Drug Store Cowboy

[ER]

Another movie I just watched off a VHS tape I hadn't touched since the '90s. Holds up great and is a lot of fun, even if the subject can be harsh. Great performances throughout. An A- movie.

(Something I'm observing is that after a minute the glaring difference between VHS and, say, DVD stop being something I notice.)

[M.10rda]

Do you ever find yourself preferring the quality of VHS copies to more clear, pristine digital versions?

[RCMerchant]

I have a washed out version of TNT JACKSON (1974) on vhs that I treasure.

[Trevor]

Do you ever find yourself preferring the quality of VHS copies to more clear, pristine digital versions?

I have The Stand 1993 miniseries on VHS and DVD: the odd thing is that the VHS copies are better quality 🤔

[ER]

I forgot to answer, M.10rda. If I had to choose I'd take modern AV technologies over VHS but I have felt nostalgia for the look and sound of VHS as I watched and was reminded of movies from my VCR childhood. One thing I noticed was that after a few minutes I didn't pay attention to the medium and just got caught up in the movie.

[M.10rda]

I empathize w/ the nostalgia and (often) the triumph of content over medium.

I've also seen a bunch of newer HD (et al) versions of films from the 80s and 90s over the past 10+ years that just... ruin the distinctly non-"HD" charm of the films. A lot of 70s and 80s SFX were just not designed and executed to stand up to the rigors of HD... it's a good reason to hold on to older releases.......

I've also got (on a separate jag) a third or later generation VHS bootleg of LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET that predates its wide availability on DVD... it's muddy and somewhat out-of-focus and the audio track is distorted and....... it's the only way I think I'll ever want to watch that flick.  The idea of seeing it w/ crisp visuals and sound just seems like total anathema!

[zombie no.one]

I totally agree that some films from a certain era do not look 'right' in super hi-def. for example SAMURAI COP just looks bizarre! I even used to have a book of VHS artwork with an essay at the start about this exact topic...

re: DRUGSTORE COWBOY, it's on my watchlist. the GGTMC podcast recently did an episode on it

[claws]

I feel the opposite. I'm all for restoration, crisp and clear image, and an audio track where I can understand what they are saying.
I want to see what is going on, not guessing because the film is blurry, washed out and out of focus.

I want to see how the film was meant to be seen intended by the director. I respect their vision and work, even if its a turd of a film.

[M.10rda]

I don't disagree w/ you too much, Claws... yeah, generally films deserve to be seen as the filmmakers intended. I saw ALIENS opening weekend at the theater, and on TV and VHS a dozen times. The more recent HD prints of ALIENS I've seen DO NOT look like the film I remember from those early viewings. It's TOO crisp, and more importantly/problematically - too bright! You see everything inside all the deep shadows. I presume Cameron's got no issue w/ this, but... it ain't the film that I remember and I liked it more the old way!

Just one example... I know many people take issue w/ the myriad STAR WARS reissues for related reasons.......