Rebobine Isso!

Oh the good ol' days of VHS. Yes, I wore my Disney videos down til they were just a fuzzy haze of grainy musical colours like everyone else, but my real relationship with cassettes comes from recorded movies from the TV guides. When I was first getting into film, I began my catchup with a big list of modern essentials such as Fight Club, Goodfellas, Full Metal Jacket, American Beauty, Pulp Fiction, all of which I watched and rewatched on video tape until I knew exactly where the advert breaks would come. That's essentially why I do what I do today. I never collected VHS like the subjects of this documentary, but ever since I got into DVD collecting, I've been manic. Blu-rays, books, vinyls, I collect 'em all. Although VHS is more or less useless these days (I remember the moment my player just decided to stop working, it was very irritating), I can definitely relate to the people in the film who scourer car boot sales obsessively for rarities.

Rewind This! is a nostalgic reminder of why VHS deserved to be the best of their kind at the time. It's the same reason I like vinyl. They have a 'lived-in' quality we can't get from the polish of blu-ray. Little imperfections that are part of its unique identity where they've been over- paused and subsequently scarred with snowy lines of distortion. Although there's an almost Not Quite Hollywood focus on horror and porn as far as the 'hidden gems' go, it's a very interesting documentary. The film itself is well done, but admittedly, the industry professionals are far more interesting than the caricature hipsters who just really like videos. Definitely some colourful characters there on both sides. It does lack structure and its 8-bit music gives it an unwarranted sense of urgency that can be distracting, but it makes great use of cutaway footage from the video footage the subjects talk about. There's a great charm about its flaws and that kind of reflects its points about the authenticity and naivety on VHS. Worth watching.

7/10

Simply put, I loved this documentary! Josh Johnson's ode to the VHS age, Rewind This! (2013) opens with a film enthusiast combing a flea market for VHS tapes, overflowing with the sort of passion any and all global VHS hunters (and film lovers) will immediately recognize. This image sets the tone. Like Not Quite Hollywood (2008) and Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010) before it, Rewind This! will whet your appetite for rare films to add to your collection, but with the added bonus of causing you to scour the earth hunting for a VHS player the second you finish watching it. Powerful stuff, and a must see for film nuts everywhere! (my favorite moment is director Frank Henenlotter explaining the unique feature on his sublime horror comedy Frankenhooker's VHS box: press a button and hear a reanimated prostitute ask you "Wanna date?" This prompts a montage of several other VHS junkies explaining the same feature, and results in the sort of rush of recognition shared by enthusiasts across the world: I personally hit that damn button a million times with every visit to the video store!)

Rewind This was well-received in its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. The film was particularly welcomed, because the filmmakers and many of the interviewees and video stores were local products. It is an extremely entertaining film that takes the audience through the history of how the VHS tape really transformed society. The clips of old VHS films are incredibly entertaining. There are many funny observations and stories about this world that seems to be fast disappearing. Thematically, the film shows us how the ability to watch movies on our own schedules in our own homes transformed the relationship of individuals to the entertainment world. For the first time, anyone could watch almost any movie in the comfort of their own home. We forget the social implications today of bringing movies (and, yes, porn) from the theater into the home. The film also explores the world of the nostalgic collectors who maintain large collections of VHS films that haven't been re-released on DVD and blu-ray. (They seem particularly obsessed with low grade horror movies.) There is a heavy element of nostalgia as they defend their beloved medium and its virtues. The film might seem strange to the younger generation, but it brings back a lot of memories for those of us who grew up during the VHS revolution.

It's been a long time since I've been as mesmerized as I was while viewing the world premiere of Rewind This! at this years SXSW Film Festival. I was clinging to every word uttered from everyone interviewed in this, dare I say...instant cult documentary. As a consumer who was there at it's inception, I ate up all things VHS. To be able to record a show not only to watch at your convenience, but to keep as your own was the ultimate in entertainment fandom as far as I was concerned. To be able to buy or record a movie that you already saw in the theater was just how life was meant to be. I was the ideal consumer because I bought anything and everything it took to enjoy the VHS experience. This documentary delves into every aspect of that and so much more with the love and devotion you'd expect from such ardent fans as Josh Johnson, Carolee Mitchell, and Christopher Palmer...my friends. So do yourself and your well-being a favor and treat yourself to what is cinema gold...Rewind This!

Rewind This! (2013)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Extremely entertaining documentary takes a look at the VHS boom of the 1980s and how VCRs and video stores really changed how movies were made and especially how they were marketed. REWIND THIS! has already become a favorite among horror fans and it's easy to see why. If you grew up in the 80s then you obviously remember walking those video store shelves looking for new and strange movies. Many of these have never been released since their VHS days and this documentary touches upon that subject but also the creation of VCRs, the way the major studios didn't believe in the format and of course we get into things like the important of artwork and nudity. The film works for those who remember those video store days but it also works because even if you're young and don't remember those days then the film manages to be a great educator. We get some wonderful commercials of the early days of VCRs as well as the "hot" item of remote controls. Even better is that we're given all sorts of great interviews with the likes of Charles Band, Frank Henenlotter, David Gregory, Don May, Jr., Roy Frumkes, Lloyd Kaufman, Cassandra Peterson and Something Weird Video's Mike Vraney who talks about how he started off as a bootlegger and how this started his career. The art of bootlegs are also discussed including those wonderful ads in various horror magazines. REWIND THIS! is really a wonderful throwback to the days where the video box was every bit as important as the movie itself. Fans of the 80s horror and exploitation pictures are really going to have a good time here.