Video Shops

Skerries

with the closure of Lazer on South Georges St. it saddens me a little as I used to love to go to video shops/libraries years ago and cogitate and deliberate about what film I was going to rent out. It was also a great place to hang around on a Sunday when I was supposed to have been at mass

So are there any left in your locality or has it gone the way of the TV repair shop a thing of the past?

cloud493

I don't think I've ever seen one in Dublin besides xtravision, and now the closest thing to that I have locally is a vending machine :P

In the little bit of Mersyside I'm from though, I was back there a few weeks ago, and the goddamn video shop is still open. Crazy so it was, its like, half modern (ish) with DVD's and blu rays and what not, and a new snacks counter, and the other half is exactly the same as it was when I was a kid, dusty VHS's and old PS2/gamecube games.

Faith+1

Lazer's gone? That place easily had the best selection of Irish and World Dvd's.

Skerries

yeah closed yesterday or today
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/10/30/laser-removal/

e_e

Nah it's iTunes rentals and going to the local library to pick up a batch of DVDs for me now.

vidor

Faith+1 wrote: »

Lazer's gone? That place easily had the best selection of Irish and World Dvd's.

No surprise really, and tbh it probably did well to last this long. I used to pick up a few dvds from time to time but have pretty much stopped doing that now. Same goes for blu-ray's. There's other easier means of watching what you want to watch (e.g. Netflix).

dquinnan

Tower had a decent selection of films compared to Xtravision, HMV etc, but were slightly more expensive. Never a huge fan of Lazer, always found the shop really cramped. Still sad to see it go though, to be replaced by another soulless high street chain no doubt.

OldeCinemaSoz

Bumpy bumpy thread for the video shops. Where would WE be without these?

Back in the early '80s I was A MEMBER of 5 of these at once. ONE for only a short time for the pristine copies of big box Warners GOLDFINGER and THE EXORCIST.

Halcyon Days.

ktulu123

My family used to be in the video rental business back in the day. We finished up in 2006. Used to love going in to work with my dad when I was a kid & looking at all the films & coming home with a bunch to watch. We used to get preview copies of films too which was always exciting.

Worked there & ran the business in the last few years & even then we knew the video rental business was gone. It's a pity because everyone used to love heading down & picking out a film & getting popcorn etc.

In fairness it is much easier just typing the name of a film I want to watch into XBMC or Netflix now :P

Faith+1

ktulu123 wrote: »

In fairness it is much easier just typing the name of a film I want to watch into XBMC or Netflix now :P

Very true and in alot of cases torrents. For example you could start a download and by the time you've gone for a slash it's downloaded! How could video shops compete?

branie2

I use it to buy films

Skerries

Faith+1 wrote: »

Very true and in alot of cases torrents. For example you could start a download and by the time you've gone for a slash it's downloaded! How could video shops compete?

even quicker just get popcorn time

Bipolar Joe

I like watching extras and listening to the commentaries, besides it just being nice having a physical copy. Where I'm living now, the only place to buy DVDs new is Xtra Vision, and they're pretty dear and don't have a great selection. There's a couple of second hand DVD places, and once in a while I'll find something decent in a charity shop.

I loved going to the video store. I miss it a lot .

Eileen Down

I once walked the four kilometres distance to join a videos club just because they had a copy of Zombie Flesh Eaters. I rented it for the night and made my home. The next day I repeated the journey again to return it.
I was 15 at the time and most likely high on Wham bars.

Virtanen

I only started renting from Xtra Vision again last month, for the first time in about 10 years, because they had a decent offer in a newspaper. Honestly I can't see myself renting from them again, unless they get a new release that I really want to see. I've rented 20 movies in the last month and they've already run out of movies I'm interested in

We only use it as a go-to place for Christmas presents now, being the only DVD shop nearby

losthorizon

branie2 wrote: »

I use it to buy films

I still do

SimonTemplar

I can understand why people got their new releases from online sources but Lazer's selection of obscure / independent / foreign movies was incredible. The amount of shelf space dedicated to foreign cinema was very impressive. It will be missed.

Agricola

Two privately run shops closed in my local town years ago. All is left now is Xtravision. Used to use that frequently but since broadband finally reached my little mountain shack and postal rental is now a thing, I havent been in there in 3/4 years. Pity really, there is something nice about browsing for film. Also handy for pre-ordering stuff. I remember buying my PS3 from them in 2007.

ktulu123

Agricola wrote: »

Also handy for pre-ordering stuff. I remember buying my PS3 from them in 2007.

That's the thing I miss most, being able to get stuff early through the suppliers When the Playstation was first coming out I remember coming home from school hounding my dad wondering if he got it yet. One day it was finally there, was the best day ever haha.

corcaigh07

Hell, even the vending machines are closing down, Xtra-Vision decommissioned the one in SPAR Barrow Street. It was busy enough at weekends, surprising it happened.

vidor

SimonTemplar wrote: »

I can understand why people got their new releases from online sources but Lazer's selection of obscure / independent / foreign movies was incredible. The amount of shelf space dedicated to foreign cinema was very impressive. It will be missed.

But Amazon's selection is even better and a whole lot cheaper so there was no way they were winning that battle.

Liam McPoyle

Manys an afternoon was spent in the horror section of my local video shops, eyeballing the lurid video covers that my parents would never let me rent. The demise of the independent video shops seemed to coincide with the the demise of amazing looking VHS covers.

MadDog76

Jesus that "From Beyond" cover has just brought me right back!!!
I must have watched that movie like 5/6 times one day .......... I had somehow managed to convince the old lad in the local video shop that my dad had sent me over to rent it for him ......... watched it all day long on repeat because I knew I wasn't allowed to ......... love to watch it again for ole times sake!!

Liam McPoyle

MadDog76 wrote: »

Jesus that "From Beyond" cover has just brought me right back!!!
I must have watched that movie like 5/6 times one day .......... I had somehow managed to convince the old lad in the local video shop that my dad had sent me over to rent it for him ......... watched it all day long on repeat because I knew I wasn't allowed to ......... love to watch it again for ole times sake!!

It was re-released uncut a couple of years ago. Its actually very good, some of the computer effects are quite dated (think Tron) but the practical effects and story are top notch. After Re-Animator its my favourite Stuart Gordon flick.

MadDog76

Business Cat wrote: »

It was re-released uncut a couple of years ago. Its actually very good, some of the computer effects are quite dated (think Tron) but the practical effects and story are top notch. After Re-Animator its my favourite Stuart Gordon flick.

Thanks ......... I just found it on-line, think I'll order it and maybe watch it with my Dad ....... my way of confessing!!

OldeCinemaSoz

The video shop back in '83 in Ranelagh used to be fronted by a Sunday World front page bird by
the name of Kerry Graham, IIRC. A whingey c...

Anyways it used to provide the goodies Global TV and Video across the road didn't.