Friday, April 5, 2024

The 'Kim's Video' documentary unreels today at the Quad; Alamo Drafthouse next

The "Kim's Video" documentary, from award-winning filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, opens today (April 5) at the Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th St. between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

The plot!
...an elegiac tribute to the iconic video store in [the East Village!] that inspired a generation of cinephiles before it mysteriously closed its doors and sent its legendary film archive to a small and slightly dubious Sicilian village for "safekeeping." But what starts as an homage to cinema quickly becomes a rescue mission to ensure the eternal preservation of the beloved video collection.
The Quad will also host post-screening Q&As with Yongman Kim, the man, the myth, and the legend behind the business. (Details here.) The documentary is up next Friday (April 12!) at the Alamo Drafthouse in the Financial District. 

After Sundance last year, Deadline called the doc "a playful and intelligent film" ... while Variety said it's "a flaked-out, one-of-a-kind story of film obsession." On the other hand, IndieWire graded it a C+.

The video empire had a modest start in Kim's dry-cleaning business at 99 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street in 1986 ... there were also two locations at different points on St. Mark's Place, including the Mondo Kim's at 6 St. Mark's Place. The last Kim's Video & Music (on First Avenue) closed in 2014.   

And ICYMI: Kim's massive collection of DVDs and videos is now available to rent from the Alamo Drafthouse downtown. (Background on all this here.) It's not the same, but rooting through the titles is still fun.

Leaving you with the trailer...

 

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