Monday, December 27, 2004

The Year End Playlist

For those of you whom have entered our establishment, you may have noticed that if the audio for some flick isn't playing, we've got some rockin' tunes blazing over our ears. So i've quickly compiled some of our faves just so you can educate yourself. And please disagree if you must. in no order: Band/Musician Album
The Arcade Fire--Funeral
The Concretes-S/T
M83--Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
The Chi-Lites--S/T
Brian Eno--Another Green World
Boom Bip--Seed to Sun
The Kinks--Are the village green preservation society (remaster)
Loretta Lynn--Van Lear Rose
Candy Station--S/T
Nina Simone--The Colpix Years
Do Make Say Think--Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
Brian Eno--Here Come the Warm Jets
Animal Collective--Sung Tongs
The Clientele--Suburban light
PJ Harvey--Uh Huh Her
Charles Mingus--The Black Saint and Sinner Lady
Lost in Translation Sdtk
The Books--The Lemon of Pink Menomena--I am the Fun Blame Monster
A Bout de Souffle & Godard Sdtks Talk to Her Sdtk
Can--Ege Bamyasi
Sterolab--Mangerine Eclipse
Tv on the Radio--Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Franz Ferdinand-S/T
Sonic Youth--Sonic Nurse
The Microphones--Mt. Eerie
Belle & Sebastian--Dear Catastrophe
Waitress Saint Etienne--The Trip
Isaac Hayes--Hot Buttered Soul
John Coltrane--A Love Supreme

12:28

Lord Help us. this merry/hectic year has come to a close and you and I have barely made it out alive. From last minute Earthquakes on the otherside of the world, to an f'd election, and the Red Sox winning (WTF?) it's for damn sure a memorable one in my book. The way I see it is don't look back, or else you'll live in irrefutable dismay. And we love you, do don't do that. So, to keep you alive and stable here's the very last of this year's releases. I know, I'm getting all gushy too. Anchorman: Oh man, this guys on fire. You can't get near him or else you'll melt like the wicked witch of the east (or was it the west?). Will Farrell and his ass stars in this offbeat comedy about a man....oh why bother, you'll gobble this up whatever I may say. Just know we have this bitch.

Code 46:
Badboy Michael Winterbottom's (teehee!) latest sci-fi meets Philip K. Dick meets Annie Hall. That's a mouth full. That's what she said! ---Er, anyways, I saw this puppy the other night and can safely say that I enjoyed it. It's lacks full character development and motive, but neverthless I left it with a smile. Maybe it was because of the karaoke scene with Mick Jones, singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" No, seriously.

Garden State:
Every publication has called Zack Braff something to the effect of, "new indie god," or "small fry hero." Well, I'm gonna follow suit and say the say the same thing. Braff, the new small fry hero, debuts his debut on DVD. Everyone ages 15-24 loved this film, and everybody else merely liked it. The soundtrack everybody knows and Patalie Nortman is cooky and cute. Is he the new Wes Anderson? Hmm, only if his acting casts get bigger and bigger.

Open Water: My compatriot loathed this film because he called it unbelievable. I'm about a head nod away from agreeing with him, except the sharks are scary! Not since Jaws 2 and Deep Blue Sea has had so much shark talk about it. This ultra-low budget indie had a bunch of hype around it and then faded away into the sunset. I won't say anything else, and I'll let you decide whether it should sink or swim, or be hideously torn to pieces via sharp, sharp teeth.

Wicker Park: This remake of the Frenchie, "L'Appartement" starring Monica Belluci, has Josh Hotnet in it and a couple of girls. I didn't remember too much about this film because I couldn't focus my vision on anything else by Joshy-boy. He shouldn't act anymore because he's ruing it for us good lookin video clerks. Now Rick and I will never have a chance. *Note: If you liked the Garden State sdtk, this one steps on it, and never looks back.

That's it, I guess: Wimbledon and Resident Evil: Apocalypse also made it out somehow.

*********

AVERYSPECIALNOTEFROMUSTOYOU We are still babies here. This past March we barely celebrated our 1 yr anniversary. So as you see, we are still very young. We are also very grateful. When most business go under in under a year, you have helped this little business stand up against those awful conglomerates. I know we've had our off days, some here have been grumpy or rude (present company included) but we try. That's all we can do. Over the next year we may have some humble plans in our future, so please come and see what's new around here. We love your company. Alas, thank you so much for patronage, even if it's just reading these stupid little newsletters, it all helps

You have all of our best wishes, have a prosperous and safe new year and we'll see you when the tide turns. Thank you.

www.vidtheque.com

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

12:21

After a lifetime of Tuesdays, I, as a post-humous French new wave icon, have never been so pleased with the bevy of DVDs to behold this Tuesday. Allow me to unintentionally steal my compatriot's thunder and tell you about them before this rotten commercialized holiday where the man tries to keep us down by encouraging us to compile more clutter in our lives takes the wind out of my sails to a point where it's no longer even fun to write run-on sentences anymore.

DANNY DECKCHAIR - I got a Christmas card from Danny. I didn't get him anything. He in turn has, I don't know, flown away on a deckchair or something. Whenever I see commercials for comedies with lanky guys with long hair I immediately think of Yahoo Serious, which in turn causes me to start thinking about ageism in Hollywood, and my own mortality, which ultimately ends up depressing me, which is not what I want in a comedy. But hey! Merry Christmas!

De-Lovely: My compatriot informed me that this was named after a Cassavetes film. I tried to verify this on IMDB, but failed to do so. Thus, I am inclined to believe him. So for all you Cassavetes lovers come grab this spin-off of A Woman Under the Influence. I hear it's great. Hype!: This doc on the Seattle "Grunge" music scene from waaaay back in the 90's is finally out on DVD. Has more Melvins and Gas Huffer than Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but don't get your panties in a bunch. Like any good hipster, you have to embrace the lesser-known artists, so you should be all over this shit. The Walkabouts, Supersuckers, 7 Year Bitch, The Mono Men. Who? Oh, I pity yee ill-informed one.

The Manchurian Candidate: Jonathan Demme is about this close to topping Soderbergh in the remake genre. Fresh off his kilter-The Truth About Charlie-Demme directs Denzel and Meryl Streep in this political thrilla! Michael Moore guests as soldier sent to war and forced to clean up his hygiene. Rent this one, you'll help support the underrated Jeffrey Wright.

Napoleon Dynamite: Dy-NO-mite!! C'mon, you were bound to know some jackass was going to do that. I say better that then, "Gosh!" Goshdamn you hipsters, your flippin' movie is out this week. But it's rather heavy on the weak sauce. Now don't get all pissy, what I mean is the production of the disc looks rather dumpy. It's one of those "double-sided" ones. Anyways, comes with a few features, quirkiness, and Pedro. Everybody wants a Pedro.

Shaun of the Dead: The Videothequian Caucus was this week, and we came to the conclusion that this just might tickle your fancy slightly more than the aforementioned film above. Shaun keeps gettin C-blocked by the zombies as he tries to play his mojo. And trust me, that's the worst of all blocks. by a zombie! Anyways, try this one, jump in and get your feet wet...with blood!! 2046 &

The House of Flying Daggers: Huh you say? Yes, we do have these. If you don't want to take out a second mortgage at the theater, then spend 4 bucks renting it from us.

And 2046 is Wong Kar-Wai's follow up to 2000's beautiful "In the Mood for Love." Good luck trying to find this at No-late-fee Lackluster, we are one of few who carry this bitch. Come and get it! That's it.

Noticebly missing from this week: King Arthur, Two Brothers, and The Thunderbirds. *Cough* I'm sorry, I'm allergic to crap. oops...

*********************** As my fellow co-worker has stated, we are cluttering our lives with useless clutter, and making our lives just a jumbled mess. When you get more junk in your closet you've known you've done a good job. So with that being said, we would like to add to your clutter and announce the things we have for sale, just in case your loved ones might go on record with one of these items. They are: New and Used DVDs, Posters, Box Sets, T-shirts, All-Region DVD Players (only 89.99!!), Candy, Rent Certs and Gift Certs. And I swear this will be the last I ever mention it.

So, have a great weekend, be safe, be merry, and come by, we've got plenty of mistletoe to go around.

www.vidtheque.com

Monday, December 13, 2004

12:14

Hejdo! The weather is warming around here in SoCal, something which I am totally against. Yeah, I know, why do I live here then? Well, there's no other place on this planet where I would want to inhale noxious fumes from K's buttocks. Also, I just may have some ties down here. Naw, the weather ain't all that bad, actually this is one of the most beautiful seasons we've had. So much so that it puts me in the mood... for giving that is. So here's my cheap-ass gift to you. cha-ching!

Collateral: "EG aint shit" or something like that. Rick's gonna kill me via Tom Cruise. Mr. Cruise and Mr. Foxx star in this Mann-driven thriller about some killer! Shows the awesomeness of Mann's high-def night photography, as voted one fo the best in this month's Artforum, and undeniable languid soundtrack. But as we all know, we don't watch movies for the music. Recommended by your friendly VT staff, pick this up and see how stressed Tom Cruise can get.

Door in the Floor: This one rhymes better than mine. Oh well. Based on the Irving novel, Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger star in this despondent drama about a marriage going down the tubes. And that ain't good. It reminds me of my torrid love affair with Cloris Leachman. We were so hot and heavy and then one day she left me for Dustin Diamond. Sigh.

I Robot: If the Day After Tomorrow didn't fill your fix of CGI, this one might do the trick. Thousands, if not millions, of robots turn evil and it is up to Will "Fresh Prince" Smith to save the day. He has Jazzy Jeff by his side, but all he does is drop some phat beats. Luckily the sound waves are strong enough to nix the robots. This million dollar baby does not feature, Haley Joel Osment as rumored. It does however, do an amazing CGI job on Smith's butt.

Kitchen Stories: This bizarre and funny tale comes from Norway aboot a scientific researcher in you guessed it, a kitchen. As he strategically sits in his high chair, watching, his research keeps getting interrupted. Features cleaner kitchens than my lady friend.

This So-Called Disaster: That's I'm going to call my auto-biography. Or maybe my epitaph. We'll see. This doc documents the production of Sam Shepard's The Late Henry Moss. According to the film, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Woody Harrelson are all dicks. Who knew? Come see what little theater and big actors are like when their heads get hot.

We Don't Live Here Anymore: They've moved to Nantucket. Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Watts, Laura Dern and the dood from Six Feet Under star in this film about nasty infidelity. Yes, it may sound like Closer or Your Friends and Neighbors, but it's not. So get over it. I'm still curious why its given such a title? I wonder what it refers to. Could it be the emotional wreckage left behind by the characters, or did they actually move the valley? Let me know.

The Rodney Dangerfield Collection: Don't for one minute think just because I'm talking about Rodney, it means I'm gonna use his ubiquitous tagline. C'mon baby, you know I'm a little more original than that. Show some respect. Damn.

****************** See those? Those are snowflakes, which can only mean one thing. Your wallets need emptying. So, don't just blow your cash anywhere. We know your loved ones love our store and would exclaim with glee when they see that you got them a VT gift cert, or rental cert, or Shirt, or poster, or used DVDs, or new DVDs like Radiohead's The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth, or even candy.

So do us all a favor and visit us. We love your smile and miss it dearly. Now back that ass up and leave. We'll see you soon.

www.vidtheque.com

Monday, December 6, 2004

12:07 (we are doomed)

Hey Oh the Yuletide casts an evil wave. We are continuosly getting f'd by these hectic winter days. Just the other day I ran out and shot the photo for my X-mas cards and was slammed by traffic, shoppers, and heavy rain. Left only to fend for myself against a sexually manic Santa set out to show me his candy cane. Yes Charlie, christmas time is indeed here. After all my crying and scheduling an appointment with Rick's therapist, I figured the least I can do during this time of giving, is donate to the charity of myspacers. So all yee myspace dependants, listen up! jingle jingle jingle...

The Bourne Supremacy: My buddy Rick gave this a whopping double-ebert thumbs up with sound effects! You know it's a winner. I teased him about watching it only cuz of that dancing Julia Stiles. She likes to boogie down, when you know, not falling madly in love with Mr. Bourne. But in all seriousness, Mr. Rick says, "it's off da hook. It proves to be quite a stunning sequel, surpassing it's predecessor and creating a suspense film that stands on it's own two feet." That's a recommendation if I ever heard one before.

Dodgeball A True Underdog Story: We had quite a discussion about the title(s) of this film. We realized that were about ten tag lines attached to this affluent comedy. That's just greedy. There's no need for any more than two, maybe, titles. Everything else is an attempt at monopolizing the ad market. Someone should sue. Anyways, as I'm sure you have already seen this, I don't need to go into detail. Ben Stiller revisits his character from Heavyweights and Vince Vaughn is one funny muthafucka. Every rental includes an embossed ball.

Heart of America: Sounds like that right-wing Disney doc that was released some odd weeks ago, it is however nothing like that. It's another kids gone awry tale by way of Columbine. Think Van San'ts Elephant and blood. Or so they say. This came out from nowhere, which leads me to believe that it will be sitting on our shelf for weeks. Come get it and wipe away the dust for us.

Maria Full of Grace: My Mexican mom loved this one. Which is funny because from what I know, Maria and others were Columbian, not Mexican. I asked my mom and she said, "hey, its hispanic and any which way we can. Well, as long as its not Puerto Rican." So I guess as long they at least sit on the same continent, its ok. My mother has no pity. Sorry JLo!

Wild at Heart: Lynch's 1990 release finally hits the fan this week with nice, glowing cover art. Featuring all the usual Lynchian players, this cult fave is bound to quell your hunger. Filled with a quasi-linear story, bad acting, and even worse soundtrack. No I'm kidding, the soundtrack aint that bad.

* * * * * * * * * * * COME SURF THE YULETIDE DUDE!! We are slaves for your xmas shopping needs!! We've been working dilligently bringing in product from all over the globe! In our travels we ransacked our distributers just to bring you some of the craziest shite eva! We have tons of new and used DVDs for your pleasure, gift certs, rental certs, candy, badass posters, shirts!, and all region dvd players. All perfect for you loved and hated one. So please, keep us alive, and spread some season cheer.

Special Note* Thanks to all those who gave up their Saturday night to be at our first double feature screening. To those of you who were too cool and didn't make it, we have more to come after the new year. So please keep an eye out.

That's it. Get out of my house.

www.vidtheque.com