November 2013 - Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending December 1st

November 26, 2013/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

Just wanted to throw at you swell bunch a folks a big shout out to all who brought in, what may be, the best and biggest haul of Food Bank donations in recorded (Black Dog) history! Two hundred and fifty-one pounds of edibles! My car will be full, not of terrible food stuffs such as eyeball goulash and fermented duck fetus, but of wonderful, nourishing foods like Mr. Noodles and Spam (just kidding, you’re all wonderful). It was a good haul and I hope that many of you were pleased to have your unsightly late charges destroyed before your very eyes. And I hope that many of you who stopped coming to the store because of those egregious, embarrassing late fees will come back and be upstanding renters once again.

I like to envision the donations looking something like this…

But in reality, 251 pounds of food looks more like this…

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for some special events that might be happening at the stores. These might include a big DVD sale, a local musician spinning some LPs for your enjoyment or a parade of monkeys riding unicorns. Who knows? Follow us on the Facebook and Twitters to stay on the loop, as the kids like to say.

https://www.facebook.com/blackdogvideo

https://twitter.com/BlackDogVideo

New Releases for Tuesday November 26th

Breaking Bad: Final Season – The last 8 episodes brings us to the conclusion of the tale of that loveable drug kingpin, Walter White, and all the wacky situations he finds himself in. Great stuff. Sad it’s over.

The Canyons – The much ballyhooed flick from director Paul Schrader (Hardcore) and the three-named writer of American Psycho that stars train-wreck Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen (no relation to that other famous porn star, Paula Deen). There’s a great article written about the filming of this thing. Worth your time if you deem it worth your time. Also on the Blu Ray.
Read more…

Getaway – Lame looking car chase film with lame looking Ethan Hawke who plays a guy named Brent Magma or something like that, whose wife is kidnapped for some reason and he then chases people all over town with Selena Gomez’s car (I believe that there’s a Selena Gomez in the car as well). Rated PG-13 for intense action, violence and mayhem throughout, some rude gestures, and language…just so ya know…Also on the Blu Ray – which is late…

Hannah Arendt – Bio-pic of philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt (hence the title), who reported for The New Yorker on the war crimes trial of the Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Sounds like a lot of laughs.

Jobs – Bio-pic finds method actor Ashton Kutcher stepping away from his twitter account to play Steve Jobs, famous for inventing Apples and yelling at a lot of people.

Red 2 – In a sequel that nobody asked for, the old (and yes I do mean old) gang is back! You’ve got the Willis, you’ve got the Malkovich, you’ve got the Mirren, the Hopkins and a bunch of other folks running around shooting at each other while saying witty asides such as “What happens in the Kremlin stays in the Kremlin!” Heh-heh, rich. Also on the Blu Ray.

Coming Next Week

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Lilyhammer Season 1 –
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Smurfs 2
The Wolverine
Drinking Buddies

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending November 25th

November 20, 2013/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

So I was Lying in bed the other morning thinking about the Ku Klux Klan. I read or saw somewhere in the good old US of A, that some folks dressed their small child up in the silly KKK gear for Halloween. I’m no prude when it comes to Halloween regalia…read more…

There’s only a couple of days left to cash in your Food Bank items in exchange for your embarrassing late charges at the Commercial location. Bring in something nourishing and tasty and we’ll destroy your outstanding late charges right before your very eyes. Don’t bring in things like jellied grass, creamed eels, eyeball gumbo or expired clams in geoduck sauce.

Please don’t bring this in. Please.

New Releases for Tuesday November 19th

All is Bright – A couple of Pauls, Giamatti and Rudd, star in this dark holiday comedy about a couple of losers trying to make it big selling Christmas trees in New York. Good luck, Pauls!

The Attack – Heavy drama from Israel about a doctor who finds out his wife was responsible for a nasty suicide bombing. Convinced of her innocence, the doctor embarks on a journey to find out the truth. Hope he can handle the truth, whatever the truth might be.

Blackfish – Great documentary about a killer whale – we’ll call him Tilikum because that’s what he’s called – who, while in captivity and made to perform tricks for ungrateful humans, managed to kill several people. They did notice the world “killer” in his title, right?

Broken – Great drama starring Tim Roth about a young girl who’s life changes when she witnesses a violent attack. And guess what? Tim Roth is not the violent attack guy. Must be getting old.

C.O.G. – Based on a short story by the amazeballs David Sedaris, a dude sets out to explore the world only to get stranded on an apple farm. Hilarity and an insight into the human psyche and maybe even apples, I presume, ensue.

Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus – Cool-looking road movie finds dickish Michael Cera teaming up with three Chilean brothers who go off in search of a cactus famous for it’s hallucinogenic properties. Along the way, hippie chick Crystal Fairy (with a name like that you have to be a hippie chick. Or a stripper), joins them in their adventure. This one looks like a good time. From the director of the amazing The Maid.

Paranoia – Corporate espionage is the game here that finds Thor’s little brother caught between rival businesses headed by slick Gary Oldman and slickerer Harrison Ford. Thrills and paranoia, I presume, abound. Also on the Blu Ray.

Planes – It’s Cars, but in Plane form. Come on, Pixar, you’re getting kinda lame. Also on the Blu Ray.

30 for 30 – Series 1 – Great series of sports documentaries. Wide range of subjects and even if you don’t like sports, even hockey, these are still great to watch.

The To Do List – The amazing Aubrey Plaza (great name!) stars as Brandy, a comely lass who wants to get “sexually educated” before she hits college. Hilarity and sexual hijinks abound in this raunchy comedy. Try to guess what’s on the list. Hopefully no Cleveland Steamers.

Treme Season 3 – More jazz, more drama, more gumbo (hopefully sans eyeballs) are here to please you.

2 Guns – Marky Mark and Denzel star in this thriller where it seems each of them has a gun. And it also seems that they’ll need their 2 guns as some sort of drug bust goes sideways and these undercover lads have to go on the lam or something like that. Also on the Blu Ray.

We’re the Millers – Drug comedy that finds funny-man Jason Sudeikas recruiting his ne’er-do-well neighbours to act as his family so he can smuggle some pot somewhere. Let the laughs begin! If anyone needs to borrow my family to run drugs somewhere, we can probably work something out. Also on the Blu-ray.

The World’s End – It sure has been a year for “end of the world” films. You’ve got your This is the End, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Grown-Ups 2 (that one is more of a signal of the impending apocalypse) and now this one. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bilbo Baggins and some other British drinking buddies attempt to re-create an epic pub crawl they almost did 20 years earlier. But what is lying in wait for them at the last stop of the night? Directed and written by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead). Also on the Blu Ray.

Coming Next Week

Breaking Bad – Final Season
Red 2
The Getaway
Jobs
The Canyons
The Grandmaster

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending November 18th

November 13, 2013/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

Eight. 8. Ate. Funny word. Funny age. My kid just turned eight. Black Dog Commercial just turned eight. Both are moody, tempestuous little brats. Just kidding, I love them both as if they were my own. It’s been a fun, if not at times bumpy, ride (still talking about both sprog and store here, but enough about the kid). Made many friends and only a few enemies along the way. Hope to make many more. I’d like to say thanks to all of you lovely customers who’ve supported us over the years and continue to do so. We’re hoping we can stick around for a while yet (8 more years would be awesome but that seems somewhat unlikely in the times that we are a living in – but who knows?). In order to celebrate eight, may we offer to expunge your late charges? Can we do that for you? Here’s the deal – bring in non-perishable food item(s) between tomorrow (Wednesday) and the following Wednesday and we’ll destroy any outstanding late charges you might have accrued. Sweet deal, yes? In addition, come in this Saturday, the 16th, rent two or more DVDs or Blu Rays and we’ll give you one of our fabulous Black Dog tote bags. We’ll have some other swag to give away as well. Commercial location only. Hope to see you and some food soon!

Some things that you probably shouldn’t bring in…

New Releases for Tuesday November 12th

A Band Called Death – Doc about a punk band nobody (well hardly anyone) ever heard of. Here’s their story.

Dexter: Final Season – It’s finally over. I haven’t seen the last season – I gave up on Dexter many years ago – but I hear the ending is a crushing disappointment. Not Rob Ford level of disappointment (Zing! Hate to be Rob Ford right now!), but a disappointment none the less.

Frances Ha – Noah Baumbach’s (Squid and the Whale) latest finds Greta Gerwig wandering around New York in black and white trying to figure things out. Good luck, Frances Ha!

Grabbers – Some nasty, tentacled aliens have been decapitating and drinking the blood of local denizens of some small island. Their only weakness? Alcohol! They can’t eat anyone who’s drunk. So what’s the plan? Stay drunk! I think that I would do OK against these creatures. Me and most of my hockey team. Comedy + horror = a booze-soaked good time!

Ip Man: The Final Fight – No Donnie Yen but it does have Anthony Wong as Ip Man, drawn into one last fight (hence the title) to defend his school and defeat some Triads. Good luck, Ip Man!

Kevin Hart: Let me Explain – Stand-up comedy by a comedian I’ve never heard of. Better be funny, Mr. Hart.

Man of Steel – Stuffy, pretentious, convoluted, humourless, too long, this Superman is a bit of a dud. Dude they found to play him is quite bland. Bland like Wonder Bread. Wonder Bread with margarine on it. But he has really big muscles. Why does Superman need to have such big muscles and have such crunchy abs? Hot mustard, he’s Superman, it doesn’t matter how big or small his muscles are! What would have happened if the baby Superman – Superbaby I guess, crashed in the wilds of Africa or in China? He’d stick out a little more I guess, being American looking and all. Many things to ponder. Watch at your own risk. Also on the Blu Ray.

Paradise: Faith – Second of three “Paradise” films from Germany’s Ulrich Seidl finds Anna Maria going from door to door in Austria with a big statue of the Virgin Mary trying to woo people back to the church. Then her husband, who’s been absent for years, shows up. Drama and hilarity, I presume, ensue. (May be late on the shelves)

Silk Season 1 – BBC drama about lawyers and barristers and the Queen’s Counsel and all the lawyering and barristering and Queen’s Counselling that they get up to.

Turbo – Animated kids thing about a snail or slug or squid or whatever that wants to race or go backpacking or learn karate or…I don’t know! Get off my back! Also on the Blu Ray.

The Wall – Strange, yet compelling sounding German film about a woman living out in the sticks somewhere when, for some reason, she’s cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible wall. Sometimes I wish I had this invisible wall at my beck and call. (May be a wee bit late hitting the shelves)

Coming Next Week

2 Guns
Planes
Paranoia
The To Do List
The World’s End
C.O.G.
All is Bright
Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus
We’re the Millers
Treme Season 3

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending November 11th

November 5, 2013/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

So another Halloween has come and gone. It was a pretty good one – weather was nice, I managed to have a few drinks and watch Trick-r-Treat (one of my favourite Halloween films) and my kid managed to collect way too much candy which he came home, dumped on the couch and then promptly hugged. We let him eat as much as he wanted the next day in the hopes that he’d OD on it. Seemed to work. He got sick and vowed never to eat another piece of candy for the rest of his life. Or at least till later that evening.

We didn’t get as many trick-r-treaters at our house this year as previous years. There were only a few other houses decked out in festive Halloween gear on our street and I guess the kids had to weigh their options to hit streets with more action or lurch up our desolate avenue. Can’t blame them for not coming by. It’s also hard to compete when just a couple of streets over, there’s half a freakin’ pirate ship built out of someone’s house.

“Show off.”

Just a little reminder of our specials in case your brains made you forget: Mondays are 2 for 1 – anything and everything in the store, Wednesdays are 5 old films for $10, includes Blu Rays, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you can score 2 films, 1 new and 1 old or 2 old for 7 clams. Good times.

New Releases for Tuesday November 5th

As I Lay Dying – James Franco writes (from a William Faulkner novel), directs, stars and, I think, does the catering for this flick about a hick family going on a road trip to bury their dead mom. Despite Danny McBride being along for the ride, it’s not much of a comedy. Just look how all serious young James is.

Bounty Killer – In the future corporations and the sleaze bags who run them have ruined the planet (I assume it’s not too far off in the future) so a group of vigilantes hires a bunch of bounty killers (hence the title) to kill all the corporate scum. Man, I wish this was a documentary.

Clear History – HBO flick starring the pretty pretty pretty great Larry David as a dude who has a petty argument with John Hamm and gives up his 10% of the shares in an electric car company. Of course the company then proceeds to make kazillions of dollars. Comedy hijinks, I presume, ensue. Also on the Blu Ray.

Girl Most Likely – Comedy that finds the adorable Kristin Wiig failing as a playwright and as a girlfriend so she moves back home with her crazy family. Much hilarity, I presume, ensues. Also on the Blu Ray (Late on the shelves)

Grown Ups 2 – There has yet to be a machine invented than can measure my revulsion and repugnance to Adam Sandler and his cohorts who do nothing but spew out fetid shit into our eyeballs. Coming in with a stellar 7% on the Rotten Tomato-meter, this dreck still managed to pull in over $133 million. I guess there’s a lot of folks who like shit in their eyes.

The Hobbit: Extended Edition – Cash-grabber Peter Jackson brings you mawr Hobbits! Mawr Hobbits eating. Mawr Hobbits dancing and singing. Mawr Hobbits running around with sharp objects. Mawr Hobbits fucking. Wait, do they do that? Try to scrub that image out of your your brain. My apologies. Also on the Blu Ray.

Leviathan – Cool-looking doc that follows some fishermen as they fish for fish in the oceans. Not much dialogue, lots of haunting images and music liven up the fishy proceedings.

Lovelace – Star-studded bio-pic of Linda Lovelace features lovely bug-eyed Amanda Seyfried as the titular character as she becomes famous for her “starring” role in the first scripted, main-streamy porn flick, Deep Throat. I’m hoping that they go balls-to-the-walls sleazy on this but I think that it probably be quite tame. I still remember Deep Throat scarring my impressionable young brain way back when. Also on the Blu Ray.

Magic City Season 2 – Cool as a cucumber TV show that follows a bunch of criminals in 1950’s Miami. This is the next season after Season 1.

Man Men Season 6 – Handsome men and women in suits drink whiskey, sleep around and make each other feel bad. You know the drill. Great show. Also on the Blu Ray. (May be late hitting the shelves)

Passion – Brian DePalma tires to prove he still has the sly, sleazy chops in this thriller that finds thespian-challenged Rachel McAdams scheming her way up the corporate ladder with her sights set on boss, Noomi Repace. Good sights, me thinks. I hope this one is good. Big DePalma fan over here. Also on the Blu Ray. (May be late hitting the shelves)

White House Down – Wow, Hollywood must really hate the White House! Here’s the second film this year where terrorists attack it and and it falls to a handsome, chiseled young stud to save the President and the day. Channing Tatum is in the Gerald Butler role and Jamie Foxx is the president with much attitude! Bad attitude! Also on Blu Ray.

Coming Next Week

Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
IP Man: The Final Fight
Turbo
Grabbers
Dexter: Final Season
Fitzgerald Family Christmas
Silk Season 1
Man of Steel
Frances Ha

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Archive for month: November, 2013

New Releases for Tuesday November 26th

New Releases for Tuesday November 19th

Coming Next Week

Recently Viewed and Recommended

New Releases for Tuesday November 12th

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Recently Viewed and Recommended

New Releases for Tuesday November 5th

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Video Store on Commercial Drive

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