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It seems like only a few yesterdays ago when we happily noted<\/a><\/span> on C-U Blogfidential<\/strong> the perseverance of Geoff Merritt<\/strong> in running his video rental oasis, That\u2019s Rentertainment<\/strong>. We began to build editorial around obscure releases tucked away<\/a><\/span> in their massive collection as well as former Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> residents doing interesting movie projects inspired in part by their patronage<\/a><\/span> of the store. Other news avenues like the Daily Illini<\/strong><\/span> had been regularly checking in with the folks behind the counter<\/a><\/span> at 516 E. John St., Champaign<\/strong>, to get a sense of how Rentertainment stemmed the tide financially, offering a commodity roundly doomed in the national press for the past decade if not longer. Did Merritt, also proprietor of the Parasol<\/strong> music labels<\/span><\/a> in Urbana, simply get lucky in this location? Do the culture consumers du C-U provide just enough support to help keep his doors open?<\/p>\n The answer must have been \u201cyes\u201d on both counts until recently for on June 1<\/strong>, the 30th anniversary of the store\u2019s opening, Merritt announced Rentertainment would soon vacate the northwest corner of John and Sixth streets. As of this Monday, June 15<\/strong>, much of the store\u2019s inventory is on sale to customers wishing to give their favorite cinematic moments a new home, although those who do not want to accumulate physical media can rent whatever remains on their shelves for the next few weeks. This FAQ tab<\/a><\/span> on the Rentertainment Web site<\/a><\/span> as well as the weekly e-mail blasts<\/a><\/span> will keep customers appraised on how the sale progresses, including gradual price reductions as with their Japanese animation sale from the winter. We hope Rentertainment friends will pay their respects in person, at the least to honor their longevity and thank them for contributing to our community.<\/p>\n Local coverage of the closing, including this DI<\/span> follow-up piece<\/a><\/span> from last week, imply several groups (of whom?) are working with Merritt to keep certain materials in the C-U and available to all residents. This is a fine idea, especially once one accepts the inevitability that more than 40,000 programs on Blu-ray, DVD, and VHS will be split up, rendering the collection\u2019s worth in breadth a moot point. One such effort, spearheaded by University of Illinois<\/strong> documentation specialist Dena Strong<\/strong>, aims to place important and hard-to-find cinema in the UI holdings as identified by staff from the Cinema Studies<\/strong> and Library<\/strong> departments. So far, more than $4,000 of Strong\u2019s proposed $5,000 expenditure has been raised through a GoFundMe<\/strong> campaign; her intent is to purchase titles at various pricing levels throughout the sale to maximize the funds. Feel free to contribute right here<\/a><\/span>!<\/p>\n It will be very easy to wax nostalgic about Rentertainment regarding the film history it harbored \u2013 a decent percentage of that content can<\/em> be accessed in some way on-line, however decentralized \u2013 but what might be irreplaceable is its value as a gathering place that fostered personal exchanges and a tactile selection process. The UI \u201cCampustown<\/strong>,\u201d radically altered by recent construction and an influx of suburbanite brand name stores, will most likely enter a new era in August with not a single retail fa\u00e7ade occupied by a merchant trading primarily in cultural experience or products<\/em>. The arguable exception of tattoo parlors aside, an artist\u2019s hard labors \u2013 cinema, literature, poetry, theater, painting, et cetera<\/em> \u2013 will have no commercial or substantial presence on Green Street or its cross roads, existing solely in the backpacks, purses, or back pockets of individuals. As they say, out of sight\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026or, held right in front of one\u2019s nose, which your humble editor witnessed while sitting along Wright Street<\/strong> on Saturday. Not five minutes after pausing to reflect on what he might rent from That\u2019s Rentertainment for his final hurrah, a college student walked by as if on cue, watching an itsy bitsy video on her smart phone. That\u2019s bad luck to a cinephile like a black cat is to the average person, yes? To temper our melodramatic fears \u2013 we will always<\/em> be concerned about the future of film presentation, dearest readers \u2013 we share below the jump Merritt\u2019s first public words on the closing and Mr. JaPan<\/strong>\u2019s vintage thoughts on the store\u2019s massive VHS sale from 10 years ago. The latter first appeared in issue 19 of Greg Woods<\/strong>\u2019 journal, The Eclectic Screening Room<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, in 2007; we revive and annotate it with the blessing of our fellow editor in Toronto<\/strong>, whose words will appear in C-U Confidential<\/span> #8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n <\/p>\n p.s.<\/em> Well, damn<\/em>, there goes our bid for a local film section to finally materialize at a local video store. After friendly encouragement from yours truly over the years, Merritt admitted in his April 14, 2015<\/strong> e-newsletter<\/a><\/span>, \u201c\u2026The Champaign-Urbana Film Society<\/strong> (CUFS) brought in a copy of their latest \u2018Pens to Lens<\/strong>\u2019 collection (showcasing local talent). That, and another nudge from Jason Pankoke<\/strong>, might be what it takes for us to make a \u2018Local\u2019 section\u2026\u201d So<\/em>. Which Champaign County<\/strong> library is going to step up to the plate on this?<\/p>\n p.s.2<\/em> Conversely, we always liked that The Movie Fan<\/strong> of Normal<\/strong> had a local film section, even if dominated by student work. We wonder to this day what happened to their equally amazing inventory since closing two years ago with little fanfare<\/a><\/span>; be grateful Merritt is giving us a crack at the Rentertainment collection.<\/p>\n p.s.3<\/em> The only movie rental option that will remain in Champaign-Urbana outside of libraries is Family Video<\/strong> at their three locations: 1101 N. Mattis Ave.<\/strong> in Champaign<\/strong>, 805 N. Lincoln Ave.<\/strong> in Urbana<\/strong>, and 1901 S. Philo Rd.<\/strong>, also in Urbana<\/strong>. Headquartered in upstate Glenview<\/strong>, this chain has managed to thrive as their rental and retail competitors recede or succumb, according to a Chicago Sun-Times<\/strong><\/span> article from last year<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n p.s.4<\/em> The winning rental on Saturday, by the way, was Japan\u2019s tokusatsu<\/em> adventure ATRAGON<\/strong> from 1963. No, it does not<\/em> have any dinosaurs in it, just a grumpy serpent god named Manda<\/strong>. And, no, Ye Ed has not bought a sale item, yet.<\/p>\n p.s.5<\/em> For those outside of the C-U who have never stepped foot inside That\u2019s Rentertainment and probably never will, we again post the recent Elsinore<\/strong> music video THE ART OF PULLING<\/strong> because it features a vignette set in the shop. It also drops one of the best Alfred Hitchcock cameos that Hitch himself was never involved with:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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