The Great Odyssey

I feel really freaked out and saddened by all the deaths in East Asia. That's a terrible situation, and I wish Americans could do more. But, the damage has already been done, and the aftermath is horrible.
On a lighter note, I also want to make a comment on Blockbuster's new "no late fee" policy. It's a great idea, inspired by the legacy of the "netflix" popularity. But, I want to use this opportunity to clarify to the world that "Odyssey Video" here in North Hollywood is THE GREATEST video store that has ever, or ever will exist. You may say, "Evan, that's a ridiculous and bold statement. Could it possibly be true?" Yes. It's true. "Why?" you ask. I'll tell you. Every tuesday and thursday, all their new release DVD's are only 99 cents. You read that right. 99 cents. No Blockbuster monthly fee can compete with that. Rent at your leisure. 99 cents. Now, if you know me, you probably also know that there's more to the story other than the cheap new release rentals. That alone makes it far better than Blockbuster. But what pushes it over the edge to being the greatest video rental entity on the planet today? Odyssey video, ladies and gentlemen, has a vast collection of obscure 70's and 80's horror films on VHS. 99 cents. Every day. That's right. They have obscure made-for-tv Halloween specials from the early to mid 80's that are not available anywhere else. They have the entire "Dark Shadows" horror soap opera from the 60's/70's available on VHS for rental. They have absolutely low budget zombie films that look like they were filmed on someone's home video camera in 1985.
I have discovered treasures at Odyssey video that can be found nowhere else. I saw a film about an astronaut who returns to earth from a space mission, and his face begins melting. He goes insane, staggering through the woods, and terrorizing the suburbs until a grizzled old military detective and a NASA official finally stop him. I have seen a classic film entitled "Wicker Man", in which a Scottish detective visits an island to search for a missing girl. The island ends up being a bizarre 70's cult, and they enslave the man in a giant wicker man. The film is filled with bizarre hippie anthems and creepy hippie folk cult music. It's brilliant. I've seen low budget vampires, zombies, ghosts, rubber puppet creatures, evil demon rock bands, scarecrow monsters, werewolves, aliens, various crazed slashers, and even rednecks with shotguns. It's an addiction. My roommates and I love watching and evaluating them. It's great.
In a related story, I rented "Unforgiven" starring Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Gene Hackman. It's a western that was made in '92 and it won some Oscars, including Best Picture, I think. I watched it late that night, and the next day when I got to work, one of the actors in the movie was in Puccino's Pizza. It was the guy that played the biographer in the movie. I couldn't believe it! I wanted to talk to him and tell him I loved him in "Unforgiven". how freaked out do you think he would have been? I never would have known it was him if I hadn't just watched that movie. Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to him, so the story is basically over.
I hereby proclaim Odyssey is the greatest video store in existence, and it shall never be rivaled.