The Digital Movie Bonanza

Safe to assume at least some of those Criterions came to you via the recent half-to-more-than-half off sale at Amazon? As mentioned in the dedicated thread here, I scored a few myself (and thanks to the library, none were blind buys like some of my past Criterion purchases, so my wallet won't have regrets down the road!). I'm still seeing Criterion Blu's turn up in my Gold Box on a daily basis. Really wishing I'd sprung for KES as well, now that the reviews are in. Oh well, maybe next time.

MODERN TIMES (Blu)
BLOWOUT (Blu)
SHOCK CORRIDOR (Blu)
THE NAKED KISS (Blu)
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Blu)
SENSO (Blu)
THE LEOPARD (Blu)
YOJIMBO/SANJURO 2-PACK (Blu)
FISH TANK (Blu)
YI YI (Blu)
BBS STORY COLLECTION (Blu)
LE CERCLE ROUGE (Blu)
BASIL DEARDEN'S LONDON UNDERGROUND (DVD)


In other news, Blockbuster Canada announced earlier this week that they'd be closing 146 stores (out of approx. 400) across the country. 63 of these are here in Ontario, the majority in and around Toronto, including the one right across the street from my building. I figured they'd pull the same trick they did when they closed some stores earlier this year, and pull out all the good stuff (primarily Blu-ray) and replace it with mountains of bottom-rack ex-rentals they couldn't give away at other stores, but lo and behold, the "everything must go" signs all over the windows indeed described all the regular content of the store, so I had to stop by on the way home from work. I even had to politely decline a TV crew asking for comments as I went in (I probably would've said something like "They deserve it." ). Mostly odds n' ends and nothing overly special, but the price was right, and that was a rarity at Blockbuster:

EAGLE EYE (ex-rental; Blu)
PERFECT GETAWAY (ex-rental; Blu)
wouldn't have bothered with either of the two above were it not for the bargain-basement prices
THE ITALIAN JOB (remake; ex-rental; Blu)
CULT HORROR 4-MOVIE MARATHON: THE FUNHOUSE, PHANTASM II, SSSSSSS and SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (new, DVD)
Of these, I've only seen PHANTASM II about a million times , and I've got that in the U.K. SE version, so if the others here don't measure up, well, at least it was cheap at $6
CHOCOLATE (ex-rental DVD)
I bought this on Blu last year, but the damned disc went missing before I even got a chance to watch it! This DVD came to about $3.00, so it'll due until my Blu pops up, hopefully)
BUTTERFLY & SWORD SE (Tai Seng version; ex-rental DVD)
already own the HK edition, but wanted this for the alternate ending, less so Ric Meyer's commentary, but whatever . . .

Sooo . . . I learned on Friday that the Warden Music & Movie Centre is NOT a good place to be stranded when a major shit-kicking thunderstorm rolls across the region for the better part of an hour. I had a few goodies all ready to checkout, then looked outside and realized I wasn't going anywhere soon because I couldn't see the parking lot, plus I'd parked all the way at the back of the plaza.

So I left my stuff on the counter and kept browsing. And picked up more stuff. Then I took a seat beside the one other customer who got trapped in there with me, and enjoyed a sizeable portion of a Kary Ng 2011 concert DVD that was playing in-store with her and the two ladies on staff. Thankfully, I like Kary Ng and actually have her albums, so it was a cool scene.

Warden Music is the place that used to have all their legit DVDs for sale as buy-one-get-one-free, but not their Blu-rays, as Cal learned to his regret when he visited. They axed the BOGO a couple months back, but just recently they put up 50% off posters for everything, which is pretty much the same deal, only you don't have to buy in multiples of two. Even the Blu-rays are half price, but unfortunately they took big Sharpie markers and manually upped the sticker prices on most of the Blus by about $15 - $20, the buggers. Still cheaper to get those online.

On Friday, I was rather happy to discover a stash of older catalog DVDs that had previously disappeared from the racks was suddenly back, all priced at $10, or $5 after the price cut. I grabbed these stragglers (some of which I'm reeeaaaly hoping I don't have already )

THE ENIGMATIC CASE (1980) Johnnie To's first. Previously seen, but not in its entirety.
DEATHNET.COM (2000)
990714.COM (2000)
(pretty sure these are the only ".com" Hong Kong movies I didn't have yet! )
GRAY (2003)
(supposedly this is a Taiwanese picture)
GUILTY OR NOT (2000)
SHANGHAI HEROIC STORY (1992)
BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE (1999)
(rather surprised that this Clifton Ko production doesn't have a listing at HKMDB)
DEATH RIM (1996)
(another Danny Lee-produced cheapie from the mid-90's. I've usually enjoyed these . . . )
HEAVEN OF THE HOPE (1999)
POLICE CASE (2003)
GLOWING (2000)
(another rare one. Not much info, even at HKMDB, and few if any proper reviews. Glad I found it)
MY HEART WILL GO ON (1999)
THE GREAT PRETENDERS (1991)
HOME AT HONG KONG (1983)


Also picked up some new releases over the past few weeks, including quite a few on Friday thanks to the reduced pricing:

SHAOLIN TEMPLE
CITIZEN KING
REVENGE: A LOVE STORY
LOVER'S DISCOURSE
MAGAZINE GAP ROAD / TAI TAI
(very curious what took these two so long to get a DVD release; MAGAZINE was made in 2007, TAI TAI (a short) in 2002!)
THREE NARROW GATES
(anxious to see this one, as it marks director Vincent Chui's return to social-realist storytelling after his detour into high-concept teenybopper romance in LOVE IS ELSEWHERE)


OPEN TO MIDNIGHT (Taiwan)
WHAT WOMEN WANT (China)
WIND BLAST (China)

Also discovered some new pictures from the holy folks at The Media Evangelism, who are very much still in the movie business:
I WISH (Taiwan/HK?)
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN (HK)

And finally, from Japan (via HK editions):
MY DARLING IS A FOREIGNER
Watched this tonight. Cute, even progressive (especially for an Asian film dealing forthrightly with intercultural romance) but not without flaws
FLOWERS
(Really looking forward to this. It's set across several decades of Japanese history, and filmed in the style of the cinema of the various eras.)

I think I gotta let my wallet breathe for a while, which shouldn't be too hard now that it's empty!

Great lot (well several lots). Is THE ENIGMATIC CASE an offical one? Any chance of later selling it?

The Comedy of Terrors/The Raven: Great double here; got it new.
After Dark Thrillers Collection 8 Films (BCI): since BCI is out I've been picking up there releases.
Drive In Cult Classics 8 Films (BCI): Same as above.
4 Movie Marathon: Classic War Collection (Wake Island / To Hell and Back / Battle Hymn / Gray Lady Down): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Classic Western Collection (Albuquerque / Whispering Smith / The Duel at Silver Creek / War Arrow): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Comedy Favorites Collection (Cross My Heart / Fierce Creatures / Opportunity Knocks / Splitting Heirs): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Cult Horror Collection (The Funhouse / Phantasm II / The Serpent and the Rainbow / Sssssss): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
The Mechanic / Assassination / Messenger of Death: Beware of the one-disc release; has to be two discs or The Mechanic is missing footage:
A Passage to India (1985: David Lean: 1-disc): Big Lots
I Am Love: Has some good reviews:
The Watchmen The Ultimate Cut: FYE had this quite cheap
Bridge on the River Kwai BD/DVD Collectors Edition: Awesome
The Jamie Foxx Film Collection
District 9: Already watched; fun film, probably overdoes it at the end.
The Fountainhead: Already watched: not as fun film but always enjoy Gary Cooper.
At Close Range/Colors
Web of Death (1976: HK): Already watched; gooooooooooofy main wuxia weapon.
Police Story DD: well this is an additional copy because it is OOP.
The Storm Riders (1998: HK): Had to buy another copy since the previous copy I had was the English dub short release.
Industrial Strength Keaton: Technically OOP, but many of these keep popping up. Mainly for Keaton fans, but has some interesting material on here including the best release of the short THE PLAYHOUSE which is my favorite Keaton short (not counting Sherlock Jr.).

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Great lot (well several lots). Is THE ENIGMATIC CASE an offical one? Any chance of later selling it?

It's official. It's the older Mei Ah edition. Don't know if it was ever reissued. Because I tend to buy nearly everything, most of my Hong Kong movies will be for sale/trade some day (which has been the plan all along), but it's a long way off just yet. Can't say for sure I'll sell ENIGMATIC CASE until I've seen it, but if I don't, I'm sure I could make a cough-copy-cough to get you by until you could track down the real deal. I was actually rather surprised to see that one on the shelves at the Warden Movie store, as I don't ever remember seeing it previously, and I was pretty certain these "reappearing" movies were simply stock they temporarily moved to the back room to make space.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:4 Movie Marathon: Classic War Collection (Wake Island / To Hell and Back / Battle Hymn / Gray Lady Down): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Classic Western Collection (Albuquerque / Whispering Smith / The Duel at Silver Creek / War Arrow): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Comedy Favorites Collection (Cross My Heart / Fierce Creatures / Opportunity Knocks / Splitting Heirs): Best Buy for 5 dollars.
4 Movie Marathon: Cult Horror Collection (The Funhouse / Phantasm II / The Serpent and the Rainbow / Sssssss): Best Buy for 5 dollars.

I'm always grateful for compilation sets, but these Universal sets are real mixed bags. Most are comprised of lesser movies, especially in comparison to the TCM Greatest Classics and Fox 75th sets, and most of the Warner 4-Film Favorites. I did pick up the horror set, but strictly because I've yet to see FUNHOUSE and SERPENT, and have only the vaguest memories of Sssss from TV viewings as a kid. Still, for $5, it's tough to complain too much about these ones.



Picked up a few last pieces from the venerable Wa Yi Trading Co. a few days back, before his move to the new location a couple doors down. He should be in the new place as I write this, and I'm really hoping his remaining DVD/VCD stock makes the transition in its entirety. I'm never truly certain that I'm done picking it over!

DEVOTED TO YOU (1986; Joy Sales)
THE QUEEN BEE (1973; Joy Sales)
TO MY DEAREST FATHER (2003; Modern Audio)
FUNG SHUI AND GAMBLING (2001; Modern Audio)
THE FLOATING LANDSCAPE (2003; Universe; may be a duplicate; still don't know for sure! )
A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL (2004; Deltamac; ditto)
TO BE NO. 1: SHEPHERD (2001; Modern Audio; I think there may be another in this series, but HKMDB says no, for whatever that's worth)

VCDs:
SONNY COME HOME (1972; Joy Sales Legendary Collection)

The Forgotten Films of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle: I'm a big fan so this collection was a must. I've already seen it all. Keystone shorts can get tiring but at one point Roscoe was as popular as Charlie, well until the trial.
Baadasssss!: BL
The Missing: FYE
The King’s Speech (2010): Already seen; good film.
Colossus - The Forbin Project: Already seen; dated from the computer aspect .
The Sherlock Holmes Collection (BBC, Peter Cushing): Had to have this as I collect different Holmes adaptations.
The Wild Angels/Hell's Belles: OOP or will be.
Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life (Milestone): OOP; great silent documentary.
South - Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition (Milestone): OOP and expensive; good silent documentary.
90 Degrees South: With Scott to the Antarctic (Milestone): have not seen yet.
Ultraman: The Complete Series (BCI): OOP edition.
Misery BD/DVD: Looking forward to watching
Hereafter BD/DVD: Looking forward to watching.
Zu Warriors (HK Tsui Hark): I want the original.
Sword in the Moon (Korea)
The Ernie Kovacs Collection: I bought this for my Dad, but I will borrow.
Hallelujah I'm a Bum (1933): I love this strange musical with Al Jolson.
Mildred Pierce (Keepcase) (1945): Solid film.
Into the Wild (2007) 2-Disc: Bought because it is on IMDB to 250.
The New World: The Extended Cut: On lots of best lists.
The Executioner (Sonny Chiba): 2 dollars at FYE
Shogun’s Shadow (Sonny Chiba): 2 dollars at FYE
Shogun’s Ninja (Sonny Chinba): 2 dollars at FYE
Swords of Vengeance (Sonny Chiba): 2 dollars at FYE

Spellbound (documentary): BL
Chisholm '72 - Unbought & Unbossed (documentary): BL
Freakonomics DVD (documentary): got as gift; I've read the books, not seen this yet.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen WS
Drive Angry DVD: Yes already seen; no not that good except for one character.
The Bridges of Madison County
The True Story of Jesse James (Nicholas Ray)
Barefoot Contessa DVD
The Stan Laurel Collection Kino: Fun, though material is not as good as later Laurel and Hardy.
The Stan Laurel Collection 2 Kino Fun, though material is not as good as later Laurel and Hardy; I'm halfway through this now
The Oliver Hardy Collection Kino: finished, unlike Stan Oliver was never a lead so this is great to see other comedians of the time.
Red Shadow
Kunoichi Collection: Kunoichi Deadly Mirage/Lady Ninja
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010): Yes I've already seen.
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: awesome, have seen many times.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask
Tales From Earthsea (Studio Ghibli R1): Not yet seen; not great reviews on it
Walt Disney Treasures - Disneyland USA
Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color
Tangled BD/DVD
The Last Emperor Criterion 1-disc (already have the multi-disc): yes I've seen this.
Coraline Gift Set BD: got this as a gift; already seen before
The 5 Deadly Venoms BD: upgrade
Central Station (1998)
4 Film Favorites: Honeysuckle Rose, Pure Country, The Ballad of Little Jo, Macon County Line
4 Film Favorites: Kids Sports: Little Big Leage, Little Giants, Surf Ninjas, Hometown Legend
Hawaii (1966) OOP

-- start of Criterions
The Music Room: will watch soon
Solaris: seen but still working on the extras.
Letters from Fontainhas: Three Films by Pedro Costa
Le Million: watched this and all the extras
A nous la liberte: watched this and all the extras
Leon Morin, Priest: watched this and all the extras
The Great Dictator (1940)
Modern Times (1936): have seen several times; only a few new extras here.
House (1977)
Unfaithfully Yours
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941): already seen; quite good
-- end of Criterions
Controversial Classics Collection (Advise and Consent / The Americanization of Emily / Bad Day at Black Rock / Blackboard Jungle / A Face in the Crowd / Fury / I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang): This is an awesome collection; can't say enough about several on here.
Gnomeo and Juliet (2010) DVD/BD
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World BD/DVD
The Man From Nowhere (South Korea): Quite good; what is it with SK Organ films?
Alfred Hitchcock Presents season 2
The Lady Hermit (Shaw Brothers): good, but a bit forgetable.
The Jazz Singer 3-discs: good, but a bit forgetable.
Harry Langdon ...The Forgotten Clown (The Strong Man / Tramp, Tramp, Tramp / Long Pants): great collection.
Kung Fu Zombie: fun kyonsi type film.
Gilda (1946): just saw this; great until the ending.
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) Midnight Movies
Psych Out/The Trip (Midnight Movies)
Morons From Outer Space/Alien From LA (Midnight Movies)
Song at Midnight (China): already seen
Delta Force / Delta Force 2 / Code of Silence / Hero and the Terror
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Three-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince BD: fun
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Two-Disc Special Edition): fun, had to watch before I saw the last film.
Prince Caspian BD/DVD
True Grit BD/DVD
Batman Returns BD: I'm a big fan of this; am I the only one (well no you are never alone on the net)?
The Magnificent Seven BD: of course
Miracle BD
Bob Hope MGM Movie Legends Collection (Alias Jesse James/Boy, Did I Get the Wrong Number/The Facts of Life/I'll Take Sweden/The Princess and the Pirate/The Road to Hong Kong/They've Got Me Covered): some good, some bad.
Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 1 (Heidi / Curly Top / Little Miss Broadway)
The Hellbenders
4 Movie Marathon: Dark Comedy Collection (Serial Mom / Nurse Betty / Very Bad Things / Your Friends & Neighbors)
4 Movie Marathon: Family Comedy Collection (Dudley Do-Right / Sgt. Bilko / Cop and a Half / Ed)
Enigmatic Case (Johnnie To): already seen; had to have a copy for myself.

Does anyone here have a copy of Too Many Ways to Be No 1? Is there going to be a reissue?

My goodness, I haven't posted here since June!

This weekend, I was visiting my parents back home, where that city's only Blockbuster Video was probably days from shuttering for good. The place was virtually empty, but the remainder of their stock was 70% off! Here in Toronto, most of the stores were picked clean while everything was still at the measly 30% stage, but back home, there were still some goodies to be found. For the grand total of $98 (tax-in) I managed 12 Blu-rays and 7 DVDs. They new blu-ray section (i.e. factory-sealed) still had some pretty good stuff in it. I think Blockbuster's ridiculously high original sticker prices ($34.99 for MACHETE, for example) were throwing people off), but the discounts even on those worked out pretty favourably:

Granted, some of this stuff I probably never would've bothered with if it wasn't for the discount, and I suspect I may already own at least a couple of these, but considering Blockbuster Canada and its competitors are now out-of-business country-wide -- and our online options are anemic compared to the U.S. -- I figured it was best just to stock up and worry about what to keep or sell later!

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE - $9.00 New
THE WARLORDS (Dragon Dynasty) - $6.90 New
FANTASTIC FOUR - $6.00 New
Saw in theatres. Fun, but not a great superhero movie by a long shot.
THE KINGDOM - $7.50 New
MACHETE - $11.00 New
THE KILLER - $3.00 New
I may already own this. If so, I can probably flip this for more than I paid. Back of sleeve says 1080p, but I'm pretty sure this is the same old much-derided 1080i transfer available since day one

PRIEST (Unrated) - $6.60 Used
Technically used, but they had a lot of these on the shelf, and most looked like they'd never been rented. Of course, that could also be because the movie sucks, but who knows . . .
BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS (Dragon Dynasty) - $4.50 Used
Not overly jazzed for this one, partly due to Shawn's comments elsewhere here, but will still give it a spin. Already own the HK edition
DRIVE ANGRY - $4.80 Used, but probably never rented, they had so many in stock!)
VANISHING ON 7TH STREET - $4.50 Used
Saw at TIFF last year. Wasn't too bad.
THE WARRIOR'S WAY - $4.50 Used
UNKNOWN - 6.60 Used


DVD
DRESSED TO KILL (Special Edition) - $2.10 New
FEARLESS: DIRECTOR'S CUT (Jet Li) (also contains Original & International Theatrical versions) - $4.50 New
ONG BAK 3 - $2.10 Used
THE STORM WARRIORS $3.00 Used
Already own the HK edition, but what the heck . . .
ONG BAK - $2.10 Used
After all these years, I've still not seen this!
RAGING PHOENIX - $3.00 Used
STAKELAND 5.40 Used
(heard good things about this at last year's TIFF, but wasn't really jonesing for yet another vampire movie; guess we'll see)


Other recent purchases, from various places at various times . . .

From a video liquidation retailer at the Toronto FanExpo last month:
THE ATOMIC BRAIN / LOVE AFTER DEATH / THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD (Something Weird Triple Feature DVD)
EVIL COME EVIL GO / TERROR AT ORGY CASTLE / THE HAND OF PLEASURE (Something Weird Triple Feature DVD)
GIRL IN TROUBLE / A GOOD TIME WITH A BAD GIRL / BAD GIRLS DO CRY (Something Weird Triple Feature DVD)
CAREER BED / SEX BY ADVERTISEMENT (Something Weird Double Feature DVD)


These are mostly purchases of movies seen but never owned on disc, plus a couple of upgrades:
STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA (Blu-ray)
CON AIR (Blu-ray)
THE PRISONER: COMPLETE SERIES (Bu-ray)
NETWORK (Blu-ray)
STARCRASH (Blu-ray)
BONNIE & CLYDE (Blu-ray)
EXCALIBUR (Blu-ray)
THE LONG KISS GOOD NIGHT (Blu-ray)
DARKMAN (Blu-ray + DVD)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Blu-ray)
MARKED FOR DEATH (Blu-ray)
DUMBO (Blu-ray + DVD)
SCREAM (Blu-ray)

SPEED RACER: THE COMPLETE CLASSIC SERIES COLLECTION (DVD)
GIRLS GUNS & G-STRINGS - THE ANDY SIDARIS COLLECTION (12 film set)
The ultimate guilty pleasure movies. Great to have them all in one set!
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945) (DVD)
HIGH SCHOOL BIG SHOT / HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR / DATE BAIT (Something Weird Triple Feature DVD)
SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE COLLECTION (ROGER CORMAN'S CULT CLASSICS) (DVD)
ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS / WAR OF THE SATELLITES / NOT OF THIS EARTH (ROGER CORMAN'S CULT CLASSICS) (DVD)
JACKSON COUNTY JAIL / CAGED HEAT (ROGER CORMAN'S CULT CLASSICS) (DVD)
GEORGIA PEACHES / GREAT TEXAS DYNAMITE CHASE / SMOKEY BITES THE DUST (ROGER CORMAN'S ACTION-PACKED) (DVD)
EAT MY DUST / GRAND THEFT AUTO ((ROGER CORMAN / RON HOWARD ACTION PACK) (DVD)
FIGHTING MAD / MOVING VIOLATION (Corman Double Feature)
DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY / RACE WITH THE DEVIL (Corman Double Feature)
This last one replaces the single DVDs I had, which I sold for a tidy profit when this set was first announced

From the U.K.:
COMPLETE LONE WOLF & CUB BOXED SET (7 discs) - $18 shipped, back in August
Fantastic set!


Tried to keep up with the Hong Kong stuff, too (and some other Asian items):

THE LOST BLADESMAN
CHOY LE FUT
DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART (Johnnie To)
MEN SUDDENLY IN LOVE (Wong Jing)
THE DRUNKARD
(have some more to list, but they're a bit buried at the moment

CHASE OUR LOVE (China)
LET THE BULLETS FLY (China)

BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN 3 (Japan; HK edition)
MEMORIES OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC (Japan; HK Edition)
INCITE MILL (Japan; HK Edition)
LIAR GAME (Japan; HK Edition)

Oh my goodness that's huge. Great lot there Brian.

I'm quite curious on what you will think of BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS (technically it's not DD though nor is THE WARLORDS; those probably would have been good picks for DD though). I see so many overly postive reviews that I wonder if I'm wrong (though my review is smack down in the middle; I don't feel it is as good as TRUE LEGEND or LITTLE BIG SOLDIER. So I'm eagerly waiting your opinion (yours too Cal).

Woo hoo DARKMAN (I need to get that BD).

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Oh my goodness that's huge. Great lot there Brian.

Spread over nearly three months of purchases, it didn't seem so daunting . . .

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:(technically it's not DD though nor is THE WARLORDS; those probably would have been good picks for DD though)

I stand corrected! Don't know what made me think that. Perhaps the similarly-styled photo comps on the cover or something. That said, I'm glad they're not DD titles, because then we'd be subjected to dicey commentaries, appraisals from Elvis Mitchell and the RZA or some such. Better the way they are.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:I'm quite curious on what you will think of BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS. I see so many overly postive reviews that I wonder if I'm wrong (though my review is smack down in the middle; I don't feel it is as good as TRUE LEGEND or LITTLE BIG SOLDIER. So I'm eagerly waiting your opinion (yours too Cal).

Probably be a while before I get to them, but I'm really antsy to get back into HK-mode in the months ahead . . .

Home for the Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, which means another trip across the border to clear out my mailbox and see what cheap shit I can find at the stores :

BRITISH HORROR COLLECTION (Elite)
Includes INSEMINOID, HORROR HOSPITAL, TOWER OF EVIL and CURSE OF THE VOODOO
(found this marked down to $9.99 at FYE, and the resale values on three of them are rather good in Canada, which helps considerig the set's a blind buy)

Some Big Lots bargains:

STANLEY KRAMER COLLECTION (Sony) $5.00
Includes GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T. (really hoping Criterion does something with this one), SHIP OF FOOLS, THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING, THE WILD ONE
(I've seen the first two, but not the last three, so still a solid bargain)
SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW (Colunbia Tri-Star version) $3.00
BIG WEDNESDAY (Warner) $3.00
PLEASANTVILLE (New Line) $3.00
SNAKES ON A PLANE (New Line) $3.00
Got an additional 20% off on these due to some special using the store points card, so that was nice, especially as most are blind buys I may not keep)

And finally some sale Blu-Rays, all from online shops:
SEVEN
SECRET OF NIMH
DUMBO
DEMOLITION MAN
THE BLOOD TRILOGY
GRAND PRIX

Some more recent purchases.

Blu-ray Bits n' Pieces:
Captain America 3D
Field of Dreams
Battle of Algiers (Criterion)
Dante's Peak
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D
Sleepy Hollow
Bourne Trilogy
Kubrick Collection
Complete my Kubrick viewing via the Toronto Library; now I get to watch them all over again in HD some day
Mimic: Director's Cut
Jackie Brown
Pulp Fiction
Dead Alive
Prohibition (Ken Burns)
Drive Angry 3D

DVD Odds n' Ends:
Curse of the Demon/Night of the Demon (1957)
(This one finally dropped to under $7 after YEARS in the high teens. Pays to wait sometimes)
T-Men (1947)
(supplement free Sony version, but I found it for a buck in a local department store)
The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle
(Oldies.com has this for $7.99. Thanks almost entirely to Shawn's praise of it in earlier posts/threads, I couldn't resist)
The Fly Collection
($14.99 at Best Buy)
TCM Greatest Classic Films: Astaire & Rogers
(Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Swing Time, Shall We Dance)

From the recent 5/$50 sale at the Warner Archive:
One Minute to Zero
The Window
Berlin Express
SHE
Stranger on the Third Floor
All of these were purchased expressly due to Glenn Ericksen's informative, well-researched reviews of them at DVD Savant. Really looking forward to STRANGER, an American pseudo-noir drenched in German-style expressionism ( http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s3340floo.html )

Assorted Hong Kong/Chinese movies (still have some others to list):
Chinese Ghost Story
His Fatal Ways
Lovers on the Road
Microsex Office
Mr. & Mrs. Single
Mr. Fidelity
The Phantom Killer
Two Women


For those still following this thread (hello? anybody there? ), Barnes & Noble currently has their Criterion DVDs and Blu-rays on sale for 50% off. The code B3P8E4D will get you a further 10% reduction on the entire order, and you can get 8% cash back by connecting to the B&N site via ebates.com.

Brian T wrote:...
DVD Odds n' Ends:
...For those still following this thread (hello? anybody there? ), Barnes & Noble currently has their Criterion DVDs and Blu-rays on sale for 50% off. The code B3P8E4D will get you a further 10% reduction on the entire order, and you can get 8% cash back by connecting to the B&N site via ebates.com.

Hey now, I've been posting quite a bit of reviews on this forum . I asked you a question in the Seeding of a Ghost post .

I'm not sure what I'll get from Barnes and Nobles, I spent so much already . Yes I'll have to post some of the purchases.

Random comments:
Drive Angry was so-so, however great character in the The Accountant.
Curse of the Demon/Night of the Demon: I need to purchase this as well.
The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle: The market has been flooded with this after being expensive. I got it about twice as expensive as you did, but it was still much cheaper than it was a few months back. Great silent release, but remember that the Keystone shorts do get a bit repetitive even with Chaplin and Arbuckle (the two best I saw from the company). You can compare and contrast what Arbuckle did when he had more freedom. It really would have been nice if the trial did not hurt his career (did not kill it like many state on the Internet; he kept working under a pseudonym directing films and latter when he was starting his comeback in acting he died of a heart attack; there is just so much bad info out there ).
Battle of Algiers (Criterion): great movie; you can literally see the influence on Platoon (one scene taken verbotem).
Chinese Ghost Story: I'm probably going to get the boxset though that will cost me about 50 .

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies, Vol. 01: already seen; now have seen everything which Chaplin acts in; need only one film in which he directs, yes the last one.
Cinema Paradiso (1988): The new version; already seen.
Little Big Soldier (2010: Hong Kong): Jackie's best film in years.
Hero BD: upgrade
Bodyguards and Assassins: Good, but ultimately overrated; I wrote a review on here.
The Sanctuary (Thai): cheap at Best Buy; still sold there.
Where a Good Man Goes (Johnnie To): Looking forward.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009): Looking forward.
The End of Violence (1997): Bought for the director.
Dinner with Friends): Bought for the director.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice BD/DVD ): great just noticed I have two copies. One will now be a Christmas gift.
Cats and Dogs 2 BD/DVD
Crank/Crank 2 BD
Source Code BD/DVD: Good, not great film. Enjoyable.
Raging Bull BD/DVD: My second favorite Scorsese film, guess what is first?
The Tin Star OOP: Directed by Anthony Mann
Martial Arts of Shaolin DD: Fan if not a bit slight Jet Li Shaw film.
Columbo Mystery Movie Collection 1991-1993
The John Travolta Thriller Collection (Domestic Disturbance, Face Off SCE, The
General’s Daughter)
Nicolas Cage Collection (Face Off SCE, Snake Eyes, World Trade Center)
Death Wish (1974): Yes I finally saw this important revenge flick.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Hey now, I've been posting quite a bit of reviews on this forum .

That's why I asked if anyone was still following this thread. Seems to be mostly you and me of late, particularly me, but I'm genuinely interested to know what everyone else has been buying, even if it's only a disc every now and again, but alas . . .

I asked you a question in the Seeding of a Ghost post .

I did see that. I'm planning on posting another update of my own recent viewings shortly, and figured I'd respond then, but in the meantime, no, I haven't seen SEEDING OF A GHOST, although I do own it. I'm still not ready to plow back into Hong Kong stuff just yet, although my queue of "I need to see these" movies on the Toronto Public Library's website is getting much thinner these days, so that's a good sign, I think. The end is near?

Random comments:
Drive Angry was so-so, however great character in the The Accountant.

I was planning on mentioning your earlier thoughts on this film in the other thread now that I've seen it. Agreed wholeheartedly on The Accountant. That character went in nicely unexpected directions. I might rank it a bit higher than you did, but only because I think it largely succeeded at being what it was clearly designed to be: a literal B-movie. I could literally see this picture being made in the 70's or early 80's, though without the technical panache. I actually watched it on a bargain Blu that I picked up for a couple of bucks from a Blockbuster store closing in my hometown, but listed it on Amazon Marketplace and purchased the 3D Blu from Amazon U.S. when it recently dropped to $11.99.

The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle: The market has been flooded with this after being expensive. I got it about twice as expensive as you did, but it was still much cheaper than it was a few months back. Great silent release, but remember that the Keystone shorts do get a bit repetitive even with Chaplin and Arbuckle (the two best I saw from the company). You can compare and contrast what Arbuckle did when he had more freedom. It really would have been nice if the trial did not hurt his career (did not kill it like many state on the Internet; he kept working under a pseudonym directing films and latter when he was starting his comeback in acting he died of a heart attack; there is just so much bad info out there ).

Oh, the joys of the internet. Thanks for the info (and clarifications). I do have a few books on silent movies that explore the Arbuckle canon in part, though I haven't cracked them in ages. I generally tend to reference them when I'm actually watching silent stuff (like recent Keaton discs from the library, or my AFA Treasures/Edison/Movies Begin collections.

Battle of Algiers (Criterion): great movie; you can literally see the influence on Platoon (one scene taken verbotem).

Yeah, I got this from the library earlier this year — after reading about it and seeing it in stores for years — and was absolutely blown away by how relevant it was, and still is. Fantastic supplements, too (naturally).

Chinese Ghost Story: I'm probably going to get the boxset though that will cost me about 50 .

Actually, I purchased the recent remake. Probably should've clarified that in my list. I do own the originals, but only the older DVDs, and don't feel a pressing need to upgrade them just yet.

Seeding of a Ghost makes you appreciate the Black Magic series more as well as The Boxer's Omen.

Are you a Vincent Price fan?

It's always amazing the bad info out there. I have wrote this (not sure if here) about how bad information about Ty Cobb always keeps getting passed around. The same issue happened with Edgar Allen Poe as well. Al Stump wrote a semi-fradulent biography on Cobb and well that information kept getting passed on later even though some of it was false (heck I saw a recent ESPN article which had bad information in it).

But of course we see it with movie writing all the time. In the HK world I know Thomas Weisser and Ric Meyers have both put out bad info that still gets stated to this day. The annoyance is you become more paranoid (which can be good) when writing reviews (like with the questions I have in the Seeding of the Ghost review). I see information in reviews, but I can't find original sources for it (or collaborating sources; many are just repeating what they read in earlier reviews).

I've rarely seen a Price performance I didn't like.

Yeah, enough can't be said about the misinformation that gets spread around thanks to certain authors. I guess all we can do it try to steer clear of referencing dodgy information, provided there's enough suspicion floating around it. Most of the scholarly books on Hong Kong cinema that I've read are generally quite accurate, or are written by people who will acknowledge their mistakes and correct them in future print or digital editions, as you once mentioned David Bordwell did. Oddly enough, it's the distinguished writers like him who rarely get turned to for research by many web reviewers these days, so the mistakes that he and his peers do make aren't as likely to be parroted down through the ages as were the flubs by Meyers, Weisser et. al.

Grabbed a few Blu-rays from the Barnes & Noble Criterion sale:

THE KILLING
THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
SOLARIS
DAZED AND CONFUSED
ORPHEUS

Barring one or two others, this pretty much completes the collection of titles I actually wanted to own from the available Criterion Blu selection. The library has taken care of much of the rest of Criterion's catalog, but I'm sure there will be more "necessities" down the road!


- - - -

Shawn, you might be interested in these Keaton MGM talkies (including his last) that were just announced by the Warner Archive today. I know some folks aren't fond of the on-demand format (or its prices), but it's here to stay, and its yielding amazing stuff on a nearly weekly basis:

DOUGHBOYS (1930):
http://www.wbshop.com/Doughboys/1000252614,default,pd.html?cgid=

SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK (1931)
http://www.wbshop.com/Sidewalks-of-New-York/1000252549,default,pd.html?cgid=

WHAT, NO BEER? (1933)
http://www.wbshop.com/What-No-Beer/1000248935,default,pd.html?cgid=

Brian T wrote:Grabbed a few Blu-rays from the Barnes & Noble Criterion sale:

THE KILLING
THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
SOLARIS
DAZED AND CONFUSED
ORPHEUS
...
Shawn, you might be interested in these Keaton MGM talkies (including his last) that were just announced by the Warner Archive today. I know some folks aren't fond of the on-demand format (or its prices), but it's here to stay, and its yielding amazing stuff on a nearly weekly basis:

DOUGHBOYS (1930):
http://www.wbshop.com/Doughboys/1000252614,default,pd.html?cgid=

SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK (1931)
http://www.wbshop.com/Sidewalks-of-New-York/1000252549,default,pd.html?cgid=

WHAT, NO BEER? (1933)
http://www.wbshop.com/What-No-Beer/1000248935,default,pd.html?cgid=

I will pick these up at some point because I want to see all of them. The consensus that I have read seems that Doughboys is not bad, but What, No Beer? is pretty bad. Unfortunately I missed these when TCM had Buster Keaton as their featured artist last month.

THat's a cool BD lot you got. DOn't forget my Phantom review .

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Don't forget my Phantom review .

That was a contributing factor.

Brian T wrote:

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Don't forget my Phantom review .

That was a contributing factor.

Sweet. Have you seen the Price films I mentioned in my reviews? Is there Price films you want to see but have not?

Before we start the 2012; I should finish this one off

Living Free
The White Countess
Slaves of New York
Sweet and Lowdown
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Legend)
That Man Bolt
True Legend
Golden Swallow
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1999)
Citizen Kane (Amazon Exclusive 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition + The Magnificent Ambersons on DVD) [Blu-ray]
Houseboat (1958)
East of Eden (2-Disc)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Deluxe Edition)
The Duel (2000: HK)
Executioner From Shaolin (1977: Lau Kar-leung) DD
Mad Monkey Kung Fu DD
Five Shaolin Masters DD
Last Man Standing/The Last Boyscout BD
Beverly Hills Chihuahua BD/DVD
Grudge 2 Steelbook SE
Krull SE
Gumshoe
Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)
Salaam Bombay!
The Neighbor No. Thirteen
Blood Brothers
Killer Clan
Avenging Eagle
Planes, Trains and Automobiles / Summer Rental / Foul Play
The Red Balloon (Criterion)
The 400 Blows (Criterion)
The Phantom Carriage (Criterion)
Rock Hudson Screen Legend Collection (The Golden Blade / Has Anybody Seen My Gal? / The Last Sunset / The Spiral Road / A Very Special Favor)
The Fly Collection (The Fly / Return Of The Fly / The Curse Of The Fly)
The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 3 1940-1942
The General (Kino 2-Disc)
The Professional
Valhalla Rising
C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri (1994)
Ulysses Gaze (Fox Lorber OOP)
Affair in Trinidad BL
Anne Frank Remembered

Everything else I'll consider for 2012

Guess I should contribute my own final hurrah to cover the last bit of 2011, if belatedly. Just more odds 'n ends . . .

Blu-rays:
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
BLOOD TRILOGY
THOR
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
GREEN LANTERN
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
SEARCHERS/HOW THE WEST WAS WON/WILD BUNCH Triple Feature
Target has a whole bunch of these 3-packs available for $15. Great way to get some catalogue titles for cheap.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D
FORBIDDEN KINGDOM
EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE/ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN Double Feature
DAYLIGHT
STEALTH
TRON 3D 5-disc set
JACKIE CHAN MIRAMAX MULTI-FEATURE:
OPERATION CONDOR 1&2; PROJECT A 1&2
Probably shouldn't have bought this, as I knew going in that it contained the inferior U.S. editions, but since I own all four (in addition to the HK versions), this was a cheap, space-saving way to replace the DVDs. Just wish they hadn't messed with the aspect ratios, but I'll survive . . .
LORD OF THE RINGS EXTENDED EDITION COLLECTION
SUPERMAN MOTION PICTURE ANTHOLOGY (U.K. Edition)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT COLLECTION
CITIZEN KANE 70th
Best Buy Exclusive $10.99
FASTER

Picked up these for $10 each at various Black Friday and Boxing Day sales. Ended up keeping FAST FIVE only.
BRIDESMAIDS
FAST FIVE
HORRIBLE BOSSES
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

DVDs:
ELVIS PRESLEY: FOUR MOVIE COLLECTION
CLAMBAKE, FOLLOW THAT DREAM, FRANKIE AND JOHNNIE, KID GALAHAD
Walmart US finally dropped this to $10.
ELVIS PRESLEY: FOUR MOVIE COLLECTION
ROUSTABOUT, GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS, FUN IN ACAPULCO, G.I. BLUES
Got this to replace four $3 singles from Big Lots that turned out to be worth a pretty penny on Amazon Marketplace.
AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE
NIGHTMARES IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE

$3.00 Bargain Bin DVDs at Canada's equivalent of Big Lots. Liquidation World. These even have the same price stickers:
NATIONAL VELVET
KING OF KINGS
CAMILLE

$1.00 Bargain Bin DVDs from a discount store:
SONNY CHIBA COLLECTION
Includes G. I. SAMURAI, NINJA WARS, LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI, RESURRECTION OF THE GOLDEN WOLF
(widescreen, uncut, Japanese with English subs)
DRILLER KILLER

Other DVDs
DANGEROUS BABES 12-MOVIE COLLECTION
ACTION MOVIE 10-PACK (MGM)
Includes HARLEY DAVIDSON & THE MARLBORO MAN, RONIN, KILLER ELITE, JUGGERNAUT, STONE COLD, WALKING TALL, BLOWN AWAY, NO MAN'S LAND, WINNERS TAKE ALL, BOOT CAMP
At about $13, this allowed me to unload about 6 lesser DVDs (and some guilty pleasures) from my collection. Of course, I had to gain four likely duds in the bargain, but hey -- one case!
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Collections XV, XVI, XIX
Surprisingly, I found these IN CANADA for $27 apiece.

And, last, but certainly not least, some goodies from Hong Kong/China (which will hopefully become more of a focus in 2012)
VIRTUAL RECALL
Watched a little of the beginning of this and discovered the formerly-everywhere Simon Loui has a small part in it. Caught him in some other 2011 movie as well (not Choy Lee Fut), but the name escapes me at the moment. Good to see he's back, if he ever really went away. HKMDB has this as a Mainland movie in Cantonese, which may actually be right. Except for one of the leading ladies and presumably some secondary characters, most of the cast speaks LIVE Cantonese. Seems to be a lot of movies like this nowadays, shot like mainland movies (the sci-fi elements in this look pretty dire), but sounding like HK movies.
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
BEACH SPIKE
PUNISHED
SUMMER LOVE LOVE
LOVE YOU YOU
THE WARRING STATES
MY KINGDOM
LOVE IN SPACE
I LOVE WING CHUN
MURAL
THE WOMAN KNIGHT OF MIRROR LAKE


Should we even bother with a 2012 thread? Only seems to attract two people with any regularity. I'm tempted to keep posting in the "what are we watching?" thread and leave the shopping lists behind. I'm still open to the idea, in theory . . .

Brian T wrote:...Should we even bother with a 2012 thread? Only seems to attract two people with any regularity. I'm tempted to keep posting in the "what are we watching?" thread and leave the shopping lists behind. I'm still open to the idea, in theory . . .

I'll let you decide on that one. I would definitely like to see you post more in the "what are we watching thread" hint hint .