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Comment by freetime2 | Hacker News Reader

I definitely spent a lot of time wandering through every aisle of BlockBuster, looking for something to rent on VHS. Without suggestion algorithms, and rotten tomatoes scores just a click away at all times, the box art was hugely important for deciding what to watch.

Box art no doubt misled me countless times. But I was a kid, my standards were low, and I was generally happy just to be lucky enough to go to BlockBuster with my dad, and pick out a movie to watch. Those were simpler times.

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> Box art no doubt misled me countless times.

Funny you should mention this, the latest video from Red Letter Media discusses this exact thing, but the newest incarnation of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeMadjM0ZZI

Basically, films have taken to building titles with non-copyrightable words, in an attempt to trick you into thinking it's another film in that series.

Two-fer Tuesday, at the Hollywood Express in Central Sq., Cambridge (USA), I'd go spend quite awhile, sifting through the Indie and Foreign shelves in the basement, drawn to films first by box art and titles, and then by reading the blurbs on the backs.

It was an immersive, contemplative experience. Which in some ways the streaming interfaces I've used recently seem to go out of their way to prevent.

(Adding to the ambiance was one thing we can't fault streaming UIs for lacking: the literal brick&mortar interior walls: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hollywood-express-cambridge-... )

I think a great art installation would be some kind of video rental store shelves with boxes and boxes of fake movies you’ve never heard of. I long for the experience of wandering around as a thoughtless child looking at cover art.

A book store is kind of similar, but not really sure where to find one these days.

I remember the times before blockbuster when the only thing you had to go from was what was in the paper as having been in the theater 3 months or more ago and asking if it was in rental yet. Then if that was a no go, then asking the clerk what was available and good for your situation, such as family movie, date movie, action movie, etc.

We've certainly lost a lot on the way.

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