The Last Blockbuster

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The Last Blockbuster
The Last Blockbuster poster.jpg
Poster
Directed byTaylor Morden
Written byZeke Kamm
Produced byZeke Kamm
StarringLloyd Kaufman[1]
Jamie Kennedy[2]
Narrated byLauren Lapkus
Edited byTim Skousen
Production
companies
Popmotion Pictures
September Club
Distributed by1091 Pictures
Release date
  • December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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.

Synopsis[]

The 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[]

The 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 and Brian Posehn.[3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Reception[]

On 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.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ 'The Last Blockbuster': Troma's Lloyd Kaufman Get Brutally Honest and Annihilates Blockbuster In This Exclusive Clip - Bloody Disgusting
  2. ^ Film Threat
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 'The Last Blockbuster' is about more than a just a video-rental chain's demise|CNN
  5. ^ The New York Times
  6. ^ /Film
  7. ^ Netflix is releasing a documentary on the last ever Blockbuster video store|NME
  8. ^ The Last Blockbuster: Netflix documentary offers nostalgia : Journal Star
  9. ^ ABC News article
  10. ^ ‘The Last Blockbuster’ Is a Fond Farewell to the Nearly Defunct Video Chain – Texas Monthly
  11. ^ KPCW article
  12. ^ The Last Blockbuster: The true story of how it stays in business|The Independent
  13. ^ Review: The Last Blockbuster — Movies for the Rest of Us with Bill Newcott|The Saturday Evening Post
  14. ^ "The Last Blockbuster (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  15. ^ Metacritic

External links[]

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