Calebs Video Store Issue #8

Hello and welcome back to another issue of Caleb’s Video Store. This is a series where I talk about anything that is film related whether it’s news, something I got to experience, or simply something I just want to talk about. This month has been an interesting one as I was quite busy preparing for graduation stuff, so I didn’t really watch that many films during the month. This issue is gonna be a shorter one this month since I was busy, but we still have some interesting topics to talk about like the future of video game adaptations, a quick tangent of dressing up like SpongeBob at a costume party, and what I would put in my dream video store. Without further ado, let’s get into the topics.

So I watched The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earlier in the month. I can say that I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it. However the box office receipts are showing this to be a huge success just like the first one was. It is crazy to see something like this since at one point, video game movies were a gamble and usually didn’t end up paying off. In 1993, we got the first major video game movie with Super Mario Bros and that would end up being a huge critical and financial flop. Now we have these movies that may not be critical hits, but they are doing crazy good at the box office. It seems that we’re are at a point now where everyone is trying to make adaptations of video games to put on the big screen and small screen and it doesn’t seem like this is stopping anytime soon.

It’s crazy to see this kinda thing with video game movies because it wasn’t that long ago when they were considered cursed. It felt like they could never nail down a formula when it came to them. Aside from a few that became hits like Mortal Kombat Resident Evil, and Tomb Raider, most of them couldn’t get it right and even the sequels for these mentioned movies would fall apart as well. Now we are still at a point where video adaptations are not always successes and can be quite bad, but it seems like for the most part, they know what the people want to see, The Super Mario movies have references thrown all over them which makes fans love it. The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have references that make fans love it. A Minecraft Movie has references that make fans love it. Five Nights at Freddys has references that make fans love it. I think when it comes to the stories of these movies, I wish more work was put into them so I can care for what’s going on, but they do know what people want to see out of them and I think that’s what they’re going to continue doing.

Of course we have to talk about the TV side of things as well when it comes to video game adaptations because honestly, I think this is where they have shined the most. Probably my favorite video game adaption is Arcane which is based off the League of Legends game. I’ve never been a fan or played League of Legends, but what they did with Arcane is amazing and it’s a perfect example of making a great adaptation from this property. Not only with that but Fallout, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Last of Us Season 1 (not a fan go season 2), Castlevania, and other series have really proved that you make something great from a series. Of course not all of them are hits (looking at you Halo), but I think lots of these shows have really worked out with this format and I feel this is where video game adaptations have shined the most. Taking that time to flesh out these characters and worlds are beneficial and I’m curious to see for the future what it will hold for other adaptions. I think shows is where they are going to shine the most.

So what is the future of video game adaptations? Well it’s seems like we’re going to get a lot of them whether we want it or not. Just from movies this year alone, we have already gotten The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Iron Lung, and Exit 8 at the start of this year and we still have Mortal Kombat 2, Street Fighter, and Resident Evil coming out. Not to mention in 2027 we have Sonic the Hedgehog 4, The Legend of Zelda, A Minecraft Movie 2, and Helldivers all coming out. You can’t forget shows as well with Fallout Season 3, God of War, Tomb Raider, and many more in the works. Even a company like A24 is dipping in with Elden Ring and Death Stranding projects in the works. The point is, we are now living in a time where video game adaptations are coming everywhere from different studios and I can only hope that we can get mostly good stuff out of it. It’s crazy to think that we are at a point of time where a Super Smash Bros movie could become a reality and I think we will possibly see that in the next decade. Now just give me an Earthbound movie not made by Illumination and I’ll be set.

So I was in California this month to visit some friends and while I was there, we all got together to do a cartoon themed costume party. I dressed up as Spongebob and I was really happy with how the costume ended up coming together. He’s a character I’ve always wanted to dress up as and I’m glad to have finally done it. I always like costume parties as I just like being able to dress up as different characters and getting creative with it. I also like seeing what everyone else decides to dress up as and I like the ideas that people come up with. It was a fun time and I’m hoping for more opportunities in the future to dress up as iconic character. Now I can put this costume in my hall of fame costume’s along with the Nicole Kidman and The Cat in the Hat ones I’ve done in the past.

So with this series being a video store theme, I had the thought of if I did own a video store, what would I want it to have in it. Of course, there’s not that many video stores out there anymore and I do miss those times of renting a movie or video game on a Friday night, getting frozen yogurt, and then going home to engage with whatever I got. I was thinking of if I did have my own, I would want people to feel at home and bring back those memories. I had a couple ideas of how I would want this video store to turn out so here are 5 things that I would want to put in it.

1. The 90s-2000s Theater Aesthetic to the Design: I recently wrote about the aesthetic of theaters in the 90s and 2000s and I think it would be the look that I would want the video store to have. It would be like entering another world with neon lights, neon signs, colorful carpet, and movie posters all over the place. Always will have appreciation for that theater look and I would want it in place at the video store.

2. Different Formats to Choose From: Of course with a video store, you gotta have a great selection of movies to choose from. I would want to have different formats that you could pick from and not be limited to anything. 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, and even LaserDisc would be fun to have all in one place. If there’s a film someone really wants to watch, I would want this to be the place where someone could find it. Long live physical media.

3. A Crazy Amount of Different Snacks and Drinks: It would be sick to have an area of the store dedicated to snacks and drinks. I always remember seeing limited snack options at the video store and I think it would be cool to put all sorts of different snacks and drinks in this area. Popcorn, candies, soda, and even some alcohol. Basically anything you would want to enjoy a movie with. Also give me one of those coke freestyle machines to put in there and I would be set.

4. Merch Section: I always love seeing the different types of merch that other places like independent theaters have and I think it would be fun to have that merch in a place like this as well. Make it affordable and have some cool designs that support local and independent artists and I think it could be a pretty cool thing to have.

5. F*ck it Put In a Movie Theater as Well: Ok now this idea might be where we’re really stretching things out, but I love the idea of having a theater component to it all where people could watch all sorts of different movies that play there. It would have movies playing on film, Q&As happening with filmmakers, and even have movies premiere there. I mean hey if Vidiots in LA can do it, maybe another place can do it as well. I think it would be an awesome bonus to it all.

That’s what I would want in my video store. Their would be more to add but those are just some of the ideas that I would love to put in my dream video store. Don’t know if it would ever happen, but hey you never know and maybe one day it comes true. Also the idea of a coke freestyle machine in a video store sounds amazing. Someone fund this.

As always this is a segment where I recommend things that I watched during the month. I think this might be the least amount of films I’ve watched in a month in a long time. Regardless, I did watch some memorable stuff so heres the recommendations for April.

Labyrinth (1986): I have a soft spot for The Muppets and whatever Jim Henson does. I finally watched Labyrinth for the the first time though and I really enjoyed my time with it. What’s always great about Jim Henson stuff is you know the production is going to be crazy and this is no exception. The production is insane and you feel like everything and everyone in this world feels real. The story isn’t anything special, but it’s still a nice time that I really enjoyed. Also just David Bowie.

The Lego Movie (2014): I had seen this movie when it came out in theaters and loved it. However I hadn’t watched it in years until recently and it brought me back to that appreciation that I had for it. What really makes me love this movie is how much you can tell the people involved had a clear love for the property. It could’ve been easy to make a generic film out of this, but they went all the way with it. As someone that grew up watching Lego stop motions on Youtube, this feels like love letter to everyone that grew up with it and it deserves so much love. Still can’t believe it didn’t even get a best animated feature nomination at the Oscars.

BlackBerry (2023): There’s a lot of biopics that are generic, but it’s something that I wouldn’t say for BlackBerry. I think what makes this movie work so well is showing three different points of time with BlackBerry’s success and ultimately their fall. It’s not focused on showing the full history but important parts that are dissected. Matt Johnsons directing is really great here and the film makes you feel like you’re in the room with all these people. It’s one of those biopics that really worked for me and stands out from others in the same vein.

The Drama (2026): I already have a review for this that you can read here. But in short, A24 made another anxiety riddled film that I really enjoyed and you should make sure to go see this one in the theater with a crowd of people.

That concludes another issue of Calebs Video Store. I hope you enjoyed reading! If you enjoyed reading it, make sure to leave a like, comment, or share it around. I’ll be back next month for another issue so look forward to it. Thank you for stopping by the store and I’ll see you next time for another issue!