The Last Blockbuster 

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• Photo Courtesy Of Popmotion Pictures
• LAST STORE STANDING The death of video stores is chronicled in The Last Blockbuster, a Netflix documentary featuring Sandi Harding, who runs the Bend, Oregon, store.

What's it rated? TV-14

When? 2020

Where's it showing? Netflix

Taylor Morden directs this documentary about the last remaining Blockbuster Video store, located in Bend, Oregon. Anyone who grew up in the heyday of Blockbuster Video can close their eyes and smell what that experience was—a mix of plastic cases, cheap carpet, and stale popcorn that commingled to create a sensory experience easy to remember but hard to describe. The Last Blockbuster pulls together interviews from comedians and actors who are gunning to share their memories about being customers, employees, and Blockbuster enthusiasts.

The film also tracks Sandi Harding, the last Blockbuster store manager left in existence and the valiant efforts she puts into keeping it alive, despite the fact that most people don't even own a DVD player these days. We also learn about how Blockbuster soared to its highest heights and its decline and demise as the world of streaming slowly shuttered its franchises en masse.

Overly nostalgic and totally endearing, The Last Blockbuster is both lighthearted and tender, you can hear and sense real love from the interviewees, and it will bring you right back to the doors of your neighborhood video chain. You'll cheer for the super likable and down-to-earth Sandi and her family who all work to keep the store alive. I hope this movie brought them a ton of business. The youngsters may not appreciate this flick, but for anyone who lived that three-day-rental life, this film is sure to hit a sweet spot. (86 min.) Δ