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Mom n' Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s (2022)
Perfectly Captures The Feeling Of My Childhood
It's only in recent years that I've come to realize how short of a window the video rental store had in our culture. If you grew up in the 80's and 90's, it was just a part of your world, no more or less prevalent than fast food restaurants, and the idea that it could all disappear in our adulthood wasn't even a consideration. Only now can we look back and recognize that this iconic part of our childhood, with its own unique feel and culture, was something that could have only existed at a specific time and place, and only for a short time.
This film examines that culture - specifically that of independent rental stores and the ways that they influenced our lives, and it does so in a way that fits what these rental shops were. It's not a sterile history lesson with a Blockbuster Video logo slapped on the cover - it's a collection of stories and memories shared by people who have a genuine love of movies and whose experiences at small, independent video stores have a permanent place in their memory and in their hearts. Watching this reminded me of my own experiences of renting tapes at places like Heights Terrace Video in Hazleton, PA or at the Pantry Quik convenience store near my grandparents house.
I would strongly recommend this to anyone who loves movies. Watching this feels like it felt hanging out at the video store when I was a teenager, and whether you were there to experience these stores or not, I'm confident that it will bring a smile to your face.
Black Christmas (2019)
The Movie Equivalent Of Clickbait
I usually like movies that are so bad that they're good. That's not what's going on here. This movie will have you rolling your eyes and saying "oh god" at least once every ten minutes.
This isn't a horror movie. It isn't a slasher. It's not a thriller or suspenseful, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the original Black Christmas. It almost seems as if its primary goal was not to entertain movie audiences, but as cheap bait to prompt childish, name-calling arguments on social media.
If you're looking for something entertaining and empowering, go see Charlie's Angels or Oceans 8. This film isn't scary, or funny, or entertaining, or inspiring. It has no redeeming qualities of any kind.
Jack of all Trades (2018)
This is not a baseball card documentary.
This is a long, dull reality show staring an unlikable man who acts like a childish brat who demonstrates less knowledge about the sport and the hobby than your average child with a passive interest in baseball. In fact, the sport seems completely meaningless to everyone in the film. Their only concern is money and they blame the industry for alleged misdeeds when their dreams of growing rich off of baseball cards didn't come to pass.
Large portions of the movie are bickering between Stuart and his family over what the movie should be, while the climax is a discussion that Stuart has with his father, who is perhaps the only person in the film who is less likable than Stuart himself.
The only redeeming parts of this film are the scene with Jose Canseco, who is down to earth and candid, and Foul Ball Paul, who clearly has a love for the game and a true interest in the hobby that extends beyond Stuart's petulant whines of "why aren't these worth more".
If you want to watch a clueless privileged man-child whine that the silver plate life handed him wasn't polished quite to his liking, this film is for you. If you have any interest in baseball or baseball cards and want to reminisce or learn more about the sport or the hobby, please do not waste your time on this garbage film.