Yes, we do sell porn,” Video Adventure employee Justin Rainier laughed, as if there’s something funny about an 18-year-old male in search of “Nice Rack #10,” “but we’re encouraging the manager to find some softer stuff.”
Welcome to Evanston’s anti-Blockbuster. Located on either side of the city — one a few blocks West of Ryan Field, the other about one block from the South Blvd. Purple Line stop — Video Adventure is the perfect choice for those in search of alternative cinema.
Unfortunately, it’s not all for mature audiences.
Beyond the heavily stocked walls of the adult-themed restricted room, the local outlet immediately differentiates itself from a typical rental facility. Rather than splitting its selections into three or four main categories, Video Adventure opts for a more exact approach, incorporating genres like the recently introduced “Christopher Reeve,” the always-popular “Star Wars” and in the near future the classic “Rodney Dangerfield,” alongside staples like “Comedy,” “Drama,” “Horror” and “New Releases.”
Such unique groupings, however, only hint at the venue’s incredible cinematic variety. Complete with current critical favorites — the “Kill Bill” series, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Supersize Me” — and classic cult hits — “Pulp Fiction,” “Donnie Darko,” “The Graduate” and “Reservoir Dogs” — Video Adventure clearly values quality over marketability.
And it appears these same values are shared by Video Adventure’s employees, all of whom — get this — have an actual interest in movies. Along with his colleagues, Rainier, a Northwestern film graduate, loves to converse with customers — and PLAY reporters — about his favorite movies, giving his workplace an aura of genuine congeniality.
“It’s awesome that the Video Adventure guys really know what they’re talking about,” said Evanston resident and amateur filmmaker, Marty Schousboe. “They all seem to be having fun, and most of them have pretty good taste too.”
Adding to this cineast-friendly ambiance are the staff recommendations, an assortment of titles selected exclusively by Video Adventure’s employees, both past and present. Usually Rainier chooses from personal preference but, on occasion, he opts to revel in the absurd.
“One time,” Rainier recalled, “I picked a movie called ’12:01 PM.’ It was sort of like a cross between ‘Groundhog Day’ and ‘The Butterfly Effect.'”
Of course, while ’12:01′-esque features enhance the venue’s “indie cred,” in order to appeal to a broad audience (read: stay in business), mainstream Hollywood isn’t banned altogether. Though the store prides itself on offering “extensive foreign and cultural” films, for every “Aguirre: The Wrath of God” (a German flick by filmmaker Werner Herzog), there’s a “Soul Plane,” “Taking Lives” or “Ella Enchanted.”
Regardless of their country of origin, used DVD purchases are set at an amazingly cheap $7.50, and rentals cost a so-so $3.50 (or $2 on Wednesday) for two or three nights, depending on release date. Sadly, patrons are forced to spend an extra 50 cents for a one-night stint with “Analgeddon” or “Stiff Salute.” But fixed prices don’t stop employees from arranging special deals. Some less favored titles are rushed out of the store with inventive marketing strategies.
“If anyone wants to buy ‘Alex and Emma,'” Rainier offered, motioning to a double-box DVD bundle with a single DVD price, “we taped two together.”4
Medill freshman Dan Macsai is a PLAY writer. He can be reached at [email protected].
