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!