The Last Blockbuster is a wonderful documentary, directed by Taylor Morden and written by Zeke Kamm, with charming narration by actress/comedian, Lauren Lapkus all about the history of Blockbuster video. Included are loads of nostalgic memories from some celebrity faces like comedians Kevin Smith, Jamie Kennedy, and Doug Benson.
So what would happen if Netflix and chill never existed, and we never became accustomed to streaming tv shows and movies? The old saying “you don’t really know what you’ve got till it’s gone” definitely has some truth here.
Blockbuster went from an outstanding 9000 video rental stores to 1. Yes, 1 store in the whole world! Spoiler, as of writing this blog in 2022, only ONE Blockbuster store remains, headed by manager, Sandi Harding in Bend, Oregon, who is well-known as the “blockbuster mom”. Throughout the doc, we see Sandy's dedication to Blockbuster and the countless hours of personal sacrifices that she makes for the company. It's all really quite remarkable.
A single Blockbuster card was the ticket to watching old favourites, new releases, and anything your heart desired. I know that I could spend a good hour there or more, just going up and down the aisles. It wasn’t just another trip to the video store. It was an experience.
Of course, after choosing a few videos and piling them on the counter, you awaited the employee to scan your card. There was excitement mixed with a bit of dread each time, maybe a bit of sweat too, as you didn’t want them to utter those four words “you have late fees.” I never had any, but that sigh of relief always felt good hearing it straight from the Blockbuster staff.
If we’re going to rewind here, I remember a lot of fond memories going to Blockbuster here in Windsor, Ontario. I was only a few blocks away from one when I was living at home, so many weekends would be spent renting movies. There was something cool about whipping out that little plastic card out of your wallet and flashing it to the employee before they could ask you whether you were part of the membership club. It held much responsibility.
Did anyone collect movie posters that Blockbuster intended to throw out? If you asked, ye shall receive. They were always more than willing to give out a few after they didn’t have any use for them in the store anymore, including some of the cardboard cut-outs. Our basement was filled with them!
Although we have really evolved with technology and soon enough I’m sure we’ll be able to just think of a movie and it will randomly appear on our devices to watch, heading out for that weekly trip to the movie store to find what treasures await me will never go out of style.
💜Do you have any memories of Blockbuster video? I'd love to hear them! Leave me a comment below or send me an e-mail via my contact form.
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