Back in March, I asked on this blog, Is It Too Soon to Be Nostalgic for Video Stores?
If Blockbuster is your store of choice, the answer could be yes, as the company just filed for bankruptcy. Many of its stores are likely to go the way of the gigantic cellphone that Michael Douglas showed off in Wall Street (1987).
I mention Wall Street because yesterday I was in Burlington’s Waterfront Video picking up a copy. I wanted to see the original Oliver Stone movie, which I missed the first time around, before reviewing the sequel that hits theaters today.
You’d think Wall Street would be easy to grab, being so old it features a gigantic cellphone and outrageously decadent ’80s interior decor. But both DVDs (original and special edition) were checked out the first time I stopped by.
That’s anecdotal evidence to say the least. But I’m gonna go out on a limb and say people in Burlington are still renting DVDs. Sure, most frequent movie watchers subscribe to Netflix or something similar. But when you can’t get a new disc in the mail because you have four episodes of “The Wire” sitting around waiting to be watched, and the movie you want isn’t instantly downloadable, and you aren’t tech-savvy enough for illegal file-sharing … well, if you’re me, you will be happy you have a video store.
Plus, it’s just fun to browse after work and grab a movie on the spur of the moment.
Over in Montpelier, the Savoy’s Downstairs Video is still around, though it’s no longer downstairs — Terry Youk, who bought the theater from long-time owners Rick Winston and Andrea Serota, has moved the store to 7 East State St.
Youk has refurbished the Savoy’s basement with a new screen, and he’s starting a Cine Club down there. It kicks off this Friday, Saturday and Sunday with showings of Casablanca at 7 and 9 p.m. Call 802-229-0598 to reserve seats.
Oh, and that’s another sign we may not want to confine our entertainment procurement entirely to the privacy of our own homes: the sudden reappearance of old-fashioned film series. I wrote about two in this week’s State of the Arts. One’s at UVM, the other at CVU.
Plus, if you’re anywhere near Dartmouth and the Hop, you can see The King’s Speech, Never Let Me Go, Tamara Drewe and other buzzed-about festival movies this weekend, well before they hit local theaters, thanks to a series called Telluride at Dartmouth. You lucky dogs of the Upper Valley, you…
By the way, I learned the proper wording of the quote that probably launched thousands of unscrupulous careers in finance: “Greed, for want of a better word, is good.” Which won’t offer much comfort to Blockbuster’s rank-and-file employees.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2010.
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I personally canceled my Netflix account and opted to rent at Waterfront video. They are a local business, which employs a full staff. They always have a great selection of independent movies and documentaries as well as the latest Hollywood movies. When I need movies for longer rental periods, they always accommodate my needs – just ask!
Sorry to feed the troll, but why do you even bother posting here Jimmy? All of your posts are just incessant criticisms of Seven Days and its staff. It’s really childish and pretty pathetic. If you don’t like 7D, simply don’t read it and don’t comment on it.
Most professional movie reviewers occasionally watch an older movie for context, to check out a director or actor’s earlier work, etc., as you mention doing for Wall Street. If you want to cover work expenses out of pocket that’s your business, though, I was just curious.”Funny, most Vermonters ask me to explain why I even have a television.”Why in the world would anyone ever ask someone why they choose to have something? That’s just bizarre.