Ode to VHS
In the very last week of 2009 I purchased a PS3 and got some Blu-rays to experience the pure awesomeness of the format. Now, I don't have the best capabilities of showing it off just yet, I don't have a giant flat screen TV or anything, but nonetheless I was still impressed and noticed the difference. Star Trek was simply awesome and the Batman Motion Picture Anthology has never looked better. But I often wonder if with all this new technology, VHS tapes still have a place in movie fans' hearts. To be honest, it has to the most primitive form of home entertainment only next to Beta...the image quality is of course degraded, and the fact that theatrical presentations had to be compromised via panning and scanning and cutting out nearly half the image is just ridiculous! People go crazy on ebay collecting old records, and video games, because that shit is all retro and cool, while VHS is just plain outdated. But there's still a place in my heart for my shitty old VHS's. I'll still pop one in occasionally, because my video collection got so huge over the years that I just couldn't update all my favourites to DVD, and now Blu-ray. I ended selling probably a good 75% of my VHS tapes, back when you good actually get more than 25 cents for them, but some I just never got rid of, and probably never will.
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^Movies that I have upgraded to DVD...still taking up drawer space, mostly for sentimental value
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^Most of these I haven't upgraded yet, in some cases it's a shame: Men In Black, Twister, Dog Day Afternoon, From Dusk Till Dawn, McCabe & Mrs. Miller...I have never seen on DVD
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^And let's not forget about the box sets, they take up an enormous amount of space.
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^Just look at this Stanley Kubrick set, for God's sake- it's bigger than my head!
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^Then of course there are the "clamshell" VHS's...these are pretty cool, and were the closet things to having DVDs at the time. Many would be presented in the original letterbox format and they'd even sneak on some special features like trailers or making-of features
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^Another cool thing about these is that they would also often have liner notes on the reverse cover sleeve. Here is an introduction to EVIL DEAD 2 by Bruce Campbell
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^Director's notes on DAWN OF THE DEAD by George A. Romero when the film celebrated its 20th aniversary
Even though the VHS has been dead for almost half a decade now, and DVD and Blu-Ray are awesome and there's really no reason to watched outdated tapes, I still think there's a place for them. Personally, I feel some movies are just a better experience on VHS and no amount of technology will ever change that. Call it nostalgia, call it whatever you want, but in many instances VHS is the best way to go.
http://www.moviefancentral.com/images/pictures/11770/image_1f1a2bd61.jpg?1269025177
^Why the hell would I want to watch SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART 2, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, or even THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT on DVD or Blu-ray?
So to any schmoes out there who still have VHS tapes around somewhere collecting dust, don't forget about these babies. Remember, it's most likely you grew up on them. Watch one every now and again, it won't hurt you. I won't ever want to get rid of my VHS's and I even think it would be good to purchase a more-recent VCR...I still have about 3 or 4 and none of them are in particularly great shape.
http://www.moviefancentral.com/images/pictures/11770/image_37af18313.jpg?1269025198
^My very first VCR in all its glory...complete with the infamous green tape of E.T.
So just my two cents on VHS. Nevar 4Get yo.
Bored
