Black Dog Video Newsletter for Week Ending October 17th

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend with friends, family, or whoever or even by yourself (I do miss those days on occasion). I hope that you all had your fill of turkey or toefurkey or ham or toeham with all the fixin’s or whatever strikes your fancy. I think that I may have indulged a little to much last night. It’s been a long day.

Pretty good, if not diverse, week for releases. We have what many are considering to be the best film of the year and not one, but two the worst films of the year, one of which I contend might be one the worst films of all time.

There will not be any Unthank Cinema events for the next couple of weeks. The fine films return on Wednesday October 26th with a showing of Night of the Bloody Apes! Sounds wonderful!

New Releases for Tuesday October 11th

Beautiful Boy – Sad looking (as in probably a heavy tear-jerker type of thing) drama starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello as parents of a teen who shot a bunch of people and then took his own life. Doesn’t get much more heavier than that I suppose.

Green Lantern – This atrocity may be one of the the worst films ever made. I’m saying that because it exemplifies everything that is wrong with Hollywood and the way they go about making films. Word has it that this debacle cost $300 million to make! Like how do you respond to that? Yes the money could have been better spent elsewhere in these troubling times but that’s not the point. Movies cost a lot to make, no question. But what I don’t understand is how something this expensive gets all the way through the Hollywood system without someone along the way saying, wait a minute, this is a piece of crap, what are we doing here?!  It’s all special effects – and not very impressive ones at that – and no time spent on anything like characters, dialogue, plot or pacing. It’s the kind of film where all of the aliens speak English although they’ve never even encountered humans before. The kind of film where they whisk away our “hero”, who is an idiotic man-boy douche bag, to another planet to train him – for all of about 2 minutes – and examine him while he floats naked except for a little loin cloth that covers his junk. If they’ve never encountered humans before, why do they think it’s necessary to cover up his man parts? The only way I can see to enjoy this is to get some friends together, have a few drinks and/or joints and go Mystery Science Theatre 3000 all over it’s ass. I could go on but if you are interested in more please check out this review – it’s pretty funny – http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/06/topless_robot_presents_the_best_scenes_from_the_gr.php

Releases this Friday on the DVD and the Blu Ray..

Horrible Bosses – Whew! I thought this was that documentary they filmed about me! Glad to hear that it’s a pretty funny comedy about some employees led by Jason Bateman (who seems to be in almost every film these days) who want to do in their, well, horrible bosses – Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston. Good times I hear about this one. Also on the Blu Ray.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer – G – rated ditty based on the book. Kids will love it I imagine. And it has Heather Graham (Rollergirl) so dads may enjoy it as well.

Life in a Day – Amazing compilation of Youtube videos that were uploaded all across the planet (Earth) on July 24/2010. Word has it that it’s quite an amazing thing to watch. And no, I don’t believe that there’s any porn. Sorry.

The Pig Farm – Yes you guessed it, a documentary about Robert Pickton. Surprised it took this long to get this out.

Romantics Anonymous – Oh-so-French (there’s even a scene where four characters all look into a room together through a doorway) romantic comedy about love and desire in the world of chocolate. Sounds like this film has everything!

Snuff Box – Famed cult BBC sketch comedy thing ala Monty Python, Mighty Boosh and the IT Crowd. (at Cambie, late to Commercial)

Sweatshop – Horror film about a maniac with a giant hammer who bludgeons a bunch of horny teens at a rave. Sounds almost perfect. (at Cambie, late to Commercial)

Terri – Most excellent (from what I hear) comedy drama about a large misfit boy who wears pajamas to school. Wouldn’t it be nice to just wear your PJs everywhere (assuming, of course, that one wears PJs)? If Hugh Hefner can wear them, why can’t everyone? John C. Reilly plays the school Vice Principal who befriends Terri and Creed from The Office plays his dad. Looks like a winner folks! (at Cambie, late to Commercial)

Tree of Life – Terence Malik’s Cannes winner about growing up with crew-cut Brad Pitt as your hard-ass father in Texas is also a meditation on life, and the history of the universe. Sounds ambitious. I think that this will divide people into two camps – those who think it’s an incredible visual masterpiece worthy of best film of the year/decade and those who think it’s a pretentious boring slog. As my friend put it “It’s kinda like being forced to listen to an entire Pink Floyd album”. So I guess depending on whether you like Pink Floyd and dinosaurs or not, you’ll have to watch and decide which camp you fall into. Also on the Blu Ray.

Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher’s stage thingy where she talks about her strange life with her famous parents, her affinity for booze and drugs (my kind of princess!) and, of course, her Star Wars experiences as Princess Leia. Supposed to be quite funny and interesting.

Zookeeper – Great. Just what the world needs, another “comedy” about talking animals. Besides Kevin James it also features many other talking animals who conspire to help the poor schmuck get laid. Hi-larious! Remember I mentioned that there were 2 of the year’s worst films on display this day? Well here ya go, knock yourself out.

Coming Next Week

Bad Teacher

Hesher

Page One: Inside the NY Times

The Last Circus

Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40

Red State

Robber

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Batman: Year One

Attack on Leningrad

Monte Carlo

Recently Viewed and Recommended

Horrible Bosses

Incendies

Troll Hunter

The Trip

Uncle Boonmee

Bill Cunningham: New York

Red Chapel

Fast Five

That’s a wrap for this week folks, sorry no internet goodies (didn’t have the time at all). Hope everyone stays safe and dry and remember, keep watching.

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Video