The Last Video Store

We’re kicking off the new year re-releasing some of our favourite episodes. And what better way to hit rewind than with our wonderful AARON CHEN! Beloved comedian and dearest friend Aaron Chen joins Alexei in the Last Video Store to reminisce and pick up a combo of his favourite films. Aaron selects one of the great martial arts comedies, an iconic masterpiece of dystopian speculative fiction and...

Once again we’re celebrating some of the best films, movies and cinema of 2025 with Melbourne International Film Festival programmer and film critic Kate Jinx. This time we’re diving into the best documentaries, Australian films, comedies and honourable mentions. Pick up tickets to Alexei’s comedy festival tour of his new show VHS in 2026 Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for all the rental...

Celebrating some of the best films, movies and cinema of 2025 with Melbourne International Film Festival programmer and film critic Kate Jinx. Join us again next week for another bonus episode discussing the best documentaries, Australian films, comedies and honourable mentions. Pick up tickets to Alexei’s comedy festival tour of his new show VHS in 2026 Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for...

One of Australia’s most gifted singer songwriters, Meg Mac stops by The Last Video Store to chat to Alexei in the middle of a tour intimate pop up gigs. With songs like Roll Up Your Sleeves and Low Blows, Meg has been able to tap into lyrical feelings that resonate so deeply. Her next album ITS MY PARTY is another display of immense talent for musical storytelling. What we didn’t expect from this...

Salute a true soldier of cinema with today’s guest JOHN POLSON. He starred opposite Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, directed DeNiro and Dakota Fanning in HIDE AND SEEK, and helped launch the careers of many with the behemoth short film fest TROPFEST. Good news is, TROPFEST is back! If you’re a filmmaker, submissions are open now until January 8th, 2026. For more info, hit up Tropfest.com Foll...

A breakthrough artist collaborating with the likes of Troye Sivan, Nick Ward has recently actualised his film obsessed dreams… composing the score for the upcoming John Lithgow & Olivia Coleman film JIMPA. Nick also has the rare distinction of supplying the Last Video Store with some great film donations from his private collection. A true blessing! Listen to Nick Ward’s stunning album THE HOUSE W...

Double Greek boy cinephilia on the Last Video Store today as we’re joined by award winning director behind AUNTY DONNA’S BIG OL’ HOUSE OF FUN, COFFEE CAFE and FINDING YEEZUS, Max Miller. One of Alexei’s very favourite people to talk movies/films/cinema with so you know this is a going to be a belter episode. Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for all the rental combo lists. Hit up the Last Vi...

Mary Bronstein’s new film IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU, is a feature length surrealist panic attack surrounding the performance of a lifetime from Rose Byrne. For Alexei, this is one of the most exciting discoveries of the year and with the rare dramatic turn from Conan O’Brien, it’s a must see off kilter experience. Mary Bronstein takes us through her favourite films and learns about an Aussie Rose...

Two of the funniest comedians in Australia and hosts of the cult podcast BIG NATURAL TALENTS, Lauren Bonner & Concetta Caristo, slide into the Last Video Store to talk about their favourite films with Alexei. Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for all the rental combo lists. Hit up the Last Video Store on instagram for all of our guests picks.

At just 22, REUL has already scored over 3 billion global streams, earned platinum and gold singles, and sold out tours worldwide. Now, the hitmaker is finding new inspiration in the darkened glow of the cinema. In a truly great chat Ruel and Alexei genuinely reawaken the inspired nostalgia of falling in love with film for the first time. Alexei and Maria’s screening at the Sydney Opera Hous...

The Something for Kate and Fanning Dempsey National Park frontman triumphantly returns to the Last Video Store. Paul Dempsey takes us deeper into his love of cinema as he dusts off a Kubrick classic, the iconic work of a Russian master and gets into the new release of the moment ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER - all while Alexei finds out if DREAM SCENARIO was a good staff pick when he was last here&hell...

It’s the year of the vampire in cinema so what better way to celebrate the spooky season this Halloween. Acclaimed author and vampire/horror expert Maria Lewis ( The Graveyard Shift  and  The Phantom Never Dies podcast ) bites into a list of the greatest films in the vampire cinema canon to add to your Halloween watch list. There’s only one rule… NDA (No Draculas Allow...

One of the most acclaimed artists in electronic dance music, Alison Wonderlands’ new album Ghost World sounds like a cinematic score destined for a film, so we had to get her into the Last Video Store to pick up her favourite films. Alison and Alexei get their teeth stuck into Jaws for its 50th Anniversary and talk about her husband, master horror filmmaker Ti West, introducing her to the ge...

One of our favourite guests Nina Oyama returns to The Last Video Store to rate Alexei’s recommendation (the Korean film MICROHABITAT) and pick up controversial, dark, provactive and envelope pushing big screen comedies. Alexei’s screening at the Sydney Opera House - Saturday Film Club: Bram Stoker’s Dracula Nov 1 Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd  for all the rental co...

It’s finally happened, TAKE 5 meets THE LAST VIDEO STORE. Zan Rowe, one of Australia’s greatest broadcasters and minds on music joins the movie brain himself Alexei Toliopoulos for one of the very best conversations on film and cinematic tastes. The new season of TAKE 5 is out in its entirety on ABC iview NOW and includes Kevin Bacon and our very own customer Aaron Chen. Alexei’s...

Heartbreak High student turned cosmic hero and star of the outrageously funny new Australian animated comedy LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS, Gemma Chua-Tran enters the Last Video Store. LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS is out NOW in Australian cinemas, alongside Gemma, the film stars so many of your favourite funny Australians like Aunty Donna and Demi Lardner. So listen to this great episode and then go see a sick...

Splitsville, it’s a incisive comedy about modern relationships with particular style and a fight sequence most action movies would envy. It’s the second film from star/filmmaker Michael Angelo Covino who joins Alexei Toliopoulos in the Last Video Store to pick up a few of the films that influence his cinematic voice and style + he’ll get a couple of staff pick recommendations in...

Actor Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) and filmmaker Samuel Van Grinsven (Sequin in a Blue Room) might just be the two most passionate film lovers to enter the Last Video Store. They’ve just collaborated on the exquisite new film WENT UP THE HILL, a ghost story quite unlike any you may have seen before. Also starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), the film explores death and grief in inven...

From Superman’s origins in Smallville, to modern day Adams Family in Wednesday and a list of the most tonally diverse sequels (including Herbie: Fully Loaded and Spiderman 2), Al Gough and Miles Millar are Hollywood’s experts on adaptation and sequels. Alexei Toliopoulos sits down with the creators of Wednesday to talk video store memories, working with Tim Burton and hopefully sling a...

Recommending a film to Col Needham is no easy task… His personal film diary literally evolved into THE comprehensive catalogue of all films, the Internet Movie Database. The founder of IMDb and quite possibly the most supreme movie loving guest we’ll ever have on The Last Video Store to pick up his favourite films. Alexei joins Col on one of the great adventures of movie watching to f...

She wrote the book on Tom Cruise (for Cahiers Du Cinema) and has examined cinema greatness with Paul Scheer on the great film podcast UNSPOOLED, now while in Australia for the Melbourne International Film Festival, Amy Nicholson enters the Last Video Store to talk big screen movie musicals with Alexei Toliopoulos. Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for all the rental combo lists and follow Am...

Jaxon and Lachlan Fairbairn are comedians, creatives, brothers and huge film lovers, who you might recognise from their huge following on  YouTube  or  Instagram . And we lied in the title; only one of them loves horror films. The other would prefer to cosy up with a classic action film (we'll leave you to find out which one).They join Alexei this week to chat about some of their fa...

All-round icon and legendary frontman of THE CRUEL SEA, Tex Perkins steps into The Last Video Store to pick out some gritty classics, unexpected gems and the stunning new remake of a century old classic. We dig into the cinematic moments that shaped him, swap tales about VHS treasures, and explore how The Cruel Sea’s “The Honeymoon Is Over” found its way onto the soundtrack of EM...

This week, we’re joined by Aussie hip hop royalty, Hilltop Hoods, for a cinematic hangout with Alexei in the Last Video Store. Pressure cracks open some true video store nostalgia in the Adventure section, DJ Debris gets geeky over Guy Ritchie and Suffa takes us to one of the greats of independent French cinema with a point that will redefine how you think about La Haine. Pick up the new alb...

Hitting cinemas next week, TOGETHER marks the brilliant feature debut of filmmaker Michael Shanks. Before teaming up with Alison Brie and Dave Franco for this inventive blend of horror and relationship comedy-drama, Shanks built a cult following online through his YouTube comedy channel timtimfed and the hilarious series The Wizards of Aus. Now, he steps into The Last Video Store to chat with Alex...