ON-LINE SALES AND RENTAL SOURCES
The way to get our recommended DVDs on-line,
in the United States and Canada
General Information
DVD Sourcing: the source is given right under the review and indicated by the little red box with the "S" in it:
Generally Available: If we say: "Available on DVD through our listed on-line sources" this means the title is widely available. You can try any of the on-line sources we provide below. Alternatively, ask your favorite local store; if they don't have it, they can probably order it for you.
Specialty Titles: If the title is available only from a specialty source then that information and the on-line link is provided immediately below the review, after the
symbol.
Specialty Formats: Occasionally we recommend a title that is available as an "All Region DVD". This is a universal format that has been been manufactured without Region Access Coding and should play for you no matter which country you live in or what equipment standard you are using. Rarely, we will mention a foreign format, such as PAL, which will not play on North American equipment.
Specialty Equipment: It is now possible to purchase all-region, any-access-code DVD players that will play any DVD on your regular TV. We have found that the cheap ones made for Karaoke are excellent — and you will end up with those nifty microphones, should you ever want to have your equipment double for a Karaoke evening! Be sure to take a foreign DVD to the store with you and try it out for yourself before making your purchase — sales staff tend to be uncertain about these things.
Purchasing vs. Renting:
- Investing in a Visual Library by building your own home video collection can be very rewarding in the same way as having a CD collection or shelves of books you've selected personally. If you buy, the whole world is your oyster - although you will have to purchase specialized equipment to play foreign DVDs (see above) — and you can expand your range by buying DVDs that are only available from the production company or other specialty source. For specialty titles that interest you but are unavailable for rent, we suggest you get together with some like-minded friends and purchase; you will be helping support a filmmaker!
- Depending on where you live, there may be a wonderful local video store that you can run down to and rent most of the titles we recommend. If not and you don't want to buy, consider an on-line rental service. There are advantages (you don't have to leave home), and disadvantages (you have to plan ahead and you should be prepared to wait for popular titles), but these details can all be worth it - especially if you live far from an urban centre and/or a video store with a large inventory.
North American On-line Sales Sources
You can order from these sources whichever side of the border you live on.
USA
Amazon.com, Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA, www.amazon.com
Not just books, but a great source for movies as well. The service is fast and the technical details and reviews are excellent. The main minus is no personal service.Search Tip: In the : search amazon.com box at the top left, select DVD and then enter the title you are looking for. If you don't do this you will get long lists of books and other items with the same title as well as the DVDs.
Facets Multimedia, Chicago, Illinois, USA, www.facets.org A Chicago non-profit arts organization that supplies everything a film buff wants including foreign titles, documentaries, independent work and other specialty films. Superb database with key-word search, and friendly, well-informed staff.
Caution: be sure to check the quality of the releases under their own "Facets" label, as these are not always as good as they might be. Check on DVD Beaver www.dvdbeaver.com for technical quality commentaries for specific titles.
Movies Unlimited, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, www.moviesunlimited.com The USA's oldest — and possibly largest — mail-order movie source, featuring collector DVDs, books, posters and out-of-print VHS titles.
National Film Board of Canada, New York, NY USA, www.nfb.ca An award-winning collection of premium Canadian-made documentaries.
Search Tip: Click "collections" for research Click "shop" for store. Select your location (USA or Canada) and select "Home Use"
Caution: Many titles remain available only on VHS, although they are slowly moving over to DVDs. And you may find the price a bit high compared to the other sources mentioned here.
Scarecrow Video, Seattle, Washington, USA, www.scarecrow.com Excellent source for indies, cult and hard-to-find titles. Huge catalogue and knowledgeable staff.
TLA Entertainment Group, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, www.tlavideo.com Excellent source for foreign, classics, gay & lesbian and indies. Publishers of the TLA Film and Video Guide for discerning film lovers.
Videomatica, Vancouver, British Columbia (US Sales) www.videomatica.com Independent specialty video source for foreign, classics, documentary, gay & lesbian, TV series, cult, indies and more. Expect a wide selection from all over the world, knowledgeable staff - and they always show the back of the box.
Canada
Amazon.ca, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, www.amazon.ca
The biggest on-line store in Canada and essential if you are seeking Canadian titles. Americans take note: some international work appears in Canada ahead of its US release, and some titles found here never appear in the US.
Cautions: Many titles are listed as "imports" which mean they come from the US and you may wait three weeks, or more, for your order. And they tend to skimp on the technical details. It's often quicker, more informative, and less frustrating to use Amazon.com.
National Film Board of Canada, Montreal, Quebec www.nfb.ca An award-winning collection of premium Canadian-made documentaries.
Search Tip: Click "collections" for research Click "shop" for store. Select your location (USA or Canada) and select "Home Use"
Caution: Many titles remain available only on VHS, although they are slowly moving over to DVDs. And you may find the price a bit high compared to the other sources mentioned here.
Videomatica, Vancouver, British Columbia, www.videomatica.ca Canada's oldest and best-known independent specialty video source for foreign, classics, documentary, gay & lesbian, TV series, cult, indies and more. Expect a wide selection from all over the world, knowledgeable staff - and they always show the back of the box.
North American On-line Rental Sources
Remember, rental services do not cross borders! USA
- www.blockbuster.com (headquartered in Dallas, but stores nationwide)
- www.facets.org (Chicago)
- www.greencine.com (San Francisco)
- www.intelliflix.com (West Palm Beach, FL)
- www.netflix.com (Los Gatos, CA)
Canada:
- www.canflix.com (Calgary)
- www.cinemail.ca (Winnipeg)
- www.dvdhype.com (Montreal)
- www.rogersvideodirect.ca (Ottawa)
- www.videomatica.ca (Vancouver)
- www.zip.ca (Toronto)
Search Tips
Although many foreign-language titles have English versions, (Les invasions barbares/The Barbarian Invasions) they are often listed only under their original title. A good way to proceed is to enter the name of the director in "Search" rather than the title. This is particularly true for French-language titles in Canada. If you feel you need additional information about a title in order to find it, try the Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.comDVD Downloads
These do cross borders, directly to your computer, however you probably will not find any of the titles we recommend at these sites...yet.- www.cinemanow.com (Marina del Rey, CA)
- www.cineclix.com (Vancouver, BC)