NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/bit/listserv/cinemal/9597

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From: [e-mail]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.cinema-l
Subject: Revised video source list
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Date: 26 Jan 93 18:19:00 GMT
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                H O M E   V I D E O   S O U R C E S
                          A Selected List
                                by
                           Jim Thompson
                University of California, Riverside
                      [e-mail]

                       Revised January, 1993

                           Introduction

             This is a selective list of mail- and phone-order
sources for home video purchase and rental.  It includes sources
for videotapes (mainly in VHS format) and laserdiscs.  All are to
NTSC standard.

             Most of the sources listed here take phone orders
charged to credit cards, and most have catalogs available.
Catalog information tends to go out of date rapidly, but is
generally more accurate than the information in video reference
books, e.g. VIDEO SOURCE BOOK.  This is because that and similar
reference books use information supplied by video publishers,
which is notoriously unreliable and often speculative, i.e. the
publishers announce titles, wait to see how many orders they get,
and cancel production if there isn't enough interest.  Announced
release dates are equally unreliable.


                       CRITICS' CHOICE VIDEO

Provides:    Sales of tapes and laserdiscs, search service.

Address:     P.O. Box 549, Elk Grove Village, IL  60009-0549
Phone:       [phone] for inquiries (9 am -
                5 pm, Central time)
TDD:         [phone], Monday - Friday, 7 am - 7 pm Central
                time
Fax:         [phone]
Searches:    [phone] ($1.95 first minute, then $.95/minute)

Coverage:    Excellent list of videos of all types except hard
             adult.  Limited selection of laserdiscs and 8mm.
             Will order films not stocked.  Call for free catalog
             (which says "$2.00" on the cover).

Orders:      Call 24 hours/day, or write or fax.  Shipping:
             $5.50/order.  FedEx shipping options:  2-day air, $5
             extra (HI, AK:  $15); overnight, $8, if you call
             before 2 pm, Central time ("some exceptions apply").

Comments:    Outstanding general-purpose list, titles almost
             always in stock, fast handling.  The catalog is
             reissued every month or so, with both new and
             reduced-price titles flagged, which is handy.


                         FACETS MULTIMEDIA

Provides:    On-site and remote tape rentals and sales; sales of
             discs.

Address:     1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL  60614
Phone:       [phone] (ask for "Rental" or "Sales")
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Comprehensive VHS coverage (English or with English
             subtitles), except adult; and a large selection of
             laserdiscs.  Call for enormous catalog ($7.95,
             including shipping), which is supplemented every
             other month.

Orders:      Membership fee is $25/year, which includes two free
             rentals; after that rentals are $10 each, or a block
             of 12 can be purchased in advance for $100.  Rental
             fee includes postage to you, and return carton &
             label.  Rental period is very brief (see "due back"
             date on packing slip), but can be safely stretched a
             bit.  Shipping for purchases is $4 for the first
             tape, $1.25 for each added tape.  Tapes can be
             purchased by phone or mail; phone hours are 9 am - 8
             pm, Central time, Monday to Friday (until 9:30 pm for
             rentals).  You'll be given separate customer numbers
             for rentals and sales.

Comments:    Facets has a bad phone connection.  The staff knows
             the stock well.  Catalog info. on availability for
             purchase tends to be out of date.  Many titles must
             be special-ordered.  Some films are rental only.


                           FUSION VIDEO

Provides:    Sales of selected tapes.

Address:     17311 Fusion Way, Country Club Hills, IL  60478
Phone:       [phone]

Coverage:    Selected titles announced through thematic catalogs
             issued from time to time (e.g. British videos).  Call
             to get on their mailing list, ask for recent
             catalogs.

Orders:      Call 24 hours/day, or write.  Shipping varies with
             tape cost, from $3.95 (up to $30) to a maximum of
             $6.95 (over $100).

Comments:    Fusion sometimes has some hard-to-find items,
             including NTSC versions of British releases not
             listed by Movies Unlimited or Facets.



                            1/2" HEAVEN

Provides:    Rentals and sales of selected, generally older films
             and homemade compilations of many sorts; also free
             video search service for films not stocked.

Address:     4590 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA  90029
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    "Features, shorts, cartoons, musicals, westerns,
             comedies and other special stuff from the archives of
             Budget Films, the largest privately held film archive
             in the U.S.A."  Send a check for $3.50 for their
             fascinating catalog.

Orders:      Lifetime membership is $50, conferring improved
             rental terms and reduced purchase prices; fee is
             mostly refundable if you quit in good standing.  You
             can purchase tapes without joining.  One-week rentals
             are $10, $15, or $24 for 1, 2, or 4 tapes (4 at a
             time is limited to members); the first two tapes
             rented are free for members.  Postage to you is free
             for both rental and purchase.  Phone hours:  9 am -
             5:30 pm, Pacific time.

Comments:    Intriguing collection of mainly older films, both
             mainstream and bizarre, with a staff that knows and
             loves the stock.  Some films are rental only.


                        HOME FILM FESTIVAL

Provides:    Rentals and sales of tapes.

Address:     P.O. Box 2032, Scranton, PA  18501
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Feature films in VHS, concentrating on foreign and
             art titles.  Call for free info. packet with list of
             films; you must join to get the full catalog.  They
             will special-order tapes not listed.

Orders:      Hours:  8 am - 9 pm, Eastern time, Monday to Friday,
             noon to 6 pm Saturday.  Membership is $10/year, which
             gets you a catalog and a free rental.  Rentals are
             $5, $9, $13 for 1, 2, or 3 tapes shipped at the same
             time.  Rental period:  3 nights from receipt; added
             fee $1.50/tape/night if late.  Shipping is extra both
             ways, and varies according to your location.  Many of
             the films listed in the catalog are for sale, at a
             10% discount from normal retail prices.  They will
             order films not listed, at standard prices.

Comments:    An excellent selection of about 1,600 high-quality
             films, with a very useful catalog.


                       KEN CRANE'S LASERDISC

Provides:    On-site and remote sales of laserdiscs.

Address:     15251 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA  92683
Phone:       [phone]; CA: [phone] or (714) 892-
                2283
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Keeps most laserdiscs in stock, including movies,
             children's, adult, music, many imports.  Will take
             preorders for discs not yet released.  Call for free
             catalog.

Orders:      Will take phone orders with credit card.  Will keep
             customer info. on file, indexed by phone number; will
             also keep credit card number on file.  Usually gives
             10% discount; shipping (UPS ground) is free at
             present.  Extra charges for COD and expedited
             shipping.  Phone hours:  7 am - 9 pm, Pacific time,
             Monday to Friday; 10 - 6 Saturday; 12-5 Sunday.

Comments:    Excellent stock, very fast handling.  Not all of the
             people taking phone orders know the stock (or films
             in general) well, so you may need to spell out the
             titles, or call back.  If you live in the area, you
             can sometimes find videos in the store that the phone
             people don't know they have.


                             LASERLAND

Provides:    Sales of laserdiscs and CDs.

Address:     1685 S. Colorado Blvd., #L, Denver, CO  80222
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Claims for stock 5,000 titles of all types, including
             adult.  Call to get on mailing list for quarterly
             announcements.  Adult catalog is separate, and costs
             $4.

Orders:      By phone, 9 am - 6 pm Mountain time, Monday -Friday;
             or fax at any time.  10% discount on most laserdiscs,
             15% on CDs.  Free shipping (UPS ground); 2nd day air
             is available for $5 for the 1st disc, $1/disc
             thereafter.  $1.50 handling fee on each order.

Comments:    I have no experience with this source.


                           LOONIC VIDEO

Provides:    Sales of selected tapes.

Address:     2022 Taraval St., Suite 6427, San Francisco, CA
                94116
Phone:       [phone]

Coverage:    Modest-sized list of cult films and TV shows.  Send
             $1 for catalog.

Orders:      Hours:  9 am - 5 pm, Pacific time, Monday to Friday;
             but this is somewhat irregular -- the earlier you
             call after 9 am, the more likely you are to get
             through.  All films are $15.95; shipping is $3.25 for
             the first film, then $1/film.

Comments:    Some weird but good stuff.


                         MOVIES UNLIMITED

Provides:    On-site and remote mail and phone sales of tapes and
             laserdiscs.

Address:     6736 Castor Avenue, Philadelphia, PA  19149
Phone:       [phone] for orders; [phone] for inqui-
                ries (9 am - 5 pm, Eastern time)
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Comprehensive coverage of English and subtitled VHS,
             including "soft" adult, and a good selection of
             laserdiscs.  Lots of foreign.  Call for huge catalog
             ($7.95 + $3.00 shipping; $2.00 extra for laser
             catalog; supplements quarterly).

Orders:      Call 24 hours/day to order; give customer number
             (assigned at time of first order) and credit card
             info.  They have a bewildering variety of shipment
             and payment methods and charges; regular UPS is $4.00
             base charge + $.50/item to a $9.00 maximum total.

Comments:    Catalog generally accurate, service excellent.  Must
             special-order some titles.


                  [PUBLIC AND BRITISH TELEVISION]
In addition to the other sources listed here (of which Fusion
Video is the strongest for these programs), the following often
have PBS or BBC (or other British) films of various kinds, many of
which are not available from regular outlets; call for catalogs.

PACIFIC ARTS
11858 La Grange Avenue
Los Angeles, CA  90025
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

THE VIDEO CATALOG (which sells the videos marketed by SIGNALS)
P.O. Box 64428
Saint Paul, MN  55164-0428
[phone] for orders, 24 hours
[phone] (fax)
[phone] for Customer Service

VIDEO COLLECTIBLES (a.k.a. BFS Limited)
350 Newkirk Road North
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Canada  L4C 3G7
[phone] (U.S.)
[phone] (Canada)
[phone] (local)
[phone] (fax)


                           SIGHT & SOUND

Provides:    Sales of U.S. and imported laserdiscs

Address:     27 Jones Road, Waltham, MA  02154
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Large list of U.S. and foreign laserdiscs, with a
             specialization in Japanese imports.  Call for free
             catalog (which says "$1.95" on the cover).

Orders:      Hours are 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Eastern time, Monday -
             Saturday.  10% discount on most titles.  Shipping is
             $3 for first disc, $1.50/disc thereafter, for UPS
             ground; other options are available.

Comments:    While I haven't any experience with their order
             fulfillment, their catalog suggests a knowledgeable
             firm devoted to the laser format, with a large and
             esoteric stock.


                          SINISTER CINEMA

Provides:    Sales of selected tapes.
Address:     P.O. Box 4369, Medford, OR  97501-0168
Phone:       [phone]

Coverage:    Horror, science fiction, and mystery in VHS.  Call or
             write for free catalog; send $2 if you want it mailed
             first class (stamps are OK).

Orders:      Hours:  9am - 5 pm, Pacific time, Monday to Friday,
             but irregular.  Most tapes are $16.95, plus
             $2.05/title for shipping; $1 surcharge for credit
             card orders.

Comments:    Fairly large and good selection; has some hard-to-
             find older and British films.


                      SPECIAL INTEREST VIDEO

A.K.A.:      Wood Knapp's Special Interest Video

Provides:    Sales of selected tapes

Address:     100 Enterprise Place, P.O. Box 7022, Dover, DE
                19903-7022
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Features, travel, documentary, self-help, educa-
             tional, etc.  Call to get on mailing list for
             occasional catalogs.

Order:       Call 24 hours/day; shipping is $4.95 - $6.95 per
             order, depending on amount; FedEx is extra.

Comments:    An eclectic list, almost always in stock and with
             fast handling.


                       TLA VIDEO MGT., INC.

Provides:    Sales of VHS tapes, on-site rentals

Address:     332 South Street, Philadelphia, PA  19147
Phone:       [phone], 10 am - 6 pm, Monday - Friday
Fax:         [phone] (same hours)

Coverage:    Large collection of U.S. and foreign videos in all
             categories except adult.  Call for catalog ($7.95
             including shipping).  TLA Film & Video Quarterly is
             $5/year.

Orders:      By mail only, but schools and universities can order
             by phone.  They prefer orders on the forms included
             in the catalog.  Shipping:  $3 for the first title,
             then $2/title; discount for 10 or more.  Overseas
             rates available.  No shipping to P.O. boxes.

Comments:    Excellent list but less inclusive than those of
             Facets or Movies Unlimited.  Appears to be targeted
             at on-site rentals and purchases.


                         U.S. VIDEO SOURCE

A.K.A.:      Laser Video Distributors, Laser Video Store

Provides:    Remote sales of laserdiscs.  (This firm used to
             operate a retail store in Verona, NJ; they still will
             sell to walk-ins, but don't maintain display
             shelves.)

Address:     3A Oak Road, Fairfield, NJ  07004
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Claims to stock everything, including 8" and 5"
             formats and karaoke; they're getting into CD-ROMs as
             well.  No catalog; they use the magazine LASER VIDEO
             FILE instead ($7.00 including shipping).  Call to
             receive their own magazine, LASER VIEWS, with news of
             new releases.

Orders:      Phone hours:  9 am - 5 pm, Eastern time, Monday to
             Friday.  Shipping is $2/title.

Comments:    The magazine they use as a catalog, LASER VIDEO FILE,
             claims to include every title available.  Comparing a
             collection of discs in hand with the listing in the
             magazine leads me to question this assertion, so it's
             not clear how comprehensive the store's stock is,
             though I have found some pretty unusual items there.


                         VIDEO YESTERYEAR

Provides:    Sales of tapes of older material.

Address:     Box C, Sandy Hook, CT  06482
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Large collection of old movies, TV shows, serials,
             propaganda, documentaries, and homemade compilations.
             Includes features, shorts, silents -- about 1200 in
             all, all in VHS, Beta, and 8mm.  The silents are at
             the "correct" projection speed and many have new
             organ scores composed and performed by Rosa Rio.
             "Video Yesteryear" is one of several imprints sharing
             a corporate identity; others sell vintage audio
             recordings or adult videos.  Call for a catalog
             ($2.95); adult catalog is separate and extra.  Any
             purchase entitles you to receive one of their
             catalogs (by returning a certificate which comes with
             the tape).

Orders:      Hours:  "business hours in the Eastern time zone," or
             fax with credit card info.  If you order ten or more
             films at once, deduct 10%  Shipping is $3.95 per
             order (FedEx:  $5.50/order).

Comments:    Catalog includes many items unique to this source.
             Some are of reduced quality, but the catalog usually
             warns of this (though not always).


                            VIEWFINDERS

Provides:    Sales of VHS tapes

Address:     P.O. Box 1665, Evanston, IL  60204-1665.
Phone:       [phone]
Fax:         [phone]

Coverage:    Carefully selected list of VHS tapes in the arts,
             feature films, documentaries, mysteries, music,
             nature, etc.  Call for free catalog; they will order
             titles they don't list.

Orders:      Hours are 8 am - 5 pm, Central time, Monday to
             Friday, though they will often answer the phone
             outside of those hours.  Shipping:  they prefer UPS,
             but this is negotiable; UPS is $5 minimum per order,
             $1 per tape over five tapes.

Comments:    an excellent collection of the best in arts and
             features.