We need some regular features on here and we’d like more reader participation in the site, so we’re going to introduce a BRAND NEW FEATURE today, and it’s a pretty basic one. Welcome to….
BIG GAY ANSWERS TO BIG GAY QUESTIONS!
First up to bat is a question from…we’ll call him Michael C.
Q: Can you recommend a video store when I can buy good gay arty movies?
Now, Michael doesn’t mention if he’s local (meaning, in Seattle) or suburban, or from outside the Puget Sound area but we’ll assume he means Seattle and we’ll assume that by “good gay arty movies” he means the kind with plots and subtitles and production values and not the kind that involves nekkid porn stars doing unspeakable things to each other in a warehouse in the San Fernando Valley…Now, I’m a big, big, big collector of films on DVD and I have a huge collection (900? a thousand? I know I have about 200 films from the 1940’s alone) but I have to admit I buy very few things in local stores. Yes, I know I should support my local merchants but very few local merchants have a huge selection of films for sale and so that leaves the chain stores and they’re not local, are they? The majority of my dvds are purchased, (GASP!)online at a variety of retailers including Amazon.com (technically, they are local) and DeepDiscount.com. (In fact, lately, I’ve been buying tons of stuff from Amazon.com/UK because they have great deals and stuff not available in the US and since I have a region-free DVD player, I have no problem watching dvds from another region.)
But, I can understand your need for instant gratification and the fun of browsing through bins of dvds to find long lost beloved films you haven’t seen in years or to explore films you’ve never seen, AND, there are some great local sellers of dvds in Seattle. The biggest selection would be at Silver Platters on lower Queen Anne in the old Tower Records building. Their prices aren’t as good as Tower’s (may they rest in peace…I miss them SOOOOO much!) but the selection is good. I don’t think they have a specific LGBT section but go in with a list of films you’re looking for and make a day out of it! Scarecrow Video is one of the top video stores in the country with a HUUUUUGE selection and movie-savvy clerks, but they primarily rent titles and only offer a few titles for retail sales. However, sometimes it makes sense to RENT movies of interest before you commit to buying them for your permanent collection.
For folks living on Capitol Hill, your best options are Gruv at 422 Broadway. For a small store, they carry a large selection of movies and music including previously owned material at a lower price than new. And, they even have a LGBT movie section…sadly, they don’t seem to have a website, so drop by to check them out. The new Everyday Music store next to Elliot Bay Bookstore at 1523 10th Avenue has a nice selection of used movies but no designated gay section…you’ll need to go through the whole wall of movies, which is, of course, great fun for a movie nerd…And, finally, there is Half Price Bookstore but they tend to not have many arty type films and way too many copies of Julia Roberts and Adam Sandler movies. Oh, and last time I was in the adult themed, The Crypt, I noticed they DID have a rack of non-porn LGBT titles, but, it was a small rack next to shelves and shelves of films featuring orange, tattooed bodybuilders having lots and lots of orangy, tatooey, bodybuildery type sex…
That’s all I got…Readers, do you have any suggestions for Michael C.? If you do, leave’em in comments! AND, if you have a question for “Big Gay Answers to Big Gay Questions”, send’em to us! We’d love to hear from you!
Pictured: The really gay and arty film Beau Travail by Claire Denis…it’s so arty that it’s unwatchable…and, you keep wishing it would turn into a Joe Gage movie…
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
