And the Oscar goes to… With the Golden Globes just finished up and the Academy Awards up soon – not to mention dropping temperatures outside – now is a great time to hunker down in front of the TV and watch a great movie.
At the Movie Company in Castlegar, you can find all the newest DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as older titles.
“We rent movies and games. We also sell previously viewed movies,” said manager Andrea McInnes. “We have new releases to watch as well as older releases.”
The Movie Company is owned by Chris Smith from Vancouver. Smith owns seven Movie Company stores throughout the Okanagan and West Kootenay area including the Castlegar outlet.
The Movie Company has several specials including four movies for $15. Customers can also save $2 by renting two previously viewed movies.
All movies are categorized into different themes such as live, laugh, love; family fun; compelling; loads of laughs; crime time; what a rush; and fright night. The store also offers Blu-ray movies and even has several 3D movies such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Current new release movies available include Moneyball, with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, The Debt with Helen Mirren, Killer Elite with Jason Stratham, she said. Moneyball, about a baseball manager who turns around a struggling major league team, was nominated for a Golden Globe for best dramatic picture.
For viewers who enjoy a TV series but don’t want to have to wait for a week or more in between episodes, you can rent many of your favourites at the Movie Company.
“The newest one is Boardwalk Empire,” said McInnes. “Season one was just released this week. I also have it for sale.”
Boardwalk Empire is a critically acclaimed HBO series about Atlantic City set in the 1920’s during prohibition and stars quirky character actor Steve Buscemi as the head of the local booze-smugglers.
“Justified season two is another popular series that just came out,” she said. “Customers are really enjoying that one.”
Children and family movies are also very popular. Movies for the younger set rent for $1.49 per week.
McInnes says Mondays are their most popular day with all movies and games being two for one.
The Movie Company has some of the top video games available for rent including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 and Just Dance 3 for the Wii.
“We also sell pop, chips, and ice cream, as well as pre-paid cards for XBox Live and the Playstation Network,” said McInnes. “We also have phone cards. We’re one-stop for entertainment.”
McInnes has been in the video store business for 20 years. She was raised in Castlegar, after being born in Prince Rupert, and went to Stanley Humphries Secondary. She started working at what was then called 24 Hour Video in Trail back in 1989.
“When I started, Beta was just going out and VHS took over,” said McInnes. “I came to Castlegar five years ago with Movie Gallery in this same location. I’ve had lots of fun over the years and seen lots of changes.”
Her favourite all-time movie is Cool Runnings about the Jamaican Bobsled team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
Be sure to check Movie Company out frequently for their daily specials. The store also has free film Friday, where on the last Friday of the month customers can get any weekly rental movie for free with a donation to a charity. Movie Company is donating the January, February, and March proceeds to the Community Harvest Food Bank in Castlegar. This month’s free film Friday takes place on Jan. 27.
