Last month, we shared the sad news that Video One, among the last video stores in Denver, is closing after more than three decades; it opened in 1984.
Now, the end is even closer. The final day of operation for Video One, located at 6th and Downing, is Sunday, June 5.
But at least you'll be able to take home a lasting memory of the place.
All Video One's movies are for sale at ridiculously low prices — and while the stock has definitely been picked over, you should be able to find something unusual.
On top of that, the shop is selling all of its old posters — not just contemporary ones from the past few years, but also big stacks of promo art from the ’70s and ’80s.
In recent days, I've picked up plenty of posters from across the spectrum. The employee on hand during my most recent visit asked how much I wanted to pay for them, and I offered $30 for what turned out to be 32 posters — and rather than balking, he actually suggested that I take more for that price!
Below, see nineteen examples of what I took home, including the vintage posters that are currently adorning a wall in my house. I hope they inspire you to visit Video One while you still can. Click here for more information.
This Is the End (2013)
This cheerful look at the apocalypse courtesy of Seth Rogen, James Franco and all their pals is only one of many contemporary flicks represented by posters up for grabs at Video One — and among the better ones. When I was there on Memorial Day, there were also posters for Divergent, A Good Day to Die Hard, Jack Reacher and lots more.
Sphinx (1981)
Never seen this flick, but the idea of a Robin Cook adaptation (he wrote Coma, too) starring Lesley-Anne
Down as directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, who helmed Patton, was too tacky to resist.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
If there was ever a surefire blockbuster, it was this adaptation of a bestseller that had already spawned a successful cinematic trilogy from Sweden. Only mistake: The filmmakers forgot to make it good.
Off Beat (1986)
Yes, there was a period of time when a major movie studio (Disney, owner of Touchstone) thought Judge Reinhold could be a movie star. Note Harvey Keitel in a supporting part!
Warm Bodies (2013)
A zombie romance (really) that was largely overlooked at the time of its release despite the presence of Nicholas Hoult. It's actually better than it has any right to be.
Songwriter (1984)
A small gem of a movie directed by Alan Rudolph, a protégé of Robert Altman, starring Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, for whom my wife has a thing. Unfortunately for me, I don't look anything like him.
World War Z (2013)
Not nearly as good as the book on which it's based and a lot less memorable than The Walking Dead — yet somehow, it isn't horrible. That's tough math to make work....
Continue to see more amazing posters of the sort you'll be able to pick up for practically nothing during the final days of Video One.
Tender Mercies (1983)
Yes, some of the movies from the ’80s were actually pretty good — including this low-key heart-wrencher that earned Robert Duvall a well-deserved Oscar.
Ender's Game (2013)
From the sublime to the ridiculous. During the first twenty minutes of this failed franchise, I remember thinking, "This isn't as bad as I expected." During the rest of it, I learned that I was wrong.
Brainstorm (1983)
Directed by Douglas Trumbull, who handled the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey. There's a reason you know about the latter and not about the former.
The Hangover Part III (2013)
In X-Men Apocalypse, in theaters now, Jean Grey notes that everyone knows the third movie in a series is always the worst one. That's definitely true in this case.
Dredd (1995)
Should have been spelled "Dread."
Only God Forgives (2013)
God may have forgiven Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn for making a movie that's not nearly as good as their previous collaboration, Drive, but I'm still working on it.
Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)
Actually based on a novel by Kurt Vonnegut — whose head probably looked like Jerry Lewis's in the poster above right before exploding at the world premiere.
Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983)
Yes, kids, that's Richard Harris — the original Dumbledore — seen in profile behind the hottie with the body.
A Night in Heaven (1983)
The first of the posters on my wall at home is this tacky curio starring hunky Christopher Atkins, who'd previously spent time with Brooke Shields in a Blue Lagoon.
Monsignor (1982)
Also framed right now: a Christopher Reeve-starring disaster that was a must-have for me because of the poster copy: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I have killed for my Country, I have stolen for my Church, I have loved a woman, and I am a Priest." Dun-dun-DUN!
An Unmarried Woman (1978)
Just for laughs, I also put up a poster from An Unmarried Woman, a movie that was actually good — or at least I thought so when I saw it almost forty years ago. Today, who knows?
Convoy (1978)
The last walled poster (for now) was based on a song by future Ouray mayor C.W. McCall, directed by a slumming Sam Peckinpah and featured a shirtless Kris Kristofferson, for whom I mentioned my wife has an unhealthy fondness. I guess I'd better start working out more.