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TIPS FOR FINDING VIDEOS
IF you're looking for a film and you're not sure it's on video yet, your first stop should be the latest edition of the VideoHound's Golden Movie
Retriever, a plump 1,600+ pages of listings of movies on video (we estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000). It's our first stop when
we're doing research for people or answering E-mail queries. For DVD releases, the folks at VideoHound have released
VideoHound's DVD Guide, a series of directories with reviews and information on presentation, sound quality and
extras for thousands of DVD releases. The first volume covered about 3,000 DVDs;
Book 2 supplements the first edition with 2,200 different reviews; and Book 3
supplements the first two volumes with 2,600 different reviews.
We also arm ourselves with two indispensable catalogs: one from Movies Unlimited , which pretty much covers the mainstream, the other from Facets Video,
which covers foreign, cult, children's and independent films.
On the net the best choice for tracking down information on videos is
the Internet Movie Database. This is an incredible source for finding information on
virtually every film ever released, with plot reviews, cast and crew credits and
bios, filmographies, consumer ratings, and much much more. The Database also
lets you know if the film is available on video.
Now that you know your film is out there, where do you get it? Some good
sources for finding videos:
Amazon,
Movies Unlimited,
New Releases Video,
and Direct Video for new; and
Video Depot,
Djangos
and Second Spin for used. For
bargain-priced used videos, try
Lighthouse Video and
CloseoutVideo.
Or check other companies listed in the Guide to General Release Videos.
For foreign or cult films start out with Facets
Video, an incredible source of virtually every foreign film ever
put on tape. Home Vision, Kino, New Yorker and Vanguard are also good
sources.
Tracking that elusive video using OnVideo's Resource Guide to
Online Video and Mail Order Sources:
In general, check out the General Releases page first. That foreign
film or 1950s film noir movie you're looking for may in fact be on hand at
Facets or even a giant outfit such as Movies Unlimited or Amazon.
Failing the larger services, move on to the more specialized, or
smaller outfits. For off-the-beaten path movies try our pages for Art and
Culture or Misc. Video Oyster, for example, is an excellent source of rare,
hard-find and out-of-print videos. Finally, if all else fails, turn to the
Professional Searchers. And good luck. Or leave us an 
E-mail message and we'll try our
best to help you; because of the volume of E-mail we receive, it may be
several days before we respond, but we do answer every message (unless we get
incorrect return addresses, which seem to be on the rise).
A note about online searching: Some online sources have fairly
easy search mechanisms: type in the title, actor,
etc., wait a few seconds and a your query is answered. Other online sources
require you to scroll through lists broken out by genre, actor, or alphabet, and
that, at times can be tedious.
For our overseas friends:
Most of the companies listed here sell videos in NTSC format. PAL, the
video format in use in England, Europe, Australia and parts of the Far-East,
is incompatible with the American NTSC standard.
BlackStar,
Cheap or What! (formerlly PastelBlue),
Pal Video Online,
Immersion Films,
and
British Internet Music and Video Store,
handle PAL videos.
BOOKS FOR SERIOUS VIDEO COLLECTORS
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2008
Detroit: Gale. 2007,
If you're serious about your video, then this is the book for you.
It's our first choice when we grab a book to look up a video. In addition to
comprehensive listings of videos and their distributors, the book has
incredible cross-indexes: by alternate titles, category, awards, foreign films,
cast, director,
writer, cinematographer, composer and song titles. A Category Index, which
indexes films by such categories as Alien Babes, Bad
Bosses, Cold Spots, Desserts, Eyeballs, Folklore & Legends, Golf, Hell High
School, Killer Rodents, Lovers on the Lam, Nuns & Priests, Revealing Swimwear,
Shrinks, Trees and Forests, Women in War -- there's close to 800 category
headings -- extends over 150 plus pages. This year the Category Index has been
revamped, with some categories, such as Comedy and Romance, Cops and Crime and
Criminals, being broken down into subcategories, such as Sci-Fi Comedy and
Romantic Thrillers, Killer Spouses, Killer Appliances, and Heist Casino, while
such categories as Bachelor Party, Brothers and Sisters, Hong Kong, I'm Not
Dead, Killer Reptiles, Period Places (costume dramas by century), Second
Chances, Clones, Cockroaches, and Car Chases have been added. Here's where you
can find the title of virtually any film made about virtually any topic.
There's also a "Kibbles and Series" index which categorizes titles by such
concepts as adaptations, beach party, director/star teams (Ford & Wayne,
Spielberg & Dreyfuss, Raimi & 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88), books to film, Disney
animated movies, Elvisfilm, MGM musicals, screen teams, and on and on. And
there's an Awards index that lists nominees with winners for every category and
every year for 21 national and international award bodies.
It's a veritable cornucopia that's indispensable. If you can only
have one book on video, this is it. Order VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever from Amazon Books.
Movies Unlimited Video Catalog
6736 Castor Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19149-2184
This mainly-retail mail order house puts out a giant catalog of general release videos. It's catalog takes some getting used to as
listings in each of its sections (comedy, drama, family, sci-fi, etc) are not in
alphabetical order -- it's index time. Still, a handy source to what's
available for sale.
Facets Video Catalog
Chicago, IL: Academy Chicago Publishers, 1997
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60614; 800-331-6197.
An oversized guide to the best in American and foreign film,
independents, guilty pleasures, children's and non-fiction. Indexed by director,
country, genre and short films. A must for serious collectors. Order Facets Complete Video Catalogue from Amazon Books.
Complete Guide to Special Interest Videos (1995-1996), The
Video Learning Lab
15838 N. 62nd Street, #101
Scottsdale, AZ 85254-9888
Voice: 800-383-8811
41 categories of special interest videos, from autos to gardening
to nature to sports to travel. Paper: $19.95, CD-ROM: $69.95, PC disks:
$69.95
Seen That, Now What?
By Andrea Shaw
NY: Simon & Schuster Fireside Book, 1996
Helps you locate videos by concept, director, actors, genre rather
than by alphabetical listings: buddy capers, road films, costume dramas,
horror films, etc. Kind of the "synonym-finder" of video reference books: $19.95
paper. Order Seen That, Now What? The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Video You Really Want to Watch from Amazon Books.
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide
at every book store in America.
In its fifth decade, this is the best source for reviews of
movies that make it to TV or cable. Its pluses: comprehensive and compact, and
fun to read; Maltin gives ratings and indicates when a movie has been released to
video. Shortcomings: cross-references by cast and director is meager compared
to the competition. Still, we buy one every year, come rain or come
shine. Order Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide from Amazon Books.
VideoHound's Independent Film Guide
Detroit: Gale, 1999
$19.95 at most every decent book store or 1-800-776-6265
The movie-oriented folks at VideoHound deserve another feather in their
cap for this impressive guide book to the best of independent film. Written by
Monica Sullivan, host and producer of the nationally syndicated radio show
"Movie Magazine International," the book runs the gamut from low-budget
trash productions such as Larry ("It's Alive") Cohen's "The
Ambulance" to more mainsteam works such as "To Die For" and "The English
Patient." There's some 800 movies made outside (or adjacent to) the Hollywood
system reviewed here, each with annotations (cast and crew, awards); there's
also four indexes (cast, director, category, distributor), a list of alternate
titles, a bibliography of "indie connections" (Websites, books, periodicals) and
a host of sidebars on boundary-breaking directors, actors and producers. Order
Videohound's Independent Film Guide from Amazon Books.
Killer B's: The 237 Best Movies on Video You've (Probably) Never
Seen
By D. Scott Apel
San Jose, Calif.: The Permanent Press, 1997
$12.95
Faced with a plethora of movie review guides, where do you turn for movie-
renting advice that features intelligent criticism with well-turned phrases in
praise of worthwhile movies off-the-beaten track (or maybe on the edges of the
beaten track)? Here, that's where. Apel is a video columnist with an impeccable
pedigree (with credits ranging from Video and Video
Review magazines to the prestigious San Jose Mercury
News and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate) and he knows
whereof he writes. These are reviews of 237 "sleepers," "buried treasures" and
"killer B's" that were overlooked at the time of their theatrical or video
release but are first-rate outings that deserve to be seen by die-hard (and
almost die-hard) video buffs. Apel writes a full page on each film (no nuggets
here) and provides a variety of "sidebar" info on the releases (such as
dissenting opinions, vidbits, "you'll probably like this if you liked ..." and
more). This is the book to get to expand your video viewing (and film) horizons,
especially if you've tired of the formulaic-Hollywood output. If your bookstore
doesn't stock "Killer B's," it can be ordered from the publisher at P.O. Box
700305, San Jose, CA 95170 for $12.95 plus $2.00 postage and handling each, or
check out their online sales at Impermanent Press.
Makes a great gift for your film-loving loved ones.
Tips for Finding Videos
Feedback: Comments, questions, help? Send E-mail to OnVideo.