Hollywood Express

An incredible find, amazing that it still exists, especially when all the other video rental stores left us by late 2009… supported by the neighborhood community (and hopefully you), they also have the ability to resurface your scratched-​up CDs and DVDs. Visit the place right away, and see a film you never would have otherwise seen.

This place is a must-​visit for any cinephile/​movie geek/​VHS enthusiast in the Boston-​Cambridge area. The people who run this place clearly know and love movies – not only popular Hollywood hits, but also the obscure, foreign, and underseen stuff – and it’s made for customers who are similarly knowledgeable and adventurous about what they watch. This is NOT a chain store staffed by teenage lackeys: it has personality, smarts, and a huge stock of stuff that you can really no longer find anywhere (including VHS tapes!). The last time I stopped in here they were showing Woody Allen’s «Crimes and Misdemeanors» on the TVs in the store, and I could hear the clerk having a discussion about it with another customer. It’s that kind of place.
I will confess that I’ve only been in here twice and have never actually rented anything, mainly because I find myself so overwhelmed with options that I have to back away. It’s a fantastic place to browse and get exposure to obscure movies. Someday, though, I will actually commit to taking something home with me, I promise!
The videos are organized by subject like most video stores, but they have some great niche areas, such as cult film (both «cult classics» and a separate section for the super-​weird, rent-​at-​your-​own risk stuff), queer cinema, animé, etc. There is even a whole section helpfully organized by director for the auteurists among us. Oh, and they also sell used movies, as well as film books and other cool film-​themed novelties. Check it out!

What’s not to love about Hollywood Express? It’s one of the few video stores that actually still exists. Their selection is insane and they are helpful and knowledgeable. Back in the day I would frequent this place at least once a week… of course now given Netflix, Hulu, etc., I don’t come as often. But on the occasion I will and I am never disappointed. Go on Tuesdays– 2 for 1 day!

One of the only video stores left in Boston and it’s a very good one. Like the sections organized by directors. The staff here is always very helpful with recommendations.

As a former employee, I may be a bit biased, but I must say that this is an excellent brick-​and-​mortar store — and for all the right reasons. The selection is good and in-​depth, the employees are knowledgable (each with a particular area of expertise), helpful… and they’re real people.
You know that Walmart’s recorded-​robo customer-​service hangs up on you if you request to speak to a live person or dare to press zero? You’ll never find such evil here. During my tenure as manager in Davis and later in Porter, I can honestly say that we bent over backward to make customers happy. Although it was often a thankless & difficult task that taxed your humanity (as is all Retail), that didn’t prevent us from trying.
To wit, I’ll quote a recent post of mine on Hollywood Express’ FB page:
«…thank you, Hollywood-​Express Customers for *your* help, now and throughout the years… it is indeed this personal connection that keeps us going, the connection people make with the movies and with each other, be it a friendship between a member of the staff and a customer, or simply the knowing nod exchanged when watching Han answer Leia with ‘I know.’ We might wait until the next movie to say so, but we sure as hell love you back.
So, thank you again, dear viewer. You *always* make our weekend.»
And thank you, Joe, Andy W, Josh, Joppa, Brad, Anastasia and Kelsey, Ben B and Darren — as well as countless others that preceded them — for always trying to make Hollywood Express the best it could be…

Walking into this store brings me back to being a small kid. There was a local grocery store that had a movie selection you could rent from in the back. Upon every trip there, I slowly worked my way through the entire horror movie section.
Now Hollywood Express is much more impressive than my small town movie rental spot, but none the less it still gives me that thrill of the hunt for a good movie feel.
They have thousands of titles, ranging from new releases to old classics. Last Halloween I made my girlfriend watch «The Monster Squad» as she’d never seen it, and we easily found it among the waves of titles.
The employees are friendly and knowledgeable. They give some great recommendations and seem to really love movies.
We can even bring our dogs in. Extra plus in my book.
So, Yay! I’m a fan.

There’s nothing like walking into a video store, browsing through a great selection of movies and reading through them in confusion about what to rent that evening. I’m also inlove with most of what the play on they TVs while walking around.
It’s a shame that business wasn’t so good in Davis and Central. This generation, which I guess is sort of my generation though I feel no real connection to it, has moved onto NetFlix and everything virtual. We need more places like Hollywood Express, or better yet people need to wake up!

I love this place! The friendly (but not overly-​pushy – they’re not the dull, stressed teenagers working at the chains. These guys are serious movie buffs, and you can tell they’ve watched everything in the store and then some) staff never ceases to amaze me – if you ask them if they have [insert impossible-​to-​find-​in-​America, obscure movie title here], they either a) have it, and hand it to you promptly or b) don’t have it, but know about it and can recommend something similar and possibly better.
The selection is amazing – foreign, British (my favorite), cult classic, indie, documentaries, TV series, and of course the typical new releases. Prices are nice and reasonable. Open every day of the year, too! Yes, even Christmas and new years (eve AND day). They have everything. Go here, you won’t be disappointed.

Why did they close the Central and Davis Square locations?!! I love this place! They always have just about everything I am looking for and take suggestions if they don’t. Plus, unlike the bored employees at the big chains, these guys are friendly, knowledgeable, and love movies!
They often have movies grouped in categories like director, film festivals, employee picks, etc. This is fun for when you can’t think of what you’d like to see, but don’t want to browse long shelves by type of film. Plus, the employee picks are usually really good! They also have deals on types of films. Around Halloween, you can rent horror movies 2 for 1!
I like being able to rent videos and watch them when I want. Call me old fashioned, but downloads, netflix, and on-​demand are unpredictable and often time-​limited. Just like my preference for reading actual books, rather than off a flat computer screen, I love picking out a video and being able to watch it when I want. Going to Hollywood Express is like browsing your favorite independent book store. It’s enjoyable and you can share your love of movies with others who have the same passion.

Please go! One of the LAST independent movie rental spots around… Central Square (sadly, the best) and Davis Square branches closed, Porter is the last stand.
If you’re looking for a great indie film, or documentary, or foreign film — this place will have it. It’s here or the Newton Free Library (which also has a great selection, btw) — if you love the Coolidge and the Brattle — go to Hollywood Express!
NetFlix/​streaming will no doubt make ‘video rental stores’ fossilized dinosaurs very soon… but let’s keep this place afloat as long as we can — it’s nice to be able to get a film here ASAP that you can’t find anywhere else…

I wish I could say best of luck to you, Hollywood Express, but I can’t. I had been to the Central Square location a few times and am sad that it’s gone now. I would love to support the Porter location and keep an independent video store in Cambridge alive, but after last night, I wouldn’t be too upset to see it go.
We rented American Beauty, took it home, and tried to watch it. It started skipping right from the beginning. I took it out and noticed a moderate-​sized crack right in the center of the DVD. Shouldn’t the staff be checking for things like that when DVDs get returned? We tried it again and got about 15 minutes in when it cut out entirely, and any subsequent attempts resulted in more skipping.
We took it back and returned it for This is Spinal Tap. This time we checked the DVD in the car before we headed home and found three cracks in this one. First of all, someone should have taken this out of rotation the last few times it was returned. All three cracks were immediately noticeable when we looked. Second, after we already returned one DVD, the guy at the counter should have taken a look at the second one to make sure it was okay.
I brought it back in and showed the guy the DVD and said I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to play. He took one look at it and agreed, saying it was in «terrible shape.» I asked for a refund. He thought for a few moments and then offered instead to put a credit on my card so I could come back some other time and rent something else. At that point, I told him I didn’t think I would be coming back and wanted a refund. He thought for another second and then tossed me a five-​dollar bill. No apology, though.

Hollywood, I’m worried. First, Davis closes. Now there’s that big «FOR LEASE» sign in the Central Square one. And I can’t help but wonder if Porter will be the next (and last) to go. Of course, we’re all responsible for this– so many of us get our movies from Netflix now, and so the idea of spending $ 4.99 for one DVD rental seems insane (hell, in the middle of the Boston winter, the idea of leaving the house to get a DVD can seem insane). But I do wonder, Hollywood, if YOU’RE not being a little stubborn. I mean, the times are changing, and it feels like you’re digging your heels in and refusing to evolve with the times.
Just the other day I popped into the Porter Square store, and I have to tell you, a lot of your so-​called new releases didn’t seem that new. In fact, they were fairly old. And a lot of times, it’s hard to find stuff in your store because of your quirky categorization (made even harder by those random «STUFF WE LIKE» shelves. I mean, I love the personal touch, but how am I supposed to know to find «in the Mood for Love» on some random shelf).
And to top it all off, Hollywood, some of your staff are wonderful, but some are, well, less than exceptional. In fact, some are just plain old unfriendly.
And, so, Hollywood, it seems to me that if you want to gear up to face the changes in technology, you need to gear up now. NOW is the time to make the store fresh and interesting. Because your old model isn’t working. And maybe this is a good time to hire some excited, engaged staff (BTW, I LOVED the guys who used to work in Davis on Sat nights. There was one guy who was a veritable library of information on random quirky indie films. He once made a list of good movies for us, and we’re still working through them. Can you please get more of THOSE guys?!)

I am by no way a movie critic, in fact I’m always the last guy to see the movies that everyone has seen 5 times. I like to rent a movie maybe once every two or three months or so.
That said, i find this location to have a fantastic collection. I’m like a kid in a candy store when i go in there, because I want to rent everything I see. It’s laid out very well, cult classics, comedy, TV series, even by director if you want to brush up on your Woody Allen films.
Their staff are friendly and knowledgeable, which is more than what you’ll get at other video stores.
Plus even though I haven’t had a VCR in years, they still have VCR movies. Cool!
I’d have to see this great local place taken over by a new condo complex or a Blockbuster or something, so take your business here.

The best! They have a fantastic selection, and if one location doesn’t have what I’m looking for another one of their locations probably does. Two for one rentals midweek… lots of movies organized by director…
If I ever have problems with a defective disc they’ll gladly change it out…
This review applies to all of their locations, but Porter is my favorite in terms of layout. It’s all one level.

So here’s the thing. It’s a small store but they have a good selection, and the staff is what makes Hollywood Express special. The manager has an extennnnnsive knowledge of movies, and have you ever been in a Blockbuster where the staff is actually excited to be working there? Plus you can return your videos at any of their locations, regardless of where you rented them. I’ll patronize any independent video store, but Hollywood Express is special for being indy without the eye roll.

I work here, so in NO WAY should this be seen as a biased review. Or any kind of review, really.
However, I just have to say that I freaking love this store. I can’t say enough good things about it. I first discovered it in Davis Square a few years ago and loved renting there until I moved. This is the 5^th video store I’ve rented from (in addition to a previous subscription to Netflix) and this store is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of ambiance and selection.
I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Ps — O M., a lot of times movies don’t work because of smudges, not scratches, so wiping them with a soft cloth and retrying them might work. Hope that helps!

Hollywood Express, I want to love you, but you are making it hard! You’re my local, independently owned video place, and you have awesome specials. Within walking distance from my apartment i have you and Blockbuster, and i don’t want to support Blockbuster when you’re just blocks away.
BUT — I don’t get to rent movies very often, because i don’t have time very often. So when I do rent them, i want them to work!!! I don’t want to watch 20 mins, get sucked into the plot, and then have the thing stop working. Yeah, you’ll give me a free rental next time, but next time won’t be for several months!
So, i still don’t know how Venus ends, what happens after 30 mins of Hard Candy, or what happens after about 5 minutes of Stranger than Fiction, and i want to know!!!
You still get 3 stars because you are better than the alternatives, but please start checking your DVDs for stcratches, okthanx

I love this place because they have a great selection of new movies, but you can still find all the older movies you need every once in a while — no matter what you are looking for. The only time we were disappointed is when we were doing a classic Disney movie night — they didn’t have Little Mermaid or Jungle Book.
They have a great selection of VHS and DVDs for sale, sometimes buy two get one free. Also almost every night of the week is a 2 for 1 special. Can’t beat the local video store — plus you can actually ask for a good opinion from the employees and not get the blank stare you usually get from a Blockbuster employee.
Also, you can watch almost a full movie that is playing in the store and they won’t ask you to leave. Hilariously awesome!

They have a jaw-​dropping selection of documentary, independent, cult, and foreign films. They even have a section of Criterion Collection movies.
Some of the other reviewers have noted that the prices are steep, but since i dont have netflix or on-​demand, i cant make a good comparison. But i can offer some money-​saving tips: Two-​for-​One Tuesday and Wednesday (and sometimes Thursday). Also, keep your Brattle and Somerville Theater ticket stubs, because you can present said stub when renting a movie and get a second rental free.
Most importantly, Hollywood Express is locally owned. Support it!

$ 4.50 for DVD rentals?
Yeah, the prices are extortionate, but the good selection and knowledgeable staff (sort of) compensate.