Welcome to Black Dog’s new and (hopefully) improved blog. We aim to entertain and inform you on all the comings and goings at the store, on the big and small screen and whatever else tickles our fancy. Please enjoy responsibly.
I have hundreds of $5 films for sale! Too many to list on the previously-viewed page so I thought I’d share photos of them! First come first serve! Send me an email at and tell me which ones you’d like! (More to come!)
$5 each! Buy 4 get a 5th for FREE!
I have hundreds of $5 films for sale! Too many to list on the previously-viewed page so I thought I’d share photos of them! First come first serve! Send me an email at and tell me which ones you’d like! (More to come!)
$5 each! Buy 4 get a 5th for FREE!
I have hundreds of $5 films for sale! Too many to list on the previously-viewed page so I thought I’d share photos of them! First come first serve! Send me an email at and tell me which ones you’d like! (More to come!)
$5 each! Buy 4 get a 5th for FREE!
Listen in as Darren, Alex and special guest star, Josie Boyce, take in the spectacle from 1989 known as Batman. Did we like it? Did we think Jack Nicholson ate too much scenery? What’s up with Alex’s recommendation? Did we have a few drinks! All this and more!
https://anchor.fm/dylan-rhymer/episodes/71-Batman-1989-e1ue51e
Hey-o! Just a short little missive today to tell you about a new podcast episode that we’ve just released onto an unsuspecting public! Join myself, Dylan and special guest star, Josie (Alex was off doing his MMA training), as we have a few drinks and take a deep dive into the film Across 110th Street and watch Anthony Quinn punch his way through crime!
And just a reminder that I’ve still got lots of nifty things for sale – movies, mugs, T-shirts (going fast!) and Ghibli socks. Check out the website for more details. And if you’re on the Instagrams or the Facebooks, I post new films for sale there a few times a week. You can also email me with stuff you’re looking for.
Hope that everyone is doing alright out there!
Copyright © 2023 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.
Here we have it! Listen in as we have a few pops and discuss what ticked our film fancy last year!
What were your favourite films? Or least favourite….
Viva le Cinema!
I managed to watch 220 films in 2022 (woah!) and here’s my top picks for new things I viewed…
Best TV of 2022
Succession – Everyone’s favourite wacky family is back for more corporate hijinks. Best comedy on the tube.
The English – Not perfect – pants fall down a bit in episode 5 – but enough great stuff here to make this cool, weird western a top pick.
Severance – Love me some weirdo dystopian sci-fi.
Andor – Best Star Wars thing since the original trilogy. That said, there is not a lot of competition.
Gangs of London – Loved this ultaviloent gang (in London) show from the guy that made The Raid films.
House of the Dragon – Liked this prequel Game of Thrones thing quite a bit. Good dragons, incest and vicious children.
The Dropout – Good true story of scams and Steve Job turtlenecks.
Barry – Finally got into this awesome show. I even watched one episode twice in a row.
Only Murders in the Building – Love this nice little whodunnit with a great cast. Selena Gomez outshines grizzled veterans Steve Martin Short.
The Bear – Very happy I never worked in a restaurant.
Honourable mentions
Dalhmer
Slow Horses
Yellowjackets
Sandman
How to With John Wilson
Greeting fellow humans! Just wanted to toss off a few bon mots during this festive (for some) time of year!
We still have things for sale, and I know how much ya’ll like things: Mugs, T-Shirts, Ghibli socks. Movies. This will be the final run of all the swag (we won’t have any more after this) so get them while you can.
You can order them from the website or send me a note – – to arrange local (cheaper) pick-up.
We should have our (2nd) Christmas movie podcast out later this week followed by our best of the year picks in a couple of weeks.Try to remain calm while waiting for these.
I hope that everyone is doing well out there. It can be a trying time of the year for folks (especially with no video store on the Drive!) so I hope you have some friends and or family that you like to help get through the holidays.
Me? I’ll be watching movies, drinking some nog and eating some foods. If you need some Christmas film recommendations, look no further than the Black Dog Video Movie Advent Calendar!
Cheers to you all!
Copyright © 2022 Black Dog Video, All rights reserved.
They’re baaack! Gremlins! Now in Gremlin form! Tune in for the Black Dog Video After Dark Christmas podcast episode (hint, it’s Gremlins!)
‘Tis the season and we sit down after midnight and feast on Joe Dante’s holiday horror GREMLINS… and drink. Merry Grem-mas!
Hey everybody! It’s the Christmas time of the year again. And to celebrate, we’re presenting you with our Christmas advent calendar! Twenty-five days of movie recommendations! One a day till the big day (Christmas)!
Are you sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin.
December 1st
The Ref (1994) – Denis Leary is a cat burglar (they still call them cat burglars?) who has to take Kevin Spacey (gulp) and Judy Davis hostage after a botched robbery attempt. Wickedly funny, maybe a little too cynical for some, but this goes down like a warm lumpy cup of nog. We did this for our podcast a couple of years back.
December 2nd
Day of the Beast (1995) – Fun, crazy Spanish film from nutso director Álex de la Iglesia finds a priest teaming up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult to commit as many sins as possible to prevent the coming of the antichrist! Yes you read that right. Strap in for some wild times!
December 3rd
American Psycho (2000) – Americans make the best psychos. And Christian Bale is best American Psycho (despite being Welsh). This film is both horrifying and hilarious. Just like Christmas! Get more Huey Lewis in your life. American Psycho, what would the holidays be without it?
December 4th
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) – Shane Black likes Christmas. Seems that all of his films, directed or just written, are set at Christmas. This is no exception. Geena Davis rocks it all out as a hit-woman with amnesia. Everything is cool until her past comes back to haunt her. Much action, mayhem and Samuel L. Jackson ensues. A ton of fun (was a podcast episode a few years ago as well)!
December 5th
Silent Night (2021) – Odd little duck from England about a family gathering at some estate for a nice Christmas gathering. Bummer that it’s also the end of the world. Comedy and horror make for a fine cocktail and this one goes down easy.
December 6th
Silent Night Deadly Night (1984) Little Billy is bummed out after watching Santa murder his parents. What’s a boy, raised in an orphanage by an abusive nun, going to do? Don’t be naughty!
December 7th
The Silent Partner (1978) – Cool Canadian Christmas Caper finds Elliot Gould being chased around by Christoper Plumber (a sadistic sob) after stealing the cash that Plumber wanted to steal. Good times in old Toronto!
December 8th
The Night Before (2015) Seth Rogan, JG Levitt and Anthony Mackie spend Christmas Eve looking for the mother of all Christmas parties – the Nutcracka Ball. Pretty funny (usually when Rogan and drugs are involved) Christmas tale to make you laugh.
December 9th
Bad Santa (2003) – Billy Bob’s make the best Santas! Loved this cynical, gross, and hilarious “drunk and horny mall Santa plans a caper” film. Watched this with my mother-in-law years ago. That was a mistake.
December 10th
8-Bit Christmas (2021) – Directed by Michal Dowse (Goon, Fubar, All Gone Pete Tong), this charming, and at times quite hilarious, tale of a kid who wants a Nintendo for Christmas – think A Christmas Story but set in the late 80s and replace shotgun with Nintendo – hits all the right notes (maybe a little schmaltzy near the end but that’s OK). A nice surprise.
December 11th
Christmas in Connecticut (1945) Time for some classic holiday fare! Fun and witty and lovely film about mistaken identity, food, G.I.s and other fun Christmas things! Barabara Stanwyck! Sydney Greenstreet! Others! Enjoy.
December 12th
Rare Exports (2010) – Awesome Finnish fun film has Santa being dug up from the bowels of a mountain. Then kids start disappearing. Then some nasty elves appear. Good Christmas mayhem ensues.
December 13th
Gremlins (1984) – What a terrible pet a Mogwai would be! No daylight. No water. No late night snacking. What a boring movie this would be had they followed the rules. Good time, occasionally dark Christmas fare. Just did this for our podcast!
December 14th
A Christmas Carol (1951) – For me, this is the best version of this oft-told tale. Nobody can hold an old timey candle to Alastair Sim’s Scrooge (No, not even Henry Winkler or Scrooge McDuck)). And such a great supporting cast. I’ve seen this probably close to 30 times and it always brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face.
December 15th
Die Hard (1988) – What would Christmas be without Bruce Willis crawling around Nakatomi plaza thwarting Hans Gruber and his minions? Saw this at the Rio last year and it still holds up incredibly well! And I also picked this one so I could use this fake poster.
December 16th
Better Off Dead… (1985) – My good buddy, John, requested this little fun film from the 80s starring John (no relation) Cusack as a love-lorn dude (his specialty back in the day) who gets dumped just before Christmas and contemplates suicide. Yes, it’s a comedy. And heads up for that menacing paper-boy!
December 17th
Black Christmas (1974) One of the original slashers! Canadian Bob Clark (who also did A Christmas Story – sad we never got the crossover A Black Christmas Story) gives us one of the creepiest, most terrifying horror films of all time. And it’s an all-time favourite around these parts (if only I could get the rest of the family to watch it with me). Great wintry Toronto locations, scary camera work and Art Hindle in a cool fur coat. Pass on the remakes. Accept no substitutes!
December 18th
The Thin Man (1934) – Let’s (by let’s I mean Nick and Nora Charles, not me or you, although…) drink and solve a murder case at Christmas! And drink! This film is too much fun. Love it.
December 19th
Better Watch Out (2016) – Fun, twisted little “terrorize the babysitter at Christmas” type of horror/comedy film. And why did it take until 2016 for a Christmas horror film to be called “Better Watch Out”?
December 20th
Bell Book and Candle – Despite having Jack Lemmon playing the bongos and James Stewart looking way too old (he kinda always looked old) for Kim Novak, this little Christmas witch story is quite delightful. And also has the best cat in all of the movies (probably)!
December 21st
Desk Set (1957) – Fun and wacky hi-jinks are the order of the day in this charming Hepburn/Tracey number about the computerization of a TV network’s research department. But at Christmas. Lovely.
December 22nd
Inside (2007) Ultra-gory (yes please!) French film finds a woman fighting for her (and her unborn baby’s) life on Christmas eve when an unhinged woman breaks in with the idea that the baby should be hers. Did I mention it’s gory? Cause it is! Insanely so.
December 23rd
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – I put off watching this film forever thinking it would be some schmaltzy lame Christmas tripe. I was quite wrong. What I did not expect was a fairly dark, almost Twilight Zoneish, film dealing with suicide, greed and how capitalism might just destroy the world. I’ve seen it several times and it never fails to bring a tear or 6 to these tired, cynical old eyes.
December 24th
Krampus (2015) Our film for this Christmas Eve (probably) will be this fun little horror/comedy about the legendary monster who is accidentally summoned to ruin Christmas. Nasty ginger-bread people, crazy gnomes and a great big Krampus adds up to some chilly hi-jinks!