Raymonds Toys & Music

I am not an expert on Vietnamese cinema, nor would the English-​language Internet apparently me afford me the opportunity, based on some cursory Googling. Which is why my heart goes out to places like Raymond’s – it is jam-​packed with films you’re unlikely to find outside ethnic retailers, and while some of the import DVDs go for upward of twenty bucks, a pretty sizable amount hover down in the 3-​dollar range. I suppose unsubtitled movies in a foreign language are not every viewer’s notion of a relaxing night at the movies, but I appreciate the way it forces you to adopt a different modality of watching. I *think* what I picked up was in the action genre (have yet to see), but there are musicals, family-​looking comedies, romance-​dramas, and… one anomalous Sting performance DVD, looking a bit out of place.
So kudos to Raymond’s for proving capitalism has not completely homogenized culture in America, even if it took me four years to actually notice the place because it’s buried in a fortresslike mall that must be the least inviting shopping center in all of Philadelphia.