Hey Cinephiles,
Welcome back to another Thursday edition of Thrift Pix — where I pull a few new tapes off the shelf and give you a taste of what I’ve been collecting.
This week, I tried something a little different: categorizing my pickups by genre and viewing intention. Here’s a quick breakdown of how I usually collect:
🎞 Favorites – Films I love and grab instantly
🔁 Rewatches – Films I’ve seen but can’t remember or need to revisit
👀 Watchlist Titles – Films I’ve heard about but never seen
🎲 Blind Buys – Never heard of them, but the vibe was right
📦 New Views – Factory-sealed tapes (none this week)
Most of this week’s haul falls under blind buys and watchlist titles — and they’ve been grouped into thematic mini-categories below.
💔 Melodrama, Romance & Moral Dilemmas
These stories revolve around tough choices, emotional entanglements, and lives on the edge of change.
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson: A morally charged story: One million dollars for one night with your spouse. Would you say yes? This one’s from the director of Fatal Attraction and is wrapped in controversy, gloss, and big questions.
Focus (2001)
Starring William H. Macy, Laura Dern: Based on Arthur Miller’s only novel. Set in WWII-era Brooklyn, this film explores antisemitism and conformity with a slow-burning tension. Underrated and a rare VHS find.
No Looking Back (1998)
Starring Lauren Holly, Edward Burns, Jon Bon Jovi: A moody, small-town tale of love and regret from Edward Burns. Written, directed, and co-starring the indie filmmaker behind The Brothers McMullen.
Trixie (2000)
Starring Emily Watson, dir. Alan Rudolph: A true blind buy. Watson plays a security guard with a tangled tongue in this quirky noir-comedy hybrid. Uneven but intriguing — especially for fans of genre mashups.
🧠 Psychological, Sci-Fi & Suspense
Where perception, identity, and morality unravel — and the line between human and monstrous gets blurry.
Hollow Man (2000)
Starring Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, dir. Paul Verhoeven: A gritty, modern update of The Invisible Man, leaning heavily into voyeurism and decay. I vividly remember catching this on a bootleg VHS playing in a laundromat growing up — my first public “theater” of sorts. One of Verhoeven’s most controversial films.
🐾 Animal-Focused & Family Friendly
Gentle watches and heartstring-tuggers. These picks bring animal bonds, growth, and redemption to the front.
Buddy (1997)
Starring Rene Russo, Jim Henson Pictures: Based on the true story of Gertrude Lintz, a New York socialite who raised gorillas in her home. It’s campy and sweet — and yes, the gorilla is adorable.
Courage of Black Beauty (1957)
A black-and-white VHS that retells the classic story of a boy and his horse. This is my fourth Black Beauty adaptation in the collection — didn’t expect that. Simple, heartwarming, and apparently colorful, despite the monochrome packaging.
The Maldonado Miracle (2003)
Starring Dir. Salma Hayek, starring Peter Fonda & Ruben Blades: A deeply spiritual and hopeful tale about a young migrant boy who sparks belief in miracles in a struggling desert town. Touching and rare — and yes, Hayek directed this!
⚔️ Classic War & Duty
Overlooked, morally complex, and shot with gravitas — war cinema that earns its runtime.
In Harm’s Way (1965)
Starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Henry Fonda: A double-tape epic directed by Otto Preminger. Set around the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this film blends military strategy, romance, and fractured relationships. Beautiful color & black-and-white artwork and a stacked cast. Another unexpected win for the VHS shelf.
Got a favorite from the stack? Curious about the The Red Kimono, or that Lonesome Criterion gem? Hit reply and let me know what you’d like me to dive deeper into.
🔁 Quick Weekly Recap & Updates
I’ve Changed the Name: We’re officially shifting from “Thrift Picks” to Thrift Pix — a nod to both “picks” and “pictures.” It just felt right.
Blu-ray Spotlight: Found a copy of Logan that includes Logan Noir — a stunning black-and-white cut of the film. Gorgeous tones. Emotional wallop. Might love it even more than the original.
💬 THRIFT THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Sometimes you grab a tape without knowing why. But weeks later, it becomes the one you can’t stop thinking about. There’s a kind of second-sight to thrifting — a quiet trust in what finds you. That’s the magic of the hunt.
📆 What’s Coming Up
Saturday: Quick video dropping about how I’m categorizing my collection — can’t wait to share the system I’m building!
Sunday: A new Two for the Shelves double feature
Monday: A new issue of The Debate Room (feat on House On Van Street)
Tuesday: Back to disc hauls (mostly DVDs coming your way)
If you missed last Sunday’s double feature, we paired Murder Was the Case (Snoop’s short film) with The Life of David Gale. A raw, poetic, politically tense double bill. Check it out, link below!
Until then,
Stay curious and keep digging,
—E. A. Bland
Seen any of these? Got a favorite forgotten title hiding on your own shelf? Drop it in a reply—I’m always hunting.
Murder Was the Case (1995) meets The Life of David Gale (2003) in this high-stakes double feature about mortality, morality, and the cost of conviction. One is a mythic gangsta rap short dripping with supernatural swagger. The other is a slow-burning death penalty drama built on mystery and sacrifice.
Together, they ask: Is truth more powerful than death — or just another form of performance?
As a follow-up to last week’s introductory issue on artificial intelligence—and its growing impact on, and acceptance by, society and culture, for better or worse—I thought we’d pivot slightly to explore AI’s influence at the intersection of cinema and education.
As always, I’ll be speaking primarily from personal experience, weaving in objective evidence where relevant to support my stance. But remember: the floor is always open. That’s exactly what The Debate Room was built for—open dialogue, thoughtful exchange, and fresh perspectives.
Consider this your primer for Monday’s issue of The Debate Room.
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