5 reviews
Interesting Documentary That Just Runs Too Long
This was a documentary I found when searching for ones to watch while at work. I treat these like a podcast where if something interesting pops up, I'll watch the video. What was intriguing about this is that I grew up in the video store era where I would rent VHS films. My dad had a collection which sparked me to do the same as an adult. To the chagrin of my wife, Jaime.
Tony Newton is the guy who came up with this and he is also someone who tells his story. He's from the United Kingdom so he brings a unique perspective due to the 'Video Nasty' era. I get the idea that he would obtain bootlegs to see the films that were banned over there. The people featured here are from the United States, so I do think that gives a blend for perspective.
Ahead of seeing this I did see people having issues about this. I won't go into detail about what they said specifically, but I do agree. We have people just showing their collection and their prize pieces. Those are things that I do love. I have friends and acquaintances in the community that have large collections of movies and I love to see how they organize them. There is just something about seeing it. A problem I have though is that this runs too long. It goes on for almost two and half hours. I'll give credit to Newton to let everyone say their piece, but they are all very similar things, so it gets repetitive.
Something that made me chuckle is them being convinced that VHS will continue to live on. Now I know people who do collect these. That is something that I don't think will go away for a while. There are a limited number of these that will be in the 'wild' eventually. I do respect that independent filmmakers are putting their movies out on VHS. That is something I've considered purchasing if something is particularly good. The honest answer here is that this is a dead medium, for the most part. They aren't making new VCRs. Most TVs aren't compatible with them. I cannot even use my VCR or watch the limited tapes I still have. It does feel like people who want this to be true clinging to this idea.
I do still think that is made well enough. They reference SOV films, sometimes erroneously. There were films that were made popular due to that market and ones that are stuck in that medium that may never be seen again. The digital age of DVD, Blu-ray, 4K and streaming has truly killed this format, for the most part. I think there are interesting things here but there's a lot you must sit through to get to it.
My Rating: 6 out of 10.
Tony Newton is the guy who came up with this and he is also someone who tells his story. He's from the United Kingdom so he brings a unique perspective due to the 'Video Nasty' era. I get the idea that he would obtain bootlegs to see the films that were banned over there. The people featured here are from the United States, so I do think that gives a blend for perspective.
Ahead of seeing this I did see people having issues about this. I won't go into detail about what they said specifically, but I do agree. We have people just showing their collection and their prize pieces. Those are things that I do love. I have friends and acquaintances in the community that have large collections of movies and I love to see how they organize them. There is just something about seeing it. A problem I have though is that this runs too long. It goes on for almost two and half hours. I'll give credit to Newton to let everyone say their piece, but they are all very similar things, so it gets repetitive.
Something that made me chuckle is them being convinced that VHS will continue to live on. Now I know people who do collect these. That is something that I don't think will go away for a while. There are a limited number of these that will be in the 'wild' eventually. I do respect that independent filmmakers are putting their movies out on VHS. That is something I've considered purchasing if something is particularly good. The honest answer here is that this is a dead medium, for the most part. They aren't making new VCRs. Most TVs aren't compatible with them. I cannot even use my VCR or watch the limited tapes I still have. It does feel like people who want this to be true clinging to this idea.
I do still think that is made well enough. They reference SOV films, sometimes erroneously. There were films that were made popular due to that market and ones that are stuck in that medium that may never be seen again. The digital age of DVD, Blu-ray, 4K and streaming has truly killed this format, for the most part. I think there are interesting things here but there's a lot you must sit through to get to it.
My Rating: 6 out of 10.
- Reviews_of_the_Dead
- Sep 6, 2024
- Permalink
Nostalgic look at VHS horror tapes!
A variety of collectors, directors and fans talk through their love of VHS and with particular focus on Horror Videos. Contributions from both sides of the Atlantic. You will enjoy this if you remember the joy of Horror Videos.
Very disappointing!
- dsparks555
- Jun 30, 2018
- Permalink
Mildly Entertaining But Way Too Uneven
VHS Lives: A Schlockumentary (2017)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Clocking in at 146-minutes, this documentary covers a variety of topics but I think it goes on way too long and it's way too uneven to completely work.
The film jumps all over the place but it tries to cover the VHS boom back in the 1980's when people could flood video stores and rent all sorts of great horror movies. The film also tries to cover VHS collectors that are out there today as well as taking a look back at the shot on video releases from back in the day.
In recent years there have been several documentaries cover the VHS days and to anyone who lived during that period you can't help but miss and be entertained by what was going on during that period. The problem with this documentary is that it tries to do way too much and it's rather unfocused on everything. I say that because the film will be on Topic A at one moment, jump over to Topic B, then jump to Topic Z and then be right back at Topic A. It just really makes the film seem uneven on what it's trying to do.
The highlight of the film is having some low-budget filmmakers discussing their work from the 80's. This includes people like Jorg Buttgereit, David DeCoteau and Richard Haines. It was fascinating getting to hear them discuss the making of their movies as well as how they'd get them into video stores. Other subjects covered include VHS fans talking about their favorite covers, their favorite releases as well as their most prized collection.
All in all, VHS LIVES is a decent movie to watch but there's no doubt that some editing and some polish could have made it much more entertaining to sit through.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Clocking in at 146-minutes, this documentary covers a variety of topics but I think it goes on way too long and it's way too uneven to completely work.
The film jumps all over the place but it tries to cover the VHS boom back in the 1980's when people could flood video stores and rent all sorts of great horror movies. The film also tries to cover VHS collectors that are out there today as well as taking a look back at the shot on video releases from back in the day.
In recent years there have been several documentaries cover the VHS days and to anyone who lived during that period you can't help but miss and be entertained by what was going on during that period. The problem with this documentary is that it tries to do way too much and it's rather unfocused on everything. I say that because the film will be on Topic A at one moment, jump over to Topic B, then jump to Topic Z and then be right back at Topic A. It just really makes the film seem uneven on what it's trying to do.
The highlight of the film is having some low-budget filmmakers discussing their work from the 80's. This includes people like Jorg Buttgereit, David DeCoteau and Richard Haines. It was fascinating getting to hear them discuss the making of their movies as well as how they'd get them into video stores. Other subjects covered include VHS fans talking about their favorite covers, their favorite releases as well as their most prized collection.
All in all, VHS LIVES is a decent movie to watch but there's no doubt that some editing and some polish could have made it much more entertaining to sit through.
- Michael_Elliott
- Aug 30, 2018
- Permalink
BUNCHA NERDS SITTIN' ROUND TALKIN'
I had hoped for a "Best of clips from 70's, 80's, but this is just pathetic geeks pining for the good ol' days of bad resolution and the mechanical issues with VCRs. One actually waxes nostalgic bout tape getting chewed up!