Emerald City Video

It’s Black Friday time…again.

The temptation to dump a bunch of money on random things you might think you need is strong. I get it; I have about $300 worth of stuff in my cart right now. I’m not judging. In this economy, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

Amazon will always be tempting, here at ECV, we want you to be able explore some of the other options. This by no means is a conclusive list — I very much want you to comment with all your go-to locations, even if they’re your local used media shop.

I’ll update this post, as I can.

New books:

BookShop – Excellent alternative to Amazon for physical and e-books. According to their site “Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.” They also have an affiliate program that I am a member of.

https://bookshop.org/

There’s of course also Barnes and Noble, which currently is owned by GOP donor and vulture fund operator billionaire Paul Singer. They also fucked up my pre-order of the Sinners steelbook, so fuck them.

New DVD/Blu-Ray/4ks:

Gruv – Co-owned and operated by NBCUniversal, Gruv is a site that sells everything from DVDs to 4k discs with deals so good, it’s easy to think it’s a bootleg site.

It’s got a great selection, things feel like they are more in stock than some other places and their shipping prices are good.

https://www.gruv.com/

Orbit – Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Orbit sells a wide range of discs, VHS, books and even Ghanian movie posters. They carry U.S. and Import labels so keep an eye on what you’re ordering to make sure it works with what player you have.

The whole site has the vibe of a classic media store, even with employee recommendations.

https://www.orbitdvd.com/

Amoeba – If you’re in Hollywood, this store is a must-stop for new and used physical media folks. I stopped in there last year and it was an experience that I haven’t had since the 2000s. I also dropped about $100.

https://www.amoeba.com/

Boutique/Studio:

Arrow Video – To me this is the premiere company for boutique physical media releases. They do incredible 4k and Blu-ray releases of indie classics like Mallrats, True Romance, or wider hits like RoboCop. Every disc they release is loaded with extras, and they even have a subscription service for cult-cinema.

https://www.arrowvideo.com/

A24 – It’s A24, with gorgeous collector edition sets like Everything Everywhere All At Once or Eggers’ The Lighthouse. If you’re looking to buy a disc of an A24 film, this is the first place to check.

Blu-Rays

Criterion – I mean, come on. It’s Criterion. What should have have to explain to ECV readers about the company that essentially created the special edition DVD set. If it’s on Criterion, it’s probably worth buying.

https://www.criterion.com/shop

Vineagar Syndrome – I LOVE these folks. They really care about the old school insanity of physical media. They have incredible limited releases of classics like Road House and more esoteric movies like The Scary of Sixty-First.

They still release VHS editions of new movies that really take care to give you a reason to buy. Just look at this copy of Attack of the Beast Creatures. This edition is sold out, as they only released 300 copies. They sell out quick of limited editions like this, so it’s best to be on their newsletter.

https://vinegarsyndrome.com

Diabolik – One of the best selection of esoteric and cult DVDs out there. Lots of foreign releases (so be careful of the region of the player) of US movies and TV shows that sometimes offer more features, and even different editions of the films.

https://diabolikdvd.com/