Thursday, June 26, 2014

Be Kind, Please Rewind: Favorites From Favorites




A little known fact about me is that my middle-name is Procrastination. My parents were able to glimpse into the future, and they saw that I would be the absolute slacker-est slacker in a family full of layabouts. Yes, I totally agree that it was a waste of their paranormal abilities. They could have been investing in Apple or preventing the birth of James Franco and saving us from a war with North Korea. Way to go, Mom and Dad. You've doomed us all.

Anyway.

This is a belated thank-you to a handful of incredible individuals who were kind enough to bless me with their friendships and their hand-me-down VHS. Analog bliss in the form of gifts from people who mean the world to me.




With the recent release of images from the latest installment in the series [Mad Max: Fury Road], it only makes sense to start with the most topical of treats. The copy of Mad Max (1979) on the left is one that I found at the thrift shop a while back. I feel like I may have shown it off before, but maybe I'm mistaken. I'm certainly too lazy to go back and check.

It's prettier "sister" to the right recently ended up part of my collection courtesy of Derek, The Goodwill Geek. I've ranted and raved about both the blog and the man before, but that won't stop me from doing so again. He's easily one of the most generous people I've encountered through my blogging here, but it's far from his best quality. Hilarious, and with a sense of aesthetic and taste that I can definitely admire, it's been an absolute blast getting to know him over the last year. Things have only gotten sweeter since he's joined up with the cast of Geek Fallout, which means I'm allowed the opportunity to actually chat with him on a mostly regular basis.




Another goodie from Derek, we have a nearly-forgotten gem from 1987, The Visionaries. Based on a stellar toy-line from the same year, it featured several warriors with various abilities they could harness through the use of their hologram chest-plates. The VHS was released by Hi-Tops Video, which was truly a mark of quality for the mid-'80s. They were also responsible for releasing tapes for other animated programs like My Pet Monster, Madballs and The Inhumanoids.




Remember when I mentioned earlier that I was a Class-A Procrastinator?

These two tapes were gifted to me by Laura [aka: Boo Bobby] back during the holiday. The Christmas holiday. It took me six months to finally get around to highlighting my two favorite tapes; both of them are pure nostalgic catnip for me. I was a huge fan of Ernest P. Worrell and his constant misadventures. Whether it was saving Christmas or developing super-powers after a failed execution [yes, seriously], I couldn't get enough of Jim Varney's wacky alter-ego. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) is apparently the best received film in the franchise, and I was thrilled to add it to my collection.

Anything F.H.E [Family Home Entertainment] immediately catches my attention; the company's presence on the shelves at my childhood video store was overwhelming. When it also happens to be a Thundercats release, well, maybe I should have saved that catnip quip for this. It was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid, but still manages to enthrall me to this day. Especially when it involves Monkian and a tyrannosaurus rex.

Summer has, thankfully, brought Laura back into the blogging fold. I've been lucky enough to keep in touch with her during the quiet periods thanks to other social medias, but it's doubly nice to see her writing again and sharing lovely pictures of her projects and her family.




Delicious is the first word that comes to mind when I look at this limited-edition Halloween: 10-31-78 box set. Released by Anchor Bay to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of John Carpenter's Halloween, it was a total rarity during the days of VHS. The set contained two tapes, which featured a number of interviews, deleted scenes and making-of featurettes. The type of stuff that is all too common nowadays on DVD and Blu-Ray releases, but not so with the limitations of the VHS-format.

Also, I just love the orange. I'm a total sucker for tapes molded in a color other than black, and these just scream jack o'lanterns and falling leaves and Michael Myers stalking his prey.

Gorgeous.


I may not have mentioned, but both the Halloween tapes and the one you see above originated from the dorkiest locale around, the home of Miss M. I don't have much to say about this copy of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), except that I am in love with the New Arrival sticker on the front of the box. Probably more than the film itself, and I adore any movie that features Bobby Budnick and Don and Dan Stanton.

I do, however, have plenty to say about Miss M, and you better believe that it is all fantastic. It's hardly earth-shattering news, because I'm certain this wonderful, little community of ours is already aware of how great she is. But she's great; genuine and caring, one of the friendliest people I've ever known. Imaginative in the best way possible, it's been an inspiration reading her blog and the tall-tales she spins about her toy counterpart. It means the world to me that I get to call her my friend.

Man, favorites from favorites really should have been favorites from friends. I'd go back and change it, but then I'd be going against my nature and my middle-name.

16 comments:

  1. That is great. Derek was kind to let me win his Mcdonalds contest from awhile back.

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  2. Cool post. One thing I notice in most of the picks is THAT BOX ART. VHS much like records just had incredible visuals on the sleeves. Something I dearly miss in this day and age of photoshop and floating head covers.

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    1. There's been a slight resurgence of great cover-art, especially with companies like Scream Factory and Magnet out there. Throwback titles like HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, MANBORG or THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL wanting to fully embrace their low-fi, exploitation roots.

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  3. Some awesome VHS tapes there and I love the "Ugly Sister" Mad Max box vs the other.

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  4. Wish I'd known you had received so many VHS tapes recently, I might of contributed a few titles that I gave away. Next time.

    I am of fan of this orange "Halloween" tape as well. Fitting as it may be for the holiday the only time I remember seeing orange tapes like this before is for Nickelodeon cartoons like Spongebob, Rugrats or Wild Thornberries in the thrift store bins. I shudder to think of the mistake a parent might make picking this up thinking it might be one of those.

    It was great getting to shoot the breeze with you on Geek Fallout the other day. I hope to be able to do the same with Derek and Miss M as well in the future!

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    1. Yes, Erik, I genuinely hope we get to talk with you in the future.

      Also LOVING the orange cassette! I am not a VHS collector in any way shape or form, in fact the only two pieces I own (and treasure) are the ones sent to me by the two of you (Erik and Brian) but any extra effort on the part of companies to make their product more festive is awesome to me.

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  5. Brian :) Hey, friend. I'm jealous of your Mad Max tape, of course. Yes, Of course I am. I just saw yesterday that they remade it!.... My kids love Ernest just the way we did as kids. I wish more adults could be cool with kids the way Ernest was. We're lucky enough to have a few "Ernests" in our kids life :)
    And you totally made me blog today because you told everyone I was blogging again and I would never make you a liar ;) Thanks for that, homie.

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  6. I think my comment did not make it through the internet vortex :( Dang!
    Anyhow, A) super jealous of that Mad Max tape B)The world needs more Ernest! and C) thanks for callin me out for blogging when I really haven't cuz now I just went and did ;) wouldn't want you to look like a liar, buddy.

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    1. I feel like you update just as often as I do, which, sure, isn't a whole lot. But it's something!

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  7. Whoa, that Halloween tape is Awesome! Ima send you an email, I've got a box of VHS in my basement sitting around collecting dust.

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  8. Nice haul Brian....Christmas come early!

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    1. It barely scratches the surface of VHS that I've added to my collection over the last six months. I keep meaning to get some stuff together to show off, but it seems like a daunting task. Too much analog goodness.

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  9. Hi Brian!!! Ok, so I have been away on a mini vacation with my mom and now I am catching up on all my readings. I am sooo excited that you liked the Halloweenset. I have long had that with your name on it for some time now. You are a very dear friend of mine and I just adore you. I remember finding out that you would be on the podcast with me, and it made me feel instantly at ease and excited to be able to talk on there.

    Also, can we just talk about Mad Max? I adore all three of those movies and I am really hoping the fourth one will be really good. Beyond Thunderdome is probably my favorite, if only because Tina Turner and Mel Gibson both in a movie is something to behold. Also, Ernest joins the list of random crushes I had growing up. I wanted to grow up and marry Ernest. I thought he was the best. Of course, he was no Johnny Five.

    I hope you are doing well! Looking forward to talking again!

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    1. Oh! A vacation! I was wondering where you disappeared. Sounds like fun. I'm sure you'll give us all the highlights later.

      I only got around to seeing Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome a few months back. I had seen the original Mad Max long before that but didn't know about its more successful sequels until recently despite making jokes like "can't we just get... beyond Thunderdome!" long before that.

      There had been rumors about "Fury Road" for a long time, but I chalked it up as one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" titles. Now that there are publicity pictures for it, I'll put it in with "Jurassic World" and "Finding Dory" in the "Well I guess this is actually happening" category.

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