Video rental stores in Washington, D.C.

😁 As long as the video store owners don't start complaining,

they claim business is actually booming 😁😁 😁

Lawrence Booth2 said:but I mean, how many times have I actually walked down to the video rental shop, grabbed a tape, gotten all the way home, and then just... couldn't get it to play? Either the thing was totally trashed, or maybe it was recorded in DivX and I only had an SP player, or there’s just no beginning, it’s just the end... someone probably messed it up and tried to fix it with some crappy scotch tape or duct tape, or I’d have to clean the heads, or deal with a tangled ribbon... stuff like that, I guess.

well, yeah, you've got a point there 👍

you probably don't even go to the movies, right? I mean, there's always a chance a parking meter cop might snag your car, or some guy with a massive afro ends up sitting right in front of you... plus there's that statistical possibility that the ceiling might just cave in on you (if you're a skater or smoke that kind of stuff), and then there are those rumors about scattered photons hitting the audience causing cancer, not to mention your eardrums popping because some technician was being careless setting up the speakers under your seat, or the slim chance your phone explodes in your hand from all that intense switching on and off before and after the film starts, or those annoying whisperers who just ruin your focus,

I mean, man, going to the theater or a video store feels like climbing Mount Everest at this point. You could probably write a whole book about your experiences, maybe you'll even get a medal or something

Lawrence Booth2 said:Alright man, just keep watching those Hollywood blockbusters on DVDs or old VHS tapes that spent like five hours sitting in a car baking under the sun before you even rented them.🙂
🙏

And honestly, the guy isn't even driving a car—he’s on a motorcycle with his movies tucked away in a shoulder bag.
I mean, I've borrowed movies from them maybe thirty times or so, and I've never run into any issues at all.
Just thought I'd let you know.

Lawrence Booth2 said:oh come on... why would you drop that kind of cash renting out tapes and DVDs when you could basically have everything for half the price if you just put in a little effort—you know, browsing some forums... then you can watch whatever you want without any restrictions... I mean, I've gotta check stuff out and get back by 9 PM tonight🙏

and just so you're aware,
any smart person would just rip those rental movies onto their computer, convert them to DivX, and burn them onto CDs first.

giving away that much money to rent tapes and DVDs when you could have it all if you just try a little harder and look through forums for way less money...

look, not everyone has a lightning-fast internet connection to download massive files like some crazy person, plus searching the web and dealing with subtitles that are totally out of sync is just... a headache...
and if I had to start begging people on random forums to mail me movies or whatever just so I wouldn't have to go to the $5.00 local video store,
I might as well just end it all right now.

Someone was bringing up the Himalayas earlier... and honestly, they hit the nail on the head regarding how video rental stores operate—with those bottom-tier employees who couldn't tell the difference between *8 ½* and some absolute garbage like *9 1/2 Weeks*... the kind of stuff those Body Chemistry 4 types try to pass off as a solid thriller, or what they’ll claim is phenomenal sci-fi when it comes to a movie like Within the Rock... and even if you manage to navigate all those hurdles of being ripped off or handed some bootleg pirate copy... you finally get home, pop the player in, and ruin your night because you're stuck cleaning some sticky residue off the disc—wasting two hours of your life fixing what you just
😁
If you bring that up at the club, they'll just stare at you blankly before snatching your cash, refusing to even swap out a damaged tape for a free one since "it's not their problem"...
Take renting Rosemary's Baby on DVD—they'll hand you the single disc with the movie and nothing else, then have the nerve to demand extra cash just to get the second disc with the special features.

Then there's the person complaining about lagging subtitles... look, I'd rather watch a movie with no subtitles at all than deal with those brain-dead translations (like calling Dark Water = Evil 🙂 )
concocted by people who clearly can't read... not to mention the blatant grammatical disasters on those "official" tapes.

The shipping for 13 movies between two cities is actually phenomenal $2.75 and it shows up within two days...

I heard someone whining about slow connections... saying their internet is too sluggish... it's the same old song from the people who used to hoard 1,000 vinyl records back when everyone was complaining about the arrival of obsolete audio cassettes 🙂—those are the people trying to hold back progress

👋
The future isn't about trekking down to a video store, especially since they won't even be opening locations that deliver movies right to your doorstep...
The future is downloading movies legally from a legitimate server—a service that will eventually serve as nothing more than a monument to the prehistoric era known as the video store, where you had to waste an hour just wandering the aisles trying to find something worth watching...

Long live the future... 🙂

Mini Me said:And this guy isn't even driving a car—he’s on a motorcycle with his movies shoved into some shoulder bag.
I’ve borrowed movies from them maybe thirty times or so and I have never run into any issues.
Just thought you should know.

What I actually meant was the people I see every single day leaving rented tapes in the back of their cars... just sitting there where the sun can bake the plastic for hours on end...😁 🙂 and yeah, even with DVDs—the fine print says to keep blank media out of direct sunlight...🙂
Should I probably mention that I don't even bother playing those kinds of tapes or DVDs at my place? I don't know how things work where you guys are.🙏

Catatonic Beaver said:So you don't even go to the movies, right? I bet you don't.

Look, if the theater is decent, why wouldn't I? Honestly, all I care about is the seating... 😁😁😁

Catatonic Beaver said:Imagine some guy with an afro sitting directly in your line of sight,

Exactly... especially if the seats are flat instead of being tiered like at a stadium.

Catatonic Beaver said:Besides that, there’s always the statistical chance the ceiling collapses on your head—assuming you're a certain type of guy who smokes those things—and then there are the rumors about scattered photons hitting the audience causing cancer, not to mention your eardrums bursting because some technician was being careless while tuning the speakers under your seat. Then there's the slim chance your phone explodes in your hand from all that intense power surging before and after the show, plus those annoying whisperers ruining your concentration.

Well, I guess any number of disasters could happen if you're unlucky... though I don't buy much into that photon stuff; it's not like they're enriching them with uranium. 👋
As for the sound... it's actually pretty common for the volume to suddenly spike without warning. 🙄

Bottom line: it's better for a bad theater to just shut down than for us to suffer through a movie while constantly being on edge.
Maybe someone will eventually figure out how to build a better cinema. 🙏

Lawrence Booth2 said:not to even get started on all the typos on those "official" tapes

Talking about grammar when your own post is full of mistakes... you've got to be kidding me.

ruggedmarlin15

Lawrence Booth2, you’re an absolute moron.

To hell with your damn DiVX connections.

Yeah, newsflash: plenty of people out there are dealing with crappy internet speeds. Good morning to you too.

As for the rest of your post, I honestly can't even be bothered to respond.

"Video Center", Center, 7 Bruno Bušić St, New Chicago

You can actually find about 85% of what you're looking for right there on DVD! Most places have fully transitioned over to digital discs, so the only thing left on VHS are those really old classics that haven't made the jump to DVD here in the States yet. Plus, they carry a huge selection of DVDs in English. And honestly? The girls working there are absolutely wonderful! 😉

ruggedmarlin15 said:Talking about grammar when your own post is basically a wreck of typos and mistakes... you're honestly a joke.

ruggedmarlin15

Look, I’m not out here making a living off these posts—unlike those self-proclaimed grammar nerds who get paid to subtitle movies or do freelance translations.

👋 🙂

Lawrence Booth2 said:I’m not out here making a living posting content like those self-proclaimed translators make their bread subtitling movies.

But look, you don't really have any ground to stand on when you're clearly missing the mistakes yourself (given how much you struggle with basic grammar). You get what I'm saying?

ruggedmarlin15

P.S. How old are you anyway?

ruggedmarlin15 said:Look, you don't get to talk trash when you clearly can't spot a mistake yourself (considering you can barely read). You get me?

ruggedmarlin15

P.S. How old are you anyway?

Listen, man—I posted this from some sketchy neighborhood without double-checking my typos because I was in a rush. If I’d been caught... they would've snatched 10% of my paycheck before I could even blink. 👎

ps. 24 👋

No offense intended, but maybe the local video stores in your neck of the woods are better, but I once ruined two movies with a single rental tape 🙄 😢—besides that, I think the lack of decent movie selection at the rental shops was the main reason I finally jumped ship to other sources...

👋

Lawrence Booth2 - you're a little messed up in the head. I've never had a single issue with renting movies in my entire life. You must have some weird phobia of the local video store.

Alright, my bad—I messed up, sorry everyone
I'm stepping away from this thread for good

😢 👋