Nothing to do with the similarly named film studio, 20th Century Flicks is a small independent DVD…read moreand video rental shop. It's better than Blockbusters for so many reasons, the chief one being that they have dedicated staff who have an encyclopaedic film knowledge. You can go in, say something along the lines of 'I want that film, I think it was Hitchcock, made 1961 or maybe '64...' and they will usually be able to work out what you're looking for. They also go to the trouble of writing little cards with their opinions of the movies, which I think is a nice touch. Their library is as comprehensive, I've always been able to get what I want and kept up to date. They do a good line in ex-rental, so it's worth going along even if you don't rent much. Walking past this morning I saw Atonement on DVD for £5, a bargain. 20th Century Flicks is a good place to find a film and has a bit more of a personal touch to it, which I always appreciate.

This is quite simply the best video rental shop in Bristol. Unfortunately I live a bit too far away…read morenow, but I used to go here all the time when I was in Clifton. Why? Well, it's independent for one, which is a bonus in any walk of life. Also, the staff know what they're talking about and are all encouraged to write cards and lists recommending their faves new and old, with art house and cult hits very much to the fore, not just the latest crap from Hollywood. It's a little bit expensive but you certainly get what you pay for. And if they don't have what you want on their heaving shelves, ask at the desk as they can dig pretty much anything, however obscure, up for you from their back-up warehouse.

If you were to take away all the things that come out of my mouth that I stole from a film…read morepredominantly from the 1990's I'd be left with probably not much more than a few lines. It was in this era too that DVD really had its day - VHS was on the way out (VCD doesn't even get a mention) and mass internet downloading hadn't started yet. Thus a shop such as Hollywood Nites (spelt this way I assume purely for the gimmick factor) is a sure find for me - rammed to the hilt with such diamonds as Passenger 57, Predator and Young Guns. The deals are incredible too with such absurdities as three films for a fiver - long gone are the days of forking out £15 at HMV for but one title. These guys also buy films, consoles, controllers - anything electrical. Ideal if you've just robbed a house I suppose but let's not concern ourselves with such details. Rather, let us think of Wesley Snipes on a plane with hoards of terrorists and awful one-liners. For £2. Get in.

My two big vices (beside my Butcher shop whoring!) has to be books and films. Everytime I see a…read moreshop that looks as if it will seel either of these at a vaugley cheap price then i'm in like a shot. Hollywood nights had a stack load of films, so many on offer. Some brilliant offers as well, like buy 2 for £5 get one free! it was amazing, this is why I should never take my wallet out with me! They buy films, consoles and games off you as well, so if you need to whittle your DVD collection down a bit then this is ideal.

I've mentioned that I consider DVD rental stores to be a bit of an anachronism; a quaint old…read moreartifact from an older time, where people had the internet but didn't understand what it could do. Instead, they spent their time ineffectually pawing at their keyboards looking for lolcat pictures and using DVD rental stores for their movie needs. Now, everyone's all kinds of sussed on the internet. Everyone knows all about Netflicks and LOVEFiLM, so it's simply become a matter of time before rental stores such as Vision Often sink into the abyss and are replaced by a Starbucks (as every shop in existence will soon be). And, whilst I enjoy the simplicity the internet offers when renting movies, the loss of this store will make me a little sad. Vision Often is one of those rental stores that come straight out of an 80s movie. It's the rental store from Clerks, built in Cardiff and you can tell the staff really love their movies. They're always there with a recommendation and are always up for a chat. It's something LOVEFiLM haven't quite got the hang of, just yet.

It is any movie lover's dream - the latest films available 24 hours a day to rent on the Gloucester…read moreRoad for just 99p. Pop along to the cash-point like shop face, pick your movie and take your dvd away (some films are also available in blu ray) Just make sure that you get it back in time, otherwise the prices start cranking up! Even though you can pick up movies from the hole in the wall at any time, you can also visit the shop during its opening hours to register for your membership card. The staff are very friendly and helpful so if you prefer the human touch, it's worth popping in.

The only reason that I go to the moviebank is because it's really close to me. The selection is…read moregetting better but it's still not that great. It's 99p for a dvd if you get it back within 6 hours (maybe 12?) and that's brilliant if you want to do a 24 marathon or something like that. Although it sounds cheap, if you keep the dvd for longer then they start stacking up the prices. The good thing about moviebank is that you can get films out at any time because it has a machine in the wall that dispenses the dvds. The staff are really friendly too, and are happy to recommend a film if you don't know what to watch. Warning: Don't keep your moviebank card next to your credit/debit card or else you won't be able to use it next time you want to get a film out.

The Pit is half comic/games/role-playing shop, and half a sort of internet cafe, with a large…read morededicated area full of about ten powerful PCs, which in practise are usually used by kids for MMORPGs. The shop's great for obscure old games, and particularly for second-hand trading cards for really cheap prices. Great if you just want to dabble in a trading card game, you can build up a cheap starter deck in here. Generally good for all your geeky needs.

Diamond Mine is a DVD rental shop near the top of the High Street in Shepton Mallet. Joining the…read moreDVD rental shop is free and very easy simply take some proof of your identity and proof of your address to join. They will take your details and record them onto a file. You will then receive a membership card. You can rent DVD's from diamond mine for 24 hours. The price of the DVD depends on how old it is whether it is new out and how popular the DVD is. They also have a section of old rental DVD's which they sell. The DVD's for sale are very reasonable priced. There is usually a women working in the shop she is very good at suggesting DVD's you might like. She has a lot of knowledge and has watched most of the DVD's they have in stock. I find it cheaper to buy a DVD and sell it after then rent it but in the past I have rented DVD's from Diamond Mine and I have never experienced any problems with them. They do not phone me or send me junk mails so overall I am happy with them