As far as the film industry is concerned, Wisconsin is more of a punchline than a location. We had Mr. 3000, the bar scene from Love Actually, and Randy Quaid in Milwaukee, Minnesota. Even then, Milwaukee gets all of the attention. In the grand scheme, Madison would hardly be on the map if it weren’t for one bright shining beacon: Four Star Video Heaven.
I recently wrapped principal photography on a grueling project filmed in Squamish, British Columbia for Epic Pictures. Myself and five other crew members filmed an entire feature length sci-fi thriller in a month and a half with a sob-inducing budget while living in a house with four of our actors, working in the damp rainforest of Western Canada as winter approached. We all took on more roles than the average production, and working in such conditions, some of the responsibilities of our many jobs weren’t given the attention they deserved despite everyone giving it every ounce of their own energy. Needless to say, I returned to Madison feeling a bit cold, drained, and as far as film-making goes, creatively empty.
As I learned from Glenne Campbell, lead costumer for Battlestar Galactica and my neighbor in Squamish, when one’s creative tank has ran out of fumes after a project, one must fill it back up. That’s where Four Star has saved me. Four Star Video Heaven is a Mecca for film and movie lovers alike. With an enormous selection of new releases, foreign titles, silent films, comedies, westerns, horny 70’s romps, it’s a challenge to think of a title that they don’t have. And now with their netflix-esque subscription plan-3 DVDs (or vhs even!) out at a time, no late fees and no limit for total monthly rentals, all for $17.99/mo- the possibilities are endless. I live a mere two blocks from Four Star, which allows me to turn in my three DVDs at least once per day after greedily devouring them at home (while job hunting, of course).
No holds are barred. My goal is to have watched at least 3 movies from each alphabetical section in the store. Epics, great films, meaningful classics, French pieces, Hong Kong, Brat Pack, Frat Pack, Sandra Bullock, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Dudley Moore, Diane Weist, Air Bud. In my quest to see every movie ever made I will probably fail miserably. But at least I’ll have seen more movies than the average bear.
Four Star Video Heaven. 315 Henry Street. Madison, WI 53703
608.255.1994
http://www.fourstarvideoheaven.com/
