Video Store Podcast

Hello, and welcome to my debut episode! My name is Ken, a writer, illustrator & animator from Vancouver — and I’m excited to join the Video Store Podcast staff. If you have kids in your life looking for a great film to watch this summer, or to enjoy as a family with mass quantities of popcorn, listen close! I’ve got some you may have never heard of, but will definitely want to see.
ZATHURA: A Space Adventure (2005)
If you’ve seen any of the JUMANJI movies, this is the same kind of idea — but in space! Two brothers discover a board game that comes to life and hurls them into the far reaches of the galaxy, where they must battle hungry space aliens, meteors, a killer robot, and other dangers. The only way to get home is to finish the game, if they can survive!
Earth to Echo (2014)
If you like STRANGER THINGS, you’ll get a kick out of this adventure. It’s like E.T. meets THE GOONIES shot with cel phones, in a found-footage style. A group of friends are getting ready to move out of their neighborhood when they discover a tiny robot in the desert who needs to get home. Perfect for projecting onto a sheet in your backyard under the stars.
Riddle of Fire (2024)
An amazing indie gem where a band of kids called The Three Immortal Reptiles go on an adventure in the woods to outwit a band of criminals called The Enchanted Blade. Delightfully weird with a dungeon-synth soundtrack, this film feels like a throwback to Disney adventure films of the ‘70s with some GOONIES and LORD OF THE RINGS elements. Disclaimer: some mild profanity and kids cussing.
SKETCH (2025)
Amber and Jack are two kids grieving the death of their mother, and Amber draws scary monsters to cope with her sadness. When they discover a magic pond in their backyard that heals or brings anything that touches it to life, it’s a recipe for chaos and adventure. This is an amazing film that more families really need to see. A cocktail of giant monsters, chase sequences, battle scenes, and personified metaphors for emotions of fear, sadness and grief, it’s been described as JURASSIC PARK meets INSIDE OUT — but also with a touch of its own unique genius.
Thanks for joining us at the Video Store Podcast for some kids’ adventure recommendations! Let me know what you think of them!
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Summer is here and we’re staying indoors instead of sweating it out. We’re keeping it cool in the A/C and with some chilling horror anthology TV to help us get through the long summer days. Here are 4 horror anthology series I’ve picked for our staff picks will this week.
Tales from the Darkside (1983)
What could’ve been Creepshow: The Series became Tales from the Darkside. Created by Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero and horror producer Richard P. Rubinstein, Tales from the Darkside is a half-hour horror anthology show filled with practical effects, and crazy good folks in the director’s chair and the writer’s room. I recommend the pilot episode, “Trick or Treat” starring Barnard Hughes, if you want a good flavor for this series.
Freddy’s Nightmares (1988)
Spun off from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy’s Nightmares gave many parents nightmares with its dark, disturbing, violent, and scary content being aired in syndication on broadcast TV where just anyone could watch it! Robert Englund reprises his role as Freddy Krueger and opens and closes each episode with some framing narration. The episode I think you should check out to get a taste for the show is “Killer Instinct,” which stars the great Lori Petty. It’s eerie, creepy, and frankly a bit disturbing. If you’re down for a good scare or just a big A Nightmare on Elm Street fan, Freddy’s Nightmares is well worth your time.
The Outer Limits (1995)
The 1995 The Outer Limits revival is an incredible cavalcade of acclaimed science fiction and horror writers, directors, and actors. Lasting for 152 episodes and seven seasons, The Outer Limits (1995) far outstripped its predecessor, and offers viewers a fascinating and often poignant exploration of human topics through the lens of science fiction horror. There are so many episodes I could point to for great examples from this series, but one of my favorites is the season 4 episode, “Glyphic.” Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Brad Swaile, written by Naren Shankar, and directed by the late, great Catherine O’Hara, this is a fascinating episode that deals with an unexplainable disease with an out-of-this-world solution.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)
Finally, The New Scooby-Doo Movies from 1972 rounds out my selections for the staff picks wall this week. No, it’s not exactly what comes to mind when you think of anthology horror TV, but hear me out, I think it is. It follows in the anthology horror TV format of new guest stars every week, a new monster or ghost to figure out, a bit of mystery to uncover, but it’s wrapped in an animated comedy package. It’s anthology horror that’s fun for everyone, be they adults, kids, or teens. And it also serves as a good chaser if you need something more lighthearted after the first three recommendations. While I literally enjoy every episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, I think “The Loch Ness Mess” featuring The Harlem Globetrotters is one of the more interesting, if not strange episodes of the series.
Thanks for joining us at the Video Store Podcast for some more summer spookies! If you like these, check out my episode last year for four more Summer Spookies, perfect for this time of year.
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Hey gang, We’re hiring here at the Video Store! If you’ve got a passion for film, some podcasting experience, and a good quality microphone, the Video Store might just be the place for you. If you’re interested, please drop us a line in our direct chat box. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!



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Welcome to the Video Store Podcast.
Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday at the Video Store
The red, white, and blue decorations are up at the Video Store as America celebrates its 250th birthday. Across the country, families are gathering for fireworks, cookouts, and long holiday weekends, and there’s no better way to mark the occasion than with a great movie.
For this special Fourth of July episode, I pulled four movies from the shelves that capture different chapters in American history. From the battlefields of the Revolution to the launch pads of the Space Race, from the cockpits of Navy fighter pilots to the occupied Rocky Mountains, these movies explore the values that have long defined the America: freedom, courage, sacrifice, and resilience.
The Patriot (2000)
To celebrate America’s birthday we should start at the beginning. Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot tells the story of Benjamin Martin, a widowed veteran of the French and Indian War who reluctantly joins the American Revolution after British forces bring the war to his home. Starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, and Jason Isaacs, the film transforms the struggle for independence from a distant historical event into a deeply personal story of sacrifice and revenge.
The Patriot released on VHS and DVD in October 2000 and is one of the final blockbuster releases of the VHS era.
The Right Stuff (1983)
Before America reached the Moon, there were the test pilots and astronauts who risked everything to get us there. The Right Stuff chronicles the early days of the Space Race, beginning with legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager and continuing through the Mercury Seven astronauts as America races to catch up with the Soviet Union.
Featuring an outstanding cast the film is about much more than rockets and space capsules. It’s about ambition, competition, courage, and the uniquely American belief that impossible challenges can be overcome through determination and ingenuity.
Top Gun (1986)
Few films capture American confidence and optimism quite like Top Gun. Tony Scott’s blockbuster follows hotshot Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, as he attends the elite Naval Fighter Weapons School and learns that true greatness requires more than talent, it requires sacrifice, teamwork, and humility.
Top Gun also changed the home video industry forever. When Paramount released the film on VHS in 1987 at the low price of $26.95, it sold nearly three million copies and helped establish the modern home video market.
Red Dawn (1984)
If the previous films celebrate America’s founding, ambition, and confidence, Red Dawn asks what Americans are willing to sacrifice to defend them. John Milius’s Cold War classic follows a group of Colorado teenagers who flee to the mountains after a Soviet and Cuban invasion and gradually transform themselves into resistance fighters.
Like the citizen-soldiers of the American Revolution, the teenagers didn’t fight for glory, but because they believe some things are worth defending. Red Dawn also made history as the first film released with the new PG-13 rating.
Wolverines!
🇺🇸 Happy 250th Birthday, America
These four movies remind us that America is a story of independence and sacrifice, of exploration and ambition, of courage and perseverance. From the battlefields of the eighteenth century to the frontiers of space, from the skies above the Pacific to the mountains of Colorado, each film captures a different chapter of the American experience.
They also remind us that patriotism isn’t just about flags, fireworks, and holiday weekends. It’s about freedom, courage, sacrifice, and the enduring belief that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.
From all of us here at the Video Store, have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
And remember: be kind, rewind.

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I love a good ensemble film, one where a bunch of characters some together and pool their collective talens in order to achieve a common goal. In this week’s episode I’ll be recommending a few films in which multiple characters team up and head out!
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Big Enos and his son have a taste for Coors beer, which back in the 1970s was illegal to ship east of the Mississippi. The two are willing to pay big money to anyone who can make the run from Georgia to Texas and back and deliver 400 cases of Coors in less than 28 hours, and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and his pal Cletus (Jerry Reed) are just the ones to pull it off. Unfortunately for them, the Bandit picks up a runaway bride named Carrie (Sally Fields) who left Junior, the son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), at the alter. With a Smokey from Texas hot on their tail, it’s “east bound and down” in a race to deliver the goods before the law ruins their fun.
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
When Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo blow their first (and last) job as reporters for a newspaper in England, the trio must team up to clear their names and prevent the theft of Lady Holiday’s most expensive posession, the Baseball Diamond. Featuring a slew of cameos and starring Diana Rigg as Lady Holiday and Charles Grodin as her crooken brother, Nicky. Personally, I think this sequel to The Muppet Movie is actually better. Yeah, I said it.
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
In the fourth Police Academy film, citizens are being recruited to assist our favorite police department through their new outreach program, Citizens On Patrol (C.O.P.) The new recruits are unqualified buffoons… which makes them a lot like the officers already on the force.
Cannibal: The Musical (1993)
The sky is blue, and all the leave are green… that is, until Alferd Packer returns from a prospecting expedition gone wrong and instead of finding other survivors, search parties find evidence of (gulp) cannibalism. Written by and starring Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park fame, Cannibal: The Musical features an interesting plot, catchy musical numbers, and jokes you can really sink your teeth into (no pun intended).
I love a good “Hero’s Journey” plot, but films with groups of characters joining up to accomplish a common goal can be even more fun. If two is company and three’s a crowd, ensembles are a whole bunch of fun!
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.videostorepodcast.com