I think movies...

[therealfuster]

are like food, and I like a varied diet.

 

There is food for thought, and food for nourishment and then just some food for frivolous fun.

 

There is junk food, which one can take a little of, instead of cooking up a real meal...and sometimes some Cheetos are just right for dinner.

 

Movies are like that. I go shopping for movies, just like I shop at the grocery. A little bit from the gourmet department, a few tried and true staples, some condiments, a stab at trying a new item which is unknown, some exotic dishes and voila...my shopping is done.

 

Just last week I went shopping at Borders for my film dietary demands for the next few months. They were having a Buy Three DVD's and Get One Free offer which lasts all January, so I decided to stock up for the winter.

 

Here are some of the delicious delicacies I picked up:

 

L'Atalante, Barry Lyndon, Chaplin:Short Comedy Classics, Color of Pomegranates, Deathdream, Ivan the Terrible, Lady from Shanghai, A Mighty Wind, Monterey Pop Festival, Monty Python's Holy Grail, One Step Beyond Boxed Set, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Rififi, The Rules of the Game, Saragossa Manuscript, Shadow of a Doubt, Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman, Village of the Damned, Walkabout, Wild at Heart, and Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy.

 

Sure, a few of these I already had, but a friend asked me to pick him up some copies. I've already made about three trips to Borders, as it does make sense to buy the more expensive $35.99 things together and things under 20 bucks together. They will let you buy as many multiples of four as you want though, and you get the lowest priced ones free.

 

So, my film diet will be rich with many types of nourishment for the next few months. I plan to go back on Thursday and pick up a few $10.99-$12.99 offerings like Darling, Moulin Rouge [the old one], and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

 

What films would you say are the staples of your diet....exotic, family fare, junk food, frothy delicacies or...?

[brackenhe]

I'm on a junk food diet although I'll dabble in the other types every once in a while. I hate to admit this but I sometimes don't see the symbolism of things in movies (although I'm learning thanks to my friends here and reading reviews on IMDB.com.) That's why I'm more of a "tell the me story in the easiest way to digest" type of person. I'm embarrassed to admit this. But we're all friends here, right?

[therealfuster]

that symbolism is an acquired taste.

 

I can see symbolism in a Laurel and Hardy film, but I think it is due to reading too much Freud and Carl Jung during my formative years.

 

What are some of your favorite junk food snack films?

[moviejoe79]

I've never thought of my film buying habits like grocery shopping. I guess the best way to describe both my grocery shopping and movie shopping is that I'm a bargain hunter. When there's a good brand on sale at the supermarket, I'll make sure to buy it, and I try to buy as many "sale" items as I can, and stock up on the good stuff when it's on sale. I do the same with movies. When Best Buy is having their "2 for $15" or "3 for $30" or what have you - I make sure to buy the classics (or even non-classics) that I want. I have a long two-page list of DVD's that I want to buy, and I just cross off the titles as I buy them. I also visit a lot of the discount websites, like Deepdiscountdvd.com, which I think is the best. I've bought MANY movies from them.

 

But as for what "drives" my movie buying desires, I guess it just depends upon what mood I'm in. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought "Next Friday," because I love the "Friday" series of movies that Ice Cube has made. But on the same shelf at home, I have such diverse titles as "The Grapes of Wrath," "The Blues Brothers," "Casino Royale," and "The Women." So basically I just buy movies that I love, that I know I'll watch over and over. I try to keep a good mix of old and SOME new, and comedy, drama, musical, horror, independent - movies of all genres, so I'll always be in the mood for SOMETHING. Maybe "Abbott and Costello in Society" today, and "Apocalypse Now" tomorrow. Ya know what I mean?

[therealfuster]

as Travis Bickle might say?

 

Sure I get your drift. I shop that way too, besides my more gourmet shopping trips, in which I lose my sense of thriftiness, when I see remastered versions of things like "Que Viva Mexico", "Mill of the Stone Women" or "Carnival of Souls".

 

Then I dish out the $39.95 for fear of Kino or Criterion putting the thing on the OOP list.

 

Nothing more fun than picking up some classics for 10 bucks or less, and often even as low as $7.99 down to $5.99. I must say occasionally, it does not pay to buy too cheap versions though, for example when one sees Chaplin boxed sets for about 20 bucks, and one finds later that one should have bought the $79.95 set, that is if one really would like to see Chaplin and not some blur with a hat, cane and mustache.

 

But for more recent films, or drive-in type flicks, usually the low prices are not indicative of a real horrible transfer....so I indulge.

 

Thanks Moviejoe, and I will be returning this week to Borders to pick up the $10.99 dvd of "Casino Royale" which has that great soundtrack and Jean-Paul Belmondo to boot!

[moviejoe79]

therealfuster - I was replying to you, but also to the topic in general. I thought everyone would "chime" in, and tell of their movie buying habits.

 

Definitely pick up that copy of "Casino Royale" - it's a fun movie with a great cast. And you're absolutely right about the Chaplin DVD's. There are many films and stars whose movies have been released both cheaply and expensively, and sometimes you don't know what to buy. I had this same experience with "His Girl Friday." You can buy the $5 one that's a murky mess, or shell out the $20 for the Columbia release that looks magnificent. It's well worth the $20. But there are some genuine bargains to be had. I noticed the great M.G.M. classic "Father of the Bride" for as low as $9, and the great comedy classic (and one of my favorites) "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World" for $10. And recently Target had the original "The Manchurian Candidate" for $7.50. Not bad.

[brackenhe]

I like all kinds of "junk." Some of it's even pretty. Love the 30's "womens" pictures, anything funny (up to and including Dude, Where's My Car?), starting to warm up to Westerns, a few war pictures here and there (Battleground is one of my all time favorites) and I love biographies (or psuedo biographies--usually the facts are skewed a little.) Least favorite are film noir but I've seen a few I like. Some epics--just saw Lawrence of Arabia for the first time and was impressed by the photography and the beauty of a young Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif. No science fiction, though. Totally bores me.

[brackenhe]

BTW, I can take science fiction as long as Mike and the Bots from Mystery Science Theater 3000 are commenting, but otherwise, no.

[therealfuster]

I'd seen IAMMMMW on tv, but last year I saw it in a theatre, and Ethel Merman was a scream. Amongst all those great comedians, her scenes with her son, as played by Dick Shawn were hilarious.

 

The original "Manchurian Candidate" cannot be beat, and for $7.50 is a steal. What great visuals. I can still see scenes in my brain from that film, and I have not seen it for years. It's sad that Laurence Harvey died so young, as he was a unique presence on film.

[therealfuster]

special edition of "Lawrence of Arabia" because it is just a film one should own. I love David Lean pictures and am hoping to be able to find his wonderful set of Dickens flicks, like "Great Expectations" and "Oliver Twist" which are the definitive versions.

 

I like sci fi but will admit that I am not the most excited by war flicks, of all the genres. Now if it is a movie that transcends the genre, or is a WWII film, I can get into it...but purely war theatrics only that gets close to propaganda, does not interest me too much.

 

I have no problem with the propaganda angle, as I can easily watch Leni Reifenstahl films like "Triumph of the Will" and find them fascinating, but as much as I like Errol Flynn, a few of those films where he saves the world, are a bit much, and those are the war films that bore me.

 

I like war films like "Paths of Glory", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Grande Illusion" and things like that though.

[therealfuster]

put your through the Film Spanking Machine [sort of a Willy Wonka type device] for saying that you only watch sci fi, if it is on that Mystery Science Theater abomination.

 

Why...that is the only place that one should NOT watch sci fi!

 

I cannot tell you how many times I would happen to land on that channel, be trying to watch The Screaming Skull, or The Brain That Wouldn't Die, or They Saved Hitler's Brain...and those fruit loops would keep talking over all the good lines, and I'd keep yelling "Shut up!" at the screen! Why the fun of watching those old films, was to realize the inherent humor in them oneself, and not have people talking over all the unintentionally funny lines.

 

You really aren't kidding when you say you don't like sci fi, are you?

 

Well, to each his own!

[KeithFromKC]

Therealfuster,

 

What great dvd picks! DEATHDREAM is extremely creepy. How cool to see that dvd mentioned. MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL, THE RULES OF THE GAME, RIFIFI...your taste is impeccable. I recently picked up WILD AT HEART as well, and it's as funny and strange as I remember it, but then it IS a David Lynch film! Like you, I also find the dvd section at BORDERS to be an extreme temptation!

 

As far as my movie diet is concerned, I am at a point where most of the dvds I buy are of the arthouse variety. I own many classics on dvd, so these days, foreign films, American Independents and Documentaries make up a large percentage of my purchases. As I've gotten older, I have turned into a bit of a film snob. I will still rent my share of schlock and will see films at the theater that are just pure, dumb fun, like DODGE BALL, or ANCHORMAN. But I find these films to be rather transient. I watch them, have a laugh or two, and then I never really want to see them again. In fact, I feel that way about 75% of modern Hollywood films.

 

I appreciate the foreign and Independent films because they can tell a story without having to rely on a wealth of special effects, or pander to a teenager's mentality. I will take an ounce of realism over a pound of artifice any day. Not that there's anything wrong with many of the fun, disposable films (usually whatever is in the top ten at Blockbuster), but I don't want to have them in my collection. If a movie has depth and intelligence, I will watch it repeated times and usually gain new insight with each viewing. I don't see that happening during repeated viewings of SPIDER MAN 2. To each his own, I suppose. I still enjoy some of the 'junk food' films, but if I'm paying for a dvd, I want something substantial, or as you suggest, exotic or gourmet.

 

Awesome topic, therealfuster....

[venerados]

Rent a lot, but don't purchase much. I spend so much time watching 3-5 movies a day that I've never seen before that I rarely make time for repeat viewing. A lot of the dvds I do buy are music (Jazz on a Summer's Day, Woodstock, Wu-Tang Clan, Ween, etc.)

 

Just yesterday I bought the Residents' concert dvd Demons Dance Alone and it's more than worth the $13. It's a little disillusioning seeing the Residents as humans with bodies, but the visuals are weird and completely appropriate for the mindblowing and fulfilling music.

[moviejoe79]

therealfuster - You're so lucky to have seen "Mad World" on the wide screen. I would love to see it that way. Did you see it in a Cinerama theater by any chance? That's how I'd love to see it someday, since it was meant to be seen on a Cinerama screen.

 

And speaking of David Lean, there's a collection of his films coming to DVD sometime in the near future. I read about it on The Digital Bits website. And this set is to include "Great Expectations."

[moviejoe79]

Keithfromkc - I too have been watching more documentaries lately. Recently I saw "Fahrenheit 911" which was very entertaining AND informative. I also enjoyed "Super Size Me," about a man who eats nothing but McDonald's for a month, and we see how his health deteriorates as a result of it.

 

On my Netflix list, I have reserved "Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," all about Fox News and how it is very biased in it's reporting. I'm also waiting for "Party Monster - the Shockumentary," about this guy who was a party promoter turned murderer in the N.Y. downtown party scene. And right after that I'll be getting "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," all about Tammy Faye Baker. Have you seen any of these by chance, and if so, are they worth seeing?

[brackenhe]

Fuster---sorry to disappoint you about the sci-fi thing but........I don't get them and don't like them. And I was a HUGE fan of MST3K without apologies. We'll just agree to have different tastes. BTW I love doc's too. Have a few on my DVD rental list. I prefer docs about the movies but I like political ones too.

[KeithFromKC]

Moviejoe,

 

I enjoyed FAHRENHEIT 911, as well as OUTFOXED, but that's probably because I am on that side of the fence politically. I also really enjoyed SUPER SIZE ME. I have not seen THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. I should add that to MY Netflix queue. As far as PARTY MONSTER, I saw the movie that starred Macaulay Culkin, Chloe Sevigny, and Seth Green. I liked it and didn't know that the documentary (sorry, SHOCKumenatry) existed until I stumbled upon it at the little indie video store I rent from. It was even better than the fictional account of Michael Alig's bizarre life story. Seth Green was hilarious as the campy drag queen James St. James, but the real James St. James, who is interviewed extensively in the documentary, is even more flamboyant and funny. The subject matter is dark, but the documentary provided some surprising moments of hilarity.

 

Other recent documentaries to check out on dvd would be:

THE FOG OF WAR, which is former US Defense Secretary Robert McNanamara's look back at his involvement in World War II, The Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Chilling and fascinating. SPELLBOUND, which is a look behind the scenes of the 1999 National Spelling Bee. It gives me hope for the youth of our nation. THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, which is an expose of the notorious 60's radical group, whose violent acts, bordering on outright terrorism, clashed with the peaceful stance of the majority of student activists at the time. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS, which looks at an upper-middle class Jewish family, whose lives are changed when the father and youngest son are accused of pedophilia. The film raises many questions about their guilt. Gripping stuff, but also a pretty dark film.

 

Also, if you even remotely like Rock music (I've loved it since childhood--my mother turned me onto The Beatles in my youth), then a documentary you might want to check out is DIG! It was one of my favorite films of 2004 and will be released on dvd in the coming months. It involves two alternative bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre (two of the coolest band NAMES in the business) and their lives over a span of seven years. The Dandy Warhols are ambitious and are willing to play the game to advance their careers, while The Brian Jonestown Massacre and their Megalomaniacal leader, Anton Newcombe (who is the definition of "tortured genius"), make all of the wrong moves and sabotage every opportunity and advantage that presents itself.

 

Dig! is fascinating because these two bands, both talented, become fast friends and then, due to resentment, jealousy, and much chemical abuse, become bitter rivals and eventually, enemies. It is in parts frightening, hilarious and moving. DIG! is a great documentary even if you don't like rock music. Anton Newcombe, the Brian Jonestown Massacre's leader/Svengali, is one of the oddest people rock music has ever produced. DIG! provides proof that fact IS often stranger than fiction and is a MUCH better film then another recent Rockumentary, METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER, which documents the whining and sparring between band members James Hetfield, an admitted sociopath, and the passive-aggressive egomaniac Lars Ulrich. The trailer for DIG! can be found at digthemovie.com.

[brackenhe]

I like some of your suggestions, keithfromkc, and think I'll add them to my DVD rental list (I belong to Walmart DVD club so Outfoxed is not on their list; however, The Hunting of the President is and I can't wait to see it. It's about President Clinton. That's all I'll say.) I've read about some of those docs and I might try DIG! I've heard some of the Dandy Warhols songs, and I've heard of the other band. If you have the Sundance channel, they show a lot of obscure docs and some that you've mentioned. I watch them a lot.

[slappy3500]

Brack, my mother hated Sci-Fi too. She was not willing to suspend her disbelief. With horror and Sci-Fi I have a very strict regime. I grant them their premise: an asteroid is heading for Earth, aliens have landed ect. But from that point onward they must conform to actual facts and logic...if not zap! goodbye! My mom would tell me why she hated SF: "Its so unrealistic. It could NEVER happen!" She then went back to watching her soap operas....which of course are "realistic"!!!

[ayresorchids]

Moviejoe and Realfuster, your posts make me think of the TCM program guide ad that takes place in a 1960s supermarket!

[brackenhe]

Thanks for the shout outs, slappy3500. I want to marry you if you're available (it would help if you're a man too.)

 

The funny thing is that I like fantasy movies, like fairy tale stuff. But I guess the "science" in sci-fi is the part that turns me off. I always hated science in school.

But I don't like horror movies either (but those Vincent Price movies from the 60's and 70's crack me up.) But I'm not guilty of watching soaps because I gave them up years ago.

[slappy3500]

That's funny Brack, my wife used to close her eyes during sex and pretend that I was a man.