VHYes

I can't really call this a movie, in the common sense. Sure you'll see some semi-recognizable faces who have held smaller parts across many comedy shows and movies, most notably a few cast members from Reno 911, but there is not a straight forward narrative here. Instead we have more of an anthology of faux-public access and infomercial skits (think Tim & Eric Awesome Show) specifically created and filmed deliberately in amateur style under the pretense that a young boy recorded these bits of cheesy TV over a VHS tape that was originally once reserved for his parents' 1987 wedding footage. You'll see classic clips of horribly acted 80's porn (the story scenes), exaggerated jazzercize infomercials, the blue vertically scrolling preview channel, absurd advertisements, boring public access programs about rock bands and conspiracies, knock-off Antiques Roadshow and HSN bits, and peppered in between all of this you have quick shots of the kid's parents' wedding video and times where him and his friend were messing with the camcorder during sleepovers. Everything is pretty convincing here and as an 80s/90s kid myself, I appreciate the authenticity. This is a love letter to a certain kind of person, of a certain age, with a certain sense of humor. If you get it, you really get it. If you don't, then you just weren't the target audience. This film is like one endless inside-joke, and it's absolutely brilliant for what it is.

I came to find out it's just a patchwork of the filmmaker's short films, which I think is slightly lazy.

Annoying anachronistic detail: One vignette features a painting of Dennis Rodman in his red #91 jersey. This film is supposed to be take place in 1987. Dennis Rodman wasn't even playing for the Bulls as #91 until 1995. Again, pretty lazy filmmaking in my opinion.

As a fan of vintage video technology, especially VHS, and the culture VHS birthed in the 80's, I found this film rather insulting.

Weird is the only word i can think of. not really a movie... just weird clips. the painter lady scares me a little

2.7

If I had a complaint about this movie it would be that it had too much packed into such a short film. I am very greedy with a 10 star rating, but this movie really cooked my noodle a bit. I felt something inside me while watching this; I don't know if it was the hi resolution retro quality, the familiarity in the programming, or the bursts of hitting all the channels at the right time. If you have given this movie a low star, please rewatch it and think of another movie that comes close to the genre this director has created. The closest I can think is paranormal activity. To put it concisely, an unusually warm candid experience.

When you watch a movie and you can't stop thinking about it for days after, you know you have watched a good movie. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for even a second, because this movie moved quickly and kept your attention the entire time. I recognized some of the show segments as if I had seen them before. It reminded me of watching strange late night tv while I was half asleep at hotels. The ending was unpredictable and gave me something to think about. Overall, I really enjoyed it.