The Videostore Junkies

For the weekend of 4/16/21, Renee, Zachary, Paul, and VERY SPECIAL GUEST BILL offer up 9 recommendations for your weekend viewing pleasure, ranging from lockdown horror, to foreign dramas, to claustrophobic found footage.

The advent of online streaming services has given the average film fan instant access to more viewing options than at any time in history (no matter how big your local videostore was), but sometimes it can be hard to settle on something to watch. But fear not, the Videostore Junkies have you covered, offering up a fresh batch of picks every week that you can add to your queue on almost every major streaming platform.

Is doing a review of Netflix, literally the most popular streaming service on the planet, a bit redundant? Probably, but a collection of reviews covering every streaming service in existence wouldn't be complete without talking about the 800 pound gorilla of streaming, so that's exactly what we do in this episode! Join Paul, Renee, and Zachary as we discuss the functionality and content of Netflix, and give the final word on whether we think it's worth the monthly subscription fee!

In a decade that saw the release of such science fiction blockbusters as Terminator 2, The Matrix, and Independence Day, The Fifth Element stood out as something completely different: a film with so much style that it made it easy to excuse its relative lack of substance, and which wasn't afraid to be as funny as it was cool.

Science Fiction cinema has changed a lot in the intervening years - it's more mainstream, more franchise-driven, and much less prone to big-budget one-offs. So, how does The Fifth Element hold up after almost 25 years of genre evolution - does it still maintain its unique charm, or has the sheen worn off of this uniquely European vision of the future?

In this episode we emulate Leeloo by diving into a fast-moving stream of debate and discussion about the background, plot, characters, and lasting impact of this film, and ultimately pass judgement on whether we think it will endure until 2263, or whether it deserves to be locked in a vault for the next 5000 years.

For the weekend of 4/9/21, Renee, Zachary, and Paul offer up 6 recommendations for your weekend viewing pleasure, ranging from a creature features, to classic documentaries, to zombie cops - there's something for everyone (assuming everyone likes at least one of those things)!

The advent of online streaming services has given the average film fan instant access to more viewing options than at any time in history (no matter how big your local videostore was), but sometimes it can be hard to settle on something to watch. But fear not, the Videostore Junkies have you covered, offering up a fresh batch of picks every week that you can add to your queue on almost every major streaming platform.

The advent of seemingly limitless new streaming services has given rise to a number of new niche services devoted to genre-specific content. If you're a horror fan, you've probably at least heard of Shudder, the largest horror-centric streaming service currently available. In this episode, we take a look at the functionality and content of Shudder, discuss some of our favorite offerings on the platform, and give our final recommendations on whether Shudder is worth the monthly subscription fees.

2017 saw the release of what should have been one of the biggest films of the decade - Justice League. Featuring some of the most well known characters in popular culture - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman - it was the film that comic fans had been waiting for - except it wasn't. Meeting with tepid reviews from even hardcore fans, Justice League was doomed to go down in history as an expensive reminder of how NOT to do franchise film making - that is, until Zack Snyder revealed that a different, longer cut of the film existed - The Snyder Cut.

Once a rumor and a myth, Zack Snyder's Justice League has finally arrived, and has quickly become a sensation among film fans clamoring few new content in a time of shuttered theaters and postponed blockbusters. In this SPOILER-LADEN review, we take a look at what works about the new cut, what doesn't, and whether The Snyder Cut was ultimately worth the wait.

In our second (and final, we promise) episode on Mad Max: Fury Road, the Videstore Junkies dissect the last half of the film and then give their final ratings and thoughts on this installment - and the franchise as a whole. If you haven’t already listened to it, go back and check out Episode 006, where we kick off our coverage on Fury Road with background information on the film and our thoughts on the first act-and-a-half.

For more Videostore Junkies, visit us at www.videostorejunkies.com, or on Twitter @VideoJunkiesPod

When it comes to unique monsters, killer pants are are pretty high on the novelty scale. Director Elza Kephart's Slaxx has one of the most original premises in recent memory, but does the final film belong in a boutique - or in the bargain bin? Renee, Paul, and Zachary take a spoiler-free look at the latest Shudder exclusive and give their thoughts on the highs and lows of this fashion-horror film, along with their final ratings.

Much like podcasts about movies, it seems like streaming services are a dime-a-dozen these days. Except most of them cost way more than a dime (the streaming services, not the podcasts), so we're here to tell you which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cheddar and which ones should go the way of actual videostores.

In this episode, Paul, Renee, and Zachary discuss the newly launched Paramount+, home of content from CBS, MTV, BET, and more. Functionality, content, overall presentation - the Videostore Junkies look at each aspect of this service, and then give their overall thoughts on whether it's worth the monthly subscription fee.

George Miller began his life as a filmmaker with the release of Mad Max in 1979, and throughout a long and varied career as the director of such films as The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City, and Happy Feet, it seems that the world of Mad Max is one that he’s never entirely left. 30 years after the release of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - and almost 20 years after originally conceiving of the project - Miller finally released the next installment of his beloved series with Mad Max: Fury Road.

With a new actor in the titular role - not to mention the 3 decades between installments - would Miller be able to recapture the magic of the original films, or would this be another example of an aging director trying - and failing - to revisit the ground that they broke in their younger years? If you’ve seen Fury Road, you likely already know the answer to that question, but come along with the Videostore Junkies anyways as we ruminate on what works about this film, what doesn’t, and what its ultimate place is in the pantheon of Mad Max stories.