As I sit here, drinking whiskey, eating Welch's fruit snacks, and watching the cinematic masterpiece that is The Meg, I can't help but feel a sudden sense of deep loss. I miss video stores. I still remember my first video store, First Row Video, locally owned and operated in my tiny home town. They even had their own mascot, a huge albino German Shepard named Oscar. From there, I moved on to Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, when I was old enough to drive a couple towns over, and finally Family Video, which I think may still be holding on to a few locations (although I think those locations rent out extra floor space to tanning salons and swap meets and stuff). New movies used to only be released on video on Tuesdays, and come Friday, it would be a race to get out of the school parking lot or later, work, to get your hands on one of the few copies of the big new release.
I would go to the store with a certain movie or two in mind, but then spend a good deal of time browsing. It didn't matter how many times I had walked down those same aisles, through the same sections, it seemed I would always find something new. I once rented a movie called Angel Fist, simply because of the tag line on the cover, "If looks could kill, she wouldn't need to kick!" How awesome of a line is that?! It's ridiculous, and doesn't make sense. Shouldn't the movie have been called Angel Feet, or the tag line mentioned punching instead of kicking? Anyway, I never ended up watching the movie, or, if I did, I don't remember a single second of it, but the title and that line have stuck with me for years.
And last, but certainly not least, there was the "Staff Picks" section. You would almost feel like you knew the person, just by looking at their movie picks, and know whether or not you'd get along with them. Sometimes, though, if you picked a movie from someone who was working that day, you'd find out you had similar tastes but for vastly different reasons.
Clerk: "Ah, I like the subtle social commentary on our possession-obsessed society in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
Me: "I, uh...like the part...where he makes his breakfast talk."
Anyway, I'm going to get back to watching Jason Statham and his perfectly manicured scruff, karate-kick a big ass shark.
I was not paid by Welch's or the producers of The Meg, to post this blog.