Saturday, December 13, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 9 December 2008

The Dark Knight: Best film EVAR!!!!!1!!!!!11!



Lost: Season 4



Man on Wire - The acclaimed documentary, winner of the New York Critics prize for best doc of 2008.



Mister Foe - Jamie Bell is Hallam Foe, a troubled young man whose knack for voyeurism paradoxically reveals his darkest fears, and his most peculiar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother’s death, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh for love. Featuring a lively soundtrack with Franz Ferdinand, Sons and Daughters and Orange Juice among others, MISTER FOE is a darkly twisted, entertaining work of magical realism from one of the leading lights of the new Scottish cinema.



Nina's Heavenly Delights - NINA'S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS is a surprising love story where Scottish humor meets Bollywood spectacle! It follows the mixed fortunes of a Glaswegian family, THE SHAHS and their award winning Indian restaurant, THE NEW TAJ.



Teenage Angst - On the shores of a deceptively peaceful mountain lake, inside a picturesque castle-cum-boarding school, four bored young men from über-wealthy families create a clique, replete with sexually charged rites and rituals. Desiring to break free from the gilded cage in which their parents have deposited them, they sneak off campus at night to party, skinny dip and play increasingly dangerous games. The stronger-willed guys lord it over the weaker ones, until inevitably, bad things start to happen.



3 Day Weekend - the latest comic romance from Rob Williams, director of Long-Term Relationship & Back Soon.



Horton Hears a Who! - The rape of Seuss continues unabated.



Metalocalypse: Season 2 - The Adult Swim favourite returns.



Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews - Before you watch it re-enacted in cinemas, watch it as it actually took place!



Europa (Zentropa) - Criterion release of Lars von Trier's stunning 1991 feature. In widescreen, finally.



Where the Fuck Is Santa? - Christmas with Bam and some other guys from Jackass.



The Wild, Wild West: Season 2 - The second, craziest season of TV's greatest western/sci-fi/horror/whatever-genre-they're-trying-this-week.



And also:

Beautiful, the Bloody and the Bare / Behind Locked Doors
Cotton Club, The
Desert Hearts
Erotic Ghost Story III
Faust
Flatliners
Get Smart: Season 2
Heavy Metal
Herzog Shorts (Dark Glow of the Mountains / Ballad of the Little Soldier / Precautions Against Fanatics)
Lady Snowblood
Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
Last Supper, The
Long Way Down
Love Girls, The
More
Natural, The
Night Sun
Quare Fellow, The
Red Dawn
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Samurai Banners
Sugar Cane Alley
Swinging in the 70s Triple Feature (Your Wife or Mine / Harvey Swings / Keep Them Happy)

GENXINE ISSUE 15 deadline countdown

Hey there, you! Would you like a free movie rental?
Getting one is easy - just email me a movie review! Once it's published, you get a free rental on your account!

WHAT: movie review, min. 100 words (1 paragraph)
WHEN: for the January issue, please send in by the end of next week!
EMAIL TO: genxine.editor@gmail.com

Friday, December 5, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 2 December 2008

NEW MOVIES

The Book of Revelation - Australian. A man is abducted by women who sexually torture him. Upon release, he becomes obsessed with them. It can only end well. Stars Greta Scacchi.



Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian - The second in a series of blockbusters based on C.S. Lewis' family favourites.



Fly Me to the Moon - 3-D family animation.



How About You - Ellie (Hayley Atwell), a free-spirited and headstrong young woman, is left in charge of a retirement home over the Christmas holidays. With Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Fricker, Joss Ackland, Imelda Staunton.



Mad Detective - Johnnie To has been making some of the most delightfully quirky action pictures to come out of Hong Kong for 20+ years. The cultists would have been wise to hitch their carts to his train than say... oh, we won't name names. Anyway, it's not too late.



My Father My Lord - A respected rabbi is forced to come to terms with the demands of his faith and the welfare of his own family.



Peter and the Wolf - Oscar-nominated animation set to Prokofiev's brilliant music.



Rise of the Footsoldier - Follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties.



Step Brothers - Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are stepbrothers, grown up in body, emotionally stunted in mind. Spazzy hijinks ensue.



The X-Files: I Want to Believe - It's another X-Files movie. With Billy Connolly.



OLDER STUFF AND TV:

24: Redemption
Arabesque
Captain Newman, M.D.
Dante's Cove: Season 2
Man with the Gun
Memphis Belle
Mirage
Mists of Avalon, The
Perfect World, A
Prizzi's Honor
Reversal of Fortune
Villa Rides!
Wanted
White Dog
World in His Arms, The

Monday, December 1, 2008

GENX website = DONE

That's right folks, the GENX website is all done and ready for you to use! Aaaaaah, the sweet, sweet simplicity of a straight-up HTML website. It's nothing fancy, but now you can easily search our inventory, figure out where in the store something is located, and then get in touch with us to put that film on hold!

Oh the internet. It'll never fly.

Friday, November 28, 2008

DEATH NOTE 2 Tickets at Gen X

Gen X has a limited number of tickets available for a screening of the much-anticipated DEATH NOTE II, playing one night only in town: Wednesday, Dec 3, at 9:45 pm at the Galaxy Cinemas Waterloo. First come first serve, so come on in and claim them now!

In the meantime, enjoy this professionally subtitled trailer.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 25 November 2008

HIGH-QUALITY HOLLYWOOD PRODUCT!

Hancock - Will Smith is a superhero... with attitude! But don't worry, not so much attitude as to alienate his white fanbase! with Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron.



Fred Claus - Vince Vaughn is the black sheep of the Claus family in this wild 'n wooly yet heartwarming Christmas tale. Paul Giamatti (as Santa), Kevin Spacey, and Miranda Richardson show up for the paycheques.



Meet Dave - Eddie Murphy in a challenging dual role: as a miniature alien invader and the lookalike robot he commandeers from inside its head. Eddie Murphy + sci-fi comedy = gold. Just ask the makers of Pluto Nash.



Space Chimps - One of the only 2008 kids movies whose existence I actively kept my 4-year-old from discovering.



MOVIES YOU PROBABLY HADN'T HEARD OF TIL THEY HIT VIDEO

Butch Jamie - Aspiring actress & butch lesbian accidentally lands a leading role... as a man!



Cruising Bar 2 - Sequel to the much-loved 1989 Quebecois comedy. Michel Côté returns in all of his hilarious roles.



Diminished Capacity - Matthew Broderick suffers memory loss, so he returns home to commiserate with alzheimers-sufferer grandpa Alan Alda and old girlfriend Virginia Madsen.



River Queen - Film set in 1860's New Zealand about a young Irish woman & her family who find themselves caught in the middle of the conflict between British & the indigenous Maori. Starring Samantha Morton (TV's Max and Ruby) and Kiefer Sutherland.



TELEVISION & MISC. NEW TITLE

Bones: Season 3 - Angel and the weird-looking chick are back for more forensic hijinks!



A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All - If you only watch 44 minutes of holiday-themed television this year, make it this 44 minutes. Stephen is joined by Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Feist, John Legend, Toby Keith, and a killer bear.



George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya! - The great comic's final standup special.



OLD! YET NEW!

Bottle Rocket - New 2-disc Criterion edition of Wes Anderson's debut feature. Also includes the short film version used to acquire financing.



Chungking Express - Still Wong Kar-Wai's most popular film, this 1994 classic has lost none of its luster. New Criterion edition.



Irma Vep - Finally, a remastered edition of Olivier Assayas' 1996 cinematic valentine to the medium, to French cinema, and especially his leading lady Maggie Cheung. Also with Jean-Pierre Leaud.



Little Shop of Horrors - Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, Christopher Guest and a host of others in Frank Oz's delightful horror-musical.



Looney Tunes Golden Collection 6 - With dozens, maybe hundreds of great cartoons still unreleased on DVD, Warners has announced that this will be the last set. At least on this one they are acknowledging their un-PC history.



Ludwig - Luchino Visconti's grand, epic portrait of the mad monarch. With Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider, and Trevor Howard.



One of Our Aircraft Is Missing! - A Powell & Pressburger WW2 adventure.



Provocation - Vintage Joe D'Amato Eurosleaze. One for the pervs. Strangely, youtube has no videos for this one.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - Criterion 2-disc edition of the cold war classic, starring Richard Burton.



The Virgo, the Taurus, and the Capricorn - Eurosmut icon Edwige Fenech displays her many charms. Brings back fond memories of late Saturday nights watching Channel 47 (Cable 4) in the 80s.



X-Men Evolution 2.2: Powers Revealed - More X-Men cartoons.

Monday, November 24, 2008

it's a comin'....

Our new and improved website will soon be alive and hopefully working! WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

Keep your eyes peeled and your hot little mouse trigger finger a-ready!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Be Our Friend

Become a "fan" of Gen X on Facebook. We will not be held responsible for the amazing life benefits you will miss out on if you don't.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 18 November 2008

NEW! WELL-ADVERTISED!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - More post-pubescent adventures in dirty jeans!
Tropic Thunder - Politically incorrect satire of Hollywood! Isn't it weird that advocates for the mentally handicapped raised a fuss over jokes whose target is arrogant Hollywood types who exploit the handicapped for their own glory, while African Americans were largely indifferent to the joke of a white-as-can-be actor blackfacing and dealing in 70s blaxploitation stereotypes?
Wall-E - Best picture of the year? Yes. Not just for kids!

NEW! MAYBE ADVERTISED IN THE PRINCESS CALENDAR!

Ben X - Dutch/Belgian tale of an autistic teen's alternate life in online RPGs.
Elite Squad - from the director of the acclaimed Bus 174 and the writer of City of God, an acclaimed political thriller of violence on the streets of Rio.
The Last Mistress - French provocateur Catherine Breillat's latest, a (surprise!) sexually-charged costume drama starring Asia Argento.
Steel Toes - Canadian drama starring David Strathairn as a Jewish lawyer hired to defend a neo-Nazi skinhead accused of a racially-motivated murder.

NEW! GLBT INTEREST!


Arizona Sky - First love is the sweetest in this romantic drama about two reunited 30-something buddies who fall back in love.
Between Something & Nothing - Gay interest film about a cute but struggling art student who hustles to make his tuition, learning more from his encounters then any of his classes.
I Love You Baby - A breezy Spanish comedy in the Almodovar tradition, about a gay romance that's broken up by a falling disco ball. Watch for a cameo by pop star Boy George.
The Shadows - Troubled horror novelist accidentally hits a young man on the road then begins to have a torrid sexual affair with him.

NEW! DOCUMENTARIES!

Encounters at the End of the World - Documentary poem by Werner Herzog about Antarctica focusing on the oddness of the people who live there and the beauty of the landscape.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson - Another Hunter S. documentary, but this one played the Princess so people want to rent it! Johnny Depp is prominently featured, as usual.
Her Name Is Sabine - Genius French actress Sandrine Bonnaire's Cannes-award-winning portrait of her autistic sister.
The Last Continent - Documentary examining the effects of global warming on the ecosphere of Antarctica. Narrated by Donald Sutherland.
Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan - It is what it says it is.

NEW AND NOT-NEW! TELEVISION!

The Catherine Tate Christmas Show - Doctor Who's most recent companion presents all of her wacky characters in holiday-themed sketches.
Doctor Who: Series 4 - featuring Catherine Tate.
Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest - animated Who adventure, with the voice of David Tennant.
The Edwardians - 10-part BBC series from 1972, about a plethora of Edwardian notables. Stars Anthony Hopkins, among many others.
Hill, Benny: The Best of - Cue "Yakety Sax".
Night Gallery: Season 2 - Rod Serling's second classic horror/sci-fi anthology seriesmay not be as great as Twilight Zone but its uneveness makes it a much wilder ride. Very worthwhile.
Pingu: South Pole Adventures - for the kids!
The Sandbaggers: Set 1 - Classic UK spy series from the late 70s, with pre-Dalgleish Roy Marsden.
Scrubs: Season 7 - Another season of effin' Scrubs.
Shaun the Sheep: Off the Baa! - The latest comedy creation from Aardman Animations, the genii behind Wallace & Gromit.

NEW TO THE STORE BUT NOT TO THE WORLD!

Badlands - We gave up waiting for a special edition of Terence Malick's first film, a haunting version of the Charles Starkweather story. Stars Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, and Warren Oates.
The Budd Boetticher Collection (Tall T, The / Decision at Sundown / Buchanan Rides Alone / Ride Lonesome / Comanche Station) - Chris' pick for DVD release of the year. Five great Boetticher westerns starring Randolph Scott. Leone fans will especially want to check out the incredible Ride Lonesome, which features elements of For a Few Dollars More and Once Upon a Time in the West in embryonic form.
Children of the Corn - Someone stole our VHS, so here's the DVD.
Desire - Marilyn Chambers softcore opus.
Dunham, Jeff: Very Special Christmas Special - A guy with funny puppets celebrates Christmas.
European Vacation - Awful, but these movies have ridiculous legs.
Fanfan le tulipe - Criterion release of the exhilirating French swashbuckler, starring Gerard Philippe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains - Young Diane Lane in a punk rock cult classic that is a favourite of just about every female rocker to come along since its release. This one's for you, K.C.!
Rossellini, Roberto: Collection (Where Is Freedom/Escape by Night) - Two lesser-known but excellent features by the Italian neorealist master.
Secrets of Sweet Sixteen / Looking Good - Eccentric softcore double bill pairing of a German Schoolgirl Report knock-off and a hilariously bizarre Laura Gemser workout video (seriously).
Sinful Bed - More German softcore.
Smokey and the Bandit - Burt Reynolds car-chase silliness.
They All Laughed - One of Audrey Hepburn's last leading roles, in Peter Bogdanovich's energetic romantic detective caper. with Ben Gazzara and John Ritter.
UFC 5, UFC 6, UFC 7, UFC 8 - The early, innocent years.
Ullman, Tracey: Live and Exposed - Ullman recounts her life story in standup comedy form.

REPOST: Connoisseur Cards Sale

More than any other question, these days people ask us "when do the Connoisseur Cards go on sale?"

The answer can now be told:

NOW!!!!!

Until December 3rd, 12-pack Connoisseur Cards, already a grand deal at $45/12 rentals ($3.75 each) will be only $33.00, or $2.75 per rental.

That's right, we said $2.75 per rental.

So stock up!! Buy one for every friend you have! And then buy one for every family member! Even the ones you hate! And don't forget to buy a year's worth for yourself! I mean, $2.75 each, that's a hell of an investment over the course of the year.

Or just buy one. See if we care.

But the important thing to remember is that the sale is today (November 20th) thru December 3rd. If you come in December 4th and try to swing a deal... it'll be over. And Mike would kill us if we sold them to you that cheap.

MUYA

Our beloved clerk Ryan's much-anticipated film Molten Metal Madness is complete and ready for viewing. Brace thyself for awesomeness.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

store cleanup - child's play

Not a huge job, but I organized the Kids section on Sunday, so hopefully it'll remain in alphabetical order for another 3 days (the section usually seems to reflect the level of organization that most kid's playrooms have...) ;)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Most Anticipated Days of Gen X's Year

More than any other question, these days people ask us "when do the Connoisseur Cards go on sale?"

The answer can now be told:

NOVEMBER 20th - DECEMBER 3rd

During that beautiful, wonderful time, 12-pack Connoisseur Cards, already a grand deal at $45/12 rentals ($3.75 each) will be only $33.00, or $2.75 per rental.

That's right, we said $2.75 per rental.

So stock up!! Buy one for every friend you have! And then buy one for every family member! Even the ones you hate! And don't forget to buy a year's worth for yourself! I mean, $2.75 each, that's a hell of an investment over the course of the year.

Or just buy one. See if we care.

But the important thing to remember is that the sale is November 20th thru December 3rd. If you come in December 4th and try to swing a deal... it'll be over. And Mike would kill us if we sold them to you that cheap.

New to the Store: Week of 11 November 2008

The Big Guns

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army- Ron Perlman returns in his only non-straight-to-video leading role, as a demon protecting the world from the dark forces. Guillermo del Toro returns as director, fresh from his arthouse fave Pan's Labyrinth. Also with Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss (of Bros), and John Hurt.

Kung-Fu Panda - After more than a decade of trying to take away some of the family film turf from Disney (and, more specifically, Pixar), DreamWorks animation finally managed to make an animated film that looks good. Great, in fact - as amusing and audience-pleasing as the plot and comedy are, the main joy to be found in Kung Fu Panda is soaking in the gorgeous imagery the filmmakers generated for many of the sequences (the opening segment and prison escape in particular). Voice casting is key, too - though it has its share of the usual stunt voices (Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Jackie Chan), most of the heavy lifting is done by Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane, who bring a gravitas to their parts that one doesn't necessarily expect from a kids' film. Jack Black handles the lead role of the clumsy title character, Po, who dreams of martial arts excitement while labouring in the family noodle restaurant. Unlikely events lead to him being designated the "chosen one" to defeat the villainous Tai Lung. Made with an obvious fondness for the martial arts genre, Kung Fu Panda would likely have been the best American animated film of the year if not for next week's biggun. Also new - Secrets of the Furious Five, a 22-minute postscript to KFP.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - SW fans can rest assured that George Lucas will not rest until every bit of good will they hold toward his original trilogy is raped and pillaged by his vastly inferior prequels and new crappy-lookin'-CGI animated series, to which this is an "introduction".

The TeeVee!

Primeval: Volume 1 - From the creators of the popular Walking with Dinosaurs documentaries, which use CGI to recreate prehistoric scenarios comes this fiction series in which a special team of scientists are assigned to track down and deal with beasties from the past who have escaped into modern times. Before you sneer, it's BRITISH so it must be good!

The Tudors: Season 2 -
Those ruttin' royals are at it again! Jonathan Rhys Meyers returns as Henry VIII for more libidinous romps and palace intrigue. This season covers the divorce of Catherine, the marriage to Anne Boleyn, and the early days of Jane Seymour. Peter O'Toole guest stars as the Pope.

Also New

Animals in Love - "Cute" nature documentary, for people who liked Winged Migration (its cinematographer directed this one).
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens - Documentary portrait of the famed photographer, famous these days for offending the queen and defiling Miley Cyrus.
Asterix at the Olympic Games - The fourth in the wildly successful live-action film series, derived from the popular comic books, but the first available with English subs. Gerard Depardieu is Obelix, Alain Delon is Julius Caesar.
Futurama: Bender's Game - Another straight-to-video movie featuring the characters from Matt Groening's other show.
99 Francs - A first person diatribe against modern consumerist society as seen through the eyes of a cynical advertising executive whose efforts to get fired from his job backfire as he keeps getting promoted. [/end cut & paste] From France.
7 Virgins - Sez the IMDb: "It is summertime in a blue-collar, marginal district of a city in the South of Spain. Tano, a teenager currently serving a sentence in a juvenile reform center, is given a 48-hour leave to attend his brother's wedding. Together with his best friend Richi, Tano plans to enjoy his 48-hour pass to the limit, doing all the things he is normally prohibited from doing. He gets drunk, takes drugs, steals, has sex and hangs out with his buddies. He feels free and exerts that freedom with all the force and audacity of a teenager. By the end of his 48-hour pass, Tano has also witnessed the collapse of all the things he takes for granted in his life: the neighborhood, his family, friends and loved-ones - everything is somehow different for him. More than just two days of freedom, Tano's leave turns out to be a journey into maturity." From Spain.

New to Us But Not Really New

The Bridges of Madison County - By popular demand. Starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, and the lousiest framing story EVER.
Quilombo - From the director of the ever-popular Bye Bye Brazil, Carlos Diegues. A riveting tale of a tribe of escaped slaves and their struggle to remain free.
A Throw of Dice - An exciting and pioneering Indian silent epic. Well worth a look for those who think they've seen everything.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Genxine Issue 14 Online Now

It will be in store later this week, but fellow digital revolutionaries can partake of the PDF in the meantime.

New to the store: Week of 4 November 2008

Big-Ass New Release

Get Smart - Hollywood's ongoing pillaging of 1960s & 1970s prime-time network line-ups for big deal summer fare continues apace. Steve Carell and Alan Arkin bring the comedy goods, The Rock brings the action to "upgrade" the film from the stage-bound TV original, Anne Hathaway brings... the purty? I guess.

New Releases with More Petite Derrieres

Chill - Straight to video adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "Cool Air".
Flashbacks of a Fool - Sounds like a country song, but no! It's sensitive James Bond Daniel Craig as a vaguely simian movie star who takes a trip down memory lane when he returns to his hometown for a funeral.
Global Metal - A serious-minded documentary examination of molten metal musical mayhem in all corners of the world.
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - Gen X's resident 4-year-old movie buff gives this a thumbs up. Only-female-child-actress-in-Hollywood-now-that-Dakota-Fanning-has-hit-puberty Abigail Breslin is a depression-era 10-year-old who aspires to be a journalist and crusade on behalf of hoboes. Also with Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack and Chris O'Donnell. Who knew he was still alive?
Orgies and the Meaning of Life - Isn't the title enough? A meditation on family, love, and group sex.
Transsiberian - Brad Anderson's Session 9 is one of the great underrated thriller/horrors of the decade, even with David Caruso in it! So we're (OK, I'm) intrigued by this train-bound thriller starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, and Ben Kingsley. Train movies are cool.
Une vie t'attendre - The British don't have a monopoly on nice movies, you know. Nathalie Baye headlines this Gallic charmer as a woman who rekindles a decade-old affair.
What We Do Is Secret - This is a non-documentary movie about the 70s punk rock band The Germs. I know nothing about punk rock, maybe a commenter can tell us if that is a good or bad thing.
When Did You Last See Your Father? - Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent in a movie about a man reconciling with his dying father? I smell niceness! BRITISH NICENESS.

TELEVISUALS

Inspector Morse: Cherubim & Seraphim / The Day of the Devil / Deadly Slumber / Twilight of the Gods / The Way of the Woods - By popular demand, the adventures of Oxford's crustiest cop.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: First Spaceship on Venus / Laserblast / Werewolf / Future War - Fan-favourite episodes of the comedy series where bad movies are mercilessly heckled by a man marooned in outer space and his robot pals. Venus is, in our opinion, only so-so, but Laserblast is one of their finest hours, and the other two are among the very best of their spotty days on the Sci-Fi Network.
The Other Boleyn Girl - Before it was a mildly successful theatrical feature it was a BBC production with Natasha McElhone.
Reaper: Season 1 - Did you know that when you search for "Reaper" on the IMDb, the first thing that comes up is a listing for Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa on The Simpsons? It's true. This series is not about Yeardley Smith, but rather a slacker who becomes a soul-hunter for the devil. It's a comedy.
Touch of Frost: Season 2 - David Jason is next in line for the British throne, he is that beloved over there.

NOT NEW, BUT NEW TO US

An Awfully Big Adventure - Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant.
The Black Stallion - Mickey Rooney, a horse.
Charge of the Light Brigade - we accidentally wrote Charles of the Light Brigade the first time out. with Scott Baio.
Cliffhanger / Vertical Limit - Bad movies and mountains go together naturally, thanks to Sony.
Different for Girls - Much-liked British gay picture.
Fearless - Jeff Bridges survives a plane crash, can now eat strawberries. Chris likes this one, God knows why.
Guantanamera - Someone asked us for this 2 weeks ago, we told him it was out of print (it is). We managed to get a copy, so here it is. If you are that guy, we weren't lying. It was pure chance.
Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) - The Laughton version is better, the Brando version funnier, but the DVD case of this has the best tagline: "That doctor is in...SANE!"
Runaway Train - Seeing Jon Voight these days just makes us sad, what with the full-page anti-Obama ads and all. Remember the better days, even if they do include Eric Roberts and Rebecca DeMornay.
The Silence - Excellent Mohsen Makhmalbaf film from the late 90s Iranian movie boom.
Vidas secas - While the world chilled out to the bossa nova, this fine Brazilian film about a poverty-stricken family won many prizes.
Voyage en douce - Dominique Sanda, Geraldine Chaplin. French chick flick road picture.

store cleanup - scary sexy!

Some of you may have noticed a big change last week during the Halloween horror rush - our vast horror collection was cleaned up and many movies were re-categorized to better reflect their content.

Most notably, our HORROR:ZOMBIE section has doubled in size, and our HORROR:CLASSICS section is almost triple in number!

Also, don't forget to check out all the new additions to the HORROR:SERIAL KILLER, HORROR:SLASHER, and HORROR:SPLATTER categories. We've tried to flesh them out more accurately, and do their specific (and sometimes tricky) definitions justice. You might discover some new gore-y favorites!

And finally, my best advice to vampire and zombie fans: don't skip our HORROR:EURO section. You may be lazy about subtitles, but some of the best in both genres are represented in that category - so much so that we believe they belong together, instead of separated into our zombie and vampire sections. Seriously, do yourself a favour and check them out! Some serious classics are awaiting your perusal!


This week is all about our exploitation library; specifically, I'll be tackling the extensive SEXPLOITATION shelves, and taking another swing at our small library of rare, over-the-top EXPLOITATION films. Keep your eyes peeled!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

New to the store: Week of 28 October 2008

Buster of Blocks!

Journey to the Center of the Earth (3-D) w/ Brendan Fraser, a cute chick, an adolescent, and CGI!

Televised Entertainments

Brotherhood: Season 2 - final disc contains first episode of Dexter Season 3
Frisky Dingo: Season 1 - Adult Swim animated mayhem
The L Word: Season 5 - TV's most celebrated lesbians say goodbye. final disc contains first two episodes of The Tudors Season 2
Inspector Lynley Mysteries 4 - you asked for 'em, we got 'em
M*A*S*H: Season 2 - you know what this is

Foreign Films!

Beaufort
Eight Miles High
Jellyfish

Canuck Classic in the Making

My Winnipeg - Guy Maddin's popular fantasia about his hometown may be the first of his films to make its money back for us!

Straight to Video / Low-Radar Titles

Hell Ride - presented by Quentin Tarantino; written by, directed by, and starring Joey Bishop's son Larry (Michael Madsen's verbally abusive boss in Kill Bill 2). with Madsen, David Carradine, Dennis Hopper, Vinnie Jones, and many others. A trashy good time biker picture gone crazy, by all acounts.
It's a Free World - new Ken Loach!
Sangre de mi sangre
Suburban Mayhem
Death Defying Acts - Guy Pearce as Houdini, Catherine Zeta Jones as his paramour.
A Threevening with Kevin Smith - Smith gets in front of an audience to relate heeeelarious anecdotes again. Don't encourage him.

Horrorz fer Halloween!

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds - Clu Gulager's son follows up his cult horror fave with a probably unnecessary but still welcome sequel. Regular customer Tom tells us it has an awesome scene involving a baby being thrown into the air.
Zombie Strippers - What this movie is about is zombie strippers. Features Robert Englund for horror cred and Jenna Jameson for stripper cred.
The Manitou - not a new movie, but this crazy 70s gem starring Tony Curtis, Susan "daughter of Lee" Strasberg and Felix "Twiki" Silla is a gruesome must-see.

Documentaries

Run for Your Life - portrait of Fred Lebow, the eccentric man behind the New York marathon.
Standard Operating Procedure - Errol Morris takes on Abu Ghraib.

Other New Stuff

Dead Space: Downfall - animated prequel to a video game
Expelled - Republican operative/game show star Ben Stein caters to the members of the Christian right who like to feel like victims as he takes on Big Education's refusal to teach intelligent design. Now where will people go to learn about God?

Old Musicals

Camelot - Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero are the first people you'd think to cast in a musical, aren't they? King Arthur sings!
Gigi - Oscar winner, directed by Vincente Minnelli. Does not star Ben Affleck or Jennifer Love Lopez.

Other Old Stuff

Devil Hunter - Jess Franco cannibal movie.
Fanny Hill - UK TV adaptation of the once scandalous novel. Respectable, but sexy!
In the Folds of the Flesh - Pier Angeli in a sleazy Euro-fave. Nazis are involved, somehow.
Johnny Mnemonic - after 14 years of being forgotten, suddenly people are asking for this much-mocked William Gibson adaptation. Stars Keanu Reeves, Henry Rollins, and Takeshi Kitano.
Kiss of the Spider Woman - William Hurt's best-actor Oscar-winning turn.
Limbo - Directed by John Sayles. Stars David Strathairn and Kris Kristofferson.
The Marquis de Sade's Justine - One-time Prince Andrew paramour Koo Stark in a nunsploitation classic.
Pieces - Juan Piquer Simon's sleazy, illogical horror was a fave of thrill-seeking kids in the early days of video.
A River Runs Through It - a nice movie about fishing directed by Robert Redford, starring Brad Pitt.
Saturday Night Fever - You can tell by the way he uses his walk, John Travolta's a woman's man - no time to talk!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Shock Talk

Colin, Gen X's resident horror buff, took part in a Halloween roundtable for the Wilfrid Laurier University weekly student paper, The Cord. Read it online!

In other publication news, Genxine Issue 14 should hit the store early next week.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

store cleanup part deux

Yay, all the foreign sections are cleaned up, clearly labeled, and ready to be used!! All our international films are arranged by country alphabetically, with director subcategories for each.

Feeling a little daunted? My advice is to relax and take some time to wander through the stacks. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the styles and stars of international cinema, and to discover well-known filmmakers outside of the Hollywood bubble. It's an adventure!

Some special notes:

- If you know what you want, but are worried that you won't be able to find it because you don't know the director etc, just come on up to the counter! We'll be happy to help you out.

- You might discover that although we have a VHS copy of a film, you can't seem to locate the DVD version. Take a stroll over to our Criterion Section in the far left-hand corner of the store. Many foreign films are hiding there instead of with their respective directors, as we like to keep our Criterion films together in one collection!

- Are you into sexy movies? You might be surprised to discover quite a few hidden away in our foreign films. For starters, check out the Japanese Sexploitation shelf at the end of the Japan section. You might also find some steamy works in France, Italy, and even Canada! Let us know if you need some help, or just take some time to wander.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

New to the store: Week of 21 October 2008

About Adam
Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, The
Bell from Hell, A
Best Defense / Crazy People
Capricorn One
David Searching
Dementia / Daughter of Horror
Family Guy v.6
Incredible Hulk, The
Invisible Stripes
Jack Frost
Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces
Kid Galahad
Larceny, Inc.
Little Giant, The
Mary Reilly
Missing
Noise
Old Dark House, The
Osaka Elegy
Palin, Michael: Full Circle
Paprika (Tinto Brass)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Rock Hudson's Home Movies
Scarce
Sisters of the Gion
Six in Paris
Steep
Strangers, The
Street of Shame
Substitute, The
Surfwise
Tender Flesh
This Beautiful City
Vibrations / Fluctuations / Submission
Women of the Night

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

More Zombie Stuff

More photos and links from the Zombie Walk can be found on the Book of Faces.

And let us take this opportunity to thank those who helped make the walk a roaring (groaning?) success - Andrea (organizer), Anchor Bay Entertainment (prizes, keepers of the zombie flame), and of course, the zombies themselves!!

See you next year!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Zombie Walk a success!!!

The 2nd annual zombie walk more than doubled last year's turnout and featured a zombie wedding, no less! CKCO was there - watch their report.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 14 October 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull : Harrison Ford learns there's no seniors' discount on ADVENTURE as he tackles his most recent adventure yet! Also starring Cate Blanchett (as the latest woman what can't be trusted), Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Shia the Beef, plus an assortment of CGI monkeys and groundhogs.

War, Inc. : John Cusack is another neurotic hitman in this political satire, a Wag the Dog for the Bush years. With Hilary Duff as an Arabic pop star, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, and the voice of Montel Williams.

The Edge of Heaven : The latest from German/Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin chronicles two young people's journey into Turkey to find an imprisoned friend.

Fugitive Pieces : Heartwarming tale of a young Polish WW2 refugee and his coming of age in Greece and Canada. From Canada's own Jeremy Podeswa, starring omnipresent 90s movie villain Rade Serbedzija.

Intervention : One of only five films from the last two years called Intervention, but the only one starring Colm Feore! Apparently it's about an intervention. In the desert. With Andie MacDowell and others. Like Colm Feore.

Lady Chatterley : The extended European version of a popular Gen X renter that appeals to Princess patrons, books-on-film fans, and skin-flick addicts alike! Do the 40 extra minutes contain more nudity? Find out for yourselves, pervs!

Mongol : Japanese it-boy Tadanobu Asano plays the young Genghis Khan in this visually stunning epic.

Planet B-Boy : Those who think of breakdancing as a short-lived fad of the 80s will be surprised by this energetic documentary celebrating some of the foremost practicioners around the world.

Ripple Effect : The first of two new releases this week to involve a car accident and the moral quandry it imposes on the lives of those involved. Forest Whitaker stars.

Shelter : Tender gay romance with plenty of surfing.

Stuck : Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) and 90s footnote Mena Suvari star in a morally challenging genre picture from Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon. We won't tell you what the title refers to (the basic plot conceit, which is a weird one), but we will tell you that the second keyword for this film on the IMDb is "Kicked Out of Room Naked".

Young People Fucking : This is what your tax dollars finance, people! And you know it drives Stephen Harper bonkers, so right on. 5 comedic tales involving post-pubescent individuals engaging in sexual relations.

Brotherhood of Blood / Dance of the Dead / Dark Floors / Last House in the Woods / Room 205 / Trackman : 6 of the first batch of releases from Sam Raimi's Ghosthouse project, showcasing quality horror films from around the world.

CSI: Season 8 : Why people need CSI DVDs when the CTV network is devoted to playing the show 24/7 is beyond me, but here you go.

Kenny vs. Spenny: Season 1 : Y'all keep asking for it, so here it is. For the uninitiated, it's two guys doing really offensive things to one another.

Midsomer Murders - Death in Disguise / Death of a Hollow Man / Faithful Unto Death / The Killings at Badger's Drift / Written in Blood : Five more mysteries from the killingest small town in the western world.

Quark: The Complete Series : Short-lived 1977 sci-fi comedy cult series from Buck Henry.

The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 2, Part 1 : Comedienne Silverman returns with the sophomore season of her peculiar sitcom. I hope she says something offensive and breaks some taboos! Word has it that the Tab car makes a return appearance.

Spongebob Squarepants: Who Bob What Pants? : The existence of this disc either interests you or it does not. Nothing I write is ever gonna change that. Except maybe that Ray Liotta does a guest voice.

Yo Gabba Gabba: Dancey Dance Bunch : The first DVD of the single greatest kids' TV show currently on the air.

The Big Sleep : Not the Bogie/Bacall classic, but a 1970s version that transplants Chandler's L.A.-isms to England. More faithful to the book, mostly because of things the production code of the 1940s wouldn't allow. Robert Mitchum plays Philip Marlowe. James Stewart, Oliver Reed, and Sarah Miles co-star.

The Blue Kite : I thought we already had Tian Zhuangzhuang's 1993 masterpiece on DVD. Oops. Well, now we do.

Dark Star : John Carpenter's first feature film, and it set the stage for what was to come. It's a weird low-budget comedy/sci-fi hybrid, not really like anything else you've ever seen.

Fist of Legend : One of Jet Li's finest hours - uncut, remastered and finally subtitled!

Lost Horizon : The "restored" version of Frank Capra's 1937 fantasy classic of life in and out of Shangri-la.

Melo : One of Alain Resnais' formally playful revivals of a long-forgotten piece of ancient theatre. With Pierre Arditi and Sabine Azema, natch, as well as Fanny Ardant.

Moonlighting : Jerzy Skolimowski's much-admired London-based allegory, starring Jeremy Irons.

Operation Petticoat : Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in Blake Edwards' eternally popular WW2 naval comedy.

Russell Peters: Comedy Now : Two comedy concerts jam-packed with hilarious Indian accents.

Rebecca : Hitchcock's first American film and lone Best Picture Oscar winner is finally available on DVD again.

Short Circuit : 80s comedy about a cute robot. Stars Steve Guttenberg, yet still much requested by customers. So here ya go.

Smiths, The: Inside the Smiths : The two members of The Smiths that no one cares about tell you what it was like to be in The Smiths.

Touch of Evil (Special Edition) : 50th Anniversary edition of Orson Welles' greatest film contains three different versions - the 93 minute studio-approved cut released in 1958, the 108-minute preview version discovered in the vaults during the 1970s, and the 1998 re-edit based on a Welles memo that contains no new footage but rejigs the scene order somewhat and removes the credits and Henry Mancini's super-cool theme music from the famed opening shot. Which version you prefer is up to you, but DVD viewers finally get to make the choice themselves.

ZOMBIE WALK FAQs

When is it again?
THIS SATURDAY @ 2pm
RAIN OR SHINE

Where do we meet?
Meet at the rabbit hutch in Waterloo Park!
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
SEARCH "rabbit hutch, waterloo"

Where will we walk?

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2334207
1) Leave park and head south on King
2) Turn around at the LCBO and head north on King
3) Stop at GENX (10 Regina) for goodie bags and photos
4) OPTIONAL: Head north on King to Ethel's Lounge (114 King St) for hanging and self-congratulatory celebrations

Can I bring my pets/kids?

YES! All are welcome and you can depart from the walk at any time!
NOTE: Pets are welcome at GENX, but not Ethel's

What should I wear??
1) an outfit that is warm enough for fall weather RAIN OR SHINE
2) shoes that are comfy to walk in
3) zombie makeup!

How do I do zombie makeup?
Here are some useful links!
http://zombies.tomwalsham.com/costume.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvKu2yd-PLc

... there will be extra zombie makeup on site for touch ups or needed help! just be sure to arrive a bit before 2pm if you want assistance

if you have anymore questions, email me at girl.smirle@gmail.com

Friday, October 10, 2008

Magnets, Movies and... Gary Oldman?

I'm not entirely sure as to what I should write here, but seeing as it's a fairly new blog I think that just about anything may be said or remarked upon. A thought running through my head recently has to do with the fate of our clever Bush magnets: will they become out of date, or retro cool? Will there be new presidentially themed magnets? Or will our new theme be the coming Prime Minister?

Also, as a side note, I'd really like it if the gods of film would give Gary Oldman a few more leading roles. Albeit, Dead Fish was a little odd, but he's just so cool. Perhaps he's just fated to remain in supportive roles of greatness for the rest of eternity...

the big store cleanup has started!

Phew! Week One of the big store cleanup is sort of over, and it feels pretty good.

Some of our biggest problem areas in the Foreign sections were FRANCE, ITALY and JAPAN.

AND I KICKED THEIR ASSES!
That's right, lovely customers... They are finally cleaned up, labeled clearly and without confusion, and ready for a curious and casual perusal.

The other major problem area was the unfortunate and dimly-lit section below our Mexico shelf. All the countries were mixed together, and we have lost many a movie into the depths of their confusion.

Now it has been totally cleaned up and clearly defined as: POLAND, RUSSIA, SERBO-CROATIA, and all the lovely little countries in between. That's right, you can actually locate that Tarkovky film you've been trying to find!

The only other major change this week was the basically ignored area that includes THRILLERS, ACTORS ATTEMPTING TO DIRECT, and "OTHER". This section below the windows has been cleaned up and respaced so that the cases aren't so squished together. Now you can browse without accidentally pulling out ten cases at once!


Thus ends my report. Next week, the rest of our Foreign sections will be completely re-labeled and cleaned up. I can't wait for all the Almodovar films to be all together again! Also, poor old Canada has been getting quite a beating by the local film students, so getting that section back into shape will be quite a coup.

Hopefully, we'll also get a head start on re-categorizing our vast horror library - just in time for Hallowe'en! Watch this space for more information about our changes!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

New to the Store: Week of 7 October 2008

30 Rock: Season 2
Anamorph
Autumn Afternoon, An
Deuxieme souffle, Le
Doctor Who: Brain of Morbius, The
Doctor Who: Trial of a Time Lord: Parts 1-4
Doctor Who: Trial of a Time Lord: Parts 5-8
Doctor Who: Trial of a Time Lord: Parts 9-12
Doctor Who: Trial of a Time Lord: Parts 13-14
Doulos, Le
Guardian of the Frontier
Gunfight at Dodge City, The
Happening, The
Harold
House of Traps
How I Met Your Mother: Season 3
I Want to Go Home
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Love Unto Death
Memory Keeper's Daughter, The
Picture of Dorian Gray, The
Robot Chicken: Season 3
Simpsons, The: Season 11
Slacker Uprising
Three Stooges Collection v.4
Up the Yangtze
Va, vis et deviens (Live and Become)
Visitor, The
Wild Wild West, The: Season 1
X-Men Evolution: Mutants Rising
You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Undead Social Event of the Year

New to the Store: Week of 30 Sep 2008

[REC] (Region 2)
Arranged
Bigger Stronger Faster
Buffalo Bill and the Indians
Chapter 27
Chrysalis (Region 2)
CSNY: Déjà vu
Dante 01 (Region 2)
Eden Log (Region 2)
Eureka: Season 2
Finding Amanda
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Four Minutes
Iron Man
Last House on the Beach
Lewis Black's Root of All Evil
Lou Reed's Berlin
Mindscape of Alan Moore, The
My Name Is Earl: Season 3
Peters, Russell: Red White and Brown
Price of Sugar, The
Re-Cycle
Savage Grace
Schoolgirl Report v.4
Sick Nurses
Taxi to the Dark Side
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Unforeseen, The
Vanguard, The
Very British Gangster, A
Workshop, The (Region 2)

New to the Store: Week of 24 Sep 2008

Anderson Tapes, The
Ariel
Boomerang
Chuck: Season 1
Death Note
Deception
Earrings of Madame de…, The
Heimat 3
Heimat II: Chronicle of a Generation
Kama Sutra
Leatherheads
Match Factory Girl, The
Naked Fear
On the Ecstasy of Ski-Flying: Werner Herzog in Conversation
Plaisir, Le
Rodan / War of the Gargantuas
Ronde, La
Ruby Gloom: Grounded in Gloomsville
Run Fat Boy Run
Sex and the City: The Movie
Shadows in Paradise
Snow Angels
Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard
Universe, The: Season 1
Way Down East
Will & Grace: Season 5
Zeitgeist

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