Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending April 25th

What a difference a week makes. It’s starting to warm up (trust me it is) ever so slightly, the Canucks are on the verge of a sweep and moving onto the second round (I’m hoping for a sweep of all the series – no problem, right?), there’s a nice full moon to admire and we have a great week of quality DVD and Blu Ray releases! Oh joy!

A couple of things to let you know about; there’s some sort of Easter celebration, egg hunt (I never really got the Easter egg hunt thing – like the symbol for Easter, besides a dude nailed to a cross, is a bunny – bunnies don’t lay eggs. Where’s the Easter chicken?) happening in the Cambie hood this Saturday (the 23rd). Details in the You Go Internets section down below.

Also we have a sweet contest to win a pair of tickets to bat-shit crazy Randy and Evi Quaid’s “film” Star Whackers this Friday the 22nd at the Rio Theatre. Just announced – Randy’s band The Fugitives will be performing as well. Should make for a strange evening. Again, details down below.

New Releases for Tuesday April 19th

Colditz – WWII “escape from the POW camp so you can return to London before the other guy not in a POW camp steals your fiance” type film. Stars Tom Hardy (Bronson, The Take) and Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers). Drama and escaping’, I presume, ensue.

Goemon – Cool looking Robin Hood type, martial arts CGI extravaganza from the Japanese director of Casshern. Also on the Blu Ray. Action, weirdness ans swords, I assume, ensue.

Gulliver’s Travels – Jack Black craps in your eyes for an hour and a half in this half-baked, lame attempt at the famed story of Gulliver – a lout who ends up on the island of Liliput – an island populated by tiny, tiny people. Hilarity, was supposed to, ensue.

Highwater – My description – Surf movie. IMDB description – Real life drama, humor, death-defying waves, rivalries, parties, heart-break, romance, injuries, and humanity all collide during a nearly two month surfing competition on Hawaii’s “7 Mile Miracle”.

I Love You Philip Morris – Jim Carrey embraces his inner gay man, tries to pull some cons and frauds, lands up in jail where he meets Ewan McGregor. Romance, I presume, ensues. For those of you who never thought you’d get to see Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor make out.

The King’s Speech – Tale of King George VI of Britain, as portrayed by unknown actor Colin Firth, and his unfortunate speech impediment. This won some kind of award or something a while back. For whatever reason this film holds little or no interest for me but I’ve been told by reliable sources that it is quite good. Stuttering, stammering and hilarity, I presume, ensue. Also on the Blu Ray.

Like Dandelion Dust – Heavy duty drama starring Barry Pepper and Mira Sorvino as parents of a young boy caught in a custody battle with good parents vs bad parents or something like that. Lots of acting and crying and yelling, I presume, ensue.

Rabbit Hole – Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart star in the director of Shortbus and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, comedy (yes comedy – I’ve been told anyways) slash drama about a couple who lose their son in a car accident. I imagine that crying, laughs, and lots of acting ensue. Make a nice double bill with the above film, don’t you think? Also on the Blu Ray.

Shawn the Sheep – Big Sheep Chase – Shawn the sheep stars in this sheep chase type film. Sheep and chasing, I presume, ensue.

Somewhere – Sofia Coppola makes another sweet film about nothing in particular. This time out it’s Stephen Dorff sitting around examining his live when his 11 year old daughter comes for a visit. Word has it that it’s quite good. This is first in my que for the week. Also on the Blu Ray.

Street Kings 2: Motor City – Because we were all dying for a sequel to Street Kings 1. (Not called one at the time I expect). Ray Liotta replace Canoe Reeves. Don’t hold your breath thinking it will be as “great” as the first one.

The Temptation of St. Tony – From Estonia! A mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being “good” finds himself confronting the mysteries of middle-age and morality as he loses grasp of what was once his quiet life. The plot keywords on the IMDB include murder, chainsaw, cannibalism and surrealism so how bad can it be?

Couple of Old Gregory Peck Titles Just in

Coming Next Week
  1. Human Planet
  2. IP Man 2
  3. Chawz
  4. Resident
  5. Jolene
  6. Lucky
  7. Casino Jack
Recently Viewed and Recommended
  1. Somewhere
  2. King’s Speech
  3. Mad Men S 4
  4. Nurse Jackie S 2
  5. The Infidel
  6. Treme S 1
  7. Made in Dagenham
  8. Fair Game
  9. Lemmy
  10. Four Lions
  11. Carlos the Jackal
  12. The Walking Dead S 1
  13. Alamar
  14. The Girl
  15. Tron Legacy
You Go Internets!
As promised here’s the skill testing question to win a pair of tickets to the crazy night at the Rio starring the Quaids in all there nutty glory. What film did Randy Quaid and Charlie Shen (see a theme here?) star in together. First one to post it on the Black Dog Facebook wall or send me a reply gets the tickets!
And this may be the funniest thing that you’ll see all day/week/month/year/life – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUnT78ut9-k&feature=related
And for the Cambie Easter thingy

Black Dog Video Newsletter for Week Ending April 18th

Sorry for the late newsletter this week folks. I was hoping to have it out on Monday as usual but the world conspired against me. Again. I was swamped with stuff like kitchen renos, 2 beer lunch, attacked by wolverines, you know, life. Anyways…

As far as I can remember there has not been a week like this week for New Releases. And I don’t think that I mean that in a good way. For the first time, maybe ever, there isn’t a single film that I’m familiar with! I don’t understand why the powers that be that are in charge of releasing films would do something like this! Make no sense. So henceforth, this week shall be known by thee name, and thus name only, as the Tuesday of Motion Pictures Unbeknownst to All Who Gaze Upon their Shiny Unfamiliar Descriptive Casings. Next week will more than make up for this week’s weak offerings. Until then enjoy some great older titles, or some of the old hockey game (but not too much).

For those of you not interested in the Canucks drive for the Cup (I know that you’re out there), please don’t forget to take advantage of our swell deals – Wednesday – 5 old great films for a measly $8.00, Sunday to Thursday 2 films for $7.00 – one old one new or two old, two new for $10.00. $35.00 buys you a pre-paid punch card good for 10 films of your choosing (includes new releases and blu rays!) And the T-shirts! Have I mentioned the T-Shirts? Well they’re going fast so come on in and get yours soon!

New Releases for Tuesday April 12th

Country Strong – The box quote says “You don’t have to be country fan to love this movie” No, and you don’t have to have any fucking teeth to eat corn on the cob. Get what I’m saying? I think that I’d rather pour hot wax into my ears and gouge my eyes out with a warm spoon that watch and listen to Gwyneth Paltrow warble her way through this thing. But that’s me.

Farewell – This one I’ve never heard of but it looks pretty darn cool – if you like the spy capers. And I like the spy capers, gimme a good spy caper any day. And this one is reportedly based on a true story about a KGB dude who decides to secretly (all spies do things in secret) give intel to the “enemy”. And it has the great rubbery faced Willam Dafoe in it and, for some reason, a quote from Ronald Reagan on the box! Which is strange unless it’s from a critic by the same name. Who knows these days?

Let Him Be – Two dudes come across a brief video clip of what they think is an older John Lennon (guy from a band called The Beatles) playing some music. Of course they set out on an odyssey to discover the truth. Never heard of this one but I like the premise.

Looking for Pallidin – Have not heard of this film but it may be interesting to some as we follow a Hollywood agent who travels to Guatemala in search of actor Ben Gazzara. Seems to be one of those films about self-yawn-discovery.

Re-Cut – Never heard of this horror number but for us horror aficionados out there this one looks nice and grim. Looks a combination of Wicker Man, Last Exorcism, Eden Lake and any number of “crazy small town-folk hiding a nasty secret” type films.

Summer in Genoa – Not familiar with this number despite the excellent cast – Colin Firth, Catherine Keener, swell director Michael Winterbottom and the lovely Italian setting of, you guessed it, Genoa. Firth’s a dude who loses his wife and then moves his two daughters form the States to Italy to “start over”. Looks like it could be pretty good, even if I haven’t heard of it.

Summer Lover – I think that this one may be a bit of a lesbian romp in the sun. Not too sure as it is unfamiliar to me but the main character’s name is Sappho and she travels to the island of Lesbos for a “vacation” And the cover art kinda gives it away as well.

Vision: From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen – I’ve been waiting my entire life for a bio-pic of famed 12th century nun Hildegard Von Bingen! Oh happy day! Kidding aside, this is supposed to be an excellent film directed by famed director Margarethe Von Trotta.

White Material – The awesomely great Isabelle Huppert plays a crazy entitled white woman living in South Africa who refuses to give up the family’s crumbling coffee plantation as civil war rages around the place. Directed by the greatly awesome Claire Denis. And it’s a Criterion release!

Releasing on Friday the 15th

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1 – Never heard of this Harold Potter fellow but I hear he’s quite popular amongst the youngings and the wizard and warlock crowd. Also on the blu ray.

Old Stuff

The Sins of Madame Bovray – If you know who Edwige Fenech is you may have seen this, if you haven’t I’m sure that you will want to. If you don’t know who she is well now’s your chance!

Coming Next Week

  • The King’s Speech
  • Guilliver’s Travels
  • Somewhere
  • Rabbit Hole
  • Goemon
  • I Love You Philip Morris
  • Colditz
  • Like Dandelion Dust
  • Street Kings 2

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Tron Legacy
  • Nurse Jackie S 2
  • The Infidel
  • Treme S 1
  • Made in Dagenham
  • Fair Game
  • Lemmy
  • Four Lions
  • Carlos the Jackal
  • The Walking Dead S 1
  • Alamar
  • The Girl

Internets! F@#K Ya!

I don’t usually throw political like stuff in here but I feel the need to include this humorous, but spot on, piece. Anything I can do to help unseat Harper. Man, I hate that guy! There’s a few F-Bombs sprinkled in hear, just so ya know..
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItqs4HO6hc&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

I know there’s a couple of you out there you are interested in Canadian film and what not. If you are check out the First Weekend Club as they are all knowing, all seeing in the realms of Canadian cinema – http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/

When I first saw this website I thought it was real. Real creepy! http://chickswithstevebuscemeyes.tumblr.com/

And speaking of creepy. I’m not too sure why I put this in here. Maybe just for the WTF factor? Enjoy…[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etU_wtP5Pck[/youtube]

Have a great week folk! Go Canucks but also go movies!

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending April 11th

So it seems that a few of you out there have been wondering what ever happened to the online catalogue portion of our website. Well, I’ll tell you what happened…way back in the day we were working towards having our entire inventory online. It was a huge undertaking (from my point of view) with having to manually add each title, year it was made, country of origin, director and a featured actor. We printed out a copy of the inventory and then took turns entering the data. We made it about half way through until one of our staff (no names mentioned here) lost the copy of the inventory. It was then that we put the kibosh on the entire affair. Enter the new site. Since we only had maybe 50% of the catalogue online, I decided to scrap that portion of the website. That said I am contemplating redoing it. I would like to find a better method than individually entering each of the 10,000 titles we have as I think I’ll probably be in my grave before it’s completed. Stay tuned.

And another reminder of our fabulous deals; Sunday to Thursday – 2 films (one old, one new or two old) for $7.00 or two New flicks for $10.00. Wednesday you can grab 5 old titles for a paltry $8.00. And don’t forget our great deal pre-paid punch cards – you get 10 films (new or old) for only $35.00! Holy hotdogs!

New Releases for Tuesday April 5th

Crime D-Amour – Sexy French corporate thriller finds sexy boss Kristen Scott Thomas making life difficult for her sexy underling Ludivine Sagnier (remember her from the sexy Swimming Pool?) French + sexy = well, you decide.

Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader – I guess this is the second film in the trilogy about a talking lion and a witch and maybe some sort of magical wardrobe? Not too sure, haven’t seen the films or read the books but if you know about this dreadfully titled ditty then have at it. Also on Blu Ray.

La Nostra Vida – Great Italian film about a family and their struggles to live in modern day Rome. When the dad discovers a body on the construction site that he works, he doesn’t report it for fear of the work coming to a halt. Complications (of course) ensue.

Little Fockers – Oh why do these things exist and why must I bring this kind of dreck into the store? Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro and the rest of the cast should be made to go to everyone’s house a give them a foot massage as penance for making this film. Actually if you want to read an interesting article written by another video store owner about this type of dilemma and just the general state of this business check out this article…http://thefilmbuff.com/grown-ups-and-little-fockers-2010
My favorite line – Little Fockers is about half as funny as Joseph Vilsmaier’s Stalingrad (1993) and twice as depressing. And no, I did not get the blu ray.

Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie – Whew, that’s good because I’m getting a little tired of all of the Bigfoot movies inundating the screens nowadays. Actually I can’t think of one Bigfoot film. So, in reality, I could be pleased with a typical Bigfoot movie. But I digress…While yes the is some Bigfoot hunting in this film, it’s really about the friendship forged between a couple of dudes in a small, dying Ohio steel town. Looks pretty cool. Not your typical documentary.

The Taqawacores – Interesting sounding little film about a Muslim dude growing up in Buffalo NY (poor bastard) where he meets other Muslims who are into Taqawacore – a hardcore, Muslim punk rock scene that only exists out west. Drama, hilarity, punk rock partying and such, presumably, ensue.

Tron – The new Tron subtitled Legacy or Destiny or Overindulgent or Heritage or Reckoning or Vs Predator or something. What it has going for it – it’s very cool looking with a fantastic soundtrack by Daft Punk but that’s about it. A couple of Jeff Bridges – one current – looks kinda like the dude but with nicer, more futuristic clothes, and one computer generated Jeff Bridges trying to make him look 25 years younger – he looks really creepy and waxy, star in this sequel to the mediocre sci-fi film from years gone by. I don’t really understand what these films were about and they try hard at the exposition but it’s all silly. And why do they have to fill the roles of the handsome young guy with all of these cookie-cutter jarhead type of guys that all look and act the same and everyone will forget five minutes after watching the film? Anyways that’s kinda my two cents – looks cool but evaporates from the brain as soon as the credits role. On the blu-ray as well.

Coming Next Week

  • Highwater
  • I Am You
  • Let Him Be
  • Looking for Palladin
  • Re-Cut
  • Summer in Genoa
  • Summer Lover
  • Vision: From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen
  • Affaire Farewell

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Black Swan
  • La Nostra Vida
  • Little Fockers – Ha! Just kidding.
  • Nurse Jackie S 2
  • Californication S 3
  • Mad Men S 4
  • Treme S 1
  • Meserine
  • Jackass 3
  • The Fighter

Internets, Great Job!

Here’s a fine article from the Onion (of course) about their favorite scenes from films from the 80’s. Yeah, Oldboy! Are there any of your favorites that they left out? For me there’s the scene from There Will Be Blood where the oil rig explodes and has that great music from the guy from Radiohead, the getaway scene from Children of Men, the opening and actually many scenes from City of Godhttp://www.avclub.com/articles/our-favorite-film-scenes-of-the-00s,35888/2/

If you have and iPhone and have ever been confounded by the auto correct on the text portion of the phone you will probably find these very funny… http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

From the First Weekend Club comes some passes to check out Daydream Nation and other news about Canadian films – http://www.bigbluesafe.com/email/display.php?M=81692&C=b6cb8cd1b1f1e7648778570ec1f4d974&S=869&L=33&N=611

And speaking of bland run-of-the-mill looking dudes getting sweet roles…A film series that I’m looking forward to – The Hunger Games Trilogy – took a step forward by announcing that Jennifer Lawrence will play the lead Katniss but then took two steps backward by giving the two male leads to these dudes…http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/the-hunger-games-movie-hutcherson-hemsworth_n_844554.html

Anyways that’s it for this week. Enjoy the rain and the great movies to be found at your local video store (hope that it’s Black Dog!)

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Video Newsletter for Week Ending April 4th

Did anyone read the article in last week’s Westender titled “Internet Killed the Video Store”? I don’t think that I need to go into detail as the title pretty much says it all. As you all know it’s been tough times for our business as of late and it seems that things are not getting any easier. There are just too many options for people to get their entertainment nowadays. Since that article ran, the fine shop Happy Bats on Main St. has closed its doors and I know of three other stores that will be shutting down operations between now and the end of the summer. I am pleased that we are still able to keep going but as mentioned, business is just not what it used to be even a scant 2 years ago. I love this business and just about everything about it – the films, the employees, our great customers and their dogs and just about everything in between and we will keep going as long as you keep coming. I put myself in my customers shoes – where would I go to get the fine selection of films provided by friendly knowledgeable staff if there are no more video stores? We have had such great support throughout the years and I hope that this support can keep us going and enable us to bring quality films to the people.

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week as that’s the day that the new films hit the shelves and when we have a great week like this week, I get excited to get these films into your hands. It is easily the best week of the year so far and I hope that you all can find some quality entertainment to brighten up your days.

Oh and one other note – there will be a slight increase in the price of the New Release TV stuff – $4.00 per disk, up from $3.50. I hope that you all can handle that. If you can’t just think of all of our other fantastic deals we have going on – 2 for $7 Sunday to Thursday or 2 New Releases for $10, 5 old films for $8.00 on Wednesdays, the pre-paid punch card, swell new Black Dog T-Shirts, the mind reels!

New Releases for Tuesday March 29th

American Violet – Well reviewed heavy duty drama about a single African-American mother who struggles to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas. Impoverished Texas town; I was looking for a good vacation spot this summer.

Birdemic : Shock and Terror – One of the worst films ever put to celluloid as they makers of this thing proudly state. It seems the for reasons unknown and gaggle of vultures and condors or some other carnivorous birds attack a sleepy little town somewhere. Sleepy little, vicious bird riddled town; another choice place to vacation.

Black Swan – Probably the best “ballet dancer spirals downwards into a morass of insanity” film ever made. The lovely and scarily skinny Natalie Portman won some kind of award for playing the doomed dancer but it’s Vincent Cassel who, in my opinion, is the best thing in this gripping thriller. I was really bagged when I watched this and was thinking “do I really want to watch a friggin movie about ballet?” Glad I did as I was enthralled from the beginning. One of the best films I’ve seen this year by far. Also on the Blu-Ray.

Fair Game – Pretty solid political thriller based on the true account of a couple – he’s Sean Penn and he works various consulting jobs and she’s Naomi Watts and she’s an undercover spy. When Sean Penn doesn’t give the evil Bush cronies the info they want on some bogus sale of uranium to Iraq, Naomi Watts’ cover is revealed by some Republican scumbags. I still have a hard time with the fact that none the Bush criminals have ever been brought up on charges for all of the various heinous crimes they committed. Makes me so mad! That said, this is a good film although it gets a bit preachy at the end. I’m looking at you, Sean Penn! Also on the Blu Ray.

Heartless – An outcast dude – because he has a large unfortunate birthmark on his face – discovers that there are demons roaming the streets, eating people and just generally demonizing some run down part of London. Again, another great vacation idea! Really looking forward to checking this one out! And it’s on the blu ray.

Leaving – Kristin Scott Thomas is a well to do woman in France who decides to leave (get it, the title of the film) her family for some dude. Only in France..

Mad Men Season 4 – Don Draper continues to smoke, drink and fuck his way through 1960’s New York. And wear great suits! Love this freakin’ show! And it’s on the blu-ray as well.

Made in Dagenham – Sally Hawkins stars as a woman who leads a 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. Word has it that’s its quite excellent. Word. Blu Ray = yes!

The Man from Nowhere – South Korean flick about a quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past who takes on a drug and organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend. Word has it that it’s an excellent thriller with a great knife fight. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet knife fight every know and then? And on Blu Ray as well.

Tangled – Very well received animated fare based on the Rupunzel fairy tale. I imagine this one includes talking and/or singing animals and/or hair. On blu Ray as well.

Treme Season 1 – Most excellent show about life in New Orleans after the big hurricane and what not tried to wreck the town a few years back. Brought to you by the cats who made The Wire so you know its going to be quality.

IP Man on Blu Ray has also just arrived.

Coming Next Week

  • Crime D’Amour
  • La Nostra Vida
  • Little Fockers
  • Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie
  • Taqacores
  • Tron Legacy

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Black Swan
  • Fair Game
  • Treme S 1
  • Mad Men S 4
  • Made in Dagenham
  • Dogtooth
  • The Fighter
  • Unstoppable
  • Carlos the Jackal
  • Jackass 3
  • Inside Job
  • Four Lions
  • The Infidel
  • Lemmy

Interwhats?!

Mark down April 22nd if you want to be part of a bizarre evening. The Rio on Broadway will be host to “An Evening with the Quaids” as Randy and his wife, Evi storm the theatre to present a viewing of Real Time and then a work in progress print of the Quaids Star Whackers with a Q and A and maybe even some singing and dancing. Funny to see this show up in The Onion. Should be quite the evening. http://www.avclub.com/articles/randy-quaid-will-also-turn-his-paranoia-and-massiv,53746/

So did Natalie Portman do all of her own dancing in Black Swan or didn’t she. Better yet, who really cares? http://www.avclub.com/articles/natalie-portman-hardly-danced-at-all-in-black-swan,53749/

Here’s a list of the most profitable films in history. You might be surprised and repulsed to find out the film in the number 1 slot. http://www.movieline.com/2011/03/how-much-did-you-contribute-to-the-15-most-profitable-films-grosses.php?_r=true

That’s it for this edition, folks. Have a great week and remember, keep watching.

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending March 14th

Black Dog just turned 15! Holy hotdogs that’s a long time. What started out as our cute little baby has transformed into an unruly teenager. I don’t have the best memory in all of the land but I can still remember our first day way back in 1996. It was a Saturday and it was at the original location across the street from the current store on Cambie Street. We had astroturf for carpeting, a handful of films to rent and unbridled enthusiasm in our hearts. I thought that it would be a good idea to write the numbers of the films on dog biscuits, shellack them and velcro them to the shelves in front of the corresponding boxes. Nice funny idea, something different, no? It lasted approximately 30 minutes or when the first dog came in and promptly ate all of the biscuits on the bottom row. Didn’t really think that one through it seems. It’s been a great ride so far and while things have changed in our industry, I still hope that we can remain a vital part of the neighborhoods that we are in and continue to provide you fine folk with some great films, wonderful service and witty conversation for many years to come.

I hate to disappoint those of you who were looking forward to that pizzeria opening up on Kitchener and Victoria (I know that I was) but it seems that some “miscommunication” with the owners and the pizza dudes over a liquor license has put the kibosh on the joint getting off the ground. That’s too bad.

And just a reminder – Black Dog T-Shirts are available at both locations for a mere $20 plus tax. There’s a visual at the bottom of the newsletter so you can see how sweet they are.

And one more reminder – deals deals deals! Sunday to Thursday – 2 films for $7 (one new, one old or 2 old) or 2 New Releases for $10. Wednesdays – 5 old films for $8! and don’t forget the great punch card offer – $35 will net you 10 films! Sweet deals indeed!

New Releases for Tuesday March 8th

Every Day – Family drama/comedy set in some place called New York. Has a pretty good cast – Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Eddie Izzard, Brian Dennehy and others walking around and talking and acting and such.

A Film Unfinished – Doc about the Warsaw Ghetto in WWII. Supposed to be quite amazing in a haunting kind of way – go figure. What makes this movie interesting is it’s a film about an unfinished film about the people behind as well as in front of the camera that exposes the extent of how cinematic manipulation can and does change the way we look at historic images. Got that? Good.

Four Lions – Comedy about 4 British jihadists and their attempt to blow a lot of shit up using bombs tied to crows. Word has it that it’s very funny (Its says so at least 15 times on the box!) No surprise that this didn’t get any kind of theatrical release here as the subject matter might be too much for many weak-minded people. Can’t wait to check this one out.

Inside Job – Oscar winner for best doc, this one takes aim at the lying, disgusting sacks of shit who orchestrated the financial coup d’état and taxpayer bailout of 2008. As the guy who made the film said at his acceptance speech at the Oscars, ” Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong.” Looking forward to watching this to get the blood boiling. I like boiled blood, OK?

Jackass 3 – And on the opposite end of the spectrum comes….Jackass. More of the same except that everyone is a little bit older and more broken down. Good stuff (I saw it in the theatre in the 3-D – not in 3-D on the DVD though). Might make a good double bill with Inside Job as you may need this to temper the rage you will feel after watching. (Inside Job, not Jackass – well you may feel rage at Jackass but those are your issues).

Lemmy -What can one say about Lemmy? Even if you’re not a Motorhead fan (who isn’t a Motorhead fan?) word has it that this doc about the famous frontman is terribly entertaining and awesomely awesome.

Morning GloryBroadcast News type comedy drama finds the lovely Rachel McAdams, the lovelier Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton (she’s a little lovely in her own right) as a bunch of people working on a down and out TV show or something like that. I thought that Morning Glory referred to something naughty? Guess I’ll have to watch to find out. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Next Three Days – Russell Crowe (yes thee Russell Crowe!) stars in this thriller about a dude who wants to bust his wife out of prison. May I suggest the classic nail file in the cake ploy? Do people still bust out of prison or get busted out of prison? Written and directed by the dude who made Crash. Remake of the pretty good French thriller Anything for Her. Also on the Blu Ray.

Room in Rome – A couple of women spend a lot of time naked in a hotel room in Rome in this steamy romantic lesbian number. Contest at the end of the Newsletter for a couple of copies!

Tales from Earthsea – Japanamation in the Miyazaki vein (It’s directed by his son, so yes, it’s definitely in that vein) that has wizards and dragons and such doing stuff.

The Walking Dead Season 1 – Pretty cool zombie apocalypse TV thriller that follows some people after the outbreak of said zombie apocalypse. I must get my zombie apocalypse survival kit together soon. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia – Doc about this crazy criminal family – The Whites (duh) – who were famous for things such as shoot-outs, robberies, gas-huffing , drug dealing, pill popping, murders, and tap dancing. Sounds like a fun filled time!

Hitting the Sheets Next Week

  • Skyline
  • The Fighter
  • Inside Hanna’s Suitcase
  • No One Knows About Persian Cats
  • Hereafter
  • Chevolution
  • A Marine Story
  • Carlos the Jackal
  • The Temptation of St. Tony
  • Sharktopus

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Walking Dead Season 1
  • Jackass 3
  • 127 Hours
  • Nurse Jackie
  • Enter the Void
  • Dogtooth
  • Social Network
  • Mesrine 1 and 2

What Else?

As mentioned we have a few copies of Room in Rome – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263750/ – to give away. Today’s skill testing question? Well since I know nothing of the film or actresses let’s just go with “What’s the fastest land animal?”

Tarantino’s next film looks like it could be cool. A western. The Coen’s True Grit was most excellent so let’s hope that QT knows what he’s doing (he usually does).
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48669

Ever hear of this guy named Charlie Sheen? Seems he’s a bit crazy. And a bit over media saturated. Need proof? http://www.avclub.com/articles/this-moment-in-charlie-sheen-sheen-is-a-radio-stat,52726/

Here’s what the funky new BD shirts look like. Also comes in a nice blue. You like?

Have a great week. Keep watching!

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending March 6th

Oh Oscar, how you work so hard to deceive me. You tantalize me with your shiny goldenness, your plethora of well groomed movie stars, the promise of something different, something funny maybe edgy (by Academy standards), the hopes that maybe a film I liked might be recognized for its swellness and the chance for the program to clock in under three hours. And what did we get? Fourteen hours of pre-Oscar vomit, Anne Hathaway and her many teeth, the reanimated corpse of Bob Hope, Celine fucking Dion, The King’s Speech winning everything (bo-ring, although I haven’t seen it) the reanimated corpse of Kirk Douglas and untold hours of tedium. I think that there were only 2 moments I liked – Melissa Leo dropping the f-bomb and James Franco saying “Congratulations, nerds”! when an award was given to some tech guys. And that was about it. You’d think that since they been putting on these broadcasts for over 300 years that they might think about, say, making it humorous and interesting, maybe having some good writing and delivery of said writing or just even changing up the dreadful format they’ve stuck with all of these years. It’s not like the broadcast was sprung by surprise on anyone, they’ve had a year to work on it. Where is Ricky Gervais when you need him?

Just a reminder that the new line of Black Dog T-Shirts are available at both stores for a mere $20 plus the lousy tax. They’re going fast so hobble on down to a store nearest you to snag one of these babies.

Hey I just realized the the Cambie Black Dog turns 15 years old this Saturday the 5th of March! Wow, 15 years. Crazy. That’s like 3 times longer than I’ve ever held onto any job. Drop in on Saturday, say hi, shake hands, do a little dance! Here’s hoping that we can stick around for a few more years and enjoy being the purveyors of fine films for our fantastic customers.

New Releases for Tuesday March 1st

127 Hours – Oscar stud James Franco gets himself stuck in a hole in the middle of the Utah desert and has no choice but to gnaw off all of his limbs to escape. I wasn’t really expecting this to be any good, I mean really, how can you make a film about a guy trapped under a rock interesting for 2 hours? But the funny thing is Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Millions) manages to make it thrilling and surprisingly moving. Kudos, Mr. Boyle (and you too handsome Jimmy). Also on the Blu Ray.

Alamar – A dad and his son fish and hang out on a beautiful little coral island in the Gulf of Mexico. Supposed to be quite lovely, nice and lovely. And nice.

Berlin 36 – Drama revolving around the 1936 Olympic games in Germany when that old coot Hitler refused to have Jews compete under the German flag. The US didn’t care much for this decision and threatened to boycott the games. Enter the best female high jumper Germany has. Problem is, she’s Jewish. What happens next? Well you’ll have to rent the film to find out. Based on a true story as the kids like to say.

Burlesque – The re-animated corpse of Cher (what, she’s not dead? Oops, my bad) dances and sings alongside anthem wrecker Christina Aguilera in this tale of rags to somewhat riches set in the world of Burlesque (hence the title). I haven’t, nor will I, watch this as I was hoping for a Showgirls type exercise in sleaze and ridiculousness. An opportunity lost.

Faster – The Rock plays a driver aptly named Driver and crazy, Gian Gomsehi-hating Billy Bob Thorton plays a cop strangely named Cop in this cops and drivers action flick. Might be alright for those of you (me included) who enjoy this sort of thing. And really, who doesn’t like The Rock? He’s yet to make a bad film! Also on the Blu ray.

Love and Other Drugs – Hunky Jake Gyllenhaal sells Viagra for a living. He meets toothy, and frequently naked, Anne Hathaway who has some sort of disease. Comedy and romantic hi jinks ensue. Word has it that it’s a cut above your average rom-com. But really, is that saying much these days? Also on the Blu Ray.

Transcendent Man – Doc about some dude named Ray Kurzwell, inventor and futurist who presents his bold vision of the Singularity, a point in the near future when technology will be changing so rapidly, that we will have to enhance ourselves with artificial intelligence to keep up. I had this conversation the other night with some friends about how there is too much technology in the world as it is and how fast it is taking away our time and ability to communicate with each other. To me, it seems that we are on a fast moving technology train that is speeding up and getting out of control and something has to give, be it good or bad. Telus is lying, the future is not friendly.

Coming Out Next Week

  • Morning Glory
  • The Next Three Days
  • Tales from Earthsea
  • Jackass 3
  • The Walking Dead Season 1
  • Inside Job
  • A Film Unfinished
  • Lemmy
  • Four Lions
  • Every Day
  • The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • 127 Hours
  • Unstoppable
  • Let Me In
  • I Spit on Your Grave
  • Monsters
  • Paranormal Activity 2
  • IP Man
  • Get Low
  • Red Hill
  • Hatchet 2
  • Nurse Jackie Season 1 and 2

What’s on the Intertubes?

I only counted one Charlie Sheen joke last night on the Oscars (I will admit, I didn’t watch all of the telecast) so to make up for that here’s some great Charlie Sheen quotes. Delivered by cats. Of course. http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/cats_quote_charlie_sheen1/

And on the flip side – and more fun side – of the Academy Awards is the Razzies, offering the worst in what Hollywood has to offer. The big winners/losers this year? The Last Airbender and Sex and the City 2. Sweet. http://www.razzies.com/

And then there’s the Independent Spirit awards, which seems an awful lot like the Oscars themselves. http://www.spiritawards.com/

And finally here’s a trailer for the sequel to ET: The Extraterrestrial. It’s about time they got around to making this..[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMW3W-G43gI[/youtube]

Have a great week, ya’ll.

Black Dog Video

So I was listening to the CBC yesterday and they were talking to Leonard Schein, who owns the Park Theatre and Fifth Avenue Cinemas, about actors smoking in films and how he would like to change the rating system to throw a restricted rating on films that contained scenes of rampant smoking. I couldn’t help but think how absurd this idea is. I think that there is a big difference between smoking and violence and sex and whatever else might constitute a need for a film being restricted. Yes, its true that cigarette companies sometimes pay the studios to have the actors smoke in some films but a lot of people smoke walking around town. A lot of people don’t have sex and fight in public (not in my neighborhood anyways). I find it hard to believe that kids are that dumb these days that if they see someone light up in a movie that they’ll run out and start smoking. Smacks a bit of censorship if you ask me. I was also surprised that this was coming from someone who owns several theatres as it would hurt his business if this idea is put into movie law. Just layin’ out my two cents.

On a fun note – the new Black Dog T-shirts have arrived! And they look pretty awesome (more two cents). They come in various sizes, three different colours and will be available at both stores in the next day or so for a measly $20. You’ll look fabulous, dawling!

New Releases for Tuesday February 22nd

Black Heaven – Trippy looking French thriller about an online (on the computer via the internets) sexy cyber blond avatar that seduces dudes into committing suicide for some reason. The box says it’s “Dangerously Seductive” so beware.

For Coloured Girls – I was hoping to watch this latest Tyler Perry thing but I am pretty sure that I am not a woman of colour so I can’t (so says the title).

Due Date – Another road -trip type comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and the ubiquitous Zach Galifianakas. Might be funny. If you want funny watch Galifianakas’ Between Two Ferns. Now that’s funny. Also on the Blu Ray.

Get Low – Funny little drama about an old coot, Robert Duvall, who wants to throw a wake for himself before he kicks the bucket. The always great Bill Murray plays the undertaker (no not the wrestler of the same name). Also on the Blu Ray.

Megamind – Another animated thingy about superheroes and stuff. Has the voice talents of Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill and some newcomer named Brad Pitt. Also on Blu Ray.

My Year without Sex – Ahhh! That’s about all I can say. Actually I’ll say a little more. From what I’ve heard (from the back of the box) it’s a drama/comedy about a family dealing with a bunch of stuff, some of which, I’m led to believe, is the lack of sex between old mum and dad. Kids ruin everything!

Nurse Jackie Season 2 – Eddie Falco returns for season 2 of nursing and drugs. Haven’t seen this show but word on the street is that all the kids are lovin’ it. It is available at the Cambie location but it is late arriving at Commercial. Hopefully in the next few days. Sorry about that folks.

Weeds Season 6 – More shenanigans with those lovable pot dealers. Pretty good show at times I must say. Again it is late at both locations but will be on the shelves no later than Friday. My apologies.

Coming Next Week

  • Burlesque
  • Alanna
  • Transcendent Man
  • Faster
  • 127 Hours
  • Love and other Drugs

Internets!

Ever wonder what Moby’s favorite films are? Me neither. But here they are anyways… http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waste-land/news/1922059/five_favorite_films_with_moby/

Here’s a fun little article about some underrated sci-fi films. I love me a good sci-fi film I tells ya. http://dvd.ign.com/articles/112/1121032p1.html

There’s a pile of sequels/prequels and whatever rehash they can come up with coming out this year. Here’s a sneak peak. And yes, Hollywood is officially creatively bankrupt. http://www.avclub.com/articles/alltime-record-number-of-sequels-coming-out-in-201,51941/

Lots of stuff happening in Canadian film so says the First Weekend Club – http://www.bigbluesafe.com/email/display.php?M=81692&C=b6cb8cd1b1f1e7648778570ec1f4d974&S=843&L=33&N=588

Yo, have a good week, yo!

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending February 21st

More big changes happening over here on the Drive. A death and a birth so to speak. Another long standing business has closed its doors – Alpha Video is now defunct. We are about to see the opening of a new pizzeria as well. I know what you’re thinking, another friggin’ pizza joint on a street that is plastered with crappy slice places. Well fear not as I have it on good authority that Pizzeria Barberella, that will be taking over the spot on Victoria and Kitchener formerly occupied by Gelato This Gelato That, is quite excellent. They own a popular joint out in Abbottsford called Ah-beetz Pizzeria. And it’s so close to my house that you may see me in there wearing my robe and slippers on occasion.

And we have another contest for you to enjoy! The prize this time around is a copy of Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 3! If you are in on what Jaa does, you’ll probably be all over this, if not, get yourself down to the stores and check out the first one. A martial arts extravaganza!

And I just got word of another accolade for the store, even if its a bit of a strange one. Apparently we are one of Vancouver’s best kept secrets according the the fine kids over at Discorder. My plan to have no one know about my business has succeeded!

New Releases for Tuesday February 15th

Bitter Feast – This one sounds kind of fun! A food blogger (guy who writes about food on the internet’s super highway) is taken hostage by a chef who doesn’t take too kindly to the blogger’s blog (love saying blog) The chef then makes him prepare food to perfection and if he comes up short, well let’s just say the punishment ain’t too pretty. Stars great indy stalwart James LeGros and Iron Chef Mario Batelli.

Cactus – Another death and terror flick set in the Outback finds a dude, desperate for cash, who agrees to kidnap a wanted gambler. Things, of course don’t go as planned as crazy people, who seem to litter the Outback, get in his way. As if I needed another reason not to go to Australia.

Hatchet 2 – Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the first one. Well I could, really. I loved it! Great gore, ridiculous bad guy. From what I hear this one is even better. Can’t get enough of crazy swamp psycho’s hacking and butchering young people.

Ong Bak 3 – Tony Jaa returns for the final installment in, what the back of the box claims, the “most beloved action series of all time” Guess they’ve never heard of James Bond or Lord of the Rings. In this one his faces the ultimate warrior – a supernatural dude named “Demon Crow”! Sounds exciting, right? Also on the Blu Ray.

Red Hill – A young cop – True Blood‘s buff brother Ryan Kwanten – takes a job in the Outback (again with the freaking Outback!) only to have a nasty jailbreak happen on his first day on the job. Word has it that this one has a great bad guy and is a ton of bloody fun to watch. On my list! As if I needed another reason not to go to Australia. But seriously, what’ with all the psycho’s in Australia? See Cactus, Eden Lake, Wolf Creek, Rogue, Animal Kingdom, Mad Max, Stunt Rock, Patrick etc…

Unstoppable Runaway Train! Well it’s not as good as that film but this is a pretty solid exciting effort as Denzel and the new Captain Kirk track down a train going off the rails, as the kids like to say. A good weekend renter for sure. Also on Blu Ray.

Waiting for Superman – Great doc from the director of Inconvenient Truth that takes a hard look at the crumbling US school system. Would definitely have been nominated for an Oscar had they not had a couple of “reenactment” scenes. Word has it that it’s great stuff. You may never send your child to school again.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger – Annual Woody Allen film about love, laughs, infidelity and old dudes chasing younger women stars Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Gemma Jones. Also on the Blu Ray.

Zonad – Crazy fun looking ditty about a couple who finds a really drunk guy dressed up in a red suit and silver helmut passed out in their living room who claims that he’s an alien. Is he really an alien or is he an escaped drunk from a rehab costume party? Do hi jinks ensue? You betcha! From the director of Once.

Coming Next Week

  • Get Low
  • Due Date
  • For Coloured Girls
  • I Am You
  • Birdemic
  • MegamInd
  • Nurse Jackie Season 2
  • Weeds Season 6
  • Black Heaven
  • My Year Without Sex

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Unstoppable
  • Hatchet II
  • Paranormal Activity 2
  • Monsters
  • Let Me In
  • Enter the Void
  • Piranha
  • Animal Kingdom
  • Machete
  • Social Network

Internets! What hath thy wrought!

So who wants a copy of Ong Bak 3? Just answer this skill testing question… In which film did Tony Jaa travel to Australia (Australia! I’ve about had it with you!) to rescue his elephant. “I want my elephant!” he may have been heard exclaiming. I have 4 or 5 copies to give away so the first 4 or 5 correct or near correct answers will nab this fine DVD.

The First Weekend Club wants you to know about these upcoming Canadian releases...http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/canada-screens-vancouver

One doesn’t really think of Underworld (among others) when talking about Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Well some of the kids at the Onion do… http://www.avclub.com/articles/never-was-a-story-of-more-woe-15-cinematic-nonshak,51740/

Here’s a fine video, again from the Onion, about some truly ridiculous horror movie adversaries. http://www.avclub.com/articles/ridiculous-horror-movie-adversaries,51591/

Have a great week folks, enjoy the weather if you can, eat well, be well and watch some swell flicks.

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending January 31st

Tough times over here on the Drive as of late. We’ve seen the closing of long time resident Wazubee, the Van East Theatre hasn’t been open in forever, there’s a for sale sign on the window of The Controversial Kitchen and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen The Pond open. Tough times. On the flip side of that we’ve seen the opening of that new fish place, The Daily Catch and a new Cupcake place. Who doesn’t like fish and cupcakes?

Another good week for releases this Tuesday. Come in and check us out. And remember our fabulous deals; 2 films for $7.00 Sunday to Thursday, 5 old films for $8.00 on Wednesdays and our great ten films for $35.00 punch card available at both locations. See you soon.

New Releases for Tuesday January 25th

Adventures of Power – Comedy about a dude who gets laid off from his mine job and finds himself in the sub-culture of, ahem, air drumming. Looks pretty dang funny for those of you who enjoy laughing. You know who you are. Sure it’s no Piranha, but what are ya going to do?

Dead Space: Aftermath – CGI horror space dealy based on a video game that’s supposed to be quite excellent for those of you who are into this sort of thing. Also on Blu Ray.

Dogtooth – This Greek film sounds crazy and awesome and crazy. Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that may very well be on another planet. They are not allowed to leave, have their own vocabulary and the only contact they have with the outside world is father’s colleague Christina who appears on the grounds to relieve the boy of his male urges. Urges! Hee-hee.Things get kind of weird after that. Can’t wait to see this one, even with its serious lack of Piranhas.

Downtown Abbey – Another excellent Masterpiece Theatre (say it with a stuffy British accent) production about a family living in Pre-WW I England. Drama and witty entendres abound.

Enter The Void – Like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Gaspar Noe’s (Irreversible) trippy mind-bender told from the point of view of a minor league drug dealer in Tokyo who gets himself killed and then floats around the city looking to be reincarnated. You may hate or love it but you won’t forget it. Blu Ray is coming soon.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – The final chapter in the Girl who did shit series from Sweden. I imagine that she doesn’t really kick a hornet’s nest because that would be a pretty dumb thing to do, like not watching Piranha is a dumb thing to do. Also on Blu Ray.

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzie – Crazy mind bender (theme this week?) about some Seattle janitor’s who are unwittingly being experimented on by some dastardly corporation for some reason. Word has it that this is one to check out and may just end up on some best of the year lists. Just what I’m hearing on the street.

Lebanon – During the 1982 Lebanon war, some dudes travel around in a tank doing war type stuff. Again, word on the street pegs this as a winner.

Nowhere Boy – Biopic type drama about some punk named John Lennon and how he grew up and form some band, The Beatles I think. Never heard of them. Any good? Stars Kick-Ass as J.L. Also on Blu Ray.

Pillars of the Earth – Big sprawling costume drama set in 12th Century. Based on a book I’m told. Stars Al Swearengen and a bunch of other British actors (say with British Accent).

R.E.D. – Action comedy starring a bunch of old folks – Bruce Willis (he’s always seemed old to me), John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. Not too bad bordering on good actually and, really, how can you say no to Helen Mirren toting a machine gun? Also on the Blu Ray.

Saw: Final Chapter – Do I even need to say anything about this tired franchise. I really hope they are not just pulling our goalie with the “Final Chapter” moniker.

Score: A Hockey Musical – Proudly filling our Can-Con requirements.

Secretariat – Film about a horse. Again has the Malkovich in it. I hope that its a horror film and the horse is possessed by some sort of demon or comes from a prehistoric cave and it eats a lot of people (like in Piranha!). Dare to dream. Blu Ray also.

Streedance – Takin’ the dance to the street, Piranha style, ya’ll! Fo shizzle, my homies!

Waking Sleeping Beauty – Doc about the Mouse House as the industry folk like to say. Those of you who have no idea what I’m on about – it’s a doc about the rise and fall and rise again of Disney. The kids on the street like this one as well.

Yellow Handkerchief – Three lonely strangers go on a road trip through backwoods Louisiana (Isn’t all of Louisiana backwoods with the exception of New Orleans?). Stars William hurt and a mustache, the lovely Maria Bellow and the girl from the twinkly Twilight series. Looks like a nice movie.

Coming Next Tuesday

  1. Conviction
  2. Let Me In
  3. Never Let Me Go
  4. Immortel
  5. A Woman a Gun and a Noodle Shop
  6. Freakanomics
  7. Elena
  8. The Last Train Home
  9. Welcome to the Rileys
  10. Client 9: Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Piranha
  • Enter the Void
  • The Square
  • Animal Kingdom
  • Fubar 2
  • Mesrine Part 1 and 2
  • Machete
  • Catfish
  • The Social Network
  • Best Worst Movie
  • Restrepo

Web Related Affairs

I don’t know if you all heard about the big mob bust in New York last week but here’s a little ditty recalling some of the best mob nicknames involved. My favorites; Baby Fat Larry, Marbles and Tony Bagels. Sweet.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/23/funniest-mafia-nicknames_n_812740.html#s228531&title=Vinny_Carwash

In case you missed it, here’s the list of Oscar Nominees just out today…(what no Machete! No Piranha! For shame) http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48221

And on the the flip side of that; The Razzie Nominations are out. A-ha, Sex and the City, Last Airbender, Twilight http://www.avclub.com/articles/razzie-nominations-remind-us-that-2010-also-produc,50515/

The First Weekend Club want you to know about a new film, Incendies, (also up for an Oscar) that is opening in Vancouver… http://www.bigbluesafe.com/email/display.php?M=81692&C=b6cb8cd1b1f1e7648778570ec1f4d974&S=806&L=33&N=562

Why 3-D will never work… http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html?_r=true

Have a great week folks, check out some flicks.

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Newsletter for Week Ending January 24th

I spent this past weekend up on top of a mountain playing in an outdoor hockey tournament. Good times although mother nature put the kibosh on our championship game by raining down upon us a hellfire of the wet stuff like I haven’t seen in a long time. Hard to play hockey in 4 inches of water. Still it was a good time, maybe too much if you get my drift. I’m hoping that this edition doesn’t reflect the sorry state of my brain today.

Just a reminder about our crushing movie deals we have going on at the stores. The new 10 for $35 card. That’s right, you come in, pay us a measly $35 (includes tax) and we give you a punch card that is good for ten rentals! If my math is correct that works out to $3.50 per rental. And of course how could one forget our regular deals? Two films for $7 (one old and one new or two old films) or 2 New Releases for $10 Sunday to Thursday, and 5 old films for $8.00 on Wednesdays. Man it’s hard to keep track. Just show up on any day it will be a good day. Also a reminder that we have lowered (yes you read that right – lowered) the cost of our TV series DVDs. New Releases rent for $3.50 and the old ones are just $3.00! See you there!

New Releases for Tuesday January 18th

Buried – Ryan Reynolds gets buried alive in a coffin somewhere in Iraq for some reason. He has only a lighter and cellphone to get him out of this fine predicament. Doesn’t sound like much on paper but word has it that it’s excellent! Ooh, being buried with hunky Ryan Reynolds sounds too dreamy to be true! Also on Blu-ray.

Horde – Cops and robbers and zombies! French Style! I wonder if the zombies say “cerveaux!” when chasing their intended lunch?

The Infidel – Comedy about a Muslim dude who finds out that he’s adopted, and Jewish. Let the hilarity ensue! Big hit at this past film fest.

Jack Goes Boating – Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut and stars in this comedy/drama about a limo driver who gets set up on a blind date. Doesn’t really sound too exciting but its really about people and characters and boating.

Justified Season 1 – Never heard of this series but word has it that it’s quite excellent! Timothy Elephant (I think that’s his name – the marshall from Deadwood) stars as a tough, 19th Century style sheriff who is reassigned from Miami to some backwoods burb in Kentucky where he grew up. Hmmm sounds intriguing.

Louis C.K. – Hilarious – What more can you say about the funniest comedian out there? He’s hilarious!

Paper Man – Jeff Daniels stars in this comedy/drama about a guy who never really grew up and has an imaginary friend – Captain Excellent (again with the dreamy Ryan Reynolds – this time with an unpleasant blond dye job).

S &Man – Doc that follows horror film-maker J.T. Petty as he draws connections between horror films and voyeurism. He looks at seedy underground fetish films, the most notorious of these being a series called S &Man. Word has it that’s it’s quite disturbing and nasty. Sounds like a date night to me!

Stone – Edward Norton goes all method acting by corn-rowing his hair in this prison drama that finds him using his hot wife, the hot Milla Jovovich, to help seduce his parole officer played by some newcomer named Robert DeNiro. Also on Blu Ray.

The Switch – Thespian Jennifer Aniston wants to get pregnant so she opts for the old tried and true turkey baster method. Unbeknownst to her, best friend Jason Batmen swapped the donor sperm for his, because, that’s, like, what guys do. Look for this one come Oscar time.

Takers – Another tale of a bunch of bank robbers whose plans go awry. Stars a bunch of guys – Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Matt Dillion and, of course, T.I.

The Virginity Hit – They’re still making comedies about nerds trying to lose their virginity?

Coming Next Week

  • Nowhere Boy
  • Dead Space: Aftermath
  • MI-5: Season 8
  • R.E.D.
  • Secretariat
  • Streetdance
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
  • Enter the Void

Recently Viewed and Recommended

  • Fubar 2
  • Best Worst Movie
  • The Social Network
  • Mesrine Part 1 and 2
  • Machete
  • Catfish
  • Piranha
  • Animal Kingdom

On the series of tubes known as the Internet

The First Weekend Club would like you to know about this screening of a new doc titled 4 Days Inside Guantanamo… http://www.bigbluesafe.com/email/display.php?M=81692&C=b6cb8cd1b1f1e7648778570ec1f4d974&S=798&L=33&N=553

Rotten Tomatoes has put out their list of the best reviewed films of 2010, enjoy. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/killer-tomatoes-strike-back/news/1921686/the_2010_golden_tomato_awards/

Check out this awesome poster!

Don’t forget to check out the Black Dog website for everything you might need in life.

Black Dog Video https://www.blackdogvideo.ca/