Fantastic writing. I've never been, and surely never will, be in a movie rental place like Odd Obsession. All the video stores I've been too have been slick and commercial. I get the vibe though, I've hung out at two bookstores, a restaurant, and an electronics shop that had a similar feel. They're gone now too, none of them made it as far as Odd Obsession.

From one of my favorite movie critics -- one who doesn't suffer fools gladly and has never met a bad movie he didn't relish in destroying -- comes an essay about an old video store that's so imbued with nostalgia that I dearly wish I could visit it. It may be gone, but it certainly isn't forgotten.

Much of what we feel nostalgia for is the kind of inconvenience that creates a more eclectic and interesting reality.

More than a few of us saw the store even at its most farcical as playing some part in a struggle against dystopian forces.