Street: Could you tell us a little about how the Video Library started?
Attiba Royster: I'm not sure exactly -- I only started this job about four years ago -- the store has been around before me. Actually the owners of this store had one before this, but a friend of theirs who actually owned this space suggested that they start a store here. I'm not sure when or where -- I want to say the early '90s.
Street: What's it like to be an independent film store when you're living in an age of Netflix and Blockbuster?
AR: It's tough because we make most of our money off of the new releases. But since Blockbuster and Netflix can buy more and have more available, if the customers don't find a movie here, they go to like Blockbuster. What we try to do is specialize in having a very diverse and eclectic selection of films available so that stuff you might not be able to find at Blockbuster, like foreign films, little documentaries -- little films that may fall through the cracks. That's how we survive.
Street: Do people actually watch the really random ones?
AR: You'd be surprised at what actually gets rented here. We usually don't buy anything unless we think that there's a market for it and that people will rent it.
Street: What do think about the movies that they play at the Bridge?
AR: I think that the Bridge has a good mix, usually. They do have Hollywood films there -- they have to make their money -- but they do have some smaller independent films as well. They have been skewing more towards the "just Hollywood" recently, but it is a bad time for movies right now. Real crap comes out, so they're just doing what they have to do to survive.
Street: Any Oscar favorites this year?
AR: Crash deserves to win a lot of awards.
Street: How popular is this movie [holds up the DVD of Pokemon: Jirachi -- Wish Maker]?
AR: Um, [checks computer] it has been rented 19 times since June 2004.
Street: Whoa. What about Adventures in Babysitting?
AR: That's actually a classic. It's been rented [checks computer again] 128 times.
Street: What is the biggest late fee you have ever seen?
AR: We stop late fees after two weeks, so that's $30.50. But if you lose it, we charge you what we paid for it, plus the late fee.
Street: Has your business been affected at all after the University started renting out movies, like in Houston Hall?
AR: We haven't really seen a considerable dip yet, but Video Vault is pretty new, so it may be a while before we feel any effect. But from what I understand, Video Vault is more expensive, so hopefully that'll keep us afloat.
Street: So do you have a favorite movie of all time?
AR: It's a film with Orson Welles called The Third Man. It's from 1949. It's just a blend of everything -- comedy, suspense, etc.
Street: How do you choose what you put on the television screen? I've always wondered that.
AR: Just whoever's working. Like I came in and wanted to watch, Seinfeld so I put that in. There's no real process.
Street: What's your guilty pleasure movie.
AR: Pootie Tang.
Street: What's your favorite Eddie Murphy movie?
AR: 48 Hours.
Street: Which Star Wars character is the best?
AR: Han Solo.
Street: Will Martin Lawrence's career ever get better after Big Momma's House 2?
AR: Was Martin Lawrence's career ever good?
Street: Who should be the next Bond Girl?
AR: Kate Bosworth.
Street: What movie were you sad to see sober?
AR: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.
Video Library is located on 4040 Locust.
