New Releases for Sept. 29th, or Let's Hurry This Up!

We're really moving everything this week. I have no time for blogs, so let's keep this short.

NEW RELEASES AND NEW INVENTORY:

Away We Go
Battle in Space
The Brothers Bloom
Full Battle Rattle
The Girlfriend Experience
The Girlfriend Experience (Blu-Ray)
H-Man
IP 5
The IT Crows S.3
Labyrinth (Blu-Ray)
Life on Mars (US)
Management
Monsters vs. Alens
Mothra
Nerdcore Rising
Secrecy
Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors
Shrink
Take Out
Ugly Betty S.3
Wallace and Gromit Complete (Blu-Ray)

BLOG PICK OF THE WEEK:

Paths of Glory: I have no time to explain why, but just watch it.

BYE:
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MORAL OF THE WEEK:
Don't write blogs when you're busy.
This photo has nothing to do with the move, but I'll tell you this: I'd rather do what this cat is doing than continue to do what it is I'm doing at this moment.

New Releases for Sept. 22nd, or Are You Guys Open?

We're in the final stages of our move to the new location. As the young kids say, I'm pretty "stoked". Over here, the store is considerably emptier. Over there, the flooring and paint are complete, shelving fixtures mostly assembled, posters hung, the wiring finished. In short, almost ready for your approval.

We're awaiting a counter addition, drop box, and a few other items to be completed by our our trusty carpenter team. We're looking at about a week and a half out, shooting for the weekend of Oct. 2-3
for the big opening (we'll close for 2-3 days prior to get the rest of the old store moved & the new one
ready to go). So far it's turning out real pur-tee. A beaut even.

NEW RELEASE:

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: This is about the twentieth romantic comedy to come out of Hollywood this year. It's almost overload. And to make things worse, it stars my mortal enemy Matthew McConaughey. It's basically about a guy who treats women poorly, learns a valuble lesson and loves again. The title makes it sound like it could've been a good horror movie about a guy who murders his girlfriends and is haunted by them, but I guess that doesn't fly with Hollywood.

Observe and Report: Riding on the coat-tails of Paul Blart Mall Cop, Seth Rogan stars in this comedic version of Taxi Driver where a weirdo and loner feels he needs to accomplish something great. Co-starring Ray Liotta with the worst plastic surgery I've ever seen and Anna Ferris as the most obnoxious woman in the world. It also has Michael Pena who's actually pretty funny and has a great voice (too bad he's only in the movie for about five minutes).

O'Horton: The cover for this has THE MOST ADORABLE DOG I'VE EVER SEEN. I should rent this just for the dog. I dare you to look into the dog's eyes and not go "Awwwwww". Somewhere underneath this cover lies the DVD which contains a Norwegian comedy about a train conductor's forced retirement. That doesn't sound funny. I wouldn't advise laughing at others' misery, but I condone you renting this.

OTHER NEW RELEASES AND NEW INVENTORY:

30 Rock S.3
Bionicle: The Legend Reborn
Diamant 13
Events
Everlasting Moments (Dir. Jan Torell)
Gervaise (Dir. Rene Clement)
Gigante
Godzilla/Gojira (Blu-Ray)
In the Womb (National Gerographic documentary)
Inju: The Beast Within (Dir. Barbet Schroeder)
James Dean: 1st American Teenage (Documentary)
Jimi Plays Monterey (Blu-Ray)
The Killer (Dir. Cedric Anger)
Le Sour Se Leve (Dir. Marcel Carne & starring Jean Gabin)
Lymelife
Mayerling
Monterey Pop (Blu-Ray)
The Sea Wall
Secret Defense
Sons of Anarchy S.1
That Hamilton Woman (Dir. Alexander Korda)
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Waterlife (Documentary about... umm... waterlife)

BLOG PICK OF THE WEEK:

Pierrot Le Fou: I know you all too well. You're thinking "Yo! Videotheque! We know you like Godard. You got all those posters. Why pick this?". Why? Because it's maybe Godard's finest film (plus it was just re-issued on Blu-Ray). Godard's perfect mix of emotional instinct and intellectualism ends up turning the traditional love-on-the run story into something equally manic, romantic and fun drenched in pop art designs and colors of the French (and American) flag. Samuel Fuller has a nice cameo too where he tells us what he thinks cinema is ("In one word: emotions"). The new Blu-Ray transfer looks magnificent too. I saw the remastered print at the Aero Theater about two years ago and can't remember it looking as good as this. Maybe I'm a sucker for a pretty Anna Karina and a cool Jean-Paul Belmondo, but I can't suggest this film highly enough (hear!, hear! ed. MW ).

SAYONARA:

Thanks for reading this blog again!
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MORAL OF THE WEEK:
When you watch a movie with someone else, quit interrupting and asking questions. It's pretty annoying.

New Releases for Sept. 15th, or Smooth Movin'

Instead of writing this week's blog, I took photos of how the store is looking like while we move.


NEW RELEASES:

Grace: A co-worker of mine had the same name as this film and wanted to watch it. Unfortunately, she couldn't watch it but it has to be cool: IT HAS A BABY VAMPIRE.

Old Jews Telling Jokes: My uncle Moishe would've loved to have seen this. He was an old Jew who told jokes. Unfortunately he has a pain in the tucas and can't sit in front of the TV. That man is a schmoe! A meschugener! Oi vay!

Stella: Live in Boston: I actually saw this one! For once, I saw a new release! So if you've ever seen the short lived Stella show or the internet shorts, expect that except, you know, it's live. I had a blast watching this and it's worth it alone to hear them talk about things that are too offensive to mention on this blog.

Triangle: The homiest of my homies, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, got together and made a heist film. I would've most definitely have seen this if I knew it existed. C'est la vie! The fact that the main characters are drinking buddies who get thrown into the world of Hong Kong crime leads me to believe this is going to be off the proverbial hook.

Trumbo: I like the cover. Reminds me of my uncle Moishe. Except my uncle Moishe wasn't blacklisted nor did he write Spartacus nor did he have a documentary about him. He did sit in the bathtub all day reading "Reader's Digest", though. Anyways, this is a documentary about famous screenwriter Dalton Trumbo: a man who was the polar opposite of my uncle Moishe.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: This is actually a very clever idea for the studios. They can make several sequels detailing each character from the X-Men series by giving them their own movie. I've never seen an X-Men movie before (and a co-worker was shocked), but you gotta admit that this is a guaranteed way to make money to take to the bank.

OTHER NEW RELEASES:

Easy Virtue
Four Dragons
The Human Condition (Criterion)
Iron Monkey (Blu-Ray)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S.4
Kelly's Heroes
Legend of the Drunken Master (Jackie Chan) (Blu-Ray)
Rumba
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Blu-Ray)
Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano) (Blu-Ray)

BLOG PICK OF THE WEEK:

Dead Zone: Our very own Ronny D. kept insisting I had to see this after watching a parody of it on SNL. He hasn't recommended me one bad movie yet, so I took him up on it and watched it. I hate to gush all over a movie, but this was an excellent film. Christopher Walken plays an English teacher who after falling into a coma for five years, wakes up with the powers to tell the future (plus a cool new hairdo). The always great Martin Sheen plays a man running for senate that make Bush look like, uh... well, not look as bad and Brooke Adams plays his cutie who has since re-married after he fell into his coma. Despite not being one of Cronenberg's more auteur-ist works, it's still an excellent movie that's even separated into three different acts that almost feel like individual movies. Now that it was suggested to me, I want to pass on the oral tradition of suggesting movies and so I suggest that you watch it.

RECOMMENDED SECTIONS:

RV Parks' Criminal Lovers: RV has been married girl who's a rebel and who never-ever does any good. But he still loves her. To celebrate their recent crime-spree across the mid-west, he's dedicated a whole section featuring criminals with hearts in their eyes and their bullets in other people's hearts; classics like "The Honeymoon Killers", "Badlands", and "Wild at Heart".

BYE BYE:
See ya later.

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MORAL OF THE WEEK:
I don't care if you know me or not, but please, don't call me "bro". It's obnoxious.

New Releases for September 8th, or The Next Step Has Begun.

To my surprise, the moment I stepped into the store, things were different. No longer was Anna Karina smirking above my head. Nor was Lolita tempting me to rent her movie. Nor were the protagonists of Bicycle Thieves pulling at my heart strings. The walls were barren and desolate; all our posters have been moved to the new location.

We've started our first steps with the big move. Our office and storage have already emptied out, & over the weekend the shelving fixtures on the shopfloor will begin to do the same.
As you come in during the next two plus weeks, you'll have to pardon our dust.
Trust me when I say it's for the better good!

(we're currently estimating an opening at 1020 Mission during the last week of September, or first week of October, with perhaps 2-3 down days between our closure here & re-opening across the road! - Mark W. )

NEW RELEASES:

Crank 2: High Voltage: This has the Baryshnikov of bullets, Jason Statham, getting electrocuted to stay alive. The cover leads me to believe this has little to no substance, but features and insane amount of automatic weapons, so basically it's like my life.

Dance Flick: A new and relevant comedy that makes jokes about the CGI dancing baby craze that's sweeping America today and that was featured in last week's episode of Ally McBeal. Directed by one of the Wayans brothers.

Homicide: David Mamet's long unreleased drama about loss of identity and antisemitism is hidden in the guise of a police thriller. This movie is worth watching for a mustachioed William H. Macy playing his only tough guy role where he carries a shotgun and swears like a sailor. Coutesy of our friends at Criterion, you get a neat commentary and a featurette of interviews with the cast.

Model Shop: Jaques Demy classic Los Angeles feature finally arrives to us from Sony's Martini Movies series. See the always beautiful Anouk Aimee looking... uh... beautiful. According to one of my co-workers, she said this film was the "bees knees". Well, not in those words, but you catch my drift.

Valentino: The Last Emperor: I went to the American Cinematheque two nights in a row back in May and they played the trailer for this both nights. From the trailer, I'm going to assume it's about a feminine and obnoxious man with skin texture similar to that of a football who owns several dogs and who's aging is forcing him out of the fashion world. Even though I summed it up, you should come in and rent it anyways because a portion of the money you pay goes to my paycheck, which itself is spent to find my three kids.

OTHER NEW RELEASES AND NEW INVENTORY:

Born in '68
Heroes S.3
Metalocalypse S.2 (Adult Swim)
The New World (Blu-Ray)
Nikkatsu Noir set with I Am Waiting, Rusty Knife, Take Aim at the Police Van, Cruel Gun Story and A Colt is My Passport
No.1 Ladies Detective Agency (HBO show)
Zen & Zero (surf doc)

BON VOYAGE:

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MORAL OF THE WEEK:
Be careful when you drive. You don't want to make the same mistake I did!

Took this photo this Friday. They were filming a Honda commercial. Because of this, they took away your parking that whole night. I would suggest you protest against them and quit buying their cars, but I own a huge chunk of stock in them so please don't. Like I said earlier, I need to feed my kids.

New Releases for September 1st, or I can't stand the heat. I can't stand it.

Man, I used to like fire. I remember having barbecues, heating water, breathing fire, lighting fireworks, burning hair, etc. Now it's become my worst enemy.

The last week has been nothing but smoky skies and ash. Two firemen have died and we're now in a state of emergency.

I'm glad I have Videotheque at times like this. It has air conditioning to clean up the smoky air and lets me see movies so I don't have to watch constant updates on TV about how the fire isn't getting better.

Thank you Videotheque.

NEW RELEASES:

Earth: "Better than March of the Penguins" - Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com
"What!?" - Me, vidtheque.com

Good Dick: Oh look! An other indie movie with a hand drawn cover! It's about a customer at a videostore (It's Cinefile, our buddies out on the westside) who falls in love with one of the clerks who works there. Anyone who knows us video store clerks know we are an uncompassionate bunch and lack the emotion of love. These filmmakers obviously didn't do their research!

Sin Nombre: My whole life I've been surrounded by people very similar to the movie. I've had friends, family, and coworkers who've experienced the trouble of coming to America illegally to make an honest buck. I wanted to see this film, but I didn't for some reason or an other. I did have a friend who saw it (both his parents were from Guatemala, Honduras' neighbor) and he was nuts about it.

State of Play: My dawg Russell Crowe plays an American in this remake of the BBC mini-series of the same name. It's written by my other homeboy Tony Gilroy and features a plot about a major government conspiracy. Aaaahhhh yeeeaaah!

Sugar: There's been a considerable drought of baseball movies. The creative team behind Half Nelson thought so too, so they made this drama about the perils of a gifted baseball player from the Dominican Republic. I was a little sad when it turned out it wasn't about actual sugar. When I discovered that, I went to Buster's and got a mint and chip ice cream instead.

OTHER NEW RELEASE AND NEW INVENTORY:

Bad Boy Bubby (Blu-Ray)
Becoming Charley Chase (Silent)
Earth (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Homeboy (Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, '88)
Metalocalypse S.1, S.2
Rescue Me S.5 V.1
State of Play (Blu-Ray)
Stuff Happens with Bill Nye
The Toe Tactic (American Indie)
Unwigged & Unplugged Live (Spinal Tap reunites)

BLOG PICK OF THE WEEK:

Hard Boiled: Seeing this depresses me. Not because it's a bad movie. On the contrary: it's one of the greatest action movies ever. What depresses me is that John Woo left Hong Kong only to make Hollywood dreck. Before action movies had to be nothing but quick action and quick cuts, you have men like John Woo combining Douglas Sirk melodrama with the slow-motion violence of Peckinpah to turn the shoot-out into a bloody ballet. Chow-Yun Fat and Tony Leung not only add great acting to the film, but can pull off the whole genre well. See how they can handle minute long shots of them running through hospital corridors, timing their shots perfectly while they choreograph their way around.

THAT IT!:

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MORAL OF THE WEEK:
Don't smoke around dry brush. I saw some idiot doing it on a hiking trail last Thursday. Things like this start the fires that turn our humble hiking trails into a state of emergency.