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YouTubeMy roommate tells me this is the place to go for independent film. How good is it?
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Film
tell me about the Drexel
[15 posts] [10 contributors]
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drew
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There are two locations- one in Bexley, one in Grandview. The Bexley location has more screens (Grandview only has one, Bexley has three I think...), both show indie releases. Neither are exactly state-of-the-art, but are more than acceptably comfortable... Bexley is maybe a notch or two above what I would generally expect from art house theaters.
As for the selection, take a look for yourself:
I assure you that the Sex and the City screening is an (admittedly disturbing- need horse emoticon) aberration.
Posted 3 years ago # -
brothermarcus
West Siiiide
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It isn't NYC or LA, every once in a while you will get a very new release on an independent... sometimes a film will be out, talked about, and released on dvd before it makes it there - but you'll still get to see it on the big screen. It's a very nice cinema experience and they will carry many films that will never see a screen anywhere else within a couple hours drive. If I have a choice between AMC and Drexel (example being American Psycho) I'll go to the Drexel and show some local support. I watch at least a film a week, and I would say at least 50% of what I've seen in the last ten years has either been at the Drexel Grandview or Drexel East. Both Drexel theatres have a great commercial strip with restaurants and shopping around them, good neighborhoods, and from what I've experienced good staff. They used to manage the Arena Grand and the Gateway Theatre... and since they've stopped managing those I haven't been to either - this can also be attested to the fact that I don't pick up the screen times for either of these theatres on my Yahoo Movies thinger since the Drexel folks stopped updating that for them.
I have been able to see every recent Jeunet film except for Alien: Resurrection there, drink a Jones Green Apple Soda, and have a good time.
Posted 3 years ago # -
ratzo
someplace with WiFi
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Okay, not bad. This was one somewhat big concern I had about leaving NYC - will I still be able to see indy movies over here? I'm a bit of a film geek - seven years in video retail will do that to you - and I'm willing to wait for a film like There Will Be Blood or Juno to come over here after opening in the big cities if I have to.
Posted 3 years ago # -
brothermarcus
West Siiiide
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Those are big enough that they were locked down opening weekend, Drexel Grandview had a pre-screening for Juno... I'm talking about more obscure indies like Bella or City of Lost Children that sometimes it takes a while for a print to show up here.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Also, if you're looking for some good rental spots, check out Video Central. They have a location on North Campus and one in German Village. I've never been in the campus location, but I used to live in walking distance of the one in GV. Open 24/7, and over 10,000 DVDs to choose from. Cheap 24 hour rental rates and huge sections devoted to often overlooked genres like cult films, foreign films, etc.
I can hardly stand going into a Blockbuster anymore because after a movie's been out a year they sell off all of their copies and anything older is impossible to find outside the most mainstream of movies.
Video Central Information: http://www.videocentral.myvideostore.com/content/store/info.html?client=videocentral
Posted 3 years ago # -
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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ratzo wrote Okay, not bad. This was one somewhat big concern I had about leaving NYC - will I still be able to see indy movies over here? I'm a bit of a film geek - seven years in video retail will do that to you - and I'm willing to wait for a film like There Will Be Blood or Juno to come over here after opening in the big cities if I have to.
Also, be sure to check the Wexner Center on a weekly basis. They don't really show a lot of new releases, but they have great retrospectives and they have lots of visiting filmmakers as well as artists in other fields. It's one of our greatest treasures here in Cbus. http://www.wexarts.org
Posted 3 years ago # -
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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LOVE this place, I've seen movies like Reservoir Dogs, Glengary Glen Ross, and After Dark, My Sweet here during their first runs before hardly anyone knew what they were.
Posted 3 years ago # -
ratzo
someplace with WiFi
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I'm proud to say that none of my years in video retail were spent at a Blockbuster.
I'm very excited about places like the Wexner and others around the city that show classic films. I've found that more often than not, seeing them on the big screen changes my perception of them. I notice things I normally wouldn't on video.
Is Video Central one of those automated places? I've seen some of those pop up around New York...
Posted 3 years ago # -
Ashland
In Ice Cube voice: WESTSIIIIIIIIDE
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I do not think video central is automated, but we do have tons of those all over, and if I am not downloading, that is where I go. Kroger's has an automated machine, as does meijer's I think, there is also one at the airport, and some white castle around here has one, but i forget which one. Check kroger though, most of them always have the automated machines, and they are only a buck. A local entrepreneur invented his own machine, and got VC funding from a small PE shop, and actually partnered with blockbuster for their automated machines, but now it seems that contract fell through or something, because the machines are no longer tagged with blockbuster everywhere.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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ratzo wrote Is Video Central one of those automated places? I've seen some of those pop up around New York...
Video Central is as un-automated as it gets. ;)
Hit up the one on Livingston when you get a chance, even if it's just to browse. I bet you'll like it.
Oh, worth mentioning though, you have to buy a membership card there. I think it's $2 or $3 or something, and you don't need to bring it with you to rent. Sort of odd since most chain stores give you a membership for free, but their prices are low, so it's worth it.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Horse Chestnut
Merion Village
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ratzo wrote Is Video Central one of those automated places? I've seen some of those pop up around New York...
Heeee! The old wooden floors squeak, and it smells funny, but in a good way. It's like walking into a saloon in a Western movie. It's worth going just to see their theme windows.
I love our Video Central. Yes, I do.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Mel.Starker
Columbus
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If you've got digital cable, there's also new stuff On Demand. Right now, Time Warner's offering the John Sayles movie Honeydripper, My Winnipeg, Savage Grace and a few other things that just opened in NYC.
Posted 3 years ago # -
honavery
Arizona
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and it smells funny, but in a good way.
I don't know if its in such a good way....sometimes it smells so bad in there I can't stand it. It's like just a feint odor of raw sewage....its not super strong, but just enough to turn your stomach.
I'm probably going to get ripped for this, but its just my opinion, so please no one freak out on me. I do not like Video Central. They're business model makes no sense to me. Pay when you return? I don't want to wait in line twice. Or even go up to the register twice. And the prices are cheap....if you rent one movie, and return it the next day. I rented 3 movies, kept them for a weekend it was over $20, since you pay by the movie, by the night. Lesson learned there I guess.
I live 20 feet away from the Blockbuster on High, so I do go there more often. I usually want to see the newer movies. Or sometimes I hit up there 3 for $20 deals. Might as well before they go out of business in 3 years. If I want an older film, I will hit up Video Central.
Also, I appreciate what the Drexel brings to the city. I really liked it when they were running the Gateway and the Grand. The seats at their 2 locations now hurt my back (I'm a tall guy). I saw The Counterfeiters there recently, In Bruges, City of Men. I feel lucky that I'm able to check these out. That being said, Mongol opens this weekend here, and I will probably head up to the Gateway to see it so my back doesn't hurt after the movie!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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honavery wrote I do not like Video Central. They're business model makes no sense to me. Pay when you return? I don't want to wait in line twice. Or even go up to the register twice. And the prices are cheap....if you rent one movie, and return it the next day. I rented 3 movies, kept them for a weekend it was over $20, since you pay by the movie, by the night. Lesson learned there I guess.
I agree that the paying afterwards can be weird since most places work the other way around. I can't say I've ever stood in line there for very long though. It never seems to be overly crowded in there.
I can see your point about keeping movies longer. I like to be able to keep things for one day, as I want to watch them that day. Probably a good tip would be to rent movies on Saturday morning so that they're not due back until Sunday night, and you get to keep them almost a full 48 hours for the weekend.
I also love the selection there. Having a large archive is more important to me than paying first, or being allowed to keep movies for a week at a time.
Posted 3 years ago #
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