The Last Blockbuster is a 2020 documentary film about Blockbuster LLC's last store, located in Bend, Oregon.[3] It was released on December 15, 2020, by 1091 Pictures.
| The Last Blockbuster | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Taylor Morden |
| Written by | Zeke Kamm |
| Produced by | Zeke Kamm |
| Starring | Sandi Harding Lloyd Kaufman[1] Jamie Kennedy[2] Kevin Smith Adam Brody Samm Levine Ron Funches Paul Scheer Doug Benson James Arnold Taylor Brian Posehn Greg Camp Ione Skye |
| Narrated by | Lauren Lapkus |
| Edited by | Tim Skousen |
Production companies | Popmotion Pictures September Club |
| Distributed by | 1091 Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editThe documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video, a video rental business that was popular during the 1990s. The documentary explores how Blockbuster put independent video rental stores out of business by striking revenue-share deals with film studios (allowing Blockbuster to negotiate lower prices in exchange for a cut of the rental fees), and how Blockbuster itself collapsed as a result of poor management and the financial crisis of 2007–2008. The film also documents the business model and continued survival of the last remaining Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon.[3][4][5][6]
Cast
editThe film follows Sandi Harding, the general manager of the last store over the course of a number of years. Actor and Clerks director Kevin Smith discusses the kind of businesses that Blockbuster put out of business and how they inspired his debut film. Other interviewees include Adam Brody, Samm Levine, Ron Funches, Paul Scheer, Doug Benson, James Arnold Taylor, Jamie Kennedy, and Brian Posehn.[3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "Slight but entertaining, The Last Blockbuster doesn't add much to the saga of the fallen video rental store, but should satisfy nostalgic customers in the mood for a quick diversion."[14] Metacritic gave it a score of 59, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]
See also
edit
- All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, a 2015 documentary
References
edit- ^ Miska, Brad (November 18, 2020). "'The Last Blockbuster': Troma's Lloyd Kaufman Gets Brutally Honest and Annihilates Blockbuster In This Exclusive Clip". Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Last Blockbuster | Film Threat". December 15, 2020. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Debruge, Peter (2021-03-15). "'The Last Blockbuster' Review: A Fond Homage to the Hobbled Video Giant, Now on Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ Analysis by Brian Lowry. "'The Last Blockbuster' is about more than just a video-rental chain's demise". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ Kenny, Glenn (December 15, 2020). "'The Last Blockbuster' Review: All the Nostalgia, With No Late Fees". Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (March 11, 2021). "Watch The Last Blockbuster Documentary on Netflix Next Week". SlashFilm.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Netflix is releasing a documentary on the last ever Blockbuster video store". March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Oregon is home of the world's last Blockbuster. This show offers a dose of nostalgia". Peoria Journal Star. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ^ "World's last Blockbuster more popular after Netflix show". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ^ Parker 2, Bryan C. (March 25, 2021). "'The Last Blockbuster' Is a Fond Farewell to the Nearly Defunct Video Chain". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Friday Film Review--"The Last Blockbuster"". KPCW | Listen Like a Local. March 29, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ^ "The true story of the world's last Blockbuster". The Independent. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ says, Bob McGowan jr (December 17, 2020). "Review: The Last Blockbuster — Movies for the Rest of Us with Bill Newcott". The Saturday Evening Post. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Last Blockbuster (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ "The Last Blockbuster". Archived from the original on 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2021-07-06 – via www.metacritic.com.
