There Today, Pawned Tomorrow

I love pawn shops. They are great untapped resources for finding DVDs, CDs, Videos and other assorted goodies. I buy a lot of my DVDs and CDs at pawn shops, 'cause you just can't beat the prices and selection ... to the tune of $2-$5 each!! HELLO! Being the anal-retentive that I am, however, I normally keep a case of DVD cases at home, so when I get home I can switch out the original case the DVD comes in and put it in a nice, clean one. Not that the original cases aren usually in bad condition, but sometimes you come across one that has been scuffed, torn, etc. This way, everything is slick and purty. Heh heh. I know. I sound like I am really uptight, but honestly I'm not. I just like my books, CDs and DVDs to be in nice condition. Anyhoo, here are my latest DVD acquisitions from area pawn shops:

Hocus Pocus. 1993.
This is one of my favorite movies to watch around Halloween time. It's currently out-of-print, but I was lucky enough to find this one for just $4!

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. 1999
You know those movies that you like and want to own, but they aren't really top priority because they are silly or you just don't wanna pay full price for? Well, this one is one of those movies. It's a lot of fun.

Groundhog Day. 1993
This is another one of those titles that I've been meaning to get, but just haven't gotten around to it. It's one of those movies that I can't resist watching whenever it's on TV. You know, those movies that you pass while looking for something to watch, then you catch a glimpse of it and end up watching it all the way through? Lol! I do that all the time, so I thought I might as well just buy it.

Grizzly. 1976
This cheese-o-licious movie was made on the heels of Jaws. I love these type of nature-gone-amok films. You know, like Jaws, Tentacles and Alligator. Lots of fun!

The Evil Dead. 1981
Okay, I'm not much of a zombie movie fan, simply because I find them kind of tedious to watch. It also seems like the majority of zombie movies feel the need to be overtly gory, with the eating of intestines, et al which doesn't really interest me. Don't get me wrong, I can handle the gore. I mean, I love slasher flicks (esp. from the 80's), but it seems like most Italian horror/zombie movies really try to top each other in the gore dept. With that said, I must admit I do like The Evil Dead. It's one of those movies I remember putting off forever, because it looked so damn scary. Well, I finally got around to seeing it about 6 years ago or so, and it WAS scary, but good. I've owned the VHS and have been meaning to purchase the DVD, but couldn't bring myself to pay $15-$20 for a movie that is so readily available. Well, I got this one for $5 and it was in like-new condition! Woo hoo! My Halloween movie watching list just grew by one!

Mr. Sardonicus. 1961
Two words: William Castle. Who hasn't seen a William Castle movie? Castle brought us such horror mainstays as The House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, 13 Ghosts and I Saw What You Did, just to name a few. Mr. Sardonicus is currently out-of-print, so I was happy to find this copy for just $4. I love making out like a bandit on the older titles. It seems like at most pawn shops, B&W movies are the redheaded stepchild and therefore are priced cheaper. Yay! More for me!

Scenes of the Crime. 2001
Ever since I saw this movie advertise on the Mystery channel, I knew I wanted to see it. You know how sometimes, even without having seen a movie, you just know you are gonna like it? This was one of those movies, for me. I really like the look of the film, plus it has cuties Jon Abrahams and Mädchen Amick, of Twin Peaks.

400 Blows. 1959
A beautiful, classic film about a neglected 14 year old Parisian boy whose parents don't show much interest in him. Great foreign film.

Crumb. 1994
I recently caught the last 30 minutes of this film/documentary on the True Stories channel, late one night. It caught my interest and immediately mesmerized me. It's currently out-of-print, so I was happy to find it at a local pawn shop for just $6. It's about the life of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb. The movie is so fascinating, dark, sad and funny. I'll be dedicating a blog to this movie in the future. A must-see.