Ben James: want me to do a little intro right off the BAT here.

Beau Newsome: Well i'll just do a quick one.

So.

i'm here with Ben James we're here on behalf of the University of Idaho archives and special collections department, this is for an oral History project on Howard Hughes video slash mainstreet video co op.

Jane or band if you wouldn't mind introducing yourself and just give a little brief description of your relationship with Howard Hughes video.

Ben James: Sure thing thanks Bo yeah so i'm Ben James on the clinical assistant professor in the English department, the University of Idaho.

Quite heavily involved in the film and TV Program.

Then.

Ben James: runs at the university.

And I teach bunch of different film related classes.

Much of screenwriting classes.

yeah filmmaking some history that kind of thing so yeah and quite into movies.

yeah and then.

When I remember me I make I make films too so so yeah like that that's my that's my whole jam.

And I moved to Idaho.

moved to Moscow in I think it was 2012 I think 2012 and I think when we were first my wife and I came here, and she was being interviewed for position.

And I was a spousal accommodation and and they were kind of learning us.

You know, sorry, there were there was showing us around and one of the people who is showing us around our friend Alexandra was like oh there's this there's this video store I was like that's a that's an actual video store.

So great, and that was a real turning point for me because I thought okay this place has a legit legit video store like a real bricks and mortar store with videos.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Ben James: So I was as as a movie buff I was pretty excited.

Beau Newsome: yeah So this was when you got here in 2012 we were at the Main Street.

Ben James: address at that point that's right yeah.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah cuz we talked about.

Past interviews different iterations of the video store.

used to be a crime fifth street.

Okay across from the Moscow food co op on fifth street you know.

Ben James: Okay.

Beau Newsome: We did a big giant move and stuff like that.

Ben James: Right yeah.

Which.

So much stuff.

Ben James: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah it was it was basically half the size to to move into that Main Street store.

Ben James: So it's like.

Beau Newsome: trying to figure out what to do with 35.

or 30 plus thousand titles and try to split them into a smaller location.

Ben James: But yeah well, I mean that's it, you know, in a funny kind of way but that's one of the things that's so.

appealing to me when I first came there you know you walk in and you're, just like the place is packed.

And maybe, for you know I don't know for somebody like me who is a real kind of cinephile really loves.

Just movies in general.

You know it's like it's like going into an I used bookstore you know my wife is a literary professor, you know and we go into a lot of.

Love bookstores and use bookstores and you know record shops can be like this as well there's this real nice feeling from being in there and amongst all the all the titles and stuff and.

yeah there, there is a certain.

Beau Newsome: We did have a few record shops in town to it for short short stints.

Ben James: Right yeah yeah absolutely so you know that's that's something I really loved about it was just being able to kind of dig through stuff and take Take your time and find all sorts of all sorts of kind of low hidden gems and things that's great.

Beau Newsome: yeah um, I guess, one thing I forgot to ask you is, are we able to sign the waiver.

Ben James: I signed out, I thought i'll resend words.

or kids I saw.

It was online.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah hi I don't get those so I just have to make sure that.

Ben James: I decided, I signed it and it said, thank you.

Beau Newsome: Alright cool um so you.

So you mentioned moving here were you.

Did you have other video stores like.

Where you came from.

Ben James: Where I came from well i'm.

Beau Newsome: Already, though.

Ben James: I was living in Reno Nevada before moving to Moscow Idaho, so I think there was like a maybe a blockbuster maybe.

Okay.

Ben James: Maybe you know this is kind of interim netflix time right like it like netflix is just kind of getting getting a hold of things at this point, so I don't think we really went to the video store that much remember in in in Reno.

growing up in my little kind of.

tiny little town that I grew up in and Gloucester share in the in the UK.

You know, there were there were a couple of video stores and I used to you know I don't know why I was just something that I said i've always loved movies, and I would always go to the video store and spend a lot of time.

yeah browsing browsing through the titles and renting all sorts of like.

weird.

movies from all over the all over the world if a kid you know and.

And yeah it's always been a kind of a passionate and interested life yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah me as well, there was Oddly enough there's a lot of little video stores in Moscow.

Howard Hughes out kind of outlasted all of them, but.

I had a lot to choose from, when I was a kid and I.

Ben James: Remember yeah that's that's.

Beau Newsome: Just running into these video stores and.

Going right to my little ninja movies, or something whatever I was into at that point.

Ben James: Okay right yeah do you have like a genre of choice to one kind of genre but you tend toward or online.

Beau Newsome: Know lots yeah pretty much various but.

we've.

In these interviews we've talked a lot about our criterion collection.

Right.

You know yeah That was one that stayed intact it's still.

Ben James: A very, very good.

Beau Newsome: yeah and.

A lot of our various films and stuff like that cold classics I still haven't quite track that down that might still be intact.

Somebody might still have it, but I have to make some calls.

Ben James: Okay yeah you had a pretty you had a pretty pretty healthy i'm a big horror fan, so you had a pretty healthy horror selection like contemporary and and kind of older stuff as well and massive godzilla collection.

Beau Newsome: Which is yes.

Ben James: Pretty amazing.

Beau Newsome: A lot on vhs to.

Ben James: A lot of yeah.

Beau Newsome: And that was due to I don't know if you remember a kid named Ian no not even it was a Ivan that work there sometimes he had a big blond mohawk.

Okay, but he would constantly come to me and be like hey can we get this godzilla movie can we get this one can we get this one.

Yes, yes yeah.

Ben James: No.

Beau Newsome: No godzilla section is complete without you know, was a moth roe vs.

Ben James: godzilla dropping.

Beau Newsome: Live yeah yeah so yeah that's that's one reason credit Ivan a wire godzilla sex.

Ben James: way to go, Ivan.

Beau Newsome: Was as big as it was yeah.

Ben James: that's good that's good good work.

Beau Newsome: yeah How often do you think you read it so once you.

came to Moscow I don't know i'm.

Ben James: Pretty often I mean because you know, obviously I teach I teach film and.

You know, you can always get access to things through the library online as easily as you want, especially now with all these kind of digital licensing kind of.

Issues you know you're just trying to use them for educational purposes, but it's very difficult to be able to run them through the university computer and then project them for for people to watch.

You know you kind of run into some some fair fair use issues, sometimes and and so just being able to run to the video store and pick up like some quite you know unusual film right and go and pick up black hair curacao his dreams or.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Ben James: I don't know like katie broom or something like that you just go and grab it carry off the, off the shelf or or whatever or freaks you know.

That movie.

Beau Newsome: Making a cult classic section that's.

Right that's what we had I I interviewed somebody and they were like who decided what was a cult classic and I said, well, we did.

The employees, so there was no rhyme or reason to what was in there, but.

Ben James: yeah but.

Beau Newsome: freaks was one that was in there.

Ben James: yeah yeah that's that's that's a fascinating film like I love, showing that to I used to teach a class on like the history of horror cinema and so really enjoyed.

Like showing that to my to my students and getting them to think like kind of.

contextualize the film kind of socially and historically thinking about this, this kind of film that's really about these horrific bodies, but how they're all like this, this this group of people and the.

You know the outsiders, but they found this community and how it kind of related to these kind of issues about you know the post war era was pretty interesting to think about that yeah I must have rented The fly, and I have many times from you guys.

Beau Newsome: The static version yeah the fifth 1954 The fly.

Ben James: must have printed that bunch of times.

Beau Newsome: The cronenberg remake.

Ben James: Do like the cronenberg one like I got a lot of love for Jeff goldblum, of course, but but we always look to the 15th one because it's a really it's a it's an.

Interesting it's just an interesting movie is it like a 1950 like like in invasion of the body snatchers like the original body snatchers movie it's.

A real it's this hyper conformist movie about like fitting in.

Here right yeah.

Beau Newsome: So you mentioned.

So, like.

I just remember a lot of times, you would have.

We just have students coming in droves, to try to rent one or two movies, you know, and I.

Ben James: Oh really yeah I mean I tried to set up like what factors and things like that yeah.

Beau Newsome: It is.

Ben James: hard to do in the early days, and so I just be like look, you need to go and watch this film and that's you know there's one copy of the university and there's one copy down to go.

Right now.

Beau Newsome: And yeah we just constantly have it on reserve, it would get rented it would be reserved again and get rented until one standing with decide to just keep it out for two weeks, and nobody else could get it.

Ben James: Now.

yeah this is.

The opposite of what I want to happen, no I did I did run a few kind of screenings as well, where we're just like i'd rent the movie and then I show it to my class.

You know, so that, as a separate kind of event from that from the class itself and.

And that was pretty that was pretty good, but now students are so busy, and they everybody has different schedules, that it was.

you're only getting half the class into that anyway so eventually it, you know you're like well, is it worth my time to like rent a room and do all this other stuff.

But yeah you know sorry about that.

Beau Newsome: No, no, I think we tried to coordinate a little bit I think even had some employees that took some of your classes to.

Like while they're working at the video store.

Ben James: yeah i'm trying to remember that there's there's certainly one one fellow that I can think of is Connor.

Connor oh yeah definitely has taken a class at two for me okay yeah Connor.

Beau Newsome: We I interviewed him.

Because he was managing the store towards the end when it when they ultimately shut their doors and stuff like.

Right yeah.

Ben James: yeah he's he's a smart guy.

Beau Newsome: yeah we mostly just talked about video talked about movies and stuff on during our whole interview but.

Ben James: yeah he wrote a really good then little short film and one of my classes he's he's he's cool.

Beau Newsome: Oh really Okay, so you mentioned what what kind of class how many like film classes, did you.

Like.

about it.

Ben James: You know so i've been there, what nearly.

At least 10 years, I suppose, and so my classes that i've taught have changed over time, but the main ones that i've taught i've been I did.

A history of American horror cinema, which is pretty great told that the regular for quite a few years.

And then, a couple of film history classes just much broader film history classes about you know concerning what you might say, world cinema right so.

Focusing on different film movements throughout the throughout the 20th and 21st century, so there was like a history of cinema, part one, which is from like the 1890s to the Second World War, and then, part two, which is a whole of the Semester was like 1945 to the present day.

And that's probably my that's the the film history class that i've enjoyed the most probably because it, you know you start with Italian neorealist cinema and then you make your way, all the way through like you know everything from like bollywood's the French new wave to.

You know continue we watched them like this semester we watched bong joon ho's parasites, at the end of the Semester.

Every film that.

You.

Beau Newsome: know many movies.

per class, I mean there's a very or is it.

Ben James: yeah.

Beau Newsome: What watch a lot of them are.

Ben James: You watch we watch a lot of them, we have one film movement or film Culture per week and then there's so there's one assign film that you must watch every week.

So that's 16 movies, and then or probably less than that because there are a couple of breaks in there, but let's say 12 movies, and then there's.

A couple of different like analytical exercises that your essays and things that you have to do so, you have to watch, at least at least one or two movies, for those as well.

So yeah they get a good a good dose of yeah of movie making them this like the intro to the film major which we just got up and running recently and that's cool actually be stobo watching lots of more episodic shows, rather than movies.

Beau Newsome: Oh.

Ben James: And then going using that as like a core tech so, for example, last time we did it we did them dear white people, and so they just watch an episode of dear white people every week and then we week by week you just focus on a different like a static.

Elements say be like oh this week we're going to talk about some cinematography next week we're going to talk about acting like this week we're going to talk about.

You know editing stuff like that, so that was that's really cool I like that that's an interesting that's an interesting course good.

Beau Newsome: Speaking of dear white people whose based on the movie first.

Ben James: Correct that's right yeah.

Beau Newsome: Did you ever watch the movie.

Ben James: I watched the movie and I was like this is pretty good.

yeah I enjoyed the movie but it didn't like.

I think I was expecting a bit much of it, and it was like I was like how this all right, but the show I think it's actually really, really something is the show, because the issues so so big so much scope to you know let's address race and contemporary.

Like okay there's a huge amount to kind of unpack there and it's and it's just, obviously, as you know, is like told through the lens of like a bunch of college students right it's an Ivy league college fantasy college.

And, and I think, because there are so many characters and so many more points of view.

And so much more time available to it, I think it's a lot more.

Beau Newsome: stretch it out a little bit more yeah there's there's so much to be can get into.

Ben James: But.

Beau Newsome: I do, because a lot of if I remember right, it was just like different clicks on this college campus and.

Ben James: yeah that's right.

Beau Newsome: yeah but he's on perspectives and stuff.

Ben James: Like that's right and there's so much detail going into.

You start analyzing the show you realize how much detail is going into all of these different performances and how each of the characters has been molded and each one of them has like this backstory and storyline i'm like Okay, this is, this is a, this is a great show.

it's really it's very small very good yeah.

Beau Newsome: But I love it yeah i'd love to watch.

It Do you know what format it's on these days so.

Ben James: um I think we just I think it was from netflix when we when we streamed it for the class, I think it was like you gotta get netflix for the Semester guys that like yeah that's a textbook.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah that's fine yeah.

pay for the textbook.

Beau Newsome: So, like you mentioned streaming versus like I guess a local video store did.

The streaming help out quite a bit or was it still nice to utilize both or.

Ben James: I love those me, I think, because I, I guess, because I grew up going to video stores and things like that i'll always love the idea that experience, I think.

You know streaming has been useful for sure the University has this great pretty great platform called canopy so the K canopy.

That you might have come across and it hosts a lot of kind of streamer will content, a lot of kind of criterion or criterion adjacent titles and a lot of.

lot of non American cinema, which is, which is good for me for my classes so so that's been pretty useful just teaching and teaching his history of film like around the world there's a lot of things that are on that he can get into.

So yeah that that's been that's been pretty handy there's a you know there's like.

there's no Bollywood on it actually that's one one blind spot I don't know why it has, but it has no there's no Indian national cinema on that really at all, but there's like nollywood movies, like Nigerian Nigerian movies.

which are some of which I totally nuts.

But I love.

yeah you know there's there's lots and there's lots of really like pretty RT cool kind of non American cinema in there as well, and then lifted documentaries and stuff so yeah canopy has been brilliant.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah speaking of blind spot I I don't think we had any Bollywood movies in the video store, if I can.

Ben James: Remember, I said I.

Beau Newsome: Could temporary ones we had one called guru.

Ben James: Okay.

Beau Newsome: which was they were watching it in the movie called ghost world or no.

Ben James: Oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: Was it ghost world, I think it was go swimming.

Ben James: Yes, well, I don't know.

Beau Newsome: What scarlett johansson it's.

It was an indie movie yeah and they're watching unum.

And then so i'm.

Our one of our employees Ben hardcastle ordered and for the store and.

I think that was our one.

One Bollywood movie we had.

Ben James: But.

Beau Newsome: It was bizarre and it was great the music was great.

Ben James: cool that's fascinating like ghost world is like bollywood's entry drug.

Beau Newsome: that's right yeah that's.

How we found out about it.

Ben James: that's critical.

You mentioned yeah I mean there's a.

there's a bunch that you can get that you could you know there's a bunch of Bollywood on like netflix nowadays, and probably on hulu to, and you know there's.

We watch this one that's called.

Share if I try and.

try and save the title it's it's referred to as the DL J.

And it translates to like the big hearted will take the bright or hang on don't do do wally Daniela jr there you go.

So that's it's quite dated it's because, from the 1990, I think, but it's pretty entertaining and its own in some way, but I think my favorite is lagon which is basically just.

About.

Ben James: The British Empire getting.

Getting beaten at cricket but it's like a Bollywood it's like a musical but like.

People playing cricket.

Against the rush.

Beau Newsome: And I remember that was one of our double vhs tapes.

Ben James: Oh, there you go.

Beau Newsome: look on la GA in right.

Ben James: yeah double a yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah I always remembered look on yeah.

yeah never, never watched it.

Ben James: You have got a ticket it just you just Google like having a look on YouTube and Look how the just put the gun in YouTube and you'll probably find there's like the main one of the main like song sequences where they like preparing to play cricket and it's just it's great.

yeah just like yeah we'll get up like cricket.

Beau Newsome: That sounds great cool.

So you mentioned.

Some of the movies, for your classes that.

We had in our classic SCI fi horror section.

Okay, like fly and.

Oh yeah right they were.

Like invasion of the body snatchers.

Ben James: knife the living dead.

And, basically, what is that is.

Beau Newsome: that you have a favorite.

section in the store.

Ben James: or favorite section in the store, I mean.

that you have a bunch of stuff in the award winners category of a cult cult section was great I love science fiction and horror, so I find myself in there all the time.

So yeah I don't think there's any one section that I tended towards something weird like you know i'm British, as you can tell, probably so.

But I never really gravitated toward because you have like a British TV section where you're just like British TV and I just never call a sore and I was like oh yeah I know that show them, just like.

yeah.

Ben James: So, but yeah no I you know, like all the world when is the criterion stuff is.

brilliant.

Ben James: yeah yeah.

yeah.

Beau Newsome: The TV any TV we rent even it was sub.

genre of animated TV.

British TV section just our TV land in general is just all.

I never saw it come and I didn't know it was going to be such a big wave that that it was you know.

That was one the hard thing for us to is so expensive to.

buy.

Beau Newsome: season of something split it up into seven discs and then you lose one or one gets stolen or.

or damaged it's like Okay, now we gotta, but it was.

Low right.

Ben James: yeah he never really thought about that.

yeah right.

And it's a mission yeah yeah no I just love I just love going in and looking around you know.

yeah great questions the classic so the classic movies.

Yes, there's loads of classic lizard very classic films in there, that you know I probably wouldn't have.

Just because the physical copy was in front of me I was like Oh, I could just like get this right now and taking them and watch it, you know, like even yeah I think yes.

Beau Newsome: i've mentioned that in past interviews about I listened to a lot of movie podcasts to get because you know I miss being like ensconced in movies and talking to other employees talking to customers about movies.

Now I watch a movie and i'm not I don't really have anybody to share it with.

it's like.

Oh, I could send out a text or something but.

So I kind of that's how I.

You know, listening to podcasts but they always say in all these podcasts.

We can't get that movie anymore you can't find it anywhere.

Ben James: And oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: But we had it.

Ben James: We had.

We had yeah.

yeah Oh, but if you're looking for once the pandemic is over, if you want to hang out go watch a movie i'm just let me know.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah.

Ben James: Sure sure um what was I gonna say but.

You said something about not being able to fine tune things oh I don't know sorry I lost my throat.

Beau Newsome: Was it something I was talking about earlier.

Ben James: yeah you were saying that they made me think of.

Something I wanted to tell you.

Okay nope.

Beau Newsome: No problem.

So you, you mentioned, can you maybe go over some of the horror cinema movies, that you, you talked about your horror cinema class.

Ben James: Oh yeah absolutely yeah so I love horror i'm a huge huge fan of horror movie enough because they're really interesting, I think.

Beau Newsome: See they freaked me out too much.

Ben James: For some reason yeah I get a little.

Beau Newsome: psychologically involved in.

Ben James: What yeah okay that's fair enough, I think I watched a bunch of horror, I like slightly too early, when I was a kid and it kind of gave me this fixation where I was like kind of became fascinated with the experience of being scared like I became really interested in like.

Because I remember you know early horror film watching you know horror films early on and just being incapable of watching I found that fascinating that I was like it was just like.

It wasn't a choice that I was making like my body wouldn't let me, what did I mean like.

Like.

I didn't have a choice like I just like literally couldn't physically be in the room.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember one movie standing out the stairs you as a kid that.

Ben James: I mean, I think I watched.

My dad rented alien and I watched some of it from the stairs when I shouldn't have that was early on, I was quite young.

I don't think he knew that I was watching me from the leg through the door, so I think.

Beau Newsome: that's a hotly than a movie to about whether it's SCI fi or or.

Ben James: Its books.

Beau Newsome: I yeah I think it's.

Ben James: terrifying space yeah.

it's truck as in space and then it's jewels in space.

Right um so yeah so that and then I saw this weird.

weird.

kind of what dark fantasy movie called in in the company of wolves.

As Angela lansbury in it.

And there's this horrific scene, basically, where this guy.

gets a pan of it's like a medieval kind of fantasy setting this guy gets a pan of hot water thrown thrown at him and he, like pulls his skin off and then a wolf comes off his back.

And I watched that when I was a kid and I was just like oh.

And I like ran I ran like screaming out of the room.

Beau Newsome: remember how you consume movies, back then, was it just it was my yeah my dad.

Ben James: I want with watch them on TV, sometimes, and I would record them off TV my dad would record movies, of the TV and he had like a.

There was a cabinet underneath a vhs player that have just a ton of vhs tapes in it, and so, sometimes when I was like home by myself, you know, whatever i'd be watching the flintstones or whatever it was on tape and I like or stolen or which That was all of the time.

You know, on tape and then I would take that out of the machine and then i'd be like well what else is here, and then i'd start kind of you know, just like searching through all these all these weird movies, and I was like I had.

Smoking the bandit was like Oh, this is pretty cool but like it didn't understand a lot of the stuff in it and then like.

Some clint Eastwood movies, and then there was this oh what's the.

what's the Madonna movie the first.

Beau Newsome: desperately seeking Susan.

Ben James: desperately seeking Susan i've been like I do not understand this.

Soon you're watching tootsie when I was a kid it was being like.

Okay, this is pretty cool yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah just.

Ben James: Like all these kind of like 70s 80s yeah movies, that my dad had taped off the TV and I was just like I just.

watch them kind of by accident and then yeah one day, I came across in the company of walls and just scared in cheeses that I myself.

Really so.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, if the video store have that i'm trying to picture what it looked like.

Ben James: ever.

yeah i'll have to gosh.

Beau Newsome: look it up.

Ben James: But it's it's a quite an unusual movie it has this a lot of yeah kind of psychedelic kind of like fantasy.

kind of hard work quite Gothic.

Beau Newsome: As the ground again.

Ben James: in the company of wolves.

Okay.

Ben James: not to be confused with the brotherhood of the world which is this French.

Beau Newsome: Yes.

Ben James: That was a good vision as well, Wolf.

story We have lots of tripods with which is great, but completely a different film altogether.

yeah so the horror class we try to do like a 20th century kind of like look at American history and then look at the horror films that are produced during these different areas, so it was when something like.

godzilla invasion of the body snatchers and the fly and then into the 60s, I think we skipped over psycho because I used it to teach in class so in the 60s, it was night of the living dead we looked at with the main film.

And then.

You know it's tricky as well, because you kind of showing these films to like sophomores and some of them.

are more you know easily scared that you might think so you've got to chew in countries anything to to insane, so I think Joe was in the 70s, we watched jaws.

Beau Newsome: classic not show the.

Ben James: yeah.

Beau Newsome: not show the month.

I.

Ben James: kind of don't reveal the monster yeah.

Beau Newsome: Mostly, because they don't they can't afford it right is that one.

Ben James: Right yeah right they wasn't working.

They got it they got it, and then they were like this the shark doesn't work like okay well keep working on it.

Beau Newsome: it's not showing it yeah.

Ben James: yeah so um yeah so we looked at that time.

birds, as well the hitchcock movie the birds I think that's a really interesting movie to study.

In its context to like think about what's going on with like feminism and and obviously hitchcock's issues with women is pretty interesting.

Car car remember what we did for the 1980s, the 90s, we did a beginning a 90 day candyman.

We need great.

Beau Newsome: At which they're remaking now to.

Ben James: I know I really don't want to do that, but.

Beau Newsome: yeah i'm i've never been a fan of.

remakes or sequels or anything like that, but.

Ben James: yeah but yeah candy mother regional Canada was so great and like during matter and super interesting.

into the board, so I guess or.

Something in between Oh, the Blair witch project.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

The Blair witch project first time that was.

Ben James: That was something oh yeah.

that's a that's a fast one I think would be to think about in terms of like the failure of technology, you know, like in this moment that technology is supposed to be like you know lording it over everything else that like.

You know, if we take this technologies, the forest and they can't really capture anything they don't really get any evidence that it's.

kind of interesting in that yeah that way i'm.

Cabin in the woods.

I think we look at that just because it was fun and then there were all sorts of other things that I would reference in the classroom yeah so.

Right, you know.

i'm a big fan of David David lynch.

and

i'm really interested in talking about like the psychology of the camera like the way that was the psychology of editing.

Beau Newsome: Why don't know if you would characterize eraserhead is.

A horror movie but it's certainly terrifying.

Ben James: it's terrifying yeah it's terrifying well I think that's it's a horror horror movies get I think classified by perhaps should get classified by their effect right.

If they if that disturbing and you're watching her.

Beau Newsome: what's funny is I my niece and nephew or.

21 and 19 years old now and I tried to get them to watch the shining and.

Ben James: Of course.

Beau Newsome: john carpenter's Halloween and they were just.

Like what like this isn't scary like this is boring not scary and I was.

Ben James: shining.

sun is shining bright shining is a great movie it's great.

Beau Newsome: But it was just it was just seemed to be lost on a.

lost on them anyways because they were used to more in your face Gore kind of.

stuff right yeah oh yeah we did we looked at the.

Ben James: saw movies, yes.

Beau Newsome: yeah that's a.

Ben James: Pretty interesting to think about in terms of like you know because they all the saw movies come out at the same time is like the war on terror is happening.

And so there's like these interesting kind of parallels between like torture in in like American culture and torture that's pretty interesting.

Beau Newsome: Did you notice, if your students knew a lot about Howard Hughes are released surprised when he said, there was a video store downtown.

Ben James: I think they were surprised, they were most they're pretty surprised, most of the time you know I think I was, I was a pusher for the for the video store for sure definitely.

Beau Newsome: yeah that really helps.

Ben James: A lot go and get some go and get videos.

Beau Newsome: yeah I.

tried to coordinate with with you and some other professors that did some movie classes and stuff I know one Professor did a mammoth mammoth.

Ben James: Oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: movie class and.

it's I try to get as my list of whatever.

The Professor was showing so I could maybe order a few more copies or make sure we have enough.

Ben James: On.

Beau Newsome: Our end and.

yeah it was good, it was there was always a fine line of getting enough students into our store.

You know.

Ben James: Yes.

Beau Newsome: It was mostly miss but we'd hit every once awhile but.

Mostly miss out on a lot of students coming into our store.

Ben James: that's too bad it's too bad.

yeah.

I think that about covers yeah most of the horror stuff that the shining was like a core thing for me just like talking about the way that.

The genre functions, the shining is you can use that to to teach a lot of different things about their about their genre so it's a pretty handy film.

Beau Newsome: yeah it's one of my favorite horror movies, of all time.

One that stands out, I had the benefit of going to the sundance film festival couple years ago before the pandemic, but I got to see heredity.

Ben James: Oh brilliant.

Beau Newsome: Well, as a really well received movie.

Ben James: yeah yeah I I I love that movie I think it's so.

The ending is.

I don't I don't know what else it could be, I think.

The thing that I have a slightly frustrating about it because it's so it's so great.

I think it's I think it's.

really, really, really well done.

Beau Newsome: yeah Those are the two heredity and the which stand out and being like em.

And Baba Dick.

Ben James: yeah it was.

It was a banner period that.

Beau Newsome: yeah it was it was like.

Ben James: movies Okay, I was just like all right yeah.

Beau Newsome: here's a rebirth of kind of these.

These horror movie it's always.

been there with the paranormal.

Activity stuff but.

Ben James: Right yeah one of my friends and rena was in that movie actually she was she was in the first one.

Beau Newsome: Which one.

Ben James: In the first paranormal.

Beau Newsome: Activity okay okay.

Ben James: yeah that was.

Trying sorry i'm on Atlantic time and I oh.

Beau Newsome: No, no problem.

Ben James: and getting a little sleepy my apologies.

yeah those those those three like Barbara Jennifer Kent made by the duck I believe and she's she's a really she's a really interesting director, I still haven't seen the Nightingale which is.

I think that was her last picture, so I need to catch up on that.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah that's really good.

Did you.

Did you notice the video store struggling at all as a just from afar, as a customer did you.

Ben James: Well yeah I remember kind of, I think, from the from the off when I first started going there crossed my mind like how.

How is this place going to remain open, like video video stores all over the country are closing the closing down because they can't sustain.

You know this kind of this kind of business against the competition they exist so like How are they going to do it.

And it seemed to be just kind of happening, it seemed to be going fine for a while and then there was this period I can't remember when it when it was but started seeing you know, like.

like an invitation to like sign up to become part of.

The co operative and and so on, which I did you know it's like okay here's my here's my money and yeah and i'm into it.

But yeah it was just.

I don't think it had a as much support as it needed and.

It was just it was sad to really see to see a close, you know, I was, I was sad, you know I I do think about.

You know you think about what you what you could have you could have done, but.

yeah I think.

You know when when Howard Hughes was was when the store was closing down we've not long had a had a kid, and so I think I was fit preoccupied with.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah becoming a data and stuff and then before I knew it like that the stove is gone so.

yeah i've learned that doing these interviews and a lot of people were like.

i'd asked.

So were you renting towards the end as much as you used to and they're always like well not really like just for whatever reason streaming and this man we've kind of.

came to the conclusion it's.

People like the idea of the video store being there and those video stores are those videos being there yeah they didn't come in all the time, you know.

Ben James: yeah right.

yeah I think Aaron and I be you know I think my wife and I think we because we're becoming parents who are just like you know.

You know you suddenly everything becomes about convenience, you know and so you're like okay like I don't have time to do anything.

Beau Newsome: Like.

Ben James: barely enough time to sleep, so you know if there's a TV if this stuff on the TV and I can just do this and I have.

Beau Newsome: Great yeah.

Ben James: I mean you know and and, if I can do do do do this and get food great.

You know that doesn't necessarily make for the best society, unfortunately, so.

Beau Newsome: No, but it was true, it was the convenience.

wasn't there either you knows having a video store downtown with parking and.

Late fees and whatever else you know, like fighting that uphill battle and.

Ben James: Well, you know, and you gotta just did the math think about that I guess there's a reasonable amount of foot traffic that you know, on the location, that it was that a lot, opposite the you know the coffee shop.

One World is right there you know and so it's like a pretty it's pretty solid location if you're going to be based and.

Beau Newsome: yeah I don't know how many.

times a year oh at my keys and then would.

come over and.

Ben James: read them right, you know yeah right oh go get a coffee or whatever in.

Beau Newsome: Canada yeah yeah.

Ben James: yeah, so I think I know we're winning a lot, but I just, I guess, I think, like i'm a i'm a habitual.

Video or movie watch a you know that's that's just like who I am i'm you know my wife is like i'm going to read a book and i'm like i'm going to watch a movie.

and

But I don't know.

How many how many other people in town and I like that habitual about it, you know right.

Beau Newsome: yeah and a lot of lot of different circumstances one into why it didn't succeed and ultimately ended the business where do you remember where you were or where how you found out that it was actually closing its doors.

Ben James: Now, when did they close.

Beau Newsome: Right in March, like right before the or during the shutdown for the pandemic because, basically, what when they decided okay we're gonna close up.

Ben James: yeah I mean I don't think.

I don't know what other responses you've had on this to this question, but you know I.

Because i'm in my wife and I were teaching full time we were just in this kind of state of like okay what, what are we doing how writing is like.

Okay, you have to live at home our kid can't go today can.

I have, I have to work at home, you, I have to find a you know we have to make an office in our seller, and you have to make an offer you know and, and so I think just anything outside of like literally this very immediate kind of.

12 inch kind of world.

And kind of a pretty pretty rapidly, you know.

And uh yeah I think that was just like I think I don't know what other businesses when when.

kind of lost X the pandemic and early on in Moscow imagine there are quite a few.

Beau Newsome: I think there's a maybe not as many as we found them the beginning, but I think there was a few casualties.

Ben James: yeah yeah but no I don't know that that whole period that was a real Blair is that.

Is a doozy.

yeah.

Beau Newsome: So that was one thing that you know, I was always worried about was the library getting dismantled or liquidated or.

Ben James: Something like yeah I mean I remember trying to get involved in.

purchasing.

Purchasing collections like thumb you know criterion, or, if you want to call it, or horror, or whatever.

And, but then I just think that like you said about a university I when.

I think it was kenworthy made their lists available, they were like okay we're putting these lists up and they're available for people to just people can can buy from these lists now.

I want to first come, first serve packet loss.

And they put them posted them up online and I was like oh this sounds great yeah i'm and i'm gonna you know i'm going to spend a bit money and.

Getting you get a bunch of titles and then you know it's clearly being very pretty thoroughly picked over by some some pretty keen cinephiles already ah man.

Beau Newsome: I know I.

I kind of just didn't even pay attention to it, I was too hard for me to watch, you know these sections go up hey this is for sale.

Like yeah I can't watch.

It I can't watch this.

yeah but you know the.

Ben James: they've gone through they've gotten to a better place.

Beau Newsome: You know yeah and luckily they.

They were smart about it and they kept all the criterion like we mentioned, and you can rent.

The camry and you can still watch whatever movies, they have on disk to.

Ben James: that's pretty sweet.

Beau Newsome: that's bad.

For them, and they don't have any desire to rent out the criterion section, so they want to preserve it, they want it kept there and.

stuff like that so that's kind of Nice.

Ben James: And that's that's pretty that's pretty Nice, I really like.

Any breed like you know we're is it does suck that that.

mainstream disappeared for sure, but you know it does really bring something extra to the cinema as well, like like it's just a person who lives here like Oh, I could see myself like when the pandemic is over, I could see myself like.

organizing a regular like movie you know do it read theater and have like a have you know 20 of my friends come on watch a film every every so often I think that'd be that'd be fabulous.

Beau Newsome: I thought about that too yeah be great especially some of those titles that you'd never really be able to see on a big screen.

Ben James: yeah and that's The thing is listening, for that sound system, and then on the screen of extreme degree.

For sure.

Beau Newsome: So.

we've kind of talked about.

The collection.

Beau Newsome: Do you have do you have a question I like to ask is.

Do you have a recommendation that you remember, giving to somebody at the video store or getting from.

Somebody at the video store like I know it's hard to pick your brain like that.

Ben James: But do I have a recommendation from.

Beau Newsome: Like Do you remember an employee giving you a recommendation that really stood out.

For maybe something you just rented there that stands out like.

I remember renting this at the video store and liking it so much.

Ben James: I think i've got I think I rented perfect blue from you guys i'm not sure if that's correct, though.

So the enemies yeah I think.

Some of us somebody.

I read somewhere that there was a connection between perfect blue and aronofsky is black swan was like.

Oh.

I ever watch this and then I thought I may be granted it for me, but maybe I just.

Beau Newsome: Remember, we had it.

Ben James: Then, probably yeah I remember, I remember getting a hold of that and being like this is amazing, this is fascinating and like how did, there are no ski get away with this like this is kind of the same movie.

Oh really yeah that's pretty interesting to like look at that and then look at black swan and like.

Beau Newsome: huh.

Ben James: yeah yeah there's there's a lot of similarities.

So that's those pretty fascinating um i'm trying i'm trying to think of this something you know i'd have to take her take a while take a minute to.

Beau Newsome: yeah sorry I.

Always kind of throw know people and.

Ben James: You know, one that really I hadn't watched one I hadn't watched and really like.

Was super interesting for when I was teaching the class.

I never watched yam.

exclamation point which is about radioactive giant ass.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah.

Ben James: yeah and.

Now bear with me here go ahead and watch them and then go ahead and watch the sequel to alien aliens.

Beau Newsome: say.

Ben James: They are not the same movie.

Really same dumb movie ever an older like elements in it they're like tick tick tick tick you know you know.

we've got a we've got a flat above them and move them from from spaces, is the only way to be sure, all of this kind of like this whole military industrial thing the climbing through the tunnels they're afraid of fire, you know they've got acid for blood of a square acid and.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Okay well.

Ben James: Oh it's them.

Any ends is them.

Beau Newsome: James Cameron.

He he.

used to work for corman he probably knew what them was.

Ben James: Oh yeah he knew yeah oh yeah so that was that was that was pretty interesting and.

And the original I think he I think i've got the original.

gosh.

It is it.

Oh yeah no not it not it, the thing.

Beau Newsome: yeah the.

Ben James: original the thing the 50s one is pretty it's pretty interesting as well yeah.

Beau Newsome: Which is completely different.

From john carpenter's the thing right.

Ben James: yeah yes.

Totally okay totally there's a whole time there's just like there's this guy just like people keep opening the door and because they didn't have it, you know.

don't copy this film they had studios and also special effects and stuff whereas this one.

They don't really have much of a budget clearly, but they do have a wind machine or at least some fans and so, like every time somebody opens the door, they have to do this kind of like.

comedy like wrestling with the door and like throughout the whole film they somebody just going close the JAR like.

Beau Newsome: wasn't meant to be in there.

Ben James: it's meant to be in that, but.

Okay, really.

Beau Newsome: horrible.

Ben James: yeah.

Beau Newsome: um so you said, who introduced you to the video store when you first.

Ben James: I think I think it was our friends.

Alexandra teak who teaches poetry.

Okay.

Ben James: Investing.

Beau Newsome: In a new store and.

Ben James: that's right she was giving.

us that the tour she and her husband.

were giving us the tour of town and they're kind of you know, taking us on a walk around and and they were like in his early.

Like.

How yes.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Ben James: I remember working there, people will be like.

Beau Newsome: Wait you still work at a video store when.

Ben James: there's a video store.

Beau Newsome: again.

Ben James: You still work in the 1990s.

Beau Newsome: Right, yes, what is this yeah.

Ben James: yeah so honestly and this is no word of a lie, this is a clearly this was genuinely like a factor in me being like.

You know, because my my my wife she's like oh yeah like I could get this good job and I could we could move to this new town and like she could be really cool and you could like teach film and I can teach this and it's like.

kind of like living in a city I don't didn't love living in Reno necessarily by like to being in a city.

And, and the prospect of moving to like Moscow Idaho where where where is this place.

Where you know we're.

Beau Newsome: gonna be like yeah.

Ben James: Right, you know, and then we got there was like a lot of stuff here, and then there, she was like this video, so I was like.

Okay okay.

Beau Newsome: We film classes and film writing classes before you moved here.

Ben James: yeah I did.

I did a few some kind of guest lectures that you and i've been doing kind of independent filmmaking in Reno for a while.

And then, in the UK before that.

Beau Newsome: But you still doing making independent films.

Ben James: yeah we shot one just before the pandemic hits so we're in post production at the moment, and then on awake it's called which i'm developing their feature script of.

Beau Newsome: The vertical.

Ben James: i'm sorry for the week w ei ke quick.

Okay, and so i'm working on that the moment and have another have a bunch of.

scripted projects there in kind of various stages of completion.

And then i'm doing this other this other really.

kind of bar I.

want to call it like it's reef photography projects in collaboration with a compose a.

bunch of musicians and stuff when we're making i'm making these kind of video color collages of these photographs from there, frank church river of no return wilderness and.

And friend of mine works up there actually.

Oh really way and Nicole.

Beau Newsome: or no in the one of the ranch's chef rather ranch.

shep.

Ben James: shep ran it okay i'll have to like chef Ryan.

Beau Newsome: I didn't hit one and hit injure ranch.

Ben James: Okay.

Beau Newsome: cool and he was on my discovery did a little.

documentary or there's going to be a series.

of river of no return.

Ben James: Oh, there is a series, I think.

Beau Newsome: yeah and it was.

Just one season and it never got picked up.

But he worked in it.

yeah he was in it is one of the guys stuff yeah.

Ben James: yeah it's a pretty pretty insane place interesting so yeah i'm working on that as well.

Beau Newsome: Where does so, when you make a movie like wait or something do you chop it around.

Like festivals, or how does.

Ben James: That that's right yeah that's a big plan.

You know, once we've finished post we're going to send it on the festival circuit and see see what we can get into basically if you know kind of aim high and see see what sticks so.

we're just going to you know, keep it up a shot and yeah we've got a few other things in the pipeline as well, so.

Beau Newsome: This is some you been doing since.

You lived in the UK.

Ben James: yeah you know I.

started out just doing like music videos and adverts and things like that and i've always wanted to.

Do an indie film really or just you know and write and direct and I love it but it's very you know it's it's quite precarious and.

You have to always have to find the money is there's that big challenge is finding finding the money to to make the project work.

So yeah.

Beau Newsome: You have to video sort of found but.

it's still be there to you know.

Ben James: Like.

Beau Newsome: yeah never, never found that angel investor but.

Ben James: Right yeah exactly so just just trying to kind of.

But you know, one of the reasons I work as a professor as well right like I I.

do that, so I can I can do my creative work as well that's pretty good.

Beau Newsome: yeah that's really cool so you mentioned a keynote film festival that was.

yeah that was in Moscow or well I guess it was online.

Ben James: Yes, so what we actually.

it's traditionally held at the kenworthy faith in downtown Moscow last last iteration last spring, we held it completely online because of the pandemic and and my colleague kyle how it in who's a.

works in the in the film program as well this incredible job with like.

getting us a like a switcher and controlling all these different channels, so that we can like watch the films and then have Q and a's with directors and kind of zoom with the audience and and things like that, and so it was pretty great and really, really well run, so we did it again.

That we did again this spring, but it was kind of both online and there was an in person element as well, so Kim where they were open to I think private parties have up to 20.

Socially distance people, so we had an audience of you know 20 of our student filmmakers and the plus ones, and then we have.

Our online audience as well, so I you know you're seeing me in my this is me in my keno presenting.

yeah room right now like, so I was.

I know kind of introducing films and doing Q and a's with that, but the directors and things like that and it's really good.

Beau Newsome: it's really good oh wow that's very awesome.

Ben James: Very cool there's a lot of talent in the Pacific Northwest you know and we got lots of.

You know, we don't it open to anybody who's a filmmaker in the in the Pacific Northwest so if you're in or again if you're in Montana, you know, Washington and so on, so obviously I do so yeah we have people apply to submit entries from all over, and then we just we I think we chose.

Now there's been films.

Beau Newsome: And then, once you choose and what happens to them.

Ben James: or just yes they're receiving them all.

We screen them all we did them in like five blocks of three, I think, with a Q amp a between each and then they there's a panel of judges who voted best sound cinematography and best screenplay best acting.

Best film and then there were some prizes for for for those there's audience awards as well.

Beau Newsome: when's the next one, going to be.

Ben James: So the next one this one's just gone, it was on last Friday.

that's February 14, and so it will be.

In in white in a year's time basically.

Okay, we do have we yeah we do have a another event in the fall I can't remember the date of the top of my head, but.

I can add you to our our mailing list for 48 so there's a 48 hour film making challenge that again anyone from like local community can enter student alarm high school students, anyone who has has the.

desire to do it and yeah you can you just go off and you make a make a movie in 48 hours, and then they will get screened and then people when people in some prizes.

Beau Newsome: it's very cool and no idea.

Ben James: Alright cool.

Beau Newsome: um I know like keno video was a thing that I saw all the time working at the video store like i'd get magazines and stuff forward is this affiliated with that at all.

Ben James: i've never heard of a magazine called that I just when I when I arrived here, there was Aquino film festival that was hosted at their their local theater and I was like okay.

Beau Newsome: sounds good okay yeah cuz.

Ben James: let's let's do that.

Beau Newsome: Sometimes we get.

Like old vhs tapes of movies, or even some DVDs like I think we had an old.

Like in our critics choice section art house cinema that was.

sponsored by like keynote Okay, I know.

Ben James: Right oh it's keno Lopez now.

Beau Newsome: Yes, maybe.

Ben James: You know, over seen that sit there like distribution just.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah Maybe it was just a distributor.

Ben James: That i'm not sure.

Beau Newsome: That always recognize that.

That name so well.

yeah synonymous with videos and movies, I know that much so.

Ben James: There you go.

Beau Newsome: cool that's very awesome Do you still keep in contact with anybody at the video store.

Ben James: No, I don't think I knew it, you know I didn't know anybody that that well I think you're the probably the person that I am probably most familiar with other than Connor.

Right.

Beau Newsome: Connor was mentioning he went he did the telluride film festival online.

cool so is that the the online process seems to be working OK.

For the oh I don't know I I haven't been I haven't been to many online seven film festivals, I went to a bench.

Ben James: And well well well for real.

Okay, you know in person ones, and then.

Just since the pandemic I normally in this summer I go to a few festivals, but this summer i'm taking some time off because we're traveling and I want to get a lot of creative work done, so I think i'm just going to watch films in my in my spare time and get my get my work done ready.

Beau Newsome: I wish the video service still there to help you out with that film watching but.

Ben James: yeah but yeah me too.

Beau Newsome: Okay, so is there anything, one thing I like to ask.

People is is there anything you've watched lately.

That you would recommend.

Ben James: um what have a watch to lately gosh.

Beau Newsome: TV movie whatever.

Ben James: yeah you know um whatever watch lately um.

I think the, the last thing that really.

couple things, the last thing that really bowled me over in terms of TV.

was properly free bag and.

Beau Newsome: we'd love it.

Ben James: A year or so ago now, and I have this second season of that I thought was especially good I thought that was really, really.

Beau Newsome: interesting.

Ben James: I agree to and smartly made and I.

Beau Newsome: was completely.

Ben James: yeah so good.

very, very fresh and interesting so.

Beau Newsome: I might be done, I think it's done.

Ben James: I hope, so I hope.

This is the thing, this is a bugbear of mine i'm like Okay, and then it's done and then just leave it alone.

Beau Newsome: Leave it alone so.

Ben James: yeah it's that's fine just.

Leave it so that was really good TV.

This is good my my friends watch quite a lot of Korean TV i'm trying to remember.

it's Japanese actually terrorists House I don't know if you've seen that but.

that's like really interesting that's like.

The some of the most soothing TV that you can watch because it's just like watching people doing nothing.

and talking very, very politely to each other.

there's also this brilliant live stream that I discovered.

I stumbled upon.

Which is live from Sweden, I don't know if it's still ongoing, right now, but it was happening, it was still happening last week, I think, which is.

it's a live stream of moose.

migrating.

So you have all these like cameras around these forests and then.

And then they just like switch to a different camera and you just like sit and watch it for like three four minutes Max, which is the different camera again and it just keeps going.

And every so often like you'll see some moves and then there'll be a walking or swimming or whatever and.

it's pretty cool but it's not a movie by any means so that's just online in terms of movies, I did watch just online a Japanese film called.

harm the Japanese title now pyro pulse it translates as pulse, I think.

Okay.

Ben James: And that just had some some couple of little some standout kind of horror moments, where I was quite quite.

what's the word I was really surprised and intrigued by what they were doing what they did, and I realized have carefully.

They kind of constructed these mountains, so I was.

Like.

Ben James: No okay.

Beau Newsome: Very cool.

Okay Well, yes, this journey I think we're kind of.

You know it's probably late, where you are so we're kind of.

coming to an end here, but.

Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you would like to add.

Ben James: um.

I don't think so.

Beau Newsome: And to we can always do a little interview again to.

Ben James: Like we were telling yeah cool.

Beau Newsome: migraine and you thought of that you want to talk about or or even taken out or whatever you know we can.

Pretty wide Oh well.

Ben James: All right, let me, let me have a thing, I am sorry i'm putting a bill.

Beau Newsome: No, I.

Again I just appreciate you doing this, you know it was it was really cool to when I always heard of a professor that.

You know film classes in general that was that was awesome that they were even.

Having.

Beau Newsome: You know, having those up at the University of Idaho.

But then when they were incorporated us as the video store That was really neat.

I was always a big fan of that so.

I appreciate appreciate that you know and on your side, and your end.

Ben James: And it is my pleasure.

Beau Newsome: And I appreciate you for doing this to this is a.

kind of a neat little project, and I.

Just not letting the video store die, you know.

Ben James: That for sure, well, let me know how this works out for you, and if you need anything else just don't hesitate to drop me a line okay.

Beau Newsome: Great great.

Well, thanks again Ben I appreciate it, what yet you can hang tight now.

To stop recording and sign off here but.

Once again, I really do appreciate it yeah.

You doing this for us.