Local video-rental stores offer wide selections
Eugene's oft-eclectic video
rental outlets rent everything
from recent-release DVDs
to obscure foreign films
By Steven Neuman
Freelance Reporter
Sure, University Housing let you
rent all the videos you wanted when
you lived in the residence halls last
year — but with a brand new apart
ment and that big television you fi
nally have room for, you need a
video store.
5 Star Video
and Silverstar Video
Silverstar, at 1888 Franklin Blvd.,
and 5 Star, at 368 E. 40th Ave., are
run by the same management and
have similar rental policies. Five Star
is located right off East 40th Avenue
in a small shopping mall, and Silver
star is right off Franklin Boulevard
near the Williams Bakery. Overall,
these are both pretty well-stocked,
but average video stores altogether.
Both have a small and helpful staff,
and both stores were almost devoid
of any customers; this can be both
positive and negative. Essentially,
you have a better chance of receiving
excellent help and service during the
non-peak hours, but the store could
easily be overwhelmed during a rush
of just a few customers. Five Star has
a bigger store and also a bigger selec
tion, but Silverstar has a large foreign
and cult films section, and carries
more animated videos.
lire DVD selection at both stores is
superb, with larger selections of tides
than other video stores. But don't ex
pea to find an older film on disc;
most of those are on tape. The new re
leases were current and were offered
on DVD and VI IS formats, but few
duplicate copies were available, so
don't expect to get the hottest new
rental on the first day.
Prices range from $3 for a two-day
rental of a new release to $2 for a five
day general rental to $1 children's
film rentals. The stores also offer quite
a few deals, including five movies for
five days for $5, and prepaying $20
for forty rentals. Both stores boast tan
ning booths, though it seems a bit
bizarre to go tanning and pick up a
video on die way out.
Flicks & Pics
Flicks & Pics, at 2777 Friendly St.,
is a Eugene establishment, and it has
that reputation for a reason: It's the
cream of the crop. Usually the place
a professor will recommend for for
eign or obscure films and documen
taries, this store offers just about any
movie you could possibly desire.
With a knowledgeable staff, daily
hours from 10 a m. to 11 p.m., and a
selection of film guides and books
for customers use, this is every film
buff s dream.
And there are categorical sections
for film that go far beyond action,
comedy and drama. Try musicals,
westerns, war flicks, Hitchcock films,
cult classics, noire, anime and Abbott
and Costello. The foreign film section
has a plethora of foreign VI IS tapes
and DVDs sure to keep all those lan
guage majors in front of the small
screen for hours. The DVDs at the
store are generally the newest releases
with the best special features. The
store has so many videos that it does
n't even have room to display them
all, so if it doesn't appear to have
something you want, you can always
ask at the front desk.
Flicks & Pics' prices range from $ 1
to $3, with prices dipping on Wednes
days, Thursdays and Sundays. The
store will accept any competitor's
coupons (even expired ones) and of
fers free rentals on your birthday. It
also rents any VI IS tape (DVD releases
are always $3) for a dollar on Mon
days and Tuesdays.
Premiere Video
and Silver Screen Video
Both these stores are smaller, and
both offer a good selection at reason
able prices. Premiere Video, at 1495 E.
19th St., is one of the closest stores to
campus and offers one of the best
family film sections with plenty of ti
des. The store boasts a revamped DVD
selection with a good general assort
ment of fdms, but not as many new
releases or special-edition releases as
other stores.
Located right behind Sundance
Natural Foods, Silver Screen Video, at
24751 lilyard St., has one of the larger
collections of foreign, intellectual,
and documentary films. The store also
focuses more on VI IS tapes than on
DVDs. While Silver Screen does carry
all the newer releases and rentals, it is
the store's focus on documentaries
and an extensive collection of foreign
and independent films that makes
this store special. This includes a
number of educational miniseries, in
cluding National Geographic's spe
cials and an entire section devoted to
Woody Allen.
Premiere has two-day new releases
or DVD rentals that cost $3.50 and a
three-day VI IS rental costing $2. Sil
ver Screen's store is split into two cate
gories and all videos are either $2 for
5 days or $ 1 for 5 days.
Movies2Go
Movies2Go, at 4730 Village Plaza
Loop (off Goodpasture Island Road),
is perhaps the newest and cleanest
looking independent video store in
Eugene, and the perfect organization
of titles almost suggests that this store
is some new, up-and-coming chain;
however, it is not. Movies2Go has lots
of space in the aisles, and the videos
are organized under the more stan
dard categories with new releases
along the walls.
Ihe new releases section and DVD
collection are the crown jewels of this
store's offerings. It has the best selec
tion of new releases on DVD, with the
most copies of the newest releases
and the most DVDs. This is not terri
bly surprising considering the store is
relatively new and doesn't have to
make the transition from video to
DVD. The store doesn't have nearly as
many foreign or independent films.
Ihe store offers nice promotions
and deals like the "Pick of the Week"
section which offers some twenty
movie choices that change on a week
ly basis, and a special five-day rental
price of $1.99. The familiar five
movies for five days for $5 deal is also
available here, along with a frequent
renters dub that gives you a free rental
after twenty previous rentals. New re
leases cost $3.50 and older films
range from $1.99 to $2.99, depend
ing on die release date.
Steven Neuman is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
007594
Cafe Paradiso
A coffee house in the European tradition
Corner of Olive & Broadway in the downtown mall •484-0933
Relax
On our couches to study or
chat tv/ friends
Enjoy
Crab
nightly entertainment
from local artists
a bite to eat, or have a beer (on tap)
or a glass of wine
1
%
expires 12/3103
for I coffee specials
JWagesij
COLLEGE STUDENT I TRACK TOWM
SPECIAL i coupon
(no coupon required)
Large Single Topping Pizza
(gourmet toppings extra)
COLLEGE ID
REQUIRED
NOT VALID
WITH ANY
OTHER OFFER
ALL COLLEGE
IDS
ACCEPTED
2 PIZZAS
MAX PER I.D.
FREE DELIVERY 1809 Franklin Blvd. 284-8484
Sun.-Thu. Ham-Midnight Fri.-Sat. 11am-1am
Mac'<i at the Vet'4, Glut
Full Bar
Live Music
Pool • Video Poker
Daily Specials
Mo Cover Wednesday and Thursday
$5 dinner special every Tuesday
Lunch Tues.-Fri. 11:30-2:00 pm • Dinner Tues.-Sat. beginning at 4 pm.
(541) 344-S600 • 160.6 Willamette. St.
The Hot Body Beauties Welcome You Back To School.
Divas/Hot Body Club’s 2nd Anniversary Party!
Thursday, September 25 * VIP Reception 6-9pm with complimentary gourmet dinner
★ door prizes and giveaways including: Hot Body Club T-shirts, hats, DVDs and Videos!
Feature performances by Sugaree and Jazmine
Show your Duck ticket Thursday 9/25- Saturday 9/27 for FREE admittance, 'fc
2165 W./I1TH AVENUE ^ EUGENE v 683-6021
MONDAY - FRIDAY 12-2 SATURDAY & SUNDAY 2-2 www.hotbody.com