America’s love affair with the silver screen was brought home with video cassette rentals from such ‘mom’ and ‘pop’ establishments as Video Castle and Video Replay in my hometown. But in the 1990’s Blockbuster Video, with its iconic yellow lettering on the blue background ripped movie stub membership card, disrupted the industry. The new releases at Blockbuster had so many copies (on the shelf), the feeling of disappointment rarely surfaced, and if it did, one could find a classic film for a week rental. The candy, popcorn, and soda displays were legendary in creating the environment of a theatre experience. The nation was so swept up in the spotlight, gleam, glow, and radiance of a feeling told through stories by Hollywood’s biggest stars they started developing a bond once a week; “Let’s make it a Blockbuster Night.”
Vanessa Ramos, creator of the Netflix Blockbuster comedy series, most known for her writing on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has painted humanity into different colors, genres, obstacles, and self-discovery through rich character development and nostalgic movie metaphors to reveal growth on the hero’s journey. The hero in this case, Timmy, played by Randal Park, is owner of the last Blockbuster and had just lost corporate funding. His best friend and strip mall owner, Percy, played by J.B. Smoove, is forced to collect the rent. Timmy’s crew at the video store consists of the girl that got away, Eliza, played by Melissa Fumero, 3 younger kids, Carlos, Hannah, and Kayla (Percy’s daughter); and an older woman with tremendous comedy relief named Connie. For example Connie says, “The saddest thing I ever heard myself say, one ticket to Space Jam 2.”
While letting the show play as I went through my house chores, I couldn’t help but draw some distinctions from The Office, Empire Records, Clerks and Dodgeball. The different personalities, timeline of life experience, those that grew up knowing how special pizza and movie night were to from a union with a younger generation to keep hope alive for the last Blockbuster; a way of life for those employed, family. Even the customers continuously want to engage workers with funny one liners, “Do have anything with Robert De Niro where’s he’s not a bad grandpa,” says the lonely cat woman.
I spent many nights walking up to and hanging out at Video Replay, or as me and my cousin Mike called it, ‘Joe Video.’ They had all the latest video games, features, a huge preowned section, that we helped ourselves to more than once acquiring five finger discounts while making a purchase or trading goods. Video Castle was down the street, which is now a Chipotle, had an 18 and over sign for the adult section on what appeared to be a closet door. For a young man to catch a glimpse, as a ‘Jerry’ walked out clutching a little tag only made my desire even more curious and my 18th birthday would get there in due time. Summoning the courage to enter I was chased in by the clerk, a woman, who I.D. me, so embarrassing. But even worse was when I kept the movie past the due date and they called the house. My mom took that call and yelled up the stairs, “Steven, Video Castle wants their movie back!”
Walking into a Blockbuster or That Video Store has some kind of spell of imagination. From ceiling to floor are glossy covers with recognizable names and faces depicting battles, adventure, love, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, romance, and comedy. The full spectrum of a human beings experience through a lifetime can be harnessed and witnessed through film. The different camera angles, soundtracks, and lighting push buttons that induce an inclusion and identification with the cast. Our ability to form language led to story-telling and remains to be a traditional tool we’ve harnessed to achieve growth with an emotional connection so strong you say, “I know what that guy was thinking when he wrote that.”
Blockbuster is a series full of new releases from a time capsule.
You never know what’s coming for you because there’s no place like home.
No galaxy is ever too far.
So get busy living or get busy dying.
Go ahead, make my day, a Blockbuster Night.
