Archive for month: June, 2011

There’s a couple of swell promotions I’d like to mention today; if you want a good comedy (at least according to the internets) we have a Cedar Rapids for rent at both stores. Big deal you say. Well here’s the thing – it’s only a measly $4.00 to rent! Only four bones you say, what a great deal! And right you would be to say such a thing. Manager’s special we like to call it. We have many (too many actually) copies for your enjoyment. It’s currently rated 85% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomato-meter. Come in and take home some big laughs.

And also we’re partnering up with Biercraft Restaurant and Beer Palace for a terrific deal. Come in to either Black Dog, spend $10.00 (That’s 2 copies of Cedar Rapids plus something else) and walk away with a $5.00 off voucher good for lunch at either Beircraft on Cambie St. and Commercial Drive. Yowsa!

New Releases for Tuesday June 28th

Barney’s Version – Paul Giamatti stars in this adaptation of Canadian author Mordecai Richler’s famous Canadian novel about a hard drinking, big living Canadian lout named Barney. Also stars non-canadians Dustin Hoffman and Minnie Driver (always wondered what happened to Minnie Driver – love that name!)

The Big C – No, it’s not the name (it was originally called “The C-Word,”) which I have been called too much over the course of my life . It’s a pretty good drama/comedy TV series about a woman dealing with a recent diagnosis of cancer in a humorous way. Nothing screams comedy like cancer! Stars the always excellent Laura Linney and Oliver Platt.

Beastly – A kind of modern day Beauty and the Beast tale finds a cocky high-school jerk being transformed by one of those Olsen twin witches into a hideous troll-boy where, you guessed it, he finds the true meaning of beauty (it’s on the inside, with all the guts and stuff).

Bloodworth – Nice looking drama finds crotchety Kris Kristofferson returning home to his white trash roots after 40 years wandering around playin’ his geetar only to find that the family he left behind (puffy Val Kilmer, Hilary Duff etc.) are not so keen on seeing the old coot.

In Search of Sex – Another ensemble cast wanders around (probably New York) either having lots of sex, dealing with the consequences of having lots of sex or just looking to have lots (or even some) sex. Aren’t we all, like, all the time doing this? Did I say that out loud?

Legend of the Fist – Donnie Yen (Ip Man) stars in this historical epic martial arts extravaganza about a famed martial arts dude who wants to infiltrate the powers that be that are helping the Japanese control and brutalize the Chinese back in the day.

Savage – Brutal revenge drama finds a dude revenging on some punks that done him wrong. Love the revenge thrillers. Hope that this one is good. Some of the keywords in the IMDb include, anger, castration, hate, anabolic steroid, tinnitus and social commentary so it has all of that going for it.

Season of the Witch – Nic Cage hams it up with Ron Pearlman as 14th century knights who have to transport a suspected witch somewhere so the monks can have a go at her to determine if she’s the cause of the Black Plague. Word has it that it’s a terrible movie (what Nic Cage in a bad film?!) but it falls into that category of so bad that’s it’s good and quite entertaining. Also on the Blu Ray.

Sucker Punch – What a disaster. How can a film that has dragons, zombie soldiers, killer robots, dirigibles and hot girls in fetish wear turn out to be such a painful movie-going experience? I’ll tell you how – spend all of your money on set deck and costumes and CGI stuff but none of it on script or acting lessons for the barbie dolls you hired to prance through this. I watched the extended Blu Ray cut – looked great and the action fantasy scenes were quite awesome, but the rest of it? Almost unwatchable. I had a finger on the fast forward button for a good chunk. To me it seems that Zack Snyder fell into the Wachowski Brother’s dilemma – trying to up the anti over the previous film, Watchmen for Snyder, Matrix for the Wachowskis, and failing miserably. Hopefully Snyder’s Superman film will get him back on track. On Extended cut Blu Ray and theatrical Blu Ray as well as DVD.

White Irish Drinkers – Heavy family drama set in New York in 1975 that finds a pair of brothers trying to make it on petty crimes and get away from their boozy dad. And it has Karen Allen in it? I thought she was dead. Who knew?

Old stuff Just In

Lord of the Rings – Extended Edition – Blu Rays. (I can’t wait to geek out over these!)
Orlando – DVD

Coming Next Week

Company Men
Ceremony
Hobo with a Shotgun (whoo-hoo!)
Essential Killing
The Warrior’s Way
Shelter
Mega Python vs. Gateroid
Elektra Luxx

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Season of the Witch – only for its badness
Breaking Bad S 3
Louie S 1
The Adjustment Bureau
Unknown
Another Year
True Blood S 3
Treme S 1
Biutiful
I Saw the Devil
Rubber
True Grit
Kisses

Great Job Internets!

You may have seen this but if you haven’t it’s pretty awesome in it’s awesomeness. Seagull cam! http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/25/seagull-steals-video.html

Speaking of revenge films (mentioned earlier in case you’ve already forgotten) here’s a little list from the good folks at Rotten Tomatoes detailing some of their favorite revenge flicks. Nice to see Oldboy in there. I’d add I Saw the Devil – probably the most violent and nasty of the revenge flicks ever made. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/the_big_payback

First World Problems. A rap.

[youtube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2p5svFJ9cQ [/youtube]

Ah! I just realized my kid is finished school on Wednesday! What am I going to do! Yikes. Maybe this will be the summer I introduce him to more sophisticated film fare. We’ll see. Keep watching.

Black Dog Video

I must apologize for the lateness of this week’s edition of the newsletter. I hope that I didn’t ruin anyone’s day or was the cause of stress or sleeplessness. I was on a little holiday to visit the family in the grim hell scape that is southern Ontario. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Toronto and all, but the surrounding area where I grew up is just bleak and hideous now. I spent 30 years in what used to be a lot of farmland, rolling hills and dirt roads about fifty KM east of the big smoke. Driving that area just made me sad as its been transformed into an endless morass of strip malls, big box nightmares, fake Irish pubs and row upon row of ugly, obscenely huge homes that all resemble one another. Really made me yearn for lovely Vancouver.

What I wasn’t expecting when I returned was the damn hockey team to still be playing. That said I’ll be watching the game tonight (maybe followed by a flick) with anticipation. Even if they lose it’s been quite the ride these past couple of months and it is still quite the feat to make it to game seven of the finals. Good Job!

Just a reminder to all of you non-hockey fans out there that, a) thank you all for being non-hockey fans, and b) it’s five old films for $8.00 today. Enjoy no matter what you do.

Oh and another reminder, it’s car free day this Sunday on the Drive. So get out and enjoy!

Today’s newsletter will be a bit abbreviated only to return in its full glory next week.

New Releases for Yesterday the 14th of June

Battle: Los Angeles – Aliens from another world decide to invade Los Angeles for some reason. Big budget special effects thing plays out like a poor man’s Black Hawk Down and even poorer man’s District 9 had a threesome with a skanky Independance Day. Lots of running around, plenty of things blowin’ up real good and a barrage of cliches make this, well, somewhat passable entertainment for those of you who like this kind of thing. I usually do but I’d like to see an alien invasion flick where the aliens don’t always look like confusing, tentacled slime creatures. On the DVD and the Blu Ray.

Hall Pass – Remember when the Farrelly brother’s used to make good films? Or what passed for good films for them? Something About Mary? Kingpin? Well here’s what there up to today. Still doing the raunchy comedy thing, but are they any good? You tell me. Don’t know much about this one except that it stars Owen Wilson (just work with Wes Anderson please) and some other guy who get free passes from their wives to knock boots (love that expression) with other women for some reason. On DVD and the Blu Ray.

Kill the Irishman – Pretty good true crime tale of an Irish mobbish kind of guy in Cleveland in the 70’s whose enemies keep trying to kill him and blow him up and stuff. Great cast, Ray Stevenson and a wig that should be nominated for something, maybe a Razzie, Christopher Walken, Vincent D’Onofrio and a whole bunch of Sopranos. Worth a look.

The Other Woman – Heavy sounding drama about a guy who has an affair with Natalie Portman. Poor bastard. Complications ensue when there’s a pregnancy involved. Damn kids, ruin everything!

Red Riding Hood – Take on the Red Riding Hood tale (can’t you tell by the title?) starring the lovely Amanda Seyfried who gets into trouble with some werewolves on her way to grandma’s house. John Hurt is along for the ride to chew scenery and embarrass himself. On the Blu Ray as well.

Scenesters – Some hip LA hipsters try to catch a serial killer who’s offing young hip LA hipsters. Supposed to be OK but don’t hold me to that.

Sweet Karma – Trashy looking exploitation fare has a mute Russian girl in her underwear (just look at the box if you don’t believe me) who infiltrates the Toronto underground sex trade to avenge her sister or find her sister or something like that. Sounds like my kind of filth.

Undertow – A married fisherman struggles with his identity and his devotion to his gay lover in this ghostly tale set in a small Peruvian fishing village. Didn’t think I was going to say that did you? Word has it that this is an excellent little ditty.

On the Shelves Nest Week

Film Socialism
Funkytown
Happythankyoumoreplease
Bedways
West is West
Day of the Triffids
Cedar Rapids
Unknown
The Butcher’s Son
Adjustment Bureau
Time that Remains
Louie Season 1
The Eagle
Legend of the Fist

Recently Viewed and Recommended

True Grit
Kill the Irishman
Breaking Bad S. 3
Rubber
Another Year
Biutiful
True Blood Season 3
Kisses
Found Footage Festival #5
Down Terrace

So it seems that not too many of you were all that interested in the last contest that we had. So I’ll give you one more chance. I have three films to give away, Passion Play, Kaboom and The Prey or Proie. (You can look them up on the IDMB if you so choose). All you have to do is come into the store and say “Arby’s” if you want a Passion Play (that’s because it stars Mickey Rourke and I think that after all of his bad surgery he kind of looks like an Arby’s sandwich), “Kaboom!” if you want a copy of Kaboom and “Killer Pig” if you want a copy of The Prey. Let’s see how that goes.

That’s it for this week folks. Enjoy the hockey. Two teams, one cup! And don’t forget about us.

Black Dog Video