Ridley Scott's Gladiator stands up as it matures: It is a masterwork, a thrilling if brutally violent entertainment with a rich storyline and deep character development. And despite the ancient setting in the Roman Empire of 180 A.D., the film's contemporary themes of power abuse and military recklessness ripen in the light of current affairs.

As a result, the new three-disc DVD set, Gladiator: Extended Edition, is important because it reinforces the historical significance of the film. Tomorrow's release, in a gorgeous new enhanced widescreen transfer, boasts an expanded set of extras, including a new documentary that runs longer than the film itself.

There is controversy, however. The film has been extended by 15 minutes and 56 seconds (not the full 17 minutes promised). Is this just a blatant cash grab, a push to sell more DVDs of a movie already well served in the digital format?

In an intro, Scott seems to distance himself: "This is not the director's cut," he says, adding that the true director's cut is the theatrical version (also presented in the new set as an alternative). "This has a lot of scenes in it that were removed during the editing process and might be worth seeing."

Some of the 13 new scenes are worth seeing, especially when best actor winner Russell Crowe, as Maximus, visits the field hospital to survey the carnage in the aftermath of the victory over Germania. Serving "the glory of Rome" exacts a toll. There are other more subtle yet key additions, such as showing Joaquin Phoenix, as Commodus, attack the bust of his murdered father with a sword, or letting Tomas Arana, as Quintus, explain to Maximus why he obeyed bad orders as a soldier. The scenes enrich the meaning of later events.

Also new is a commentary that teams Scott with Crowe. The two feed off each other beautifully, giving Crowe the platform for intelligent insight into the acting and filmmaking process and into the layers of meaning in the film.

Crowe, that rapscallion, also makes mischief, revealing that the hapless goof caught wearing jeans on screen in the Germania battle scene was the second assistant director Adam Somner. "You little bastard," Crowe says with a laugh, "I'd recognize that squatty walk anywhere."

Even better is his anecdote about how he conspired with Scott to pump up Phoenix's shattered confidence when the actor wanted to quit in his first days on set. The therapy included verbal shock therapy, at the victim's request: "Why don't you just try acting, you little maggot," Crowe says he told Phoenix from off-camera just before Phoenix was to perform. Meanwhile, Richard Harris plied Phoenix with drinks. It worked. The reluctant co-star became an Oscar nominee.

The documentary, Strength And Honour: Creating The World Of Gladiator, is a major addition, too. The piece is authoritive and thorough and not just self-promotion.

On the third disc, there is a collection of more conventional extras, most of them already familiar. Put it all together and fans of Gladiator are caught in a dilemma. You may own the earlier DVD -- but this new one is significantly better.

AN UN-ORIGINAL 'SIN'

Robert Rodriguez doesn't just write and direct such dazzling-looking movies as "Sin City" and "Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D." He does everything but serve lunch to the crew, working as an editor, director of photography, special effects supervisor and even composer.

He told The New York Post about the upcoming "Sin City" director's cut DVD and his next project with his friend Quentin Tarantino, who served as guest director of one segment on "Sin City."

What's cool on the "Sin City'' DVD?

There's two of them. The first one [out last week] is sort of the standard bare-bones one. The real one I'm still putting together. We shot all the material from three different "Sin City" books knowing I would have to take stuff out to make it flow as a single feature. The second disc will have all three stories separated with their own title cards. Each is like a 45-, 50-minute movie, so it's got its full length put back in. It could be a total of an extra 20 to 30 minutes."

Then there'll be a 20-minute film school [featurette] about how I did the lighting and the special effects and all the green-screen stuff. There's also an 18-minute uninterrupted take when Quentin's there directing and it feels like you're sitting there on the set.

You direct, edit, write and produce your films. Why take on so many roles?

You just love your material so much you just want to be hands-on and give it all that tender loving care. [The jobs] are all different and they all pull at different parts of your creativity and it's all going towards the master project. You try to make it as personal as you can especially in this day and age where movies have just gotten so much bigger. You go in the other direction, making it as homemade as you can.

How do you direct actors in a digitally enhanced movie?

They totally trust you if you prove to them that you know what you're doing. It's also very freeing for them. You just present to them in the context that it's like theater. They're gonna be on a blank stage with a few minimal props. And the rest is imagined. That they can relate to very easily.

You make films for Miramax, but Bob and Harvey Weinstein are leaving to start a new company. Will you go with them?

Yeah, they just give us that freedom when I go to them and say, "I got a movie I want to do; it's really strange, it's all the stuff you're not supposed to do," they say good, go do it. It's just that simple.

What are you working on for your next project?

I'm doing another crazy movie with Quentin for the Weinstein company called "Grindhouse." It's a double-feature horror film. He directs one, and I direct the other, and we have fake trailers in between. It's like a late-'60s, early-'70s exploitation double feature. We're writing it right now over at Quentin's house. We watch old movies, old horror-thriller exploitation movies, and get lots of ideas. We're gonna be shooting it in the fall.

Edward Scissorhands celebrates fifteen years

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Edward Scissorhands with a special edition coming out this year.

The film will be available in separate fullscreen and anamorphic widescreen releases with audio commentary from Tim Burton a second commentarywith Danny Elfman, a featurette, interviews, trailers, TV spots and concept art.

Scheduled to be out on November 8th, the discs will be $14.98. A separate collectors edition will come in a tin and be priced at $19.98.

Fabulous TV flops now out on DVD

Holy Lord, there's NOTHING on TV this summer. Once upon a time that was a real bummer. Like, you had to go outside and stuff.

Now, thanks to DVDs, you never have to leave your La-Z-Boy again. Avoid the great outdoors by enjoying some fabulous TV flops in special collector's edition sets. All without commercials!

These series never really "opened." Too odd or unusual for the masses, they're like little independent films. Some only aired two or three times before being cancelled. None produced more than 17 episodes:

PROFIT

So bizarre, creepy and ahead of its time it should have been an HBO show. Instead it somehow snuck on the air while the Fox censors were asleep for a few weeks in April, 1996.

Adrian Pasdar stars as Jim Profit, the ultimate, back-stabbing, corporate weasel, a totally amoral dude who worms his way up the ladder at fictional Gracen & Gracen.

Bad enough that he is constantly plotting against co-workers on his home computer. He also has an incestuous relationship with his white trash stepmother who is constantly blackmailing him. (She knows he once set fire to his dad).

The payoff comes at the end of the two-hour movie debut. Profit is shown curling up nude inside a cardboard box and going to sleep. That's how he was raised, nude in a box, with only a peep hole to watch his one and only window on the outside world -- television. No wonder he's so screwed up!

Said the New York Daily News at the time: "May well be the most unremittingly evil character ever to serve as the protagonist and principal voice of a network TV series."

Four episodes that never aired are included on the set. Time has blunted some of the shock (HBO and FX series such as Six Feet Under and Nip/Tuck have gone further) and the computer graphics look quaint today, but Profit is still worth a look just to see how far TV once strayed on the dark side. Among the producers -- John MacNamara, who just flamed out with a future addition to this list: ABC's stylish and unjustly abandoned Tim Daly caper Eyes.

UNDECLARED

This 2001 followup to another one-year-wonder, Freaks And Geeks -- stars Montreal-native Jay Baruchel (teamed with Don Johnson in the new WB series Just Legal) as a dorky college freshman. The DVD set includes a 17th, never-before-seen episode, bloopers and outtakes plus tons of commentary from brilliant showrunner Judd Apatow.

KEEN EDDIE

Before she was getting screwed over by Jude Law, Sienna Miller co-starred (opposite Boston Legal's Mark Valley) in this smash-and-grab 2003 detective series set and shot in London. There is nothing this bratty, original or stylish on TV this fall. All 13 episodes, but no commentary or other extras. Cheapskates!

GOD, THE DEVIL AND BOB

Another 13-episode wonder, with James Garner as the voice of God (who looks just like Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead) in this wry, animated gem from Matthew Carlson (About A Boy, Malcolm In The Middle). Alan Cumming voices the Devil (natch) with French Stewart as Bob (natch again). Only three episodes aired on NBC in 2000. Why, God, why?

WONDERFALLS

There is nobody on TV this fall as adorable as Montreal native Caroline Dhavernas. Here she's Jaye, a screwed up clerk who keeps hearing voices from trinkets in her Niagara Falls souvenir shop. Besides the 13 episodes (Fox only showed four before cancelling this in 2004), this collection is loaded with commentary, a music video and enough other extras to keep fans panting for a still hoped-for big screen sequel.

THE TICK

Wicked men, beware! Patrick Warburton is the big blue bug of justice in this loopy, laugh-out-loud superhero sendup from 2001. Eight precious episodes. Four crime fighters. One Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell). Worth it just for the "Death Of The Immortal" episode.

The Couch Potato Report - August 15th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features four, count 'em four, TV show releases, and Sin City!

I have said it before, and I will say it again, I love watching TV.

Especially good TV.

And this week I have four good television shows that are now available on DVD to tell you about.

As much as I love TV, and good TV, I love good TV shows on DVD!!

One of the greatest things about the invention of DVDs is the fact that a lot of shows that might otherwise air and then be forgotten, no matter how beloved they are, get released for us to buy!

Once such example is the show UNDECLARED. This show is beloved by many, but forgotten by many more.

UNDECLARED aired in 1001 and 2002 and it is about University freshman Steve Karp and his fellow freshman dorm-mates.

They are about to embark on one the greatest experiences of their lives...unfortunately for Steve, the girl he slept with last night has a boyfriend, and his lonely and recently divorced father is tagging along for the ride.

If you were a fan of the under appreciated FREAKS AND GEEKS then you will enjoy the humour and honesty that is front and centre in UNDECLARED.

And now UNDECLARED- THE COMPLETE SERIES is now available in a 4-disc box set with an array of extras.

Those extras include an unaired episode and a bonus director's cut, 18 commentaries with directors, writers & cast, deleted scenes, auditions, outtakes, and a 28-page booklet!

I never went to University, but I have visited more than a few friends over the years at various schools.

In addition to its realistic portrayal of dorm life, UNDECLARED is a show that is full of a likeable and talented cast.

I do declare that I love UNDECLARED, and I am quite pleased that I now own THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD.

I don't yet own the complete series of THE SIMPSONS, but I do proudly own seasons one through six. Six is the latest one to be released and THE SIMPSONS- THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON is another tremendous set from the creators of the show.

This set features all 25 episodes from the sixth season, including Part One of the season cliffhanger "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", "Homer Badman" where a gummy Venus de Milo makes Homer the object of feminist protest and tabloid TV fodder, "Homer The Great" featuring The Stonecutters ("Who holds back the electric car/Who made Steve Guttenberg a star?/We do!"), "Lisa's Wedding", "Bart's Girlfriend" and "Itchy and Scratchy Land".

There are also commentaries on every episode from Matt Groening, David Mirkin, Mike Scully, Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, and other members of the creative team.

Even if you think THE SIMPSONS isn't as funny now as it was then, this box set represents then, so enjoy!

For most of its run THE SIMPSONS has aired on Sunday nights, but at one time it was moved to Thursdays to try and compete with THE COSBY SHOW.

Happily, both shows thrived and we didn't lose either one.

The first season of THE SIMPSONS debuted on DVD in 2001.

Now, in 2005, Season One of THE COSBY SHOW is on DVD as well.

THE COSBY SHOW ran from 1984 to 1992 and it since it is one of the most popular programs in TV history I will only briefly recap the premise:

Bill Cosby stars as a happily married doctor who, along with his attorney wife, raise their five children in an supportive, loving, very funny environment.

Okay, back to me giving you the full details, all 24 episodes from the 1984-85 season are now available in the 4-disc box set THE COSBY SHOW - SEASON ONE.

The set also includes the 90-minute 2002 TV special "A Look Back" including deleted scenes, bloopers, audition footage and more.

It was fun to go back and watch the first season of THE COSBY SHOW! I don't think I've seen some of the episodes in this set since they first aired, and I especially liked how the writers changed a few things as the show went along.

For instance, in the pilot episode, the parents discuss their "four" children. That wasn't a mistake, when the show began they had four children.

But as I mentioned above, the family has five kids.

The changes were minor because THE COSBY SHOW was good right from the start.

And this great new box set is proof of that. Enjoy it!

The final TV show to cover this week is THE OFFICE.

Now if you are thinking that maybe there are more episodes of the BBC series THE OFFICE coming out, sorry but that is not the case.

THE OFFICE that I am referring to is the American remake of that classic BBC series. A series I love, admire, respect and revere.

That said, I don't hate this remake.

The BBC version was two and a half perfect seasons, but this version gives us some extra episodes, even if it is just a copy.

But for a copy, there are some very unique and inspired moments.

Many people will view this version of THE OFFICE with disdain and apprehension due to the fact that Ricky Gervais' original masterpiece is so incredible, but I say watch it and give it a chance.

The writing is good, the cast is worth getting to know and even if it makes you long for the original, well so what! Funny is funny!

It made me laugh and I like it! Yes, I like the American version of THE OFFICE. But I must admit that I love the original BBC version.

And as I mentioned, I love watching TV and TV shows on DVD!

I also like reading comic books, or as many of them are known today "graphic novels", and I very much enjoy movies based on graphic novels and comic books.

Our final release this week is SIN CITY.

SIN CITY is director Robert Rodriguez's realistically realized vision of three of Frank Miller's books.

This film is possibly the most faithful comic book movie ever made with many shots coming right from the books themselves.

Rodriguez has actually referred to the film as a "translation" rather than an adaptation.

Like the books it is based on SIN CITY is almost entirely in black and white, with only a few bits of colour popping up from time to time.

The movie is a treat for the eyes, unless you have a problem with graphic violence. The film is quite violent in parts, and most of the film's population are less than reputable, and thus I can't call it a must see, unless those sort of issues don't bother you.

They don't bother me, and I think this is one of the best films of 2005. It certainly is one of the most unique.

The story is engrossing and the huge cast includes Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Josh Hartnett and Michael Madsen.

While not for everyone, SIN CITY is an incredible cinematic experience.

But be aware, the DVD comes with only a few special features. Robert Rodriguez is a huge fan of DVDs and his films usually are released with an incredible array of features. The fact that this one has so little means that there will be a SPECIAL EDITION coming out soon.

So beware!

But if you must have it right away, like I must, SIN CITY is available in stores now. So are THE SIMPSONS - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD COLLECTION, THE COSY SHOW - SEASON ONE and the incredible UNDECLARED.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

In THE RING TWO an unmarked videotape continues its cycle of violence. This is the less than successful sequel to THE RING with the lovely Naomi Watts back in the lead role.

Amanda Peet is lovely as well but her film A LOT LIKE LOVE sinks due to the presence of male star Ashton Kutcher. They play a couple who struggle to find a way to make their relationship work.

ALF- SEASON TWO is a four disc set with all 25 episodes from the TV series about an Alien Life Form living on earth.

And the GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION has an all-new, widescreen extended version of the film, including 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary that includes some never-before-seen footage.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will 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 week on The Couch!

Cinderella DVD

It sure got clobbered this summer, but Cinderella Man will find a much more deserving audience on DVD this fall when it's released on 6 December (when Universal should have released the film theatrically). We'll get both full-frame and widescreen versions of the film as well as a nice 5.1 sound mix, two commentaries - one with director Ron Howard and another with writers Akiva Goldsman and Cliff Hollingsworth - deleted scenes, a few featurettes, and some trailers. This one will run you $29.98. There will also be a Collector's Edition, which will come with an extra disc of deleted scenes and featurettes that aren't included on the single-disc edition, and a collectible booklet. That one will cost you $44.98.

Costello Commentary Spiffs DVD Retrospective

Originally expected earlier this year, the DVD "The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello -- The Videos" will arrive Sept. 6 in the United Kingdom via demonVision. A North American release date has not yet been finalized for the project, which rounds up all of the artist's classic promo clips plus a wealth of rare European TV appearances.

Of perhaps most interest to fans is the fact that Costello provides commentary for each of the 27 videos, including such early MTV favorites as "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" and "Everyday I Write the Book."

But securing the artist's services for the project nearly didn't happen, according to DVD producer Sophie Coolbaugh. "Elvis was completely booked up last summer and no matter how we looked at his schedule, there was no way he could spare us a few hours," she tells Billboard.com. "We had given up on the idea when the call came late on a Thursday afternoon -- we could have him for a couple of hours on the following Sunday in New York."

Due to short notice, the producers were forced to rent a studio without air conditioning "on a muggy September evening," Coolbaugh recalls. "Elvis had not dabbled in the art of the DVD audio commentary before, and he took to it like a fish takes to water. It is both witty and interesting, and definitely a key highlight of the disc."

Coolbaugh delighted in "finding bits and pieces that we knew no one had seen in over 20 years, if at all," including an extra song from a 1983 performance on the U.K. show "The Tube" and clips from Holland's Pink Pop Festival ("fabulous pink suit").

However, one classic piece of film eluded "The Right Spectacle." Says Coolbaugh: "The master of Elvis' first-ever TV appearance [performing 'Alison' for 'Granada Reports' in July 1977] has gone missing sometime between 1977 and now. It was very, very lucky that the producers of [the show] 'So It Goes' lifted a clip from it for their show later that year, so the excerpt we have on the disc is the only surviving clip from [Costello's] TV debut."

Since there are no U.S. TV appearances on the collection, could a follow-up "Elvis in the U.S." compilation see the light of day in the future? "We had access to a large number of archives and in the end it was a question of finding clips that were most representative of the period," Coolbaugh says. "Who knows what the future holds -- there are certainly plenty of great clips to consider for a follow up."

Here is "The Right Spectacle" track list:

"(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea"
"Pump It Up"
"Radio Radio"
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding"
"Oliver's Army"
"Accidents Will Happen"
"I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down"
"High Fidelity"
"Love for Tender"
"Possession"
"New Amsterdam"
"Clubland"
"New Lace Sleeves"
"Good Year for the Roses"
"Sweet Dreams"
"You Little Fool"
"Everyday I Write the Book"
"Let Them All Talk"
"The Only Flame in Town"
"I Wanna Be Loved"
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
"Veronica"
"This Town"
"The Other Side if Summer"
"So Like Candy"
"Sulky Girl"
"13 Steps Lead Down"

Bonus Material:

"Granada Reports" / "So It Goes" (U.K.):
"Alison" (excerpt), "Lip Service," "No Dancing"

"Revolver" (U.K.):
"This Year's Girl," "Radio Radio"

"Countdown" (Holland):
"Oliver's Army," "Accidents Will Happen," "Watching the Detectives," "You Belong To Me"

"Pink Pop" (Holland):
"Lipstick Vogue," "Watching the Detectives"

"What's In" (U.K.):
"Shot With His Own Gun"

"The Tube" (U.K.):
"Shipbuilding," "Everyday I Write the Book," "Clowntime Is Over," "TKO (Boxing Day)"

"Mandagsboren":
"Big Sister's Clothes," "Peace in Our Time"

DVD titans set for November clash By Thomas K. Arnold

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The landscape of the fourth-quarter DVD-selling season is rapidly taking shape as summer starts to wind down and studios race each other to snag prime release dates.

November will see a clash of the DVD titans, with four $100 million-plus theatricals already slotted and a fifth deemed likely.

DreamWorks is set to announce Thursday a Nov. 15 release date for "Madagascar," the animated feature that grossed $189 million theatrically. That gives it a one-week jump on another animated feature geared toward the same family demographic, Warner's November 2004 release "The Polar Express."

20th Century Fox reserved Nov. 29 for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which grossed $178.5 million in theaters and is one of the summer's top-grossing live-action theatricals.

Fox also is releasing the year's No. 1 movie, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" ($377 million domestic gross), Nov. 1.

That leaves only Nov. 8 untapped, though industry sources peg that as a likely date for Warner's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which has grossed nearly $150 million since its July 15 opening.

October also is almost fully loaded, but with more moderate box office performers. Universal's "The Interpreter" ($72.4 million) and MGM's "Amityville Horror" ($64.3 million) will be out Oct. 4, and Universal's "Kicking & Screaming" ($52.6 million) and Fox's "Kingdom of Heaven" ($47.3 million) share Oct. 11.

Oct. 25 will find Disney releasing "Herbie: Fully Loaded" ($62.7 million) and Warner issuing "House of Wax" ($32 million). Industry sources expect Warner to drop "Batman Begins" ($195.9 million) on Oct. 18, the month's only open date, noting that the studio already has slotted for that date a series of two-disc special editions of the four original "Batman" movies from the 1980s and '90s.

The only true wild card in the fourth quarter is December, with no confirmed releases.

The Couch Potato Report - August 9, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features The Muppets, and man am I excited!!

I was born at the right time. Some people wish they had been alive in the fifties, the twenties, the renaissance or the age of innocence, or some time other then when they were born, but I was born at the right time.

I was born in 1968. A year later a great family show called SESAME STREET began. In my early years I learned how to share, count and much more from Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Mr Hooper, Kermit and all of my friends at SESAME STREET. I enjoyed every sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away, on my way to where the air was sweet.

No one had to tell me how to get to SESAME STREET, I knew the way.

As I was getting older and began to search for a new show to call my own, along came a program made by some of the same people responsible for SESAME STREET, namely Jim Henson.

This new show also featured Kermit The Frog, one of my favourite characters from SESAME STREET.

Once I had graduated from Sesame Street, another great family show, THE MUPPET SHOW was waiting right there to entertain me!

Yes, I was born at exactly the right time!

Now, after years of having to suffice with just "Best Of" compilations the entire first season of THE MUPPET SHOW is available on DVD!!

And I am trying to remain calm, because it is my favourite TV show of all time!!

I completely enjoyed playing the music, lighting the lights, and meeting the Muppets on The Muppet Show again this week.

THE MUPPET SHOW - SEASON ONE is a four-disc box set that features all 24 episodes from the 1976 season. Each episode has been completely restored and remastered. The set also features the original pilot, the original pitch of the show and a great trivia filled feature called "Muppet Morsels".

I am happy to report that all of the charm, the craziness, the bad jokes, the running gags, and every element of THE MUPPET SHOW still holds up almost thirty years after it's debut.

Of course, that is said as someone who is a fan. If you or your children are people who have never seen the show, and finds the films that The Muppets are making these days less than entertaining, I can't say that you will share my excitement.

I also say that because a friend of mine was watching some of the episodes with me and she wasn't enjoying them at all. She then asked me what I enjoy about the show. I explained that I like the characters, the jokes and the music, but I the main reason that I enjoy it was because of the fact that I loved it as a child.

Yes, I still enjoy the show a great deal, but since it was a part of my youth Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and the rest of The Muppets are sort of like people I grew up with, maybe even like family.

Of course, while watching them, I admit I don't feel like I have grown up at all!

Some of The Muppets' guest stars in SEASON ONE are Charles Aznavour, Candice Bergen, Ruth Buzzi, Phyllis Diller, Joel Grey, Florence Henderson, Lena Horne, Harvey Korman, Jim Nabors, Vincent Price and Peter Ustinov.

The highlights are too numerous to list, but what I truly love is Charles Aznavour singing the song "Inchworm"; the Koozbanian Mating Ritual; Lena Horne's rendition of "I Got a Name"; Muppet Robin's version of "Halfway Down the Stairs"; Kermit singing "It's Not Easy Being Green"; and then there's the Muppet classic "Mahna, Mahna."

Whether it is due to the fact that I have loved THE MUPPET SHOW since I was a kid or whether it is due to the fact that I am still entertained by it, I suppose I will never be able to say.

But I completely enjoyed watching this SEASON ONE box set and I will be just as excited when SEASONS TWO through FIVE come out.

I will also be just as excited when FRAGGLE ROCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON comes out on September 6th, but I digress.

Now, in case you think I will recommend anything that The Muppets do, you need to know my thoughts on THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ. This is the TV movie from May based on the classic story.

On the Friday it aired three months ago, I rushed home after work to watch it.

When it was over, I wasn't disappointed, as I am a fan, but it wasn't very good.

I am sure you know the story behind THE WIZARD OF OZ, so I will just tell you that singer Ashanti stars as Dorothy, Pepe the King Prawn is Toto, Kermit is the Scarecrow, Gonzo is the Tin Man and Fozzie plays The Cowardly Lion.

It still seems like a great idea, but the film isn't as good as the work that is The Muppets' legacy and, in the end, THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ just isn't very entertaining.

If you're not a Muppet fan and you'd like to watch THE WIZARD OF OZ, look for the Judy Garland version. If you are a Muppet fan, I'm sure you already own it, whether you think it is good or bad.

Either way THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ and THE MUPPET SHOW - SEASON ONE are all available right now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

UNDECLARED is one of the best, under-rated, and least watched TV shows off all times. Next week the entire series debuts on DVD and I will tell you all about it!

On the other hand is THE SIMPSONS, one of the highest-rated, most watched shows of all time. THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD COLLECTION has all 25 episodes from the sixth season, including Part One of the season cliffhanger "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"

Another high-rated, popular show is also new on DVD. Our other featured television title next week is THE COSBY SHOW - SEASON ONE.

Finally next week is the film SIN CITY. This is the very unique film based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino share directing credits with Miller and the movie about a city full of hard luck cases is a treat for the eyes! Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke and Clive Owen lead the all-star cast.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will 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 week on The Couch!

Jackson Going Ape on DVD

We always knew Peter Jackson was a multi-tasker. Now we can add overachiever to the list.

Despite nearly going bananas working round the clock to finish up post-production on his highly anticipated remake of King Kong before its Dec. 14 bow, the Lord of the Rings ringmaster has somehow found the time and energy to lord over a two-disc DVD set of the 1933 original that Warner Home Video is set to unleash on Nov. 22.

Jackson has filmed a two-hour, seven-part feature documentary entitled RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World that will unearth much of the production history of the black-and-white classic that starred Fay Wray as the Great Ape's object d'amore.

Among the tantalizing tidbits the doc will cover is the fate of the mysterious "spider pit" scene that was cut from the film before its big premiere in New York and Los Angeles because it was considered too terrifying.

"For years, there has always been speculation, does this footage exist, so we have a piece that actually explains what it was and we do a recreation of it," George Feltenstein, Warner's Senior VP overseeing its classic catalog, told the Hollywood Reporter. "For fans of the film, that's a big, important thing."

And Jackson certainly counts himself among the film's fans. Bringing a new appreciation to the monster movie fulfills a lifelong dream for the Oscar-winning director, who credits seeing the original King Kong as a child with inspiring him to monkey around as a teenager with stop-motion animation shorts and become a filmmaker.

The Warner DVD happens to arrive in stores before Jackson's own update for Universal swings into theaters, but Feltenstein is quick to note the studio has no intention of cross-promoting its rival's blockbuster.

Among the DVD goodies cineastes will savor are the long-lost frames of Wray at the flick's climax when she falls from the Empire State building; a bonus documentary by Turner Classic Movies on Kong director and creator Merian C. Cooper; audio commentary featuring archival recordings of the cast and crew; commentary from stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen along with special effects masters Ken Ralston and Terry Moore; and a trailer gallery of Coooper's other movies.

Two versions of the DVD will go on sale. The first will be a two-disc special edition while the second will package the set in a collectible tin that also includes a 20-page reproduction of the original souvenir program, postcard reproductions of the original one sheets and a mail-in offer for a reproduction of a vintage 27-by-41-inch movie poster.

Additionally, Warner Home Video plans to issue a four-disc collector's set that packages the special edition Kong along for the first time with two new-to-DVD titles, the sequels The Son of Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949).

The Couch Potato Report - August 6th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report another "Special Edition" DVD I would buy and one bad science fiction film that you should at least watch.

Ah, the "Deluxe", "Extended", "Super Platinum", "Director's Cut" and "Special Edition" DVD!

Sometimes they are a wonderful thing, sometimes they are the worst thing to ever happen to a money hungry DVD industry.

When they are wonderful, they are truly wonderful! In those instances a "Special Edition" DVD can take us behind-the-scenes with the actors and inside the minds of the people who make our favourite films.

When it is the worst thing, a "Special Edition" can just be a reissue of a film that has already been released on DVD, with only a few extras and hardly any participation from the actors or the people who wrote or directed the movie.

Back in June when the film STRIPES was re-released on DVD as an EXTENDED CUT I bought it and here on The Couch Potato Report I stated that "...if I love a movie, if it is a classic to me, and it is cheap, I will buy a reissue".

Now, along comes the SPECIAL EDITION of the hilarious 1994 film SWIMMING WITH SHARKS, starring Kevin Spacey from AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE USUAL SUSPECTS and SEVEN as the "boss from hell."

It isn't as inexpensive as STRIPES, but I love the movie, and it is a classic to me, so I now own it, and I highly recommend it to you as well.

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS is an intelligent, very funny comedy about Hollywood that was released in theatres in 1994.

Kevin Spacey stars as a movie studio executive who's entry-level assistants have all gone on to bigger and better things in Hollywood.

Frank Whaley from CAREER OPPORTUNITIES and PULP FICTION is the naive and eager assistant who learns from day one that this dream job doesn't come with a dream boss.

Spacey immediately begins to wear down his new assistant with unreasonable requests, ego tantrums and verbal abuse, all the while promising "bigger and better things" to his young charge.

Spacey is incredibly delicious as Buddy Ackerman, the "boss from hell." At times, you can even see him - and the character he's playing - having a fun time with the role.

Whaley also does a great job in the film. His career post SWIMMING WITH SHARKS hasn't equaled that of two-time Oscar Winner Spacey's, but in this film they are equals.

In addition to offering a unique inside view of Hollywood, SWIMMING WITH SHARKS is also a great revenge film for everyone who has ever been abused by their "boss from hell."

Some of the special features on this SPECIAL EDITION DVD include three audio commentaries, including one by Kevin Spacey, and a great retrospective documentary called "Back to the Tank: Swimming Ten Years Later."

Yes, ten years later, SWIMMING WITH SHARKS is worthy or a retrospective look back.

In 2015, it is doubtful that anyone will be looking back on the film THEY ARE AMONG US, unless they starred in it, know someone who starred in it, or were part of the creative team responsible for this cheesy science fiction film.

But then again, there are many other cheesy science fiction films that I continue to look back on more than ten years later, so who knows.

That is the best thing about this type of sci-fi film, it doesn't hope to win an Academy Award, it just wants to entertain you.

And as long as you turn off your brain, don't expect much, and have the time to kill, why not give THEY ARE AMONG US a chance?

The film is about a guy named Daniel. Daniel lives in a small town, a small town that seems just like any other small town..., but it isn't.

As Daniel is getting ready to turn eighteen and move away to begin a new life he starts to notice that some things are different.

In fact, what is different is the fact that a Colony of aliens is waiting for its leader to take his place among them.

That is a classic cheesy science fiction film premise, and the film puts it to good use.

If you do watch THEY ARE AMONG US - and I recommend that you do - the one thing that is for sure is the fact that you will recognize at least one member of the cast. It is populated by actors who are former TV stars.

Those actors include Corbin Bernsen from L.A. LAW, Bruce Boxleitner of SCARECROW AND MRS. KING, Hunter Tylo from ALL MY CHILDREN and DAYS OF OUR LIVES and Nana Visitor from STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.

Plus, the film also features Clint Eastwood's daughter Alison - who starred in her Dad's MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL and was in Regina back in 2003 filming a movie called THE LOST ANGEL.

THEY ARE AMONG US isn't a perfect, or even great film. But it is the perfect film for you if you like cheesy science fiction films, and you are able to turn off your brain, don't expect much, and have the time to kill.

That is the same criteria that allowed films like ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981), OMEGA MAN (1971), LOGAN'S RUN (1976), FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966), PLANET OF THE APES (1968), and my personal favourite THE WRAITH (1986) become the science fiction "classics" they are regarded as today!

All of those films, along with THEY ARE AMONG US, and the special edition of SWIMMING WITH SHARKS are available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Well, I am trying to remain calm as I write that THE MUPPET SHOW - SEASON ONE IS COMING OUT NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo!!!!

This four-disc box set features all 24 episodes from the 1976 season completely restored and remastered along with the original pilot, the original pitch of the show and more!!

It is possibly the greatest TV show of all time and I can't wait to sit down for 12 hours and watch this set!!

I will also sit still in order to watch THE MUPPETS' WIZARD OF OZ one more time. This is the gang's 2005 TV movie from May retelling of the classic Frank L. Baum story.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE MUPPETS, and maybe even 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 week on The Couch!

Dark Knight returns on DVD

LAS VEGAS (Hollywood Reporter) - With "Batman Begins" nearing the $200 million mark at the North American box office, fans of the Dark Knight will soon be able to buy double-disc editions of the previous four "Batman" movies.

"Batman," "Batman Returns," "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin" will be released Oct. 18 via Warner Home Video. They will be available individually and as a gift set, "Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997."

Each DVD features a new digital transfer of the movie. Bonus features include director commentaries by Joel Schumacher and Tim Burton, cast and crew interviews, several new documentaries, "making of" featurettes and nine music videos from Prince, Seal and the Smashing Pumpkins.

The Couch Potato Report - July 26th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features two films I love, one from 2005 and the other from 1979.

Kevin Costner has starred in the baseball themed films FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) FOR LOVE OF THE GAME (1999) and BULL DURHAM (1988).

Since I enjoyed all three of those films, and I love baseball and baseball movies in general, I was excited when I heard that Costner would once again portray a baseball player in the film THE UPSIDE OF ANGER.

I was doubly excited when I heard that he was also playing a radio announcer!

But THE UPSIDE OF ANGER has little to do with baseball, or radio broadcasting for that matter. In fact, Costner's role is a supporting one.

The actual star of this wonderful film is Joan Allen, from THE NOTEBOOK and PLEASANTVILLE.

When THE UPSIDE OF ANGER begins, Allen's character has lost her husband. He has literally vanished without a trace, and she presumes that he has run off to Europe with his secretary.

In addition to dealing with her own anger she has to care for her four teenage daughters, none of whom she is particularly close to.

Along comes Costner, the ex-baseball player turned radio talk show host neighbour who has always had feelings for Joan Allen's character.

Despite his alcoholism, and his refusal to talk baseball with anyone, he turns out to have a bit of a stabilizing effect among the women, and the family.

That all might sound way too dramatic but THE UPSIDE OF ANGER is exceptionally well written and features an abundance of smart dialogue.

It is dramatic, but it is also funny and quite touching at times.

In addition to Allen and Costner THE UPSIDE OF ANGER features four of today's most talented up-and-coming young actresses - Alicia Witt from VANILLA SKY, Keri Russell of TV's FELICITY, Erika Chistensen from TRAFFIC and Evan Rachel Wood, who is best known for the film THIRTEEN.

All four actresses are wonderful, and so is Kevin Costner, but as I mentioned earlier, this is Joan Allen's movie.

She gives her character a unique combination of raw emotion, alcoholism, sex appeal and pain, and the whole time you still aren't sure what to think of her.

From beginning to end THE UPSIDE OF ANGER is a great movie!

It is one of my favourite films of 2005, and I am very happy that it is finally available on video and DVD.

I remember back in the early nineteen eighties when I was excited about another film that had been released in a home viewing format.

That film was THE JERK and I have since owned it on Beta, VHS, Laserdisc and already once on DVD. It remains one of my favourites and one of the funniest films ever made!

And now we have a new widescreen 26TH ANNIVERSARY DVD EDITION of the film to enjoy!

Then stand up comic Steve Martin made his film-starring debut in THE JERK portraying Navin Johnson, the adopted son of a poor sharecropper family.

One of his inventions leads him from rags to riches and then he goes right back to rags.

Along the way, he's smitten with a lady motorcycle racer, survives a series of attacks by a deranged killer, and finds out what his "special purpose" is.

Yes, the film is stupid and idiotic and Martin is more than willing to play the fool.

And yes, I am the fool who has been laughing and following THE JERK for 26 years now!

It was the film that made me realize I had a "special purpose!"

For a few seasons back in the late nineties the special purpose of the television show SLIDERS was to entertain people.

SLIDERS is the show about four people who found a gateway to another dimension, but they forgot one problem... how to get back!

My older sister was a fan of the show, but I only watched it when we were visiting each other.

Since she wasn't with me, I must admit that I wasn't very excited about having to sit and watch the 25 episodes of the show that are contained in the 4-disc box set SLIDERS - THE THIRD SEASON.

In the end, I didn't mind watching the show, but I would never call myself a fan of SLIDERS.

The plots aren't very interesting and the special effects are very low budget.

But, I still enjoyed watching the box set because of the show's cast, namely Jerry O'Connell, John Rhys-Davies, Sabrina Lloyd and Kari Wuhrer.

SLIDERS may not have been the best science fiction TV show of all time, but it is entertaining enough, and if you are a fan, you now have this four-disc box set to enjoy whenever you'd like.

As for the box set that I have, well I am sending it to my sister, so she can enjoy it whenever she'd like.

The box set for THE THIRD SEASON OF SLIDERS, THE JERK and THE UPSIDE OF ANGER are all available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT...

...is a look at the SPECIAL EDITION of the hilarious 1994 film SWIMMING WITH SHARKS.

Kevin Spacey from AMERICAN BEAUTY and SEVEN stars as the "boss from hell."

Spacey also starred in the 1997 film MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, a movie directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Clint's daughter Alison.

The younger Eastwood ventured away from her Dad's career to star in the horror film THEY ARE AMONG US and it too is now available on video and DVD.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on those films, 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 week on The Couch!

Summer Movies Become Winter DVDs

Okay, we've checked in with our industry and retail sources, and have obtained what we believe will be the official street dates for a number of upcoming DVD releases for the end of 2005.

Look for 20th Century Fox's 2-disc Kingdom of Heaven to be released on 10/11.

Lucasfilm and Fox will release Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith on 11/1. They'll also release Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume 2 on 12/6.

Warner Home Video will debut Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on 10/11, with Batman Begins following on 10/18. Also, look for the new Batman live action special editions (all four films) to be released on 10/18 as well.

Finally, Sony will release MGM's remake of The Amityville Horror on 10/4.

Watch for official announcements on these titles to be made soon.

The Couch Potato Report - July 20th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features two films that I nether loved or hated.

It is very rare that an edition of The Couch Potato Report has two films that I am indifferent toward.

Usually I will really like at least one of the films I am reviewing.

But this week, indifference is the order of the day.

Since it doesn't really matter, let me start with the supernatural action film CONSTANTINE.

Keanu Reeves follows up the very successful MATRIX TRILOGY by playing a man who keeps a delicate balance between Heaven and Hell.

CONSTANTINE is based on the very unique comic book Hellblazer. The comic is unique because it is part horror, part action and part fantasy.

Sadly, the film is never horrific enough, doesn't have enough action, and the fantasy elements are okay at best.

Even if you've never read or seen the comic, that statement is true.

The film's title character is John Constantine. He walks the streets of Los Angeles to eradicate those who don't belong on this mortal coil in order to ensure that "the balance" between God and the devil is maintained.

Throw in a police officer who is trying to clear up the mystery surrounding her sister's death and some comments on religion and Catholic salvation, and that is CONSTANTINE.

To its credit, CONSTANTINE is never boring. There is enough things going on in the film - either actually on screen or in your head due to the script - that you will feel like seeing how it ends.

But once it ends, that is when the indifference will come.

The film isn't bad, but it isn't good either.

It is just there, and then its over.

If you like cinematic comic book adaptations, or really loved THE MATRIX TRILOGY, then perhaps your feelings after watching the film will be different than mine.

I however, remain just as indifferent to CONSTANTINE after seeing it twice, as I did after seeing it just once.

Once was enough for this week's other new film, the not great, but not bad ICE PRINCESS.

If you know a young lady who enjoyed THE PRINCESS DIARIES films then this is another movie for her.

It is a fairy tale for girls who dream about what or who they would like to be.

Michelle Trachtenberg of EUROTRIP and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is an A plus student who begins studying the science of figure skating as a project to get a University scholarship.

Along the way she discovers that not only does she have talent, she likes figure skating.

And to simplify the rest of the synopsis, with the help of her coach, her parents, and the boy who drives the Zamboni machine, nothing can stop her from having her dreams come true!

ICE PRINCESS doesn't take itself too seriously, and admittedly it is geared for a younger audience than me, but in the end the film just follows the tried and true movie formula of: dream, go for your dream, dream comes true.

Had it given its audience something more, I might happily recommend it.

As it is, the film isn't bad, but it isn't good either.

It is just there, and then its over.

As for me, I'm just indifferent, toward both of this week's releases.

That said, CONSTANTINE and ICE PRINCESS are both available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

THE UPSIDE OF ANGER is one of my favourite films of 2005, and it is finally available on video and DVD. Joan Allen from THE NOTEBOOK and PLEASANTVILLE plays a woman who's husband has vanished without a trace. The film is about her attempts to save herself and her family. It is a superb movie!

Another superb film, for a different reason is the one that Steve Martin made his film debut in back in 1979. Now, in 2005, we have a 26th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of THE JERK.

We also have the THIRD SEASON of the late nineties TV show SLIDERS, the show about four people who found a gateway to another dimension, but they forgot one problem... how to get back!

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on SLIDERS, THE JERK, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, 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 week on The Couch!

The fourth season of Alias comes to DVD in October

Buena Vista Home Entertainment has just announced the release of Alias: The Complete Fourth Season for October 25.

The DVD box set will feature over 4 hours of bonus features, including extras such as an Interview with Jennifer Garner and a Featurette called “Meet Mia Maestro.” Also included on the box set are Deleted Scenes and Outtakes as well as other features.

“Alias: The Complete Fourth Season” is scheduled for release on October 25 at a suggested retail price of $59.99

Another Re-Issue I will Have To Buy

In news today, Universal has officially announced the Mallrats: 10th Anniversary Extended Edition for release on 9/20 (SRP $26.98).

The DVD will feature two versions of the film via seamless branching - the original theatrical version and a new extended version that includes 30 minutes of new footage. Extras will include new cast interviews, a 'multi-angle' commentary, the A Look Back at Mallrats, The Making of Mallrats and A Cast Reunion featurettes and more.

Beatles breakup film due on DVD

Could the end of the long, long winding road to the release on DVD of the Beatles' 1970 breakup flick, Let It Be, actually be in sight?

According to Beatles Anthology director Bob Smeaton, the Let It Be DVD, punched up with "remarkable bonus material," will be released in September. Smeaton told a Denver, Colo., radio station that the DVD release had been delayed due to the sheer volume of film stock shot, and colour restoration issues.

Although Smeaton did not identify any of the extra material, Beatles fans are clamoring for a 5.1 surround sound mix, and the inclusion of what's known as the complete rooftop gig. That's the Jan. 30, 1969, 35-minute show played by the Fab Four on the roof of their London headquarters, but which was only partially shown in the film.

Good quality audio-only bootlegs of the complete show are in circulation, but film of the mini concert has remained secure in Apple Corps vaults.

The original 80-minute Let It Be film, unavailable on home video for over 20 years, is expected on DVD to be fleshed out with original Nagra audio recordings that went missing from Apple in the early '70s, but which were recovered in a police raid on bootleggers in the Netherlands in January 2003.

The recovered tapes would allow some film footage that was without original sound to be used for the DVD, including many Beatles takes of old time rock 'n' roll and jam sessions.

Also on the reissue front, George Harrison's 1971 Concert For Bangladesh on both remastered CD and DVD will be released Oct. 25.

Early reports say that the reissued Concert For Bangladesh, perhaps the first all-star rock benefit of its time, will also contain extra material, including a song by Bob Dylan left off the original three-album deluxe box set.

Details are sketchy, but some Internet Beatles news sites suggest that the reissued Bangladesh could contain unissued material from both the matinee and evening performances of the show, held at Madison Square Garden, Aug. 1, 1971, and featuring the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Leon Russell.

Reportedly, Harrison had been searching unsuccessfully for the master tapes of the concert just prior to his death, but they were eventually located, and the reissue may contain a heretofore unissued Dylan song from the concert.

Finally, Sir Paul McCartney will be touring this fall behind a new release, his first since 2001. Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard, said to be "a return to basics" for McCartney, will debut Sept. 13.

The Couch Potato Report - July 12th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features an Academy Award winning masterpiece.

In this day of twenty-four hour media coverage, the internet, and all of the many other ways that are available for you and I to find out the things we know about movies, and the people who star in movies, it is very rare that a film can be released without many people knowing about it.

Whether it is a big summer film like BATMAN RETURNS or a smaller film such as THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, we usually hear about films prior to their release.

Usually.

That wasn't the case late last year when a film called MILLION DOLLAR BABY was released.

There was very little information about it, and hardly any publicity, but then, there it was, coming soon to a theatre near you.

I must admit that when I first heard the title of the film, I thought it might have been a remake of the 1994 TV movie MILLION DOLLAR BABIES about the Dionne Quintuplets.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY has no quintuplets, or quadruplets, triplets, or even twins for that matter.

Instead this film is about an aging trainer and a woman from a small town who wants to be a boxer.

The narrator is a former boxer himself, who is also the trainer's best friend.

Hilary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald. Her hope is that Eastwood's Frankie Dunn will train her.

He declines. He doesn't train girls.

Eventually the relentless Maggie wins him over and they work together. Morgan Freeman plays the narrator and with his help Maggie and Frankie eventually find themselves on their way to a championship fight.

Yes, this film has boxing in it, but if you don't like boxing or sports movies, I implore you not to be scared off by that. MILLION DOLLAR BABY is not a boxing movie. It is a movie about a boxer.

It is also a masterpiece.

Hilary Swank won her second Academy Award for her work, and Eastwood was honoured with his second Oscar for Directing. Both are very deserving.

Morgan Freeman also won an Oscar, his first, for his efforts.

In a time of special effect filled, uninteresting movies, MILLION DOLLAR BABY stands out as it is exceptionally well written and full of real people.

Simply put, and I will say it again, it is a masterpiece.

I have seen MILLION DOLLAR BABY about half a dozen times now, and every time I see it something new reveals itself to me. The story has so many levels and the characters say so little, but upon repeated viewings they also say so much.

I could continue on about the film, but since this is a film that snuck up on all of us prior to its theatrical run, it should so the same upon its video and DVD release. The less you know about MILLION DOLLAR BABY before you see it, the more there will be to enjoy as you are watching it.

So stay away from the media coverage, the internet, and every other way that is available for you and I to find out the things we know about movies and just pick this film up and press play.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a movie about heart, faith, trust, love, forgiveness, and the ultimate test of friendship and love.

It is a one hundred and thirty two minute masterpiece!

Movies like this are why I fell in love with movies in the first place!

Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winning masterpiece MILLION DOLLAR BABY is available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

In CONSTANTINE Keanu Reeves follows up THE MATRIX TRILOGY by playing a man who keeps a delicate balance between Heaven and Hell.

Keanu Reeves is a star that we have known about for a while now. A young star on the rise is Michelle Trachtenberg. She plays the lead in the film ICE PRINCESS about a smart, but unpopular young student who follows her figure skating dreams. The film also features performances from Kim Cattrall and Joan Cusack.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on those films, 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 week on The Couch!

In the Pipeline

Seeing as we're almost exactly at 2005's half-way mark, here's a quick update of the year's most popular films as well as their DVDFile reviews and/or retail release dates.

Box Office Stats:

1. Revenge of the Sith (Fox):
$361,000,000 - DVD release date: 1 November 2005 (subject to change)

2. Hitch (Sony):
$180,000,000 - Now Available

3. Madagascar (DreamWorks):
$164,000,000 - DVD release date: TBD

4. The Longest Yard (Paramount):
$144,000,000 - DVD release date: 20 September 2005

5. Batman Begins (Warner Bros.):
$133,000,000 - DVD release date: TBD

6. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Fox):
$132,000,000 - DVD release date: TBD

7. Robots (Fox):
$128,000,000 - DVD release date: 20 September 2005

8. The Pacifier (Buena Vista):
$113,000,000 - Now Available

9. Are We There Yet? (Sony):
$83,000,000 - Now Available

10. Monster-in-Law (New Line):
$80,000,000 - DVD release date: 30 August 2005

(all data valid as of 30 June, 2005)

The Couch Potato Report - July 5th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features one of John Candy's greatest films and some cartoons that date back as far as 1928

While I was buying my DVD copy of the 1991 film ONLY THE LONELY a few weeks back the teenage cashier looked at the title of the film and said, "'Only The Lonely.' Ohhh, I love Elvis Presley."

She then proceeded to speak with her two - also teenage - co-workers about Elvis and his music, and how much she enjoyed it.

I debated whether to say anything, and then after my transaction was complete, I spoke up and I said, "'Only The Lonely' is a Roy Orbison song."

They thanked me politely for the information, but as I walked away I overheard the cashier asking her friends, "Who's Roy Orbison?"

Although I have friends who do, I never feel old when I find myself in situations where someone younger than me doesn't know the music I know and love.

What does come to mind is a hope that people - such as this teenage cashier and her friends - get the chance to listen to artists like Roy Orbison some day.

That is my hope for many reasons, but primarily due to the fact that Bo Bice, Gavin DeGraw, Rob Thomas, Howie Day, and many of the other artists you can currently find at the top of the charts added together don't equal one Roy Orbison.

And many of the actors working in Hollywood today don't equal one John Candy, the man who is the main reason why I was buying the DVD of ONLY THE LONELY.

Now, prior to his work in that movie Candy had put his comedic talents to good use on the television show SCTV and in the movies SPACEBALLS, PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES, THE GREAT OUTDOORS, UNCLE BUCK and HOME ALONE.

In ONLY THE LONELY Candy was given one of the few dramatic roles of his career, and he is wonderful!

With his comedic background Candy easily handles the film's lighter comedic moments, but he also does a superb job with the more serious parts of the script.

In the end his Danny Muldoon is a believable and sympathetic person.

That person, Danny, is a 38-year-old Chicago cop who still lives with his mother.

Screen legend Maureen O'Hara plays the mother and even though she had appeared in the classic films HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, THE QUIET MAN and THE PARENT TRAP when ONLY THE LONELY came out in 1991 it was her first role in almost 20 years.

But I digress.

O'Hara's character is named Rose, but she is an irate, stubborn woman. That said, she is also a loving, caring mother to Danny.

Without actors like O'Hara and Candy in the leading roles, this could have turned into a film about a mama's boy and his mean old momma.

Instead the actor's talents allow them to give us people we like and care about.

Candy's talents shine even brighter when he meets an introverted make-up artist played by Ally Sheedy of THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

Their relationship initially flourishes, but the son can't quit worrying about his mother long enough to be any kind of lover or partner.

Plus, the Mother is uncomfortable and challenges the young lady as she finds her place as the only woman in her son's life threatened.

ONLY THE LONELY succeeds as a love story, and a comedy. It is a very beautiful film that is heartwarming and poignant and very worthy of your time.

And if the cashier at the store where you buy it or rent it doesn't know who sings the title song, or who John Candy is, make sure you tell them as well!

Yes, from time to time we may have to remind people who Roy Orbison is, or John Candy for that matter, but it is unlikely that we will ever have to tell anyone who Mickey Mouse is.

However, that isn't due to the fact that people in this day and age love his cartoons, that is due to the fact that Mickey is the corporate image for The Walt Disney Company.

Yet it was cartoons that brought fame to Mickey Mouse, and Walt Disney.

Now some of those very first Mickey Mouse cartoons are available on the DVD VINTAGE MICKEY.

The disc has nine of the mouse's most memorable cartoons, including the classic "Steamboat Willie" from 1928, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released and the first cartoon with sound.

No, Mickey doesn't wear his trademark gloves and he doesn't speak either. All he does is whistle and play music.

VINTAGE MICKEY also includes the Academy Award nominated "Mickey's Orphans" and "Building A Building", plus the always entertaining "The Birthday Party."

Yes, it is true that all of these cartoons have already appeared on DVD in the Walt Disney Treasures releases MICKEY MOUSE IN BLACK & WHITE, but since those releases were limited editions, and are no longer available, this disc is an inexpensive, fun, and wonderful way to own and look back at the origins of the little mouse who became one of the world's most famous images.

Whether he is speaking, or just whistling and playing music.

VINTAGE MICKEY and the superb ONLY THE LONELY are both available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winning masterpiece MILLION DOLLAR BABY debuts on video and DVD.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on that film, 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 week on The Couch!

Live 8 Coming Soon On DVD

EMI has confirmed they have secured the DVD for this past weekend’s Live 8 extravaganza. The entertainment giant have worked out a deal with the organisers which will see them release a DVD of the event in all territories around the world.

However, the DVD will differ from country to country, tailored to include footage from each of the various Live 8 events. It will be hitting shops in November and the Live Aid organisation will receive what EMI describe as a "major financial contribution" from the DVD deal.

Bob Geldof explained, "I hope this will be the biggest-selling DVD of all time. It deserves to be. More importantly perhaps, it should be, for it will help us achieve our goal of changing the lives of the extreme poor for the better and making our generation the one that helped end the disgrace of poverty.

“We are very grateful to EMI for their financial contribution which helped to make the July 2 concerts happen everywhere on the planet and thus nudge the world a little closer towards our shared aim."

Summer films: Sales bells ring

Look for many of the summer blockbuster movies — even ones that haven't opened in theaters yet — to arrive on DVD in time for holiday shopping.

As video marketers seek to maximize the momentum from theatrical campaigns, movies are coming to video a lot sooner than ever, in about four months, down from six months just a few years ago, according to The DVD Release Report.

That means most of the summer movies will be in stores as holiday shoppers head to the mall.

"The progression from a summer theatrical release to a holiday video release is a well-worn path," says industry analyst Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research. "Even late-summer releases will be out in time for the holidays."

The year's No. 1 movie so far, Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is expected to arrive in stores Nov. 8. That was the same week that top sellers Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo came out in previous years.

Other movies that will be released for holiday sales, although no dates have been announced, include The Longest Yard, The Amityville Horror and Cinderella Man.

Also likely to be released in the fourth quarter of this year: War of the Worlds, Madagascar, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four, Bewitched, Kingdom of Heaven, The Interpreter and Batman Begins.

Other releases aimed at gift buyers include:

•The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sept. 13.

•Robots, Sept. 20.

• Last year's holiday hit, Polar Express, Nov. 22.

"The fourth quarter is going to be wildly competitive," says Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Older audiences pass on theaters

Karen Shinoda loves Ray, the Oscar-nominated movie starring Jamie Foxx as the late Ray Charles, but she didn't see it in theaters.

"I missed it because of the cost of going to the theater, and I was unemployed at the time," says Shinoda, 54, a legal secretary in Castro Valley, Calif.

But for $15, she picked up a copy on DVD a few months after the film opened in theaters. That's about half what she would have shelled out on a movie ticket, popcorn and drink, gas and parking.

Ray has earned nearly $150 million from DVD sales and rentals, twice its $75 million gross in theaters, says Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. It is one of a growing number of dramas that performed much better on DVD than they did in theaters, primarily because they appeal to older movie fans.

Cost is one factor keeping older moviegoers from theaters, as is time. For some films, up to 80% of the people who buy the DVD didn't see the movie in the theater, says Buena Vista's Lori MacPherson.

"People's lives are becoming increasingly busy. Consumers don't always have a chance to get to the theater to see every film they would like."

Turnaround is another factor: Most movies are available for home viewing about four months after opening in theaters.

People who are just now buying DVD players, Kornblau says, are "primarily older consumers who are significantly embracing not only the DVD phenomenon but also, more specifically, DVD dramas."

Dan Gurlitz, general manager of Koch Vision, also credits older adults with fueling sales of those dramas that had limited runs in art-house theaters.

One such film is the critically acclaimed DearFrankie, which showed in just 96 theaters and arrives today on DVD. The movie is about a single mother who invents a tale that her son's father is away at sea, but the lie catches up to her.

"Drama is quite possibly our best-selling genre," Gurlitz says. "The core audience is intensely involved in collection-building, and while many visit their local theaters, most yearn to own."

Steve Beeks, president of Lions Gate Entertainment, discovered the power of the over-45 set with the drama Beyond the Sea, starring Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin. It showed on just 383 screens (wide release is considered 500 or more) and earned just $6 million in theaters, but it sold about $17 million in DVDs.

Older adults are buying 10% more DVDs now than they were at the end of 2004, says Kornblau, citing internal research. "As evidenced by the runaway success with such dramatic titles as Seabiscuit, Friday Night Lights and Ray, the late adopters are the prime catalyst for these films' overperformance on DVD."

Marketers are responding to the trend by tailoring ad campaigns for dramas to older adults and releasing special anniversary editions of older films such as Jaws and Casino

For the Oscar-nominated Finding Neverland, "we targeted a broad audience, including parents, many of whom did not get a chance to see the film in theaters," says Gordon Ho, executive vice president of Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

The Oscar-nominated Sideways was advertised on cable channels with high mature-adult viewership, such as A&E, Bravo, Lifetime and Fox News, says Mike Dunn, president of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The Couch Potato Report - July 2nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features one thirty year old classic, a casino and a pacifier that won't pacify anyone.

If you look at the Box Office results for this year - so far - there are eight films that have made over $100 million.

STAR WARS: EPISODE III, HITCH, MADAGASCAR, THE LONGEST YEARD, BATMAN BEGINS, MR. & MRS. SMITH, ROBOTS and THE PACIFIER have all grossed more than $100.

This year is half over and there are eight films over the $100 million mark.

In 1975 there was one for the whole year.

Thirty years ago this summer Steven Speilberg's film JAWS became the first movie to ever make more than $100 million at the Box Office.

JAWS was the movie industry's first blockbuster and now the classic film is being released on DVD in a 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

JAWS is the story of Amity, a Long Island summer town.

After some great-white-shark attacks, the business owners and residents find that not only their tourist business is threatened.

JAWS is a movie that features some beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and especially Robert Shaw.

JAWS continues to be a movie classic, even thirty years later.

The only thing for me that is different about watching JAWS now, as opposed to when it first came out, is that I no longer worry about letting my legs dangle over the edge of my bed.

When I was a kid, the film made me stop doing that for a while.

And I suspect I am not alone!

I also suspect I am not alone in being very happy that this new 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of JAWS if finally giving us fans of the film many of the special features that were issued ten years ago on the laserdisc celebrating the movie's 20th ANNIVERSARY.

This 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION has a very insightful 2 hour retrospective documentary, a sixty page booklet, an interview from the film's set in 1974, and much more from the "Jaws Archives", including this admission from director Steven Speilberg.

JAWS was the first Hollywood blockbuster, and thirty years removed, the film is still worth watching.

How many of this year's $100 million grossing films will we say that about in 2035?

Certainly not THE PACIFIER, but I will get to that film in a moment.

Right now, lets focus on the 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Martin Scorsese's film CASINO.

In 1995 the legendary director reunited with members of his Oscar nominated GOODFELLAS team. Specifically writer Nicholas Pileggi and actors Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

The result was a three-hour movie about how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling.

The first hour of CASINO plays like a fascinating documentary on Las Vegas, intricately detailing the inner workings of casinos.

The first hour sets you up to think that another masterpiece is in the offing.

But after that first hour, the film goes down in quality and - well, if I am being honest - it always just makes me want to watch GOODFELLAS again.

CASINO isn't a bad film, it is actually very, very good, but it is no GOODFELLAS and that latter film's shadow looms large over this picture, even if the movies are filled with different characters.

No, CASINO isn't as fast paced, enthralling or as interesting as GOODFELLAS, but it is still very worthy of your time.

Yes, the movie is worth your time, but I reccomend that you be a bit wary of this 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of CASINO.

There are only a few extra features on the DVD. Even though they are really good, limited features on a DVD for a movie such as this usually means that there will be other special editions coming out in the future!

So be wary.

You should also be wary of any editions of THE PACIFIER that are released!

Personally, I hope there will never be a 10th, 30th, or even a 1st Anniversary edition of this movie.

THE PACIFIER features action hero Vin Diesel from XXX and PITCH BLACK as a Navy SEAL who is called upon to baby sit a group of kids.

THE PACIFIER isn't very entertaining, and that is too bad as there is a precendent for an action film star to make a kiddie comedy.

In 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger went from the action of TOTAL RECALL to the kids he faced in KINDERGARTEN COP.

That film was very entertaining, but Schwarzenegger had two things that Diesel doesn't have: talent or a good script.

The biggest problem with THE PACIFIER is that it is just a generic fish-out-of-water kiddie comedy.

The second biggest problem with the film is the fact that Vin Diesel has no comedic timing and he just isn't funny.

Young kids who will watch anything might find the movie funny, but parents and older kids will likely find THE PACIFIER a waste of time and they will quit watching it about twenty minutes.

The 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF JAWS, the 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF CASINO and THE PACIFIER are all available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The late great John Candy stars in the wonderful 1991 film ONLY THE LONELY, and we'll go back to 1928 for some VINTAGE MICKEY MOUSE cartoons.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will 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 week on The Couch!

Smile! Your 'Candid' DVDs are due Aug. 2

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Candid Camera" is coming back yet again.

The oft-resurrected TV show, which dates to the 1940s, will make its latest appearance on DVD. Peter Funt, son of the hidden-camera show's creator, Allen Funt, has teamed with Rhino Home Video to create a 10-disc collection of the classic TV series.

"Candid Camera: Five Decades of Smiles" arrives in stores Aug. 2. It contains 44 full-length "Candid Camera" episodes that originally aired from the 1960s and '70s through the present. The package also includes many hours of bonus materials, including the show's NBC premiere from May 1949; a two-hour "Greatest Moments" disc produced exclusively for this DVD set; the 25th and 40th anniversary specials; celebrity appearances over the years, featuring the likes of Woody Allen, Muhammad Ali, Buster Keaton and Jayne Mansfield; and five featurettes, hosted by Peter Funt, that put the show in context with the times.

"It's interesting to see how we've changed, how television has changed and, in many respects, how society has changed," Funt said. "That's one of the marvels of our hidden-camera work; we really chronicled society during that period."

Funt said the 1949 premiere is one of the few surviving broadcasts from the early days of "Candid Camera," when much of television was live and little of what was shown was preserved.

"I saw it for the first time eight months ago, and let me caution you, it's not particularly funny, certainly not by our own standards of later years," he said. "Back then, the fascination was the mere fact that you could hide a camera and microphone and record people doing anything. There wasn't necessarily a joke connected with it."

Funt's favorite "Candid Camera" gag of all time?

"I guess I'm violating my own rule not to choose, but if I had to pick it would be the classic car-without-a-motor sequence from the fall of 1960, when the show premiered on CBS," Funt said. "Dorothy Collins was in a convertible from which the engine had been removed. The car was towed to the top of a street, up the hill from a gas station, so that it was possible for Dorothy to roll down and ask the guy at the station to check under the hood."

That's not only his favorite episode, Funt said, but also one of the most popular fan favorites. "If it wasn't for DVD," he said, "I don't think we would have been able to assemble this stuff in a way for home viewers to have a library they can sample at will."

The Couch Potato Report - June 27th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a 1981 movie with 18 more minutes, a useless sequel, and we'll go beyond the sea.

An unfortunate trend in the video and DVD industry right now is reissues.

Movies that are already available on DVD are constantly be re-released in new "Deluxe", "Special", "Super Platinum" "Director's Cut" and "Extended" editions.

That is unfortunate because you and I are forced to buy the movies we love over and over again, if we want to know more about our favourite films.

Personally, I have decided that I won't buy any films again that I already own, no matter what the extra features or bonus materials are.

My decision was put to the test recently when an "Extended Cut" of the classic Bill Murray film STRIPES was released.

I failed the test.

But I have to admit that I have no problem with failing in this case because unlike most "Special Editions" that are priced around $25, the EXTENDED CUT of STRIPES is priced around $14, in fact I have seen it for $10 at some stores.

So my new rule is if I love a movie, if it is a classic to me, and it is cheap, I will buy the reissues.

And so I bought STRIPES.

When STRIPES came out in 1981 it was Bill Murray's follow up to CADDYSHACK, and he followed the film with a small role in TOOTSIE and the large success of GHOSTBUSTERS.

Classics one and all.

In STRIPES Murray plays a chronic loser who decides to join the army. All great comedians eventually do an Army picture, and this was Murray's.

The film has many moments that are both full of absolute insanity and are wonderfully original. Yes, it falters a bit during the last third of the film, but when it isn't faltering, it is very, very funny.

In addition to Bill Murray the cast features Harold Ramis, John Larroquette, Sean Young, Judge Reinhold and the late, great John Candy.

This EXTENDED CUT of STRIPES has 18 minutes of extra footage - including 6 never-before-seen deleted scenes, an hour long documentary with interviews with the cast, and a tribute to John Candy.

If you already own STRIPES on DVD the extra scenes don't make the movie better, but since this disc is low priced, and it contains both the theatrical version of the film AND the Extended Cut, it is worth it for you to buy it again.

And here's hoping the studio doesn't ever release the movie again! Twice is enough.

Actually, when it comes to the film BE COOL, once is enough. Once might even be too much.

BE COOL is the utterly useless sequel to the well written, well acted, and well made 1995 film GET SHORTY.

In that film John Travolta was Chili Palmer, a mob collector who was also a movie fan.

When his business took him to Los Angeles, he decided to leave his old life behind and become a movie producer.

Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Renee Russo, James Gandolfini and Delroy Lindo also starred in the film and everything they did was pure cinematic magic.

GET SHORTY remains one of the best comedies of the 1990s.

BE COOL is a useless sequel and one of the most disappointing films of 2004.

After getting bored with the movie business, Travolta's Chili Palmer decides to go into the music business.

His decision makes sense, but his decisions after that seem coincidental and not plausible in any way.

When he needs an insider to help him out, enter widowed music executive Uma Thurman. He needs Steven Tyler from Aerosmith to help him out, well there he is too!

In GET SHORTY the things that happened, coincidence or not, all seemed possible.

In BE COOL, even with a great cast that also includes Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel and Cedric The Entertainer, the film fails on every level.

Only wrestler turned actor The Rock and André Benjamin from the band Outkast will benefit from their participation in the film.

BE COOL is so utterly boring, useless and pointless, that you should avoid it at all costs.

Instead, look down the shelf from BE COOL at the store and you'll find BEYOND THE SEA.

BEYOND THE SEA is Kevin Spacey's labour of love biography/tribute to 1950s pop singer Bobby Darin and his wife Sandra Dee.

Spacey stars, co-wrote and directed the film, and he also sings all of Darin's songs on the soundtrack.

I admire and respect Spacey because of his performances in SEVEN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and AMERICAN BEAUTY, so I was prepared to give BEYOND THE SEA a lot of leeway, even though I had heard that it wasn't very good.

And that statement is true, BEYOND THE SEA isn't very good.

It is a film full of Kevin Spacey's passion for Bobby Darin, and because of that it does take more than a few cinematic risks, but in the end the whole movie just isn't very satisfying.

No, I didn't like BEYOND THE SEA as a biography, but I do admire the movie and Kevin Spacey's passion about Bobby Darin.

There is no reason to think I will ever see it again, but I am pleased I saw it this first time.

BEYOND THE SEA, BE COOL and THE EXTENDED VERSION OF STRIPES are all available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

You will hear all about the 30th Anniversary edition of Steven Speilberg's classic summer film JAWS and the 10th Anniversary Edition of Martin Scorsese's CASINO.

Plus, in THE PACIFIER action hero Vin Diesel from XXX and PITCH BLACK stars as a Navy SEAL who is called upon to baby sit a group of kids. Good, bad or horrible? Tune in and find out!

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

30 Years After 'Jaws,' a Return to Beach

EDGARTOWN, Mass. - Cue the ominous bass line and close the beaches. This weekend, some 30 years after "Jaws" premiered on the big screen, hundreds of movie buffs have flocked to Martha's Vineyard off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts to celebrate the great white shark that terrified millions of moviegoers.

This island's JawsFest '05 also brought back some of the cast and crew, including screenwriter Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel that inspired Steven Spielberg's enduring classic.

And, of course, the weekend wouldn't be complete without an appearance from the real star.

The festival's organizers hired a special-effects artist to build a replica of "Bruce," the mechanical shark from the movie. Mounted on a truck, it was expected to pop up all over the island — which was disguised as Amity Island in the film.

The fanfare seemed to surprise some of the movie's creators, who mingled with fans on the streets of Edgartown.

"It's a bizarre experience to have it even remembered 30 years later," said Benchley, whose novel was a best seller before he helped Spielberg adapt it for the screen. "When I wrote this book, I didn't think it could possibly succeed."

"Jaws," which premiered June 22, 1975, is widely hailed as the movie that launched the era of the Hollywood blockbuster. It was the first film to earn $100 million at the box office. (A 30th anniversary DVD of the film due out June 14 includes never-before-seen footage shot on the Vineyard.)

"I can't believe how many people remember this movie," said Mary Spence, who works at the Edgartown bank immortalized on film as Amity National Bank.

"Jaws" padded the bank accounts of many islanders and gave others much more than 15 minutes of fame.

Jeffrey Voorhees was 12 and living in Edgartown when he was cast as Alex Kintner, the boy who paid dearly for swimming out into the ocean. For getting devoured, he earns up to $1,000 a year in royalties and still gets fan letters and autograph requests.

"It pays to die," said Voorhees, who still lives on the island.

To this day, fans still recognize Susan Backlinie as Chrissie, who becomes the first victim in the film's opening sequence.

"I had no idea it was going to be this huge. I had no idea that 30 years later I would be standing here," said Backlinie, who now lives in California — on a boat.

One fan called out to Backlinie with a greeting she hears all the time. "You made me scared to go into the water for years," the woman said.

Not all the island's inhabitants were thrilled when Spielberg and company showed up in 1974, renting 50 hotel rooms for five months, closing streets and snarling traffic. The grueling shoot prompted crew members to refer to the production as "Flaws."

"There were a lot of people who didn't want us there," said Gottlieb, who also played a newspaper publisher in the movie. "They didn't want to see a big, sloppy film crew tying up traffic."

But the island has come to embrace its role in "Jaws." The local Chamber of Commerce sponsored the festival, and shopkeepers hung Amity signs and slashed prices to 1975 levels.

A little luck may have had a hand in Martha's Vineyard becoming Amity.

Production designer Joe Alves was supposed to travel to nearby Nantucket to scout locations for the shoot, but foul weather forced him to postpone the trip. He went to Martha's Vineyard instead and instantly fell in love with the architecture, landscape and shallow waters, which could accommodate Bruce.

"It was just ideal," he said.

Spielberg and the movie's best-known stars, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, were absent from Jawsfest '05. (Robert Shaw, who played Quint, died in 1978.) But the director recorded a greeting to be played before Friday night's screening of the movie.

"I think it's amazing, the shelf life it has had," Spielberg said, according to a transcript. "And that's only because fans like yourself have kept this film alive."

The Couch Potato Report - May 31st, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features TV on DVD!

All winter long many of us stay indoors to avoid the cold. A very popular companion while we are inside is the television.

As summer approaches and the weather continues to get nicer, many people turn their televisions off and head outside.

If you are one of those people, then I doubt you could call yourself a "couch potato."

Now, since this is "The Couch Potato Report" I don't have a list of things or activities you can do outside. No, my friend, I just have a series of things you can watch inside.

In fact, I have a series of series you can watch!

One of the greatest things about the DVD boom of recent years has been the amount of TV shows for years and eras gone by that are now available to own.

Some of the most watched programs of all time - such as I LOVE LUCY, THE SIMPSONS and SEINFELD are available. Some of the least popular shows of all time like SPORTS NIGHT, GET A LIFE, THE TICK and THE BEN STILLER SHOW are available.

And some shows that made a comfortable home in between are also now available on DVD.

From its debut in 1985 until it went off the air in 1989 MOONLIGHTING was a Top Ten show.

In my house during that time, it was Number One!

Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard starred in the very funny romantic comedy, yet interesting detective drama that was a mid-season replacement.

There were only six episodes in the first season, including the two-part pilot, but 18 were produced for the second.

Now, all 24 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 are available on DVD in a six-disc box set.

At its best MOONLIGHTING had witty wordplay, real chemistry between Willis and Shepherd and some good mysteries to boot.

I was and remain a huge fan of MOONLIGHTING and as I watched this box set I was surprised at how many things I say on a daily basis are direct quotes from the show.

MOONLIGHTING - SEASONS 1 AND 2 is a very welcome addition to my library!!

So is LAW & ORDER: THE THIRD YEAR.

Since LAW & ORDER - with its various incarnations and casts - is on TV at least two or three times every day, I had yet to bother with any of the DVD sets that have been released from the show.

But when I had the opportunity to pick up LAW & ORDER: THE THIRD YEAR, I jumped at the chance.

That is because this is the season that introduced Jerry Orbach as the cynical, wise-cracking Detective Lennie Briscoe.

Everyone who watches LAW & ORDER has their favourite characters and actors, Orbach is mine.

And since Orbach died last December, I really enjoyed seeing his work again!

Also, I think the writing and source material also got stronger during the third year of LAW & ORDER. Plus, they didn't win every case or solve every mystery.

I will always give more respect to shows that feature characters who don't always win then I will to shows that do.

The three-disc, 22 episode box set of LAW & ORDER - THE THIRD YEAR covers the 1992-1993 season and it also includes a five minute interview with Jerry Orbach and a six minute tribute to him from his fellow cast mates. It is a memorable tribute to a great actor.

His work in the 1999-2000 season of LAW & ORDER gave Orbach a third Emmy Award nomination -- his first as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

He lost to James Gandolfini for his work in THE SOPRANOS.

In 1984 the nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series were:

John Forsythe for DYNASTY, Daniel J. Travanti, HILL STREET BLUES, Tom Selleck for MAGNUM, P.I. and William Daniels for ST. ELSEWHERE.

And the winner was Tom Selleck for MAGNUM, P.I.

Selleck's Emmy winning 1984 season of his hit show isn't out on DVD yet, but THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is.

This four disc box set has all 18 episodes from the 1980-81 season plus four bonus episodes - the two "Simon & Simon" crossover shows and two 1984 episodes guest starring Sharon Stone.

MAGNUM, P.I. was a staple of Thursday night TV viewing from 1980 to 1988 because it had the right combination of smart and interesting scripts, beautiful locations and guest stars, and one Mr. Tom Selleck.

He is still regarded today by many as the only man who looks good in a mustache.

I must admit that I never watched MAGNUM, P.I. when it was originally on the air. I always watched THE COSBY SHOW and FAMILY TIES.

But over the years, I have watched the show in reruns and I really enjoyed this complete first season box set.

I also really enjoyed the friendships that Magnum and his friends T.C., Rick and Higgins share.

MAGNUM, P.I. is a great show and MAGNUM, P.I. - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON was fun to watch.

As I am speaking about these DVD box sets of old TV shows that are all now available on DVD I am going under the assumption that you have heard of them.

If you are a fan of any of the shows I mentioned, you know what they are about, and you don't need me to explain them.

For instance, if you enjoyed the show KNIGHT RIDER from 1982 to 1986 when it was on, you don't need me to tell you that the show was about a lone crimefighter who battles the forces of evil with the help of an indestructible and artificially intelligent supercar.

And you certainly don't need me to tell you that David Hasselhoff starred as Michael Knight before he went on to bigger successes as Mitch Buchannon on BAYWATCH.

So I won't tell you any of that.

I will just tell you that KNIGHT RIDER - SEASON ONE is a four-disc box set with all 22 episodes from the 1982-83 season and that KNIGHT RIDER - SEASON TWO is a three-disc set with all 21 second season episodes.

The final thing I will say about the show KNIGHT RIDER is I liked it when it was on, and I like it now!

All of the series I have been speaking about so far are ones that have entered the public consciousness and atone time during their run they were Top Ten shows.

The final series I am going to talk about this week differs from the others as it has never been a top ten show. In fact, during the season that is now available on DVD the show was ranked Number 26.

Like LAW & ORDER, LAS VEGAS is actually still in production and the show can be seen on Monday nights.

LAS VEGAS is a high polished, very fast paced show that revolves around the life and loves of a group of people at a fictional resort and casino in the titular town.

Hollywood legend James Caan from THE GODFATHER and MISERY leads the cast.

The very attractive cast!

LAS VEGAS might not be the best written show on TV, or DVD for that matter, but lead by Nikki Cox - the most beautiful woman on television - it sure is the prettiest, and that includes the men.

LAS VEGAS is a mix of eye candy, humor, and drama and its high pace is infectious.

The three-disc SEASON ONE UNCUT AND UNCENSORED DVD set features all 23 episodes from the 2003-04 season, several with unseen footage.

Enjoy! Unless you like to go outside when the weather warms up. But that is okay too! As long as you have a little couch potato in you, you are welcome here!

LAS VEGAS, KNIGHT RIDER, MAGNUM, P.I., LAW AND ORDER and MOONLIGHTING are all available now at a store near you.

COMING UP IN THREE WEEKS ON THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The Extended Version of the classic Bill Murray film STRIPES has 18 minutes of extra footage, a one-hour documentary with interviews with the cast and a tribute to the late John Candy.

IN BE COOL hitman-turned-movie producer Chili Palmer gets into music. John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer, but you will wish he didn't. Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn and The Rock also star.

BEYOND THE SEA is Kevin Spacey's biography of 1950s pop singer Bobby Darin and his wife. I say it is Spacey's as he co-wrote and directed it and he stars alongside Kate Bosworth and John Goodman.

In HITCH Will Smith plays a "Date Doctor" who has trouble landing the woman of his dreams. The very beautiful Eva Mendes is that woman.

Finally, the aforementioned Bruce Willis stars in the surprisingly entertaining action film HOSTAGE. He is a man who has to rescue a mob accountant that is being held captive in his fortified house.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on HOSTAGE, HITCH, BEYOND THE SEA, BE COOL and THE EXTENDED VERSION OF STRIPES, 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 week on The Couch!

Surfacing in time for summer

Summer brings breezier fare to the multiplex, from special-effects blockbusters to silly comedies and wholesome offerings aimed at families. And why shouldn't your DVD player get the same respite from the heavier fare of fall and winter?

USA TODAY has selected five movies with summer themes that get new treatment on DVD this season:

1. 'Jaws'

Why it says summer: This 1975 summer blockbuster was the first movie to gross more than $100 million. The hunt for the great white shark that terrorizes the resort town of Amity enlists a sailor, Quint (Robert Shaw), a police chief (Roy Scheider) and a scientist (Richard Dreyfuss). Plenty of beach scenes and jump-out-of-your-seat chills.

What's new: A 30th anniversary DVD arrives June 14 (Universal, $23, rated PG) with a new two-hour documentary, The Making of Jaws, and From the Set, a feature that has a previously unavailable interview with director Steven Spielberg. Also: a 60-page photo booklet.

2. 'Stripes'

Why it says summer: Released in the summer of 1981, this comedy about two down-on-their-luck friends who join the Army to get in shape secured ex-Saturday Night Live-r Bill Murray's status as a leading man.

What's new: It has been on DVD since 1998; an extended cut out June 7 (Sony, $20, rated R) has 18 minutes of new footage. A one-hour documentary includes interviews with the cast and a tribute to the late John Candy.

3. 'Father of the Bride'

Why it says summer: Got wedding issues? This remake of the 1950 Spencer Tracy-Elizabeth Taylor best-picture nominee should take your mind off of them for 105 minutes or so. Steve Martin is Dad, Diane Keaton is Mom and Kimberly Williams the bride. Martin Short is a fussy, funny wedding planner.

What's new: A 15th-anniversary edition out June 7 (Disney, $20, rated PG) includes Martin and Short interviewing each other.

4. 'The Sandlot'

Why it says summer: The 1993 Sandlot is a beloved tale of a new kid in town who makes friends on a pickup baseball team.

What's new: A direct-to-DVD sequel to the original film (Fox, in stores, $20, rated PG; with The Sandlot in a $25 double-pack), this is an updated take on the tale about baseball and a scary neighborhood dog that thwarts the kids. A special feature includes interviews with both casts and writer/director David M. Evans.

5. 'Summer Magic'

Why it says summer: Longing for the homey summertime films of days gone by? This oft-forgotten 1963 live-action Disney film will transport you back.

What's new: Just out on DVD (Disney, $20, rated G), the movie stars Hayley Mills — two years after appearing in the summer hit The Parent Trap— as a teenager whose family moves from Boston to the country. Burl Ives provides musical accompani- ment.

Yet Another Unnecessary Re-release!

Universal has also announced The Blues Brothers: 25th Anniversary Edition on 8/30 (SRP $22.98) which will include 2 versions of the film - the director's cut that appeared on the original DVD release and the theatrical cut (released for the first time on DVD). Other extras will include an introduction by Dan Aykroyd, a behind-the-scenes documentary, concert footage and more (much of this will likely be recycled from the previous DVD). This DVD will be available in both full frame and anamorphic widescreen versions.

The Couch Potato Report - May 25th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features the film that was supposed to win Martin Scorsese an Oscar.

Some of the greatest directors of all time have never won an Academy Award for BEST DIRECTOR.

The list includes Charlie Chaplin, Howard Hawks, D. W. Griffith, Brian De Palma, Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Terrence Malick, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Tim Burton, Blake Edwards, Arthur Penn, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Peter Weir, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, and Martin Scorsese.

The last name on the list had been nominated in 1980 for RAGING BULL and again in 1991 for GOODFELLAS and Martin Scorsese should have won both times.

Earlier this year many thought that Scorsese's fifth nomination for his work on the film THE AVIATOR would finally bring him Oscar gold.

At the end of the night THE AVIATOR went away with five Oscars, but Scorsese went home empty handed and is now 0-for-5 in the directing category.

Even though I regard Scorsese as one of the greatest directors of my generation, I am not that upset that he lost the Oscar this year. Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY is just a better film than THE AVIATOR.

And there is no shame in losing to something - or someone - who's work is better.

Since Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY doesn't debut on video and DVD until July 12th, and THE AVIATOR is in store now, let me focus on Scorsese's work.

THE AVIATOR is the story of Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire aviation pioneer, industrialist and Hollywood film mogul.

In his day and age Hughes was famous for romancing some of the world's most beautiful women, including Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn.

In this day and age Hughes is just as well known because by the time of his death in 1976 he had become a mentally ill recluse.

His mental illness is touched upon in THE AVIATOR, but the film primarily recounts the years of Hughes life from the late 1920s through the 1940s. This was a time when Hughes was directing and producing Hollywood movies and test flying innovative aircrafts he designed and created.

Leonardo DiCaprio does a great job playing Hughes and his superb supporting cast includes Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale and Cate Blanchett, who won an Oscar for her work in the picture as Katharine Hepburn.

The film has a great cast, but that cast is the second best thing in THE AVIATOR.

It is Scorsese's work that allows us to actually feel as if we are back in Hollywood's legendary heyday, and in the experimental test planes as Hughes attempts to tame the skies.

Now even with all that praise, and everything the film has going for it, ultimately THE AVIATOR is only a good film. It is very good, but it isn't great.

I know this film is from a different Scorsese that made RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER and GOODFELLAS, but it is just missing that little extra bit of flair that he used to bring to his films. I suppose that we can't expect a masterpiece every time from him, but I thought there would be more than just a few flashed of Scorsese's brilliance.

Don't misunderstand me, THE AVIATOR comes highly recommended, especially to those who are curious about Howard Hughes or the era in which he lived and worked.

But if you are looking for the movie to be something special simply because of Scorsese's involvement, you will probably also arrive at the resolution that I did: THE AVIATOR is good, but not great.

However, Scorsese's good is often much better than some other director's best

THE AVIATOR might now have won Scorsese an Oscar for best director, but it is available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The first seasons from three popular 1980s TV series are now available on DVD, and so is season one of a popular show that is still on the air right now .

Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard starred in MOONLIGHTING. This series is debuting on DVD with a six-disc box set that includes Seasons 1 and 2.

Tom Selleck is MAGNUM, P.I. and THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of his show has all 18 episodes from the 1980-81 season plus four bonus episodes - the two "Simon & Simon" crossover shows and two 1984 episodes guest starring Sharon Stone.

And KNIGHT RIDER - SEASON ONE is a four-disc box set with all 22 episodes from the 1982-83 season.

Those shows are all from the 1980s, but LAS VEGAS is the show that is currently on TV. If you are a fan, for whatever the reason, the three-disc SEASON ONE UNCUT AND UNCENSORED DVD set features all 23 episodes from the 2003-04 season, several with unseen footage.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on LAS VEGAS, KNIGHT RIDER, MAGNUM, P.I., MOONLIGHTING, 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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - May 21st, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features television shows, movies, puppets and white noise.

When I am not working, spending time with friends, at the movies, golfing, skating, exercising, or doing something else, I can usually be found watching TV.

I like watching TV and one of my current favourites is SCRUBS.

SCRUBS is a comedy about a group of young doctors who are trying to live their lives, and adjust to the demands of working at a busy hospital.

J.D. is the idealistic one who also narrates the show, Turk is the surgical intern and Elliot is their very talented, yet neurotic friend.

Rounding out the cast is Karla, the knowledgeable, sarcastic nurse; the tough and demanding Dr. Cox; the pompous, condescending Dr. Kelso; and the janitor.

He is a great secondary character who delights in tormenting the idealistic J.D.

Every member of SCRUBS’ cast is superb and the show has a goofy sense of humour and lots of snappy dialogue and visual jokes.

And now, much to the delight of my friends and I, SCRUBS – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is now available in a three-DVD box set.

In a day and age when lesser quality shows get more press and better ratings, this box set is a great chance to catch up on what you’ve been missing.

Or if you love the show as much as everyone I know does, then you can enjoy it as much as we do!

The characters on SCRUBS are all well developed and the situations are both hilarious and touching, often at the same time.

SCRUBS is my current favourite show on TV not called THE SIMPSONS, and if you have been complaining that the latter show hasn’t made you laugh for years, then I suggest you spend some time with J.D., Turk, Elliot, Karla, Dr. Cox, Dr. Kelso and The Janitor.

They, and their show, are quirky, hilarious, and smart.

Yes, SCRUBS is my current favourite TV series. From 1990 to 1998 my favourite TV show was SEINFELD.

SEINFELD’s 1992-1993 series is still the best season that any TV show has ever had. During that year the show was simply the best thing on television, and that includes THE SIMPSONS!

That one season gave us all of these classic, often quoted episodes:

“The Bubble Boy” where George plays a game of Trivial Pursuit with the bubble boy and they get into a fight; “The Contest” between George, Jerry, Kramer and Elaine all betting to see who can go the longest without doing...that; “The Pick” where Jerry's girlfriend thinks she caught him picking her nose; “The Outing”… ‘not that there is anything wrong with that’; “The Implant” features Jerry dumping his girlfriend when Elaine tells him that her breasts are fake and the classic ‘double-dip’ line and then there is “The Junior Mint” where Jerry can't remember the name of his girlfriend, only that it rhymes with the word for a female body part.

This season really had it all!

And now, all of it is available on the four-disc DVD box set SEINFELD – SEASON FOUR.

The writing was unparalleled and Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards were all at the top of their game. There just isn’t a bad episode in the entire box set.

SEINFELD – SEASON FOUR was brilliant in 1992-1993 and in 2005 it still is!

Since it’s debut in 1997, many people have also called the TV show SOUTH PARK brilliant. It is not quite as brilliant as SEINFELD, but it also remains funny to this day.

Now the creators of SOUTH PARK have given us the hilarious puppet film TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. Yes, for the record, I said “hilarious puppet film.”

In fact, even the film’s rating contains a reference to the fact that the film features puppets. The film is rated “R - for graphic, crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language; all involving puppets.”

If the fact that TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE features puppets, and the fact that it is from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of SOUTH PARK, interests you, then you should see this parody of big budget Hollywood action blockbusters.

If it doesn’t, then stay away from it, trust me, you won’t find it hilarious, witty, clever or interesting. And, with all due respect to your intelligence, you certainly won’t get the fact that it is a parody.

You will think it is dumb, stupid, sophomoric and a waste of your time.

As for me, I thought it was disgustingly hilarious! Yes, it was moronic and even though it appealed to my most infantile and immature side, I still liked it. I like SOUTH PARK and I liked TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE.

As I said a moment ago, it is a “hilarious puppet film.”

If that sort of thing doesn’t appeal to you, then allow me to suggest the Academy Award nominated film KINSEY instead.

KINSEY is the cinematic telling of the flawed but honorable man who revolutionized our understanding of human sexuality. Liam Neeson plays Indiana University researcher Alfred Kinsey, and the always superb Laura Linney is his understanding and supportive wife.

She was justifiably nominated for Best Supporting Actress at February’s Academy Awards for her work in this picture.

KINSEY has humour, charm, and intelligence. I enjoyed seeing it, and finding out more about the man who was Alfred Kinsey.

The movie isn’t perfect, and the film doesn’t have a great deal of narrative tension, but it is well written and acted.

In this instance, that is enough for me.

Plus, you will usually hear me recommend any movie that Laura Linney is in. She is one of the best actresses of this generation!

You will also usually hear me recommend any movie that Michael Keaton is in, well, a few years ago you would have anyway.

Between 1982 and 1989 Keaton starred in the superb NIGHT SHIFT, MR. MOM, GUNG HO, BEATLE JUICE, THE DREAM TEAM, BATMAN and PACIFIC HEIGHTS.

Since then, he appeared in the good, but not great MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE PAPER, SPEECHLESS, MULTIPLICITY, JACKIE BROWN and OUT OF SIGHT.

Yes, along the way, he has had his share of bad movies as well, but his good ones were – and are – just so good that the bad ones can be forgiven and forgotten.

In recent years, Keaton has been doing less and less film work, so earlier this year when it was announced that he was returning to theatres in WHITE NOISE, I was hoping he was coming back to comedies.

Sadly, WHITE NOISE isn’t a comedy, but it was still good to see Keaton’s energy on screen again!

In WHITE NOISE he is a man who tries to contact his dead wife through images and voices that are recordable on a variety of electronic media such as VCRs and computers.

In real life, according to paranormal researchers, this is actually possible.

In real life it might be possible, but what happens in WHITE NOISE seems possible, but not plausible.

However, even with its plot holes, WHITE NOISE has enough spooky moments and scenes to make it worth your time... if you are a fan of supernatural thrillers.

If not, you probably won't care for it at all.

As for me, I found it just such a treat to see Michael Keaton in a film again that I liked WHITE NOISE.

You won’t proclaim WHITE NOISE to be an all time classic, but you will probably enjoy it.

I did!

I also enjoyed KINSEY, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, SEINFELD – THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON and SCRUBS – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and they are all available now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT is the story of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. Leonardo DiCaprio stars and Martin Scorsese directs the Academy Award nominated THE AVIATOR.

Coming up in two weeks, the classic 80s TV series MOONLIGHTING debuts on DVD with a six-disc box set that includes Seasons 1 and 2!

I’m Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE AVIATOR, and some other releases in seven days and MOONLIGHTING in fourteen days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

NEW VIDEO AND DVD RELEASES FOR MAY 17, 2005

• The Adventures of Pete & Pete: Season One (2-disc set)

• Batman: Return to the Bat Cave

• Berga: Soldiers of Another War: PBS

• Blue (1968)

• Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss (2004)

• Candide (2004)

• Cheers: Season Five (4-disc set)

• Clarissa Explains It All: Season One (2-disc set)

• Class of 1984 (1982)

• The Commish: The Best of Season One

• Dance With Me Henry (1956)

• Dinotopia: The Quest for the Ruby Sunstone

• Escort West (1958)

• Fortunes of War (1987)

• The Golden Girls: Season Two (3-disc set)

• The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)

• The Green Butchers (De Grønne Slagtere) (2003)

• Hour of the Gun (1967)

• The Hunting Party (1971)

• I'll Take Sweden (1965)

• Infection (2000)

• Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964)

• It's Easier for a Camel… (Il est plus facile pour un chameau…) (2003)

• Johnny Reno (1966)

• Kinsey: Special Edition (2-disc set) (2004)

• Kinsey (2004)

• Kinsey: PBS

• Law & Order: Season Three

• Loving Feeling (1968)

• Macarthur: PBS

• The Mask: Platinum Series (1994)

• More Dead Than Alive (1968)

• NBA Dynasty Series: The Complete History of the Philadelphia 76ers

• The Noose Hangs High (1948)

• The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

• Quicksilver Highway (1997)

• Return With Honor: PBS

• Sam Whiskey (1969)

• The Secret of the Holy Grail (2-disc set)

• Seinfeld: Season Four (4-disc set)

• The Scalphunters (1968)

• Sci-Fighter (2004)

• Scrubs: Season One (4-disc set)

• The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) (2004)

• Silk Stalkings: The Best of Season One

• The Simpsons: Bart Wars

• Six Feet Under: Season Three (5-disc set)

• Son of The Mask: Platinum Series (2005)

• The Stone Boy (1984)

• Team America: World Police (unrated) (2004)

• Team America: World Police (R-rated) (2004)

• Waterhole #3 (1967)

• War Letters: PBS

• West Point: PBS

• White Noise (widescreen) (2005)

• White Noise (full-frame) (2005)

• X-Treme Fighter (2004)

The Couch Potato Report - May 10th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features me being positive. Very positive, in fact.

When I go to the movies, or sit down at home to watch a film, I obviously want what I am watching to be good. After all, I don't want to sit for ninety minutes to two hours - or longer - and not be entertained.

Now, after more than a few weeks of reviews that were mostly negative, this week I am happy to report that I have nothing but positive things to say.

Yes, with only a few exceptions, all of this week's releases are great!

So let me start with the best of the best of this week's releases, the DVD release of the complete first season of the television show ENTOURAGE.

ENTOURAGE is a about a young and up and coming Hollywood star named Vincent and his three childhood companions-turned-employees.

As Vincent begins his career we see how things work behind the scenes and that makes ENTOURAGE a very interesting show.

But the premise is only the second best thing about ENTOURAGE. The cast of young actors, rounded out by the seasoned Jeremy Piven of SERENDIPITY and OLD SCHOOL as Vincent's foul-mouthed agent, is what makes this show a treat to watch. The four main actors are supposed to be old friends, and they seem like old friends.

Friends I like hanging around with, or watching, as it were.

The DVD of ENTOURAGE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON features all eight episodes and every one of them is worth watching, repeatedly. In fact, I watched all of them twice, just this week.

Admittedly, ENTOURAGE isn't a show for everyone as the language is pretty raw and the morals of the characters are flexible, to say the least. But if you like smart, funny, well written shows, then spend some time with this entourage.

That show has a group of people who make up an entourage, whereas legendary actor Peter Sellers could be a group of people all on his own.

I must admit, that prior to seeing the autobiographical film THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS I didn't know much about the man. For many years I had laughed at his work in THE PARTY, CASINO ROYALE and DR. STRANGELOVE and THE PINK PANTHER films, and BEING THERE is one of my favourite films of all time, but I didn't know anything about the man who was the cause of my laughter.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS allowed me, and allows us all, to get to know him, warts and all. The explanation given, and endorsed by Sellers himself, was that he was so good at impersonations and mimicry because he was lacking a personality of his own.

That point is driven home quite well in this movie.

Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush does an incredible job in his performance as one of the cinema's great chameleons, and the biopic allows us to get to know Peter Sellers a little bit more.

I don't know if we need to know more about the real man in order to appreciate what his cinematic legacy is, but if you would like to learn more, or just see a very entertaining movie about one of the world's most entertaining person, then THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS is now available for you to do just that.

Peter Sellers was great at his job and he is deserving of a movie about his life.

Steve Zissou, on the other hand, might not be as deserving.

Yet, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU is just that. A movie about the man's life.

But it is also so much more.

And it is fictional, don't let me omit that. Peter Sellers is a real person, Steve Zissou is not.

But THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU is a real movie, and it is the latest film from director Wes Anderson. Anderson made the classic film RUSHMORE in 1998 and he followed it up with the enjoyable, but not classic THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS in 2001.

Wes Anderson's career trajectory continues downward with his latest film, but, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU is still worthy of your time. It might be a slow character study in midlife detachment, but Anderson is just such an interesting filmmaker that even when his movies aren't classics they are still worth seeing.

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU is unique and different, and that makes it worth seeing. Plus, it stars Bill Murray! As far as I am concerned, his presence makes any film seeing.

In the film Murray plays Steve Zissou, a celebrated oceanographer, not unlike Jacques Cousteau.

Zissou and his crew set out on an expedition to find the mysterious, elusive, possibly non-existent Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner.

The team is joined by a young airline co-pilot who may or may not be Zissou's son, a journalist who is writing a profile of Zissou, and Zissou's estranged wife and co-producer, Eleanor.

Along the way they face pirates, kidnapping, bankruptcy, and several other dilemmas, and each and every one of them are unique and different.

No, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU is not a perfect film, it is too quirky to be perfect. But in a day and age when every film and TV show follows a set formula, I love that Wes Anderson's movies don't!

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU comes highly recommended and is worth your time.

Even if you don't care for the movie at all, I assure you that you won't see anything else like it until Anderson's next movie - THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX - comes out in 2006.

I also assure you that you will see movies like IN GOOD COMPANY between now and 2006.

Movies where two people meet and immediate sparks fly between them until something happens to break them up, before they get back together with a swell of romantic music.

Yes, between now and 2006 you will see many movies like that, and IN GOOD COMPANY is a movie that has elements of that, but it also has so much more!

Topher Grace from THAT 70'S SHOW is a man in his mid-twenties with a failed marriage and a career that he knows he isn't qualified to have.

Dennis Quaid from THE ROOKIE is a middle-aged man who has a career he's qualified for, but ends up second-in-command to the youngster.

Eventually Grace meets Quaid's college aged daughter and the pair seem to have something in common. Scarlett Johansson from LOST IN TRANSLATION is the daughter and she gives another great performance.

As the story goes on, both personal and professional relationships develop between Grace and his business colleague and between his colleague's daughter. And I am happy to report that none of them go where you think they will.

Movies today always focus on a person's strengths and we rarely get to see any weaknesses. IN GOOD COMPANY lets us see all sides, and it is an enjoyable film because of that.

It is enjoyable and unpredictable, and that is a great combination.

No, it isn't unique and different like THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, but it is different enough from most romantic comedies that it is worth recommending.

Wow, it feels good to say positive things about all four of this week's releases!

Yes, I recommend IN GOOD COMPANY, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS and ENTOURAGE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and they are all available now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT is the complete first season of SCRUBS - one of my current favourite shows on TV - and the complete fourth season of SEINFELD, one of my all-time favourite shows on TV.

TV also gave us the show SOUTH PARK and that show's creators now offer us the hilarious puppet film TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. Yes, for the record, I said "hilarious puppet film."

KINSEY isn't hilarious, instead it is the true story of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey. Liam Neeson and the always fantastic Laura Linney star.

And finally next week, Michael Keaton returns to films after a few years away. In WHITE NOISE he is a man who tries to contact his dead wife through the white noise that comes from television.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more about - and on - WHITE NOISE, KINSEY, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, SEINFELD, SCRUBS, 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 week on The Couch!

Another strong performance by Allen

New Line Home Entertainment has announced that on July 26th, writer-director Mike Binder's The Upside of Anger will be released to DVD only 137 days after its theatrical premiere. Starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, this poignant romantic dramedy was made on a modest budget and earned a modest box office. It deserves to find a second life on DVD. In addition to the anamorphic video presentation of the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, expect extras to include a commentary by Binder and Allen, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and a featurette entitled Creating the Upside of Anger.

10 years of Toy Story

Toy Story - hard as it may be to believe – is 10 years old. And to celebrate, a special tenth anniversary double DVD is in the cards from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

While the full specs are still in the works, expect an audio commentary along with a newly created making of featurette and countless other special editions. No word on how many of these extras will overlap supplements from the already great set available now. A slew of obligatory promotional material for the upcoming film Cars will also be included on the disc.
The DVD will arrive on September 6th.

The Couch Potato Report - May 3rd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features treasure. Good or bad treasure, depending on you.

Let me say this right off the bat, NATIONAL TREASURE is an unoriginal, cliché filled movie.

But it is still worth seeing, as the filmmakers seem to know that they were making an unoriginal, cliché filled movie.

Nicolas Cage stars in NATIONAL TREASURE as Benjamin Gates. He is just the latest of a long line of Gates men who have spent most of their lives searching for a treasure that they believe was hidden by America's founding fathers.

The main thing this youngest Gates has going for him is that he possesses the ability to unravel the encrypted clues set before him.

Which is why this movie was made about him, and not one of his relatives.

Since NATIONAL TREASURE is an action film from producer Jerry Bruckheimer - the man who gave us ARMAGEDDON, BAD BOYS and KING ARTHUR - everything in the picture blows up big and loud. To quote Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok from SCTV:

"Everything blows up real good!"

The explosions are great, but there are just so many coincidences piled up upon coincidences in NATIONAL TREASURE that it gets hard to believe after a while.

As I mentioned, Benjamin Gates can unravel the encrypted clues set before him, but the filmmakers want us to believe that in the 229 years since the clues were left, no one would even accidentally stumble across them?!?

So, in order to enjoy NATIONAL TREASURE, you will have to check your brain, and the ability to rationalize at the door.

If you do that, you will find NATIONAL TREASURE to be a pretty good cinematic roller-coaster ride.

It will take you from the Arctic Circle to the burial tombs of Trinity Church in New York City, and it might even have you wondering if there is anything written on the back of the Canadian Constitution, or even the British North America Act.

NATIONAL TREASURE is an action movie with no gratuitous sex, profanity, or excessive violence. Yes, it is a unoriginal, cliché filled movie, but it has enough fun in it to recommend.

Plus, everything blows up real good!

The running time of NATIONAL TREASURE is two hours and eleven minutes, and I watched the movie in two hours and eleven minutes.

The running time of the film version of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is two hours and twenty-three minutes. Yet, it took me four hours and seventeen minutes to watch it.

That is because I found the movie to be so uninteresting that I kept pausing it to do other things. I made supper, called my Mom on the phone, spoke with a friend in Montreal, cleaned my apartment...I did anything and everything I could think of to avoid having to sit and watch ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

But, after the aforementioned four hours and seventeen minutes, I finished watching the movie.

Now, even though I found the movie uninteresting, I must admit that the songs were great, the sets beautiful and the acting was great. I just had no interest in the movie.

I guess that is because I look at Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as a play, a play that should be seen on a stage.

That said, for almost the entire decade that I was living in Toronto the play was on stage right down the street from my house, and I never went once.

So since it was on stage for a decade, and only in theaters for a few weeks, I will always consider it a stage play.

Yet no matter what I consider it, there are millions of people around the world who have seen, and loved THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the tale of a masked, mysterious figure who falls in love with a female singer he is tutoring. Unfortunately for the Phantom, she is in love with another man and, in the end, she has to choose between them.

Will she choose beauty or the beast?

Emmy Rossum from MYSTIC RIVER is also wonderful in the movie, but even with her, the beautiful sets and songs, the movie version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA just couldn't keep me interested.

It isn't that I don't like musicals, because I do. I just didn't like this musical.

Now if you have seen the play on stage and you would like to have a version of it to watch whenever you'd like, then this release is perfect for you.

As for me, well I did get to speak with my Mom and my friend in Montreal, and my apartment is a bit cleaner, so I guess I partially have ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to thank for that.

Our final new release this week is Disney's POCAHONTAS - THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION DVD.

When the movie first came out in 1995 I remember being disappointed by it. At the time Disney was on a very successful roll with their releases of THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN and THE LION KING, and there was no reason to think that POCAHONTAS would be any different then those classic films.

Yet it was different, and it remains different ten years later. It isn't as cute as those others and it deals with some reasonably serious adult issues.

POCAHONTAS is a fictionalized chronicle of the arrival of English settlers in Virginia. The explorers have come to the New World in search of gold and they promptly begin changing the landscape and preparing to kill the land's inhabitants.

A young woman named Pocahontas observes the newcomers and a battle arises as a result of the romance that develops between her and one of the explorers.

In this new 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION DVD POCAHONTAS has been fully restored and it now also includes the song "If I Never Knew You," and never-before-seen animation seamlessly integrated into the original film.

POCAHONTAS isn't the best animated film that Disney has ever released, in fact it isn't even in the same ballpark as THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN or THE LION KING, but it remains a fun-filled adventure your whole family can enjoy.

And sometimes that is enough.

The POCAHONTAS - 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and NATIONAL TREASURE are all available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

I will tell you about ENTOURAGE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON. ENTOURAGE is a TV show that follows a young and rising Hollywood star and his three childhood companions-turned-hangers-on.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS also first debuted on TV. Geoffrey Rush plays Sellers in this biography and he does an incredible job as one of the cinema's great chameleons.

Another great cinematic chameleon is Bill Murray. Unfortunately even a great performance from Murray can't save THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU. That said, I will still recommend it.

Next week will also see me recommend IN GOOD COMPANY. Topher Grace from THAT 70'S SHOW is a young college whiz kid who manages workers twice his age, including the great Dennis Quaid. Scarlett Johansson - Bill Murray's co-star in his superb picture LOST IN TRANSLATION also stars.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, ENTOURAGE, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, IN GOOD COMPANY, 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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - April 26th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a cinematic unfortunate series of events, a movie I am going to tell you very little about, and beaches.

My friends Chris and Debbie have two small children, Max and Ellie.

On my last visit to see them Debbie was kind enough to let Chris and I go out to a movie and bowling one afternoon while she watched the kids.

Due to their aforementioned children, Chris and Debbie don't get out to see movies much anymore. On the other hand, as I have no kids, I get to go all the time and I usually go and see films on the day that they open.

So, as Chris and I were trying to decide what film to go see we quickly realized that there was only one film that I hadn't seen.

As is his nature, he very graciously stated that we should go and see that one movie. Yes, there were films that I was willing to see again, but as he is a great guy, we went to see the one film I hadn't seen.

That film was LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, a movie based on the popular series of kid's books by Daniel Handler.

Kids books.

My friend Chris and I, both men in our mid to late thirties, went to see a film based on a series of kid's books.

And you know what, we both completely enjoyed the movie!

Yes, I really liked it!

I haven't read any of the books, and I have no plans to, but I am told the film LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is based on three of them.

After Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire's parents perish in a terrible fire, they are placed in the care of their uncle. Jim Carrey from DUMB & DUMBER and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND plays the Uncle, a mysterious actor named Count Olaf.

In reality, he may or may not be their Uncle, but -either way - he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.

Yes, it is a family film where one character is trying to kill the kids, but that is never the point. If he fails or succeeds is never the question. How entertaining is the film - that's the question.

And I have a one-word answer for you: Very.

It is very entertaining.

Billy Connolly, Jude Law, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep all play supporting roles, but this is Count Olaf's film. He keeps appearing in the strangest of places and each one is more entertaining then the last.

And true to the movie's title, there are a series of unfortunate events.

The movie is a cross between THE ADDAMS FAMILY, some Dr. Suess and Roald Dahl books, with a little bit of Charles Dickens and Tim Burton thrown in for good measure.

LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is a very entertaining family film that is even good for a pair of men in their mid to late thirties.

And I'll tell you one other thing; I will be buying a copy of this for Chris' kids. This way, the next time Chris and I see it, we can see it with its intended audience.

It is a great film, an was unexpected surprise.

Our second film this week was unexpected as well, because I didn't know anything about THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON before I started watching it, and I don't think you should either.

If I had known anything about it, then I would have known too much. By not knowing anything, the film had the chance to play out in front of me.

But, since my reason for speaking about THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON here on The Couch Potato Report is to tell you something about it, I will.

But I'm not saying much!

Sean Penn stars in this film as a man whose life - circa 1974 - has become unbearable. Since he is unable to take the blame for his own downward spiral, he chooses to blame the President.

And that is all I will say about the plot of the film.

No, THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON is not a perfect film, and I can't fully recommend it as at times it is really slow and almost boring.

However, Sean Penn continues to be one of the best actors of this generation and every scene he is in is worth watching.

Yet even though I can't fully recommend it, if you would like to see an interesting character study about a man determined to leave his mark on the world, then you should see THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON.

And for the record, U.S. President Richard Nixon wasn't assassinated. He died on April 22, 1994 after suffering a stroke.

Enough said.

Hey, by the way, did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I wish I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle, for you are the wind beneath my wings.

Okay, well if I never told you that, I am sure sometime in late 1988 or early 1989 you heard Bette Midler's song "Wind Beneath My Wings" on the radio. The song came from her movie BEACHES, director Garry Marshall's touching drama about a 30-year friendship between two women, one wealthy, and the other seeking her fortune in show business.

Over the years BEACHES has remained a favourite amongst many friends of mine and they still find the movie touching and "worth a good cry."

For those friends, and you, if you are interested, there is now a BEACHES - SPECIAL EDITION DVD. There are no extra scenes as the film is great just as it is, but Gary Marshall offers his thoughts in a commentary, there is a blooper reel and some other features. Plus, if you haven't heard it enough already, the disc also features the "Wind Beneath My Wings" music video

I can't say I ever loved the film, but I did enjoy watching the movie again, and the extra features on the BEACHES - SPECIAL EDITION DVD.

It isn't the wind beneath my cinematic wings, but it is still a good movie.

BEACHES, THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON and LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS are all available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Is the everything blows up real good film NATIONAL TREASURE, in which treasure seekers find a map written on the back of the American Declaration of Independence. Nicolas Cage, Sean Bean and Diane Kruger star in this really bad, but successful action film.

The POCAHONTAS - 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION is a look back on a film I wonder if anyone wants to look back on. In the animated Disney release a Powhatan maiden falls for English settler. Irene Bedard gives voice to the title character and Mel Gibson is the settler.

Finally next week is the film version of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. For the record, Lloyd Webber's name is actually part of the title. If you are unfamiliar with the incredibly successful stage version of this story, a masked figure falls in love with a singer he is tutoring. Gerard Butler is the cinematic Phantom and Emmy Rossum from MYSTIC RIVER is his student.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, The POCAHONTAS -10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, NATIONAL TREASURE, 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 week on The Couch!

Star Wars gets uber-boxed

George Lucas announced over the weekend that not surprisingly, a box set of all six Star Wars films will be coming out next year. Although the supplements are far from complete, the films will be the versions currently available on DVD, and supplemental discs may contain deleted scenes from the original trilogy.
In related news, digitally projected versions of Episode III will contain more footage than traditionally projected versions.

Universal celebrates The Jerk

Currently available only as a fullscreen featureless release, The Jerk is finally getting respect with the upcoming The Jerk: 26th Anniversary Edition from Universal Home Entertainment.

The DVD releases will present the film in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Extras include a trailer, production notes, and two featurettes.

The DVD is coming out on July 26th with a suggested retail price of $19.98.

CUT IT OUT ALREADY

How much "Meet the Fockers" do we really need?

Even its director admits that the new, extended cut of the Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller hit comedy, out today on DVD, is "very indulgent."

"It was long for a comedy in the first place," says Jay Roach of the original 115-minute theatrical cut.

Extended versions are a burgeoning trend in DVDs, with virtually every youth-oriented comedy — "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" among them — being offered in a longer, "unrated" version.

"I have always called this the indulgent cut," Roach says of the new, eight-minute-longer version. "It's very presumptive to think people will want to watch more."

Nevertheless, he says, there were "literally hours and hours" of extra material, because co-stars Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand "can improv like crazy."

Unfortunately, those aren't the scenes that made it into the longer cut — though some of them are included in 12 or so additional minutes of deleted scenes not included in the extended version.

Restored instead is a scene where Stiller presents Hoffman with a "World's Best Dad" trophy — and Hoffman responds by saying "I'm sorry if I'm been a little smothering for the first 36 years of your life."

Other additions expand the role of Tim Blake Nelson, briefly seen in the theatrical cut as a state trooper who arrests the elder Fockers.

Nelson is now seen interrogating the Fockers and finding a cache of sex-instruction tapes in their car trunk. (Streisand's Roz Focker is a sex therapist.)

"It made me howl, but we needed to pick up the pace a bit," Roach says of deleting the scene originally.

With a few exceptions — like the longer, DVD release of "Ray" that some critics thought was superior to the theatrical cut — most extended versions aren't worth the extra time you spending watching them.

"Really, what I saw of 'Meet the Fockers' was plenty," says Time magazine critic and film historian Richard Schickel. "I wonder if many of these so-called director's cuts are just a way to market a video twice."

Schickel supervised an extended version of Sam Fuller's 1980 World War II drama "The Big Red One," which will be released next month by Warner Home Video. "It's pretty rare when you can find and restore 50 minutes of a film, which was butchered by the studio," he said.

But DVDs give studios huge incentives to scour their vaults.

The recent DVD release of the 1944 thriller "Laura" included a lengthy fashion- oriented montage cut from the original release because studio bosses thought it was too "decadent" during World War II.

Later this year, Sony Home Video will offer a new version of Sam Peckinpah's 1966 Charlton Heston Western "Major Dundee" that not only adds 12 minutes of cut footage, but also a new score more in keeping with the late director's wishes.

The Couch Potato Report - April 23rd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features some parents we haven't met yet, some flying daggers and a birth.

Expectations.

I talk a lot about expectations here on The Couch Potato Report. Specifically I speak about my expectations toward some films and how my expectations usually aren't met.

Yes, on several occasions, I have spoken about how my expectations were met or surpassed, but I must admit, you will usually hear me talking about how one movie or another was less than I expected.

And I am going to do that once again this week.

In October of 2000 a film was released called MEET THE PARENTS. It starred Ben Stiller of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and Oscar winner Robert De Niro of THE GODFATHER II and RAGING BULL.

Stiller played a male nurse named Greg Focker who wants to meet his girlfriend's parents before he proposes marriage.

De Niro was the woman's suspicious father.

Through actual interrogation and mind games he tormented his potential future son-in-law to make sure he was worthy of entry into his family's "circle of trust."

Stiller's exceptional comedic abilities, and the serious nature of De Niro made MEET THE PARENTS one of the funniest films of the last decade.

Even 5 years later, after repeated viewings, it still makes me laugh.

So, with that glowing recap of MEET THE PARENTS, you can imagine my expectations for its sequel!

MEET THE FOCKERS was released in theaters last December and has since gone on to become the top-grossing live-action comedy in history with almost $280 million in Box Office dollars to its credit.

I too spent my money to see it, and yes, my expectations were high.

And yes, my expectations were - once again - not justly rewarded.

In MEET THE FOCKERS De Niro and his family climb into their new bulletproof motor home with Stiller, and De Niro's infant grandson from his other daughter, for a trip to Florida to meet Stiller's parents.

Barbra Streisand plays Stiller's mother, and I was disappointed when I heard she had been cast because she hadn't made a comedy in twenty-four years.

But I have to admit that she is great in the film and the world of comedies has missed her!

Welcome back, Babs!

Dustin Hoffman plays Stiller's stay at home lawyer father and he is the best part about the film. He is warm and caring and very funny!

Unfortunately, once you get past the film's incredible cast the movie isn't any better than average.

If you want to watch a movie that is a side-splittingly funny comedy, that an abundance clever writing and witty repartee, then MEET THE FOCKERS just isn't the movie for you.

Instead, it is just a mildly amusing follow-up to the very funny - and far superior - MEET THE PARENTS.

But, MEET THE FOCKERS is worth your time, expectations or no expectations!

The Hoffman-Streisand-Stiller family are so good in this movie that I recommend it just for them. The movie lets them down, but their performances won't let you down.

The Fockers are great, even if MEET THE FOCKERS isn't.

So no, my expectations weren't met when I watched MEET THE FOCKERS, but they were met, and exceeded, when I saw HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS.

HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS has a great deal in common with the Oscar winning film CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and it shares the director and star of last year's superb martial arts epic HERO.

All three films use unique martial arts choreography with incredible wire and stunt work to create fight scenes that have to be seen to be believed.

But no matter how much it is like the other two films, HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS manages to differentiate itself due to the amount of plot twists and double crossings.

In the movie two government officers set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers.

Their only chance to find the rebels is blind women who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own.

In addition to the superb actions scenes and great acting in HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS, the film is a treat for the eyes! That is due to the movie's use of colours.

This is a visually stunning film that exceeded my expectations!

I have often used the words "visually stunning" to describe Nicole Kidman. Even when she appears in bad films like THE STEPFORD WIVES, COLD MOUNTAIN or THE HUMAN STAIN she is still visually stunning.

But even her looks can't save her new to video and DVD film BIRTH.

BIRTH is an interesting, yet failed movie about a young boy who claims to be the reincarnated husband of a widow. You might remember this film as the one that received some attention last year as Kidman appears naked in a bathtub with a ten-year-old boy.

Even if she is still visually stunning, Nicole Kidman can't save BIRTH.

That is too bad as the film was very interesting at the start, but the filmmakers didn't seem to know how to end their movie.

The ending was plausible, but it took away the leap of faith that the rest of the movie asked you to take.

As a result, BIRTH is ultimately unsatisfying. BUT, Nicole Kidman is still visually stunning.

BIRTH, HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS and MEET THE FOCKERS are all available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is the film based on the popular series of kids books by Daniel Handler. Jim Carrey plays Count Olaf in this hilarious story about three orphans who are shuttled from one relative to the next. Meryl Streep and Jude Law also star.

In THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON a man plans an assassination attempt on President Nixon in 1974. Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle from HOTEL RWANDA lead the cast.

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMEO DALLAIRE is the real life story of Canadian Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire, and his controversial command of the United Nations mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

Finally next week there is the BEACHES * SPECIAL EDITION. Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey star in the 1988 drama about a 30-year friendship between two women.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on BEACHES, THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON and LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, 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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - April 13th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features three films that are hard to watch, but for different reasons.

In 1960, in between shows and parties in Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the rest of The Rat Pack made a heist movie called OCEAN'S 11.

When viewed today, it isn't a great movie, but it does serve as a time capsule that allows us to look back on a great old era of entertainment.

In 2001 Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts starred in a remake of OCEAN'S 11 that was directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh.

The remake is an enjoyable romp that has a lot of wit and quick, funny dialogue. It is entertaining from beginning to end.

On the other hand, the sequel to the remake is anything but entertaining.

Sure Clooney, Pitt, Damon and Roberts all reprise their roles, Soderbergh is back behind the camera, Catherine Zeta- Jones joins the cast, and the heist that they are working on this time does have it's moments, but OCEAN'S TWELVE just isn't any fun. The first one was fun and I wanted more fun!

I expected more fun!!

Yet, perhaps it is my own fault that I didn't enjoy watching OCEAN'S TWELVE. Perhaps my expectations were too high and thus the film was doomed in my eyes before it even started.

Well, if it is my fault, I have to share the blame with Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Roberts, Zeta-Jones, Soderbergh and everyone else involved with OCEAN'S TWELVE.

Even if I had expectations that the film would be entertaining, the filmmakers have to share the blame in the end, because the film is just not entertaining.

What it is is a film that takes place three years after the last picture.

Robbed casino tycoon Terry Benedict finds each member of the 11 individually and tells them they have two weeks to get his money back with interest.

As they are now well known due to the heist in the first picture, Clooney and Pitt's characters realize they have to go to Europe for a heist with enough money to meets Benedict's needs.

But it isn't just this new heist that will get them the needed cash, it is the side bet they make with another thief. A thief who is reported to be the best in the world.

So both Ocean's 11 and the other thief set out to steal the same thing in the same week.

The person who becomes Ocean's twelfth joins them along the way, but I'm not going to tell you who it is.

That part of the film I did like.

OCEAN'S TWELVE isn't a bad movie, but due to the fact that the remake of OCEAN'S 11 was such a great movie, it suffers a great deal by comparison.

And it isn't any fun. The first one was fun and I wanted more fun!

Thus, I can't recommend it, but if you liked the original film with Clooney's cast, then you might enjoy it.

Just lower your expectations. A lot.

The lack of fun in OCEAN'S TWELVE made the movie difficult for me to watch.

The subject matter of this week's other two new films is what makes them difficult to watch, no matter what the quality of the movies themselves are.

The first of those two films is HOTEL RWANDA.

This is a difficult film to speak about because the intentions of the filmmakers to get this story in the public consciousness are to be applauded.

After all, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

What makes HOTEL RWANDA difficult to watch is that true story that still needs to be told, just so we don't ever forget.

In 1994 Rwanda a million people were slaughtered in a genocidal clash between tribal Hutus and the horrified Tutsis.

Don Cheadle plays a real-life hotel manager in the Rwandan capital who saved 1,200 "guests" from certain death.

Unfortunately HOTEL RWANDA isn't a great movie. The intentions may be well placed, but the movie isn't well made. Cheadle's performance gave him a well-deserved Oscar nomination, but I never once felt sorrow for the characters in the movie.

I just kept think about all of those poor Rwandans that were killed in real life.

That made it difficult to watch, but it was a story I needed to see.

HOTEL RWANDA is not a great movie but it's story is an important one that we all need to be aware of, so we never forget.

And if enough people see HOTEL RWANDA and wonder why the Western world didn't do anything in 1994, then maybe the ongoing genocide in the Sudan can be stopped.

There is currently a ceasefire in that ongoing crisis, but thus far, more than two million people have fled their homes and more than 330,000 people are estimated to have been killed.

Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

The final film I have for you this week is THE WOODSMAN.

Kevin Bacon gives a superb performance as Walter, a man who returns to his home town after completing a twelve year prison sentence.

Walter just wants to start over but he is a pedophile and his crimes cast a shadow on his new life and threatens to consume him once again.

Not many mainstream Hollywood actors would dare to play a character like this, but Bacon did and his acting is exceptional.

Now I won't lie to you, this film is not easy to watch. In fact, I was more than uncomfortable on several occasions.

But even with its difficult subject matter, THE WOODSMAN is a movie you should see if you like good acting and great writing.

I didn't and don't like the movie's subject matter, but I liked the movie. Not enough to ever watch it again, but I don't regret seeing it.

It is a difficult week for movie watching, but if you are up for it, THE WOODSMAN, HOTEL RWANDA and OCEANS TWELVE and THE WOODSMAN are all available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The sequel to the hit film MEET THE PARENTS is called MEET THE FOCKERS. Robert DeNiro, his wife and daughter travel to meet bumbling Ben Stiller family, who are played with love and energy by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.

In the superb HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS a Chinese warrior attempts to infiltrate rebel a rebel force.

And Nicole Kidman stars in BIRTH, an interesting, if failed picture about a young boy who claims to be the reincarnated husband of a widow.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on BIRTH, HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS, MEET THE FOCKERS, 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 week on The Couch!

...will be here tomorrow.

Sorry, but I haven't seen two of the movies yet!!

Dan

Steele, Remington Steele

Having prevented Pierce Bronson from accepting the role of James Bond in 1987, it is somewhat ironic that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is leveraging Brosnan's later Bondian success on the cover of Remington Steele Season One.

"Before he was Bond, he was Remington Steele."

This popular television series launched Brosnan's career and established his unique onscreen persona. Years of sexual tension and bickering between Brosnan's Steele and Stephanie Zimbalist's Laura Holt as they solved crimes - he the con artist, she the licensed private detective - preceded the years of sexual tension and bickering between Cybill Shepherd's Maddie Hayes and Bruce Willis' David Addison as they solved crimes on Moonlighting.

The four discs in this DVD set will be double-sided and contain all 22 episodes (four with commentaries) and three featurettes. Presented in its broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and Dolby Surround 2.0, expect an SRP of $39.98. It will be released on July 26th.

The Couch Potato Report - April 6th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features one movie that is actually better than I say it is and one that is even worse than I say it is.

The film SIDEWAYS was nominated for five Academy Awards - including Best Picture - and it won for Best Original Screenplay.

It actually earned Best Picture honors from movie critics in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London, Toronto, San Francisco, Washington and Boston.

Plus, it was named to the top 10 lists of more than 350 critics lists including the American Film Institute, The National Board of Review, and Rolling Stone and Newsweek magazines, amongst others.

So if a film is proclaimed to be that good by that many people and groups, then it has to be good, right?

Well no, not always.

But in this case, SIDEWAYS is that good.

SIDEWAYS deserves all of the attention it received earlier this year during the movie Awards season, and it deserves your time now that it is available on video and DVD.

This is a superb film.

Paul Giamatti is Miles, a struggling novelist and wine connoisseur who takes his best friend on a wine-tasting tour of California vineyards for a kind of extended bachelor party.

Miles just wants to golf, taste wine and hang out with his friend. But his friend would rather sow some proverbial wild oats before walking down the aisle.

The friend is the comedic side of the film while Giamatti's Miles is the movie's heart.

Miles starts to spend time with a recently divorced waitress and every single one of their moments together are spectacular!

The scenes are well written and well acted and even though it is a movie, it seems as if they are two real people talking to each other.

Virginia Madsen plays the waitress and she is wonderful!

I still think she deserved to win the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

SIDEWAYS explores life's failures, struggles, and the lowered expectations of mid-life. But more importantly, it is a movie full of real people, living real lives.

So add me to the list those who recommend SIDEWAYS. It is a superb movie.

Prior to the release of his latest film SPANGLISH last December, the career of write director James L. Brooks was also superb.

Prior to last December, her had yet to make a misstep.

Brooks had worked on the classic television shows MY THREE SONS, THAT GIRL and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, before creating THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, TAXI and developing THE SIMPSONS.

His films include the superb BROADCAST NEWS, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

Like I said, prior to the release of SPANGLISH last December, his career was superb and he had yet to suffer a misstep.

Then came SPANGLISH.

In the movie the very beautiful Paz Vega plays a Mexican woman who moves to Los Angeles to become the housekeeper for the wealthy, and troubled, Clasky family.

Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni are the head of the family, and they have too many problems to list.

But their main problem is the fact that he is a loving and supportive parent to their two kids, and she is...well, not so much.

Oh, and the housekeeper doesn't speak English, but her daughter does. Of course, the daughter doesn't always translate everything word for word.

Now all of that sounds pretty promising, doesn't it? I'll sure thought it did and with James L. Brooks behind it, I watched it thinking it would be a film that was a witty and perceptive collision of cultures and values.

Instead, it is just long, uninteresting and a huge misstep for James L. Brooks.

Admittedly, Paz Vega is beautiful to look at, plus Brooks did get a great performance out of Sandler and kept him away from his trademark work in HAPPY GILMORE and THE WEDDING SINGER.

And yes, Téa Leoni is as reliable as ever, Cloris Leachman is hilarious as Leoni's mother and Sarah Steele is a stand out as Bernice, Sandler and Leoni's daughter.

But those good things don't add up to anything special and SPANGLISH is a movie that isn't worth the time you will invest in it.

It isn't horrible, but it certainly isn't good either.

But, on the other hand, SIDEWAYS is good. In fact it is superb!!

So now we have the superb SIDEWAYS, the mediocre SPANGLISH and now we add the very bad ELEKTRA to the mix.

After the modest success of the comic book movie DAREDEVIL in 2003 a decision was made to spin off the very interesting supporting character ELEKTRA into her own film.

Great idea, bad film.

Jennifer Garner from TV's ALIAS reprises her role as Elektra, and in the film she is a hired assassin.

Admittedly, Elektra is just a variation on the character that Garner plays every week on TV, but the difference is the TV show is well written, well acted and full of action.

ELEKTRA is none of those things.

Yes, sure, Jennifer Garner looks great, and if that is reason enough for you to sit through this bad movie, then enjoy.

Personally, while I enjoyed looking at Jennifer Garner, I hated watching the movie she was in.

ELEKTRA is a waste of your time, but along with SPANGLISH and SIDEWAYS, it is also available in stores now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

OCEAN'S TWLEVE is the less than enjoyable sequel to the all-star remake of OCEAN'S ELEVEN. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts are all back on screen, but even with their star power this film is hard to watch.

HOTEL RWANDA is hard to watch as well, but for different reasons. Don Cheadle plays a hotel owner who offers shelter for refugees in Rwanda during the genocide of the mid-1990's.

In THE WOODSMAN Kevin Bacon gives a great performance as a flawed man who is attempting to rejoin society. Due to its subject matter, it too is a very difficult film to watch, but the acting is superb.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE WOODSMAN, HOTEL RWANDA and OCEAN'S TWLEVE in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

...will appear on Wednesday this week (Calm down, that is only tomorrow!).

Bill & Ted get a most triumphant box set

They are Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan. And together they are Wyld Stalyons. And together, their two films are finally getting a box set with some new special features in Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Collection coming from MGM Home Entertainment.

In addition to the two films, the set will contain a third disc of extras including an Air Guitar Tutorial, The Most Triuphant Making-Of Documentary, the featurettes The Original Bill & Ted: In Conversation with Chris and Ed, Score! An Interview with Guitarist Steve Vai and episode of the Bill & Ted cartoon, bios of the various historical figures from the films, an on-screen comic book and radio spots.

With a release date of July 12th, the set will carry a $29.95 suggested retail price.

SCTV DVD Volume 3 - What's Changed

Another DVD set, another set of mostly minor edits. What we've stumbled across so far:

Episode 1: The Tribute to John Belushi was cut.

Episode 2: A Harmonica Gang tune is changed in Maudlin's Eleven; Shake 'N Bake features all different music; the noise pollution in National Committee Against Noise Pollution is different.

Episode 3: The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.

Episode 4: Edna Boil audition music by the sax playing family (Benny Hill Theme) has been changed.

Episode 5: Stairways to Heaven was cut. Linsk Minyik's performance of Stairway to Heaven on the Happy Wanderers was cut. The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.

Episode 6: Clean.

Episode 7: Clean.

Episode 8: The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.

Episode 9: Music from The Graduate was replaced in The Days of the Week.

ALSO...SCTV DVD Volume 4

TVShowsOnDVD reports that SCTV Volume 4 is due August 2. They also report that it will be a six disc set, which would indicate that it will include both six episode cycles (4 and 5) of season 5, 12 shows in all. Also in the pipe are single-disc releases of the first two discs in the Volume 1 set.

The Couch Potato Report - April 2nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report has the six Academy Award nominated films that were released on video and DVD over the past three weeks.

I begin this week with THE INCREDIBLES, the film that recently won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Mr. Incredible is a superhero; or he used to be.

After his forced, and unsuccesful, retirement, Mr. Incredible becomes insurance claims specialist Bob Parr and he moves to the suburbs with his wife Helen, the former superhero Elastigirl, and their three children.

Mr. Incredible is then offered the chance to be a hero again by the mysterious Mirage and her unknown employer.

That opportunity turns out to be a trap and the family must all work together for the benefit of the family, and each other.

Mr. Incredible is the star of this wonderful film, but it is called THE INCREDIBLES for a reason. Each member of the family is well written, well animated, and well, incredible.

Yes, the incredibles is totally wicked!!

FINDING NEVERLAND isn't exactly totally wicked, but it is an exceptional drama.

Johnny Depp from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN leads the cast - and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor - in this story of how J.M. Barrie came up with the play Peter Pan.

Kate Winslet from TITANIC is a widowed mother of four small boys and she, the child actors, and Depp, are superb in the movie.

There have been some writers and critics who have focussed on the reported historical accuracies in this film instead of the emotion. Admittedly, there are more than a few, but I say ignore them.

FINDING NEVERLAND is wonderful and if you are very familiar with Peter Pan then there are added benefits as you see the origins of the scenes from Barrie's eternal classic.

"Classic."

Let me pause now and focus for a minute on both sides of that word as it applies to romantic comedies.

The orginal BRIDGET JONES' DIARY film was a classic. It was funny, enjoyable and made you root for the heroine.

That film's sequel, BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON isn't a classic.

Not at all. Instead, we get a film that doesn't even seem to like it's main character.

Instead, every single, non-funny, horrible thing that can happen - except death - happens to her.

She gets splashed with water, falls off a roof, gets thrown in jail, and can't get off the lift while skiing.

It isn't funny, and after a while it just seems mean.

I admit it, I liked the orginal BRIDGET JONES' DIARY film and I like the character of Bridget Jones that Renee Zellweger created.

I want to see her succeed and be happy.

If she can't succeed, and since this is a movie, she can't succeed right away, but if she can't succeed, embarrass her and make fun of her with some respect and adoration.

But this sequel doesn't seem to respect her and thus I don't respect or recommend the film.

And yes, I know I am talking about a fictional person as if she was real, but Zellweger made her a real person in the first film and that is why it was a classic.

BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON is just a sad, unnecessary sequel, that I didn't care for at all.

I do know a lot of other people who didn't hate it, but my advice is to ignore this film and watch the original again.

Okay, enough negativity.

Let me be positive again and there is a lot to be positive about regarding the film BEING JULIA.

Annette Bening is Julia Lambert, a well known London stage actress in the 1930's. BEING JULIA is about Julia's eperiences with love and
revenge.

And the revenge part of the film, is the sweetest part to enjoy

Bening lost the Academy Award for best Actress to Hilary Swank, but in any other year she would have won. She is spectacular and the film is well acted and great to watch.

Our final two films this week were also Academy Award losers. But don't let the fact that they didn't win an Oscar stop you from seeing them as they contain unique and interesting characters.

Imelda Staunton received her Oscar nomination for Best Actress in the superb, but uneasy film VERA DRAKE.

Vera is a selfless woman who is completely devoted to, and loved by, her working class family. She also secretly visits women and helps them induce miscarriages for unwanted pregnancies.

I enjoyed every minute of VERA DRAKE and that was 100% due to Imelda Staunton. She is remarkable!

I would also proclaim Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Clive Owen to be remarkable in CLOSER. He plays a dermatologist who finds love under the most unlikely of circumstances in this erotically charged tale of love, loneliness and betrayal.

The all-star cast also includes Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee Natalie Portman.

CLOSER is a handbook about how not to act in a relationship and director Mike Nichols was able to get incredible performances from his entire cast.

Due to it's language and content CLOSER isn't for everyone, but if you don't mind seeing real people speak real words to each other, then you should see it.

CLOSER, VERA DRAKE, BEING JULIA, BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON,
FINDING NEVERLAND and THE INCREDIBLES are all available now on video and
DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The Oscar winning SIDEWAYS is about two buddies who take a bachelor
party trip to the California wine country.

In SPANGLISH a housekeeper teaches the family she works for about
love.

And Jennifer Garner from TV's ALIAS looks great in the awful action
film ELEKTRA.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on ELEKTRA, SPANGLISH and
SIDEWAYS, 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 week on The Couch!

Get Cooler

On June 7th, only three months after its theatrical premiere, MGM Home Entertainment will release Be Cool, the 2005 sequel to Get Shorty. John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer and is joined by his Pulp Fiction costar Uma Thurman; he's an ex-gangster turned movie exec turned music exec. The film earned back a tad under its production costs at the box office; I expect it to find new life on DVD. The anamorphic video presentation and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track will be supplemented with "Be Cool, Very Cool" Making-of Documentary; Deleted Scenes; a Gag Reel; a Music Video by The Rock as Elliot Wilhelm, "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man"; Close-Up Featurettes entitled Dance Partners, The Rock, Andre 3000, Cedric the Entertainer, and Christina Milian; and, the Original Theatrical Trailer. The SRP is $27.98.

Extended Stripes

Decades after its release, Ivan Reitman has revisited the military comedy Stripes with an extended cut of the film adding twenty minutes to the runtime thanks to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Bill Murray stars as John Winger who loses his job, his car, his apartment and his girlfriend - all in one day. His solution to the desolation of his life is to hitch up with the Army, talking his friend Russell (Harold Ramis) into enlisting with him. John convinces Russell that they'll get in shape, travel the world, and, most importantly, meet girls.

The DVD will be presented in widescreen and will contain a new audio commentary by director Ivan Reitman. The DVD also contains a new documentary and six deleted scenes.

The DVD will arrive at the barracks on June 7th and carry a $19.94 suggested list price.

Lost Affleck Cameo in 'Elektra' DVD

Hollywood star Ben Affleck's deleted cameo in girlfriend Jennifer Garner's latest movie Elektra is set to be included in the forthcoming DVD of the Daredevil spin-off. Affleck began dating the Alias beauty shortly after he visited the Vancouver, Canada set of the action movie last summer. Despite filming a small role in Elektra, producers removed Affleck's scene from the final cut after they discovered the two actors were dating, fearing a similar backlash to Affleck's films Gigli and Jersey Girl, in which he starred alongside then fiancee Jennifer Lopez. Movie site RopeofSilicon.Com has posted the deleted scene, entitled "Come Back," in a DVD preview of Elektra.

The Couch Potato Report

Returns Thursday, March 31st

Duh nah...Duh nah...

Universal has officially announced the DVD release of a Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition for 6/14 (SRP $22.98).

This will be a 2-disc set containing the film in anamorphic widescreen video, with both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio.

The second disc will be all extras (no word yet on what they are).

Word is you'll also get something called Jaws: The Commemorative Photo Journal - probably a commemorative book.

This 2-disc set will also be available in a full frame version, and it looks as though a single-disc Jaws: Anniversary Collector's Edition version will also be available in full frame and anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and anamorphic widescreen with DTS 5.1 (SRP $14.98).

'The Lone Gunmen' Return to Life

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Yes, they're dead -- or at least as dead as anyone in "X-Files" creator Chris Carter's universe -- but the conspiracy-hunting, computer-geek trio known as the Lone Gunmen is back on America's TV screens, for the price of a DVD box set, that is.

On Tuesday, March 29, 2005, a little more than four years after it premiered on FOX, "The Lone Gunmen," the short-lived "X-Files" spin-off, comes out in a three-disc (using double-sided discs) DVD box set from Fox Home Entertainment.

Along with all 13 original episodes -- plus "Jump the Shark," a season-nine "X-Files" episode that concludes the Gunmen's plotline -- the set features commentaries, a "Making Of" documentary and TV spots.

Created by the writing team of Glen Morgan and James Wong for a first-season "X" episode called "E.B.E," the Gunmen are Richard "Ringo" Langly (Dean Haglund), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood).

According to "X" lore, they were inspired by the sort of technically savvy but socially inept conspiracy theorists that sometimes frequent UFO conventions, and were introduced as the go-to info buddies of FBI Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny).

On March 4, 2001, during season eight of "The X-Files," the three spun off in a seriocomic series of their own, created by "X" producers Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, and co-starring Zuleikha Robinson ("Hidalgo") and Stephen Snedden ("Coyote Ugly").

Despite the concern of some fans, the pilot of "The Lone Gunmen" is indeed part of the boxed set. This would seem like a no-brainer, until you realize that the central conspiracy in the episode involved the high-tech electronic hijacking of a commercial airliner with the intent of crashing it into the World Trade Center.

Although the episode was conceived and shot in 2000, and aired six months before the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, the eerie coincidence sent shock waves through cast and producers.

"I'll never forget that," says Spotnitz, calling in from the set of the pilot for his remake of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." "That was such a disturbing thing. It was very upsetting. As I say in the DVD featurette, you write something like that, and you assume that if you can think of it, being a Hollywood writer, then somebody in the government has thought about it already.

"Obviously, that wasn't the case. Just the idea that a plane could fly into a building, and the building would be unprotected was just ... anyway, it was upsetting."

Although their scenario involved using sophisticated electronics to remotely control the plane and had nothing to do with suicidal terrorists, Spotnitz had some long moments on the fateful September morning.

"I was directing an episode of 'The X-Files' when that happened," he recalls, "so I woke up a little late because we'd been shooting the night before. It was the first thing I saw on TV, one of the Trade Towers burning. The first thing that went through my head was, 'Oh my God, I hope this doesn't have anything to do with what we did, that it wasn't somehow inspired by anything we did.'

"Nobody knew who had done it or that had happened, but we knew it was an airplane. It became obvious that it didn't have any connection to what we did."

Haglund, a frequent guest at sci-fi conventions, had noted a brisk business in "Gunmen" bootlegs over the years. He attributes some of that to the pilot.

"Once the pilot and the 9/11 thing came together," Haglund says, "all the conspiracy theorists started passing around that pilot at conventions and UFO conventions and started propelling that forward. These guys are all asking questions about, 'How much did we know?', 'Who wrote the script?', that kind of thing.

"Other than small, middling details, what's odd about that 'Gunmen' pilot is the larger details they got right. I assume somebody will look through the rest of the episodes and see what other details may be right. I can assure you, I don't think there is a legion of super-smart military chimps out there."

While it's unlikely "The Lone Gunmen" series will return -- and the characters would have to somehow be resurrected to be in any future "X" movie -- Spotnitz hopes that DVD sales, if brisk, could have a positive impact in the future.

"It could have a very healthy effect on the whole thing," he says, "because network executives might have to think twice before they rush to cancel something. We didn't know until the very end whether or not they were going to cancel the show, because the numbers were actually OK. What they ultimately said is they wanted to try something else and see if they could do better."

Asked what eventually replaced "The Lone Gunmen" on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on FOX, Spotnitz says, "I believe it was 'Pasadena.'"

For the record, FOX axed that show even faster than "The Lone Gunmen."

"It's heartbreaking," Spotnitz says, "when you're the guy that got canceled. They rolled the dice, and sometimes it works, most times it doesn't."

For those who want the straight skinny on the fate of the "Gunmen," Haglund says, "I'm actually drawing a comic book, autobiographical, about why 'The Lone Gunmen' was canceled."

With Oscars over, another race is on

The awards season may have ended for last year's films, but now the Oscar nominees and winners are seeking new accolades: winning sales on DVD.

First to cash in on its Oscar win is best animated picture The Incredibles, out Tuesday. It's an early favorite to be top-selling DVD of the year. "I wouldn't be surprised if we are looking at 18 million to 20 million units" for The Incredibles, says Ralph Tribbey, editor of The DVD Release Report.

That would put The Incredibles in rare company, approaching sales of the two best-selling DVDs of all time: Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo and DreamWorks' Shrek 2, both of which have sold more than 21 million DVDs.

The Incredibles has topped the best-selling-DVD list at online retailer Amazon.com (which allows customers to order DVDs before their release date) since Feb. 28, the day after the Oscars, the company's Jeff Somers says.

DVD sales "are clearly rolling off of a fantastic theatrical run and the Oscars," Somers says.

Though Disney and Pixar are expecting superheroic sales, other studios are waiting to find out whether DVD releases will pique interest in their movies, which found limited success in theaters.

Combined, 2004's best-picture nominees — winner Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Ray, Sideways and Finding Neverland— have brought in $365 million, $12 million short of the box-office take for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King alone. Return of the King was last year's best-picture winner.

None of those films, nor such movies as Closer, Being Julia, Vera Drake and Hotel Rwanda, which were up for other Oscars, had the epic feel of Return of the King, although The Aviator cut a wide swath. The smaller scope of the films actually might make them a better fit for home video.

That should prove true, Tribbey says, "certainly for (best-foreign-film winner) The Sea Inside, which has taken in less than $1 million in its domestic box-office run. Million Dollar Baby, Sideways and Finding Neverland all have a legitimate shot at scoring bigger DVD numbers than they have in the theatrical venue."

Video rental leader Blockbuster is anticipating enthusiastic interest in Oscar-related releases. "People are looking forward to watching these films in their homes," says Jerianne Thomas, director of brand public relations.

Since the Academy Awards, Amazon.com has been tracking demand for Oscar winners:

• Pre-orders for Finding Neverland, due March 22, helped the DVD jump to the top 10 from No. 83 on the chart.

•Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, already in stores, went from No. 30 to No. 14 after the Oscars.

• Hotel Rwanda, which is due April 12, went from No. 299 into the top 100.

Best-actress nominee Imelda Staunton is happy if the nominations (director, original screenplay) help Vera Drake reach more viewers, whether on DVD or in theaters.

"Our film, and other films like Maria Full of Grace, The Sea Inside and Hotel Rwanda, are not mainstream, but we have been put in the Hollywood arena," she says. The awards attention "does our films a lot of good."

'The Incredibles' unleashes the extras

Being home alone with The Incredibles' baby Jack-Jack was once meant to be in the film, but the scene didn't make the final cut.

Director Brad Bird lets DVD viewers see what babysitter Kari faces when Jack-Jack's superpowers are revealed while the rest of the family is off battling Syndrome.

The 4-minute, 40-second Jack-Jack Attack is just one of the extras on The Incredibles DVD out today ($30, Buena Vista). There's also:

• The Oscar-nominated short Boundin', which played in theaters with the movie.

• An alternate opening with the Parrs, Bob (Mr. Incredible) and Helen (Elastigirl), at a neighborhood barbecue. It's shown in storyboard form with Bird and story supervisor Mark Andrews commenting. During the cookout, Helen takes offense at someone who downplays her homemaker role. Like the film's work-vs.-family themes, this resonated for Bird and his wife, Elizabeth, who worked in the film industry. They decided that she should stay home with their three sons if he could support them. "She started finding that people were treating her differently because she was no longer part of the professional world," Bird says.

• An animated behind-the-scenes documentary.

Craig T. Nelson, who voices Mr. Incredible, says he was told that there wouldn't be a sequel, but Bird is keeping an open mind.

"I have a lot of bits that I would love to see with these characters," says Bird, who is taking a break before his next film. "If I can ... come up with an idea worth exploring and get the original team reassembled, I would like to" do a sequel.

''Seinfeld'' Season 4 DVD debuts May 17.

The catchphrase-spawning fourth season of Seinfeld will arrive on DVD on May 17.

The 1993-1994 season ''may be the finest season of any sitcom ever,'' a clearly biased Howard West, the DVD's producer, told USA Today.

The fourth season includes such memorable episodes as ''The Contest,'' in which Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer have an abstinence contest to become ''masters of their domain,'' as well as ''The Outing,'' in which Jerry and George are mistaken by a reporter for being a gay couple — ''not that there's anything wrong with that.''

The DVD will include 13 hours of bonus features, which will hopefully settle the debate: Moors or Moops?

The Couch Potato Report - March 10th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report has a ladder 49 and the pre-Fab four.

There are few professions that are as noble as police officers and firemen.

Over the years there have been many great movies about police officers - including DIRTY HARRY, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, FARGO and SERPICO, just to name six.

Unfortunately the equally noble firefighting profession hasn't been as well represented on the silver screen.

THE TOWERING INFERNO, BACKDRAFT and now LADDER 49 were all valiant, yet ultimately failed attempts to dramatize some of life's most gracious servants.

After watching the new DVD release of LADDER 49 I was left feeling like the men and women who risk their lives for us will just never get their cinematic due.

And they are due a great amount as they are models of heroism.

To its credit, LADDER 49 is very faithful to that heroic side of the men and women who fight fires. It actually does a great job of portraying the harsh and dangerous side of their job.

However, as realistic as the scenes with fire are, the dramatic side of LADDER 49 is full of clichés and uninspiring melodrama.

LADDER 49 stars John Travolta as a tough but compassionate Chief who looks upon his fellow firefighters as a family.

Joaquin Phoenix from GLADIATOR and SIGNS plays the movie's central character, an everyday hero who looks back on his life while he is trapped in a burning building.

LADDER 49 has an honourable premise and it could have been a great movie, and a tribute to the daunting lives of firefighters.

Instead, it is a cliché filled, boring movie with uninteresting characters.

As police officers do, firefighters risk their lives every day and they deserve our respect and admiration, both in real life and in the movies.

I look forward to the day that firefighters get their respect from the movies, in the same manner that police officers have for years.

There was a time in the mid-1990's that I looked forward to a sequel to the 1978 mockumentary THE RUTLES: ALL YOU NEED IS CASH.

Now that the day has arrived, all I want is the original.

The original RUTLES film was an affectionate spoof of The Beatles and their lives.

It was a collaboration between the casts of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live, and Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band.

The soundtrack featured songs like "Ouch!" - instead of "Help!" - and "Get Up And Go" - replacing "Get Back" and the combination of the cast and the participants in the film made for an unforgettable viewing experience.

The original RUTLES film ALL YOU NEED IS CASH was brilliant.

Even though some of the original magic is there, THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUT ME LUNCH isn't brilliant on its own.

It is just a rehash of the original RUTLES film, devoid of any new wit. Yes, there is new footage, but no new wit, well except for the comments from comedian Billy Connelly.

Monty Python-alum Eric Idle is back directing and starring in this sequel. However, instead of wit he brings along his famous friends Tom Hanks, David Bowie, Carrie Fisher, Jewel, Mike Nichols, Conan O'Brien and Steve Martin to comment on the fictional band.

I am a huge Rutles fan, and I was greatly anticipating this release.

Unfortunately, THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUT ME LUNCH is just clips from the first film, edited differently to tell the same story.

Yes, it has its moments, but it offers nothing new of substance for Rutles fans.

But don't let this disappointing new release stop you from getting to know The Rutles, and from seeing The Beatles in a whole new light.

Just seek out the original 1978 release THE RUTLES: ALL YOU NEED IS CASH and enjoy.

THE RUTLES: ALL YOU NEED IS CASH, THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUT ME LUNCH and LADDER 49 are all available now on video and DVD.

COMING UP ON APRIL 2nd IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Is Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES; The Oscar nominated FINDING NEVERLAND featuring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet in the story of J.M. Barrie's attempt to create Peter Pan.

Renee Zellweger is back as Bridget Jones in BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON and movie that I didn't like at all!

But, I did like Oscar nominee Annette Bening's work in BEING JULIA and the performance of the wonderful - and Oscar nominated Imelda Staunton in VERA DRAKE.

And on the next Couch Potato Report I will also speak about CLOSER, erotically charged tale of love, loneliness and betrayal with the all-star cast of Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on CLOSER, BEING JULIA, THE INCREDIBLES and those 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 April 2nd on The Couch!

The rush to DVD

With the domination of DVD frequently exceeding box office, there is an accelerated rush to release content on our favorite little discs. The most aggressive delay between theatrical release and DVD release is a mere three months. It also occurred to me that since there have been problems previously with the duplication and sale of pirated DVDs made from screeners distributed to Academy voters, that the studios might be inclined to release even earlier.

I thought it might be interesting to have a quick look at when this year's Academy Award nominated films (excluding documentaries) are released to DVD. So without further ado . . .

Title
DVD Release Date
Studio

A Very Long Engagement
Unknown
Warner

Being Julia
3/22/05
Sony

Closer
3/29/05
Sony

Finding Neverland
3/22/05
Miramax

Hotel Rwanda
4/12/05
MGM

House Of Flying Daggers
4/19/05
Sony

Kinsey
5/17/05
Fox

Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events
4/26/05
Paramount

Million Dollar Baby
Unknown
Warner

Sideways
4/5/05
Fox

The Aviator
5/24/05
Warner/Miramax

The Incredibles
3/15/05
Buena Vista

The Phantom Of The Opera
5/3/05
Warner

Vera Drake
3/29/05
Warner

Star Trek Insurrection is coming in June

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a special edition of the ninth Trek film Star Trek Insurrection for release in June.

From the beginning of the Federation, the Prime Directive was clear: no Starfleet expedition may interfere with the natural development of other civilizations. But now Picard is confronted with orders that undermine that decree. If he obeys, 600 peaceful residents of Ba'ku will be forcibly removed from their remarkable world, all for the reportedly greater good of millions who will benefit from Ba'ku's Fountain of Youth-like powers. If he disobeys, he will risk his Starship, his career, his life. But for Picard, there's really only one choice. He must rebel against Starfleet...and lead the insurrection to preserve Paradise.

The two disc set will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors as Star Trek fans make their DVD collections almost complete. The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen and is accompanied by both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound. A text commentary is included, although there is no word on an audio commentary. Twelve featurettes: It Takes a Village, Location, Location, Location, The Art of Insurrection, Anatomy of a Stunt, The Story of Insurrection, Making Insurrection, Director's Notebook, Westmore's Aliens, Star Trek's Beautiful Alien Women, Shuttle Chase, The Drones and The Duck Blind are included along with seven much talked about deleted scenes including Ru'afo's Facelift, Working Lunch, Flirting, The Kiss, Status: Precarious, Disabling the Injector and an alternate ending, galleries of storyboards and production photos, teasers and trailers, an EPK featurette and Borg 3-D ads.

The DVD will arrive on June 7th with a suggested retail price yet to be announced.

GET LOST

Buena Vista Home Entertainment releasing Lost: The Complete First Season on DVD Sept. 20. The six-disc set includes deleted scenes, casting tapes, bloopers and other featurettes and retails for $60.

The Couch Potato Report - March 1st, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report has Bambi, Bob, and Ed Grimley, well that's certainly decent don't you know?

Walt Disney's classic film BAMBI was originally released on August 13th, 1942.

Let me say that again, BAMBI was originally released 63 years ago on August 13th, 1942.

The new PLATINUM EDITION of the classic film doesn't show it's age, instead the film has never looked or sounded better.

But the fact that it has been given a digital makeover still won't change the fact that the youth of today probably won't be able to appreciate this film the way that I, and my generation do.

The movies of today - animated or otherwise - are just so faced paced, and the edits are so quick and swift, that there is precious little time to just watch something and let it sweep over you.

And BAMBI certainly isn't fast paced. It is just a well-crafted, leisurely view of one year in the life of a young deer.

In the course of the movie's 69-minute running time, that one year measures the life cycle itself, from birth to adulthood, and from childhood's freedom to grown-up responsibility.

There is a lot of territory covered in BAMBI - parental love, loss and grief; friendship; loyalty; risk versus need; living in harmony with Nature, and romantic love - but the film never force feeds you anything.

BAMBI is storytelling in it's purest, basic form.

Plus, the film has been completely digitally restored for DVD and almost every trace of dirt and damage is gone and the sound is incredible.

Since the film is being released as a PLATINUM EDITION 2-disc set, there is a wide array of bonus features.

They include a look at the authentic art materials stored in the vaults, a making of feature; a Disney Time Capsule from 1942; facts about the real animals that are portrayed in the film and a "dramatic reenactment" reading of early discussions of the film between Walt Disney and his team.

Patrick Stewart, of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION fame, hosts that latter segment.

No, BAMBI doesn't move with the speed of THE INCREDIBLES, contain as many colours as FINDING NEMO, and isn't as funny as the SHREK films, but I hope this generation of kids will be able to enjoy it.

It is an elegant work of art that belongs on the shelf beside all of those films in your DVD library.

In a time when the world "classic" gets used too often, BAMBI is the definition of that word.

Want proof? Watch the movie.

I'm not sure if anyone will be saying THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a classic when that film celebrates it's 63rd anniversary in 2067, but as I sit here today, I know many kids - and an adult or two - who believe it to be a modern day classic of the highest regard.

To quote an old soap commercial, "And I like it too!"

If you don't know who SpongeBob is, please allow me to explain:

"SpongeBob SqaurePants" is an animated television show.

Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sea sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into trouble without really trying.

When he's not getting on his cranky neighbor Squidward's nerves, SpongeBob's usually smack in the middle of a strange situation with his best starfish buddy, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.

Like the TV show, THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE has some jokes that operate on different levels for kids and adults.

In the movie, SpongeBob and Patrick take leave from the town of Bikini Bottom to track down King Neptune's stolen crown.

It isn't Dostoyevsky but it is sure fun to watch!

No, the film isn't as great as the best of the TV episodes, but THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a silly, goofy movie that is fun for both children and adults.

And to paraphrase an old soap commercial, "Yes, I like it too!"

I also like SCTV and SCTV - VOLUME 3 is the latest release of this classic Canadian show.

Inside the 5-disc box set are nine 90-minute episodes that were originally broadcast in 1982.

In addition to the work of John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy, this set contains the introduction of the great Martin Short as a cast member.

By the time these episodes aired in 1982, the show had built on it's cult following and was flirting with mainstream success.

They had won an Emmy Award for writing and there was worldwide "Hoser-mania" triggered by the surprise breakout success of "The Great White North" segments featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie.

But SCTV managed to stay fresh and innovative and gave Bob & Doug their own special called "The Great White North Palace" and brought Tony Bennett in to guest star.

This set also includes "The People's Global Golden Choice Awards," "The Battle of the PBS Stars," "Chariots Of Eggs," and the introduction of the soap-opera parody "The Days of the Week," as well as the Schmenge brothers.

Plus, Martin Short joins the legendary ensemble, and makes an instant impression, with such masterful bits as his devastating "Jerry Lewis Live on the Champs Elysees," and gives us the unforgettable Ed Grimley.

Plus, Bill Murray, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett and Hall And Oates offer classic performances.

The set's bonus features include commentaries, a John Candy profile and photo gallery, a retrospective, SCTV at the Museum of Television & Radio, a bonus audio CD: From the Second City Stage and a 16-page booklet

Yes, in a day and age when the world "classic" gets used too often, SCTV remains a classic television show and BAMBI is a classic film.

And to the kids today, THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a classic as well.

All three of those classics are available now at a movie store near you.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

In LADDER 49 a trapped firefighter reevaluates his life and priorities. John Travolta , Joaquin Phoenix and Morris Chestnut star.

Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson stars in CHARLEY. This 1968 film that was adapted from Daniel Keyes's novel Flowers for Algernon is finally being released on DVD.

And so is THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUT ME LUNCH. Yes, the Pre-Fab Four are back, and severely earnest television journalist S.J. Krammerhead is hot on their story once again. This is a welcome sequel to Monty Python star Idle's 1978 mockumentary THE RUTLES - ALL YOU NEED IS CASH.

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE RUTLES, and those other releases in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and The Oscars and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

Shout! Factory reveals more SCTV

This volume offers nine 90 minutes show from the fourth season to feed the demand for more SCTV. Broadcast on NBC in 1982, these episodes introduce new cast member Martin Short and chronicle the height of success for characters Bob and Doug.

It is here where The Shmenge Brothers (John Candy and Eugene Levy) make their first appearance and the Great White North gets the “special” treatment in the “Great White North Palace” featuring Tony Bennett. Celebrities Bill Murray and Carl Perkins join the fray and musical guests Bennett, Jimmy Buffett and Hall and Oates offer classic performances.

The set contains commentaries, the featurettes The Producers, That's Life with John Candy, SCTV Remembers, Part 3 and Television Festival Presents SCTV and a John Candy Photo Gallery.

The set arrives with an $89.98 suggested retail price on March 1st.

The Couch Potato Report - February 24th, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, I offer you my Academy Award predictions, and two alternatives to all of the Oscar hype.

On Sunday night the eyes of the world will be focused on one address: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California.

For on that night at The Kodak Theatre The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be awarded in 24 categories.

The six major categories are BEST ACTRESS, BEST ACTOR, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, BEST DIRECTOR and BEST PICTURE, and those are the categories I am going to focus on right now and give you my predictions of who is going to win.

Some have called this the most unpredictable year at the Academy Awards in a long time, but it really isn't.

Especially in the BEST ACTOR category where the nominees are Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA, Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND, Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR, Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Jamie Foxx - RAY

Not only am I telling you that Jamie Foxx will win for RAY, but I will also plainly state that if Foxx doesn't walk away with the trophy, it will be seen as the biggest Oscar blunder since SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE won for BEST PICTURE over SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

Biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.

Plus, an overwhelming number of actors have won the top acting awards for portraying characters with physical or mental disabilities or diseases.

A few examples are Cliff Robertson in 1968 for CHARLY, Jack Nicholson in 1975 for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, Dustin Hoffman in 1988 for RAIN MAN, Daniel Day-Lewis in 1989 for MY LEFT FOOT, Al Pacino - SCENT OF A WOMAN in 1992, Tom Hanks for PHILADELPHIA in 1993, and for FORREST GUMP in 1994, and Jack Nicholson again in 1997 for AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

Plus, even though DiCaprio, Cheadle, Depp and Eastwood are all also playing real-life people, some even with physical or mental disabilities or diseases, Jamie Foxx is also a shoo in to win because he is playing Ray Charles, one of the most beloved American entertainers of the past century.

Jamie Foxx may be the one sure thing this year, but if you look at some of the trends that the Academy voters have followed over the years, there seems to be clear indications as to who will win in the other five major categories as well.

For instance, it helps an actress's chances of winning the BEST ACTRESS Oscar if the character dies during the movie, is a prostitute, an alcoholic or addicted to drugs, or is a murderess.

Some examples of that Oscar truism are Elizabeth Taylor for BUTTERFIELD 8 in 1960, Jane Fonda in 1971's KLUTE, and Charlize Theron in Monster in 2003.

The nominees in the BEST ACTRESS category this year are: Annette Bening - BEING JULIA, Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE, Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE, Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

The two frontrunners are Annette Bening and Hilary Swank, who also competed against each other in this category in 1999.

That year Swank won the BEST ACTRESS Oscar for her work in BOYS DON'T CRY, even though Bening was pregnant, and her film AMERICAN BEAUTY won BEST PICTURE and four other statuettes.

Sadly, for Bening, after Sunday night the score will now be Swank - 2, Bening - 0.

Sad for Bening, but good for movie lovers as Swank's performance is just that good.

Should you be looking for a dark horse to come along and surprise pundits like myself, this is the category it could happen in.

It is possible that Hilary and Annette will split the vote, meaning the incredible Imelda Staunton will win for her performance in VERA DRAKE.

However, that is quite unlikely as Swank has all of the buzz in the movie industry right now, and she does have the Academy's history of voting patterns behind her.

Let me move now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR category, where another voting pattern of the Academy is going to pay off this year for a beloved actor.

That pattern is how the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work.

The nominees for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR are Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR, Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS, Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL, Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Clive Owen - CLOSER.

This year expect Morgan Freeman to claim the prize.

Freeman was nominated in this category in 1988 for STREET SMART and he was nominated as BEST ACTOR in 1990 for DRIVING MISS DAISY and in 1994 for THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.

Freeman has been the heart and soul of too many movies to list, he has been the voice of reason in too many more, and in BRUCE ALMIGHTY he even played God.

Freeman's work in MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a steady and as brilliant as always, but it isn't the best performance that he's ever given.

Yet just like Paul Newman in THE COLOUR OF MONEY, Al Pacino in SCENT OF A WOMAN and the work Sean Connery did in THE UNTOUCHABLES, Freeman will take home Oscar gold because of his body of work.

We move on now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

I can tell you two things that are facts about this category: 1) First-time nominees often win this Award, and 2) Even though I correctly predicted that Renee Zellweger would win this award last year for COLD MOUNTAIN, I usually get this category wrong.

That said, the Academy Award nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE are Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR, Laura Linney - KINSEY, Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS, Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA and Natalie Portman - CLOSER.

As I said earlier regarding the BEST ACTOR category, biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.

Since Katharine Hepburn won more Academy Awards than any other actor it would seem to make sense that a victory would be in the cards for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Hepburn in THE AVIATOR.

But some in the movie community have called Blanchett's performance "over the top", so the buzz is against her.

In addition to the negative buzz, the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category has a few trends that are all it's own.

This award is usually given to a young actress for their first nomination, such as Marisa Tomei in 1992 for MY COUSIN VINNY, Anna Paquin in 1993 for THE PIANO and Mira Sorvino's 1995 win for MIGHTY APHRODITE.

By that logic I should tell you that Sophie Okonedo will win for HOTEL RWANDA, and some prognosticators are saying that these days.

But this category has another trend.

The BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS award has also been given for a performance that is seen as comeback, a la Kim Basinger in 1997's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

Granted, Okonedo is very strong in HOTEL RWANDA, but the buzz all seems to be behind this year's comeback kid, Virginia Madsen.

Madsen was a star in such eighties and nineties films as ELECTRIC DREAMS, DUNE, THE HOT SPOT, CANDYMAN and THE RAINMAKER, but her profile over the last few years has been well below the radar of the Academy.

Plus, prior to this year, the only nomination she has ever received was due to her work in 1992's CANDYMAN. That year she was singled out as BEST ACTRESS by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

Yes, they are a reputable and respected group to be sure, but they are not the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, so Virginia's nomination this year in the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category will correctly be seen as her first.

Since she is a first time nominee AND her work can be seen as a comeback. I say that she will win.

But, just remember, even though I got it right last year, this has traditionally been my weakest category for predicting the Academy Award winners.

Whereas guessing the BEST PICTURE winners has been a strong suit of mine.

This year I see no reason to feel that pattern will end.

The nominees for BEST PICTURE are THE AVIATOR, FINDING NEVERLAND, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, RAY and SIDEWAYS, but there are only two films to remember. This category is a race between Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR and Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

Over the past decade the BEST PICTURE race has been the one that has been the easiest to predict. The one exception was in 1998, when the aforementioned SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE beat the far superior SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

SCHINDLER'S LIST, FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, TITANIC, AMERICAN BEAUTY, GLADIATOR, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, CHICAGO and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING all had the two things that are required to be named the BEST PICTURE of the year at the Academy Awards: momentum and buzz.

This year MILLION DOLLAR BABY has all of the buzz and all of the momentum.

All of it!

Even if this was originally intended to be the year that Martin Scorsese's career was recognized, due to Oscar history, THE AVIATOR has to be seen as the second place finisher.

No movie about Hollywood has ever won the top prize. Even Billy Wilder's classic SUNSET BOULEVARD didn't win best picture!

Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN was named BEST PICTURE in 1992, and this year his MILLION DOLLAR BABY will take the top prize again.

The only question remaining now is: Does Eastwood also win for BEST DIRECTOR?

Does he beat out Scorsese's work in both of the top two categories?

Yes.

But Scorsese is in incredible company. Some of the greatest directors of all time have never won an Academy Award for BEST DIRECTOR. The list includes Charlie Chaplin, Howard Hawks, D. W. Griffith, Brian De Palma, Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Terrence Malick, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Tim Burton, Blake Edwards, Arthur Penn, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Peter Weir, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, and Martin Scorsese.

The last name on the list was nominated in 1980 for RAGING BULL and again in 1991 for GOODFELLAS. He should have won both times.

He was also nominated in 1989 for THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST and in 2002 for GANGS OF NEW YORK.

Still, the great Martin Scorsese has never won an Oscar.

With the epic THE AVIATOR on the release schedule, 2004 looked to be the year that Hollywood would reward him for an unprecedented career.

Sadly, this won't be Martin Scorsese's year, yet again.

Even though Clint Eastwood has won before, and the beloved Scorsese hasn't, Eastwood's work on MILLION DOLLAR BABY is the favourite to win.

That is partially due to the fact that Eastwood won the Directors Guild of America's Best Film Director award for MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

The winner of the DGA award has gone on to win the Academy Award in 50 of the past 56 years.

Because of his incredible career, and due to the fact that the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work, Martin Scorsese would seem to (finally) be guaranteed an Oscar come Sunday night.

But the only guarantee in this year's Oscar races is Jamie Foxx. All everyone else can do is hope.

Of course, I am not hoping anything, I sit here quite confident that my choices will all win, due to the reasons I've given you. So, to recap, my predictions in the six major categories for the 77th Annual Academy Awards are:

BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Sorry Marty!

Now if you find yourself sick and tired of all of this Oscar talk, and you would rather just sit and watch something that will never win an Academy Award, I offer you two alternatives.

The new special edition DVD release of HALF BAKED and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON.

Let's start with the very stupid, very juvenile, very funny comedy HALF BAKED.

The movie is about four pothead buddies, one of whom is thrown in jail.

His buddies - including Dave Chappelle from CHAPPELLE'S SHOW and Jim Breuer of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - have to come up with the money to free their buddy.

As I said, HALF BAKED is very, very stupid, but if you like films about stoners, like DAZED AND CONFUSED and the repertoire of CHEECH AND CHONG, then you will find HALF BAKED much to your amusement.

You will also be amused with the additional features that are now available in the HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION DVD. There is an Alternate Ending, ten Deleted Scenes and a Director's Commentary with Tamra Davis.

Whatever you do, just make sure you have some snacks handy in case you get the munchies!

The other Academy Award alternative I have for you this week is from a franchise that was actually nominated for an Oscar once.

Yes, the movie version of SOUTH PARK - BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT was nominated for BEST ORIGINAL SONG.

In SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON you can join Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as they discover a government secret, accidentally get sent to Afghanistan and get into an extreme slugfest when 'Big Gay Al' returns. Some of the episodes are: It Hits the Fan, Cripple Fight, Super Best Friends, Scott Tenorman Must Die and Cartmanland.

Call it dumb fun, call it a guilty pleasure, or whatever you'd like. I just call it funny.

If you need an alternative to this weekend's Oscar festivities The HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON are both available now on DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Walt Disney's classic 1942 film BAMBI debuts on DVD in a special Platinum Edition 2-disc set.

In THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE SpongeBob and Patrick set out to save Bikini Bottom. If you think this is a movie just for kids, I offer this phrase: You are only as young as you feel. Feel young, enjoy SpongeBob!

The word "enjoy" will never be used in conjunction with EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. In this prequel to the classic horror film Father Merrin has his first encounter with demonic forces. Stellan Skarsgard, James D'Arcy and Izabella Scorupco star.

Eric Idle stars in THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUY ME LUNCH. Yes, Pre-Fab Four are back!

SCTV is back as well. In the box set SCTV - VOLUME 3 the series reacts to the success of "The Great White North" segments featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie and Martin Short joins the cast.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on SCTV - VOLUME 3, and those other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and The Oscars and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

Explore The Life Aquatic

The latest Wes Anderson outing The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will be getting two releases on DVD later this spring.

A single disc version will be available from Buena Vista with an audio commentary and deleted scenes along with the film in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1. A second Criterion version of the film will also be available with a second disc including a video journal, musical performances of Seu Jorge, a featurette and interviews.

Both versions arrive on May 10th and will be priced at $29.99 and $32.99 respectively.

The Couch Potato Report

The Report will appear this week on Thursday and it will contain Dan's Oscar prediction.

The Couch Potato Report

The Report will appear this week on Thursday and it will contain Dan's Oscar prediction.

The Couch Potato Report - February 15th, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, there are six Academy Award nominees.

We are now less than two weeks away from the 77th Annual Academy Awards.

I’ll give you my predictions on who will win in the six major categories next week.

This week I thought I would remind you about some of the nominated films that are now available on video and DVD, just in case you’d like to see them prior to their appearance on Hollywood’s biggest night.

Lets start in the BEST PICTURE category, with a movie that also features the actor leading the BEST ACTOR race. The actor is Jamie Foxx, the movie is RAY.

RAY is a warts-and-all look at the man, the musician and the businessman who was Ray Charles.

Yes, RAY does celebrate Ray Charles, but it doesn't shy away from detailing his frequent infidelities, the hostility that Brother Ray suffered due to the racism of 1950s and '60s in America, and Ray's heroin addiction.

In addition to the great music, one other reason to watch RAY is so you can bear witness to the amazing performance of Jamie Foxx in the title role.

For once, all of the hype you are hearing about a performance is completely justified.

Foxx is absolutely amazing in the picture!

Ray Charles had an unprecedented 50-year career, and when we lost him last year, we lost a powerful musician, and a great man.

It was my pleasure to watch RAY, and I take pride in admitting to you that RAY is a fitting eulogy to a great artist.

Jamie Foxx became a great artist in 2004 with his work in RAY, but he also received a nomination as BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in COLLATERAL.

Tom Cruise strays away from a career of good guys to play a contract killer named Vincent who hires an unsuspecting cab driver to drive him through a nocturnal tour of Los Angeles.

COLLATERAL is just a tad shy of superb. It is an excellent movie and Jamie Foxx is as well.

But “excellent” doesn’t even begin to describe the film that features Kate Winslet’s performance that got her nominated for an Oscar as BEST ACTRESS.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, the new film from writer Charlie Kaufman.

His previous works include BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION, HUMAN NATURE and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND.

The one thing that all of those films have in common is that they are all brilliant, odd and not for everyone.

Kaufman is a writer who exists on a different plane than most of us, and that makes his vision a bit askew.

In ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND Canadian comedian Jim Carrey is a man who tries to erase his ex-girlfriend from his memory.

Be warned, this isn't your typical Jim Carrey movie. And as I've alluded to, this isn't your typical movie.

The luscious Kate Winslet plays the girlfriend and while Carrey is undergoing the procedure to erase her, he changes his mind. He wants to keep the memories, but since this is all going on inside of his head the erasure team cannot hear his request that they stop.

No, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND isn't your typical movie.

But it is the kind of film that I truly love. A movie that keeps you guessing and shows you things you haven't seen before.

At it's core ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is a love story. A love story that juggles morality, identity, and heartbreak all at once, but a love story nonetheless.

I enjoyed it on every conceivable level and highly recommend it, even though I know many people will not like it at all.

Something that many people do like is fast food, especially McDonald's.

If you enjoy fast food, then you absolutely have to see the documentary SUPER SIZE ME.

In this very entertaining film Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a steady diet of McDonald's cuisine for 30 days, just to see what will happen.

What happens is not good.

No, SUPER SIZE ME is not a perfect film, but it will entertain you. It is nominated in the BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE at the Academy Awards and it is available on video and DVD.

So is SPIDER-MAN 2. In fact it has a trio of nominations in the SOUND EDITING, SOUND MIXING and VISUAL EFFECTS categories.

Now, should you be unfamiliar with the Spider-Man story thus far, here is a brief recap.

Not a recap of the legacy created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the Marvel comic books, but a recap of the first movie.

Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker, a brainy high school outcast who transforms into an amazingly agile, web-shooting superhero named Spider-Man, after he is bitten by a "super-spider."

The radiant Kirsten Dunst is Mary Jane Watson, Parker's girl-next-door, unrequited sweetheart.

At the end of the first movie, he shunned her for fear that she would get hurt if his enemies knew he loved her.

In the first movie, that enemy was The Green Goblin. Spidey's nemesis in SPIDER-MAN 2 is the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus" or "Doc Ock."

But it isn't the foe that is the most compelling part of SPIDER-MAN 2, it is the dilemma that Peter Parker has to face within.

He has to decide if he should continue his obligatory, lonely life of crime fighting, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane?

The action sequences in SPIDER-MAN 2 are great! It is fast-paced, witty, and even a bit poignant at times.

And it is nominated for three Academy Awards.

BEFORE SUNSET, on the other hand, is only nominated for one Academy Award, and that nomination is for WRITING - ADAPTED SCREENPLAY.

The original creative team of actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and writer/director Richard Linklater have all returned to make BEFORE SUNSET.

In the movie Jesse has written a book about the pair's time together and his book tour comes to an end in Celine's hometown of Paris.

She comes to see him and the two get together and begin to catch up on how the other has been doing with the other's life in the eighty minutes that Jesse has before his flight back to the United States.

The fact that he only has eighty minutes is important to point out because the entire film plays out in real time. There is not a single wasted moment between the end of the opening credits and the start of the closing credits.

Once again we get to watch the two as they walk and talk about everything from career to sex to misconceptions about the last time they were together.

Do Jesse and Celine stay together at the end of this encounter?

Did they meet up six months after their first one?

Have you ever wondered if the characters in films you love have stayed together?

You won't get any answers from me. I don't want to rob you of one second of the ongoing or back story that is revealed in BEFORE SUNSET.

What I will reveal is the fact that BEFORE SUNSET is a unique cinematic window that lets us look at two lives intersecting years after a hopelessly romantic fling.

BEFORE SUNSET was also one of the best films of last year, and it deserved more nominations.

But I don’t decide who does or doesn’t get nominated for Academy Awards. All I can do is remind you that the Oscar nominated films BEFORE SUNSET, RAY, COLLATERAL, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, SUPERSIZE ME and SPIDER-MAN 2 are all available on video and DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

I will give you my predictions on who will win the Oscar in the Best Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, and Director categories. I will also tell you if THE AVIATOR, FINDING NEVERLAND, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, RAY or SIDEWAYS will be named Best Picture.

Plus, I’ll speak about I HEART HUCKABEES, a movie that stars Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin as a married couple who help others solve existential predicaments. The film’s all-star cast also includes Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Naomi Watts and Shania Twain.

And with the release of SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON you can join Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as these four characters embark on the adventure of growing up in a small mountain town. In the fifth season, the boys discover a government secret, accidentally get sent to Afghanistan and get into an extreme slugfest when 'Big Gay Al' returns, among many more hilarious adventures. Some of the episodes are: It Hits the Fan, Cripple Fight, Super Best Friends, Scott Tenorman Must Die and Cartmanland.

I’m Dan Reynish and I'll have more on those releases, and my Oscar Predictions, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

DIRTY 'DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES'

'Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry says the show's hotly anticipated DVD will include censored scenes too hot for ABC.

"Certain actresses [on the show] really don't like to wear bras," Cherry says. "We try to accommodate them as much as possible. We do a lot of blurring."

Cherry also says that one unaired scene, featuring "Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan (Edie Britt) in her skivvies, could be included on the show's DVD version.

"We didn't realize how skimpy her underwear was," Cherry says in a report that appeared first on the TV industry website, jackmyers.com.

"Housewives," the season's highest-rated new show, has raised eyebrows with its racy content centered around the women of Wisteria Lane.

DVDs of TV shows have become a marketing bonanza, reaping huge profits for studios, stars and creators. And "extras" — like new scenes — often help sell the discs.

Nowadays, a DVD of a show's first season can be issued immediately after the show's inaugural season has wrapped — a likely scenario for "Housewives," which has generated the most attention this TV season and grabbed a raft of awards.

Cherry says other deleted "Housewives" content that could grace a DVD include an S&M sequence featuring Sharon Lawrence and Steven Culp, who plays Bree Van De Kamp's husband, Rex.

"Standards and practices went nuts," Cherry says, and the scene had to be cut.

And it won't just be naughty stuff that will find its way into the DVD, officials say.

"We've got a couple of plots that are going to make much more sense once you see what we've cut out," Cherry says.

The Couch Potato Report - February 8th, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, one of the best films of the 80's, one of the best TV show's of the 80's and two films released in the 21st century.

To me, a movie is a movie is a movie.

Whether it is live action, animated, a comedy, a drama, a sappy love story, science fiction, a documentary, or a combination of all of those. They are all movies.

A movie is a movie is a movie.

But I know that others don't think that way. The Academy Of Motion Pictures Of Arts and Sciences doesn't see comedies the same way they see dramas and most film goers still think that animated films are cartoons for kids.

Sure, many adults went to see the SHREK films and FINDING NEMO, but the majority of adults that did go, went with a kid.

I, on the other had, go to see animated films just to be entertained, not to entertain someone.

A movie is a movie is a movie.

Our first movie this week is SHARK TALE.

SHARK TALE features Will Smith from MEN IN BLACK as the voice of Oscar, a lowly tongue-scrubber at the local Whale Wash.

When a shark accidentally kills himself Oscar just happens to be right there, prompting all of the undersea creatures to believe that Oscar killed the shark himself.

That lie makes Oscar a celebrity and he becomes revered by the general fish population, lusted after by a golddigger, missed by his best friend, hunted by the godfather of great white sharks, and he befriends a vegetarian shark named Lenny, who may or may not be able to make everything alright.

Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger, Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese are just a few of the well known Hollywood stars who lend their voices to this entertaining film.

I was hoping I didn't have to bring it up, but comparisons between SHARK TALE and FINDING NEMO are inevitable. The films both take place under water, and they were released in close proximity of each other.

So, to compare the two head to head, FINDING NEMO is a wonderfully fun film to watch and each one of its scenes gives you something new to see, feel and experience.

SHARK TAKE, on the other hand, is entertaining, and I liked it a lot, but it never excels at anything, and every single thing plays out like you think it will.

That said, it is the performances of the cast of SHARK TALE that make the film better than it is, or better than is should be.

Simply put, FINDING NEMO is a classic, SHARK TALE is now available on video and DVD.

Also now available on DVD - finally - is the two disc Special Edition of the classic film RAGING BULL. This edition has been out in Europe for years, and now we fans of this 1980 Academy Award winner can enjoy it as well.

RAGING BULL is Martin Scorsese's brutal black-and-white biography of self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta. This is the film that Scorsese should have won an Oscar for making as it is a complete knockout of a film!

Robert De Niro plays LaMotta, a man who is just as fascinating as he is pathetic and the fight scenes are astounding. It is not a film that I would recommend to everyone as the language and violence are excessive at times.

But when RAGING BULL was made, Scorsese and DeNiro were at the top of their game, and the result is a classic movie.

The two-disc SPECIAL EDITION features three commentary tracks, a documentary on the writing, casting, and preproduction of the film, an in-depth look at the choreography and the shooting of the fight scenes, a shot-by-shot comparison of De Niro and LaMotta in the ring, newsreel footage of the real LaMotta and much, much more!

For better or for worse, I was able to compare SHARK TALE to FINDING NEMO.

For RAGING BULL there is no comparison.

It stands alone.

A TV show that stood alone in the last part of the 1980's was MIAMI VICE.

MIAMI VICE ran from 1984 until 1989 and was set in and around the seedy side of Miami. The show featured a never-ending array of criminals, drug dealers and lowlifes.

Don Johnson was Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas played Rico Tubbs, but Jan Hammer's unforgettable music was as much a star of the show as any of the actors.

In it's day, MIAMI VICE was a TV show, but it looked and sounded like a movie.

That was due to the fact that it had high production values, featured stylish clothing, and was full of the music from familiar artists of the time like Glenn Frey, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, U2 and Peter Gabriel.

Now, all twenty-two episodes of the first season of the show are available in the three-disc box set MIAMI VICE - SEASON ONE.

I remain a huge MIAMI VICE fan and I enjoyed watching the episodes again.

The show's executive producer was Michael Mann. He is the the director of such films as COLLATERAL, HEAT and THE INSIDER. Mann is working on a feature film version of this iconic show that is set to star Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.

The film is guaranteed to be a lot of fun, but it won't really be MIAMI VICE.

MIAMI VICE will forever be a show firmly rooted in the '80s, thanks to the show itself, and a great new DVD box set.

If you are a fan of old television shows on DVD, the first seasons of NIGHT COURT, THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR and FULL HOUSE are now available as well.

Our final new release this week is the sweet and cliché filled THE NOTEBOOK.

And I won't mince words about this love story based on the popular Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name - I loved it!

It is the kind of movie that made me wish I was in love!

THE NOTEBOOK is about two teenagers and two elder people loving couples in the early 1940s and present-day North Carolina.

As we meet the young pair, he is poor and she is rich, but you can't deny love.

The pleasure in this film is watching the love between the couples, as the juniors meet and fall in love, demonstrating their love at every turn, and how the seniors love is unspoken.

Yes, it is sweet and and it is cliché, but I enjoyed it for what it was - a good movie.

And as I like to say, a movie is a movie is a movie.

THE NOTEBOOK, SHARK TALE, the RAGING BULL - SPECIAL EDITION, the complete first seasons of MIAMI VICE, NIGHT COURT, THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR and FULL HOUSE are all available now at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The Motorcycle Diaries is a portrait of the young communist revolutionary Che Guevara. It is a film that is half buddy-movie, half social commentary.

Also next week, I'll talk about ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, RAY, COLLATERAL, SPIDER-MAN 2 and the other Academy Award nominated films that are now available on video and DVD. Just in case you'd like to see some of them prior to Oscar's big night.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have all of that in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

'Raging Bull' returns to the ring

Raging Bull, considered one of the greatest American films, won neither the Oscar for best picture nor best director for Martin Scorsese in 1981.

The film that won those awards was Ordinary People, while Raging Bull's Robert De Niro won for best actor, and Thelma Schoonmaker won for editing.

That outcome convinced Scorsese that perhaps his destiny was not entwined with an Oscar.

"I said, 'It's OK. Look at the film you got to make.' Certain types of films don't sit well within the system itself. So you just be glad you got to make them."

At 62, Scorsese finds himself on the verge of academy recognition again. The Aviator leads with 11 Oscar nominations, including best director and best picture, going into Feb. 27's Academy Awards.

Today, as part of the campaign to get him that Oscar, a 25th-anniversary edition DVD of Raging Bull is in stores ($30 or $50 as part of The Martin Scorsese Film Collection, which also includes New York, New York, The Last Waltz and Boxcar Bertha).

The DVD is loaded with extras: three commentary tracks and new interviews with Scorsese, De Niro, co-star Joe Pesci and crewmembers and comparison footage of De Niro and boxer Jake LaMotta.

"When the film came out, it got some nice reviews and some bad reviews," Scorsese says. "I was surprised it got (eight) nominations. It was a tough film with its language and action. Ten to 12 years later, people started saying they really liked it. That brought the film to the attention of a new generation."

Raging Bull was voted the greatest film of the '80s in three polls and tied for sixth (with Vittorio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo) on the Top Ten All-Time director's list conducted in 2002 by British film magazine Sight & Sound.

"It may have been the best film of the decade despite the fact that in a lapse of sanity, I put it No. 2 on my list for the year it was released," says film critic Roger Ebert, author of The Great Movies II (Broadway Books, $29.95). He puts the film in his all-time top 10.

For more than five years, De Niro had nagged Scorsese about making a movie based on LaMotta's autobiography. While Scorsese was in the hospital recovering from what he told Playboy magazine was "a period of excess," De Niro told him that he should make the movie because he knew the material: that of a self-destructive personality.

De Niro's physical transformation to play LaMotta through the years was a shape-shifting accomplishment that was followed more recently by Charlize Theron in Monster and Nicole Kidman in The Hours. He dropped to 152 pounds for the lean welterweight LaMotta and ballooned to 212 for the retired version of the character.

Producer Irwin Winkler remembers halting production for several months while De Niro gained the weight. "My office door opened suddenly one day, and there was a very rotund man walking in with a big smile. I was about to throw him out, and it was Bob," Winkler says.

De Niro's intensity as LaMotta could be frightening, such as when he confronts Pesci's character about a rumored affair with LaMotta's wife.

"When he stands up and he looks at his brother, he just became Jake LaMotta. It doesn't even seem like acting," Schoonmaker says.

LaMotta was one of several fatalistic protagonists Scorsese has chronicled, from Mean Streets' Johnny Boy to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle and now The Aviator's Howard Hughes. Like LaMotta, Hughes' story travels "the path I like," Scorsese says. "He had a serious tragic flaw, and there was a price he had to pay for his genius. It's a film about the spectacle of flying and making films, and at the same time, it's about the fear of touching a doorknob."

The Couch Potato Report - February 1st, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, the legend, the man, the movie, RAY!

Oh, and there are two other films too.

In 1980 I went to see a movie called THE BLUES BROTHERS because it co-starred Carrie Fisher from STAR WARS and John Candy of SCTV fame.

I had no idea that The Blues Brothers - as played by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi - were popular characters from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, I went to hear Candy's classic line from the trailer ("We're in a truck") and because, like most young men of that time, I had a crush on Carrie Fisher.

In addition to Candy and the eye candy the movie was also full of some great musicians. Aretha Franklin! Cab Calloway! And Ray Charles!

I was unaware of who Aykroyd and Belushi were and I also didn't know who any of those singers were.

Yet when I went in to a record store not long after seeing the movie I bought the soundtrack album to THE BLUES BROTHERS because I wanted to hear the music again.

Over the years I have watched the movie a few dozen times, but I have listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times.

The movie served as my introduction to Ray Charles. I didn't know him then, but I know him now.

That fact that I know him, admire him, and love his music is what scared me when I sat down to watch RAY, the Hollywood film about Ray Charles life.

Even though the film's director - Taylor Hackford - had produced the great film LA BAMBA about the life of Richie Valens, and he had entertained me with his movies AGAINST ALL ODDS and WHITE NIGHTS, he was also the director who bored me with his recent films PROOF OF LIFE and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE.

So that made me nervous.

Then there was Jamie Foxx, the man given the task of portraying the musical legend.

Foxx had delivered great dramatic turns in ALI, COLLATERAL and ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, but I primarily knew him as a comedian from the TV show IN LIVING COLOUR.

As I sit here right now, I am pleased to tell you that all of my fears were unfounded!

Both Hackford and Foxx highly deserve the Academy Award nominations they received for their work in RAY.

The movie RAY is a warts-and-all look at the man, the musician and the businessman who was Ray Charles.

RAY does celebrate Ray Charles, but it doesn't shy away from his heroin addiction and frequent infidelities. It also doesn't waver in it's goal to detail the hostility that Brother Ray suffered due to the racism of 1950s and '60s in America.

RAY would have been a great film to see due to the man at it's core, but one other reason to watch it is so you can bear witness to the amazing performance of Jamie Foxx in the title role.

For once, all of the hype you are hearing about a performance is completely justified.

Foxx is absolutely amazing in the picture!

Wow! I've been praising RAY for a few minutes already, and I haven't even mentioned the music yet!

Hearing "I Got a Woman," "What'd I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" helped remind me why a movie about Ray Charles was a movie worth making and worth seeing in the first place.

The man had an unprecedented 50-year career, and when we lost him last year, we lost a powerful musician, and a great man.

It was my pleasure to watch it RAY, and I take pride in admitting to you that RAY is a fitting eulogy to a great man.

A man I discovered, when I went to laugh at John Candy and stare at Carrie Fisher.

Thanks for everything, Brother Ray!

I don't have any thanks to give to THE GRUDGE, our next new release this week.

As THE RING was in 2002, THE GRUDE is another Hollywood remake of a successful Japanese horror film. Unlike THE RING, THE GRUDGE won't duplicate the success of the original on this side of the world.

The film is set in Tokyo, where there is an house that looks ordinary enough, but something bad once happened there.

Unaware of the house's issues, people continue to enter, visit and live in the house. Invariably, they end up on the bad end of the house's "grudge."

Sarah Michelle Gellar from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER plays a social worker in this film, but she really isn't given much to do so her work doesn't really add up to much.

In the end THE GRUDGE is just a haunted house film that is full of horror movie clichés.

A cat jumps out at you, weird sounds abound, people go where they shouldn't, and there are more than a few "make you jump" moments.

If you are looking for a very entertaining Hollywood version of a Japanese horror film, just watch THE RING, in fact, the original version of THE RING is much better than the original version of THE GRUDGE as well.

For the record, THE RING TWO will open in theaters at the end of March.

Also at the end of March, major league baseball players will be at training camp getting ready for the 2005 Major League Baseball Season!

In fact, we are less than two weeks away from the opening of Spring Training!!

If you are like me, and you need a baseball fix now, our final new release this week should appease you.

Bernie Mac is the man known as MR. 3000 in the movie of the same name.

Mac plays an unlikable baseball star who is forced to come out of retirement at the age of forty-seven to get three hits in order to get in to the Hall Of Fame.

As he attempts to correct his record, his selfish past returns to haunt him, along with a former flame.

MR. 3000 isn't your basic, 100% predictable sports movie, but it isn't far off.

I liked it, but I wasn't expecting much.

RAY, THE GRUDGE and MR. 3000 are now available at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The animated film SHARK TALE features Will Smith playing a young fish who lies about killing a shark to become a celebrity. Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese also lend their voices to this very entertaining film.

DeNiro and Scorsese didn't just lend their voices to the film RAGING BULL, they gave everything that had to this classic 1980 film. The 2 disc DVD set RAGING BULL - SPECIAL EDITION features a look at what they did, and more.

The three disc box set of MIAMI VICE - SEASON ONE includes all 22 episodes from the 1984-85 season, plus the two-hour pilot; a series introduction by creator Michael Mann and a wealth of features including the series' back story and a look at the music that was included in the show.

If you love TV on DVD, next week will also see the release of THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and FULL HOUSE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

Our final new release next week is THE NOTEBOOK. In this touching love story a young couple in love is forced apart by World War II. Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands and James Garner star.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on THE NOTEBOOK, MIAMI VICE, RAGING BULL, and those other new 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 week on The Couch!

The Couch Potato Report - January 25th, 2005

There is a world of tomorrow in The Couch Potato Report this week, along with some kind of monster, white heat, and 6 people coupling.

No matter how old I am, I will always be fascinated by robots and the world of tomorrow.

Luckily I am not alone in that fascination. There are still many people around the world who would like to have a robot, drive a flying car, or travel to the moon.

For those who share my mindset, there is a new film for you to enjoy called SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW. The film features Jude Law, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Those three big Hollywood names are the stars of the film, but the real star of SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is writer-director Kerry Conran.

Even though movies are a visual medium, one of the things that's missing in movies today is vision. It is very rare in this day and age when a movie comes out that is unique, and unlike anything we've seen before.

There is just too much money to be made from sequels and movies based on old TV shows for people with vision to get their films made.

Happily, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW did get made and it is a technical marvel!

I can say that because there were no actual locations used to make this film. All of the actors did their work on a stage and the sets and events were all digitally created around them.

That is what allows the film to be unique, yet reminiscent of classic works like Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS, the cliffhanger serials of the 30's and 40's, and the INDIANA JONES films. Even STAR WARS is referenced when a pilot is instructed to land on the air carrier's pad 327, the same number the Millennium Falcon lands on in Cloud City.

But I digress.

The story centers on ace pilot "Sk