Black Dog Newsletter January 30 – Feb 6 “Crazy DVD Sale II: The Sequel Edition!”

IMG_2647

Check out this nifty poster the lovely and talented, RJ, made for the big sale coming up in two weeks! For those of you you can’t see it, here’s the deets: Thursday February 15th, 9 – 11pm at the Commercial Black Dog (we’ll be closing that location at 8pm so prepare accordingly). We have thousands of amazing DVDs we picked up from a private collection. Many are still in their tight little wrappers! If you’re a collector or just want to get some cool things, drop on by. Classics, noirs, musicals, British – so much British – smut, Criterion, space erotica, general releases, foreign, Box Sets, cult, TV series and more! We like cash. We like it so much if you pay in cash, we’ll cover the tax. Credit cards and debit accepted as well but you’re on the hook for the tax. Should be fun!

Pretty light week for releases – I’ve had some issues with my lame distributor – and some things got delayed. But we should be on track, hopefully, by next week. Sorry about the inconvenience.

New Releases!

MV5BMTUwNTA4MDMxNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjE4NjQ0MzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Bad Moms Christmas – The bad mothers from the first Bad Moms movie are back at it – being bad moms and all getting into all sorts of wacky hi-jinks! But at Christmas! Let the hilarity ensue. (At Commercial, soon to Cambie)

MV5BNzkyMDY0NDItYzY0NC00YjQ1LTkzOTYtMjE1NWEwM2NmZGU1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTEzNDk3NDc@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Lucky – The description tells us this is a spiritual journey of a 90 year-old atheist. It’s also the late-great Harry Dean Stanton’s final performance. Spend a little time with HDS as he shambles about hanging around with his buds, David Lynch, Ed Begley Jr, Tom Skerritt and a host of others.

MV5BMTA3MjA1NDkxMTReQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDU2Njg3NDMy._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Suburbicon – Weird-looking comedy/drama/social satire from director, George Clooney, finds a befuddled, Matt Damon, (MATT DAMON!! – never gets old) living in an all-white community in 1959 when a black family movies in upsetting the racist apple-cart. (At Commercial, soon to Cambie)

Coming Soon!

The Deuce Season 1
The Square
Baskets Season 1
Professor Marsden and the Wonder Women
Last Flag Flying
Ray Donovan Season 5
Tom of Finland
All I See is You

Hungry? Well, here’s a little taste of what’s up for grabs in a couple of weeks at the BIG SALE!

IMG_2651

Stay golden, Vancouver.

Black Dog Video

Copyright © 2018 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.

 

Black Dog Video Newsletter January 23- 29 “It’s a Date Edition!”

IMG_2635

Alright, everyone can exhale – we’ve set a date for our bigger than big sale! Mark on your calendars, your arms, your forehead (you’ll have to write it backwards) or your kids forehead Thursday February the 15th is when it will all go down. I’m thinking it will be after we close in the evening – from 10pm to midnight. We’re also trying to devise ways to make it easier for everyone as the last time it was an insane insanity. There will be more details to follow about what kind of things we have to offer (check out the above photo for an idea) but think Box Sets, British, Classics, Cult, Smut, Musicals and everything in between.

New Releases!

MV5BNDBlMzY1MmMtMWUwMS00ODk5LWJiZDUtN2ZmZjJjYTRhMmNhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjU3NTI0Mg@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Beyond Skyline – Why they made a sequel to the tepid Skyline is beyond me. Get it, BEYOND me? Anyways, the trailer for this made it look like it might be trashy fun. And it has Frank Grillo!

MV5BODU3ZmY1NGYtYmJhZS00NWE0LWJlODMtOGM4Nzk0ZjAxM2UxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTc3MjY3NTY@._V1_UY268_CR16,0,182,268_AL_

Chasing the Dragon – The amazing Donnie Yen is Crippled Ho, an illegal immigrant form Mainland China who sneaks into Hong Kong in 1963 and then rises to the top of the underworld. This. Looks. Cool.

MV5BM2RlMjcyMGQtZTU3OC00NGRlLWExMGEtYjU3ZjUyMDc0NWZmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTI4MzE4MDU@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

The Foreigner – Jackie Chan’s daughter is killed by a terrorist so he takes it upon himself to seek vengeance. And vengeance he does seek!

MV5BMTk0ODMyNjk1NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDkxOTk4MzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Happy Death Day – It’s a horror version of Groundhog Day! A girl is forced to relive her murder until she figures out who dunnit. I can get behind this one.

MV5BNmRiZDM4ZmMtOTVjMi00YTNlLTkyNjMtMjI2OTAxNjgwMWM1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjMxOTE0ODA@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Jigsaw – A man buys a new saw and makes a nice table. I think that’s what this is about. Either that or it’s another instalment in the tired Saw franchise. You decide!

MV5BMjU4NDcwOTA2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjE2OTg4MzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Killing of a Sacred Deer – One of my favourite films of 2017 finds Dr. Colin Farrell being befriended by a boy with whom he shares a tragic past. What happens after that I won’t tell but I will say if you liked The Lobster and Dogtooth, you’ll enjoy this one as well.

MV5BMTc1ODk0NzEwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjQ2MzQ1MTI@._V1_UY268_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

My Entire High School is Sinking into the Sea – Best name for a movie, or anything really, in quite a long while. Cool sounding animated feature finds, well, a high school sinking into the sea following a big earthquake. Could, and almost did, happen here!

MV5BNDg1NjYyMTEyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzY4MDMyMzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

The Snowman – I may have to watch this one just from the preposterous description – Detective Harry Hole (!) investigates the case of a missing woman who’s scarf was found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. How could this be anything but so-bad-it’s-good? And sheesh, whatever happened to you, Michael Fassbender?

Coming Soon!

Bad Moms Christmas
Last Flag Flying
The Deuce Season 1
Goodbye Christopher Robin
The Square
Ray Donovan Season 5

Hey! We just got some cool new swag into the stores. Check out this nifty photo.

IMG_2632

Stay dry. Stay safe, Vancouver. Talk at you next week!

Black Dog Video

Copyright © 2018 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.

Black Dog Newsletter January 16-22nd “Party-Time Edition”

2d0c410cd6671a73e9da2e0d903e8091

We’re going to be closing early this Sunday night – 9pm to be exact – so the staff can have a little respite from the madness and enjoy a beer or two at the Black Dog Christmas party. Everyone worked hard and they deserve a little something something for doing such a great job in 2017. Here’s to them!

I’ve been sifting through the mania that is the piles and piles of DVDs we just picked up in preparation for the big sale. Date is still to be announced so stay tuned, man. Here’s a photo of my cat helping out.

New Releases!

MV5BNDliZTUwZTktYmJlNC00MGE1LWEwODktNWZiNTRkMGFiNTg1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU5NzU3MjE@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Brad’s Status – Fine little comedy drama from the amazing Mike White that has, for better or for worse, Ben Stiller, as a dad who takes his sprog on a tour of colleges where he meets up with an old friend who makes him feel inferior about his life choices. Hilarity and soul-searching, I presume, ensue.

MV5BNGQyMjY2YzUtY2EzYi00MjA3LTkyMjEtZjA3ZGNjNDcxNWYwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEwMzQzODU@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Dawson City: Frozen Time – Amazing doc about, yes, Dawson City, Yukon, and the treasure of buried films that was found in the permafrost back in the late 70’s. Never heard of this interesting-looking doc until it started popping up on a lot of year-end best of lists. Might be worth a peek.

MV5BMTA0OTQwMTIxNzheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDQ1MzI3OTMy._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Geostorm – Gerald Butler continues his string of lame action films with this one about satellites that control the earth’s weather and, for some reason, they decide to attack the earth. Can GB save the day before some nasty weather ruins the world? Idea possibly stolen from a friend of mine who had a similar concept for a movie called Storm Planet! You decide!

MV5BMTUzNjQ0NDc0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTY0NDAzMjI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Lost in Paris – Fine French comedy about a woman who visits her aunt in Paris and the homeless guy who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Looks good, oui?

MV5BOWM5MWJhMmMtZTQ4YS00MTUwLWI5MjEtYTk4ZDIwMmRiNjUxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjIzNzQ1MjM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

The Tiger Hunter – Nice-looking culture clash comedy about a dude who arrives in NY from India in the 1970’s. No tigers were hunted or harmed in the movie. Probably.

MV5BZDY3MTAyNmEtZDY1Yi00NGY5LTg1ZDctNDQ2N2FlMmRlYWU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQzOTc3MTI@._V1_UY268_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Tulip Fever – Sexy costume drama finds Alicia Vikander unhappily married to Christoph Waltz. He commissions a portrait to be painted of her but, unbeknownst to him, she has a steamy affair with Dean DeHaan. All this takes place during the famed tulip mania in 17th century Amsterdam. You remember that, right?

MV5BOTcyZjViMzMtNjcwNS00YjQyLWI3OGMtYWIzNGIwZDNkY2FiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQwMDA5NTg@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

The Untamed – Strange sexy horror film from Mexico finds an unhappy couple finding a meteorite in the woods that piloted by a weird sex monster. Yes please!

Coming Soon!

The Foreigner
Bullet Head
Happy Death Day
The Snowman
Beyond Skyline
Jigsaw
Killing of a Sacred Deer
My Entire High School is Sinking into the Sea

And conitinuing on with the staff’s year-end picks of the year, here’s RJ with his controversial list…

So my faves from the last year are not in a particular order as I I’m trying to get away from numbered lists and have no preferential order.

TWIN PEAKS : THE RETURN: David Lynch’s masterwork is So large and complex it needs Coles notes but it’s So engrossing and original nothing can compare. This truly is peak TV.

BIG LITTLE LIES: All star cast and a promising French Canadian director team up for the perfect mix of drama and hints of comedy. Great soundtrack, gorgeous aesthetic and highly entertaining.

BEATRIZ AT DINNER: Mike White picks up where he left off on Enlightened and gives us a haunting “comedy ” that looks directly into the eye of the sourness in the heart of greed and human apathy. Beautifully layered and poetic at times. There’s a lot going on here even though it may seem straightforward. Selma Hayek gives a mighty fine performance too.

BETTER THINGS: Break out dramedy from the highly talented Pamela Adlon. This show feels real and hits so many chords it makes you wonder why Adlon isn’t a household name. Full of intelligent emotional insight this show makes you wish it never ends.

HAPPY END: Michael Haneke returns to familiar ground but with a new twist! He has made the blackest of comedies. A sort of sequel to his last film, he takes skewering human faults to new comedic levels.

FACES/PLACES: Agnes Varda teams up with visual artist JR for one hell of a road trip documentary. A great reminder of how art can touch anyone anywhere and put a smile on their face. Charming and touching stuff.

THE OTHER SIDE: Roberto Minervini’s rabbit hole documentary goes deep inside an America you should be scared of with surprising results. Full of serene moments juxtaposed against appalling conditions, this documentary will change the way you might feel about America.

LEFTOVERS S3: This severely under-watched show has managed to go deeper into profound human issues than most shows ever will. Damon Lindleof and writer Tom Perotta have more than proved they can take TV to new heights of emotional honesty and perpetually engaging ambiguity. Every episode feels like a serious journey.
One of my favourite series of all time.

SUMMER 1993: I’m a sucker for coming of age stories and this is one of the best in many years. Set in the year in the title, a 6 year old girl (Frida) is orphaned by her parents who are dying of AIDS in a time when fear was still rampant about said disease. Told from the perspective of Frida as she must relocate to an idyllic farm in the country owned by her aunt and uncle, she must not only deal with a new life but also the stigma surrounding the death of her parents and just being a kid. Laia Artigas who plays Frida is stellar and gives an amazing performance.

BASKETS: Zach Galifinakis’ clown/family dramedy is so pitch perfect he takes oddball comedy to new heights as he lets Louie Anderson steal the show once again as his mom. Its very hard to describe this show to people but its really good. Hilarious and emotionally aware.

The biggest disappointments and turds for me were…

ALIEN COVENANT: or in other words how to ruin my hopes of ever having a good alien film again. Apparently no one in Hollywood can write a good script in the Alien universe..

MOTHER: like we need any more bible movies

TRANSFORMERS THE LAST KNIGHT: a 2 hour plus Marky Mark video written by a 9 year old with a boner for robots

BAYWATCH: more flesh than a porn parody with none of the payoff or laughs

And last but not at all least, Dylan chimes in with what he liked…

10. AMERICAN MADE. Loosely based on actual events, the story of an American Airlines pilot recruited to run guns for the CIA in the 1980’s is tremendously entertaining. This movie suffered from anti-Cruise backlash following The Mummy. But anyone who’s seen Edge of Tomorrow knows Doug Liman knows exactly how to use The Cruise.

9. RUMBLE: INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD. My favourite doc of the year highlights the influence of Native American traditions in forming Rock n Roll. I should have known about all of this this already. Thanks to this excellent doc a whole new world of appreciation has opened up to me.

8. BRIGSBY BEAR. The less you know about this one, the better. Full of surprises, heart, comedy and childlike fun. Watch this one if you want to be happy tonight..

7. LOGAN. The most game changing film in the superhero genre since The Dark Knight. In an increasing tired genre, a breath of fresh air, even if it is bleak as all hell.

6. COCO. It’s Pixar, and it’s great even by their standards. This isn’t a movie, it’s a celebration of life, family, inspiration and even mortality.

5. BLADE RUNNER 2049. I hated the very idea of this. And then I saw it. It’s a fucking masterpiece. It may even surpass the original, which seems like cinema sacrilege to say. But it’s true.

4. T2: TRAINSPOTTING. No movie this year had me as edgy leading up to its release. But It wasn’t only as good as the iconic original, but was the only logical way a sequel could have panned out for these characters I grew up with. Perfection. The 90’s thanks you, Danny Boyle.

3. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. The best black comedy in years features career best performances from Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell playing against type and absolutely owning it. Martin McDonagh’s dialogue shines in the mouths of these actors. Sweating has never sounded so elegant.

2. I, DANIEL BLAKE. Ken Loach’s dissection of institutionalized poverty in Northern England could have easily wound up cloying, sentimental or just plain depressing. Instead, this story of the friendship between an out of work contractor and a single mother is the most human film I’ve seen in years. Building up to one man’s simple, elegant and powerful act of protest. Devastating, non-flashy filmmaking.

1. THE BREADWINNER. Spectacular, heartwarming, terrifying, infuriating, and funny. I cannot remember the last time I was this moved by a film. Never have I seen a movie that so effectively communicated the terror women must feel at the hands of men every minute of every day. In part an inspirational family tale, scathing social critique and a marvelous, colourful fantasy. This one left me in tears and I can’t recommend it strongly enough.

Honourable mentions go to INGRID GOES WEST, THE BAD BATCH, COLOSSAL and MY FRIEND DAHMER.

2017 was a Hell of a year and it was refreshing to see how many indy flicks flourished and how many tentpole pictures tanked. High hopes for 2018.

That’s it for this week folks. Thanks for reading all of this!

Black Dog Video

Copyright © 2018 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.

Black Dog Newsletter January 9-15 “Ch-Changes Edition!”

IMG_2592

Not a big week for New Releases, save for a certain sci-fi blockbuster, but there’s some news thingies I should fill you in on. The lovely and talented Dylan will be leaving us at the end of the month to pursue his dreams of becoming a lion tamer or running his own adult diaper cleaning service or something. While it’s sad to see him go we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. He’ll always be part of the Black Dog family as we are like the mafia, once you’re in, there’s no getting out.

As you can tell by the photo, my dining room is a mess! Why is it a mess and why am I telling you it’s a mess, you ask? Well, all of those boxes and piles of stuff are DVDs! We just acquired a rather large collection and after we’re done sorting and pricing them, we’re going to have a big big sale! It will be sometime in February. Details to follow.

At the bottom of this missive you can find the lists of our favourite films of the year! Please enjoy responsibly.

New Releases!

MV5BNzA1Njg4NzYxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODk5NjU3MzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Blade Runner 2049 – Pretty darned good sequel, especially in the cinematography and sound design departments, to The Blade Runner of yore. Canada’s own baby goose, Ryan Gosling, is out to track down retired Blade Runner, Han Solo, to find out what’s going on.

MV5BMTgwMTE4NzAwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzE0MjkxMzE@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Comet – Romantic time-jumping drama from the writer director of Mr. Robot. Sadly there are no robots in this movie.

MV5BMTU3NjE2NjgwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDYzMzEwMzI@._V1_UY268_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Loving Vincent – Beautiful oil painted film about the final days of Vince Van Gogh. Looks very nice.

Coming Soon

Brad’s Status
Tiger Hunter
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Rumble
Lost in Paris

As promised, here’s some of the staff’s picks for our favourite films and what not of the year.

I’ll go first!

I, Daniel Blake
mother!
The Greasy Strangler
Get Out
Wind River
Atomic Blonde
Killing of a Sacred Deer
Good Time
Brawl in Cell Block 99
The Villianess

These are my top ten, if you care to check it out I have a bit of a longer list here.

And some TV that I quite liked..

Twin Peaks
The Leftovers
Big Little Lies
The Fall
Game of Thrones
Master of None
Stranger Things
Mindhunter
The Crown

Avash is up next!

John Wick 2
A strangely surreal follow-up to my favourite movie of 2014, John Wick 2 builds upon the world-building of the first movie while adding in an absurd comic sensibility; infinitely spawning bumper car taxis, an endless flight of stairs, a final action scene that takes place in an art exhibition centered around mirrors and reflections.

Raw
This isn’t a horror film, this is just how French people are. Don’t watch while eating.

Brawl in Cell Block 99
Craig Zahler’s follow-up to Bone Tomahawk has a John Cassavete’s inspired scene in which Vince Vaughn delivers a melancholy and touching monologue about skim milk, and he also decapitates a guy with a toilet.

American Gods Season 1
I will watch anything Brian Fuller directs. Terrific performances from Ian McShane, Peter Stormare, and the inimitable Gillian Anderson.

Legion Season 1
Honestly worth it just for the Aubrey Plaza musical sequence.

And Josie chimes in.

Three movies I liked, but not as much as I had hoped to like, going in.

Wonder Woman
Logan
Guardians Of the Galaxy 2

Best artsy fartsy actual pieces of cinema that I saw in 2017,

Embrace of The Serpent.
mother!
Good Time
I, Daniel Blake
Lady MacBeth

TV.
Top of the Lake
Better Call Saul
Twin Peaks
The Expanse
Animal Kingdom

We’ll have a couple of more Black Dogger’s lists next week.

That’s it for this week, folks.

Black Dog Video

Copyright © 2018 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.

Black Dog Video Newsletter January 2 – 6th “It’s a New Year Dawning Edition!”

c710dd9189bd615720b88f307115c70a

Well, the year widely known as 2017 is in the books. Many are wont to say it was a terrible year what with the orange despot down south doing his best to ruin the planet and such. I’m not going to get all political up in your face with this edition as that’s not our jam. I just wanted to say that I hope y’all had a swell holiday and also thanks to everyone who continues to support what we do. We can’t do it without you fine folks! We had some scares and almost closed down one of the stores this past year but after much planning, lots of hard work, wrestling with stress and anxiety and bears, we decided to “see what happens”. And what happened was astounding! We had a nice rebound fall which carried on into winter. It’s remarkable to me that we can still do this. I’m hoping to say these same words to you a year from now. Peace.

New Releases

MV5BMTUxNzUwMjk1Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDkwODI1MjI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

American Made – Doug Liman (Go, Edge of Tomorrow) directs Tom Cruise (Days of Thunder, Legend) in this true tale of a CIA dude who ran secret drugs (mmmm, secret drugs) that would later be exposed as the Iran/Contra affair. Heard this is a pretty good time.

MV5BZTljYmU2NTMtODhhNC00NjlhLWJhZTUtNDllODYyYWM4ZjA5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjM0ODk5NDY@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Battle of the Sexes – Emma Stone plays Billie Jean King in 1973 as she goes head to head against dirt-bag Bobby Riggs in the famed tennis match.

MV5BZDVkZmI0YzAtNzdjYi00ZjhhLWE1ODEtMWMzMWMzNDA0NmQ4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzYzODM3Mzg@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

IT – The best “murderous clown who lives in the sewers and eats children” movie to come out in 2017.

MV5BMjQzMDEwMjMyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjA1NTA1MzI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

Mark Felt: The Man who Brought Down the White House – Liam Neeson plays the titular fellow, AKA Deep Throat, in this tense drama about, well you know what Deep Throat did. No, not that Deep Throat, perverts.

MV5BMmMxNWNhNjItZjhmMC00ZmViLThlYjItZDk5YTQ1MWZkOGM1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzY2ODYzOTU@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

My Little Pony Movie – It’s the My Little Pony Movie! Lots of colourful colours to make the brony in your life happy.

MV5BMzQwMzQ0MjYzMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTIwMTEwNDI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

November Criminals – Crime thriller finds Ansel Elgort (love that name!) and Hit-Girl investigating a murder for some reason. A murder most foul!

 

download

Shameless Season 7 – Season 7 of Shameless.

MV5BMjAxMjU3NDkwOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDI3Mzg0MTI@._V1_UY268_CR3,0,182,268_AL_

Top of The Lake: China Girl – Season 2 or a sequel, if you will, to the excellent cop drama from a few years ago.

MV5BZWY4ODYzMzYtN2I3Ny00NDkzLWFmNGQtZWVmZWNkYzU5ZjBkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzExMTY0MjU@._V1_UY268_CR9,0,182,268_AL_

Trip to Spain – The boys (Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon) take their love of food and impersonations to the eateries of Spain. Hilarity, I presume, ensues.

Coming Soon!

Blade Runner 2049
Loving Vincent
Happy Death Day
The Snowman

There’s a few big things on the horizon here at ye olde Black Dogge! We’re frantically putting together our lists for best of the year, the podcast is almost ready to go and there might just be a big announcement in the next week or so (don’t worry it’s good news)…

Stay tuned.

Black Dog Video

Copyright © 2018 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.