Archive for year: 2012

Well it’s been an onslaught of relatively bad news coming down the proverbial pike this past little while (and that doesn’t include sitting in a cat-piss soaked blanket first thing this morning and blowing out my ankle playing hockey the other night). Looks like the Ridge Theatre is slated for demolition. So sad, as it was a fine theatre that had been around since the 50’s. I hadn’t been in a while since they strayed away from some of their more eclectic programming but I liked that it was always there. That, in addition to the closing of my favorite sushi restaurant, Aki, and the problems the Rio is experiencing, has made for a no-so-great start for Vancouver this year. At least this week is an excellent week for DVD releases. That’s something, right?

Oh and don’t forget that the DVD sale continues at both stores this week. I’m hoping to add more to the coffers at both locations later this week so keep your eyeballs peeled.

Kids are out of school for a couple of weeks. You know what that means…drop by, grab a few flicks for the kids and a bottle of schnapps for yourself.

New Releases for Tuesday March 13th

Absentia – Half-decent looking horror number about a woman who’s husband mysteriously disappeared seven years ago, so her and her sister think it might have something to do with a weird tunnel behind their house. Well duh. It took them seven years to check out the weird tunnel in their backyard? Only in horror films…

Adventures of Tintin – Senior Spelbiergo’s animated treatment of the beloved cartoon guy. Never read any Tintin so I can’t say much about it. Well, that and I haven’t seen the flick. Heard it’s pretty good though. Also on the Blu Ray.

Bag of Bones – Latest Stephen King adaptation (I think that’s about the 308th adaptation of a Stephen King work) finds a writer (dreamy Pierce Brosnan) returning to his Maine (has King every travelled outside of Maine?) cabin by the lake following his wife’s sudden death. Ghosts and nightmares and weird fridge magnets ensue. Typical King stuff.

The Descendants – The Clooney is living in Hawaii (oh poor George) and has to deal with his daughters after his wife is injured in a boating accident. Doesn’t sound like much but it’s from the Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) and was nominated for a pile of Oscars. I’m hoping for good things. Also on the Blu Ray.

Dish and the Spoon – Nice little indy number finds Greta Gerwig, reeling from an affair her husband had, hatching a plan of revenge with the aide of weird teenager. Weird teenager? What?!

Happy Feet Two – Freaking more dancing penguins. Ask ask you, why? Strangely it’s from the same director who made the Road Warrior! Also on the Blu Ray for some reason.

The Killing – American miniseries based on the (probably) far superior Danish miniseries of the same name. Seems like it’s a crime thing as investigators try to solve a murder. A murder most foul!

Melancholia – Nazi aficionado (hah!) Lars Von Trier brings us the end of the world as he know it. Cool. Worth the price of admission alone for the striking images at the beginning and the end of the film. Everything in between is pretty good although I grew a tad weary of Kirsten Dunst’s moping around. Charlotte Gainsbourg rocks in this flick. Well worth a look as it was one of last year’s most interesting and better films. Also on the Blu Ray of course.

My Week with Marilyn – Solid drama the checks in on one Marilyn Monroe as she hangs and acts with one Lawrence Olivier as they make The Prince and the Showgirl. Acting is the prize of the day here as Michelle Williams throws down a fine Marilyn and Kenneth Branagh plays a great Sir Larry. Also on the Blu Ray.

Scooby-Doo: Music of the Vampire – Ruh-roh! Something’s afoot for the Mystery Machine gang. Nothing a few Scooby snacks won’t cure I’m sure.

Shades of Ray – Comedy drama finds an American guy who finds his Pakistani dad at this place after being turfed by his wife. Can you say culture clash? Drama and comedic hijinks, I presume, ensue.

Stuck Between Stations – Yes it is indeed based upon that fine Hold Steady song. Former high school classmates reunite by chance during a chaotic party-filled evening. “If it’s going to be that kind of party, then I’m going to stick my dick in the mashed potatoes!”

@suicideroom – A dude spirals into the dark nether regions of the internet after an embarrassing moment at a party or something like that. Supposed to be a pretty good “cautionary tale” of a life online. The internet’s going to kill us all!

The Swell Season – Music doc that follows the kids from the film Once as they tour around with their band, fall in love, out of love, deal with fame, life on the road, bad food and everything in between.

Three Musketeers – Because the other 34 adaptations of this story weren’t good enough. I haven’t seen it but I can’t stop saying the lead’s name – Logan Lerman. Say it. It’s fun. Logan Lerman. Hee-hee.

Thorne: Scaredy Cat – The second adaptation of the mystery crime fighting guy. Supposed to be quite good.

Young Adult – Very good comedy/drama finds Charlize Theron as a more-than-somewhat unhinged writer who goes back to her hometown to woo back her high school flame. Problem is, he has a nice wife and a fresh baby. Many uncomfortable conversations and situations and whatnot ensue. Patton Oswalt kills it as a broken man who she barely remembers from back in the day. One of the better flicks I’ve seen this year. Check it out. Also on da Blu Ray.

Old Stuff Just In…

Rubin and Ed (Yay!) “I am king of the echo people!” “My cat can eat a whole watermelon.”

Coming Next Week

Carnage
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Proie
The Muppets
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Sitter
Hop

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Young Adult
Melancholia
Game of Thrones – S1
Nurse Jackie – S3
Shameless – S1
The Descendants
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Drive
Our Day will Come
50/50

Here’s an interesting tidbit you might be interested in;

Who’s a fan of the original Planet of the Apes? Everyone? I thought so. Well here’s some home footage that Roddy McDowell shot on the set and what not not. Cool beans…http://youtu.be/lCm74dnwujk

That’s it for this week folks. Oh and thanks to all of you who brought in food for the food bank last week, even the person who brought in a small can of tuna to erase their $8.00 late charge. At least it wasn’t a can of creamed eels.
Have a great week everyone.

Black Dog Video

Well it seems that the pinheads at the Liquor Control Board are insisting on giving the Rio Theatre an ongoing hard time over this silly licensing bugaboo. For some crazy reason, they’ve now pulled all of the Rio’s movie programming weeks after reinstating it. I don’t understand at all what is going on. To make matters even worse, the fools at the Liquor Board have taken away any special occasion licensing for any theatre in town! So no wine and cheese during the film festival or for special screenings. Why, I have to ask? What is their problem with this? And to rub it in even further, they’ve granted a license to some stupid MMA event in some nightclub! So let’s see, the Liquor Board is concerned about public safety issues with people enjoying a beer while watching a film but it has no problem with serving booze at a violent live spectacle? Makes sense. Let’s all help out this fabulous theatre. Contact: Minister Rich Coleman, , AND Premier Christy Clark,

Also the big DVD sale continues at both stores this week. There will be a new pile of films – I believe the comedy section is ripe for pruning – at the Commercial store tomorrow and I hope to get the cult section at Cambie on Thursday.

Oh and remember to “like” us on Facebook to keep up on the latest video store news including late films hitting the shelves, trailers for stuff we think is cool and whatever else we can drag up off the interwebs… https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Dog-Video/304308199618380

And last but not least – a big thanks to everyone who voted us Best DVD Rental Store in the Westender’s best of the year poll. Although there doesn’t seem to be much competition left (we finished ahead of a store that is not even open anymore!), it’s still much appreciated and makes us feel like we’re doing some good work.

New Releases for Tuesday February 28th

Agnosia – Strange sounding Spanish gothic-thriller, love story, espionage mystery and a few other genres thrown in for good measure about a woman suffering from the title affliction which renders her senses useless. I like my senses so that would pretty much suck! Go senses! From the producers and/or writers Pans Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.

Gamin Au Velo – AKA The Kid on a Bike – From the great Dardenne brothers (The Son, Lorna’s Silence) comes this tale of a a hairdresser who takes under her wing a kid who is living at a state run youth farm (I guess they’re growing youths there?) after being abandoned by his no-goodnick father.

Hugo – Visually amazing but vaguely disappointing effort (needed more Joe Pesci) from some director named Scorsese. Story follows a kid who lives in a train station in Paris (for some reason everyone has English accents) who discovers that French film pioneer George Méliès, played by Sexy Beast Sir Ben Kingsley, is running a toy shop in the train station. Film is too long but it’s nice to look at and is a loving homage to the movies. I was told that this is good for kids – maybe older kids as I don’t know how many 6 – 7 year-olds would be interested in the birth of French cinema. Also on the gorgeous Blu Ray.

Insight – After a nurse gets electrocuted by a wonky defibrillator she’s applying to a dying murder victim, she starts to have the dead woman’s memories. So she does what all of us have done when confronted by this situation – she goes about trying to solve the crime. If this were a documentary I think I’d be more inclined to watch it. Alas…

Johnny English: Reborn – I don’t remember anyone asking for another freaking Johnny English film! Isn’t Rowan Atkinson getting a little long in the tooth to still be doing this slapstick schtick? Ugh.

Justice League: Doom – Some guy named Vandal Savage steals confidential files Batman has compiled on the members of the Justice League to learn all their weaknesses. This is an animated flick for all you super hero nerds out there. You know who you are.

Klitschko – While the title does sound kind of naughty, this is actually a doc about a pair of Russian/German boxer brothers. Brother boxers? Supposed to be pretty good for those of you who enjoy the sweet science.

Mandrill – Fun looking James Bond/Kung Fu actiony hybrid from Chile of all places, finds a kid who grows up to be a ruthless bounty hunter seeking revenge on the thugs who murdered his parents. He calls himself Mandrill. Enough said.

Notre Jour Viendra – AKA Our Day Will Come – First film from the son of Costa-Gravas is a weird violent surreal road flick. I’ve heard from reliable sources that it’s quite an excellent time. And with some plot keywords like full-frontal male nudity, red hair and hot tub, how could you go wrong? (Thanks IMDB!)

Rabies – Strange sounding horror film from Israel (yes you read that right) about a brother and sister who run away from home and find sanctuary in a deserted nature reserve. There they meet a psychopathic killer (what other kind might you be expecting?), a group of young tennis players, a ranger and his dog, as well as a team of bickering policemen. And with some plot keywords that include; brother-sister incest, fingering, alternative lifestyle, dog and finger bang, how could you go wrong? (Thanks IMDB!)

Woody Allen: A Documentary – Title pretty much sums it up I think. Really long doc covering Woody’s long and storied (and weird and creepy) career. Say what you will about him, he’s one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

Old Stuff Just In

Friday Night Lights – The Complete Series

Foyle’s War – Season 2-5 (We now have the complete series)

Skins Season 3 and 4 (At Commercial, coming soon to Cambie)

The Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection – Includes The Big Boss, The Italian Connection, Caliber 9, Rulers of the City

Coming Next Week

Game of Thrones Season 1
Skin I Live In
Animals United
Footloose
Senna
Immortals
MI-5 Volume 10
Jack and Jill
Like Crazy
I Melt with You

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Notre Jour Viendra – AKA Our Day Will Come
Hugo – mild recommendation
Martha Marcy May Marlene
50/50
Drive
Paranormal Activity 3
Cell 211
The Thing
Harold and Kumar: A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Take Shelter

That’s it for this week, people. They say it’s going to snow tomorrow so the best thing you can do is not go to work or school, get some flicks, a bottle of schnapps and hunker down till the storm passes.

Black Dog Video

It’s Valentine’s day if you needed reminding. You may have noticed the onslaught of advertising, articles in print, on the TV and on the interwebs (hell, there’s even a Valentine’s Day cartoon on the telly as I write this!). There’s a lot of money to be made today. Are you spending appropriately? I’m really not as cynical as I sound, it’s just that Valentine’s Day is one of those manufactured type holidays like Christmas or Easter or Arbour Day, that all vie for your hard earned bucks and that I just can’t get behind. I’m not going out to dinner, buying some diamonds or a car or wearing sexy underwear (well no more sexy than usual) today. For those of you that are, enjoy and I hope it works out for you. After all isn’t the point of Valentine’s Day is to get laid? I feel bad for those of you who are single only for the fact that Valentine’s Day works hard to exclude you. I say screw ’em, go ahead and treat yourself. If ya know what I mean (wink wink). Anyways, sprinkled like so much erotic pixie dust on the fetid blanket of love throughout today’s newsletter are some things that you probably shouldn’t do if you want to bed the object of your affections.

Oh and the big blow-out DVD and Blu Ray sale continues at both stores today. Just added a fresh crop of films to the Cambie pile yesterday – mostly actiony type flicks and will be throwing in a pile of films tomorrow – I think foreign films are the order of the day – at Commercial Drive.

Thinking of a special gift for that special someone. Here’s some special gifts that you really shouldn’t be giving anyone… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/valentines-day gifts-photos_n_1266626.html#s679380&title=Candy_Underwear

New Releases for Tuesday February 14th

3 – From Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) comes this drama about a couple who start having an affair with the same fella. Might a frighteningly set of awkward circumstances arise from this arrangement? Hmmm….

Assaut (Assault) – French thriller about a true life hijacking of a plane (is there any other kind of hijacking?) by some Algerian Islamic group. Think United 93 or Airplane. Your choice.

The Big Picture – Intense French thriller about a guy who kills his wife’s lover and then assumes the dead guy’s identity. I wonder how hard it would be to assume someone’s identity? Who’s would I assume? George Clooney? No, I think that it would have to be someone less famous. Character actor Charles Durning? I should give this some thought.

The Dead – Zombie flick set in Africa finds the survivor of a plane crash fleeing the undead. He teams up with another dude and together they fight for survival in the lovely African wilderness. Heard some good things about this one. I do enjoy a good zombie flick I must say. Brains….Also on the Blu Ray.

Elite Squad – The Enemy Within – Amazing sequel to the well received Brazilian flick Elite Squad from a couple of years back. This one deals with prison riots, corrupt politicians (are there really any other kinds?), and paramilitary groups. I was hoping to check out this number on the weekend but failed miserably. Also on the Blu Ray

The Future is Now! – Waking Life type flick follows “Man of Today” on his quest to find the “Woman of Tomorrow”. Maybe they’ll have the “Baby of Yesterday”. Along the way he meets a myriad of strange interesting characters. Hmmm. Not too sure what to make of this. Might be a good intellectual exercise or it might be a bunch of pretentious twaddle. Only one way to find out I suppose. Is the future really now? Or is that the past already? How about now?! Now?

How to Die in Oregon – What sounds like a pretentious indie gangster hipster beardo flick is actually a documentary on the right to assisted suicide in the state of Oregon. Looking for something for Valentine’s Day were you? Look no further.

The Mill and the Cross – Rutger Hauer stars as painter Pieter Bruegel and this weird but cool looking film that steps inside the famous painting and follows some of the characters found there. Hobo with a paint brush. Also on the Blu Ray.

Nude Nuns with Big Guns – Best title (in name anyways) of the year so far. Do I really need to go into detail? OK I will. Sister Sarah is abused, degraded and drugged to the point of death by the evil clergy for some reason. God tells her to take revenge so she does. What did you expect, Driving Miss Daisy? Some plot keywords found on the IMDB include; No Panties, Sapphism, Nunsploitation, Two Women In A Bath Tub, God’s Will, Shot In The Penis, Evil Priest, Drum Magazine, Redistribution Of Sex, Severed Penis, Shot In The Forehead, Lesbian Nun, and Pubic Hair. Happy Valentine’s Day. Also on the Blu Ray (Cambie Store only).

The Rum Diary – Hard act to follow after that last title. Johnny Depp stars as journalist Paul Kemp who takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1950s. Much drinking and hedonism and drinking occur. Directed by Brice Robinson (Withnail and I) and written by Hunter S. Thompson (before he died I think). Also on the Blu Ray.

Take Shelter – Big-headed Michael Shannon (like really, have you seen the size of his head? I think it has it’s own area code) stars as a big-headed man who may or may not be losing his mind. Lots of cool imagery, intense scenes and outstanding acting elevate this “disease of the week” flick into something pretty cool and almost awesome. There will be interesting conversations/debates about what happens at the end. Want me to tell the ending? Well it involves UFO’s, Nazis and women’s undergarments. I’ll just leave it at that.

A few older titles hitting the shelves this week

Fascination – http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/53475/fascination/
Lips of Blood – http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/53473/lips-of-blood/
The Iron Rose – http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/53466/iron-rose-the/
Dressed to Kill – Blu Ray – http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/50810/dressed-to-kill/

Maybe you were thinking of getting a special photograph or two of you and your lover for this special day? This may change your mind…http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/02/13/afp-valentines-slideshow/

Coming Next Week

Weeds Season 7
Fireflies on the Garden
Nurse Jackie Season 3
The Way
Puncture
Fades Season 1
Cafe de Flore
Rebound
Retreat
Puss in Boots
London Boulevard
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Underbelly Season 1
Tower Heist
J. Edgar

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Take Shelter
Drive
50/50
Moneyball
Ides of March
The Guard
Paranormal Activity 3
Harold and Kumar: A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
Robot Chicken Star Wars V3
Boardwalk Empire Season 1

If you’re looking for a sweet recommendation for a nice romantic flick for the evening, don’t look here as it’s not really my realm but I can lead you away from stuff you definitely should NOT watch. Here’s a movie site appropriately titled Ten Terrible Date Movies. I can think of a few to add to the list – I Spit on Your Grave, MS 45, Death Wish, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Nekromantik…Any you might want to add? http://movies.ign.com/articles/121/1218320p1.html

Anyways, that’s it for this very special Valentine’s edition of the newsletter. I hope that you enjoyed it and will be enjoying some quality films this week. Stay healthy, stay sexy.

Black Dog Video

I imagine by now that most of you have heard about the ongoing battle the fabulous Rio Theatre has had with the liquor control board. Well it seems that the powers that be have come one step closer to putting the famed theatre out of business. Soon after being granted the much sought after liquor license for the live shows and special events that they put on at the Rio, they were informed that they could not show films in the theatre ever again! The Liquor Control fools cited some lame antiquated law that states, for some reason, that one could not serve booze in a movie theatre. The thing is, besides the point that one should be able to buy booze at the moves, the Rio wasn’t planning on selling alcohol during movies times! I just don’t get why this is happening. The good folks at the Rio have taken up the fight and you can help out as well. Here’s a link to online petitions and where to send emails requesting that this utterly stupid law be reviewed and ultimately overturned. Please take a moment to help out the best movie house in town…http://riotheatre.ca/

New Releases for Tuesday January 24th

50/50 – Cancer comedy and drama all rolled into one! Nothing says funny like cancer! Actually from what I hear this is quite an excellent little number. The always swell Joseph Gordon-Levitt finds out he has the cancer and with the help of his bumbling sidekick, Seth Rogan, sets out to beat the shit out of cancer. Filmed in town here – they did a scene outside of the Black Dog on Commercial but I don’t know if we have a cameo in it or not as I haven’t had a chance to check the film out yet. Also on the Blu Ray.

Buck – Acclaimed doc about a dude who’s a real “horse whisperer”. I tried being a “cat whisperer” once but all I got out of it was indignation, contempt and outright hostility from my cat (Pork Hand is one of her many names).

French Immersion – French Canadian comedy about some English speaking folk who find themselves somewhere in rural Quebec where nobody speaks the English. A clash of cultures, I presume, ensue.

Happy Happy – Comedy/drama form Norway (good stuff coming out of Norway lately) finds a bored lonely sexy housewife (do tell!) becoming infatuated with the new sexy neighbors who have just moved in across the street. Sexual hijinks and uncomfortable situations, I presume, ensue. This is going to be a hot renter just judging by the cover art. Come in to the stores and see what I mean.

Hell and Back Again – Heavy duty doc follows a dude back from Afghanistan (the war part that is) as he tries to adjust to relatively normal society. As the director describes it – “It is a masterpiece in the cinema of war.”

Paranormal Activity 3 – While I did enjoy the first two installments in this series, (I haven’t had a chance to see this one yet) but I’m afraid that these films might slip into the Saw franchise category – lots of films but who gives a rat’s ass? That said, I will watch this one because I found the first two quite frightening and quite effective although the premise is getting stretched a little thin – how many people set up that may cameras in their home for little or no reason?. Also on the Blu Ray.

Real Steel – Wolverine stars in this futuristic, inspiring tale about people who build giant robots to fight each other. Guess that there’s nothing better to do in the future. Now if the premise included the robots running amok and ripping people’s heads and arms off and stuff instead of teaching robots how to fight and dance and mix drinks I may be interested. I should get back to work making my butler robot, although I’m afraid that it may become self aware and rip off my head and arms.

Restless – This number finds a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII. How romantic. I imagine that there will be tears jerked out of your eyes while watching this. Also on the Blu ray.

Shut Up Little Man – Ever want to record sound bites you hear around the town? Well this doc finds some dudes who record the fights, squabbles and tantrums thrown by their neighbors. Good times.

Swastika – Gripping doc about Nazi’s and propaganda and what not. Ahhh, can we ever get our fill of Nazis?

Triple Tap – Hong Kong actiony thriller about cops and robbers and bad guys and good guys and their paths intersecting and a whole bunch of stuff we’ve seen in tons of Hong Kong actiony thrillers.

The Whistleblower – Heavy duty drama starring the lovely Rachel Weisz as a a Nebraska cop with a whistle who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and blows said whistle on the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal. Based on a horrible true story. People (men) are awful. When does the world end again? Also on the Blu Ray.

Coming Next Week

Drive
Breakaway
Double
Into the Universe
Shades of Ray
Big Year
Dream House
Cell 211
The Thing
In Time

Recently Viewed and Recommended

The Last Circus
50/50
The Guard
Tuesday, After Christmas
Fish Story
Ides of March
Boardwalk Empire
Redline
An Idiot Abroad

Here’s an amusing little ditty on how Albert Brooks and Patton Oswalt are taking their respective snubs from the Academy Awards – http://www.avclub.com/articles/heres-how-albert-brooks-and-patton-oswalt-are-reac,68204/

That’s it for this week, kids. Have a great week, stay dry and warm and watching something good. Or bad. Your call.

Black Dog Video

Unconfirmed reports are telling me that something called Mario’s Pizza will be sliding into the spot once occupied by Alpha Video on the Drive. I believe it may be a chain and may even be that East Side Mario’s with all those great commercials on the TV. I certainly hope not but I guess that we’ll have to wait and see. It’s such a great location for something cool but this sounds like it just may be quite the opposite. If anyone has any other info lease let us know. I noticed that Marcello’s is beefing up their outside seating arrangement maybe to get a jump on the next door competition. As mentioned this is still unconfirmed but my source usually knows what’s going on around the hood. The Drive definitely needs more (or even one) really good restaurant as it’s a bit of a wasteland over here.

Pretty good week for releases this week with the addition of some of the more highly acclaimed films and TV shows that were out on screen last year. Enjoy.

Unthank Cinema’s weekly Wednesday night showings of the fabulous and strange have been put on hiatus until further notice. Sorry.

New Releases for Tuesday January 10th

An Idiot Abroad – Very funny and fun show that follows idiot Carl Pilkington, friend of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant who send the poor sap around the world to visit stuff he really has no interest in seeing. Good stuff.

Boardwalk Empire Season 1 – Wow. Just watched the first couple of episodes and, wow, what a great show! It’s much better than I anticipated it would be but I shouldn’t be surprised as the it’s created by one of the driving forces behind The Sopranos and the first episode was directed by Scorsese and it stars some of my favorite actors – Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Kelly McDonald, Omar from The Wire and Dabney Coleman. Atlantic City in 1920, prohibition has just come into effect and all that it entails. Awesome awesome show. Also on the Blu Ray.

Fish Story – Bizarre Japanese flick that deals with such weighty topics as the end of the world (a comet is about to destroy the earth), the healing powers of punk rock, Japanese game shows, time travel (I think) and a myriad of other important topics. I’ve read great things about this film. Here’s a gushing review from one of the Ain’t it Cool guys – http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42640

Higher Ground – The lovely Vera Farmigna (Source Code, Up in the Air) makes her directorial debut with this heavy drama about a woman’s life-long struggle with her faith. Hopefully it’s a lot better than it sounds. Go Atheists! Also on Blu Ray.

Killer Elite – Actiony type number starring a bunch of manly men – Statham, Clive Owen, DeNiro who all play hit men at various stages of their careers who probably have to do “one last job” before they can retire or something like that. Good cast, hoping it’s a pretty good time waster. Also on the Blu Ray.

Moneyball – The writer of the fantastic Social Network penned this film about the baseball team known to some as the Oakland A’s and their unorthodox manager who attempts to build a successful team based on computer statistics. I hear this one is pretty good with fine performances by Mr. Angelina Jolie and Jonah Hill. If the writer can make such an exciting, absorbing film about the creation of a computer program I imagine he can do the same with one about, yawn, baseball. Also on the Blu Ray.

Primeval Season 3 – Season 3 of the fine British sci-fi show about dinosaurs who’ve managed to come through time somehow into modern day England and it’s up to a crack band of scientists or zookeepers or whoever they are to fight and control the beasts. Good fun. Too bad this isn’t a documentary. Might be cool to have giant lizards roaming around although it would make walking the boy to school a little more challenging.

The Tempest – The second Tempesty film that came out last year. This is the one you’ve been waiting for though – directed by Julie Taymor and starring Helen Mirren, Russell Brand and a bunch of other actors acting all Shakespearian and what not. Also on the Blu Ray.

Old Stuff Just In

Citizen Kane – Blu Ray
Little Shop Around the Corner
Can’t Hardly Wait

Coming Next Week

Abduction
Thorne: Sleepyhead
Ides of March
Redline
Dirty Girl
Poetry
Killing Bono
First Squad
Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Boardwalk Empire
Mildred Pierce
The Guard
Moneyball
A Better Life
Ip Man 2
An Idiot Abroad
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Justified Season 2
Tree of Life
A Somewhat Gentle Man

I have a funny feeling we’ll be seeing this film come Oscar time next year…. http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a2cffa7e20/knight-blade?playlist=featured_videos

That’s it for this week, folks. Stay warm, eat well, drink if you must and remember, keep watching.

Black Dog Video