Bookhouse Cinema, located at 715 East Broadway, is the place to view the most recent independent, arthouse and under the radar films. 

Alex Dickey is an employee at Bookhouse and, as to be expected, loves movies. All movies. Dickey enjoys films regardless of star power, budget or level of distribution. If an individual is passionate enough to create a film, Dickey believes it deserves to be seen. 

“I think all cinema, either as a pure form of entertainment or artistic expression, is important,”Dickey said. 

“Whether it be a major studio release, a film independently financed, a made-for-TV movie, something released straight-to-video, or something that was cobbled together by a few friends with a camcorder. They are all equally important.”  

Dickey has a particular soft spot for the obscure and absurd, and he hopes to keep these types of films from being forgotten. That is why he has launched a monthly series at Bookhouse Cinema known as “Video with a Vengeance.” This provides Dickey the opportunity to share some of his favorite movies with an audience in a theater setting presented on video cassette.

“I’ve been collecting VHS for over a decade and during that time there was always this desire to share these movies,” Dickey said. “The movies we screen are the kind that just do not get made anymore. I was inspired to show them because they simply exist, they are incredible, and they need to be seen.” 

Some of the films presented thus far have attained cult status, and some have not. Dickey screens certain films because he believes they should be cult classics, but instead have become lost to obscurity. A few of the titles previously shown include “Kindergarten Ninja,” “Blood Moon” and “Body Melt.”

“The movies ‘Video with a Vengeance’ exhibits are not for everyone. They are sometimes incredibly violent, crude, silly and strange. They are also sometimes incredibly creative and original,” said Dickey. 

In regard to the genres being screened, regular attendees will notice a heavy rotation of action and science fiction. This is due to Dickey “being obsessed” with these styles of straight-to-video releases, “particularly those from the early 90s.” 

He may sometimes include a horror movie for added variety, or a “film that mixes genre in a way that must be seen to be believed.” 

Students curious about the film series have an opportunity to attend a screening on Feb. 28. The chosen film for the month is “Adventures of the Zordine Warriors,’ the story of a duo of high-kicking children from a far-off kingdom who use their wits, intelligence and martial arts skills to save the world from evil. 

So, what can attendees expect? 

“Hopefully every member of our audience will expect the unexpected,” said Dickey. “These films we are exposing everyone to at our screenings are sometimes so baffling that you will wonder how it is that they even exist. Then afterward you’ll be glad that they do. Expect to enjoy yourselves outright.” 

More information about the event can be found on the Bookhouse Cinema Facebook page.