February 2014 - Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending March 3rd

February 25, 2014/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

Animal House, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Stripes, SCTV, Meatballs, Back to School, Vacation, Moe Green, Egon Spengler, Crazy Legs. Read that list. Amazing. So many of these movies and characters played such an important role in my life. Hell, my kid’s nickname, Sawnson, comes from Caddyshack! Harold Ramis, your time on this planet was well spent. Our lives are better for you being here. You made us laugh, which is no small feat. Again and again. Great job. Thanks.

New Releases for Tuesday February 25th

Afternoon Delight – Bored housewife (why does that sound sexy?) hits the strip club to jazz up her relationship and ends up bringing a pole-dancing stripper home with her to work as her “nanny” (not too sure why I put the word nanny in quotation marks). Come to think of it, we could use a nanny. I hope that my wife reads this.

Blue is the Warmest Colour – Cannes Palme d’Or winning sexy relationship drama between two women. Very explicit (don’t watch this with your mom – or do, your call), very French and very good. And it’s three hours long. Also on the Blu Ray.

Gravity – “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are floating in space”. Do you like your Bullock with a little side of Clooney? I hope so as they float, jump and bump around outer space going from one disaster to another in this stunning, exciting and intense flick. I don’t know how this will play out on the small home screens (for the love of that which is good and true in this world, please don’t watch this on your freakin’ phone!) but in the theatre the images were stunning. And the use of 3-D was amazing as well. So amazing in fact that we’re going to have a 3-D Blu Ray copy for rent! The script is a little thin and I don’t know why they decided to go with the “big stars” (well besides box-office pull) – I think that even if they had a monkey and a box of cereal it still would have been as good – but the end result is that space is bloody terrifying! One of the year’s best. Also on the Blu Ray and 3-D Blu Ray.

Haunter – Cool looking haunted house story about a ghost of a teenager who reaches out to the living to try to prevent what happened to her form happening again. Nice to see a ghost doing something good for a change. Although I hope that this is scary and not Casper-like. From the director of Cube and Splice so I’m sure that it’s bent and twisted in some fashion..

Nebraska – Old coot Bruce Dern travels in black and white across some state (can’t remember which one) to claim, what he thinks, is a big mega-lottery prize. He drags his estranged son along for the ride so he can, I presume, become stranged with him. Lots of awards swimming around this film. From the director of Sideways, The Descendants and Election. Also on the Blu Ray.

Nicky’s Family – Doc about a heroic English fella who, during WWII, managed to rescue 669 Czech and Slovak children (including one that seems to be Sarah McLachlan, judging by the cover art). Good job, English!

Thor: The Dark World – I was hoping that this would be better than the first Thor. And it is, but only marginally. The plot concerns something about some space jam that wants to destroy the universe (don’t the bad guys have to live in the same universe that they’re always trying to destroy?!). Kinda boring in parts- especially when they’re on other planets – but overall it’s a pretty fun ride that gets better as it goes along and the big battle shenanigans at the end entertains your eyes and ears (and maybe even a little of your brain). Also on the Blu Ray.

Watermark – Mind-melting doc from Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky, who made Manufactured Landscapes, about how water shapes the world around it. If you smoked marijuana, one might suggest doing so for a film such as Watermark. This is just what I’ve been told of course. Water is cool, man.

Coming Next Week

Hunger Games – Catching Fire
The Grandmaster
Oldboy
Girl Rising
Untold History of the United States

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending February 24th

February 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

About two and a half years ago I was standing in a parking lot, drinking beer. “How old are you?” you might ask yourself. Well, this was after one of our hockey games. Part of the hockey ritual involves hanging out in the upper-lot of the rink we play at, chatting and sharing some sweet suds. Usually during our post-hockey, upper-lot action we discuss things such as rainbows, tacos and sometimes even our feelings. On this particular night, we were discussing beer. Wonderful beer and how cool would it be if we opened a brewery. It would be called Bomber Brewing – named after our hockey team, The Bombers. Well I guess that some of this conversation must have stuck with a few of the lads because after years of planning, much hard work, experimenting with various beer recipes, Bomber Brewing opened it’s doors yesterday. Hallelujah! I don’t usually plug other businesses here but these are some of my finest friends and they do make great beer. I wouldn’t be flogging it if their beer was crap juice. I wouldn’t go see my friend’s band of they sucked. If you like beer, and I assume that you do, try them out. They’re on tap at various locations around the town, Biercraft being one of them, or you can stop in at their lovely little tasting room at the brewrey – 1488 Adanac. You can also sample their wares at the upcoming East Side Beer Fest on March 5th at the Wise Hall. I recommend the Shut-Out Stout. And the IPA. And the ESB And…

Pretty, ain’t it?

Light offerings on the shelves this week. But don’t let that stop you from dropping on by. We still have our big DVD sale on the go. Lots of new titles being added to the hoppers almost everyday. $5 gets you one, $8 nets you two and give us 10 bones and you can walk away with three in your pocket. If they will fit in your pocket, that is. Everyone wins.

New Releases for Tuesday February 18th

Art of the Steal – Leathery Kurt Vogel Russell teams up with a few dudes including Matt Dillon and Jay Baruchel to pull off a heist that is to nab them one of the most valuable books in the entire world. The entire freaking world! Hijinks, I presume, ensue.

Computer Chess – From the mumblecore dude that made Funny Ha Ha, comes this tale of a bunch of nerds participating in a tournament for chess computer software developers. Follow all the wacky hijinks as these pimply-faced captains of tomorrow navigate the murky waters of love, laughs and teaching a metal box how to play chess. Heard very good things about this flick.

Game of Thrones Season 3 – Everyone can exhale now. I wish it wouldn’t take so long to get this show out on DVD and Blu Ray. A year in between seasons? Like come on. They really should put it out as soon as it finishes airing. It seems to me that the brains behind the releasing of this, and other shows, don’t really understand the internet and how it works just yet. Do they think that it’s just a fad? That said, Season 3 is easily the best season. So far. It also happens to be the best of the books (in my opinion). Good stuff. Also on the Blu Ray.

How I Live Now – Pretty cool sounding thriller finds a youngish girl heading to England for a little vacation with some relatives only to have to fight for survival after WWIII explodes all around her. Stars that Hannah girl form the film Hannah. Directed by the director who directed the Last King of Scotland.

Inequality for All – Former US Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, fills us in on America’s widening income gap and how it’s going to destroy the world. He’s a smart, funny dude who knows what’s going on. We should all watch this. Maybe not together but we should all watch this nonetheless.

Human Scale – Nifty-looking doc that examines cities and how they really aren’t built with people’s well-being in mind. They say that by the year 2050, more than 80% of the world’s population will live in cities. 2050. That sounds so futuristic. Christ, I’ll be like 85 then. Well I imagine that I’ll be dead, but if not I’ll be that 85 year-old man shaking his fist at the clouds in the park. Stop the Planet of the Apes, I want to get off!

Nurse Jackie – Season 5 – More shenanigans with everyone’s favourite pill-popping nurse, Carmela Soprano.

Old Stuff Just In

Nostalghia (Tarkovsky)

Coming Next Week

Afternoon Delight
Blue is the Warmest Colour
Haunter
Nebraska
Nicky’s Family
Thor: The Dark World
Twice Born
Watermark

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending February 17th

February 11, 2014/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

So two weeks ago I re-watched Deliverance (looks amazing on the Blu Ray, by the by). While enjoying this tale of backwoods rape and missing teeth I got to thinking that I should watch Boogie Nights again. I’m not too sure why, maybe it was hunky Burt Reynolds being all manly and bow and arrowy running around in the woods that inspired me? Who knows? Anyways, the next day PSH died. Sad and weird. So I watched Boogie Nights last Saturday with a bit of a heavy heart. Such a great film. PSH was outstanding in it. I’m not to sure if it was because of, well death, but he stole every scene that he was in. It was great and sad to see him and it was also fabulous to spend time with all those folks again. One of my favourite films. And it, too, looks great on the Blu Ray.

The big DVD sale continues unabated at both stores this week. Just added a bunch of foreign titles and a mixed bag of everything else to the hoppers at Commercial and horror and action films at Cambie. Look for more titles to be added to both sale bins every few days. $5 each, $8 for 2 and 10 clams will net you 3 fine DVDs to add to your collection.

New Releases for Tuesday February 11th

All is Lost – Great, harrowing, intense adventure on the high seas finds a very quiet Robert Redford battling storms, sharks, giant ships, floating containers and an underwater Sasquatch as he tries to navigate his boat somewhere in the middle of a wet nowhere. Amazing acting. Amazing film. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Americans Season 1 – Excellent (from what I’ve been told) show about some Soviet spies living in America posing as your everyday married couple (who aren’t spies) so they can spy on the US government. Got that?

The Armstrong Lie – Very good doc about that douche on a bike, Lance Armstrong and all the lies he told and all the bikes he rode. Also on the Blu Ray.

Austenland – Keri Russell is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice. She travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search of her Mr. Darcy. Please tell me that there’s no such thing as a Jane Austen theme park. Whenever I read the title of this film I keep thinking it has something to do with Autistic kids.

The Counselor – This one has pedigree up the yin-yang; Ridley Scott directing a script by Cormac McCarthy and starring Fassbender, Cruz, Pitt, Dias and Bardem in this sordid tale of a lawyer who gets in over his head with some drug dealers. Is it any good? Maybe? Is it bad? I have a feeling. Still, sounds intriguing….Also on the Blu Ray.

Diana – Naomi Watts plays the title character based on that great Brian Adams song.

Ender’s Game – Mediocre sci-fi thing based on a pretty good novel by noted three-named homophobe Orson Scott Card about the government of the future recruiting kids to fight some bug-like aliens. Almost the entire movie is the kids (most of them who couldn’t act their way out of a wet paper sack – whatever that means) practicing to fight. Lots and lots of practicing. And it has a terrible ending. So there. Also on the Blu Ray.

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer – aka Pokazatelnyy protsess: Istoriya Pussy Riot – Doc on the famed masked rabble-rousers, Pussy Riot, who were jailed by that nob, Putin and his cronies for performing an anti-Putin concert. Suck a bag of dicks, Putin!

Sherlock Season 3 – The ubiquitous Benedict Cumberbun shows up again for three tales of detecting with his BFF Holmes (Bilbo Baggins). Heard this might be the best season yet!

The Summit – Not too sure if this is a doc with reenactments or a straight up thriller chronicling a particularly nasty day on the mountain known as K2 where 11 climbers mysteriously perished. Was it bad conditions? Poor planning? Hungry mountain Sasquatch? I can’t think of anything I’d rather not do than climb a dangerous mountain. Especially one that’s teeming with the deadly white Sasquatch.

Wadjda – Great little film from Saudi Arabia about a girl who just wants to buy a bike. Not so easy in such an ridiculously oppressive regime where females are forbidden to ride bikes as it might be dangerous to their virtues. Whatever that means. Of note – this is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, it’s also the first one shot by a women. She couldn’t interact with her all-male crew on the streets so she had to direct from the confines of a near-by van. Stupid country.

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon – aka Di Renjie: Shen du long wang – Sort of a prequel to the fine fun adventure flick Detective Dee: Mystery Of The Phantom Flame finds the titular detective investigating reports of a sea monster. Further investigation reveals corruption, sinister conspiracies and maybe even a Sasquatch or two.

Coming Next Week

Art of the Steal
Game of Thrones Season 3
Human Scale
On the Job

Recently Watched and Recommended

All is Lost
The Armstrong Lie
The American Season 1
Sherlock Season 3
Dallas Buyer’s Club
Cutie and the Boxer
Short Term 12
Man of Tai Chi
Enough Said
Act of Killing
Rush

That’s it for this week, kids. Here’s a little pick-me-up for those of us who use such a thing in these dark days…[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7jbP1_H9sA[/youtube]

Our mailing address is:

Black Dog Video
Cambie Street and/or Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V6H 3J1
Canada

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending February 10th

February 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Darren

Well Sunday certainly sucked. And no, I’m not talking about the Superbore football sports match. I’m not much of a football guy anymore although I did win a wager for some tasty beers (thanks, Garn!). No I’m talking about Philip Seymour Hoffman overdosing on heroin. What a fucking shame. Normally I don’t get too upset about celebrities dying, especially from something like drugs. Makes me mad and sad. Especially since he’d beaten that dragon for 23 years and recently just got out of rehab. I’m not one to pass judgment on anyone for doing stuff like that, hell I’ve put all kinds of things in my body I shouldn’t have, but this just seems like such a waste. I know I might sound selfish, I didn’t know the man and he left behind 3 children and all that, but he was one of my favourite actors. Even writing that it sounds incredibly lame and uncaring. But being such a big film guy and one who appreciates someone as talented as he was, it makes me pretty upset. It sucks. I feel ripped off. I wanted more Hoffman. He was such a big part of so many great films – Boogie Nights, The Master, Happiness, Almost Famous, Capote, Big Lebowski, Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia, Synecdoche NY, Talented Mr. Ripley, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Doubt, to name a bunch. Damn. He will be missed by many a lover of films. So yes, this past Sunday was terrible. Don’t even get me started on Woody Allen.

So our big perviously-loved DVD sale continues unabated at both stores. There’s tons of stuff for sale. Cheap! $5 for one, 2 for $8 and 3 for $10 (that’s, like, buy 2 get one FREE!). Just added a pile of action and animated flicks to the Cambie coffers and horror, action, sci-fi, and cult to the bins at Commercial. Plus there’s piles more stuff ready for your eager eyeballs. The sale will continue until we purge all the sections of the stores. You’re welcome!

And what doesn’t go better with some cheap DVDS than a nice comfy pair of underwear? Only $10 for the ladies and $15 for the doods! Get ’em while they last, you won’t be sorry. You’ll be the talk of the boudoir or locker room or wherever else one might see you in your skivvies.

New Releases for Tuesday February 4th

About Time – One of those time-traveling romantic comedies that seems to be so popular. Guy discovers he can go back in time for some reason. So he does, not to kill Hitler or buy stock in Microsoft, but to get a girlfriend. Brought to by the folks who inflicted Love, Actually and Notting Hill on the movie-going public. Warning! It has Rachel McAdams in it. Also on the the Blu Ray.

Best Man Down – Comedy about a couple who cancel their honeymoon because the best man just died. Let the hilarity begin!

Burton and Taylor – Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter play the awesome titular folks in this bio-pic type thing. Ever seen Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Well you should.

CBGB – Cool looking little bio-pic (can it be a bio-pic if it’s about a building?) of the famous club in NY that spawned such great acts as Talking Heads, Ramones and Blondie.

Crash Reel – Doc about snowboarding rivals Shaun White and Kevin Pearce. For those who like films about snowboarding and rivalry.

Cutie and the Boxer – Doc about famed boxing painter (!) Ushio Shinohara and his crazy, tumultuous marriage to his wife, Noriko. Supposed to be some kind of wonderful, this doc is.

Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey makes a stab at Oscar gold by losing 150 pounds (or something like that) playing a guy who contracts AIDS back in the 80’s. He has to work around the system in order to nab himself and other AIDS patients the medication that they need. Supposed to be quite good. Lots of actors acting and such. Also on the Blu Ray.

Escape Plan – Two withered old men, Stallone and Schwarzenegger, one a security expert and one a convict, must work together to escape an unescapable prison. Lots of grunting and quips about them being “too old for this shit”, I presume, ensue. Fitty-Cent is along for the ride to offer wry observances on the human condition. Also on the Blu Ray. (DVDs may be late).

The Following – TV show that features Bacon (as in Kevin) as a cop or something trying to stop a famous serial killer from starting a cult of other serial killers who are bent of serial killing.

Free Birds – Woody Harrelson’s and Owen Wilson’s voices star in the strange sounding animated family fare that finds two turkeys traveling back in time – not to kill Hitler, buy stock in Apple or get girlfriends – but to change history by getting turkey taken off the menu for Thanksgiving. Also on the Blu Ray.

House of Versace – Gina Gershon is Donatella Versace, who works to carry on the Versace name after the 1997 slaying of her brother. Fashion must go on and live! Live I tell you!

Justice League War – Another animated dealie that finds a bunch of superheroes – Batman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Sugar Pants, Face-Man etc. – who band together to fight some aliens or something. Also on the Blu Ray.

Short Term 12 – Much ballyhooed (love that word) drama about a boyfriend and girlfriend who work at residential treatment facility (not too sure what that is exactly). Won many a prize and garnered plenty of acclaim for it’s dramatic drama. Also on the Blu Ray.

The White Queen – Costume drama series about a myriad of woman who vie for the throne in 15th century England. Folks can’t get enough of those historical costume dramas. Guilty as charged!

Coming Next Week

All is Lost

The Americans Season 1

Austenland

The Counsellor

Diana

Ender’s Game

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

Sherlock Season 3

Summit

Wadja

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon

Video Store on Commercial Drive

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Archive for month: February, 2014

New Releases for Tuesday February 25th

Coming Next Week

Recently Viewed and Recommended

New Releases for Tuesday February 18th

Old Stuff Just In

Coming Next Week

Recently Viewed and Recommended

New Releases for Tuesday February 11th

Coming Next Week

Recently Watched and Recommended

New Releases for Tuesday February 4th

Coming Next Week

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Video Store on Commercial Drive

Memberships are here!

Where To?

Search