From Beneath Ashes and Ice... A Grave New World

2008-08-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

for new updates check:

http://www.eyesorecinema.blogspot.com/

For Those About To Rock...

2008-08-20T15:48:00.001-07:00

It's done.

Eyesore Cinema will officially open it's door to business on Wednesday August 27th at 3:pm.

It has been a long, strange trip indeed. Today is the 6 month anniversary of the great fire. Friday is my 40th birthday. I'm gonna take a little break and collect myself for a few days so that I can welcome you all rested, relaxed (and... as some have suggested, showered) and ready to serve.

I am looking forward to greeting old friends and new! See you next week!

-Daniel

Stacey and I Destroy Motorhead! This kind of thing happens when I drink.

2008-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Assessing Assinine Assumptions

2008-07-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Oh my god!

Why didn't someone tell me that this was going to be so much work. I mean really, wow, starting from scratch is no small feat. I'm in this way over my head and I guess you're all having a good laugh at my expense...well...hahaha! I hope you're all proud of yourselves!

Well, here I am. It's too late to turn back now and I just plain refuse to do a half-assed job of it! So...at the risk of making a complete ass of myself, I'm not going to open the store until it's absolutely ready.

I've been working my ass off and it's almost done, so bear with me a little while longer as I take care of the final touches. It won't be long now, I promise, we're down to days!

Sincere thanks to all those who have been assisting me out and to those who have stopped in to wish me luck, it really, really helps. Enjoy the long weekend for me... I'll be working hard to push it through.

Newton's Law in Action

2008-06-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

If it can go wrong....

So... well, all I can say at this point, is that once everything is ready things will be running very smoothly. Only because every possible thing that could go wrong, has gone wrong. I love computers (not) and getting our software working the way we want it to is proving to be very problematic. Our I.T. guys are working feverishly to exterminate the bugs but this is an uphill battle.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated. After all, this is ultimately for the good of our customers.

Hopefully we will be open for business in short order. Watch this space for updates!

Of Mice and Men

2008-06-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

As in: best laid plans of...

Sorry, life happens!

Barring any more unforeseen disasters, we'll be open on Friday the 27th...fingers crossed.

The Good Things In Life Are Worth Waiting For...

2008-06-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

So what is my excuse...

Have you ever had a dream where you are desperately running through a hallway or down a tunnel and you can see the end way up ahead but it never seems to get any closer no matter how fast and hard you try to get there? Or the one where your trying to climb a mountain made of bean-bag chairs? Or the one where you are bound in chains, hanging upside-down over a pit full of hungry badgers that are wearing vests made of razor blades, swimming in iodine and you are screaming as loud as you can but no sound comes out?

Due to circumstances beyond my control and one or two circumstances of my having control issues, we will be open for business on June 20th, 2oo8. This date not only marks the four month anniversary of the fire but also the summer solstice. An auspicious date, indeed!

My sincere apologies for the delay! I'll be at the space, getting things ready, pretty well every day for the next 10 days. If you want to, stop by and chastise me in person. I'm a glutton for punishment, obviously. I'm certain, in fact, that this Friday the 13th I'll be there between 5 and 8pm, probably enjoying a cold beverage or two and proudly admiring my own handy-work (or pulling my hair out in a frustrated, impotent rage).

Stop in and say "Hi"

Reality Check

2008-05-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Just thought I would poke my head out from under the debris, dry-wall dust and paint spatter to let you know that June 1st may be a little optimistic at this point. So much to do and so little time! That being said, we are on the last leg of our journey to being up and running and ready to serve!

If I had to make a definite date at this point (and I probably should), I would say June 13th.

Friday the 13th! Now, that feels more appropriate!

Hope that you have all enjoyed the spring! We are looking forward to seeing you real soon!

Officially Announcing Our Opening!

2008-04-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

Let the drums roll and the trumpets blare! Ignite the fanfare! Lock up your daughters and don't let your sons grow up to be cowboys!

Spring is in air! Energies are stirring and life is renewed, awakened from it's long winter slumber. As it is in nature, so it is in business. Business being a creation born of Man and Man being a creation born of nature. We have planted the seed and it took. As it stirs just beneath the soil, gestating, preparing for it's privileged debut above the ground and beneath the sun. We shall tend to it carefully, with love and devotion, to ensure it's strength and purpose. When the summer comes it shall be vital, ripe and ready.

All right, enough prose! What you really want to know is this:

We shall be opening our brand new, super-cool, ultra-fantastic and as yet un-named indie video store at 801 Queen St. W. (near Niagara St.) on June 1st, 2008!

Just when you thought that the news couldn't be any better, check this out:

We will be moving into this new location with.... Rotate This (http://www.rotate.com/), Toronto's longest running and best loved indie record shop!

One stop shopping at it's best! A match made in Heaven for Toronto's discerning counter-culture clientèles. A place where knowledge and professionalism rule over profit and disposability. A home for the incurable romantics whom still believe (and rightly so) that style without substance is like a man without a soul, empty and useless.

We are looking forward to seeing you this summer! Old friends and new!

If you want to help us pick a name, go to:
http://videoresurrection.blogspot.com/
There you can vote on some of the ideas that we have been throwing around!

Oh yeah, there will be a party, possibly more than one! Watch this space for news on upcoming events!

Oh Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood!

2008-03-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

I just want to set the record straight so that there is no confusion.

Suspect Video's Queen St. store will NOT be re-opening.

The former Manager and Staff of that store WILL be opening a BRAND NEW STORE in the Queen and Bathurst neighbourhood with it's own unique flavour and, of course, operating under a new name.

Make no mistake, we will hold our new banner high on the shoulders of the experience and wisdom gained from our time at Suspect on Queen. This new entity will reflect and retain many of the features that made the Queen St. store what it was, as well as forging ahead into new, interesting and unexpected business concepts. We have been re-evaluating our commitment to the product and to our customer base and we have developed new formulae for our collective success. We are committed to providing an even higher level of service than we did before. We are looking forward to experimenting on you!

We will continue to work closely with our beloved brothers and sisters at Suspect Video on Markham St. You should expect to see us operating in tandem for events, festivals and other related projects in the very near future. Strength in numbers! Comrades in arms!

That's all for now! So much more to come! Keep watching the skies.

A Miracle On Queen St. West!

2008-03-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Truly a timely weekend to be able to announce a resurrection!

It is with the utmost joy that I make the following announcement!
We did it! We secured space for a new store! On Queen W.! Without having to sell my vital organs on the black market! Without having to sell out to the greed-head fat cats!

How could such an feat be accomplished by just one puny, insignificant human animal? Simply put, it couldn't be. Hence: "we did it".

This achievement was only made possible through the combined effort of community. Like-minded individuals who recognize the emptiness of working in a vacuum, the futility of stagnation, and the impending caustic erosion of the independent business aesthetic in the face of a virulent corporate mono-culture. Individuals who are willing to sublimate their egos in order to accept change as a positive and not to allow the fear of it to rule their hearts and minds.

To all our customers, friends and supporters - Thank You!!!!!!!

It is only with your passion and support that anything positive came out of this tragedy! Together we will laugh in the face of those whom accept the mundane and middling as being good enough! Together we shall rejoice at the clarion call to arms against those whom would stand for mediocrity! Together we shall dance on the grave of cynicism and foster a new age of hope and glory!

It is with emboldened hearts, minds and spirits that we look forward to serving all of you and your counter-cultural needs in the very near future! Enjoy the spring, because come summer you will all be hiding in the dark, once again, to edify and enlighten yourselves through the magic art of storytelling.

We will, of course, provide a vast repository of the most challenging, ambitious and uplifting folklore ever conceived and created. From the ends of the earth, to the depths of the oceans and to the farthest reaches of space. From the darkest aspects of the soul of Man, to the limits of our reason and the limitlessness of our imaginations. We will find the best and the worst of what this world has to offer and we will bring it to you and lay it, humbly, at your feet.

This is our promise, this is our creed.

(I know this is all vague and poetical but hey... that's how i feel! I will post many more real details very, very soon. But for now, don't be surprised if you see me running naked through the streets of downtown screaming "HALLELUJAH!!!!!!")

Giant Squid Invades Toronto!

2008-03-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a little good news!

I have managed to secure a small but really solid collection of DVDs from a nifty little shop in Stratford, Ontario called Giant Squid Independent Video (http://www.giantsquid.ca/). Sadly, they were closing up the business only 2 years after carving out a small a patch of independent territory in a land ever increasingly ruled over by the Mono-culture Monoliths. We were able to work out a mutually beneficial deal and I hope that I have helped them out as much as they have helped me. This opportunity came along at just the right juncture and I would like to officially thank the owners, Chris and Annemarie, for their time, effort and good faith in negotiating this deal. I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours!

This collection will serve as a foundation, a seed-bed if you will, from which to grow a newly curated compendium of counter-culture curiosities. The minions are out there, right now, tracking down as many lost gems and treasures as they can find. Foraging in the wilderness, to return enlightened and emboldened, bearing the fruits of Mankind's vivid and diverse imaginings. The stories of our ancestors, our adversaries, our allies, ourselves, captured and encapsulated for all those brave souls who seek and crave knowledge, enlightenment and, above all, wisdom.

Now all I need is a shop to put it in!

Robber Barons Ruin Retail Resuscitation...for now

2008-02-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, just a quick note.

There was almost a deal settled for a new space but alas, Queen St. W. landlords have a slightly exaggerated sense of what kind of rental rates are "reasonable". I remain undaunted and will simply surge onward in positive directions. If anybody out there has a line on a retail storefront space on Queen St. W. that isn't priced beyond the means of everyone except "Starschmucks", let me know.

For all those people who have stepped forward in the last couple of days, thank you for the DVD donations and the kind words of support! Thank you for the $50.00 bill (you know who you are.) Thanks for the offers of investment capitol (got your info, we'll talk soon.)

And...hang on to your VHS. Not that your offers aren't appreciated! So many wonderful people willing to part with their personal collections just moves me beyond words. Unfortunately, that format is basically dead and really isn't worth much to anyone except to the person who collected them. I know... because I'm one.

Keep fighting the good fight and enjoy the weekend. Hopefully a new week will bring good news!

Harried Hanna Hangs on with Herculean Hubris

2008-02-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone...you still out there!

Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days but it is only because I have been pouring every once of mental and physical strength that I can muster into trying to get this thing going! The capitalist running dogs that guard the gates to glory have been nipping at my heels and if I falter, just one step, they'll be upon me, gnashing razor teeth and all!

Don't weep for me or pity my plight. This is the path I've chosen. I have an obligation to fulfil, to my staff and to my customers. I am honour bound to give it my best effort.

Thanks to those of you that have donated DVDs already! The bin at ROTATE THIS is filling up! Thanks for the kind words spoken and comments posted. With the continued support of my family, friends, colleagues and customers there is nowhere to go but up!

Watch this space for updates, both pertinent and poetical.

DVD Drive Donation Location Announced

2008-02-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hey there everybody!
Daniel here again with some good news.

The wonderful folks a Rotate This have offered to be the "Donation Location" for anyone who would like to contribute to resurrecting the lost DVD collection and helping the former staff of Suspect Video's Queen st. W. store to get a new "video culture shop" off the ground.

Beginning Monday February 25th, bring any DVDs that you would care to part with, to Rotate This at 620 Queen st. W. There will be a drop-off bin in the front area of their store. Please include your name and e-mail address with any DVDs that you drop-off so that we may honour you with a plaque or something.

We are happy to accept any new or used DVDs. Movies, T.V. shows, Docs, Cartoons or whatever!
You can keep "Air Bud" ...but if you have that movie with the monkey playing hockey, we'll take that!

Thanks again!

Any donations involving VHS should be dealt with by contacting me directly through this blog's comment section or leave your contact info at Rotate This.

Jobless Miscreants Plot Positive New Video Venture

2008-02-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

From Daniel Hanna, unemployed Film Geek.

Hello friends and neighbours...

After discussions with my friend and (now former) boss Luis Ceriz, owner of Suspect Video, the (now former) Manager and staff of the Queen st. location are moving forward with plans to open an entirely new and separate "video culture shop" on Queen west. Although this new venture will retain the same spirit, the same commitment toward the weird and wonderful and be staffed by the familiar faces you've come to know and love, it will not be associated with Suspect Video on a legal or corporate level.

By the way, don't forget that Suspect Video's flagship location at 605 Markham st. at Bloor and Bathurst is alive and well and open for business as "unusual"!

Obviously, there are a lot of questions that will be asked: Where will this new store be? When will it open? Will "GIMMIE GIMMIE OCTOPUS" be available for rental? All I can say at this juncture is that we have a lot of time on our hands and we are going to use it to set everything in motion immediately! That means finding a location, fixturing a shop, reassembling the collection and, of course, rebuilding the customer base.

We hope that we can count on the support of the community! There are so many ways that people can help and if everyone pulls together, even just a little bit, we can come back stronger and better than ever before.

Soon I will post more specific information about how people can help and upcoming benefit events. Thanks again for all the support, generosity and encouragement that has already come our way! Keep watching this space for updates!

Defiant Manager Vows To Valiantly Forge Forward

2008-02-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

From Daniel Hanna, Manager and Head Buyer of the Suspect Video on Queen W.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and co-workers...
A terrible tragedy has struck down a significant fixture in our lives.
A community meeting place, a valued cultural resource, a fun place to work and to play in the company of wonderful, colourful personalities.
Like the burning of the Library at Alexandria, culture as we know it may never recover.

Some people have marvelled at my ability to maintain my generally playful sarcastic attitude in the face of this devastating event. Let me put it this way: when the radiator in the apartment upstairs leaked and ruined $200.00 worth of product, I got angry. When a customer snapped disk 3 of a 7 disk set in half, I cried a little. When a customer I hadn't seen in months came in and wanted to discuss the plot intricacies and subtexts of the movie they had downloaded, I shook my fist at the sky and cursed the gods. When an elemental force of such ferocious intensity completely obliterated everything that I had poured 110% of blood, sweat and tears into over the last 12 years of my life...well...if I didn't find a way to laugh about it I'd be dead right now.

Make no mistake, I am absolutely devastated.

I am also profoundly moved, deeply grateful and whole-heartedly encouraged by the generosity and goodwill of the people who have come forward to express their sympathies, offer assistance and promises to get us all stinking drunk (I don't really drink a lot but I'm starting to see the appeal). To all of you, too numerous to mention, thank you so much! Believe me when I say that I intend to hold you to it all!

There are two souls, aside from myself, at Suspect whom have just lost their full time livelihood. If anyone out there needs someone to fill a position or could help them out in any way with some part time/temporary employment I would consider it a personal favour. They are both "certified cool" in my books and I personally vouch for them. Thankfully, most of the part timers have auxiliary incomes but feel free to buy them a beer... or a sandwich.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone and anyone who has ever visited our humble little shop.
Whether you were a consistent regular or just a curious by-passer who popped in trying to figure out "just what kind of store is this?"
You were absolutely the best thing about working there, make no mistake, I miss you all already.

Many of you are wondering what the future holds for Suspect Video. I have no definitive answer for you at this point. All I can say for now is this:
anyone who knows me even a little will tell you that I never fold without a fight and I never pass up an opportunity to get in way over my head.
With the blessing and support of our illustrious and magnanimous leader, Luis Ceriz, I am going to attempt the seemingly impossible and try to resurrect the store and reassemble the lost collection of (in certain cases, irreplaceable) films (If someone wants to turn this into a reality show and pay me some money, let me know). Anyone who wants to help is welcome to, I'm gonna need it! We lost, literally, everything! Except our dignity and our resolve!

Watch this space in the days and weeks to come. Here you will find updates on my progress toward opening a new store on Queen W.