Comments on: Mondo Kim's moves to Sicily!

Mondo Kim's moves to Sicily!

unknowncommand — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:09:47 -0800

Contents of the beloved/historic/deceased Mondo Kim's video store in New York City purchased by the town of Salemi, Italy. The village intends to project the videos as part of a neverending film festival open to the public. Roadtrip, anyone?

By: Artw

Artw — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:17:31 -0800

"The town of Salemi is planning to launch the Neverending Festival, a non-stop public projection of Kim's Video Collection DVDs in their new home." But - but - they'd be blatantly ignoring the region encoding!

By: grobstein

grobstein — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:38:44 -0800

And rental videos don't normally come with public performance rights.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:40:15 -0800

And I'll also have to travel to Goa for electronica CDs.

By: Awkward Philip

Awkward Philip — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:45:24 -0800

The worst part of it is that the Kim's collection has so many videos, particularly in the avant-garde, exploitation, and music categories, that are hard, if not impossible, to find elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if some decent part of the collection (say 5%) is actually unique material. I know Mr. Kim had tried to find a new home for the collection that would keep it in the neighborhood - apparently, the New York Film Academy backed out of a deal at the last minute. Even so, it seems like there could have been a better solution, maybe by not requiring that the collection stay together, so that an NYC institution could take the rarer material without having to take all the commercially-available DVDs as well. In any case, I'm doing my part to "save" the collection by renting and copying as many titles as I can before they close. I'd be happy to make copies for anyone else - send me a message if you're interested in hearing what I've got.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:56:10 -0800

How can there be so much hate for something with the words "Neverending Film Festival"?!

By: evidenceofabsence

evidenceofabsence — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:05:02 -0800

. Rather than waxing nostalgic, I will say this: That was a damn fine video store. Damn fine.

By: StickyCarpet

StickyCarpet — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:25:20 -0800

rental videos don't normally come with public performance rights. And they don't normally come with the HBO logo down in the lower right corner, but Kim's was a special place.

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:29:46 -0800

I was sad to hear about Kim's this, though, is pretty fucking beautiful.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:34:09 -0800

This headline really spiked the needle on my Holy-Shit-O-Meter. ... thanks to the efforts of Mayor Vittorio Sgarbi, called "one of the oddest and most colourful figures in contemporary Italy"... I'd say he's earned his rep.

By: foxy_hedgehog

foxy_hedgehog — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:49:18 -0800

Oh no! I'd heard Wesleyan was going to buy it- I figured, "well, at least it's in Connecticut." MeFi meetup in Salemi with a Cremaster Cycle midnight marathon?

By: enamon

enamon — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:47:07 -0800

evidenceofabsence: For what it's worth it still IS a great video store. Only the rental division is closing down.

By: progosk

progosk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:49:15 -0800

Mayor Vittorio Sgarbi, called "one of the oddest and most colourful figures in contemporary Italy" Sgarbi is to mayordom what Berlusconi is to the office of the prime minister. This will not end bene.

By: SmileyChewtrain

SmileyChewtrain — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:38:27 -0800

By: SmileyChewtrain

SmileyChewtrain — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:39:35 -0800

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:24:57 -0800

I knew I shouldn't have left NYC. Kim's couldn't survive without my business. =(

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:58:31 -0800

Meh. The staff at the uptown Kim's by Columbia was insufferably arrogant and rarely knowledgeable, and all too often downright rude. I was an occasional customer when I had to be. But less and less as the years went on. I was spoiled by Scarecrow Videos in Seattle back in the 90s. I never thought either Kim's locations was even close.

By: Remy

Remy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:36:36 -0800

And rental videos don't normally come with public performance rights. I'm sure the FBI will get right on enforcing that.

By: The Great Big Mulp

The Great Big Mulp — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:49:14 -0800

Man, I really, really, really, really loved that place. Found so many incredibly difficult to find films there. Damn.

By: computech_apolloniajames

computech_apolloniajames — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:10:20 -0800

Fourcheesemac, I have lived near the uptown and downtown Kim's over the years. The staff at the downtown locations (both at Bleecker and West 10th, and Bleecker and LaGuardia; never did go to the Mondo Kim's much) was way more snotty, in my view. Not that it mattered either way, as I was thrilled to have a Kim's near my uptown apt. Now my choices are reduced to Netflix and the local hole in the wall rental joint. Feh.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:47:01 -0800

New York. Sigh. What's gonna be fucking left, huh? *waits for indignant chorus from proud New Yorkers not yet willing to admit that their city is but a feeble shadow of its former self*

By: romakimmy

romakimmy — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:50:55 -0800

... thanks to the efforts of Mayor Vittorio Sgarbi, called "one of the oddest and most colourful figures in contemporary Italy"... That's a pretty polite way to say "total douchebag."