Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending September 12th

And that’s that. Another summer in the bag. I’ve heard so many people grumble and gripe that it was a shitty summer it was. Anyone remember the last day it rained? It’s really hard to argue with what we have at the moment and how great the month of August was (July, you are dead to me). To be honest I appreciate the crappy weather in the summer time for the exclusive reason that people rent more films. I know that’s selfish of me, but that’s the nature of being in business for yourself. You take what you can get. That said, I spent a great deal of time at the beaches in and around the town, had quite a few fine BBQ’s and had the misfortune to go camping. A pretty good summer all and all. The fall looks pretty strong for films hitting the DVD’s so that’s something to look forward to, right?

This is pretty cool – starting this Wednesday, Black Dog on Cambie will be holding free viewings of some pretty interesting/trashy/fun/ films. Showings are at 10:30 pm. There’s a limited number of seats so first come, first serve. I do believe that there will be refreshments on hand as well. For a rundown of what’s playing check out the Facebook site Unthank Cinema. If it works out and nobody gets hurt, we’ll make this a regular occurrence.

New Releases for Tuesday September 6th

Certified Copy – Renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami takes us on a journey through the Tuscany region of Italy with Juliette Binoche and some other French guy. Supposed to be nice nice, very nice.

Community Season 2 – Season 2 of the TV shoe Community.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec – Actiony type fantasy thriller type dealy from Luc Besson about the adventures of a young woman in the early 20th Century and her dealings with would-be suitors, cops, monsters, and other distractions. Looks pretty darn cool if you ask me.

Fringe Season 3 – Locally shot, pretty good sci-fi show complete with parallel universes, weird goings on, Pacey from Dawson’s Creek and that mad king guy from Lord of the Rings. This is the third season.

The Gruffalo – Award winning animated short film about a mouse who takes a walk in the woods and outwits a bunch of predators (the animal kind who like to eat him, not the outer space reptilian hunter kind).

Hanna – Mostly excellent actiony type thriller about a girl raised near the arctic circle by her dad who is trained to kill with the ultimate goal being revenge on Cate Blanchett for a past wrong-doing. Great score, excellent action, undone somewhat by an plot-hole filled ending but still very much worth your while. Someone please tell me what’s with Blanchett’s accent and her obsession with her teeth. Also on the Blu Ray.

A Horrible Way to Die – Nasty piece of business (if you can’t tell by the title) about an escaped killer who attempts to track down his ex-squeeze who is trying to start a new life in a small town. Word has it that’s it’s supposed to be quite good.

The Office Season 7 – This documentary isn’t done yet? They have 7 years worth of material! When is it going to be finished?! This is season 7 of The Office (still a pretty good shoe)

Parks and Recreation Season 3 – We don’t have the first 2 seasons (yet) but trust me, this is a pretty funny show and worth your time and hard earned clams. This is the 3rd season.

Road to Nowhere – Famed director Monty Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop) is back with his first film in like 20 years or something. A filmmaker gets embroiled in a crime while making a film. That is what I can make out of the plot. I’ve heard it’s pretty cool as the lines between reality and what is fiction tend to blur. Kinda how I felt when I woke up yesterday.

Tracker – Ray Winstone (love me some Ray Winstone!) is a soldier from the Boer War who ends up in New Zealand tracking a fugitive accused of killing another soldier. Action and some complications ensue.

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie – Documentary about the famous barber. Supposed to be quite entertaining.

X-Men: First Class – I saw but 2 films in the theatre this summer (shocking, I know) this and Thor. I thought Thor sucked royal donkey balls but I loved this film – easily the best of the X-Men films. Origin films usually aren’t that good but this one rocks fairly hard. Great cast (maybe with the exception of January Jones – that lady cannot act to save her life), fine action and just a good time at the movies. Also on the Blu Ray. (Releases on September 9th – Friday)

Old stuff just in…

Creepshow 2 (yeah!)
The first 3 Scream films (at Commercial, soon arriving at Cambie)

Coming Next Week

The People vs George Lucas
Rescue Me Season 6 and 7
Forks Over Knives
Meek’s Cut-Off
Thor
The Trip
Bill Cunningham: New York
BKO: Bangkok Knockout
Glee S2 V2
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 6
Incendies
Viva Riva!
Take Me Home Tonight

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Hanna
X-Men: First Class
In a Better World
Venus Noire
Trollhunter
Louie Season 1
Winter in Wartime
The Lincoln Lawyer
Limitless
Super
Jane Eyre

Behold! Internets!

I’m sure you’re getting a little tired of how much I’ve been touting Louie. Well don’t listen to me, check out this cool little article (mostly talking about the second season) touting how great this shoe is…http://thinkprogress.org/tag/louie/

And for a good laugh, there’s always Tim and Eric! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gzDxxocVPA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Here’s an article from last week’s Westender about the plight of the Rio theatre and their attempts to obtain a liquor license. I cannot understand why it is against the law to serve alcohol in a movie theatre in Vancouver?! Like, what is the reasoning behind this? I love having a few pops while watching a film. Like, come on, time to grow up. http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/news-licensed-to-chill/

Here’s a fun little editing mash-up of Coen Brothers films and the films of QT (Tarantino). Warning: this may make you want to run out and watch these films again…http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/videos/tarantino-vs-the-coen-brothers.html

That’s it for this week, kids. Enjoy the sun while we can. Eat some BBQ. Enjoy a nice bottle of wine with loved ones or friends. Watch some fine home entertainment.

Black Dog Video