Back in January I wrote about my joy in seeing Blockbuster Video's once-stranglehold on the video rental market finally eroding so significantly that their corporate structure was in jeopardy. Since then, I still find Blockbusters in one area or another, but they are mostly gone throughout my home state. Unfortunately, the failure of Blockbuster has led to another popular video chain losing it's foothold in the market, and this one is a shame because it was different.
The chain in question would be Movie Gallery as well as it's sister chain, Hollywood Video. The two chains weren't always related, but Hollywood Video found themselves purchased by Movie Gallery's parent company a few years ago and a great majority of their stores shut down. No great loss in regards to Hollywood Video, a chain of stores practically identical to Blockbuster with their large archive of popular movies and video games, but Movie Gallery is a different story. Their selection was never amazing, focusing primarily on newer video and game releases, but they did have one thing most major video rental chains would never dare to carry: PORN!
Unlike Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, most Movie Gallery's had a back room with porn videos for rental and purchase as well as current adult magazines. This never seemed to hurt their reputation, especially as in recent years I saw them expanding throughout my home state.
Now, it's not as though I view a lot of adult material, although I'm sure you're doubting that statement as you read this, but I do believe it's important that consenting individuals should be able to access the content they want to without the prudes of the nation deciding what they should be looking at. I suppose the availability of online pornography and mail-order rental ala Netflix (whom don't rent porn to the best of my knowledge, although several of their contemporaries do) make the accessibility of adult content at regular video rental shops far less necessary than it previously was, but it's still a shame as many consumers don't like to wait for their content, especially something as personal as adult content. On top of that, I'm sure those who frequent adult websites will agree that watching someone "schtuping" someone else on your computer screen isn't the preferred method of observing such details. Yes, one can convert those videos they've downloaded into a DVD or such format, but there goes the immediate element again.
With all of this said, I bid a sad farewell to Movie Gallery for the foreseeable future, although it wasn't the only show in town. Family Video is still around, a chain whose name I always thought was funny since it also rents adult videos, but hey, adults are part of the family too, right? And not all the Mom and Pop shops have shut down, although I'm certain they will never make a comeback to their status in the eighties.
As for those expecting music in today's post, this is something I saw on Pitchfork yesterday that I thought was worth posting here. If you're not familiar with No Age, they're a kind-of noise punk duo that use samples occasionally in their performances. I really like them and their records, and if you're not familiar with them I suggest you check out their excellent album Nouns which is available on Amazon, iTunes and in many retail stores as they are on Sub Pop Records which is part owned by Warner Brothers.
That said, No Age recently contributed the score to a short independent film, Aanteni, and now they've made a live recording of their performance available to download for free from their website. That recording is nice but it isn't the clearest way to hear the score, so keeping with the theme of so-called adult content, the film, which is often labeled NSFW (not suitable for work, just in case you're not familiar with the acronym), although this is due to some female nudity which, if I remember correctly, isn't terribly clear to begin with, is available for online viewing. There was nothing sexual I remember about the film so if you're not into that sort of thing but would like to check it out I'm certain your sensibilities won't be offended. Links to the specific sites are below. Enjoy!
No Age's website, with the score for download
Aanteni, at NOWNESS, for your viewing pleasure
If I may say, you should really check Aanteni out, especially if you like abstract film-making or have a soft spot for Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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