Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending July 18th

I’m old. I turned 46 today. Crazy. I had a few friends over last night for some food and libations and it general consensus was that I am now officially a crusty old man. The kind that says “Get off my lawn!” to punks and shakes his fist at things like birds and clouds. Not that I mind too much really. Turning 46, on the downward slide to 50 (fifty!), makes me yearn for younger days when things seemed simpler and easier although I’m not too sure that they were. There was definitely less technology invading our lives back then. When I was a kid we played outside a lot, watched a little TV and read books. Today my son, who’s 6, enjoys playing but he also really enjoys the TV and playing Angry Birds on my phone. Maybe too much. My point? I dunno, I’m just feeling a little nostalgic today I guess. Did I mention that I was old?

That said, it’s quite a good release week tomorrow! And don’t forget to come in and grab a $5 off coupon for lunch at Biercraft when you spend $10 at either Black Dog location. Enjoy.

Oh, and one other thing, there won’t be a newsletter next week. I need a bit of a break. Hope nobody freaks out.

New Releases for Tuesday July 12th

Arthur – From the unnecessary remake file comes Arthur, the lovable drunk. This time around we have somewhat funny guy Russell Brand in the Dudley Moore role and Helen Mirren (!) filling Sir John Gielgud’s shoes. Word has it that it’s not half bad. I just like the original a lot and don’t see the reason to update this. Maybe if Brand was a hilarious but lovable heroin addict or meth tweaker it might be worth updating.

Damages Season 3 – More feisty, nasty lawyer shit with the great Glenn Close and the way too skinny Rose Byrne. This season guest stars include Lily Tomlin, Campbell Scott and (shudder) Martin Short.

Deliver Us from Evil – From great Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch, Not Just Another Love Story) comes this Straw Dogs type film filled with crazy revenge stuff and nasty characters. Can’t wait to check out this little number.

Entourage Season 7 – More Entourage. Still haven’t watched any of this. Still might.

Insidious – Pretty good little horror film finds a kid that looks like Justin Bieber being haunted by a demon guy who looks like Darth Maul. Some good scares, some lousy exposition, cool ending and good cast make this an above average scare fest. I always wondered why ghosts and poltergeists want to scare people? Were these ghosts jerks when they were alive and now their just a bunch of assholes in the afterlife? Why can’t ghosts be helpful? You know why can’t they help out around the house; wash the car, clean out the cat box, look after your kid, that kind of stuff? But no, they have to throw all the books off the bookcase, unmake your bed and sometimes murder people and pets. Lousy ghosts. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Lincoln Lawyer – Hunky Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer who’s office is in the trunk of his car (not too sure if I’d be hiring this guy) who defends some snotty Beverly Hills client. Also stars the scrumptious Maris Tomei. On the Blu Ray as well.

MI-5 Season 9 – More British intelligence thrills. Still haven’t watched any of this. Still might.

Miral – Heavy drama about an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict. Heavy.

Rango – Word has it that this is a fantastic animated dealy for kids of all ages (blech, can’t believe I just wrote that). Johnny Depp voices a lizard who inadvertently becomes the sheriff of some weird animal town in the desert. Hijinks and life lessons, I presume, ensue. Also on the Blu Ray.

Rec 2 – Great sequel to the amazing Spanish horror number from a few years ago picks up minutes after the first one ended as the SWAT team enters the contaminated building and more hell breaks loose. I haven’t seen this yet but some reliable sources tell me it’s most excellent. Can’t wait.

The Tempest – The great Christopher Plummer treads the boards in this filmed adaptation of Shake’s play.

Tetsuo: Bullet Man – If you’ve either of the pervious two Tetsuo movies, you pretty much know what you’re getting here. Guy transforms into a crazy machine and does some really crazy things. I was a pretty big fan of the other two so I’ll have to give this one a spin.

Wake Wood – Creepy things are afoot in the town of Wake Wood. When the parents of a girl who was killed by a savage dog are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter, they get a little more than they bargained for. No kidding. As if kids weren’t creepy enough, now we have little zombie children. Word has it that’s its a pretty good little horror flick from the famed Hammer Studios.

Old Stuff Just In

Madeline – You know you’ve been asking for it!

Coming Next Week

Limitless
Dumbstruck
A Film with Me In It
Life During Wartime
Largo Winch: Ultimatum
Peep World

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Insidious
Rec 2
Hobo with a Shotgun
Louie S 1
Adjustment Bureau
Cedar Rapids
Rubber

Internets, Hey Internets!

I’m sure that you’ve all heard about The News of the World paper in England and their recent troubles? Here’s the great Steve Coogan tearing a strip off a former editor for the rag. Good stuff if you like that kind of thing…http://ow.ly/5BRV3

Here’s a crazy story – a Michigan woman is being threatened with jail time for planting a garden! http://ow.ly/5BS7i

And on the lighter side, here’s a funny slideshow of ridiculous product warning labels..http://ow.ly/5BS4L

That’s it for this week folks, remember to put on lots of sunscreen when walking to the video store to grab a flick. Again, no newsletter next week. Be safe and keep watching.

Black Dog Video