Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending September 26th

Nice crisp fall day today (maybe even a tad warm). Yep summer’s officially over in a couple of days and the change in the seasons also brings us the Vancouver Film Festival. I didn’t make it out to any flicks last year (first time in 16 years!) but this year will be hopefully different. The guides are available for purchase at both Black Dog locations – $10.

Also Black Dog is proud to announce a new little charitable event that we’re calling Free Film Thursdays. On the last Thursday of every month we will be collecting donations of a sort for a local charity. How does this work you ask? Well, pipe down and let me tell you. You bring your fine self down to either Black Dog location, drop of the determined charitable item and you get a free film for your troubles. Easy peasy. The first day for this will be Thursday September 29th. I will post what charity and what the donation will be in next week’s newsletter as well as on the Facebook site and I’ll even tweet it on the Twitter thingy.

And this week’s film from Unthank Cinema at Black Dog Cambie will be Paris Blues – 1961: Stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as American jazz musician ex-pats living in Paris, includes a jazz battle with Louis Armstrong. How does that sound? Terrific! Free Admission – 10:30 in the PM. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055278/

New Releases for Tuesday September 20th

Bill Cunningham: New York – Great doc about famed NY photographer who liked to take photos of people who wore clothes. Currently at the Commercial location with copies coming to Cambie hopefully by the end of the week.

BKO: Bangkok Knockout – Thai martial arts kick to the face/groin/back/knees/throat/spine/kidneys/cranium and whatever else there is to kick and punch. Enjoy.

Bridesmaids – OK time-waster with a really good cast. Kirsten Wig plays a bit of a loser who’s best friend is getting married. Hijinks ensue. Should have been funnier than it was and also about a half an hour shorter. There really is no excuse for a comedy to be over two hours. Also on the Blu Ray.

Conan O’Brian Can’t Stop – Doc about Coco’s comedy tour after he was booted from the Tonight Show gig. Supposed to be quite excellent.

Familiar Grounds – Well received French Canadian number about a brother and sister who live together whose lives are thrown for a loop with the arrival of a man who claims to be from the future. Hijinks, I presume, ensue.

Good Neighbors – 1995 Montreal. There’s a serial killer on the loose. This makes the tenants of an apartment building in the neighborhood where the murders have taken place uneasy. No kidding. (I know the feeling – there was a guy murdered outside my house on Saturday!) This includes the new tenant and his cat. This one looks like it could be something worth watching.

Hung Season 2 – Season 2 of the show about the high school teacher with the big schlong who puts his, ahem, biggest asset to work for him to make some extra scratch. No point in wasting your talents I always say.

The Kennedys: Miniseries – Don’t really need to go into detail about this do I? Good cast, won some awards last night on that dreadful Emmy show.

Meek’s Cutoff – This is the film that I’m most interested in checking out this week. It’s the story of some settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 who find themselves stranded in harsh conditions. Bummer. I wonder if they started eating each other? That’s what I’d do for sure. From the director of Wendy and Lucy and Old Joy. Also on the Blu Ray.

Modern Family Season 2 – Season two of the Emmy award winner for best comedy series. Good stuff. But only if you like to laugh.

The People vs. George Lucas – Doc about the famous chinless wonder who destroyed so many hopes and dreams when he made those awful Star Wars prequel films. This film takes a look at what happened to poor old George and how he managed to succumb to the dark side. Supposed to be quite funny and entertaining.

The River Murders – Ray Liotta, Ving Rhames and Christian Slater star in this thriller about a cop who falls under suspicion for the murders he’s investigating. Never heard of it. I imagine it was one of those straight to DVD flicks. There ya go.

The Set-Up – Speaking of never heard of it, straight to DVD comes this crime thriller starring Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillipe. Oh, and Fitty Cent. Something about a heist gone wrong or whatever. Also on the Blu Ray for some reason.

Wrecked – Mope face Adrian Brody stars as a dude who wrecks his car (hence the clever title) and gets trapped at the bottom of a ravine and then must survive against the odds! I wonder if he eats anyone? Because that;s the first thing that I would do. Oh and he gets amnesia. In all of my travels I’ve never met anyone who has suffered from amnesia. But in the movies and TV it seems like a common occurrence. Like, what’s up with that.

Coming Next Week

True Legend

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Ledge

Frisson Des Collines

Loose Cannons

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Deliver Us From Evil (Danish)

Bullitt (yes that Bullitt!)

Bridesmaids – slightly passing recommendation

Modern Family S 2

Fringe S 3

Incendies

The Trip

Viva Riva!

X-Men: First Class

Winter in Wartime

Hanna

Troll Hunter

Internets! Yeah for Internets!

Here’s a funny article about some famous films with some glaring plot holes that clever editing helped to hide. I was watching Bullitt the other night and there’s a scene where McQueen gets a call from a panicked cop who is protecting a witness. McQueen tells him that he’ll be there in 5 minutes. Cut to McQueen arriving but at the scene are ambulances, more cops and about 100 onlookers. I said to myself, that has to be the longest 5 minutes ever! – http://www.cracked.com/article_19435_6-movie-plot-holes-you-never-noticed-thanks-to-editing.html

Speaking of Bullitt, it still has, in my opinion, the best car chase ever filmed. So exciting. No CGI obviously. Here’s Rotten Tomatoes list for the best chases ever committed to celluloid. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/drive_2011/news/1923487/1/total_recall_greatest_movie_car_chases/

If you know me, then you know about my love for signs. Here’s a funny little website where some folks have sarcastically altered signs around the town. (Not this town but any or every town) http://www.happyplace.com/4286/brilliantly-sarcastic-responses-to-completely-well-meaning-signs

And last but least, here’s a little ditty from the wonderful Oatmeal about things we should have learned in high school – http://theoatmeal.com/comics/senior_year

Alright folks, that’s a wrap. Enjoy fall and keep watching!

Black Dog Video