tsetse27

Hi!
I am planning to take vacation in Paris during up coming Christmas.
I am interested to pick-up some R2 DVD (ex. the new Lost Highway DVD, some Hong Kong movies...)
Where should I go for DVD shopping? where has best price and/or best seclection?
(I know they have Virgin Megastore there but I assume that doesn't have best price??)

asianxcore

Virgin Megastore (not cheap, but great selection)
FNAC (great selection, prices vary)
Gibert Joseph (University District near Notre Dame. sells used stuff too)

there are a couple Gibert Joseph stores in the university district, each one sells something different, but as mentioned above there is one that sells a good amount of DVDs. I was able to find the Amelie French Tin set there for only 47 euro.

eXcentris

I expect most of the stores to be burned down by the time you get there.

pro-bassoonist

Hardly so. Riots are now under control.

Fnac have great selection and rather acceptable prices!!

Pro-b

eXcentris

Well I was joking but considering that last night was the worst since the riots started, they are hardly under control.

illennium

It's going to take deep societal changes to really get the riots under control.

haclong

You can shop DVD in an Album DVD Store in Rue Dante, near the Notre Dame Of Paris Cathedrale.
Album has US comics shop, manga shop, french comics shops and also DVD shop too. This one is located in Rue Dante. If you came from the crossroads between Boulevard St Germain and Rue St Jacques, the shop will be on your right. In front of this shop, you'll find a goodies shop, if you ever wondering if you want some. You can find some collectibles there (in the dvds shop), but not necessary at cheap prices, and sometimes, they do mass interesting promotion too. It worth a try
Closest metro : Metro Cluny La Sorbonne
If you don't mind some walking, Metro Cite is good as well and from there, you can access Notre Dame easily. Metro Saint Michel might be good too, and from there, you can access some Gibert Joseph store. From there (the Gibert Joseph store, you can ask for the address of their store which sell DVDs).
By the way, this area is very friendly at night, i don't think anything will burn there at least so you can go there after dinner, if christmas time in Paris is not too cold and have some cup of coffee and more fun drinks if you wants
You can walk from Notre Dame to Saint Michel to Odeon down to St Germain des Prés or Mabillon... you'll have cafés and warm places to welcome you to have dinner or drinks

For chinese and HK movies, take a look at HK label.
They don't have much movies in their catalog but they are mostly the only one occidental label which edit chinese movies (except those owned by american firms). You can find HK DVD in any Fnac, Virgin or the Album DVD store i mention you.

For chinese and HK movie, you can also try the Chinese area. Go to Avenue d'Ivry (Metro Porte d'Ivry). Walk on Avenue d'Ivry toward Tolbiac. You'll soon cross Paris Store on your right. Above Paris Store, there's a small mall where you can find some chinese movie (bootleg mostly). But personnally, i don't buy much there unless it is some title which will unlikely be edited in regular occidental company.

Anyway, have fun in Paris

haclong

From where i stand, i don't feel like riots are under control But in Paris itself, situation is not as worse as the international TV like to say.

There's a lot of Fnac megastore addresses in Paris and some have more choice than others.
Mostly like in a Virgin Megastore, you can find several kind of items in a Fnac but not in all the Fnac :
- Fnac Champs Elysées : you'll find only CD (classic and pop/rock, also soundtracks) and DVD there. But it closes at midnight so it is cool for some late shopping
- Fnac Bastille sell CDs and DVDs too, just like the one on Champs Elysées
- Fnac on St Germain Avenue sell only computer and photo/video stuff (never get to go there but it is what their window say)
- Fnac Les Halles (in the underground mall of Les Halles), occupy three floors so its pretty big : you can find everything from CDs, books, french comics, artbooks, maps, photo/video stuff, computer stuff, home cinema stuff, DVDs.
- Fnac la Défense is a megastore to, as well as Fnac Les Halles
- Fnac St Lazare is in front of Gare St Lazare and is a megastore too but the area is to avoid in christmas time. There is there the two biggest Department Stores of Paris (Galerie Lafayette and Printemps) and the streets all around there is simply a total nightmare If you ever try to witness one of the worse parisian traffic jam . Since the third department store of Paris was closed for refurbishing, i guess the Haussman avenue will be worser than ever...
- Fnac Italie should be a megastore too, although i never get to go there.

You can find some other Fnac megastore around Paris.

haclong

Concerning the riots in Paris, Kassovitz has said in his movie La Haine ten years ago :
"So far so good... so far so good..."

quoting Hubert in La haine :
Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good... so far so good... so far so good. How you fall doesn't matter. It's how you land!
end quote

Now, gentlemen, it is landing time

tsetse27

Thank you for everybody's input!!

I hope things will get under control soon.

Sure don't want to cancel my trip!!

(I watched La Haine many years ago and like it too. If I am not mistaken, it never released here in US R1 DVD?)

newwinds

haclong, howlong have you been in paris, I have been here for three years I don't know much as you do.

BusterK

You should also check out OCD: http://www.ocd.net/houses.htm#paris

haclong

@newwinds :
I grew up in west suburbs of Paris, on the former King Louis XIV lands (understand, near Versailles ), go to University in Paris in 1994, never really attend school (bad me) and rather go spend my time on Paris streets. I then start to spend my few pennies on DVD and manga buying, looking for collectibles items... That gives me the opportunities to go there and there in Paris
Since 1994, i manage to go to Paris once a week and when there was this big strike which paralyzed the whole Paris for one full month, i was like those addicts which can't have access to their favorite drug... Right now, i'm quite nervous. My company moves outside Paris, on the east suburbs so i just cross Paris but never the opportunity to STOP IN Paris... I SO NEED my dope

DennyL

When I lived in Paris I used to spend a huge amount of time in the FNAC, but when I go to Paris now the FNAC seems really unappealing and, despite huge departments, I never manage to find the 'hard to get' things that are on my list (the last things I looked for there was The Wind Will Carry us and Millennium Mambo). And, compared to what I am accustomed to paying for DVDs on the Internet, the prices are really high. Now I feel that the Internet is such a good way of buying DVDs that it is just a waste of time to go to bricks and mortar shops.

Dazza

I'd say these places are worth a look too. I've bought a few things from them over the past few years, and have picked up a few bargains. Sometimes their stock is not much cheaper than buying new elsewhere, but there are some bargains to be had.
I usually look in the one near Les Halles (can't remember the street), so it is easy to price compare with the big FNAC in Les Halles if you need to...

Dazza.

haclong

@DennyL
You are right.
Prices in FNAC are no more good as they used to be and shopping on Internet is much easier and cheaper sometime. But I know that sometimes, when you need some hard to find items which are very quickly unavailable on the Internet, you might be able to find them in store because they have their stocks. The same store does not use the same stock for their Internet online store and for their "real" stores. So sometimes, very rare though, you can be lucky enough