Most of the video/DVD places left in town are chain stores overstocked with Nicolas Cage films and Care Bears adventures, but Alan's Alley Video remains a sprawling, casual, neighborhood gem of a place with some real finds on the shelves. Filling in where the departed Kim's Video left off, the old standby Alan's has its share of movie-channel-ready women's classics (Back Street, Imitation of Life), giddy campfests (The Happy Hooker), pitch-dark midnight flicks (Performance, Crimes of Passion), and even some films we've never heard of, which is always a good sign. So is the fact that membership is free, and the service is personable. An added bonus: Some of the customers are the type that talk to themselves while scouring the shelves (in between chatting to their dogs)—a compelling cinematic treat in itself, though they should stick to the horror section.