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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