Four Star Video Subscriber Drive Celebration Party at Four Star Video

Throughout February, Madison movie-rental institution Four Star Video Rental has been calling on customers to sign up for subscription plans, which enable customers to check out three or more titles at a time for a flat monthly rate. It’s a continuation of the good work co-owner Lewis Peterson has done to keep Four Star alive through multiple twists and turns, including a move that happened just before the pandemic hit home. (Full disclosure, Peterson writes for Tone Madison, as do two of the DJs playing this event.)

And Four Star—always Four Star Video Heaven in my heart, though the “Heaven” dropped out of the official name when the store briefly became a cooperative—is not an endling in the streaming-fueled extinction of video stores. It survives because it’s dedicated to maintaining a deep selection of DVDs, Blu-rays, and even some VHS tapes, embodying an infectious love for everything from prestige cinema to the most unhinged genre gems.

If the movie you were planning to watch suddenly vanished from one of your streaming services, or was never available on streaming or VOD in the first place, you can probably find it at Four Star. In the meantime, you should probably go sign up and subscribe.

On Saturday, March 11, hang around after Four Star’s usual business hours as they wrap up the subscription drive with food, music, and movie conversation. A true home for local weirdos, Four Star has brought in Madison DJs Destructo, Emili Earhart, Evan Woodward, and Mu to spin throughout the evening. Their selections run from post-punk to techno to far-flung ambient. Whatever they play, it’ll be a fitting sonic companion to an eclectic Four Star browsing experience.

—Scott Gordon 

Illustration by Shasya Sidebottom.