Sneak Reviews

It’s 2014 and Unilocal is ten years old.
How many reviews are currently being posted for video stores and how many are for Charlottesville’s own «Sneak Reviews»??
I don’t have any idea exactly when I started to frequent this business,(15−20 yrs ago probably or thereabouts) but I can tell you that I have spent a LOT of time in that neon-​sign lit, block-​ish building that fronts Ivy Road and that I often feel like I’m boarding and old wooden sailing ship whenever I park beneath and then ascend that warpened set of stairs and decking that lead to it’s front door.
It’s odd to comment on a «video store» in the 21^st century, no? But apparently for a good number of people in the area it’s still a viable template for which to satisfy their addiction for the «entertainments». Certainly the bottom dropped out in the business for most in the 20-​to-​30 year old demographic (except for the blissfully, beautifully misguided what … A.) work there or B.) are attached by sentimentality, which might be the same thing on some level but I’m rambling here and going no further w/​that thought). You see all types of people patronizing the business tho. Young-​ish, middle-​ish, «mature-​ish». Hale and hearty and stooped. All still clamoring, seriously folks… for whatever new releases are available each and every Tuesday.
Sharks to blood and all that for the latest blockbuster.
I think at some point many of us decided that a good ‘ol DVDs resolution was good enough and that we really didn’t need to invest in a Blue-​Ray/​PS2 to see a better copy of «Casablanca» or «The Philadelphia Story». For some, (YRSTRLY included) there’s not the option for «streaming» or even broadcast television at all. Some lack access. Some have purposefully «cut the cord». For us this is pretty much it: $ 4.50 for a four-​night rental of the latest Wes Anderson film. Frankly, many people are just fine with that. We are talking about film and television content, mostly. It’s not all that important really.
And the amount of stuff! New releases, classics, the obscure, the foreign, the range of genre. Seriously, you can spend hours roaming around the joint looking at the spines of the disk cases and their titles. Bring a date, make an evening of it before a nice meal and wine. It’s fun, if you are both a little geeky in that respect.
The staff has always been through the years and continues to be with the current crew knowledgeable, friendly and warm. And I argue THAT is why the next time you’d like to learn a little bit more about the history of film or maybe spend a few minutes trying to find something a little different to entertain yourself with you should stop by and talk to them. The boss can charm the pants off of anyone.
Back to that ship analogy: Video rental stores are pretty much extinct and thus a niche business that has seen it’s heyday come and is now long since gone. That this business is still around is a testament to the man who started it and still runs it. Certainly he’s taught all of us that have been along for the ride a great deal about film and has truly enlightened us along the way. Long may he and his ship sail these rough seas of the small local independent business which we should all consider supporting a little more frequently.
If you’re a cinemaphile and you haven’t discovered Sneak Reviews yet it’s still not too late.

They know a lot about movies, and have an awesome selection. I’ve been here a few times and the service is always great. I hope they are able to survive for a long time to come in this Netflix economy.

The Daedalus of DVDs.

I had the pleasure of working for this place in my early twenties. It remains the greatest job I’ve ever had. Stocked with pretty much every great film and television show ever made, you’d be hard pressed to find a better DVD rental place anywhere in the world. Need a recommendation? Ask one of the knowledgeable cinephiles behind the counter. Charlottesville is beyond fortunate to have had such a world-​class film lovers paradise for so many years. Netflix and video-​on-​demand can not compete with places like this, and never will.
RIP Sneak Reviews.

Though they didn’t have the movie we went in for (Sleepy Hallow the day before Halloween is in demand), Patrick was so great about suggesting other movies we might like based on asking our opinions of other movies we’d seen. He really knew movies.
Even though we were visiting from out of town, he trusted us to open an account and let us borrow a movie.
Then, when we asked his suggestions for a local place to grab some chinese takeout, he gave us directions and even a menu to his favorite place!
We were so impressed by the kind people in Charlottesville, and the staff at Sneak Reviews as at the top of the list.
Thanks so much, from your biggest fans in Austin!

Last weekend I walked into Blockbuster and asked for «Taxi Driver.» The guy behind the counter was like, «I’m pretty sure we’re out of that one. If you’re into that kind of thing you should just check out Sneak Reviews.»
You know it’s good when a competitor sends you there from out of its own shop. This place is the ISH. There are so many movies here I almost toppled over.
It’s $ 4.25 per movie, 5-​day rental, immense stock organized by country, director, genre, etc. I could spend days just wandering around in here. Wish I’d found this a while ago.