Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending February 17th

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]

Copyright © 2014 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

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