THE END OF EVERYTHING THAT MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY!

Well folks, it has come to an end.
So many pieces of my childhood feel worthless now.
Most people take on a job at a Video Store simply because the discounts/perks and they may watch movies now and again. Hey, why not. But some of us, myself included, did for so many different reasons.

*nostalgia music ensues*

As far back as I can remember, I remember the Video Store being THE place to go. This would have been between 1986-1993. Living in Saskatoon, when my parents took us out, it was to the local mom n' pop store just a few blocks from my house called Captain Video. It was the old fashioned type place where they had the VHS covers on the shelf and the actual tapes behind the counter in some sort of cryptic organization that only those honoured with employment could decipher it. If the video was out, there was a little plastic clip placed on the top corner of the case stating "Sorry, Rented Out" and sporting a little red happy face.
Now, while I can't recall any specific titles I would have rented from there, what I do remember the most to this day is two things:
1) My parents bought us our very first NES that first year, and when we opened it there were stickers on the box and on the system stating "Property of Captain Video". Now oddly that never struck me as out of place as out of place (I was 7) and it turned out they bought a sstem that was previously used as their rental machine. But what did I care? I had a Nintendo!! No more Atari. No more hunting for ET's missing phone pieces and awkwardly stretching your little alien neck to escape the numerous hidden pits that strewn about the great video game land. No no - it was Mario time!!!
2) I distinctly recall the cardboard standee for 1988's Night of the Demons. The image was of the main demon standing there with a party invitation that is slightly on fire. The tagline was "Angela is throwing a Party. Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But you'll have a hell of a time!" Now it wasn't just that it called Freddy a wuss (I had already watched A Nightmare on Elm Street about a year and a half prior and loved it!), it was that the standee was rigged to use two red mini-Christmas lights as the demons eyes. Now this standee was life size...I was 8...it petrified me, yet intrigued me all at the same time. I know then that there would be no more sneaking into my cousins living room to watch Nightmare as I did not so long ago. No, horror was for me!! THAT, is a pivotal point in my life boys and girls.

So, post 1993 we had moved to Lloydminster, SK (not AB). I had become quite smitten with the horror genre, having a friend in Saskatoon share the love and we used to do Freddy marathons, American Werewolf in London and other goodies along the way. So, like our family did best, we befriended the management and other staff of our local video store (which happened to be a Video Update). So it was around this time that my little kick of pro Wrestling was at its highest and I used to go every month like clockwork to rent the previous Wrestlemania or Summer Slam, or (my favourite) Royal Rumble. Yes, back in the day you could just rent them. You weren't forced into PPV (or they never had it yet). Regardless, I got my fix.
Almost every weekend, I would go into the older movie section and bundle as many horror movies as I could in the Rent 7 movies for $7 for 7 nights. It was awesome. More Nightmare-a-thons ensued and I started watching the odd Stephen King movie (as I was big into his books since I read IT in 1990).
Either way, I started picking up factoids along the way. "Hey did you know this actress was also in that?" "Hey that guy directed both this AND that! Cool!" And so began the birth of my useless brain.
I lived in Lloydminster until just after graduation 1997. I then moved to Edmonton to take some part time schooling at the U of A while staying at my cousin's. Now kids, moving out should NOT be a spur of the moment thought. Once I had moved out and was enveloped in all that was freedom, I realized you need money to have freedom. You need a job to have money. So, I put in my best effort and applied at like 3 places...total. So when school wound down and I never got any calls back, and I never made ANY friends, I decided to move back home for the summer.
It turned out to be a smart movie as my sister was now planning on moving to Edmonton for a full time school expedition, and I wanted to take another part time class. So, we put our resources, time, and money together and we rented out a 2 bedroom apartment in first some where off of Manning Drive then later, one in Clareview which I remember was $525 per month (including utilities and use of a pool!). I got a full time job at the Sobey's in Beverly and life started falling into place. We met some friends, one who turned out to be a "net" friend of Krista's before we even moved to Edmonton, and then more from there. Although, the more I think about it, Mike (the friend) was the single man responsible for ALL my friends and quite possibly my job (as he worked there too). Oh and by the way, that same apartment now goes for about $1200 a month. Ahhhh, inflation.
So, I lived the big city life. I partied hard every weekend. I lost my virginity...repeatedly...in that town. Things were great. One night, after coming home from work, I noticed my sister had someone over. Krista (my sister) had begun to think of herself as a beauty consultant. Had the whole Mary Kay bag and everything. Turns out, this many years later, she actually can do it. Who knew? Either way, while I was technically seeing someone else (though it was more of a I'm just trying to get another girl in bed...it's awful, but I was 19, give me a break). Regardless, that night, at my own apartment, I met Lisa. We got along great almost right away. A weekly occurrence at our place was to all get together and watch movies. Time moved on, hang outs (movie watching) with Lisa became more frequent, and, on August 15, 1999, I asked her out on a date (to the Fringe Festival). We got real close, and when fate(?) shined and she had to leave the apartment she was living in, we offered our for her to movie into. She could stay in my room, cut rent by like 17% each, and all would be well.
Well, did I mention she was a classmate of Krista's and that's why she knew her? Either way, the Grant MacEwan graduating class of 2000 came and went and there was nothing left to do in Edmonton. She couldn't find work, I was miserable now at my job, and had an imminent knee surgery. So we decided to pack up (Lisa and I only) and move to Red Deer with her mom. Temporarily of course, until we found something of our own. Of course, those temporary months turned into years all too quick. Not that it was a bad thing, her mom was cool. And guess what. Immediately, I began frequenting the local Video Store (or stores in this case). So Rogers Video, VHQ and sometimes Movie Gallery became a place for me to go. Rogers were still selling old Previously Viewed VHS and I would pick up a few here and there. I then made the jump in about 2001 and bought an $80 (on sale) Sanyo DVD Player.
So between Lisa and I we owned about 200 VHS movies...which we watched...frequently. Now the power of DVD is ours and it was time to re-buy!
An interesting event happened in about 2004 or early 2005. I stopped at the Movie Gallery for their Buy 2 Get 2 Free deal. How awesome does that sound?! Except of course, I could only find 2 movies remotely interesting and could NOT decide on 2 more. So I wandered. And wandered. I started reminiscing to the days that it took no less than one hour to pick one video when I was younger. Now I have to pick two. So, while I wandered like a lost tourist in downtown New York, the worker kept asking if she could help. I refused as I knew I had to come to this decision on my own. Either way, conversations started about movies (which back then I still did frequently). The girl was so impressed she was certain I had worked for a Video Store before. I assured her I hadn't. But something snapped. In my head, I said "why not"? I was working for easyhome. Not my finest few years but it paid decently.
Speaking of easyhome they had an opportunity to open a brand new store in Camrose in late 2005. I had recently been screwed out of getting the manager position of the store I was at and thought a fresh start in a fresh city would be a great idea.
So October 2005 I moved in with a friend of Lisa's family and began the assembly of the Duggan Mall easyhome. Now Lisa had not moved yet. She was still working at the Parkland Mall in Red Deer and didn't want to leave them during Christmas rush. Did I mentioned we were now married in 2002, went to Disneyland/Universal Studios/Sea World for our honeymoon (Universal Studios for a movie buff is like heaven, by the way), and had a beautiful baby boy named Andrew in 2004.
It wasn't until February 2006 she would move up. In the mean time I figure I would take on a second part time job to fill the gaps as I had nothing else to do in Camrose. So I flashbacked to that Movie Gallery girl's words. I NEED TO WORK AT A VIDEO STORE! Ironically, my one staff at easyhome was a former manager of the Camrose VHQ and knew the Manager of the Movie Gallery as well. But she had heard Blockbuster was hiring. So I drew up a fancy resume and faxed it to them. so, as luck(?) would have it I got a call back from blockbuster to set up an interview. Now I knew they were hiring but didn't know they were desperate. I was hired on the spot. Now my life kept going. I had another awesome little boy named Stephen, my full time job at easyhome expired and turned into an assistant manager role at blockbuster. Days turned into months then years. I was surrounded by movies and had the perk of watching them a week before release. I made the jump to Blu Ray some time in 2009...until the player (a PS3) crapped out on me. In all fairness it was one of the original models and I bought it off someone, so it wasn't as if it was new. That Christmas Lisa's boss had bought us a new Samsung Blu Ray player. Pretty sweet boss, I know. Turns out Samsung's are crap as well, but hey, it was a gift. after 6 months of owning it, it already needed a repair. Nice. That's OK because Christmas 2010 I bought myself a Sony and all is well. in fact, my Blu Ray count is already over 80.

So, in the end, knowing how much of a role the Video Store has played in my life, I find out that they are closing us down. Thus ending the final chapter on big box Video Stores, and, most importantly, my life. I will never forget the experience, certainly not the friendships (some more so than others), and everything else that lead me to this point of my life. I guarantee my life will never be the same. Thank you corporate receivers, thank you for destroying me.

 

Oh Darren Aronofsky, Why Does The Acedemy Hate You So?

Darren Aronofsky is (in my opinion) one of the most talented, unique and gifted directors of our time. He started his career with a few short films, but nothing of any notoriety. He broke out into feature films in 1998 with a picture simply called Pi (which he also wrote). Pi is about (according to IMDb): A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature. While this sounds vaguely like Jim Carrey's Number 23, it greatly differs on 2 things. First, Pi was shot all in black and white, while still maintaining the patented Aronofsky-esque documentary style. Second, and most importantly, it was a good movie. Either way, this no-name film earned 15 different award nominations, 8 of which were wins. Most notable of them, a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize and a Directing Award win for at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
It wasn't until 2 years later that Darren Aronofsky finally gained the attention of movie-goers. In 2000 the film Requiem For A Dream, haunted us about a chillingly and brutally realistic look at the world of hardcore drugs (and other addictions) and the lengths people would go to obtain them. This picture immediately took the world by storm as it had all the honesty of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting, but added even more brutal in-your-face scenes, and far superior acting (sorry Ewan and Cillian). As of today, Requiem still sits at #61 on IMDb's Top 250 OF ALL TIME.
While the film starred a stunning cast including the surprisingly good singer/songwriter/actor Jared Leto, a stunning if not intense performance by Jennifer Connelly, and a very non-stereotypical Marlon Wayans, it was the re-emergence of The Exorcist's Ellen Burstyn that had the critics and the Academy buzzing. Though she never walked away with the big hardware, Burstyn still had both an Academy Award AND a Golden Globe nomination for best acting. While she never left the camera, Aronofsky made Ellen Burstyn an elite name once again! I dare you to watch this movie and NOT get depressed. This is he movie that you need to show your kids of you want them to NOT do drugs.
After the spotlight had burned a hole in Darren Aronofsky for a while, he quietly slipped back in the shadows again throwing in a small writing and producing role in the film Below. It wasn't until 2006 that Aronofsky emerged, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, a big budget, an even bigger cast...and a subsequent flop. 2006's The Fountain starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz had good intentions, but unfortunately its cinematography and scrambled plot left most viewers wondering what just happened and that lead to dislike. While it maintained a beautiful plot of true love throughout time, the bizarre and random visuals and questionable editing made the movie fall to pieces. While I don't totally fault Aronofsky as a writer/screenplay writer/director for this, I think he had too much in his head to do in too little of time. The score got a lot of attention earning Clint Mansell many a nomination (including a Golden Globe nomination) and even a few wins for his work.
That being said, Aronofsky wasn't done yet. It was a mere 2 years later that he shot back in the spotlight with the incredible tale of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in The Wrestler. The Wrestler tells us the tragic story of one man whose passion for the ring and the roar of the crowd just might be his undoing. And wouldn't you know it, The Wrestler lands on IMDb's TOP 250 at #182.
Darren Aronofsky took a dying and burnt out career of Mickey Rourke that only showed a spark of talent in Frank Miller's Sin City, and catapulted him so far into the spotlight it surprised even him. This film took the critics by storm, nominating Micky Rourke for an Oscar (a loss that still has controversy to this day), and earning him the Golden Globe win. Marisa Tomei, while no stranger to the Academy's spotlight, having won Best Supporting Actress in 1999's My Cousin Vinny, was also nominated for the same award in the form of both An Oscar and a Golden Globe, however losing out the Oscar to Penelope Cruz's role Vicky Christina Barcelona and the Golden Globe to Kate Winslet's role in The Reader (which even I will admit was very good). For good measure, Bruce Springsteen's original song (aptly titled The Wrestler), also took home a Golden Globe trophy. Meanwhile, while the actors (and songwriters) get their turn in the spotlight, the man behind it all (Darren Aronofsky) is nowhere to be found on the Nomination sheet for any major accolade. Weird.
No matter, yet again another 2 years later (2010) we see the punch that Darren Aronofsky can pack one more time in the classic, timeless, messed up, and often tragic tale of The Black Swan.
The struggle of one girl who emerges from the shadows (in which she has spent many years), to finally earn the right to play lead in her company's production of Swan Lake. Along the way, pressure from her peers, her mother, her coach, AND herself lead to the sweet innocent Natalie Portman finally SNAPPING.
And the acting? While we all know the credit given (and very much earned) to Natalie Portman (taking home all the hardware in the form of a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and many, many others), there was also a very strong supporting cast including a creepy yet amazing Mila Kunis (who was nominated for the Golden Globe), a powerful performance by Barbara Hershey, a direct and intense Vincent Cassel, and an often-intimidating yet equally strong Winona Ryder. In fact, this flick had so much critic praise it actually ended up with 5 Academy Award nominations, including (finally) a Best Directing nomination to the man who made it all possible. A man who brought this cast together. A man who pushes his actors to be their best, then pushes them a little more, usually earning them some form of accolade. A man named Darren Aronofsky. BUT! Did he win? No! Why? EXACTLY! While I get King's Speech was an incredible movie...it really was, it deserved the Best Picture win and the Best Actor Win! But did the directing of Tom Hooper really make it THAT great? In my opinion, NO. Did Black Swan make #108 on IMDb's TOP 250? Yup. That's 3 now. What of the King's Speech? Oh it's on the TOP 250...but #121. The people have spoken!
So here we are, in the last 13 years, Darren Aronofsky had been in the spotlight numerous times. His tragedies are those of legend. His style recognized by everyone in the film industry. He even trademarked the "hip cam" where the actor would wear a camera mounted to their hip to give the viewer an feeling they are right there with the actors. But, if you look on his mantle, there is an empty space where an Academy Award (or two or three) SHOULD be sitting. So, I ask, WHY to the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences. WHY DO YOU SHUN DARREN ARONOFSKY SO? What else can he do to get your attention?

As it stands today, his next project will turn all the heads that are left to turn. He is to be making a movie simply titled Noah. And no, the title is not cryptic. It really is the story of Noah and his big boat. But with Aronofsky's brain behind this supposedly big budget flick, I am truly excited and curious about its end result. Which...unfortunately...will not be for another 3 years. In the mean time I count down the days.

GOOD LUCK DARREN ARONOFSKY! You WILL bring home the golden statuette if its the last thing you do!

MY TOP 10 FLICKS OF 2010.

While I too have not seen some of the big contenders (like 127 Hours), these represent my list to date. Also, while I have not seen Harry Potter or True Grit, I feel that even if I did, they wouldn’t be on here anyways so why bother.
Either way, here we go!

10. Despicable Me
Look out Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks, there’s a new dog in town. Universal Pictures’ Illumination Entertainment dazzled us in 2010 with Despicable Me. A story of Gru (Steve Carrell), who wants so badly to be the villain that he forgets he still has a heart. That is until a trio of cute little girls comes into the picture…that and the ever-popular minions (who remind me far too much of the Dust Bunnies from The Big Comfy Couch). This flick will keep entertained, and laughing, the whole way through.

9. The Karate Kid
What can be good about a movie that absolutely slaps its predecessor in the face? Sadly, plenty! Ignoring the fact that it’s no longer in California but China, that Mr. Miyagi is no longer Japanese but Chinese (with a different name, at least), The lead is no longer a white Italian kid, and that the movie has NOTHING to do with Karate – it was still a very powerful movie. While I may have problems with the little things, the re-vamped story and angle is incredible. Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith are wonderful and you still leave the film feeling that same feeling of emotional inspiration the original gave. Congrats on making a believer out of me.

8. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
For anyone who knows me, they know I hate Michael Cera. So, going into this one, I expected nothing shy of hatred. What I got was the awesome bi-product of rock n’ roll and classic 8-bit video games. The story is that in order to date Ramona, Scott Pilgrim must defeat her evil ex-boyfriends…in the most over the top fashions possible. Cera’s performance worked perfectly, while the battles made the movie. Nods to the evils ex-beaus, they were hilarious and pitch-perfect.

7. The Town
A Ben Affleck film, starring…well…Ben Affleck. This is a film about bank robbers in the bank robber capital of the USA – Georgetown (not just known for its Exorcisms anymore). When one of the robbers (Affleck) falls for one of his previous hostages, the entire group begins to unravel. Very tense, well acted, and well written.

6. The Book of Eli
This movie will take even the most vehement atheist and make him fall for the power of faith. Denzel Washington shines, Gary Oldman dominates, and Mila Kunis sizzles. Watch it once and fall in love, watch it twice and learn even more. I do so love movies that do that. It’s one of the few movies that go over-the-top without sacrificing the overall beauty. Recommended to everyone!

5. Solitary Man
Michael Douglas provides a commanding performance as a once-upon-a-time ladies man and millionaire who has since lost his money but not his attitude. The question is, will his love for money and women overshadow his own family and cause him to lose them forever. The Office’s Jenna Fisher provides a beautiful performance I never even thought she was capable of, while Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg also co-stars in one of the best dramas I’ve seen in the last few years.

4. The Social Network
Having a great mind doesn’t mean you can’t rely on help from others. The creation of everyone’s favourite social media, Facebook, was not without it’s controversy…and lawsuits. Jesse Eisenberg absolutely demands an Oscar for his role of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, and the world’s youngest billionaire. Honourable mentions to Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and even Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker.

3. Inception
We all dream, but what if people could use our dreams to affect our actual decisions in life? That is what Inception is, the power to go into people’s dreams and plant ideas to persuade them for whatever purpose. Sound complicated? You haven’t seen anything yet. Mind-blowing writer/director Christopher Nolan takes us on a journey into our own minds with performances by Leo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy. Acting was not as powerful as the story, but the writing and cinematography absolutely makes the film. If this one doesn’t take (at the very least) Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score then there is no hope.

2. The Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky dazzles me yet again with The Black Swan. The tale of a lower class ballet student who finally gets her big break after spending years in the shadows, only to slowly descend into madness as the pressure gets to her. Oscar-guaranteed performance by Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers completely blew me away while support from an immensely, and almost equally incredible Mila Kunis (Can you say Best Supporting Actress?) as rival Lily. A very special nod goes to Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel, and even Winona Ryder for their supporting roles that only cemented an already strong foundation. I’ve never had a picture deal with something I know nothing about hit me like this one...although that does seem to be Aronofsky’s affect on me. With Darren Aronofsky’s snubbing of his Directorial Oscar for The Wrestler, I do think this is his year. Sorry Nolan.

1. Toy Story 3
Who knew that a cartoon could draw so much emotional punch? Woody and the gang are back, and have slowly come to the grips that Andy is not a kid anymore and doesn’t play with toys. Throw in some adventure along the way, along with scenes that would make even the toughest man misty-eyed, and you’ve got the making of the BEST ANIMATED PICTURE OF ALL TIME! It’s not that you are dealing with some random toys either; these are the same toys we’ve grown up with for over 15 years! Not as much for new fans as the older ones. Did I mention the part of it being the BEST ANIMATED PICTURE OF ALL TIME?!