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SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME ON MY WAY THROUGH BEST BUY (THE “ESCAPE FROM L.A.” ADVENTURE)

By Michael Ferraro | September 13, 2006

Yesterday I headed to Best Buy to pick up the untainted Star Wars adventures on DVD. I was one of the few strong enough to hold out buying them prior, since I didn’t want the Special Edition versions. But something happened on this trip which I can’t quite explain.

I was wandering through the action section of the DVDs when one particular title stuck out from all other titles. It was this:

Snake.jpg

The 1996 Carpenter helmed Escape from L.A.

I saw this movie once, back in like 1998, and remember disliking quite terribly. It was pretty much Escape from New York again, with nothing new or smart to offer, with a ton of really bad special effects. Like the new Star Wars trilogy for example. But I digress.

So I grabbed the DVD (with the original cover art, not the cover art pictured) and looked at it for a bit. For some reason, I really wanted to watch this movie. Like, I wanted to watch it right then and there. I wanted to open the DVD and pop in one of those big screen TV displays they had, and if one of their employees rushed me to turn it off, I would have punched them in the throat and pulled their hair.

But I didn’t let it get that far. I just held it for a while longer, while reading the back of the DVD case. After a few more moments of reflection, I looked at the price sticker on the front of the case. $6.99. Man, how could I turn that down? I couldn’t and I didn’t. So I added it to my stack, with the new Black Keys album and the Star Wars trilogy (in limited edition Best Buy magic tin). My journey to Best Buy was complete.

This has happened before – seeing a movie I didn’t really like before, on a DVD shelf at a super low price, then finding myself purchasing it. And usually, after this, I end up liking it. I haven’t watched Escape from LA since I purchased it, but I will today. And I am wondering if I will find some guilty pleasure enjoyment out of watching it again all these years later. How can someone not like this?

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  1. Felix Vasquez Jr. says:

    I know, I’m just f*****g with you. I’m a jokemaker!

  2. Michael Ferraro says:

    Remind me to pat you on the head if we ever meet.

    If it wasn’t for us few, we may not have seen these at all. But if more of us stood strong, perhaps the DVDs that came out yesterday would be better.

    But that’s just me. I’m not hating on anyone who bought them, I just don’t get it is all.

  3. Felix Vasquez Jr. says:

    “I was one of the few strong enough to hold out buying them prior, since I didn’t want the Special Edition versions.”

    Remind me to pat you on the head if we ever meet.

    And I quite enjoy “LA” in some guilty pleasure state of mind. Not as great as “New York” but still enjoyable.

  4. Rory L. Aronsky says:

    You and I think alike sometimes, Mike. Went to Best Buy for the same Star Wars reason yesterday, though I only added The Incredibles to my purchase. It’s funny because the rare time you go to Best Buy, you either see something there that you also want or you remember something that you’ve wanted for a long time.

  5. HeroStew.com says:

    Yeah when I went, I had to force myself not to buy the new Voltron DVD set in the tin. But I must go back and buy Masters Of The Universe with Dolph Lundgren.

    Yes, I found Russell’s death a little disturbing.

  6. Michael Ferraro says:

    But goddamn, he can die like no other person. He should get an Academy Award nomination for Best Death ever. It actually looked like he really drowned.

    Russell is the man. Now let’s see “Escape from Earth” fall into production.

  7. HeroStew.com says:

    Yeah I hated the fact that Russell was killed.

  8. Michael Ferraro says:

    Yeah, the Campbell thing’s great.

    I actually kind of liked Poseidon. It didn’t have all that silly character development that the original had in the beginning. The old one is really hard for me to watch.

    One thing about the new one though, and here is a spoiler (so be careful), is you don’t kill Kurt Russell. I don’t care who you are, Wolfgang Peterson.

  9. HeroStew.com says:

    Yeah I bought this one for about the same price used. Kick myself for not going to Best Buy and buying it NEW. I then went and bought the first one. Not so good to me. I like the second one cause it seems to laugh at itself. I then went and bought Poseidon and Executive Decision (one of my favorite Kurt Russell movies)

    With DVD prices so low on ‘older’ stuff. I also find myself buying movies I didn’t like so much when they first came out. But I end up buying them for the nostalgia.

  10. Jerell says:

    Funny blog. The only thing good about Escape From L.A is Bruce Campbell’s short cameo.

  11. Blazer says:

    I find no guilt in enjoying this one. Not how I wanted it to turn out but at least its fun. So many films can’t even say that- fun. The people request a review of The Car next.

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