From the Couch Hole: ‘Cause You Have Friends

Previously on FTCH, it was a blue Monday after the funeral for Sister Jaime because of a separation from the housemaid. This week I’m learning some new routines. There’s a television and a couch, so I can start to create Couch Hole Vol. 2. It was an actual fall week with temps in the 50s and 60s; I have missed this season. This week Clayface, a serious man, had an insidious word for Carrie in Dramatic Arts. It was “Don’t Give Up” on the chipotle honey pretzels. Remember, at FTCH, for the next hour, sit quietly, and we will control all that you see and hear.

Pop Culture Ephemera

• Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) (Directed by James Wan): “In my line of work, things tend to happen when it gets dark.” – Young Elise Rainier. I had read a number of reviews after watching the first one that claimed this sequel to be better than the first entry. I’m glad it’s called Chapter 2, but it’s really closer to More of Chapter 1. We introduced more to “The Further” which is a close relative to “The Upside Down.” The film picks up where the last one left off, but not so close that the characters don’t spend time talking about the events of the first film as a way to recap it for the viewers. The Poltergeist elements of the first one are thrown aside in favor of more elements of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film complicates the mythology so much that any comprehensive explanation of the history and the rules of the possession are impossible. A good alternate title might eve be Insidious: The Jump Scare because most of the scares come from exceptionally loud musical cues that make a character gasp or scream. There’s so much less goodness here, but they kept making them, and I’m genuinely curious how they made sense out of this entry.

Buy Insidious: Chapter 2

• Carrie – “Dramatic Arts” (Amazon) (S.1 E.4) (2026): “But there’s so much anger out there already… Isn’t it… better to try to keep a smile on your face and… put that kind of energy out there instead?” – Carrie White. We’re reached the halfway point of Season One. This is the strongest episode of the season so far. The elements of bullying, self doubt, and manipulation have reached a breaking point. The writing better pay off or I’ll be really mad. The end of the episode where Carrie turns back to her mother to save her from the cruelty of the girls, that’s an ignition point. The show has moved further away from the book in terms of plot each episode, but in many ways, it’s clinging to the most basic themes of the book. The first half has put it among my favorite shows of the year. I hope it continues.

Buy Peter Gabriel – So

• Peter Gabriel (feat. Kate Bush) – “Don’t Give Up” (from So) (1986): “Thought that we’d be last to go / It is so strange the way things turn.” Knowing Peter Gabriel from his time with Genesis and even more familiar with his first four studio albums, the complete breakout of So was unexpected. This song showed that he hadn’t turned his back on his artistic sensibilities. The song revolves around the conversation between a man suffering and a woman trying to keep them together. The strength of the progression of the song is that it can be interpreted so many ways. It works as a battle against depression as well as an internal struggle with chemical dependency. Kate Bush’s vocals are angelic, and I can’t imagine any other artist filling the role against Gabriel’s vocals.

• A Serious Man (2009) (Directed by Coen Brothers): “I don’t want Santana Abraxas! I’ve just been in a terrible auto accident!” – Larry Gopnik. There are a number of parables in the film, and that lends itself to this being a retelling of the suffering of Job. I mean, the first five to ten minutes of the film is in Yiddish and tells a story that has nothing to do with the rest of the film. The serious man is Larry Gopnik played well by Michael Stuhlbarg. His life is falling apart and Larry trying to make sense of it, from the Torah through to a theory of his brother, The Uncertainty Principle. This Coen Bros. story has many autobiographical elements, with many characters based upon ones they grew up with. It’s not your typical Coen Bros. film. I don’t think we are supposed to worry about the plot as much as just watching the characters. It’s funny but not in the way that Fargo or Raising Arizona are funny. You won’t laugh out loud, but you’ll internally chuckle. I missed this in 2009, and I’m back here now because it was ranked as the 36th Best Film of the 20th Century by The New York Times. I probably need another viewing to really appreciate it. I’m not sure right now after a first viewing that it would make my Coen Bros. Top Ten.

Buy A Serious Man

• Clayface (2026) (Directed by James Watkins): “It’s just skin, a very small part of who we are.” It’s going to be hard to make a film starring a DC villain and not be compared to Joker (2019). What we got was more akin to Son of Substance. The story that Mike Flanagan writes is closer to the body-horror films of the past few years and less in common with the version of Matt Hagen that I loved in Batman: The Animated Series. Much of the surface plot stretches back even further to the misunderstood monsters of the Golden Age of Hollywood, but as the story devolves into a gooey mess, I was brought back to The Fly (1986).
  
  Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, an actor and the future Clayface. After a disfigurement by a Gotham gangster, Matt seeks out Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). The story up until the point Matt is “cured” has many promising elements. It’s the last half of the film, particularly the last quarter where they don’t lean into any of the chances to make a deeper lesson. There are stories about AI, surface beauty in our society, and even a cautionary tale about modern medical research. Instead, the film chooses to become a cruel, gore fest that wants to up the ante with every kill. It feels out of character after the set up to devolve into a more traditional revenge flick. I am worried that Mike Flanagan’s version of Carrie (Amazon) is relying on too many cruel scenes to keep the viewer’s attention. In the end, this didn’t have the panache of Joker and it will likely be a footnote once the next DC Comics films arrive.

Buy Batman Arkham: Clayface

Best of the Rest

• The perfect Alternative Universe musical release is that instead of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, it’s Willie Nelson and Sinead O’Connor who release “Don’t Give Up.” Both Nelson and O’Connor had reached a point in their careers where they were known best for stripped-down cover versions of songs. Recorded in 1992, right after O’Connor’s Saturday Night Live ban, Nelson stood up for Sinead, in a very unpopular move. The song takes on more of a fight against depression and unfair treatment by society in the hands of these two. It’s more powerful with the backstory of the times, but even without that, it stands as a strong cover for two artists known for good cover versions.

• In 2010, Herbie Hancock tweaked some of the basics of “Don’t Give Up” and created another similar but rewarding version of the song. The piano reflects Hancock’s jazz background, but the musical star is Jeff Beck’s guitar work on the song. John Legend sounds remarkably similar to Peter Gabriel, but adds just the soul touch that this version needed. Pink isn’t on the same level as Sinead or Kate, but I appreciate how she supports Legend’s suffering here. The song is more of a piece about overcoming challenges than the original love song.

• There’s so much to love about Somebody, Somewhere (HBO). I knew at the end of the first episode when they flipped the vocals on “Don’t Give Up” to let Bridget Everett sing the Gabriel part that I would love this show. Then when Jeff Hiller sings “don’t give up because you have friends,” there’s such a rush of warm feelings that I was hooked. Maybe the secret is that this song is about friendship.

Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback

• Sunday Morning Tuneage from 11/14/2010, one of the rare weeks without sports for the boys in the year. Basketball practices would start the following week. Weeds (SHO) was finishing another season that I was behind on and still haven’t finished the show today. CBS had moved The Big Bang Theory to Thursdays this season, which would seem to be bad advice. With typical CBS luck, the show somehow became even more popular. The list for the week is random, but I think I’ve seen some more options to mix it up a bit.
  
  My #41 Top TV Show of All-Time was The Prisoner (ITV) (1967-1968): The adventures of Number Six is worth the trip, even though the seventeen-episode journey is rushed and unclear at the end. I didn’t understand much about the show, having initially been exposed to it out of order and without context. When I finally went through it in order, I understood that its influence might be more important than the actual show. I would still recommend it, but I might not rank it this high any longer. It has had an overly large influence on shows from Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, David Lynch and more. You can see the first threads of shows that will allow a story to unfold in a less traditional way, emphasis on the allegorical elements.
  
  BEST DINO De LAURENTIIS PRODUCED FILMS OF ALL-TIME (2010)
  • 10. Orca (1977)
  • 9. King Kong (1976)
  • 8. Flash Gordon (1980)
  • 7. La Strada (1954)
  • 6. Halloween II (1981)
  • 5. Army of Darkness (1992)
  • 4. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
  • 3. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
  • 2. Serpico (1973)
  • 1. Blue Velvet (1986)
    
• BEST DINO De LAURENTIIS PRODUCED FILMS OF ALL-TIME (2026)
  • 10. Danger: Diabolik (1968): Directed by Mario Bava on a tight budget, since De Laurentiis moved all of his money into that year’s other superhero film, Barbarella (1968). This is style over substance, but it’s a style that would influence directors for the next few decades.
  • 9. Conan the Barbarian (1982) Directed by John Milius. Arnold’s best cast role next to the Terminator. This film decided to lean into the violence more than it probably needed to, which limited the audience of what could have been a huge film.
  • 8. Year of the Dragon (1985) Directed by Michael Cimino. At the time, this film was more associated with Heaven’s Gate (1980) than The Deer Hunter (1978), but in retrospect, this is a really well-constructed film. It’s aged well in reputation, but I liked it from seeing it in theaters upon original release.
  • 7. Evil Dead II (1987): Directed by Sam Raimi. Sam and friends were not in great shape after Crimewave (1985). Word is that a crew member mentioned to Stephen King that the boys wanted to make a sequel but didn’t have enough money. A fan of the first film, Stephen called Dino and the film was financed.
  • 6. La Strada (1954): Directed by Federico Fellini. Even though De Laurentiis and Fellini didn’t even really seem to like each other, they produced some incredible films. This gave both Fellini and De Laurentiis fame after the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
  • 5. Serpico (1973): Directed by Sidney Lumet. Dino found himself living in New York City. He made a huge investment in rights to an unpublished book. He made his next best decision by hiring Lumet to direct and Pacino to star.
  • 4. King Kong (1976): Directed by John Guillermin. Between Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977), there was one blockbuster that dominated my world. This huge budget film could never have lived up to the hype, but it’s still today a really fun version of the story. Jessica Lange is perfectly cast.
  • 3. Dune (1984): Directed by David Lynch. Dino wanted to create his own Star Wars franchise. He picked the wrong source material and the wrong director, and along the way, he created one of the best cult hits of the ’80s. His pick of Lynch was even questioned at the time. I feel like if Lynch directed it 20 years later, it would have been heralded as a masterpiece.
  • 2. The Dead Zone (1983): Directed by David Cronenberg. Dino was interested in acquiring more material and found a trove of ideas from Stephen King. They would be associated together with Cat’s Eye (1985), Firestarter (1984), and Maximum Overdrive (1986). The best was this adaptation by Cronenberg. It’s very close to the book and found another perfect mix of director and star (Christopher Walken).
  • 1. Blue Velvet (1986): Directed by David Lynch. This surreal story of suburbia would come to define Lynch. It came as part of the three-picture deal for Dune where Dino thought he was sealing up the director for a Dune sequel and one independent film when Dune would hit it big. Lynch didn’t have a huge budget, but he had the final cut. The rest is history.

Buy Blue Velvet (Criterion Collection)

1976 in Review

• November – Superman #305 (DC Comics): “I will first destroy all the souvenirs… all the memories of your life’s work– …just as you’ve destroyed mine! And then… I will destroy… …you! ” – Toyman. Cover by Ernie Chan. Written by Cary Bates. Art by Curt Swan. The first Toyman returns and kills the second Toyman. There was another subplot about more Bizarros, but this villain was always a tune out for me.
• November 2 – Democrat Jimmy Carter defeats Republican Gerald Ford 297-240 by holding almost every Southern state and losing almost every state west of the Mississippi.
• November 13-19 – TV Guide. Dorothy Hamill was the breakout darling of the 1976 Winter Olympics. The goal was to turn that fame into a television career. She is ultimately probably remembered more for that wedge haircut, but she did appear in some high-profile television specials including dancing and singing (and skating) with Gene Kelly.

What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?

“Rest your head
You worry too much
It’s going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us” – Peter Gabriel