Pilgrimage

& The Last Blockbuster Review

Digital Fatigue

Been a little while! I am getting back into the swing of writing things, so hopefully I’ll do a new Creatures of War movie soon, but no promises. Been a busy few weeks, but I’ve been having a good time. Last month, I went on a little vacation (sort of). It was mostly for business, and I only spent one day there, but I made my yearly trip up to the city of Bend, Oregon. I briefly lived in Bend a few years ago, and last year I considered moving back (take a look at the cost of living, absolutely not gonna work for me). In my time living in Bend, I never actually went to the last Blockbuster. At the time I lived there, it just wasn’t really on my radar of things to do. This year, I had one goal during my Bend trip: to go to Blockbuster.

I have always been a physical media fan, but lately I’ve leaned harder into it. I don’t know if the annoyance of streaming service costs or the rise of AI is making me slide harder and harder backwards, but I am regressing. I canceled all my streaming services the other day (I will still use Tubi— my lord and savior, and rent films digitally as I see fit, but no more paying for services). I am determined to get a “dumb” TV once my smart TV kicks the bucket. I am looking into getting a LaserDisc player¹. The more technology and the internet develop, the more I want to go backwards. But that’s not entirely true, is it? It’s not the internet developing that is making me regress; the internet is itself regressing. I love the internet! I love technology! I hate my reliance on it and what it's devolving into. I want to separate myself from it, but I don’t know how.

Anyway, one part of this regression that I cannot control is the lack of video rental stores near me. I have a local video shop, but it has no rentals. I’ve been missing the experience of spending an hour browsing shelves, keeping receipts to remember when I need to return a disc, and holding a brand new release in my hand without the commitment of keeping it if I hate it. And thus Blockbuster awaited.

The Last Blockbuster (store)

The store was quite busy, even though I went at about 11 am, an hour after opening. Several people were getting their picture taken outside the store in front of the sign, but I was too embarrassed to do so, so here is a picture of the sign from the safety of a car.

It looks exactly like I remember my local Blockbuster, except with more bells and whistles. There were several display items, my personal favorite being the tiny model of the building. I also loved this horror display, of course.

Look how cute!

This is what I want my shelf to look like

I spent about 45 minutes wandering around, which is more time than needed if you are just visiting. The store is pretty small, and because I was leaving that afternoon, I could not rent anything. I wanted to soak in the nostalgia, though, as corny as that felt. I remember Blockbuster only vaguely from my childhood; what I remember most is my local video store. It was essentially a closet adjacent to (or maybe inside of) a local grocery store. The man working there was very nice, and my dad would take my sister and me weekly to rent a film. I credit these trips to my current love of film. I would rent the same movies every time. When it was my turn to pick, I would choose The NeverEnding Story, The Last Unicorn, and The Secret of Nimh on a rotating basis. I stand by these choices. Sometimes I would not rotate, just the same film every week, even when my family begged me to choose something new.

In the present day, I got the following items: a Blu-ray of The Last Blockbuster documentary, 2 Blockbuster membership cards (they are just souvenirs, not the real deal), 2 postcards to send to friends, and the crushing realization that I am now an adult in 2026 and will never go back to my childhood video rental days. I wish my town still had a rental video store where I could walk in and rent The Last Unicorn again and again, but I’ll have to settle for pulling it off my own shelf.

It doesn’t feel quite the same.

Do I recommend travelling to visit the last Blockbuster? Honestly, yes, but not just for the store. If that’s all you want, it’s probably not worth it (even though the staff was very lovely and it was a fun time). At the end of the day, it’s just a Blockbuster. However, Bend is a cool city with so much to do that it’s worth a trip if you’ve never been. As a lifelong Oregonian, Bend has always felt like the “big city” for me. At about 100,000 people, it remains the largest city I’ve ever lived in, and I always view it as this cool, young, fun place. So take a vacation, hit up Bend, and stop by the Blockbuster while you’re in town. Keep them in business, they’re pretty cool.

Made in Oregon section

The Last Blockbuster (movie)

I’ll keep this short: I enjoyed the movie, but there is not much here. It could have been 30 minutes long. A well-made, but not super interesting documentary that shows promise from the director, but not much more in the actual substance of the movie. Charming, harmless, a fun watch, but didn’t feel totally needed. Several interviews with C-list celebrities felt unnecessary, but were mildly interesting. The only one I really remember is the volatile interview with Lloyd Kaufman in which he comes off very poorly. I know very little about him; perhaps he is a perfectly nice person usually, but it was a very awkward segment. I am happy with my purchase of the film, but I doubt I’ll get a lot of watch out of it. I always love movies made in and about Oregon, so it gets some extra points from me because I can tell exactly where everything was shot. Overall, I don’t have much to say other than it’s cute, but also kind of nothing. I don’t know if I’d recommend it if you aren’t a Bend or Oregon resident who will get that little bit of extra charm out of it.

My physical media collection grows, along with my disdain for the current state of the internet. This growing disdain is not unique to me; I’m sure most of the world is feeling it right now. My retreat to physical media and a Wi-Fi-less TV feels less like a rebellion and more like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. AI is approaching, my phone addiction is approaching, the world doesn’t stop if I unplug, even though I’m realizing that’s exactly what I want it to do. Knowing that doesn’t really help, though, and I miss my old plasma TV. I’ll retreat for now, even knowing it won’t do me any good.

I’m still looking for some LaserDiscs, though, however useless they may be.

Bonus

Mini reviews of movies I’ve seen recently that I liked:

• Backrooms (2026) - Great vibe, fun watch, dubious creature design, I am excited to see what this director does next.

• Obsession (2026) - I enjoyed it a lot more than expected, and I’m down for its unexpected success. I found it very mean, in both a good and a bad way, but it fell just short of “love” for me.

• Pillion (2025) - I have been awaiting this movie for about a full year. I found it way sadder than expected, and for some reason, it reminded me of the way I felt after watching The Holdovers. Alexander Skarsgard looks great in leather. Or anything. Or nothing.

• Castle Freak (1995) - I love me some Stuart Gordon, and this is peak, yet oddly mature, Stuart Gordon. Lovely set design.

• Macabre (1980) - Speaking of lovely set design, I want to live in this movie (minus all these freaky characters). I thought this was a diabolical movie in the best way possible, and I am very happy I blind bought it.

• Leviticus (2026) - Dare I say I liked it better than Obsession and Backrooms?? I was very pleased with the ending, as I was worried we were going down a different path. It just felt like a well-crafted, simple, effective film. I have no complaints with it.

1. I just love how comically large the discs are! Sue me!