Any movie-watcher can appreciate the advantages of watching "Men in Black II" in a state-of-the-art movie theater. A buttery bucket of popcorn, a cold soda, surround sound -- there's really nothing like a big-screen theater for showcasing summer blockbusters in all their action-packed, special-effects-enhanced glory.
But are you sometimes just in the mood to stay home, recline on the couch, order pizza and watch your favorite movie for the 23rd time?
The pizza part is easy -- numerous pizzerias deliver all over the city -- but there's certainly not a Blockbuster on every Moscow corner for easy video rental. So what is the at-home film buff to do?
Those searching for English-language videos in Moscow might be stumped at first. However, upon second glance, there are a number of places worth checking out, all the more so because they sell, rather than rent, videos at reasonable prices -- sidestepping the hazard of forgetting to return tapes and incurring fines.
The ubiquitous pirated movies, or unlicensed, illegal copies of films, are available throughout the city in kiosks and underpasses. But prices for pirated videos are often not much lower than for licensed tapes, and the quality of pirated versions can be poor, so it is worth checking out the increasing number of shops stocking licensed copies.
With licensed tapes, you are more or less guaranteed a good-quality videotape, which helps compensate for the minor annoyance that licensed tapes, by law, include Russian subtitles.
One store with a wide selection is Mir Kino, which boasts more than 350 movie titles.
Among other gems is a Stanley Kubrick collection of seven of the legendary director's best films, including "Lolita," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Full Metal Jacket" and "The Shining." The Kubrick films can be purchased as a set or individually for only 160 rubles. Mir Kino's stock is updated with two or three new videos every week, and prices for tapes range from 160 to 200 rubles.
Titanic Video-Records also has a large stock of licensed videotapes and even has English-speaking employees to help find just what you're looking for.
Serious movie collectors take note: If a film is not in stock, the store will order it and promises to try to fulfill all orders within a week. Keep in mind, though, that all foreign-language videos will still have Russian subtitles. Videocassettes are priced at 185 rubles, on average, and DVDs run from 800 to 1,150 rubles.
Other places to visit for licensed English-language videos are bookstores Biblio-Globus and Moskovsky Dom Knigi.
Although selection is small, given that the stores, naturally, focus on books, there are a few good finds. Videocassettes at Biblio-Globus are priced from 185 to 245 rubles, and a movie at Moskovsky Dom Knigi will set you back 250 rubles.
Supermarket chain Sedmoi Kontinent's movie departments usually have an English-language shelf or two among the Russian-language films on offer, allowing you to purchase entertainment and edibles all in one trip. Videotapes cost 220 rubles.
Biblio-Globus is located at 6/3 Ulitsa Myasnitskaya, Bldg. 5. Metro Lubyanka. Tel. 928-3567, 924-4680. www.biblio-globus.ru
Mir Kino is located at 6/8 Ulitsa Maroseika, Bldg. 1. Metro Kitai-Gorod. Tel. 925-1674.
Moskovsky Dom Knigi is located at 8 Ulitsa Novy Arbat. Metro Arbatskaya. Tel. 290-4507, 290-3580. www.mdk-arbat.ru
Sedmoi Kontinent has 25 supermarkets in Moscow. Tel. 777-7779. Visit Sedmoi Kontinent's web site at www.7cont.ru for all shop locations.
Titanic Video-Records has two locations: 52A Rublyovskoye Shosse, on the underground floor of the Zapadny shopping mall, Metro Krylatskoye, Tel. 721-9516, 721-9517; and 33 Ulitsa Zemlyanoi Val, on the second floor of the Atrium shopping complex, Metro Kurskaya, Tel. 970-1433.
But are you sometimes just in the mood to stay home, recline on the couch, order pizza and watch your favorite movie for the 23rd time?
The pizza part is easy -- numerous pizzerias deliver all over the city -- but there's certainly not a Blockbuster on every Moscow corner for easy video rental. So what is the at-home film buff to do?
Those searching for English-language videos in Moscow might be stumped at first. However, upon second glance, there are a number of places worth checking out, all the more so because they sell, rather than rent, videos at reasonable prices -- sidestepping the hazard of forgetting to return tapes and incurring fines.
The ubiquitous pirated movies, or unlicensed, illegal copies of films, are available throughout the city in kiosks and underpasses. But prices for pirated videos are often not much lower than for licensed tapes, and the quality of pirated versions can be poor, so it is worth checking out the increasing number of shops stocking licensed copies.
With licensed tapes, you are more or less guaranteed a good-quality videotape, which helps compensate for the minor annoyance that licensed tapes, by law, include Russian subtitles.
One store with a wide selection is Mir Kino, which boasts more than 350 movie titles.
Among other gems is a Stanley Kubrick collection of seven of the legendary director's best films, including "Lolita," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Full Metal Jacket" and "The Shining." The Kubrick films can be purchased as a set or individually for only 160 rubles. Mir Kino's stock is updated with two or three new videos every week, and prices for tapes range from 160 to 200 rubles.
Titanic Video-Records also has a large stock of licensed videotapes and even has English-speaking employees to help find just what you're looking for.
Serious movie collectors take note: If a film is not in stock, the store will order it and promises to try to fulfill all orders within a week. Keep in mind, though, that all foreign-language videos will still have Russian subtitles. Videocassettes are priced at 185 rubles, on average, and DVDs run from 800 to 1,150 rubles.
Other places to visit for licensed English-language videos are bookstores Biblio-Globus and Moskovsky Dom Knigi.
Although selection is small, given that the stores, naturally, focus on books, there are a few good finds. Videocassettes at Biblio-Globus are priced from 185 to 245 rubles, and a movie at Moskovsky Dom Knigi will set you back 250 rubles.
Supermarket chain Sedmoi Kontinent's movie departments usually have an English-language shelf or two among the Russian-language films on offer, allowing you to purchase entertainment and edibles all in one trip. Videotapes cost 220 rubles.
Biblio-Globus is located at 6/3 Ulitsa Myasnitskaya, Bldg. 5. Metro Lubyanka. Tel. 928-3567, 924-4680. www.biblio-globus.ru
Mir Kino is located at 6/8 Ulitsa Maroseika, Bldg. 1. Metro Kitai-Gorod. Tel. 925-1674.
Moskovsky Dom Knigi is located at 8 Ulitsa Novy Arbat. Metro Arbatskaya. Tel. 290-4507, 290-3580. www.mdk-arbat.ru
Sedmoi Kontinent has 25 supermarkets in Moscow. Tel. 777-7779. Visit Sedmoi Kontinent's web site at www.7cont.ru for all shop locations.
Titanic Video-Records has two locations: 52A Rublyovskoye Shosse, on the underground floor of the Zapadny shopping mall, Metro Krylatskoye, Tel. 721-9516, 721-9517; and 33 Ulitsa Zemlyanoi Val, on the second floor of the Atrium shopping complex, Metro Kurskaya, Tel. 970-1433.