The video store is the cultural touchstone of cinema. In your hometown’s strip mall, there once stood a place for all your movie needs. Shelves of VHS tapes lined the walls, waiting for your weekly movie Mecca. Friends and family congregated to discuss and rent the newest film releases. Shag carpet with that mystery smell you always recognize never left its corner. The video store is where film buffs and the film industry form a cinematic commune.
Air Doll (2009)
Air Doll is a Japanese drama adaptation of the manga series Kuuki Ningyo by Yoshiie Gōda. Middle-aged longer Hideo, who finds companionship in his sex doll, which he names Nozomi. When Hideo is at work, Nozomi comes to life and has a sexy Toy Story.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Nozomi gets a job at the video store where she can see the world through movies. She still has the physical limitations of a balloon, however. Her coworker tapes and re-inflates her after she cuts herself, a meta moment of life imitating art.
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Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Be Kind Rewind follows the potential demolition of the Be Kind Rewind VHS rental store. Employee Mike Coolwell is watching the store while his boss takes a business trip. When his friend Jerry McLean causes an electrical disaster, magnetizing and erasing the VHS tapes, he and the employees must recreate the movies for customers to rent them.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Everyone remembers using a camcorder to make their own homemade movies. The staff at Be Kind Rewind bring out their inner filmmakers to keep the store open. They also make their own versions of well-known films to celebrate their love of movies.
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Bleeder (1999)
101 Films
Bleeder is a Danish crime drama following video store employee Lenny. Being a shy and reserved movie buff keeps Lenny from pursuing a relationship. His routine is disturbed when a coworker’s domestic dispute bleeds over into the workplace.
What’s Great About This Video Store
The subtle and obstinate nature of Lenny is too relatable. He is caught up in his films, which give him confidence yet keep him in his comfort zone. Lenny does get a happy movie ending of his own, though: he meets the girl he tried to date again.
Clerks (1994)
Clerks is about the life of customer service through the eyes of store clerks Dante Hicks and Randal Graves. Dante and Randal work at the Quick Stop convenience store and the RST Video rental store, respectively. Randal is more of a slacker, often mocking his customers and putting his job in jeopardy.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Randal’s could-care-less attitude regarding a customer’s question about which movie is better is ironic. Randal is being rude, but he is also being impartial, allowing the customer to make her own decision. That decision, however, was to leave the store without making a purchase. The other irony is that Randal only talks about films he cares about, like Return of the Jedi.
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EDtv (1999)
EDtv is a satire under the guise of a reality TV show. A network decides to record the life of Ed Pekurny for 24/7. His relationships wane due to his stardom and the producer’s desire for higher ratings. Despite his contract, Ed finds a way to get back his privacy and end the show.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Ed embodies the main character energy and the literal metaphor of life being a movie. He becomes a character with a following, but he becomes one that’s not himself anymore. The reality of reality TV is that they will never be the same.
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Ghost World (2001)
Ghost World is a black comedy adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Daniel Clowes. Enid and Rebecca are two high school friends learning how to adult after graduation. Their friendship takes a detour when Enid pranks then befriends middle-aged man Seymour while helping him find a relationship.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Enid and Rebecca upset the social status quo by being their unconcerned, disaffecting selves. During their visit to Masterpiece Video, they can’t find the right movie to take their minds off their new jobs. There’s no better place for escapism than the video store.
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Last Action Hero (1993)
Last Action Hero is a parody about the action genre. The film within a film follows Arnold Schwarzenegger as himself, playing Los Angeles police detective Jack Slater. The fictional character comes to life for young moviegoer Danny Madigan who must restore the Slater movie franchise and return to the real world.
What’s Great About This Video Store
A movie about movies has to have a video store scene. The video store in the Jack Slater movie pokes fun at actors and their movies. A cardboard cut-out promoting Terminator 2: Judgment Day stars Sylvester Stallone instead of Schwarzenegger!
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Remote Control (1988)
Remote Control follows video store clerk Cosmo who runs his business with no problems. He later discovers that a VHS tape of a fake 1950s sci-fi flick has been brainwashing his customers. Cosmo searches for the film studio responsible and finds an alien plot to take over Earth.
What’s Great About This Video Store
The “media is the message” argument has been done before, like in Videodrome. The video store here is the perfect cover for social commentary. The mind-altering influence of mass media does affect people for better and worse.
Speaking Parts (1989)
Speaking Parts follows Lance, a bit-part actor who works as a custodian and gigolo part-time. His co-worker Lisa is attracted to him, so she decides to rent and watch all the movies he starred in. The relationship and plot thicken as fiction and truth start to blend.
What’s Great About This Video Store
Some have their favorite movies, while others have their favorite actors. It’s a compliment to an actor to enjoy their work, but Lisa does some light fangirl stalking to win Lance’s affection. She has to remember, though, he was only playing a character.
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Watching the Detectives (2007)
Watching the Detectives is a romantic comedy about the owner of Gumshoe Video, Neil Lewis. He dumps his unsupporting girlfriend, Denise, and falls for mischievous femme fatale Victoria. Together, they disturb the peace and pull off capers based on staged events.
What’s Great About This Video Store
The video store is at the center of Neil and Victoria’s shenanigans. Neil admits to Victoria bringing excitement into his life like the movies do, even if it is criminal. Rather than have a vicarious experience with his VHS tapes, Neil commits cinematic crimes with Victoria.
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This story originally appeared on Movieweb
