Finding the video

I get a great many requests asking where to find a particular video/DVD.  Most of these requests are for made for TV films.  The majority of such films are not available on video.  Your best bet is satellite/cable TV which could mean a long wait.  You might try an auction site like Ebay, the URL depends on your country e.g. www.ebay.co.uk.
Your first port of call should be the Internet Movie Database each film they list also shows its availability on video/DVD in the U.S.A. and Europe.  A great many videos are only found in the U.S.  The NTSC system used in the U.S. is playable on modern VCRs which are set up for PAL.  Check the handbook, and there are limitations to the playback.
Google and other search engines are worth trying, don't forget to put the film's title in inverted commas e.g. "A Voyage Round My Father"
If you are in the U.K. you might try the British Film Institute's site www.bfi.org.uk/gateway/categories/rentalretail/videoDVD/
I have no special resources for finding videos, in fact I almost never buy them.  Nearly every film I review is recorded from TV hence newly released films may not be included in the list or only have a brief description.
Also I don't know which is your nearest video store when I'm in England and you're in Illinois :-)
David Greenhalgh              
The Lake District
England