As we slide into a more Seattle-like weekend of gray, rain and generally snuggle-up-on-the-couch-with-a-movie weather, we have a fine batch of entertainment choices for you. Take a peek and see for yourself:

Anime’ fans might find something to love with The Big O volumes 1, 2 and 4, The Big O II volumes 1 and 2, Angel Links volumes 1 and 2, Burn Up Excess, Tenamonya Voyagers, Wrath of the Ninja: The Yotoden Movie and Weather Report Girl: In For Nasty Weather.

We also have Lupin The Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, a 1974 live-action movie based on the popular manga (Japanese comics). Lupin III is a third-generation master thief who, along with his sexy sidekick Fujiko and gun-slinging Jigen, must acquire a fabulous national treasure before the Maccherrone crime famly can get their hands on it, all the while avoiding assassins and the relentless Inspector Zenigata. I may actually need to see this myself after typing up this description. If it’s even half as cool as it sounds, it’s gotta be pretty awesome.

Other notable titles include Field Of Dreams, Kids, The Notebook, The Pink Panther (the original with Peter Sellers and David Niven), Christine (one of the better Stephen King adaptations, this one by John Carpenter), Broken Arrow with Christian Slater, John Travolta and a stolen nuclear warhead or two, Samuel L. Jackson as a teacher on the edge in 187, Misery (another great Stephen King adaptation from Rob Reiner) and two of the greatest spy spoofs ever made (and at least partial inspiration for the Austin Powers series): Our Man Flint and In Like Flint starring James Coburn as the original international man of mystery: Derick Flint. Plenty of gags and gadgets and feats of daring and beautiful women and the expected plots to take over the world and, in the case of In Like Flint, beautiful women plotting to take over the world! I personally own both of these movies and can’t recommend them highly enough.

We’ve also got some newish releases in stock for you, including Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Whip It, Surrogates and Saw VI. Get ‘em while they’re hot and fresh!

It’s yet another gorgeous day in Ballard and if you don’t get out and enjoy it you only have yourself to blame. Perhaps one or more of the recent arrivals on our new trades wall will entice you out into the sun long enough to come into the store.

How about Gary’s all-time number one favorite movie Boogie Nights? Perhaps a more comical look at the subject of s-e-x (can you whisper in text?) in Woody Allen’s Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask (which bears little resemblance to the book of the same name, just FYI) and also The 40-Year-Old Virgin.  And while we’re on the subject, maybe you want to visit the darker side of the street in Todd Solondz’s Happiness. Or maybe American Beauty.

Maybe you’re after a gritty crime drama? One of my all-time favorites in the genre is L.A. Confidential, and there’s one here just waiting for you to take it home, dear readers. We also have Reservoir Dogs in the Mr. Brown edition for the collectors out there and Fargo, too! Or how about one of Jack Nicholson’s finest performances in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, probably the best movie about not-so-crazy crazy people ever (look for early performances from Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd!).

We seem to be scratching the darker underbelly of our new arrivals in this post, but fear not! I’ve saved a handful of the more light-hearted titles for last.  First up we have The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Wiz (yes, the Motown version of The Wizard Of Oz, with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne and Nipsey Russel!) and finally, a trio from Trey Parker and Matt Stone: South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Baseketball, and the best musical about real-life cannibal Alfred Packer ever made: Cannibal! The Musical. I couldn’t make that up.

Whatever your tastes, I’m sure there’s something here to satisfy you, so come on in and see us. We don’t bite.