Scarecrow

Scarecrow Video isn't as architecturally pleasing as some of the other monuments to cultural consumption I've visited in Seattle (Elliott Bay Books [so much wood], the downtown library), but it's probably more overwhelming when compared to my previous experiences. I'm actually not sure I've ever been to a truly interesting video store before, so this was something of a shock. It claims to be the biggest video store on the West Coast, but even that didn't really explain much to me, since the only West Coast video store I've been to is the one near Victrola Coffee on 15th.

For the first time I could understand, for example, how it's possible to read Olaf Moeller in Film Comment without just feeling jealous at the movies he knows about. You can actually go to the Uzbekistan section in Scarecrow, and find at least some of what he might have written about.

Netflix is fun and all, but browsing beats searching hands down any time you're looking good movies. It's kind of like the difference between opening a well-stocked refrigerator and being able to request food items from the warehouse three states over, if they're in stock. I don't know if I'll really take much advantage of Scarecrow this year, though, since I'd much rather $5 or 6 at the theater than $3.75 plus tax for a DVD to watch in my room or on our crappy little television. Still, it's good to know that if I absolutely NEED to see a Kenneth Anger film or a Polish sci-fi flick involving a hilarious transsexual love triangle or pretty much anything under the sun, I can.