Volume DXVII— Well, That Happened
For the Week of 7/14/15
Videoport gives you a free movie every day. Now Videoport’s owner Bill has something he has to tell you:
Videoport is closing in August. We want to thank the people of Greater Portland for your loyalty and friendship over these last 28 years, it’s been great. Thank You!
All is not lost! We are donating the Videoport movie collection to the Portland Public Library. Soon instead of a FREE movie every day at Videoport you will be able to get all your movies FREE at the library! Actually not all FREE, you need to support your public library just as you supported Videoport. Please enjoy all the Portland Public Library collections and services, and when you do, please make a donation to the library so they can keep up bringing in the New Releases!
The first movies moving to the Portland Public Library will be the Criterion Collection. You should find them on the shelf at the library sometime toward the end of July. Next we will start moving over the Foreign Language film section. Please stop by the library and check out their beautiful DVD section, sign up for a library card if you don’t already have one, and try out borrowing something! At Videoport the last day to rent movies will be Saturday August 15.
Middle Aisle Monday! Take a free rental from the Science Fiction, Horror, Incredibly Strange, Popular Music, Mystery/Thriller, Animation, or Staff Picks sections with any other paid rental! OR Get any three non-new releases for seven days for $7.99!
>>> Former Videoporter Regan says goodbye, as only Regan can. I started renting from Videoport when I was a teenager, I’d get movies delivered (they used to deliver!) and I think Lenny delivered Angel at My Table and Heathers the night I decided to give my innocence away to a greasy-greaza. and one of the staff, after noticing my coming of age rental habits, suggested Valley Girl. And I still watch it on the reg! Love. It. That was when I wished to one day work at Videoport, and I did. For nearly 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS! And I loved mostly all of it. The last few years were a total bag of farts, and I started to resign myself to the end being near. But I just don’t get it. Portland had something great here! A museum of cinema! And assorted gross foods. I’m not the most cinephily of the cinephiles, but I do watch a sh*tload of movies, and it will still take me a lifetime to get through all of the movies I want to see at Videoport. But we don’t have the Housewives of the Suez Canal, and we don’t have that obscure documentary about swedish-Latino-Afro-punk bands (those might be fake). But Videoport has a HUGE documentary section, a unparalleled foreign section. But that’s not enough for Portland, Maine. Videoport has paid for health insurance for its employees before it became de rigueur to do so, but we NEED another f*cking locally sourced overpriced restaurant with signature cocktails. Eh. So it goes.
I love movies, and I thought this town did too. I’m mad as hell….and most of you don’t understand this reference. Thank you Bill, Yolanda, James, Betsy, Tim, Ivory, Johnny Snowballs, JackieO, Wheeler, Michelles-n-cheese, Greegan, Pook, JORDAN!, Pie HEAD, Allen, Christian, HAMMER, And the last of red hot lovers, Andy, Sam, April and Dennis. It was my ultimate pleasure.
>>>Former Videoporter JackieO says goodbye. Thank you for everything, Videoport. From Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid to The Third Man, from the roommates to the drinking buddies, from the undue street cred to learning how to count change back, it was a pleasure, mostly.
Tough and Triassic Tuesday! Give yourself a free rental from the Action or Classics section with any other paid rental! OR Get any three non-new releases for seven days for $7.99!
>>> Former Videoporter Michelle (AKA Pook) says goodbye, too. When I first moved to Portland in 2000, I came with one piece of knowledge, Anyone that that was anyone had a Videoport card. And so I went from never having that many films available to me to a whole new world of film lined up before me. The foreign film section was my first exploration. When I watched “Lovers Of the Arctic Circle” and then “Chacun cherche son chat” (When The Cat’s Away), I fell in love. And then suddenly I had Roberto Benigni in my home; making me laugh with “Johnny Stecchino”, crying with “Life is Beautiful”, and opening up a deeper appreciation of film with “Down by Law”. At this point in the Videoport timeline, I could even have these movies delivered to me with candy! I also enjoyed going to the store and overhearing the conversations and passions the staff had for film. It is no surprise that not only was Videoport the catalyst for my love of movies, but it also was what made Portland my home. I had the true honor of working of Videoport. I met so many wonderful people while being both a renter and an employee there. I would not have the wonderful friends that I have today. Also, I would not be called Pook by so many people outside of my family. I would not have had the opportunities to learn about movies from people who were so passionate and knowledgeable. I know the Internet is an endless abyss of movies. But it is simply not the same as talking to someone in person, telling them what movies you love, and then having them reveal to you a treasure chest of films that will fill the craving for the movie you are looking for. No algorithm on any media platform will ever contain the same movie know-how as many of the employees and customers of Videoport. Movies are a way to have a shared experience with someone. Videoport gave people the ability to find other people to create these moments with. It is not just a store, it is not just a place to grab a movie, it is a full experience. No, it is magical. I am not sure anyone can recreate the Videoport experience. It is something unique and special to Portland, It is something that any of us that rented or work there know is some kind of wonderful. Bill Duggan made more than a just a video store, he made a Portland experience. He created a gateway to so many other worlds with his store for so many. He created a sense of community for so many. I hope we can all continue this magic with movie nights, encouragement of local film makers, and just simply talking together on the movies that we loved, hated, and can not wait to see. Thank you, Bill, for giving us so many years of Videoport and so many movies.
>>>Former Videoporter Allen says goodbye. I truly dream that one day I can operate a company of cinephiles that provide to the community, and to each other, the value that Videoport has provided me and my community for so many years. It was among the best jobs coming out of college. Hey, want a job where you are publicly lauded for your film knowledge? Want to work at one of the coolest places in Portland, where EVERYONE will see you, and get to know your face? Want to be part of a loving and caring group of people that will always remain close friends until you die with VHS tapes in your hand? Yes, I do. Thanks Videoport. For everything.
Wacky and Worldly Wednesday! You’ve got a free rental coming from the Comedy or Foreign Language sections with any other paid rental! OR Get any three non-new releases for seven days for $7.99!
>>> Dutch Dennis (AKA Disco, Frenchy) says goodbye. It is a sad day when an institution like Videoport leaves town. I was the 92nd and last person Videoport ever hired. Half the friends I have I met through the store. It is highly unlikely I would have started watching Friday Night Lights without Regan constantly yelling at me that this was one of the best shows on television. Or that I would’ve started watching Andy’s crazy Asian recommendations, Sam’s action movies, Jackie’s Spanish adventures, anything Dennis recommended. I would have never watched hard-to-find documentaries I devoured, like Death by Design, Cane Toads, or Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. I guess what I am trying to say is that movies and friends work well together. It sure did for me the three years I worked in that basement.
>>>Former Videoporter Matt M. says goodbye. I can’t add much more to what my former coworkers have said about Videoport. I made great friends with some of the sweetest, smartest, funniest(seriously) people around. I also got to wait on the sweetest, angriest, most eccentric customers you could ever imagine. I received countless free drinks due to being a “Videoport dude”. Videoport was a social hub for Portland, and it will not be replaced. Running into former coworkers is different than running into other old friends- much like what running into members of your fraternity/sorority must be like. We had the coolest, most fun job in town. Portland owes a huge debt of gratitude to Bill and Yolanda for making Portland what it is. I’m amazed, but not surprised, that Videoport is donating their collection to the PPL. Videoport cared about the community, and this donation cements that fact. This is truly a sad day for Portland.
Thrifty Thursday! Rent one, get a free rental from any other section in the store! OR Get any three non-new releases for seven days for $7.99!
>>> Emily S. Customer has one last recommendation for you. The VideoReport has done a lot for me. In its infancy, I wrote thumbnail reviews as an excuse to flirt with the fella I’d been dating, and — because then as now, he did the bulk of the writing every week — every review I submitted freed him up for more smoochin’. A few years later (almost exactly six years ago today as I write this), I presented Dennis with a week’s worth of reviews, written in secret during spare minutes here and there, so he could take off the week of our wedding and not worry about turning out a half-dozen reviews on top of everything else. (Thanks, Andy, for guest-editing that edition of the VideoReport.) The backlog of reviews and reflections we’ve both (but mostly your unfailing editor, Videoport Jones, a.k.a., Pancakes W. Meat, a.k.a., Dennis Perkins, freelance writer, true cinemaphile*, and swell guy) accumulated, years and years of writing for free, gave us each a springboard into professional reviewing. I’ll always be thankful for that. But neither of us did it for that reason. We wrote, and write, for the VideoReport, because we believe in independent cinema, in local business, in the virtue of a video library not restricted by transnational corporations’ backroom deals, in the delight of walking into a real brick-and-mortar video store and having a conversation with a movie lover who can steer you to some unexpected treasure. Videoport has been a haven for me, for lots of movie-lovers like me and movie-lovers nothing like me, for decades. It’s been a gift to Portland. I’m grateful for all it’s given me, and us — us the couple, us the city, us the loyal supporters of indie everything. Goodbye, Videoport, and thank you for your gifts.
*During an interview, Malcolm McDowell called Dennis that, and the compliment buoyed him for weeks. Mr. McDowell, you don’t know how right you were.
The Last Picture Show. Peter Bogdanovich’s tribute to the great Westerns of years gone by, this black-and-white 1971 masterpiece was nominated for eight Academy Awards. In a dusty Texas town, the local movie theater, the site of a lot of memories and fumblings in the dark, of dreams and desires onscreen and off, is closing down. A handful of friends — including Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, all achingly young and lovely, all already looking back over their past with the keen combination of nostalgia, pleasure, and grief we all know too well — gather for a last hurray. It’ll break your heart, and it should.
Kids Friday! One free rental from the Kids section, no other rental necessary! OR get any three non-new releases for a week for $7.99!
>>> Dennis says goodbye. Too much to say. I wish it could be all “thanks for the memories” from me, but I’ve never been that guy. We’ve all put so much effort and worry, and doomed, desperate love into this place for me to put it in perspective. So I’ll just say to my coworkers: you are my best friends. To the customers who stayed: most of you are good people. To Netflix: I genuinely hope Anonymous infects you with a fatal virus. To me: go find something else to do with your life. To anyone who’s ever scratched our DVDs: you are genuinely bad people and we all think you are the devil. To everyone: movies still matter. I’m gonna go get a drink.
>>>Former Videoporter Christian says goodbye. Videoport exists in its own timewarp. It defied the odds and created a mythology all its own. I will always treasure my connection to Videoport. I’m so sorry to see it go!
Having a Wild Weekend! Rent two movies, and get a third one for free from any section! OR get any three non-new releases for a week for $7.99!
>>>For Saturday, Sam says goodbye. There aren’t a lot of jobs in which you get to do what you love, but for me Videoport clerk is one of them. I got my first membership card when I turned 18, and when I was hired 6 years and over 600 rentals later, I was hired. The boss told me he was reluctant to hire me because I was such a good customer. I loved Videoport then and I love it now, almost twelve years later. It is one of those rare things that has made my life measurably better. Not just the coworkers, who will remain like family to me. Not just comfort of that nerd-haven of a basement. No, I’m talking about the money, that sweet, sweet dollar bill! Seriously, though. Videoport has been my home in countless ways for exactly half of my life and I’m going to miss it more than you’ll ever understand.
>>>For Sunday, April says goodbye. April here. The most important thing I can say is this… thank you. Thank you for supporting us and loving us for so many glorious years. Videoport isn’t just a movie store to me and it certainly was never just a job. It’s been a privilege to work at a place that I genuinely love, with people that I respect and admire, and to belong to a community of movie loving geeks. I grew up in Portland and Videoport was always the coolest store around. My mother put me on her card but as soon as I turned 18 I got my own. Becoming a member at Videoport was a rite of passage and, naturally, the first thing I rented was an 18+ anime. I never finished watching it, but it seemed so scandalous at the time for me to rent it. This sort of thing was possible here. The vast selection that the store has always had makes it possible for you to rent obscure experimental films along with the latest popcorn action flick. It’s also a community gathering place. People meet here, couples fight, and old friends run into each other. Once, I was a witness to a marriage at the store and I’ve watched children grow up to get their own cards. Thanks for all of this goes to Bill, the best boss you could ever ask for. Generous and supportive, Bill is just as awesome as you could imagine the owner of Videoport to be. His dedication to the store, his employees, and to his community is unparalleled. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I will miss you.
New Releases this week at Videoport (because Videoport will keep bringing you the best movies right up ‘til the end): Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (Well, not always the best movies, but we give you movies, anyway. Kevin James returns to fall down in a manner some people find amusing as the world’s best mall security officer heads on a Vegas vacation only to get stuck fighting terrorists—in a mall! What are the chances?!), It Follows (Now this is more like it. One of the best and best-reviewed horror movies in years, this indie from the director of The Myth Of The American Sleepover takes the idea of horny teenagers being pursued by an unstoppable monster to some genuinely terrifying and unique places. Artsy and terrifying, just rent it if you’re in the mood to wet yourself just a little bit), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Everyone’s aunt’s favorite movie gets a sequel, as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill NIghy, and Dev Patel continue to enjoy late-in-life love at the hotel of their dreams. This time, Richard Gere shows up to fill a vacancy, causing heart to go all aflutter), Ex Machina (If It Follows is the great, artsy horror flick of the week, then this is the great, artsy sci-fi flick of the week. In it, young researcher Domhnall Gleeson is brought in by eccentric scientist Oscar Isaac to test out his new artificial intelligence program, which is housed in a disturbingly sexy female robot body. Things do not go well.), Clouds Of Sils Maria (A legendary actress [the always-stunning Juliette Binoche] finds herself forced to confront her life and career when she agrees to take a role in a revival of the play that once launched her career alongside young actresses Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz), The Longest Ride (Another Nicholas Sparks adaptation about possibly doomed but probably not young lovers. This time, he’s a rodeo rider guy, and she’s very pretty, but in a circumstance that means they can never be together—or can they? Luckily, crusty old Alan Alda is on hand to offer sage love advice based on his own sweetly tragic love story)
Videoport Jones 
Much love to all from #23 I will be in to say a personal goodbye
I’ve been trying to count up how many friendships, marriages, partnerships, and careers Videoport nurtured in that cool, well-stocked cellar, and I can’t even begin to tally ’em all up. Thank you, Videoport, for everything — for even more than the movies, when just the movies would have been gift enough.
I may have been #22 (hi #23!) for 7 years, but I still remember my old Videoport card # — 16594! I racked up many video rentals before I ever became an employee, and loved every minute of being a customer and an employee. Videoport was probably about the coolest place ever to work. But it wasn’t just because of the “cool” factor that it was a great job. For one thing, it was REAL. The co-workers were real, the customers were real, and it created a real Portland hybrid family that endures to this day. Thanks, Bill. Videoport taught me almost everything that was useful to me at the jobs I later had and loved — from helping people pick out movies that they would probably like next, totally on the fly, to attention to detail at the register with the materials and cash. It also taught me I’m obsessed with putting things in order on a shelf, which eventually led me to the library, of all things. I swear you can spot an old Videoport employee anywhere, because they CANNOT walk past an out of order display shelf without straightening it. But setting that all aside — it’s also where I met the fellow who would eventually become my husband. We even invited the entire staff to the wedding! Where ever we go, whatever we do, Videoport will always be in our hearts. What more can I say, except THANK YOU ALL. You created a golden era in Portland’s pop culture history. All of us who experienced Videoport will look back on it and be glad they were a part of it. That’s a damn fine legacy.
I am #12
I worked at Videoport from 1989 to 1995. I was a young gay man from South Carolina who moved to Maine in 1984. I had the distinct pleasure to be a part of the greatest Video Store in History’s growth and development. Bill and Yola were so great to me, always supporting me and my dreams, and I met some of my best friends through my work there… We laughed so hard every day at work and it was magical! My sales ID was # 12. I waited on, supported, cajoled and introduced some of the most interesting people in the world to the glory of Cinema and Incredibly Strange Film. While i am heartbroken at the news that this great Flagship is coming in to port at last, I am incredibly honored to have been a part of the voyage, and I wish Bill and Yola much love and blessings on the next journey of their adventure! “Videoport delivers…How can I help you?”
Oops, I was actually #10…Thanks to Carmie for catching my mistake! Please edit if possible!
Absolutely fabulous tribute to a wonderful place.
[…] https://videoportjones.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/videoreport-517/ […]
From #4:
Heartbreaking. I worked many years here (I was employee number 4–“I am not a number; I am a free man”–and the first two were the owners), helped to build the collection, helped to write the catalog (I still have 3 different editions), even did a stint delivering the films–“Videoport delivers,” ah, those were the days. Bill and Yolanda and my many coworkers there, and yes, most definitely, the customers who supported this business for so many years, are family and friends to me. From Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure to Yojimbo, Mondo Cane to Mondo Topless, Walkabout to The Cars That Ate Paris, Prime Cut to Prime Witness, Valley of the Dolls to Beyond the Valley of the Ultra-Milkmaids, and from Zontar, Thing From Venus to Driving Miss Daisy, Videoport ALWAYS delivered. Videoport sponsored free customer appreciation parties with bands like King Missle and Reverend Horton Heat and local bands like The Brood and Big Meat Hammer, they’ve been longtime supporters of WMPG, Portland’s college and community radio station, and they’ve been a social hub of this city for 28 years now. Netflix and Hulu will never be able to say that. Thank you, Bill and Yolanda, and all my friends and coworkers from back in the day, and the incredibly loyal customers who made this place possible; Portland is richer for having known you. I know that I am.
Love to all,
Lenny
from #91? AKA Mr. F: When I first started renting at Videoport it was like I’d been let in on a secret. I was barely out of middle school and I’d been handed a key to a pop art dungeon; instead of weeping prisoners chained to walls every surface was festooned with scraps of film culture ephemera- it even hung from the ceiling. I leafed through dog-eared copies of Modern Primatives, gawking at the most intimate and imaginative piercings possible while waiting to take home something truly horrendous, some piece of depravity placed in my fervid fingers by sickos all too eager to pollute willing young minds with Mondo, Troma, Švankmajer, Lynch, Waters. Not yet old old enough to vote, I had climbed holy mountains, met elephant men and repo men and men who bit dogs and women/men who bit dog shit, and an iron man called Tetsuo who was an iron man before iron man was iron man. Before you’re gone for good I’ll bring my boy down and put him on my account. He’s only seven months old, so we should probably start him off with something a little tame- I’m thinking ‘Un Chien Andalou’ but I’m sure you’ll have an even better recommendation.
To the owner of Videoport:
I’m nearly 60 and I’ve never written to a business owner before.
I’m compelled to let you know how much your shop has meant to me and my family over the years.
Your wide selection of genres and titles led to hours of shelf perusal by me, my wife and two children. There was always something for each of us to keep us entertained on a rainy weekend or while recovering from a cold. Sometimes it would be a family movie we could all enjoy on a Saturday night.
My son and daughter grew up on the classics that I recalled from my childhood and could only find at Videoport.
Although I appreciate the immediacy and availability that Netflix and HBONOW provide, I continue to have a need for Videoport. The offbeat, hard-to-find obscure cult movie or the cable TV series not yet picked up by the online subscriber services.
Moreover, the staff at Videoport are a unique resource that I will miss.
It doesn’t surprise me that Videoport’s inventory will be donated to the local library which, in itself, is a cherished destination of mine. I have been a library enthusiast, supporter and donor and will be extra generous in the future, knowing that the owner of Videoport has selflessly waived the income he might otherwise have generated from sales of his inventory.
Thank you and I hope you prosper in your life after Videoport, no doubt continuing to do good deeds.
Chris
Thank you, Chris.