Not for Resale

Director - Kevin J. James (The Last Straw, New Kids on the Rock)

Starring - Frank Cifaldi (M2: Complete Works, Mother to Earth), Pat Contri (Pat the Nes Punk, The Angry Video Game Nerd), and Jeremy Dunham (Gamer Nation, Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017)

Release Date - 2019

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "A video game store documentary"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Several days ago I took a trip down memory lane by watching a few of documentaries.  The first was The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story and I followed that up with Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story.  Both were fantastic documentaries that took me back to my youth.  After digging into a few horror flicks I decided to toss in another documentary that might take me back to a more simpler time.  Last year I had ordered a copy of Not for Resale on blu and forgot about it until now.  Hell, if I remembered I had it I would have marathoned it with the other docs.  

     The documentary follows gaming fans from the rise of physical releases to now with many nostalgic fans who collect retro games.  The documentary dives into younger generations getting into retro gaming, indie produced games finding life on digital, and how small shops are staying afloat.  

     When I was little, maybe around 3 or 4, my older brother had an original NES and a few years later my dad bought me a Sega Genesis.  I never looked back.  Since then I've owned almost every console before finally moving over to PC gaming just last summer.  I really do get the appeal of collecting video games especially for long dead consoles.  With that being said, I'm extremely envious of all the retro stores that has popped up over the years.  Gaming has been such a huge part of my life and I couldn't imagine making it my career.  Not for Resale is a look into the lives of these store owners who turned their hobbies into their livelihood.  The interviews range from shop owners with several decades of experience to casual fans just getting into retro gaming.  We hear inside stories from when many of them became gaming fans in their youth and how they turned it into careers while also hearing how some have taken to digital platforms to get their games releases.  It really is a wide range of individuals discussing the ins and outs of the business.  However, we do get a few people who, I assume are streamers, with little to no knowledge of the physical collecting world or resale shops.  They just discuss a few of the things they know about gaming.  The topics discussed fit the documentary very well.  They move in a chronological order while transitioning from person to person where we get some background info on them.  It shows how people from such different backgrounds all can have the same love and passion for gaming.  It also shows how gaming is not a hobby for many.  Some have turned this love into shops for reselling, repairing, and even some who have turned collecting into an entertainment form like Pat the NES Punk and the Angry Video Game Nerd.  Finally, the film is editing together nicely but some of the transitions are a little confusing at times.  The transitions are nice but we sometimes hear someone talking while we get images of something that has nothing to do with what's being discussed.  Aesthetically, it's pleasing but a little confusing for the viewer.  Overall, Not for Resale is a fun look into the world of the physical side of gaming and how the world of digital downloads is slowly strangling and entire industry.  It's a great documentary that I highly suggest you check out.