A Mecca for film buffs discovered downtown
Whenever I go shopping for DVDs in Kyiv, I have to get a mental grip on myself not to despair at the assortment of local DVD shops which remains poor year after year.
Of course, I will probably be lucky if I’m looking for some blockbuster, a teenage comedy or a new release in the cinemas not long ago.
But if your interest in movies exceeds the mainstream even in the slightest, or if you get nostalgic and want to get a film that was popular … some five years ago, then that’s not going to be easy.
I’ve tried to single out at least one store in town that is able to satisfy the needs of any kind of movie fan.
Petrivka market remains the main place to go in search of books, music and films. The multiple rows of stalls run the market’s whole length, filled with books, CDs, and DVDs, including pirated copies offering films not available in “licensed” format, with many boasting perfect picture quality and an animated menu.
Certainly no city shop can beat the selection at Petrivka (though it’s in fact very modest, even in comparison to Moscow’s famous Gorbushka market), but my goal was to find an actual store selling licensed movies, so Petrivka wasn’t an option.
Euro Star is the oldest and biggest music and video chain in Kyiv. The one inside Metrograd right by Bessarabska Square teems with various blockbusters, cheesy comedies and melodramas.
It features a selection of modern classics like “Alien,” “The Matrix,” or “Kill Bill,” but if you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated and less widely popular, Euro Star is not an option. The biggest problem is that the films are not organized conveniently and the lack of space makes it hard to move around.
Musical Center, a fairly small shop inside the Ukrayina shopping center, specializes in CDs but you can purchase video there as well. Its choice includes children’s films and Disney cartoons, as well as youth comedies and thriller.
Even cult classics like Stanley Kubrick’s “Clockwork Orange” or Alan Parker’s “Angel Heart” can be spotted on its shelves. But unfortunately, the shop assistants appeared unfamiliar with their own assortment, which means you can hardly count on their help.
Media Center music and video shop located in Karavan shopping center will fully satisfy a customer with average taste, offering thousands of DVDs, most of them licensed in Ukraine and priced at Hr 55.
Films are sorted into separate sections, where you may find amazing selections of latest melodramas, thrillers and comedies, but European films, old classics, and documentaries are scarce.
At the small Media Center shop, located inside the first line of the Globus shopping center, I was pleasantly surprised to see that some films were sorted not only by genre, but also by directors or even famous actors. But choice of films still left much to be desired.
For example, its collection of films starring Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt or Al Pacino was small, featuring only their most recent works. Also as you walk around the shop, you might be disturbed by the sound of the movies, with volume turned up too high. It gets annoying after a while.
Media Club is also in the Globus shopping center, only in its third line. But it also can be accessed from the street: just head behind and to the right of the Independence statue.
Like all other Kyiv’s DVD stores, it carries many blockbusters or cheesy comedies, but it is the only place able to satisfy someone very literate in the field of cinema. This video store offers a fine collection of rare titles, foreign flicks, TV box sets and graphic novels.
The video assortment is sorted by genres or styles, making it easy for you to browse between classics, experimentals, world cinema, and documentaries, so if you’re looking for that quirky first film by David Lynch or Stephen Soderbergh, give it a try at Media Club.
Besides, the knowledgeable staff is on hand to assist you to find what you need. Some exclusive offers, for example DVDs imported from Russia, make cost around Hr 100, however Media Club has special offers so film buffs can save some cash on their frequent purchases.
In addition I found a section with music DVDs to suite any taste, even buying the long-awaited latest DVD of Muse’s Wembley Stadium concert, which I couldn’t find in any other video shop. The store offers several players to use, including one CD’s and one for vinyl records – yet another plus.
Media Club (Maydan Nezalezhnosti, Globus shopping center, 3rd line)
