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Five Star Video
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Videos and Video Game Rental Videos and Video Game Rental [Edit]
1550 University Ave(between California St & Sacramento St)
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 540-1230
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Return T. said: "Love it. The smell of the CDs is intoxicating." read more »
38 reviews for Five Star Video
Review Highlights
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"Five Star Video has a great selection to choose from." In 7 reviews -
"Criterion section is off the chain." In 9 reviews -
"...hubby)plus the usual new releases, action, comedies (for my..." In 4 reviews
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Phil M.
Berkeley, CA
1/26/2012
Viva Five Star! A great selection, discriminating staff picks.
Plus, they give 20% scrip to Berkeley High School. What that means is Five Star sells $100 coupons to BHS Development Group for $80. BHSDG then resells the coupons to parents at face value. So the store contributes to the community in yet another way.
Phil, West Berkeley -
Review from Jon O.
Emeryville, CA
5/9/2012
Great store, they have reasonable prices and great specials. If you are tired of Redbox and waiting behind people while they browse for ages, check this place out. They have a great selection of foreign, indie, and classic film. There is no 30-day buffer period on new releases like Netflix and Redbox, and Blu-Rays are of no extra cost compared to DVD's. Lastly, you get more than 1 day to watch your movie.
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Review from M G.
Berkeley, CA
1/10/2012
It's nice to have a little video rental store like this as an option when online options seem blah. Friendly and helpful staff, great deals for renting multiple flicks. Excellent selection, including children's movies and foreign films, with better than average staff picks.
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Review from Ligaya T.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2009 1 Check-in Here
Netflix and its ilk will never have my heart, robbing me of the oh-so-pleasurable tactile and visual aspects of browsing. Into the indie video store we go!
Organized into interesting sections like Criterion collections, movies by country, Oscar winners by year, and actors of particularly odd character (Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman - an odd trinity, I know), FSV is a joy to navigate and discover.
While it doesn't have the polish and high-tech systems (hello, dewey decimal) that some of the more conventional rental stores provide, the entertainment and quirk factor of the staff and space is high while prices are low, making it my video store of choice.Listed in: Lazy Sundays, Downtown Berkeley, no dress up involved, Video Stores
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Review from reina g.
New York, NY
6/2/2009
I'm with Ligaya on this one. I've sold my soul to Netflix several times, but I always end up running back to ye olde video store. Maybe it's the instant gratification. Maybe it's the joy of wandering around a store and discovering something I didn't know I wanted. Or maybe I just love indulging my inner film snob with like-minded peeps in the flesh. Any way you slice it, video store browsing is one of my favorite activities and this is my new go-to spot.
Apart from the stellar collection of classics, docs, and TV series, I'm also a big fan of the staff. I'll say it again; the people who work here know their stuff, but aren't condescending about it. They're forgiving when you run in with a DVD a day after it was due and the store has great buy this, get that deals. New releases are at least a dollar cheaper than Blockbuster and Reel. I considered a membership here years ago, but was put off by the $100 temporary hold they put on your credit card. Thanks to fellow yelpers, I gave it another try and I'm so happy I did. Long live the independent video store! -
Review from Marian C.
Oakland, CA
11/18/2009
This video store makes me SO embarrassed that I even studied film in college! I seriously did not know 90% of what was in that store. I kind of recognized some films but I thought I dreamt those titles... didn't know it really existed!!
My hubby and I literally spent an hour trying to decide what to watch because there were so many good selections! I felt so awkward walking around the whole store like 30 times looking at everything. They even had Kubrick's "Lolita" which darn Netflix doesn't have!
They even have sections like all the films Kate Winslet or Johnny Depp have been in. They also have a gay/lesbian film section and a large tv show selection which I didn't get a chance to venture into because I was so roaming aimlessly in awe of all that they offered.
I'm not really a film-snob...... but with this place, I might start becoming one. -
Review from Karl H.
Seattle, WA
2/8/2009
Me: I couldn't find "Gross Point Blank," where might I find it?
Uber nerd clerk (I mean that with all praise): Where were you looking?
Me (complete idiot): Action.
Uber nerd clerk (no condescension): I think we might keep it in comedy (wink), let me get it for you.
Me: Wow, you didn't act like I was the stupidest person alive even though I thought "Gross Point Blank" would be in Action, which might make me the stupidest person alive.
Uber nerd clerk: No problem. Anything else you might need?
Me: I was going to get Dark City but I am unsure. It has Jennifer Connelly in it and she reminds me of cardboard.
Uber nerd clerk: Don't worry. She is, and you will love it.
I did. -
Review from T W.
Berkeley, CA
1/8/2008
These are the stores that are worth protecting against the Blockf*ckers and Netflix of the world. Knowledgeable staff, great selection, lots of indie, documentary, music, TV, ex-US. All good.
And a live person to talk to:
I'm wondering if I saw X2- was that the one with the Statue of Liberty? No, it was the one with the teleporter dude. Oh yeah right. The Final Stand is better. Yeah, and I haven't seen it, so I'll take it.
Can online video do that? I think not.
Closes at 10pm, 7 days a week. They sell used DVDs. And have DVD cleaning too. -
Review from Nick S.
Benicia, CA
8/5/2009
This place is THE SHIT!
I mean, they call themselves Five Star Video so I must give it five stars, because if I gave it anything lower, then it wouldn't be Five Star Video and who wants to really shop at a place called Three Star Video? That's lame. It's got all these videos and if you watch them, you develop superpowers. No other video store/online rental service does that. Eat it, Netflix! Eat it hard!
And I would like to profess my love for Andy K. -
Review from andrea j.
Berkeley, CA
10/13/2009
Criterion section is off the chain. No pesky religious beliefs getting in the way of the selection here. They politely and personally recommend a good flick while looking you straight in the eyes. I think the owner might be breeding cool employees in the basement.
My only problem with this store is that they don't have any VHS. -
Review from Jessica W.
El Cerrito, CA
4/9/2007
The staff at Five Star are laid-back, jovial, and generous with even their most brutal, always strenuously-informed, opinions. That "joie de over-educated film geek" is so disarming, I'll bypass the racks in favor of their direction, either to their preferred transfer of some title on my list or some movie they liked better.
Bonus: their selection is pretty much unsurpassed. -
Review from Niketa R.
Oakland, CA
1/13/2010
This place is so wonderful!
The owner, manager and workers are all SO friendly - they even remember my name, what I'm obsessed with at the moment, and they make super recommendations. Plus they're dog friendly so I always see great dogs in there. 5 stars!
In and if you rent 2 movies you get the third one free (as long as it's not a new release). -
Review from Doris M.
El Cerrito, CA
8/17/2011
The people are always very friendly and willing to discuss movies. The selection is great.
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Review from Ryan C.
11/13/2009
Cheers for five star video! We could spend hours just BROWSING here. They have such a good way of organizing their films. You go to some lame blockbuster and they have just one giant "foreign" section...this place has a separate section for CANADA.
There are so many films that I've never heard of, and so many that I've always heard of but could never get (not even on Netflix). They have the largest selection of Chinese films in one place I've ever seen. There's definitely no censorship going on because you can find all sorts of stuff with weird/mature/outrageous themes.
If I ever graduate I will spend a week just watching films from here. -
Review from Captain P.
Oakland, CA
2/23/2007
My girlfriend used to work at this place, which is the only reason I ever set foot inside this store. I'm one of those download-everything-off-the-net kind of guys who hasn't sucked it up and gotten NetFlix yet and who hates the asstacular selection at megachains like Blockbuster.
The interior of Five Star is a little grubby, but I was totally amazed at the breadth of their collection. Sure, they may not have 60 copies of the latest Wayans Bros. flick that everybody wants this weekend, but they've got a great selection of really hard-to-find films, some of it stuff that's so hard to find that I had totally forgotten I wanted to see it!
If you hate Blockbuster and haven't signed up for NetFlix yet, take the time to stop by Five Star. Their prices are good, it's a locally-owned store (the owner has been puttering around behind the counter half the times I've gone), and the selection can't be beat. -
Review from Robert V.
Berkeley, CA
4/2/2008
Good place. People are real nice.
. They have rent 2, get 1 free. Good times. With restrictions, of course.
. As mentioned in another review, they have movies categorized in places you'd look last. It does take some getting used to.
. One thing they do that is great for pricing but that is that new releases are no longer 'new' after about 2 weeks.
This place is 3 blocks away from me and I have no complaints. -
Review from White K.
Pomona, CA
6/14/2007
Years of working at indie record and video stores tainted me. My mark of a good video store is one that carries Captain Eo and knows Criterion is a genre (of awesome) all it's own, not one that has a wall of whatever new film Mel Gibson released that makes me want to blow my brains out.
What I'm trying to say is that, even to the most discriminating, five star meets our standards. I walked in and immediately felt like I was at my old haunt again, and that I should be busy realphabetizing the Hitchock section. -
Review from Bryan M.
Oakland, CA
4/30/2008
firstly, great selection for a little(r) place.
secondly, right now they are getting rid of their vhs selection. they cost fifty cents a peace. too bad i already got 'kiss me guido' and 'leprechaun 3' (the las vegas one). suckers!
the guys that work here are nice and they care about movies, both good and bad. and this is great; we at the house of long haus house tend to appreciate the bad ones. -
Review from Mike C.
Berkeley, CA
12/4/2006
Five Star Video has a great selection to choose from. Whether you're looking for a documentary, foreign film, cult classic, or just plain obscure film chances are they'll have what you want. Their rentals are also well priced, I always go with their "Rent 2, get 1 free" deal which means you can walk outta there with three movies for 6 bucks (unless one of your rentals is a new release, then it will be 7 bucks). Their staff is usually friendly and helpful as well.
So why does it lose a star? For starters they close at 10pm. I realize that almost all non-Blockbuster rental places close around this time but for a late night person such as myself I usually don't hit a video store before 11pm. My second complaint is that sometimes the store overclassifies their selection. Now I usually consider specific classification to be the mark of a great store, especially record stores, but I guess for movies I want things to be simpler. I once spent 30 minutes looking over their Drama and Classics section looking for "On the Waterfront." I couldn't find it so I eventually gave up. But lo and behold, on my way to the register I pass the Oscar Winners section and there it is. I've had similar futile searches for films that ended up in the Criterion Collection section. Once you get used to the store its no big deal but it was a minor inconvenience. My last reason for subracting a star is for their lack of availability of mainstream blockbuster new releases. They simply can't carry as many copies as the major chains and thus the popular new releases go pretty quickly. -
Review from sambacat w.
San Francisco, CA
11/1/2007
Yes, totally great selection of titles, but BEWARE. They have this stupid 10 am cut-off time, and they don't warn you in advance. You look on the receipt and it says the dvd is due on 11/1, but if you return it AFTER 10 AM, then it's late. They put the time due in a totally different place on the receipt. To me, they're trying to fool you into thinking you have the movie for a day longer than you actually do. And then they charge you for a late fee. LAME!
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Review from Cecilia G.
Berkeley, CA
9/25/2010
Our whole family was very depressed when Reel Video closed down. We didn't think we'd ever find another video place to love. We were wrong. 5 Star Video doesn't have every single esoteric title, but they do a pretty damn good job- I was able to find some pretty obscure classic films. Our new fave place. A surprisingly large collection behind the windows on University avenue. And locally owned-Reel had gone corporate some time ago.
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Review from Anders L.
Ithaca, NY
9/30/2007
I first came here simply because it was the video store closest to my house. I was surprised to find a really good video store. The staff are cool and knowledgeable, yet very approachable, they have tons of independent films, criterion, etc. I especially like that they classify their foreign movies by country. Reel is still better, but this comes a very close second.
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Review from Allison C.
Santa Rosa, CA
3/31/2010
five stars for five star video.
friendly people work here. they will have a conversation with you whether you like it or not! also these people never judge me based on my hocus-pocus type guilty pleasures.
i was seriously impressed by the selection-- this place is bigger than it looks! only one copy of the lost boys though so i had to steal it from the employee watching it... sorry!
good prices, too! -
Review from Bethany D.
San Francisco, CA
5/31/2006
I have to give this place 5 stars, just because the place is, afterall, called "5 Star Video". This is the kind of place that when you go to rent an intellectual film, they stop you and tell you to rent South Park instead. Some alien abduction movie is always playing overhead, but they give out free Men In Black 2 posters. Tear up your Blockbuster membership card and recieve a free video rental! A quaint little store with a suprisingly good selection. Don't count on any attractive employees though, I just went there and the boy that used to be cute had his hair in a pony tail and was sporting a pink dress. What can I say, it's Berkeley.
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Review from Kat C.
Boulder, CO
2/16/2006
The guys who work in the store are very sweet and helpful. This is a really good store to go to if Blockbuster is picked clean. They have some interesting titles and I can always find what I want.
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Review from Sue C.
New York, NY
10/2/2010
A good place - friendly people, nice selection. I'm really lucky to live just down the street. It's nice that they give us a reminder call when we have a rental that's a couple days late. Besides the terrific deal of renting 3 for the price of 2, they also give you a free rental for every 20 (if I remember correctly) you rent... awesome.
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Review from Rebecca V.
Somerville, MA
1/17/2008
I walked by this video store several times before ever walking in... and I was always turned off by how janky and dirty it looks from the outside.
However, when I went in, I was shocked at the FABULOUS selection of documentaries, independent, criterion and so-on. They have so many DVD's that you would never expect to find in a video store. Also, the staff people are incredibly nice, always smiling, and very, very helpful. The inside isn't set up in the prettiest way possible, but all of the sections are easy to find.
If you live in my area of Berkeley... you have to go to five star video. -
Review from Judy S.
Berkeley, CA
7/6/2009
The staff are helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly and never make me feel stupid. I'm very happy to have them near my home and parking isn't THAT bad in their block of Solano. No meters!
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Review from Patricia M.
Berkeley, CA
3/8/2008
This is a fabulous video store. The staff look like they are cast-offs from High Fidelity and their suggestions are always right on the mark. The have a huge selection of foreign and obscure (for hubby)plus the usual new releases, action, comedies (for my kids) etc. The best thing is you don't have to wait several days. Watch out Netflix!!!! They tell you that you have to return movies by 10:00AM but they actually have a grace period until noon. NICE!!
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Review from Dawn S.
Berkeley, CA
11/11/2008
I have lived in North Berkeley 3 years and had not noticed Five Star Video until friends recommended it. After giving up on HBO and the pay-for-view, it was time to check it out. It is indeed a great video store with great selection for adults and kids. I like the layout of all of the videos and am picking up more variiety of movies as a result. Their staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Prices are great and the 3 nights rental with return by 10 am on the day due is very reasonable.
This is a great local business. -
Review from david c.
Oakland, CA
1/23/2007
any place i can chat about doom beats while debating between skate videos and romantic comedies deserves a perfect score
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Review from katie a.
Berkeley, CA
1/8/2011
This place is a great store! After Reel closed I was heartbroken and went aimlessly searching for a replacement... Five Star did the trick! The videos are much cheaper, and the staff is much friendlier and super sweet. They hire the type of people that remember what you talked about last time you came in, or will talk to you about the film you are renting, or getting your wisdom teeth out the next day.... long story short they are just super friendly. This place is also packed with really great finds, including the Criterion Collection. You also get free videos every once in a while plus special deals depending on what day you go... or everyday you get the great deal of 3 non-new rentals for 6$ (buy two get one free) for a week or two non-new rentals plus one new rental for 7$ ( the new rental for three days, the rest for a week). It is definitely worth stopping in to check out!
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Review from sarah d.
Berkeley, CA
10/29/2010
the staff is friendly, the movie selection is good, and they have treats for your dog. I couldn't ask for anything more.
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Review from D W.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 2/17/2009
I've been going to 5 Star Video for the more than 20 months since my first review. I haven't needed to subscribe to Netflix, I haven't gotten cable, and I haven't missed out on finding any movie I've wanted. This place has been great. Elephant Pharmacy has closed, and, with it, their $1/night DVD rentals. That's a shame, but there's still 5 Star. All this time, their staff has been great. Of them all, there's one guy whom I've seen most frequently (I don't know his name, but I think he's the only one with glasses), and he's been great in recommending videos. He was there everytime I used to go, but I haven't seen him in the last 2 or 3 times. Still, everyone there has been great.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/12/2007
I'm torn between resubscribing to Netflix and going to 5 Star. I've driven past it many times, and… Read more »
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Review from Earl G.
Berkeley, CA
5/19/2008
Great rental store. Owner is a good guy, and his staff are helpful and knowledgeable. They have a good selection - both domestic and foreign. I highly recommend them.
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Review from John R.
Berkeley, CA
6/16/2009
I love the place! I've rented a gadzillion movies from Five Star since it opened and I'm happy, happy, happy.
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Review from Brian M.
Berkeley, CA
12/13/2009
5 stars for Five Star. Super-friendly, knowledgeable staff; great selection; and the Criterion titles are on their own rack at the front of the store. What more could a movie lover ask for? I usually have Net Flix queued up pretty deep, but when I need a fill-in title or something for the spouse, Five Star is the way to go.
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Review from Frank C.
Berkeley, CA
1/16/2010
This place gets EXPENSIVE! I love the store, the selection, the staff. All cool. But if you rent a movie and are late a couple of days, it is EXPENSIVE. Costs as much as an entire month of Netflixx. I love supporting local business's and all, but I wish they had more lentient late fee schedule. I'm affraid it is too EXPENSIVE for me. I'm back to Netflxx.
