There is a lot to love about movies that just hit the right notes and usually it is a difficult task for a feature-length directorial debut, but its not totally unheard of. Tim and Cody’s The Last Video Store is something filled with horror references, innuendo, and fanfare from people who genuinely love B-movies and horror movies and this directing duo (individually credited as directors officially as Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford, but credited in-film as Tim and Cody) is absolutely the right one to bring this love letter of madness to film form with screenwriter Joshua Roach (Mistletoe & Molly) joining Tim (ABCs of Death 2 1/2) in writing the script.
Kevin Martin as Kevin in THE LAST VIDEO STORE. Photo courtesy of Blue Finch Film Releasing.
The movie focuses on Nyla (Yaayaa Adams) as she is left with cleaning up after her estranged father passes away unexpectedly and finds some old video tapes (which are notable riffs of classics in the ‘80s time period, like Predator) and brings them to Blaster Video (R.I.P. Blockbuster). There she meets Blaster Video employee Kevin (Kevin Martin) who wants to figure out why Nyla has the tapes of his best customer. After she reveals that they were of her late estranged father, he offers his condolences while in utter disbelief that Nyla’s never seen any of the returned tapes or really watch movies all together. Kevin doesn’t recognize one of the tapes and they play it. It looks like something out of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead and it ends up being the mythic never-thought-to-be-real Videonomicon which lets what’s on tapes come out of the television Jumanji (1995)-style, trapping Nyla and Kevin in a fight for their lives. It’s truly a wild ride of chaotic proportions that will leave genre fans grinning from ear to ear with delight while watching the complete and utter madness that unfolds throughout the chaotic 79 minutes of The Last Video Store.
THE LAST VIDEO STORE expanded packshot. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video.
The film played the festival circuit for over a year and this marks its first global home release. If it was something not on your radar before, it absolutely should be now if you’re a genre fan. It’s not so inaccessible to those who don’t enjoy horror, but it has a lot of nods and references, some more obvious than others, but there is no real extensive horror outside of the blood and guts. Getting into the nitty gritty of this, though, I wish I had a theatrical viewing to compare this Blu-ray home release to as this has the original DTS M5.1 audio included but I cannot possibly believe it was mixed this way intentionally and shown in this regard on the festival circuit. Typically, I try not to get into the technical aspects (sound specifically) when reviewing home reviews as my setup isn’t a Dolby Atmos or anything specific, but the dialogue in this is so quiet compared to any scene of action or thrills that the latter is nearly deafening loud. This is an issue I’ve had so infrequently I can almost count on one hand the number of times audio mixes have been at both extremes that this seems like an accident. Again, with no point of reference as this was a first time watch, there is nothing to compare it to, but something to keep in mind when watching — either have the subtitles on or watch it without disturbing the neighbors.
A still from THE LAST VIDEO STORE. Photo courtesy of Fons PR/Fantastic Fest.
This is nothing against the movie itself as the movie is quite enjoyable and a gem that needs to be discovered, but the sound mix may be a bother to some people. However, the special features more than make up for any short comings on the sound issue, but there is a plethora of essays and conversations included, four shorts from Cody and Tim, a behind-the-scenes featurette, clips from Cody and Tim’s first feature attempt, and so much more. Truly a treasure trove of special features are included with what is one of the most fun and entertaining directorial debuts of the year — horror fan or not. Aside from the special features, there’s an illustrated collector’s booklet, a reversible sleeve featuring new art, and a double-sided fold out poster.
The Last Video Store Special Features:
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original DTS HD M5.1 audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- *New* audio commentary by film critics Matt Donato & Meagan Navarro
- *New* The Videonomicon Unleashed, a new visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson co-author of In Search of Darkness
- *New* Nostalgia Fuel, a new visual essay by film critic Martyn Pedlar
- ‘Twas the Night of the Tree Beast, a 2012 short by Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
- M is For Magnetic Tape, a 2013 short film Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
- The Last Video Store (2013), the original short from which the feature grew
- The Video Store Commercial, a 2019 short film by Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
- Clips from the first attempted feature version
- Behind the Scenes
- 3 previs shorts
- Trailer
- Image Gallery
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics Anton Bitel and Alexandra West
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson
Available on Blu-ray December 10th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Arrow Video The Last Video Store webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD The Last Video Store webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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