Available at Flying Petito Sisters Video

Nowhere Boy

Released on DVD January 25, 2011

Nowhere Boy is a 2009 British-Canadian biopic about John Lennon’s adolescence, the creation of his first band, The Quarrymen, and its evolution into The Beatles. The film is based on a biography written by Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird. The film received its US release on 8 October 2010, coinciding with that weekend’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Lennon’s birth (9 October 1940).

The drama tells the story of Lennon’s (Aaron Johnson) teenage years from 1955-1960 and the start of his journey to becoming a successful musician. The story also examines the impact on his early life and personality of the two dominant females in his childhood – his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), and his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff). In addition, the film shows the first meeting of Lennon with future Beatles Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster) and George Harrison (Sam Bell), and the development of their friendship and musical partnership.

Winter’s Bone
By Roger Ebert

The movie heroes who affect me most are not extroverted. They don’t strut, speechify and lead armies. They have no superpowers. They are ordinary people who are faced with a need and rise to the occasion. Ree Dolly is such a hero. A girl of 17, she acts as the homemaker for her younger brother and sister. This is in the backlands of the Ozarks. Her mother sits useless all day, mentally absent. Her father, who was jailed for cooking meth, is missing. She tries to raise the kids and feed them, scraping along on welfare and the kindness of neighbors. The children, like all children who are not beaten, are cheerful and energetic, and love to play. They have not learned they are disadvantaged. This world is established with bleak economy in the opening scenes of Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” which was a double prize winner at Sundance 2010. Unmistakably filmed on location, this film focuses on a society that has been left behind. It looks like Walker Evans’ photographs of the rural Depression, brought forward to today. The unanswered question is how Ree Dolly grew up in this world and became strong, self-reliant and proud. She didn’t learn it from her parents.

The sheriff comes to call. Her father Jessup has skipped bail. To meet his bond, he put up the house — perhaps the only asset he had. If he doesn’t turn himself in within a week, the family will be thrown out. Just like that. “I’ll find him,” Ree says quietly and firmly. And that’s what she sets out to do. Ree is played by Jennifer Lawrence, a 19-year-old newcomer who has already starred in Jodie Foster’s next film. Lawrence embodies a fierce, still center that is the source of her heroism. She makes no boasts, issues no threats, depends on a dogged faith that people will do the right thing — even when no one we meet seems to deserve that faith. “Don’t ask for what’s not offered,” she tells her little brother, although the lives of her parents seem to be an exercise in asking and not offering. Did she raise herself? Everyone in the district knew that Jessup cooked methamphetamine. He is a modern moonshiner. What’s obvious is that meth doesn’t seem to have made him much money. Perhaps its illegality is its appeal, and its market is among people he feels comfortable with. Ree’s travels in search of her father lead her to his brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes), whose existence inflicts a wound on thegift of being alive.

The script, by Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell, uses the ancient form of an odyssey. At its end will be Ree’s father, dead or alive. Most likely dead, she begins to conclude, but unless there is a body, her family will be homeless and torn apart. She treks through a landscape scarcely less ruined than the one in Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” This land seems post-catastrophe. Although it has cars and electricity, running shoes and kitchens, cigarettes and televisions, these seem like relics of an earlier, prosperous time. If thrown-away possessions pile up around the houses of people, it is because they’ve reached the end of the line. There is no next stop

There is a hazard of caricature here. Granik avoids it. Her film doesn’t live above these people, but among them. Ree herself has lived as one of them and doesn’t see them as inferior, only ungiving and disappointing. In her father’s world, everyone is a criminal, depends on a criminal or sells to criminals. That they are engaging in illegal activities makes them vulnerable to informers and plea-bargainers, so they are understandably suspicious. The cliche would be that they suspect outsiders. These characters suspect insiders, even family members.

As Ree’s journey takes her to one character after another, Granik is able to focus on each one’s humanity, usually damaged. They aren’t attractions in a sideshow, but survivors in a shared reality. Do they look at Ree and see a girl in need and a family threatened with eviction? I think they see the danger of their own need and eviction; it’s safer to keep quiet and close off. So the film rests on Ree, counter-balanced by Teardrop, who is aggressive with his hatefulness instead of passive in amorality. A story like this could become mired in despair, but Ree’s hope and courage lock us in. How did she get to be the way she is? We are born optimistic, although life can be a great discouragement. In every bad situation, there are usually a few good people.

 FLYING PETITO SISTERS HAS ALL FOUR SEASONS OF DEXTER AVAILABLE ON DVD

Review: ‘Dexter’  (THIS IS PART OF A REVIEW FROM SEASON ONE)
By Daniel Fienberg, Zap2It.com

Jeff Lindsay’s “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” is a wisp of a debut novel, a thinly plotted little thriller with only one thing going for it, lead character Dexter Morgan. Our protagonist, Dexter is a blood splatter expert working with the Miami police department. Dexter’s good at what he does, because when Dexter isn’t solving murders, he’s committing them, doing what he sees as his part to rid the city of the kind of scum the law can’t touch. Showtime has made a weekly series out of source material that would have been stretched for a two-hour feature, so it’s a pleasure to note that the premium cable network’s “Dexter” is a substantial improvement. It’s stylish, sly and full of local color and it features a career-redefining performance by Michael C. Hall, who makes sure that Dexter is always compelling, but never excessively sympathetic. Showtime’s “Dexter” takes its basic spine from Lindsay’s book. Dexter was trained by his cop stepfather (James Remar, making the creepy seem paternal) to use his twisted instincts for something that resembles justice. Dexter may be a bit of an unfeeling monster, but he’s been well socialized, with a sexy police stepsister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter, looking glad to be far from “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”), differently stunted girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) and a boss, Lt. LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) who also has the hots for him. His life is a carefully assembled facade that becomes more complicated when a new serial killer hits the town, dismembering bodies and showing a very personal interest in Dexter. Sounds twisted, but it’s also quite funny.

Flying Petito Sisters Video has Season 1 of IN TREATMENT and just received Season 2 this week (October 12, 2010)

The Award Winning HBO Series

In Treatment

In Treatment is an award winning  HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo García, about a psychotherapist,  53-year-old Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, including one with his own therapist at the end of the week.Each episode of In Treatment focuses on one patient, including Paul, who is seeing his clinical supervisor and psychotherapist, Gina, played by Dianne Wiest. The first season included 43 episodes, each airing a different night of the week, Monday through Friday. Gabriel Byrne is Paul Weston, a charming, relentless psychotherapist, who is seeking his own peaceful existence, free of self-doubt and ambivalence. Paul is a graduate of Columbia University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and received his Ph.D. from The New School. In the summer of 1988, he moved to Maryland, where he worked at the Baltimore Psychotherapy Institute and later established his private practice.

SEASON 1
Set in Baltimore, Paul has a private entry office in his home. During this season, the episodes aired on their eponymous days of the week. His patients in the first season include Laura an anesthesiologist who is in love with Paul, Alex a fighter pilot traumatized by a recent mission,  Sophie a suicidal teenaged gymnast, Amy and Jake in couples’ therapy to decide whether or not to have an abortion and finally, Dianne Wiest who plays Gina, Paul’s own therapist and mentor who plays devil’s advocate to his ambivalence. Paul’s wife attends Paul’s sessions with Gina as they attempt to salvage their crumbling marriage.

SEASON 2
Paul, now divorced and very lonesome, has relocated to Brooklyn, and uses the living room of his small refurbished walk-up brownstone for his office visits. He has brought his books and his patient files with him to his new apartment. He has been served with a malpractice lawsuit  and is completely preoccupied with the consequences and all that might entail. His patients include: Mia a successful malpractice attorney and former patient of Paul’s from 20 years ago, who blames him for her present status – she’s an unmarried, childless, workaholic, who makes poor choices in men. April is  an architecture student diagnosed with lymphoma which she has been keeping shamefully secret.  Oliver, the 12-year-old son of Bess and Luke, a divorcing couple, who blames himself for the family chaos. Walter a self-confident CEO with a history of panic attacks, who finds his life is becoming overwhelming. Dianne Wiest again plays Gina, Paul’s own therapist and mentor who diligently guides Paul away from a mid-life crisis down the road to personal satisfaction and validation.

Pedro Almodovar

Spanish Director, Pedro Almodovar

Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (born 1951) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humor, strong colors, glossy décor and LGBT themes. Desire, passion, family and identity are among Almodóvar’s most prevalent themes. His films enjoy a worldwide following and he has become a major figure on the stage of world cinema. He founded Spanish film production company El Deseo S.A. with his younger brother Agustín Almodóvarwho has produced almost all of Pedro’s films. 

Almodovar Films Available at Flying Petito Sisters Video:

                                         Matador (1986)
Matador is a dark, complex story that centers on the relationship between a former bullfighter and a murderous female lawyer, both of whom can only experience sexual fulfillment in conjunction with killing. The film offered up desire as a bridge between sexual attraction and death. 

The Law of Desire (La Ley del Deseo) (1987)
Almodóvar solidified his creative independence when he started the production company El Deseo, together with his brother Agustín Almodóvar, who has also had several cameo roles in his films. From 1986 on, Pedro Almodóvar has produced his own films. The first movie that came out from El Deseo was the aptly named Law of Desire (La Ley del Deseo). The narrative follows three main characters: a gay film director who embarks on a new project; his sister, an actress who used to be his brother (played by Carmen Maura), and a repressed murderously obsessive stalker (played by Antonio Banderas). The film presents a gay love triangle and drew away from most representations of homosexuals in films. These characters are neither coming out nor confront sexual guilt or homophobia; they are already liberated, like the homosexuals in Fassbinder’s films. Almodóvar said about Law of Desire :  It’s the key film in my life and career. It deals with my vision of desire, something that’s both very hard and very human. By this I mean the absolute necessity of being desired and the fact that in the interplay of desires it’s rare that two desires meet and correspond”. 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) (1988)
Almodóvar’s next film was his first huge international success, a feminist light comedy that further established Almodóvar as a “women’s director” like George Cukor and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Almodóvar has said that women make better characters: “women are more spectacular as dramatic subjects, they have a greater range of registers, etc.” The film, staged as a faux adaptation of a theatrical work, details a two-day period in the life of Pepa, (Carmen Maura) a professional movie dubber who has been abruptly abandoned by her married lover and who frantically tries to track him down. In the course of her search she discovers some of his secrets, and realizes her true feelings. Inspired by Hollywood comedies of the 1950s, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown became the stepping stone for Pedro Almodóvar’s later work. This light comedy of rapid-fire dialogue and fast-paced action remains one of Almodóvar’s most accessible films (with no drugs or sex, although there is a sequence in which a sleeping woman dreams that she is being seduced, and we see only her reactions). The film received public and critical acclaim worldwide, and brought Almodóvar to the attention of American audiences. Women was showered with many awards, and received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film. 

The Flower of My Secret (La flor de mi secreto) (1995)
Almodóvar changed gears with his next effort, 1995′s The Flower of My Secret (La flor de mi secreto). It is an exploration of denial in its various forms, a film in which melodrama is treated more as theme rather than as plot line. The Flower of My Secret is the story of Leo Macias, a successful romance writer who has to confront both a professional and personal crisis. Estranged from her husband, a military officer who has volunteered for an international peacekeeping role in Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid her, Leo fights to hold on to a past that has already eluded her, not realizing she has already set her future path by her own creativity and by supporting the creative efforts of others. Starring Almodóvar regular Marisa Paredes, this psychological drama was hailed as his most mature film to date, and remains one of the director’s humblest films. Leaving Almodóvar’s usual choral exercises aside, the story centered on the love-torn writer. The Flower of My Secret has many common elements with All About My Mother and Talk to Her. The three films are about “loss, growth and recovery”. 

Live Flesh (Carne trémula) (1997)
Almodóvar has written all of his films, but with Live Flesh (Carne trémula) the director shared script writing credits. This was his first—and so far only—script adapted from a book, Ruth Rendell’s novel Live Flesh. All that remains in the film from the book is the plot line of the two male protagonists: David, a police detective, and Víctor, the man accused of wounding and paralyzing him. Upon his release, Víctor, looking for revenge, is soon entangled in the lives not only of David and his wife, but also of David’s former partner, Sancho, and Sancho’s wife. Live Flesh explores love, loss, and suffering with a sober restraint only briefly glimpsed in the director’s earlier work. The film tells the story of several characters implicated in each other’s fates in ways that are beyond their control. Live Flesh is historically framed from 1970, when Franco declared a state of emergency, to 1996, when Spain had completely shaken off the restrictions of the Franco regime. With this film Almodóvar started his collaboration with Penélope Cruz. 

All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) (1999)
Almodóvar then continued to work in more serious dramatic confines, directing All About My Mother. The film grew out of a brief scene in The Flower of My Secret, telling the story of a mourning mother who, after reading the last entry in her dead son’s journal about how he wishes to meet his father for the first time, decides to travel to Barcelona in search of the boy’s father. She must tell the father that she had their son after she left him many years ago, and that he has now died. Once there, she encounters a number of odd characters – a transvestite prostitute, a pregnant nun, and a lesbian actress – all of whom help her cope with her grief. The film revisited Almodóvar’s familiar themes of the power of sisterhood and of family. Dedicated to Bette Davis, Romy Schneider and Gena Rowlands, All About My Mother is steeped in theatricality,from its backstage setting to its plot, modeled on the works of Federico Garcia Lorca and Tennessee Williams, to the characters’ preoccupation with modes of performance. All About My Mother received more awards and honors than any other film in the Spanish motion picture industry. Its recognition includes an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, a Golden Globe in the same category, Best Director Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Award at Cannes; the French Cesar for Best Foreign Film, the Goya Award as best film of the year, best Actress in a Leading Role for Argentine actress Cecilia Roth and a twelfth Annual European Film Award. 

Talk to Her (Hable con ella) (2002)
Two years later, Almodóvar hit another career high with Talk to Her (Hable con ella). The film revolves around two men who become friends while taking care of the comatose women they love. Their lives flow in all directions, past, present and future, pulling them towards an unsuspected destiny. Combining elements of modern dance and silent filmmaking with a narrative that embraces coincidence and fate, Almodóvar plots the lives of his characters, thrown together by unimaginably bad luck, towards an unexpected conclusion. The film was hailed by critics and embraced by arthouse audiences. Almodóvar won numerous honors across the world for his film, including a French César for Best Film and an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 

Bad Education (La mala educación) (2004)
Almodóvar followed two worldwide cinematic successes with Bad Education, a richly baroque tale of child sexual abuse and mixed identities. Two children, Ignacio and Enrique, discover love, cinema and fear in a religious school at the start of the 1960s. Father Manolo, the school principal and their literature teacher, is witness to and part of these discoveries. The three characters meet twice again, at the end of the 1970s and in the 1980s, or so it seems. Almodóvar used elements of film noir, borrowing in particular from Double Indemnity. The film’s protagonist, Juan, was modeled largely on Patricia Highsmith’s most famous character, Tom Ripley, as played by Alain Delon in René Clément’s Purple Noon. A criminal without scruples, but with an adorable face that betrays nothing of his true nature. Almodóvar explains : “He also represents a classic film noir character – the femme fatale. Which means that when other characters come into contact with him, he embodies fate, in the most tragic and noir sense of the word.” 

Volver (2006)
Almodóvar’s 16th film, Volver (Return), is set in part in La Mancha (the director’s native region). The film opens showing dozens of women furiously scrubbing the graves of their deceased, establishing the influence of the dead over the living as a key theme. The plot follows the story of three generations of women in the same family who survive wind, fire, and even death. The film is an ode to female resilience, where men are literally disposable. Many of Almodóvar’s stylistic hallmarks are present: the stand-alone song (a redemption of the Argentinian tango song “Volver”), references to reality TV, and an homage to classic film (in this case Luchino Visconti’s Bellissima). Volver started as a story of la España negra, or ‘black Spain’–the rural, superstitious and conservative part of the country still often associated, the director says, with violence, tragedy, even backwardness: “It looks like they are living a century before. But I tried to demonstrate that the same Spain, in the same local places with the same local characters, could be called ‘white Spain’, because the neighbors are in complete solidarity, all the women join together and create a kind of family. The movie really talks about women who survive, women who fight fiercely.[27]

Brent

Some additional Staff Picks for your consideration…

Hamlet 2

Directed by Andrew Fleming
Rated R
Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener,
One high school drama teacher is about to make a huge number 2. When his school?s theater department is threatened to be cut, failed-actor-turned high- school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz writes a play that he hopes will solve everything: a sequel to Shakespeare?s Hamlet. Now, staging one of the most politically incorrect musical-theater extravaganzas ever seen, Dana and his class will put it all on the line for one controversial, conflicted night of hilarity!
Release Date:   12/23/2008         Comedy

 Bonnie’s Pick 

The Rainmaker

Rated PG-13
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Mickey Rourke, Mary Kay Place, Jon Voight

If you need another reason to believe America’s medical insurance system is broken watch this entertaining drama both scripted and directed by Francis Ford Coppola – adapted from the John Grisham novel. Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) is a broke, inexperienced Memphis law-school graduate, ready to take any job he can find. Signing on with slimy Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), he learns ambulance-chasing tactics from Bruiser’s leg man Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) and meets battered teen Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), abused by her husband. Baylor has his own clients — friendly Miss Birdie, who has a large estate to dispose of, and desperate Dot Black (Mary Kay Place), whose son Donnie Ray has terminal leukemia. Medical intervention could have spared his life, but the Great Benefit Insurance Company denied coverage, preventing Donnie Ray from getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Rudy finds a place to live in the apartment behind Miss Birdie’s house. Deck and Rudy split from Bruiser to start their small firm. When they take on the Blacks’ case, they go up against the insurance company’s high-priced law firm and are continually thwarted by slick lawyer Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight). Filmed on location in Memphis.

Motorcycle Diaries
Directed by Walter Salles, Jr.
Rated R
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna
This is the true-life story of a 23-year-old medical student from Argentina who traveled throughout South America with his best friend on a motorcycle. Eventually he would come to be known as the legendary revolutionary Che Guevara.
Release Date:   02/15/2005         Foreign/English-Foreign

Chevolution

In 1960, Cuban photographer Alberto “Korda” Diaz snapped a photo of Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Eight

years later, the image exploded throughout Europe and Latin America, where it became a symbol of

protest and dissent. Today, the photograph remains one of the most dominant icons of the twentieth

century. CHEVOLUTION is a film about a single photograph, and how this portrait with its enigmatic

gaze became a symbol of countless visions of change.

Temple Grandin and Claire Dane's

Temple Grandin
By Marc Hauser  

What do neurologists, cattle and McDonald’s have in common? They all owe a great deal to one woman, a renowned animal scientist born with autism, Temple Grandin. Though she didn’t utter a word until close to her fourth birthday, substituting screams for phonemes, she splashed onto the stage of public awareness in 1995, thanks to the vivid, sensitive writing of the famed neurologist Oliver Sacks. Little was known about autism at the time except that people so afflicted appeared socially isolated, emotionally fragile and difficult to engage. But as with many psychological disorders, autism is a spectrum, and Temple, 62, is on one edge. Living on this edge has allowed her to be an extraordinary source of inspiration for autistic children, their parents — and all people. She is also a source of hope for another mammal: the cow. Using her unique window into the minds of animals, she has developed corrals for cattle that improve their quality of life by reducing stress. And though the fast-food industry continues to use cattle in its patties, it has come to appreciate the ethics and compassion of a Grandin burger.
Hauser is a professor of psychology and evolutionary biology at Harvard University  

More about Temple Grandin…

Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism in 1950 at the age of 2 and went on to earn multiple advanced degrees, including a doctorate in animal science from the University of Illinois. She is considered one of the top advocates of both autism-spectrum understanding and animal welfare, and might be best-known for her invention of more humane slaughterhouse practices, for which she has been recognized by PETA. The HBO movie “Temple Grandin” — for which Claire Danes prepared by listening to audiotapes of Grandin’s speaking engagements and by working with a choreographer to perfect Grandin’s mannerisms — tells the story of Grandin’s struggles during a time when autism was a mystery even to doctors.  

Grandin is the author of several books and papers about autism and animal welfare, and has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, and an amazing mini-documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris. She was also the subject of a three-hour interview on C-SPAN in November 2009 titled “In Depth With Temple Grandin.”  

In addition to her work as an advocate for autism, Grandin is a professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and is a consultant to the livestock industry. She maintains a website detailing her many projects at Templegrandin.com.

If you like Mad Men you might want to check out the movies below…

Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The show is broadcast on the American cable network AMC and is produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007 and completed its third season on November 8, 2009. Season 4 premiered on July 25, 2010.

Mad Men is set in the 1960s, initially at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later at the newly created firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The show centers on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director at Sterling Cooper and a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as in his life, both in and out of the office. As such, it regularly depicts the changing mores of 1960s America.

Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style, and has won multiple awards, including nine Emmys and four Golden Globes. It is the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning an unprecedented three times in a row.

Far From Heaven

If you like Mad Men you might like “Far From Heaven” the 2002 film nominated for 4 Academy Awards

Maverick director Todd Haynes embraces the look and feel of classic Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s in this period drama. Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) and her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), are a seemingly perfect couple; living in a handsome suburban neighborhood in Hartford, CT, in 1957, Cathy and Frank have a beautiful home and two happy, healthy children, while Frank pursues a successful career in sales and Cathy cares for the home. But Cathy has begun to sense something isn’t quite right in her marriage, as Frank begins working late, spending less time with her, and seems cold and distant. One day, Cathy visits Frank’s work and discovers something she never expected — her husband is kissing a man. At Cathy’s urging, Frank undergoes psychotherapy, but as she tries to keep up a brave face, the emotional trauma takes a great toll on her, and she finds there are very few people she can talk with. Cathy strikes up a friendship with Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), an African-American gardener who works for the Whitakers, and as she discovers how intelligent and compassionate Raymond is, she finds herself drawn to him. However, Hartford is in many ways still a small town, and when Mona (Celia Weston) sees Cathy and Raymond alone together, it sets off a wave of vicious gossip that threatens to make the Whitakers’ many secrets public knowledge. Far from Heaven premiered at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, where Julianne Moore‘s performance won the prize for Best Actress and she also won an Academy Award nomination for this performance.

The Apartment

You might also like “The Apartment” – Best Picture Academy Award winner from 1960

Widely regarded as a comedy in 1960, The Apartment seems more melancholy with each passing year. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a go-getting office worker who loans his tiny apartment to his philandering superiors for their romantic trysts. He runs into trouble when he finds himself sharing a girlfriend (Shirley MacLaine) with his callous boss (Fred MacMurray). Director/co-writer Billy Wilder claimed that the idea for The Apartment stemmed from a short scene in the 1945 romantic drama Brief Encounter in which the illicit lovers (Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson) arrange a rendezvous in a third person’s apartment. Wilder was intrigued about what sort of person would willingly vacate his residence to allow virtual strangers a playing field for hanky panky. His answer to that question wound up winning 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The Apartment was adapted by Neil Simon and Burt Bacharach into the 1969 Broadway musical Promises, Promises

Abe Schwartz

Missing Video Stores

By Abe Schwartz (indie filmmaker. copywriter. marketer. LA resident.)

FROM THE HUFFINGTON POST

Posted: August 11, 2010 03:15 PM

I don’t consider myself “old school”, though if given the opportunity to play Donkey Kong Country on Super NES, I’d be more excited to do that than play just about whatever on XBOX 360. I miss the MTV from the early 90′s that played The State and Beavis & Butthead, though I’m excited the latter’s making a return. I miss the prevalence of PEZ at convenience stores and supermarkets, and I’ve been coming to grips with the undeniable fact that video stores are on their collective death bed.
I miss driving (or walking) to local video stores. I miss seeing which new releases are up on the shelves, inspecting the various cases, and reading the descriptions on the back. I miss talking to the employees who seem cool and seeing what they recommend, as well as other people browsing the store. I miss waiting in (usually short) lines and seeing what other people are renting or returning at the time. I miss the mediocre, overpriced popcorn, candy, and sodas lining the shelves near the registers. I miss the display advertising. I even miss the race to return movies before being penalized with a late fee.

When I was younger, it was a weekend tradition to go to West Coast Video and rent movies. I’d always go with my Dad, often with my sister, Mom, and usually one of our friends would tag along, too. It was a great escape from the monotony of the school week, and I loved the selection and excitement of knowing I’d be seeing something new. When on my own, I’d usually rent whichever new release comedies looked best. If I was with friends, I could easily be swayed to action, horror, or just about anything that wasn’t an old musical. As I grew older, my palette expanded, and nothing was off limits, though I’d usually gravitate towards comedies, dramas, and documentaries. (Still the case.)

I love watching movies, and doing so has contributed to a large part of who I am today — a pop culture obsessed copywriter/filmmaker. I’ve tried NetFlix and Blockbuster Online, though when I want to watch something, I want to watch it right away — not wait several days for the DVD to arrive. NetFlix Watch Instantly seems to be the model for the future, but it’s not fully evolved yet. Same goes for the still-limited selection of cable and satellite TV’s on-demand services.

We’re not living in a fully on-demand culture until I can turn on my TV or portable device, type in Big, and after wading through Big Love and Big Fish, I see a young Tom Hanks singing “Shimmy, shimmy, cocoa pop.” I truly miss the immediate access and selection offered at video stores. As far as the social interaction element goes, you really can talk to people about movies just about anywhere — both in person and online. And for finding out what’s what about any movie, Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb are amazing resources that weren’t readily available to us when video stores were in their heyday.

Feeling I wasn’t the only one waxing nostalgic about video stores, (and that I could use some help to round out this article), I threw the question out to some friends on Facebook and Twitter – “What do you miss most about video stores?”:

“I miss the experience of browsing the aisles and rediscovering old movies that I haven’t seen in years.” – Sara K.
“It’s different when you are physically there surrounded by all the DVDs/films and when you browse virtually over Netflix or something. It’s like seeing your friend personally vs. chatting with him/her over Facebook chat.” – Jimmy S.
“The ‘be kind, please rewind’ stickers. People really made an effort to rewind for the next person. I don’t think I ever got a tape that wasn’t rewound.” – Chris B.
“I miss preparing for a snow storm or bad weather by going to the video store and stocking up. It was another essential, like bottled water and milk.” – Sophie S.
“The unspoken relationship forged between yourself and the unseen staff member with great taste. If you couldn’t find anything, there was always that one guy’s top picks that pulled out a winner.” – Stephen L.
“The excitement of walking into blockbuster (no joke). That feeling of unlimited possibility, that you were going to find a gem on the shelves. The smell of the VHS tape…I think I’m getting ahead of myself. I guess what I’m saying is THE RITUAL. Part of their slogan was really true, that you’re guaranteed to “go home happy.” – Aviva K.
“Theaters were much harder to get into movies that we weren’t allowed to see. However, at the local Blockbuster, I could walk down there at 13 and rent Chasing Amy, Boogie Nights and Flesh Gordon Meets The Cosmic Cheerleaders without question.” – Spencer S.
“I miss the extremely knowledgeable film-buff staff at independent video stores, like TLA Video in Bryn Mawr, PA. You go in and describe a dimly remembered scene you saw ten years ago, like people trying to talk over a jet engine, and immediately they know it’s Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, have it in 3 formats, and recommend Kusturica if you also like Buñuel.” – Evan D.
“I miss browsing… and hearing great recommendations from clerks who were even bigger film geeks than I. That was a little different than the computerized ‘You will like’ at Netflix.” – Tom P.
“I miss the social aspect of video stores when picking out a title. The banter, negotiation, and ultimately the compromise.” – Nathan E.
“I miss VHS tapes. You didnt have to hold them like precious diamonds. Vintage is always better.” – Anquisha H.
“The shady adult section.” – Chris C.
How about you? What do you miss? Or have you moved on entirely to a digital movie browsing experience? Feel free to leave comments.

Follow Abe Schwartz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AbeSchwartz