SHANNON URTNOWSKI
A&E Assistant
When the Malibu Blockbuster closed in January, students feared their Friday nights would never be the same again. Blockbuster, which was located in the Malibu Colony Plaza, offered easy solutions to enjoying a quiet night in, as it supplied both fun DVDs and bags of buttery popcorn. All hope is not lost, though. There are many video rental locations on and off campus, both small and large from which students can choose.
Zuma Beach Video and Music
29169 Heathercliff Road
Malibu
(310) 457-6841
The closest off-campus rental spot is Zuma Beach Video and Music, located approximately six miles north in the Point Dume Plaza.
It is popular among students because of its earthy atmosphere and vintage selections.
“It’s great to watch a late-night movie with my roommates, and Zuma Beach Video and Music usually has what we’re looking for,” freshman Brooke Stadler said.
Zuma Beach offers more than just DVD rentals.
It also sells an assortment of CDs, audio and video equipment, and t-shirts.
The store is privately owned and the choices are somewhat limited.
“I don’t think there’s much customer-appeal to a small store,” Zuma Beach Video and Music employee Rufio Houtz said. “We’d want to be bigger if we could, but there’s still a good selection of merchandise.”
DVD rentals cost $4 each and are loaned for three to four days at a time.
Zuma Beach Video and Music is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
Vidiots
302 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica
(310) 392-8508
Vidiots offers a wider selection of movies, as it specializes in classic films in addition to providing new releases.
With approximately 40,000 DVDs and VHS tape, manager Scott Sloan said Vidiots has an archive of movie selections.
“We collect films that are hard to find and out of print, ranging from vintage to foreign to mainstream movies, and many that we carry cannot be found at big stores like Blockbuster,” Sloan said.
Sloan said they have never
disposed of a DVD or VHS tape at Vidiots, always adding to the
collection, so it has titles that
cannot be found anywhere else.
Though Vidiots is a bit of a drive down PCH, located approximately 14 miles from Pepperdine, it has unique films that are worth
checking out if one is willing to make the trip. Members pay $3.50 for a DVD and non-members pay $4.75 for a DVD. Rentals are loaned for two nights.
Vidiots is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Your Family Video Center
5665 Las Virgenes Rd.
Calabasas
(818) 878-9111
Your Family Video Center, located in Calabasas, offers a smaller selection of DVDs, but is conveniently located near apartment complexes where students live.
“It’s definitely a place students can go because the prices are pretty reasonable and the location is convenient,” senior Minda Miyamoto said. “It is a little bit sketchy inside, but its worthwhile if you’re willing to go.”
Your Family Video Center is rather small, with approximately 5,000 DVDs, but it offers cheap DVDs for students. DVDs cost $1 with membership, and memberships cost $8 a month.
“I’m not a big DVD watcher, but I have a membership there,” Miyamoto said. “I would go more often if I had the need.”
For those willing to look past the questionable atmosphere, Your Family Video Center is an easy video rental stop.
It is open 1 to 10 p.m. daily.
Hollywood Videos, Woodland Hills
23361 Mullholland Drive
Woodland Hills, Calif.
(818) 591-1439
Hollywood Videos, West Hills
6415 Platt Ave.
West Hills, Calif.
(818) 348-3426
For those looking for a movie rental store more like Blockbuster, there are two Hollywood Video stores not too far from campus.
They are both located through the canyon, one in Woodland Hills and the other in West Hills.
“We get new releases every week, which come in from the studios, and we also get a shipment of older titles each week,” West Hills employee Amber Joers said.
New DVDs cost $4 and old DVDs cost $3 to rent. Movies are loaned for 5 days, and must be returned by 5 p.m. the fifth day.
“Our return program works really well because, as a college student, I know its hard to return movies early in the day,” Joers said. “Blockbuster makes you return the movie by 12 p.m., and that is hard for a lot of people to do.”
Hollywood Video customers can also rent video games for Play Station 2, Game Cube, X Box and X Box 360.
Game rentals are more expensive, as they cost $6 for a 5-day rental.
The Hollywood Videos are open 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily.
Blockbuster, Agoura Hills
5825 Kanan Rd.
Agoura Hills, Calif.
(818) 991-3584
Blockbuster, Woodland Hills
21937 Ventura Blvd.
Woodland Hills, Calif.
(818) 713-9990
Blockbuster, Pacific Palisades
970 Monument Ave.
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
(310) 230-3002
Loyal Blockbuster fans can find different sites that are not as convenient as the Malibu Colony Plaza location, but still available to those who like a wide selection of DVDs.
The closest Blockbuster is in Pacific Palisades, approximately 18 miles south on PCH, and there are two other close stores through the canyon in Agoura Hills and Woodland Hills.
“The new DVD releases come in every Tuesday,” manager Manuel Gaytan said, “and customers can find old and new DVDs of most genres on a daily basis.”
New releases can be rented for two days, and the older DVDs can be rented for one week.
“There is a seven-day grace period, though, where we apply no late-charges, and the charge is usually revoked within 30 days if the customer pays $1.25,” Gaytan said. “We try to be really flexible.”
Blockbuster also rents and sells video games for the more popular units.
The Blockbusters are open 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily.
University Libraries
For students who want to rent a DVD without the hassle of driving off-campus, Payson Library and the School of Law Library offer a limited selection of DVDs for rent.
“We try to hit every genre, focusing mostly on the movies that are on different published lists,” Payson Library student adviser Joe Kaatz said.
Student suggestions are also welcomed. The DVD section of the library expands when students request DVDs, so Kaatz said students are encouraged to send in their ideas.
Payson Library has about 100 DVDs, and students can rent as many DVDs they like free of charge.
“In addition to being free, DVD rentals are supposed to come with a bag of popcorn,” Kaatz said.
Students can keep their rentals for seven days.
The system at the School of Law works much the same as Payson Library. The only difference is the selection.
“All our DVDs are lawyer related, dealing with cases, crime and mystery,” Kady Tollon, a student-worker at the School Law Library, said.
It is a more limited selection than Payson Library, with approximately 50 DVDs.
“Renting from the library is a convenient system that works well for students now that the Blockbuster is closed,” Katz said.
DVDs can be rented from the libraries during normal operating hours.
04-06-2006
