Video Free Brooklyn

Okay, so let me begin by saying the staff running this neighborhood gem is extremely knowledgeable about film. It’s always a pleasure renting from them. Step away On Demand… It’s a space that’s extremely rare to find in modern day New York. I support it completely and have always found a great selection of treasures that particularly Aaron (who works there) helps me out with.
I’m also eternally grateful for his patience. I’m always running late with rentals but he deducts the fee when it gets, eh, too high. Thanks Aaron. For 2016 I’ll commit more to being on time.
ANYWAY– GO TO VIDEO FREE BROOKLYN.

I love Video Free Brooklyn. The selection’s thoughtfully curated and updated regularly, with a good mix of popular releases and under-​the-​radar stuff that wouldn’t be available otherwise unless I tracked down and purchased the DVD or something. Clearly run by people who love movies. They always have something good playing and an impressive movie-​themed window display. The staff is helpful and knowledgable about movies without being snobs (which is very rare). And they’ve always got good recommendations (so glad to have seen the Death of Mr. Lazarescu, and it’s because of this place).

Great selection. Well organized. Staff picks and recommendations are great. So much better than Blockbuster! It’s a small store but there are tons of movies here. Super relaxed atmosphere. You definitely won’t be bothered while you stand there and try to pick something out. And they have a cute video return slot by the door!

Losing internet for a week after a snowstorm, my girlfriend and I decided to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition). After watching The Fellowship of the Ring, we were itching for more … but we didn’t have the second movie. We searched all over the public libraries and Brooklyn’s sparse «DVD stores» that still exist today, but to no avail.
We finally called up VFB and the owner, prompt and friendly, told us they had it in stock. Setting up an account was easy and hassle-​free: telephone number, $ 50 credit deposit (they don’t charge you, just need to have it on file). An issue came up with our card but the owner was really accommodating.
Normally a two-​day rental is $ 4.00 ($ 5.00 for new releases, but to our luck, we came in on a Wednesday, so we got $ 1 off our rental!
I’m really glad that there are still DVD rental stores like this one around in the age of Youtube and Netflix. The staff is helpful and friendly and the prices are really fair. I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a movie night when your internet goes down.

I love this place so much. Yes there is a certain element of nostalgia to it, but it’s also so nice to have like every great movie ever made at my fingertips in the neighborhood. Watching things via internet is not the same, because the quality of picture sucks.
Also the people who run it really love movies and know their stuff.
Also it’s cheap!

The staff is always very cool and able to answer most any question you can throw at them. This is a store for movie junkies and Syfi addicts.

If you’re looking to look among a plethora of indie/​foreign films, look no further. This place is awesome and the staff is very knowledgable. Forget Netflix, get beyond your cyber world and bring it back old school where you can support a local business and talk to a film nerd who sits behind the counter willing to guide your film viewing pleasure.
I for one love foreign films and can’t find a good selection anywhere but here. I’m so over the same old story American films seem to have, same plot with a predictable ending so I come here to broaden my horizons, get semi-​social with a fellow film geek and have a night of red wine and unpredictable viewing.
You don’t need a membership but if you want to save money they do have easy to sign up memberships that can save you a few bucks. More to buy wine with.
Cheers–

It’s not really my thing to write Unilocal reviews but I was looking up the phone number and saw a couple bad reviews so I wanted to give my two cents. My neighbor and I go here a lot (sometimes he returns my movies for me– bonus) and it’s easily the best video store I’ve been to since I lived in San Francisco years ago. The place may not be very big, but don’t be fooled because they have way better movies than Netflix, plus tons of BluRays, Criterions, foreign, classics and TV shows. One time they didn’t have this Patricia Neal movie I had heard about (The Subject Was Roses) and Arron ordered it and had it two days later!!! Who does that? He’s a movie critic so he knows his stuff.
I also like their absolution Sunday special, where they cut your late fees in half when you accidentally forget to bring your movies back on time. Plus, they have a monthly subscription that my neighbor uses because it’s like Netflix but you can take 2 movies at a time and bring them back as often as you like to get more. The staff’s cool and works in the movie biz and they’re all really knowledgeable and recommend great things I’ve never heard of. There’s an Australian girl there who suggested my boyfriend and I rent Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, which is now one of our favorite movies ever. Thanks to her, I’m sorry I don’t know here name!
Anyway, yeah, Video Free is awesome and I’m glad they’re still around. Also, their window displays are so cute.

Yeah.
The people here are knowledgeable and would probably be cool to have a beer with and talk about films but not good business people ehh not so much…
And to echo another one of their bad reviews, they only offer credit when they fudge up. I think the owner needs to go back to customer service 101.
Thats just not a good way to run a business.
Basically, the owners wife signed me for my first VFB account and talked me into getting a monthly membership but told me nothing about the terms and conditions.
Subsequently I was billed for 2 months I didn’t use after giving them my credit card (only for membership and liability no to be billed again: I paid in cash for my purchase.)
After specifically asking their chill High Fidelityesque worker when my membership was over and I could stop renting he told me date x. I stopped renting after this day.
I know I could have read the sign to find out if it would bill me again but I just asked about my account it seemed quicker and easier.
2 months later I look at my statement and see I was billed over 50 dollars of completely inactive account usage. I rented nothing during those 2 months.
After speaking to the owner and insisting upon a refund I was offered credit.
Cheap dude. Cheap.
Sorry I know your more of a videophile than a businessowner and that’s cool but get it together. And just practice generosity. It will get you back.
I seriously would have done way more business with you if you practiced a little more fairness and generosity.

I love having this video store in my neighborhood. Recently downgraded on Netflix to only having a couple rentals a month, and it’s great to be able to go here and pick up something I’m in the mood to see in the moment. Plus you can’t beat the pleasure of browsing and finding something you never expected or had forgotten about — not likely on Netflix, where searches are custom-​filtered for you. Friendly staff and great selection.

Fuck Netflix!!! Support art and watch foreign and independent films. This place not only has that but the people working there make awesome suggestions.

Video Free Brooklyn is the cinephiles’ dream come true. Not only do they curate instead of accumulate they are also knowledgeable and accessible to all tastes whether you want entertainment or esoterica.

I am so happy to have this video store down the street. They have a great selection of foreign films and they are always friendly.

I love having this video store in my neighborhood, great selection (don’t let the size fool you) and friendly staff. They did a great job remodeling it.

Just had to finally add a review, because renting a movie last night I learned of a great new feature… they are now renting Blu-​ray combo packs of select titles (pretty much those new releases that are sold as such). And to their credit, they charge the same price for combo-​pack rentals as all other movies, so for the same $ 3.25 you get both the DVD and blu-​ray disks (and can’t forget reduced-​price Wednesday when all rentals are $ 2.25)
So sure the selection may not be enormous, but it is diverse and respectable. and the one-​day rental term may be short, but that’s what allows them to remain in business where so many others have fallen… we finally decided to drop our netflix down to the streaming only package, and then get physical movie rentals as we want them from VFB (no more netflix movies sitting for a week waiting to be watched)

It’s a shame. I really want to support this little place — but I just can’t. The staff could not seem more bothered by having to help customers or explain their policies. A «huff» either begins or ends every comment.
I’ve also been asked TWICE (along with other customers) to please leave the store so that the cashier could go to the bathroom. Is this a business? I’ve worked mom/​pop retail in the past — and you WAIT till the clients are gone.
This all boils down to how VFB views their clientele — and it’s poor. My advice: Hold your bladders (till you clients leave the store), be nicer (to alllllll of your clients), and see your business improve. I truly do wish them well.

It’s beyond me why most video rental joints don’t carry a wider selection of movies. Not that hard to stock up on a good selection. It’s a complaint across the board for me.

This place stinks. The dvd was scratched beyond recognition and did not work. The guy refused to refund.
On top of it, the DVDs are sticky and gross. Don’t waste your time or money. LImited selection. This place will be out of business soon.
Watch something online instead!

Having experienced my last long bout of Netflixitis (my list was composed primarily of films I knew I should watch, but which sat around on top of my television for weeks – and often months – at a time), I decided to forego the whole thing and go back to the traditional brick-​and-​mortar form of renting.
As other posters have mentioned, VFB has a pretty limited selection due to their small size, but what they do have is quality. I had basically steeled myself for Blockbuster-​type mainstream movies, but they had everything we were looking for, plus some great recommendations.
The only drawback I saw was the one-​day rental policy (and they’re serious about having the movies back the next day – they’ll charge you the equivalent of a rental for EVERY DAY it’s late), but I guess I can understand why that’s important, since they have such little stock to work with.

A few months ago, my girlfriend signed us up for netflix. I said, «don’t do it! You’ll get random movies that you’re not in the mood for, they’ll sit on a shelf, you won’t watch them, and you’ll end up losing money on the deal!»
Naturally, I was right, and the Netflix queue is filled with movies that we Should watch rather than ones we Will watch, and the whole thing is a bust. (Of course, Netflix is good for finding completely obscure stuff that no video store has in stock, like unpopular Hammer Studios movies, but how many times a year do you need to rent THE DEVIL RIDES OUT?)
So even with the Netflix membership, I still end up going to Video Free if I want a DVD. They have a great selection, favoring quality over quantity, and it’s one of those local businesses that adds personality to the neghborhood. Their charm counterbalance some of the more generic elements of Smith Street.