Suddenly, your roommate says, "Hey, want to watch a movie?"
This is the kiss of death, for once the seed is planted, there's no going back. Though the two conflicting actions wrestle in your head, your beanpole English teacher is no match for Brad Pitt or Cameron Diaz. Soon, you find yourself abandoning your
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| DANIEL O'DONNELL/Daily Ann Arbor residents "Bug" and "Spitty" groove at the independent Liberty Street Video. |
Since laziness is what inspired you to ditch your homework in the first place, where you live is most likely the main factor influencing your decision of where to rent your 120 minutes of essay-free entertainment. You're probably not going to take a 30 minute hike across campus just for a better selection unless you're really itching to see a particularly obscure film.
This excludes those lucky students with cars, of course. For those living in the northeast area of campus - the Hill and surrounding areas - you're screwed; you're going to have to walk a distance equivalent to the length of the marathon no matter where you want to go. After you've lived there a year or two, you've probably come to accept it. Or maybe you're still bitter. Either way, you're already aware of your unfortunate lot.
For everyone living closer to civilization, there are more options. Nestled between Dollar Bill Copying and Amer's at 611 Church St., Campus Video has more than 3,000 videos packed into a store the size of a Mary Markley Residence Hall room. Manager Sam Hyde said the store recently expanded its film collection, adding more titles to the cult and adult sections. "I answer to no one," he said. "We have an unrestricted selection, and we don't censor ourselves. We have obscure cult films, X-rated films and NC-17 films."
New releases cost $3, all others are $2, and a credit card is required in order to open up an account, though there is no charge for doing so.
The most interesting title of the bunch? "There's a porn here called 'Pump Friction,'" Hyde said. Might be worth checking out.
Moving across campus, the next option, Study Break Video, can be found in the basement of the Michigan Union. The store, which doubles as an arcade, feels cramped and always full of video game enthusiasts - with a few movies thrown in for good measure.
Employee Andrea Bell estimated the stash to equal about 200 videos. Though Study Break's selection may pale in comparison to other stores, it has its perks. A credit card is not required to rent a movie there. Students can leave their license or M-Card as collateral and retrieve it when they return the video. All movies are $3; for multiple rentals, the second video is $2 and the third is $1.
Bell concurred with Hyde's declaration that the best part about being independent was not having to answer to anyone else. Unfortunately, the most interesting titles Bell had to report were a string of Monty Python films.
Liberty Street Video, located on East Liberty Street in the northwest outskirts of campus, consists of two floors of well-organized and well-labeled videos. Sadly enough, there is no Chuck E. Cheese atmosphere here, but there is room to breathe, which is even better.
Owner Laura Abraham said the store boasts a selection of about 12,000 titles.
"Our emphasis is on international, cult videos, gay and lesbian videos - we're very diverse and have pretty much everything," said assistant manager and University alum Dan Castorena.
"I don't have to worry about anyone telling me what movies I can and can't buy," said Abraham. "We would never buy a cut version of any movie."
She also pointed out the negatives, such as not receiving the deals when purchasing videos - a treat from which chains stores benefit.
A credit card is not necessary to rent from Liberty, but a driver's license and another piece of identification are. Rentals are $2.88, with a 2-for-1 deal on Mondays and Wednesdays. There is also a wall of 96 cent movies, and they honor competitor's coupons. The most interesting title? "'Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend,' in the cult section," Castorena replied.
A small base of competition for these independent stores lies within the residence hall libraries. Here, videos can be rented for free without requiring students to change out of their pajamas and bunny slippers. All three stores expressed little concern at business lost to the dorm libraries, due to the very poor selection.
"We have a lot of stuff they don't have," Castorena said. "We don't feel particularly intimidated."
LSA junior Meghan Gonyo also stuck up for the little guys. "I'd much rather rent from an independent store, because the staff knows more about film, and it is a more quaint, personal environment."
It is doubtful that Blockbuster carries any copies of "Pump Friction," at any rate.
03-25-99
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