Forest Ellsworth recounts his memories of Howard Hughes Video Rental. He describes the store as he remembers it as a child and discusses his favorite section. He talks about the different stores in town where you could rent movies. He describes the process of going into the store and looking through the movies.

Monique Lillard: Okay, and now it's recording all right, I am monique lillard I am here with the University of Idaho.

Monique Lillard: Video so i'm just adjusting with okay.

Monique Lillard: Oral oral history of the video rental store that was here in Moscow, sometimes we call it Howard Hughes video sometimes we call it mainstream video.

Monique Lillard: that's the story that we're talking about that we might compare with other video stores if that seems appropriate.

Monique Lillard: It is 6pm on August 13th 2021 that's Friday the 13th and I am going to turn this over and we're going to you're going to have the view of the person i'm interviewing.

Monique Lillard: And then i'm going to be off camera, but now you know what I look like all right, I was still that i'm talking to history when I do yes okay history, no future future future future future.

Monique Lillard: Okay.

Monique Lillard: And that says recording okay so go ahead feature name and tell us if you sign a waiver.

Monique Lillard: My name is for us ellsworth and I signed the waiver for this interview excellent excellent So what are your first memories of going to Howard Hughes video um well I love my family when we first moved to Moscow, I was.

Monique Lillard: Five probably.

Monique Lillard: And it was.

Monique Lillard: Howard Hughes was still, it was in its old location near the where the new code base right lingo psychic yeah so it was and that place was pretty cool because I had the weird little low ceilings and that little so yeah I described described it was love people.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah it was yeah I don't know it was I remember, there was like brown kind of brown tan carpet, maybe that's what I remember, but um.

Monique Lillard: And yeah like low ceilings and it had all these different to have.

Monique Lillard: A wall of fame directors wall of fame and I was too young to know any the directors, but I thought that was cool, like all these different.

Monique Lillard: yeah, and so I we went there probably like the third day we moved to Moscow just to check it out, and we, and then we yeah I since then I probably went to that store in all its different forms.

Monique Lillard: Probably once a week or even even more often sometimes but yeah so I yeah i've been going there since I was five so that's fun yeah.

Monique Lillard: Can you remember what your favorite section was when you were a kid or oh it's been the same forever, even as a kid obviously I wasn't allowed to get anything but the horror section.

Monique Lillard: The scary movies, that was always I just as a kid I just love, just like walking through and looking at the covers and having nightmares just about the covers what it was.

Monique Lillard: yeah, and so I started watching horror movies, much too young but not that's all yeah so that's always been it was always my favorite even just to look through.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah when I was a little girl was it.

Monique Lillard: called dark shadow yeah reside in the daytime yeah and when I was really young even seeing the advertisements for.

Monique Lillard: Probably seven years later I love that yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Just.

Monique Lillard: Pictures I remember my son and my son looked out over a cover of a book one oh yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah see you go there about once we once we need more yeah once yeah sorry, Sir, I was just gonna say that.

Monique Lillard: What once I was in high school, I became about like twice twice a week i'm going to rent the five movies watch them in like two days and then just do it just do it again, but yeah that's good so.

Monique Lillard: Will you go rent them on your own did you have to negotiate with your brother What was it was only process yeah it was so we would go.

Monique Lillard: And my parents would.

Monique Lillard: get a movie for them and then read and I, my brother, and I would we would get a few movies, and I, this is, I remember I this is taking me remember the.

Monique Lillard: There was a other video store in East side that was so not as good.

Monique Lillard: It was so not as good if it only had it was all just about like new releases they had you know back, but you know back catalogues and stuff of older movies, but it wasn't because I remember, we went there when my dad was the first first real horror movie ever saw was the shiny.

Monique Lillard: yeah and because my dad my dad has like a really bad memory about movies, and he was he just he remembered liking it he's like I think he could, and he just did not remember how scary it was.

Monique Lillard: Oh yeah the shining the sixth the sixth sense, where the two first horror movies wouldn't probably the way too young, but we were trying to find the shining.

Monique Lillard: And we went to that started in a while we were closer, we should we start that sort and they didn't they didn't have it in the in the guy we asked was like yeah.

Monique Lillard: Like we don't there's like so many classics we don't have and then so we just like never, never went back there so yeah and then yeah did you ever go to Hastings yes.

Monique Lillard: Hastings was.

Monique Lillard: Not you know, not a great selection, but they were pretty good for new releases because they had this deal where, if you returned the movie the next day you got like a certain credit, and so you can just.

Monique Lillard: Keep building these credits and so eventually you could rent like 10 free movies at once, so that was kind of cool, but it was never like that there was never that go to is usually just like.

Monique Lillard: If there is some new release I wouldn't really brand new releases out, it was all for the because they you know they had all the so much of the old stuff and weird stuff that was yeah because the new releases, you can find whatever so that wasn't really.

Monique Lillard: Interesting Okay, did you get home i'm watching HBO or I don't know what you were back.

Monique Lillard: This is mustache oh no.

Monique Lillard: i'm sorry continue sorry.

Monique Lillard: watching movies at home.

Monique Lillard: So my family we didn't like we did we got in and out a lot later than most families did.

Monique Lillard: So it was so yeah so it was mostly you know, we had like DVD player and whatever TV, but we didn't have.

Monique Lillard: We didn't have streaming or anything so it was all so that's like how and then, once we did get Internet I still it was like I still prefer to go it was just like the the ritual of I guess just the experience of the right thing right and.

Monique Lillard: i'm kind of thing, are there any other video stores in Moscow that you remember.

Monique Lillard: Oh, so it safe way.

Monique Lillard: Still he's still be the will either really random selection and I don't I think we may be rented one movie there ever, but I would always.

Monique Lillard: You know some of my mom the shopping I would always go and look through it like it wasn't very big just like a few spinners but.

Monique Lillard: They I remember, they had some weird stuff because I was, I was six or seven around when it goes there and yeah so I remember seeing so they had some weird covers like weird or like.

Monique Lillard: movies yeah so I kind of installer for that, and for the gas stations that had like a move, like a tiny little windy I just yeah I never liked her.

Monique Lillard: um.

Monique Lillard: How about you Emily do the city yeah um so the main I love Okay, so I lived in Boise.

Monique Lillard: Nevada.

Monique Lillard: Nevada and milwaukee Wisconsin for significant amounts of time, most of my life has been in Moscow button, for you know summers are something that.

Monique Lillard: i've never i've never really found a video store like like Howard Hughes and even in these in I.

Monique Lillard: The closest one.

Monique Lillard: That i've been because i've you know i've heard that like there's wasn't scared co video and Seattle that's like this thing.

Monique Lillard: amoeba records, but but but interpret but yeah the ones i've been to.

Monique Lillard: Nothing has really come close to Howard Hughes justin they're.

Monique Lillard: Just in their Catholic just their catalog of.

Monique Lillard: I don't know yeah but you may be rented horror, but you were still aware of the catalog was that yeah oh idea I mean I horror, is my favorite but I rent it from every I would say, the only section that I don't think I ever I mean I guess the road.

Monique Lillard: Though like adult porn section.

Monique Lillard: So I rented that but I don't think I ever rented one movie from the romantic comedy oh good the drama the drama yeah but every other section I rented funny stuff yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Will you talk to the people who work there.

Monique Lillard: A little bit I, so I I still have social anxiety, but they used to be really bad.

Monique Lillard: it's gotten better, so I was, I mean I would go I would go in there all the time, so I would know the people and they would always like know me but I.

Monique Lillard: never really and then, as I started doing them more than I started like asking people for recommendations are just so that that became fun to kind of get over like just be able to, and then, once you ask them they're more than willing.

Monique Lillard: To talk so yeah so yeah it was there was a lot of Nice people who work there okay yeah we have most people think them.

Monique Lillard: But i'm gonna keep with my questions and then we'll go maybe.

Monique Lillard: Do you feel as a video store was important to Moscow, as the city I.

Monique Lillard: I do, because I, it was it was.

Monique Lillard: Like I said, like and all the other video stores that ever went to they just didn't they didn't have the same you know catalog library and, be they didn't it just didn't have the same feeling to it, I guess it always just felt.

Monique Lillard: It felt like a like an iconic Moscow institution, so when it when it kind of went it went away, I was like oh man I just felt like part of the city has kind of gone so young, and I was gonna ask you about that so.

Monique Lillard: I think I want to ask if I go back and do you want to say how old you are or how long ago, you were five or however you want to put it yeah i'm 26 right now so okay.

Monique Lillard: 20 years yeah so big on that.

Monique Lillard: It wasn't.

Monique Lillard: actually just closed last March seems like I know it seems forever yeah.

Monique Lillard: everybody's felt that way that everybody sends a time is thought yeah you know you're crazy so.

Monique Lillard: Were you aware CS.

Monique Lillard: room in your mid teens maybe.

Monique Lillard: Maybe seven years ago, little they, the people who owned it were thinking about selling it and then it went cooperative five years were you aware of any of that customer.

Monique Lillard: I was vaguely just because I was hitting all time, so you know there's.

Monique Lillard: Whatever but I wasn't quite you know I wasn't I was just I was like Okay, I know something's changing I hope it doesn't go away, that was kind of.

Monique Lillard: limit and I just read about it so yeah did anything change for you, especially the became cooperatives and your experience change though yeah I have nothing I sell exactly the same yeah you know we kept the same personnel or yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: How did you learn the store had close.

Monique Lillard: Well, is a very hands on so I was helping my friend move out of his apartment he lived in the apartments directly above powered he was like in that space.

Monique Lillard: So I was helping him you're moving something down I just looked over and there is a sign of like what so yeah it was it was kind of a shock, it was.

Monique Lillard: It felt bad yeah yeah yeah do you think anything could have been done to keep it open, I mean, I guess, more people go to movies, it says.

Monique Lillard: It became you know, and I understand, obviously, because you can eat you know you can go on Amazon or wherever YouTube and play any movie.

Monique Lillard: Ever just from there, but I, I think the main thing because, if it was still over I would still be going, you know I would still be going, despite having pretty much every streaming service Member now.

Monique Lillard: Because.

Monique Lillard: When it may I feel like it made me actually watch and really like watch the movie because it was like Okay, I read, I read this I have this I gotta return it in a few days it made me I feel like.

Monique Lillard: appreciate the movie more and then and then also when it was like a really bad movie I would kind of sit in force myself.

Monique Lillard: Through it just to say okay I watched it, whereas now if i'm streaming something back it's like no i'm not even wasting my time so I kind of I kind of missed that in a weird way being just didn't know I gotta watch this my rent yeah.

Monique Lillard: You know you're not the only person to say that it's just something more intentional.

Monique Lillard: How did you feel that actually touching the boxes, I was great I love I love just I love just looking looking through stuff Oh, this is, I just remembered another probably the second actually this second best video store but.

Monique Lillard: it's not a video store, but it was the.

Monique Lillard: The milwaukee public library has a.

Monique Lillard: Like a fantastic it's kind of their kind of weird a lot of its old kind of not not like well don't like week like weird.

Monique Lillard: Romeo and Juliet adaptations and no one's ever heard of but it's it was that's probably the second best event to just in terms of the atmosphere and how much that so yeah that's interesting.

Monique Lillard: Because it makes me wanna do you ever go to Moscow public library, yes I yeah I did I rented them from there a few times they I think that the Moscow public library has a strange selection of stuff it's they have it's weird they have a lot of.

Monique Lillard: kind of like old like arthouse like criterion collection stuff and then the rest is kind of just like side like we inside yeah yeah it's a strange like that, but yeah.

Monique Lillard: So I just learned about something in fact I I i'm not sure i've done a lot of these, in fact, I know I know that one recording.

Monique Lillard: Since I learned about this, but somebody might have mentioned, it is called canopy spelled with a K canopy as somebody who takes things out of the Moscow public library, you can do it if I can do it, you can do it, you sign up for it, we have a roku which is disastrous thing.

Monique Lillard: But anyway, you sign up and you put in your library card number and you can rent I think it's for movies, a month free totally free.

Monique Lillard: shoe collection and it's made for libraries and they have some little title, but just as importantly, so really the rule is, you should watch yeah but I mean I saw a humble areas just various.

Monique Lillard: story called I think only human it was set in Barcelona it's a Jewish family and she's the young woman is bringing on men she wants to marry and he's Palestinian and.

Monique Lillard: it's a farce, you know there's all you know all this crazy stuff but we're gonna we're going to do that, I had a meeting with a canopy with.

Monique Lillard: School yeah yeah you could ask if you go to the library or call, they would be helpful Oh, you probably go on their website yeah.

Monique Lillard: Okay i'm gonna definitely get you might really fun to you so yeah um let's see here.

Monique Lillard: How this video store coming back hours.

Monique Lillard: No, I mean I should say something the University of Idaho.

Monique Lillard: library thought way more of these Howard Hughes films that I have realized Oh, and I think they're in special collections and I think they're quite decided if they're going to learn about or not.

Monique Lillard: Because special collections, that means you're not supposed to let people through it and record, you know, but on the other hand, here's a.

Monique Lillard: movie yeah yeah so I don't know what they're going to do there they'll they'll listen to this very shortly so good luck to them, but yeah yeah so just that's just so you know I don't know who has the right to go get movies, out of the wine library.

Monique Lillard: Anyway, so yeah that's why I was wondering what happened to.

Monique Lillard: One person kenworthy Okay, a whole collection in this just jammed up boxes all up and down the aisles and of course it's right live.

Monique Lillard: Because I think i'm Friday and Monday was when the government shutdown start, so it was a good thing, because.

Monique Lillard: Look at the kenworthy sorted, although I think they return the hair out low that they sorted sorted and then they had some online auctions and it's funny because we don't know because the science fiction genre and they people are getting all excited if you didn't know.

Monique Lillard: Either yeah yeah then everybody did their best and everybody was really Coleman and all the strangeness of what's happening so not blaming anybody, but it was.

Monique Lillard: You know, some of us didn't know everything I knew some of the night, I think I had a depression or something I couldn't I couldn't make myself figure it out and then all this stuff is gone that I wanted.

Monique Lillard: But.

Monique Lillard: Then the library I guess bought or something got them from the kenworthy some.

Monique Lillard: Big number 35,000 total and I think every 15,000 which is really oh yeah.

Monique Lillard: that's correct yeah they'll correct me if i'm wrong at some point yeah yeah so What was your question was that um.

Monique Lillard: I think it was what role, did the video part to play in your life, I mean, obviously, it was a lot of entertainment anything else, it was honestly, it was kind of a sanctuary for me, I mean not.

Monique Lillard: You know, go to the store and spend hours in there, but just having it there, and having that I, you know, because in high school, I was not a good time for me at all, so I would, I would just.

Monique Lillard: get my money at walked down there and get my movies, and access.

Monique Lillard: It was yeah it was kind of it was a nice it helped me a lot through through those times yeah yeah yeah I mean I remember browsing for half an hour yeah even maybe an hour, especially if I ran into somebody new.

Monique Lillard: friends there or did you kind of just.

Monique Lillard: yeah I mean I sorta was like that yeah I didn't really.

Monique Lillard: See man, I also kind of went I go at weird times like in the like the middle of the day, and now so like no one's really they're like really close to closing so it was.

Monique Lillard: kind of I would kind of go it non busier times, just because I prefer that but yeah so yeah I didn't really I didn't really like talk to people I just it just look yeah there's just a story how much the viewing experience looking at.

Monique Lillard: How did you remember, video changed or was it always DVDs no I yeah we had a diagram remembers vhs yeah i'll rewind there, though yeah yeah yeah and then yeah and I remember one Christmas we got our first DVD player and it was like this whole.

Monique Lillard: thing and but yeah yeah no I yeah I don't have too much nostalgia for vhs tapes just because their pain in the butt, but they were.

Monique Lillard: But you have a sound different DVDs as a string absolutely yes, I I I just.

Monique Lillard: don't know that it just I don't know there's something like it's I guess it was like when you put it in, and you okay we're getting the movie ready now we have the desk and put it in was more of an event.

Monique Lillard: And more was like okay you gotta watch this, you have to focus yeah I mean someone watches the credits.

Monique Lillard: I do, I don't you know I don't watch the whole credits, but I do like to I will I do like to watch a few minutes of the credits yes yeah yeah depending depending on the movie if I liked the movie yes, I did.

Monique Lillard: Did you watch the special features on.

Monique Lillard: Special yeah What do you do now, do you ever miss the special features, or I actually have to do, tell me what do you do if you think no, I want to know more was this film I yeah I base I just I guess I just look it up on YouTube.

Monique Lillard: Oh yeah they have like the whole like the eight hour like Lord of the Rings behind the scenes, like a whole thing on YouTube so yeah so but.

Monique Lillard: yeah I really just yeah it's more obviously the convenience of being able to stream and find whatever is nice but I don't know it just doesn't feel it's I I missed the whole experience of.

Monique Lillard: yeah it was a comforting thing for me yeah.

Monique Lillard: Have you ever tried to convince people know, maybe I guess stone was still existing know you know, this is a great thing.

Monique Lillard: We should do this, you shouldn't just sit with him, did you ever have those arguments yeah not not necessarily arguments, but I was just more like I would.

Monique Lillard: Sit be like or like people would be like, why do you why do you still do that or like because it's fun it's fun it's it's it's fun to look through all these men, just like find movies, because you know I had the five five movies, for five days.

Monique Lillard: So what I would do is I usually had a list of like three movies, and I didn't want to try my been meaning to watch that would look for those.

Monique Lillard: And then, what I just find a movie that I heard about, and then the last movie I would just pick something.

Monique Lillard: Random kind of just kind of just based on like the title or the coverage is like let's see most of the time, not very good, but sometimes they were some.

Monique Lillard: There were some gems and he just I don't know you can really, really get that with streaming Now you can I guess you can you can just watch a random netflix movie but it's not the same yeah.

Monique Lillard: Can you remember the name of some gems you found or can you remember the favorite movies there yeah um so some gems that I just kind of found.

Monique Lillard: Bella movie from Belarus, I think it was a think the director from Belarus some some Soviet country.

Monique Lillard: and

Monique Lillard: The World War Two movie called come and see.

Monique Lillard: And it's about and I just saw I was just looking through the foreign section, and I saw it in the covers like this crazy weird like face of the soldier and rainbows going on there okay that sounds pretty cool and I watched it and it's it's incredible it's.

Monique Lillard: it's horrifying I mean it's it's it's about the Nazis moving through bellerose because the the director was like a child, like during like in Belarus, and this time, so they like experiences things and.

Monique Lillard: yeah it's about this kid who finds a rifle and joins us partisan group to fight the Nazis and then just.

Monique Lillard: don't leave out the abject horror horrors of what the Nazi it's it's pretty horrifying but it's it's amazing so and I just kind of thought and then yeah so that was definitely one of the.

Monique Lillard: Better gems that I found, do you think you could find it now, I mean i'm not gonna, this is not a test, but do you think that.

Monique Lillard: With all the streaming that oh yeah it's a it's a known oh definitely yeah oh yeah you could definitely yeah I could get OK OK yeah it's a pretty fairly well known for its for what it is, but it's one that we kind of stumbled on just by virtue of.

Monique Lillard: Just being there and that looks cool and it was yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: picnic at hanging rock.

Monique Lillard: My husband and I saw that in the movie theater.

Monique Lillard: Oh yeah yeah I yeah I think that all they kind of pass out in the dance chrome over there yeah yeah oh.

Monique Lillard: yeah I just kind of that one yeah most of the gems where they're kind of like maybe like mostly from like the 70s, or 80s, that I thought it just looks weird I had a weird time also another one, which is now one of my favorite movies ever mccabe and Mrs Miller.

Monique Lillard: it's yeah it's like a weird kind of dreaming Western anti Western sort of I don't know we thought, but oh man it's.

Monique Lillard: Just weird those weird all movies that like you wouldn't find just looking through you know you went, just like i'm sure they have a mother, but do you know it's going to be harder to just.

Monique Lillard: So what do you have.

Monique Lillard: netflix Amazon prime HBO Max Hello Disney like pretty much and yeah pretty much everything, and I still man, I would still not really feelings, because there are at least two of those there's a corn and there's something called I think.

Monique Lillard: Right yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Oh criteria, and it has its own.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah see.

Monique Lillard: i'm not getting any kickbacks.

Monique Lillard: Can you give me a memory this either happy or scary or funny or weird or anything like that, from the store or from surrounding the store um.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: I guess when.

Monique Lillard: That arby's shooting happened oh that was terrible yes yeah I wasn't in Howard, he is when I heard about that I was in how to use a spike of my friends and she was like.

Monique Lillard: Just like hey stay in the store and I was like watching so that was kind of weird so we just kind of there's some other people now we just were all kind of just like.

Monique Lillard: dancing around so that but, honestly, if I was gonna that was like a better one of the better stores, to be in because it was like oh Bob least I feel sorry to say, yeah yeah and I doubt.

Monique Lillard: If she's going to come do videos.

Monique Lillard: Those little Nice.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: This is a grisly thing.

Monique Lillard: Because it was happening.

Monique Lillard: was quite a bit yeah.

Monique Lillard: funny yeah yeah we weren't in any direct danger but House so, and this is a sidetrack but the the shooter so my mom my mom's friend the shooter was his son, you know you know that, yes, yes yeah so that's so that's so good that was even that was like realize.

Monique Lillard: it's a small town yeah exactly yeah that family was pretty well known yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: Any other memories and the other movies that come to your mind I okay and okay well, one of the.

Monique Lillard: movie that became my.

Monique Lillard: You know my favorite movie of all time kind of shifts depending on feeling, but the one I would say is kind of like by my number one sort of always is.

Monique Lillard: magnolia.

Monique Lillard: yeah it's it's about.

Monique Lillard: Like one night in Los Angeles, and all these different people in my different storylines sort of how they like intertwined and interconnected and.

Monique Lillard: yeah and I just kind of I was another one I just stumbled upon I knew the director, but I hadn't seen this once the director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Monique Lillard: And, and I remember that I I just it was like had been a really bad week at school, I went on Friday got these movies, and I was like okay i'm gonna watch this.

Monique Lillard: And I guy I ate my 20 chicken nuggets and just watch them and movies, like three and a half hours long and it felt like an hour I was like holy cow like it was a.

Monique Lillard: transcendent experience with the MIC nuggets summer yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Because Los Angeles, is my hometown and i've seen several of those composite movies.

Monique Lillard: Have you seen the shortcuts i've heard of it my must have seen it once magnolia is.

Monique Lillard: Basically, not a remake but it's a very direct Omar, to show other very good instructors other very similar yeah I love the book grapes.

Monique Lillard: yeah no and I know a few times i've spoken to you, we almost always talking about movie I don't remember the title or the direct number yeah yeah do you blog about movies, or I did so I if you've heard about letterbox.

Monique Lillard: web there's a website called letter box I don't think I knew that up at the end butter box, it was letter box and then just a deep in a box to yeah.

Monique Lillard: it's.

Monique Lillard: So it's pretty it's pretty popular now I was I kind of got it on the ground floor so it's basically a.

Monique Lillard: You make you know your profile and then you have it's like a diary.

Monique Lillard: took a social media slasher movie review sort of thing it's like a social media just for like movie reviews and you, you know you can make lists, you would like whenever you watch a movie You can write reviews and follow people and content, like so it's it was a lot of fun.

Monique Lillard: So I was on some forum and I some movie form, and there are people talking about this letterbox thing because it was in beta so.

Monique Lillard: Only people who got invites from current users could join and there was this one guy was like hey who wants to never like give me an email like yeah I i'm curious, and so I kind of got in when there was probably less than 1000 users on so and so.

Monique Lillard: You know started writing and I was on there for a few years, and at a certain point, so the end there's like a like a social page, you can click on and it shows.

Monique Lillard: Popular reviews popular reviewers you know, and they have this weird like ranking system for the reviewers in terms of how like how many hits they've been getting stuff.

Monique Lillard: And at 1.4 to a two day span, I was the number one reviewer on the website, in terms of obviously I didn't have most fault, but in terms of the activity online reviews at the time I was number, so I felt and then I.

Monique Lillard: deleted and then just not right after that, but a few years later it stuck this is, I love letter boxes i'm not trying to hide and I recommend moving people to use it, but I.

Monique Lillard: wasn't getting a lot of anxiety about it just because of like the social aspect and like I don't know I just kind of, and I was like I can't do this I just deleted my account and then.

Monique Lillard: Like a year after I deleted my account when I came back on with a new account and I, this is just this sounds this is such as I don't mean to sound like narcissistic but this isn't yeah okay.

Monique Lillard: Okay um so yeah so I deleted my account and like a year later, maybe, less than a year, I came back different account that's kind of because I just I just want to be new like I don't I was weird I just didn't want I didn't want to deal with it.

Monique Lillard: And then.

Monique Lillard: I found I was like looking through my old like old stuff and I found this.

Monique Lillard: list that someone else had made like this forum posts that someone else had made, and even though they were, but they were one of my followers and they're like what happened for self worth and I clicked it and there's like.

Monique Lillard: All these comments of the people are trying to find me like where did he go like he just disappeared and yeah they found I was in the hospital and they felt like the hospital report and they're like oh man yeah it was so I was like kind of like.

Monique Lillard: it's kind of weird but i'm very flattered and I still I have a lot of us account now I no one knows it's my it was it's me it's it's totally different and it's.

Monique Lillard: Now I don't really interact with people it's more just to keep trying to the movies, I watch I got to into the whole social aspect of it, and I was just like I can't I can't do it, so now yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Beautiful still says record yes okay.

Monique Lillard: When you say something some interesting.

Monique Lillard: i've been keeping.

Monique Lillard: This.

Monique Lillard: If you write reviews then i'll be irritating people started.

Monique Lillard: You know shooting stuff back at you and disagreeing and being rude and mean and it wasn't really it wasn't even really like the because it was most most of the responses that I had to spread positivity the people who comment.

Monique Lillard: Obviously, there were some people like you know there were some things but it just like because I had all this other support that the negative comments didn't really bother me so that wasn't even really it wasn't like that wasn't the problem, because I was just like whatever.

Monique Lillard: um it was just I.

Monique Lillard: I guess a part of it was that I felt.

Monique Lillard: So part a big part of it was that I felt like I had to watch at least two movies, a day.

Monique Lillard: Or at least one, but it was like to end, it became it felt like this job sort of, and I was like i'm not getting paid that's.

Monique Lillard: All i'm getting at all you're getting is these you know Internet this dope mean point from people liking your stuff but it's like.

Monique Lillard: And that's cool people like my writing they like my reviews like that's great because I want to want it to be a writer, you know so it's like i'm glad people like my stuff but but.

Monique Lillard: I can't be putting so much effort into this, but it was became so like important to me.

Monique Lillard: And it was like this is not healthy it's not doing anything i'm writing a review the same people who, like my stuff like and say good job and that's like whatever This is like I can't get so caught up in this.

Monique Lillard: And then the second part was, I felt like.

Monique Lillard: I had started to use it less effort like reviewing movies, but more as like a personal diary of like so like.

Monique Lillard: My reviews became more personal and people like to that and I like reviews like that, but it became like not even about the movies, I would just they would just like us, I don't know it was yeah so I just got I got to enjoy it I guess yeah yeah I understand.

Monique Lillard: I think it's wise making you feel pressured you know that sounds if you'd be a great columnist, you know.

Monique Lillard: I like newspapers.

Monique Lillard: and especially sports column right they are such good writers yeah and by the end it's very little about sports, you know.

Monique Lillard: It all turns and I like that, yes, being a sports columnist.

Monique Lillard: You know, you said in passing that you're a writer, or you can you explain what you mean about that yeah, so I do.

Monique Lillard: Like freelance editing for.

Monique Lillard: I was doing it for.

Monique Lillard: These Korean South Korean professors who speak a little bit of English, but to get there.

Monique Lillard: they're like Dr the PhD things you know the thesis is published, they have to be in English, you know these journals are like they so, then they get their thing translated by a translator.

Monique Lillard: But then, so that it's translated but it's not like rip it's just translated and then so my job is to comment and then make it sound like a native English speakers time so I doing that for a while, I still kind of different stuff like that, but currently I.

Monique Lillard: Just a few days ago, actually i've been working on a novel for the past like eight months and I just finished my first draft, like a few days ago, thank you yeah great yeah it's it's i'm pretty excited.

Monique Lillard: So thank you so now i'm working on the editing process i've been sending it i'm Louise reading it actually I love reading stuff like that Oh, you know I yeah I love doing, but if my son is doing it, I know I would be more than happy to read it.

Monique Lillard: and

Monique Lillard: And so, read is actually going to do illustrations for so for each chapter, this is his brother.

Monique Lillard: yeah brother read.

Monique Lillard: For each chapter he's going to do, like a little doodle for chapter headings for ya so i'm.

Monique Lillard: yeah so anyway so that's that's that's what i'm doing yeah that's what i'm doing those three months.

Monique Lillard: I am working, I have a few ideas in the hopper i've written some i've written a few screenplays in the past.

Monique Lillard: You know, when I was in high school but they're not good, but but yeah I definitely I have some luck.

Monique Lillard: Yes, I have one that i'm sort of working on right now yeah and then the movie you have seen, I just have an influence this going oh yeah yeah yeah I remember taking classes at the university very creative writing and I think you might have screenwriting and yeah I, so I went for.

Monique Lillard: A Semester and a half, like a year after high school didn't work out I just I can't stand school I just I don't even know why I didn't but.

Monique Lillard: They didn't have any like film programs at the time, like it was like a year after like been implemented, so I was going for creative writing degree, and I was just.

Monique Lillard: I just need to write I need to read and write I don't need to sit in school I just think yeah that's interesting my father was an English and American studies professor and he taught creative writing that was exactly his advice.

Monique Lillard: Right, if you take just right just right just read and write like that's that's yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: There is such a thing, you know as being.

Monique Lillard: It might be called the non matriculated student but i'm not sure which you can take just a class or two with the university I don't know what it costs, but that way you're out of a.

Monique Lillard: jumping, how do you get your degree and all that division yeah yeah I might be something yeah I know actually for people always for people like over 16 or 62 or something those are, I believe, free classes so who knows when.

Monique Lillard: You said something.

Monique Lillard: So let me just say the best of luck and thank you love to read that yes, absolutely yes, you like Paper does that cause no, no, my so my wife works for a lawyer, she works at a law firm.

Monique Lillard: As a legal assistant, and they have this giant industrial copier so she's going to print off a few physical copies for.

Monique Lillard: us a movie.

Monique Lillard: What is the movie blah well I got you get on I mean, I guess, I was referring to the letterbox Oh, the letterbox.

Monique Lillard: Okay, that would be that was yeah I guess that that was my blog because it, you know it's like your own little paid anyway, that was yeah that was no like you said when the guy said hey if anybody's interested in what were you on when that oh i'm so I was on.

Monique Lillard: reddit.

Monique Lillard: Just on like a like a thread and the sky news yeah so that was I just kind of stumbled upon that we're talking about it yeah okay Okay, but now Now you can just anyone can join letterboxed it's like completely.

Monique Lillard: To take a look at yeah yeah yeah that sounds interesting and.

Monique Lillard: Any other weird old memories any other favorite movies.

Monique Lillard: I I remember oh yeah so.

Monique Lillard: There were a few movies at Howard Hughes that had this little i'm not talking about.

Monique Lillard: Foreign films, but i'm talking just like movies, mostly horror movies that had the little like it was either 18 plus or 17 plus stickers on the Little Red stickers I don't even know about that yeah so there yeah there were a few yeah So there are a few of those movies and.

Monique Lillard: The So the first one of those I rented was cannibal holocaust.

Monique Lillard: And I I was.

Monique Lillard: I was probably like 1615 and they just you know they just rent because I was in there all the time, so they didn't care and then a few years later I rented when I was over 18 I rented another movie.

Monique Lillard: I.

Monique Lillard: neck romantic.

Monique Lillard: And, and that and add actually ID me, which I thought was interesting because when I was 16 I didn't get it, but yeah so I thought that was kind of just that actually is like.

Monique Lillard: Those stickers we thought they legal do actually have to be this is Toronto, probably, but I bet I bet it wasn't that same lady when you were thinking you know, there are different yeah it was totally yeah it was there yeah yeah what were those.

Monique Lillard: I well.

Monique Lillard: So cannibal Holocaust is.

Monique Lillard: it's a pretty infamous the director that actually was hunt was like arrested by the Italian authorities because they thought he actually made like a snuff film um this is in the 70s and 60s 70s.

Monique Lillard: and

Monique Lillard: He had to he had to produce all of the actors to prove that they weren't dead and it's you know it's it's a found footage movie about these.

Monique Lillard: anthropologists sort of people who go into the Amazon jungle to like find these you know the cannibal tribes, and then they get the cannibal tribes.

Monique Lillard: And yeah so you know it's pretty it is for, especially for the time being, the Gore even now holds up fairly well and I can imagine at the time they've been like this real like there so and then neck romantic is actually.

Monique Lillard: A favorite of mine it's describing it does it, it sounds pretty weird but it's like a very in the movie made me cry it's beautiful it's about.

Monique Lillard: it's about this got this couple who the guy is like a street sweeper and he brings home like a corpse that he just find on the road brings it home to kind of.

Monique Lillard: Be him and his girlfriend's like sexual partner on this course, and the girlfriend though fall in love more with the corpse and the boyfriend and kitten so kicks the boyfriend out.

Monique Lillard: And it's this whole and then it's his kind of revenge sort of journey but it's in the music is absolutely beautiful.

Monique Lillard: it's yeah I don't know if it's a hard movie to kind of like defend yeah as one of my favorite movies, what I love you what country was in Germany.

Monique Lillard: yeah well the Germans yeah.

Monique Lillard: How.

Monique Lillard: Anything else.

Monique Lillard: You think.

Monique Lillard: Do you do know why the video store moved locations in the first place, I actually do.

Monique Lillard: Like that old location yeah weird but it's kind of hard to get to, but it was big and I for one on that old location, I really liked those different balls you know it's such a quirky organization yeah and it was so weird yeah it was great.

Monique Lillard: It and it's described, and in fact that's the one where the woman who was the owner described the whole thing, but essentially.

Monique Lillard: Some people bought the Okay, so it was originally a business through the appliance store so they sold DVD or actually the name.

Monique Lillard: Of the plant.

Monique Lillard: an interview for this project, please yeah so you start selling vcr and then he thinks like.

Monique Lillard: Oh, I should sell some DVDs and then that started to take off and that becomes a big thing and then how to use the tires two men take over and then eventually they because they're starting to see the handwriting on the wall, and this was.

Monique Lillard: She says exactly, but it was 12 maybe 15 years ago sorry I can't remember but.

Monique Lillard: So it's sold to the people who owned the building or mainstream video was.

Monique Lillard: And so, their profit margin is that they didn't get you know they were paying rent to themselves or they didn't have to pay rent and and the space wasn't so big, so the rent wasn't so hot.

Monique Lillard: And so that was that was how they could say okay well if we do this, then we can make a profit on this, and it did make.

Monique Lillard: A long time, and unfortunately there was an untimely death of one of those man and then more and more was owned by my friend who Casey interview here and we're just the owner this woman.

Monique Lillard: Is she would I recognize her just from being in the store or she kind of hands off more hands off I don't know if you'd like that Nice pat angle her, she was an art therapist at home and she had an office that your friend might have lived in.

Monique Lillard: her former student.

Monique Lillard: aback by that circular still yes yeah I think it was a private apartment and that was her art there alone video, and then there was an acupuncturist your mother feels like and then there were various entities down below, but then eventually the videos store and.

Monique Lillard: Her husband is was a law professor with me so his name is Neil is his.

Monique Lillard: He wasn't my Professor was.

Monique Lillard: And then there were some other partners so.

Monique Lillard: I just tend to save it just flew out of mine.

Monique Lillard: My year anyway.

Monique Lillard: He owns the whale motor in and before that healing the fish folks.

Monique Lillard: yeah and then there were two other people, one of them is named debbie Reynolds but she's not related to the actress.

Monique Lillard: So they were the ones who kind of ran out of.

Monique Lillard: Her husband's name is Kelly and she's dead you by chance, you might have seen them I didn't see these people very much on there, and when I saw a sign.

Monique Lillard: That was taped to the the desk thing we're thinking of selling I called the number and then then it's my friend, and I said I didn't even know you own this so.

Monique Lillard: I must say that didn't best to try to cheat called now she did everything she could to try to keep this thing going, and she.

Monique Lillard: Cut tons of slack to the cooperated and it just a profit yeah and it frustrates me because I actually think they could have done well in the pandemic, you know they could have let them sit for three days or whatever that whole procedure was a while, but it was too late yeah.

: yeah so.

Monique Lillard: Anything else I should have asked you or anything any effect that the store had on your life I.

Monique Lillard: I.

Monique Lillard: I yeah I remember one time, I took one of my friends in high school, who was always like plenty money go in there, you know, like what is what's point.

Monique Lillard: And I took it I didn't like I didn't like let's go in there, but we were walking and I was going in there, anyway, so okay let's go and.

Monique Lillard: After we got out he's an okay I kind of get it just because, just because of the All in all, how many weird movies he'd never even heard of and just well, so I I felt.

Monique Lillard: I don't think he ever went but I I sort of converted exactly.

Monique Lillard: Anything else or.

Monique Lillard: I so.

Monique Lillard: How.

Monique Lillard: How many just because I like I said I went and weird times you know, so I don't didn't always quite get a good grasp of how many other people going in there.

Monique Lillard: It is like it's surprising to me that they stayed alive, as long as they did like that was always there, I was always like.

Monique Lillard: coupon you know, like this is so, I don't know like you know, like the customer flow, or like how how that's a good question and I know exactly who to ask the question to, and so I will.

Monique Lillard: I will find out, I will tell you in an email or a text, and then I might tell the people who are editing this very recording we're doing.

Monique Lillard: so that they can put a little asterisk and get so the question is how many people would go in and out yeah of course yeah obviously early on, it was huge line toward the end there, I like to know too yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: And if I don't get back to you send me a text and say what.

Monique Lillard: How how often did you go, we went at least once a week, we would get this five, however much it was we all did that, I think.

Monique Lillard: We sometimes got the new releases we didn't have TV yeah oh gosh since.

Monique Lillard: For a long, long long we hadn't didn't want our children to have it, you know we have airwaves over at our old house to hear you couldn't get Airways and I never understood, so it was all.

Monique Lillard: From the video yeah That was their only source of movies, and like many parents, we wanted our kids you know, a properly educated child has seen X, Y Z yes.

Monique Lillard: Exactly yeah and you know the series last yeah it was great to see that on DVD oh yeah keep watching renting.

Monique Lillard: The DVDs for like long running drama TV shows was always a blast I love it yeah and when I do it on netflix I get kind of offended and upset because it goes to quickly, I think you should look at the credits at least a little bit yeah just like oh yeah I know so.

Monique Lillard: Many actors i'm trying to negotiate.

Monique Lillard: credits.

Monique Lillard: But.

Monique Lillard: And then let's see, we did not get netflix In fact I feel this terrible it's my fault that close because we got netflix in January 2020 because I went from La and so a friend of duncan's from high school was the set designer on the shoulder do not like help the Kaminski method.

Monique Lillard: get it you got it.

Monique Lillard: netflix you know yeah so it was our first time getting netflix and then you know once you're on it does get really easy, although I was aware, I mean i've been on the.

Monique Lillard: board and everything we still went in but yeah maybe not quite as my right, you know and, but I think at the end, I would say we were still going about once a week yeah I just loved it yeah I said I so that reminds me one so.

Monique Lillard: One of the reasons, like when people ask me why do you go and.

Monique Lillard: So yes, I mean if you look long enough, you can find any movie right, it might have to be a weird like Austrian REP or something but it's your you'll find it.

Monique Lillard: And so, but for me it was.

Monique Lillard: there.

Monique Lillard: There were so many strange weirdo like cult classic like weird.

Monique Lillard: stuff in how it is that it's just it's not on netflix it's not like it's not on Amazon prime it's not available to run, you have to like I this like weird DVD for from England and, like all this stuff and and so like that was that's kind of the main reason I went is because they had.

Monique Lillard: All this stuff I wanted to watch that wasn't just like on yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah I understand that I know what you mean yeah I know it's me for a while they decided.

Monique Lillard: This was holders, this is from five years ago they sent us need 11 streaming services to reproduce what we've got here and there still be some you didn't die.

Monique Lillard: yeah it's true, I mean it's true in the NSA and like, if you want to rent if you do find one of these old movies, you know weird movies.

Monique Lillard: And you rent it or you pirate at or something it's like it's going to be cheaper anyway, just to go rent it and how it is because the rental prices for some of these weird ones are like.

Monique Lillard: $10 for a rental yeah yeah you know that there's some yeah and it's what are you why what what yeah yeah right.

Monique Lillard: Right.

Monique Lillard: that's my.

Monique Lillard: um.

Monique Lillard: Oh yeah what what are your what are your favorite movies.

Monique Lillard: just give me.

Monique Lillard: Give me give me a few.

Monique Lillard: Not even just like well TV shows.

Monique Lillard: And also just experiment there's one called American dreams I just turned out that a guy on, and I suppose one of the producers on it so that made me like.

Monique Lillard: A lot of weird connections yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: But la la yeah.

Monique Lillard: So yeah.

Monique Lillard: I didn't like last.

Monique Lillard: I like old black and white movies, I like I did watch lots of drama the steps, but Julia.

Monique Lillard: yeah my kids will laugh because I can't do.

Monique Lillard: That.

Monique Lillard: Without like everything for them and Louise to you know musicals right yeah all sorts of stuff I do like old movies, I think, if I subscribe to another channel it'll be Turner classic movies, I really love that channel.

Monique Lillard: yeah I like just looking at the background and how do people used to live yeah yeah you know what are the, what are the drapes like what's the dress yeah just always enjoy yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: I Louis I don't always told me five separate times but Lee said, he said that duncan's least the least favorite one of my favorites is the devil's yes so.

Monique Lillard: I don't know why I find that really interesting because that's such a great that's like yes crazy movie that.

Monique Lillard: They didn't they didn't that was yeah.

Monique Lillard: Jim.

Monique Lillard: Jim Jim it's about a threesome two men Jules and Jim and then some woman in France, probably the 1970s movie I actually live Howard Hughes the movie poster for.

Monique Lillard: The French friends gave that to me, so it was a huge epic the 60s or 70s huge hits and everybody knew it every teenager yes yeah yeah yeah oh yeah it's romantic you might see that one yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah i've never been i've never.

Monique Lillard: i'm having fun on netflix watching all these foreign series yeah getting to go places i've never been to go yeah Turkey to Israel to you know, although Scandinavian countries yeah there's a lot of.

Monique Lillard: yeah Of course I know friends, a lot yeah geez because I do like yeah yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: what's your what's your favorite French movie.

Monique Lillard: I will say they have a few to share book that umbrellas have shared board it's a 19 maybe 62 movie with Catherine deneuve it's essentially an opera my husband and I both like it very used to see that when to yes, you got rose of Sharon.

Monique Lillard: Sharon board it be sure you to the one that Catherine deneuve have been a remake great.

Monique Lillard: colors pop up is kind of Babylon God OK so yeah yeah okay so Jules and Jim Jim.

Monique Lillard: Jim and I haven't seen that for so long i'm not even sure i'm recommending it just like one easy okay yeah yeah okay cool.

Monique Lillard: All right, well i'm going to stop.

Monique Lillard: Thank you so much for your time, thank you yeah and here, so let me just get this stuff there and then what am I doing, am I sure I want to stop it.