A Gourmet Guide to Video Stores
When you’re in the mood to rent a current box-office hit such as “Back to the Future” or “Top Gun,” any corner video store can oblige. But neighborhood rental stores often don’t stock more esoteric titles. What to do when you’re craving “Aguirre: The Wrath of God” or the film noir classic “Detour”? A few specialized video shops stock hard-to-find films, from the rare to the bizarre. If you’ve been stymied trying to find a particular video, these stores may be worth a drive across town.
VIDIOTS
Vidiots specializes in avant-garde videos, including performance art and documentaries by Les Blank, Mark Pauline and Kenneth Anger. The store responds to patron requests--the harder to find, the better. It also stocks a healthy assortment of family tapes and cult films. Besides renting tapes, Vidiots often sponsors in-store parties and appearances by film makers who are outside the Hollywood mainstream. Vidiots. 302 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (213) 392-8508. Open Sunday, Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight.
ROCKET VIDEO
Classics and foreign films line the walls of Rocket Video, where customers consistently request the work of Luis Bunuel, Jean-Luc Godard, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Francois Truffaut. Whenever possible, the shop buys subtitled foreign tapes (rather than ones with dubbed dialogue), and keeps a good stock of videocassettes that are as yet unreleased in the United States. For instance, fans of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a film still unavailable on videocassette in America, can rent a copy that the store has imported from Japan. Rocket Video. 7422 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. (213) 658-7625. Open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
VIDEO WEST
Videos, like books, can go out of print. Video West offers many out-of-print videos such as “Tom Jones” and “Blood and Sand.” The store has sections containing all the available films of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Bette Davis, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe and Katharine Hepburn. Video West offers a large section of classic TV shows on video, from “I Love Lucy” and “Your Show of Shows” to “The Outer Limits” and “Upstairs, Downstairs.” Video West. 805 Larrabee Ave., West Hollywood. (213) 659-5762. Open daily, 11 a.m.-midnight.
VIDEOACTIVE
Videoactive has divided its tapes into several genres, including “Disaster Films,” “Teen Dilemmas,” and “Nuclear Nightmares.” In addition, many movies are grouped by director, making the store a source for Hitchcock, Kubrick or Woody Allen fans. Five in-store monitors broadcast the latest releases for you to sample, and a sophisticated computer system cross-references all titles. Videoactive also has a large stock of obscure foreign and cult films. Videoactive. 2522 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake. (213) 669-8544. Open Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, 9 a.m.-midnight.
VIDEOTHEQUE
The Videotheque stores display both quality and quantity. There are plenty of silent films--usually difficult to find on video--along with a diverse collection of culture. Instead of the usual rock music selections, you’ll find opera, ballet, classical concerts--even taped tours of the great museums of the world. Videotheque stocks multiple copies of many titles, thus reducing renters’ frustration. Best of all for Beta-format VCR owners, all Videotheque titles are available in VHS and Beta. Videotheque. 330 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 858-7600; 1035 Gayley Drive, Westwood. (213) 824-9922; 8800 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. (213) 657-8800. Open Sunday, noon-8 p.m.; Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
VIDEO FRANCE
French films rule the roost at Video France, where 80% of the rental stock consists of imported films otherwise unavailable on cassette in the United States. Other than a few Italian interlopers, the entire stock consists of French films, some of them subtitled. Beyond its wide selection of French classics, the shop also offers some interesting surprises, such as several Disney films dubbed into French. Video France. 2345 Westwood Blvd., Westwood. (213) 474-8078. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.