2010: The Digital Movie Bonanza

[Brian Thibodeau]

Apologies if I posted this one before, but it just arrived today and I can't seem to find it in any of my previous posts:

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION (1939-1946; UK Edition)
Got this on Amazon.co.uk for just £12.99, which works out to just under $21 US, shipped, after VAT is removed. Compared to the U.S. set for $106.99, I'd say this is a fantastic bargain. Same UCLA-restored prints, same bonus features (including commentaries), even a set of postcards! The only difference is that the newer U.S. version features one extra commentary on Dressed To Kill featuring one of the actresses from the film. Not worth another $86, I'm afraid.

[cal42]

New stuff:
Bodyguards & Assassins
Accidental Spy (remaster - the old Universe DVD can now be slung)
Little Big Soldier

And another Hill/Spencer from my childhood:
Watch Out, We're Mad (overpriced and looking suspiciously like a bootleg, this one)

I watched Little Big Soldier last night. It's not like a typical Jackie Chan film, but then none of his films are typical Jackie Chan films now. So I guess it is like a typical Jackie Chan film . I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. Full review coming soon (and I may get to be the first on the HKMDB to write about it!).

[Brian Thibodeau]

A day trip to Buffalo, N.Y. on the weekend, so another visit to Big Lots. Some nice $5.00 finds this time:

ZODIAC (2 disc deluxe edition)
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2 disc Infinifilm edition)
BONNIE & CLYDE (2 disc deluxe edition)
BLADE RUNNER (2 disc final cut)
BLADE: TRINITY (2 disc Unrated edition)
SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (4 Disc edition)

The only one here I haven't seen previously is BLADE TRINITY, nor was the desire ever very high, despite really enjoying the first two. For this price, as usual, I know I'll get most of the investment back if it's as average as most professional reviews seem to claim. ZODIAC, NIGHTMARE and BONNIE & CLYDE were picked up mainly to see the supplements, while BLADE RUNNER is being considered as a space-saving replacement for the big plastic briefcase version, which I'm contemplating selling. Already have the deluxe five-disc Blu-ray for extra-special viewings. The SUPERMAN set was just gravy to flip for a tidy profit as I already own it

Picked up a few more $3 three-packs, mainly to get ahold of these:
THE BEAT MY HEART SKIPPED (Jacques Audiard; 2005; France)
CAFE LUMIERE (Hou Hsiao-hsien; 2003; Taiwan)

Also got copies of the K-horror film THE WIG and the 2-disc Dragon Dynasty edition of FLASH POINT, both of which I've seen and/or own, as well as some less-inspired fillers, ESPN sets, and duplicates and triplicates from previous hauls, but those are headed for Amazon Marketplace.

[dandan]

o'horten
the private eyes
running out of time
porky's meatballs
a fishy story
accident
bodyguards and assassins
connected

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

BLADE TRINITY stinks. It was such a comedown from the great first two films. I mean huge dissapointment.

Taxi Tonight & Diecovery
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2000: Japan)
Shiri (1999: South Korea)
Brothers Five (HK: blu-ray)
The Delightful Forest (HK: blu-ray)
The Heroic Ones (HK: blu-ray)
Ninja (2009)
Spirited Killer Trilogy
The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007: China)
Wu Yen (2001:HK)
Help!!! (HK)
Jack of All Trades (2000: TV Series)
Fantasia 2000
Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red)
Touchez Pas au Grisbi - Criterion (1960)
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) – Criterion Blu-ray
Sherlock Holmes 4 pack: Prelude to Murder, Secret Weapon, Terror by Night,
& Woman in ...
Under Capricorn (1949)
The Oblong Box / Scream and Scream Again
The John Ford Film Collection (The Informer / Mary of Scotland / The Lost Patrol / Cheyenne Autumn / Sergeant Rutledge)
Luis Bunuel's L'Age d'Or
The Forbidden Kingdom 2-disc BD
Shinjuku Incident (2010: China)
Kill Zone BD (BB exclusive – for now)
The Wig (2005: Korea)
A Dirty Carnival (2006: Korea)
The Unforgiven (1960)
Pale Rider (1985)
Lilith (1964)
L’enfant (2005)
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
The Undefeated/North to Alaska
Tall in the Saddle (1944)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
Invictus (2009: BD)
Tai Chi Master DD6 BD
Return of the One-Armed Swordsman DD
Warlords
An Empress and the Warriors (2008: China: BD)
Ong Bak 2 BD
Clash of the Titans (1981)
A Place In The Sun (1951)

[Brian Thibodeau]

BLADE TRINITY stinks. It was such a comedown from the great first two films. I mean huge dissapointment.

I wouldn't be surprised. I've long known the only way I was ever gonna see it was by way of the bargain bin. I loved the first two, but Snipes career was already on the downswing around the time the first one came out. He was just lucky that it was successful enough—and he was ideally cast—to merit sequels. Otherwise, nearly everything he's done since 1998 has been TV or DTV fodder. TRINITY smelled of desperation at the time—an actor reviving the only franchise he could—and just didn't seem necessary. Even the trailer didn't provoke much reaction out of me. Still, for $5 I can afford to be a completist, since I know they at least threw some money at this one. Curious to see how much of it's up on the screen.

Sherlock Holmes 4 pack: Prelude to Murder, Secret Weapon, Terror by Night,
& Woman in ...

Are these the UCLA restored versions? You might want to consider the 14-film U.K. collection I purchased a couple post back for under $21 shipped to the states. Same prints, same extras, nice packaging . . .
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0006M4S46/



THE WIG and DIRTY CARNIVAL. Big Lots for a buck? If so, did you get anything else worthwile in the bundles?

By the way, for those with access, Big Lots is clearing out another boatload of $3 Warner titles at their stores starting this weekend. If you go here, you can download a PDF list of approximately 300 titles on offer. Was hoping for a respite after New York last weekend, but as I'm heading back home to see family this weekend, I know I won't be able to resist . . .

[Brian Thibodeau]

Picked up some Criterion Blu-rays in the ongoing Barnes & Noble sale. Managed to get five of these for around $15-16 using the various website/coupon combinations (B&N has several sites offering various discounts) before they banned the use of the coupon codes online. Last two cost me $17.99 (10% discount off the $19.99 sale price through their Library site), which still ain't bad

M
8 1/2 (upgrade)
PLAYTIME (upgrade - it's grown on me)
RED DESERT
RED SHOES
BLACK NARCISSUS (upgrade)
STAGECOACH

. . . and a couple Criterions borrowed from the Library:
JULES ET JIM - Rather enjoyed this, but won't need to own it. Truffaut's breakneck pacing, with all the zooms and fast cutting, must have been a revelation at the time, although I think I prefer his austere touch in other films. Excellent supplements. Thought it was interesting how he came to loathe the fact that only a few years after the film's release, young women were proclaiming Jeanne Moreau's character as something of a role model!
VIRGIN SPRING - Loved this, and would consider buying the Blu-ray should it ever get the treatment.

Still have about 6 Criterions in my "reserved" queue at the Library. Just biding my time . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Looks like I forgot to post a few other odds 'n ends from the past month or so, mostly from the Deep Discount 25% Off sale and various Amazon sales:

DEVIL'S BRIGADE (1968)
4 FILM FAVORITES: SURVIVAL
Includes TWISTER (SE), POSEIDON; PERFECT STORM (SE) and OUTBREAK
BAD GIRLS OF FILM NOIR VOL. 2 (4 Film Set)
Includes NIGHT EDITOR, ONE GIRL'S CONFESSION, WOMEN'S PRISON and OVER-EXPOSED
TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION: HORROR
Includes THE HAUNTING, HOUSE OF WAX (53), FREAKS, DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (41)
TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION: SCI-FI
includes: THEM!, BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, WORLD WITHOUT END and SATELLITE IN THE SKY
BYZANTIUM: THE LOST EMPIRE (2-disc set)
one of my favorite John Romer documentaries
BIG SCREEN BOMBSHELLS 12 MOVIE COLLECTION
(a collection of old Crown International stuff; already have 11 of them on previous BCI releases, but this includes a widescreen GALAXINA, which I've never seen, and the whole set was under $6 on sale. Won't be keeping it)

Blu-ray Upgrades:
DEAD CALM (1989)
SWORDFISH (2001)
GODZILLA (1998)

TOMBSTONE (1993)
ARMAGEDDON (1998)
(got these last two for about $8 apiece thanks to an Amazon 2-for-1 pricing boo-boo. Already sold TOMBSTONE on Amazon marketplace for $20 as I don't mind holding out for the inevitable SE with a proper transfer )

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

^
Modesto's Barnes and Noble does not have DVDs which sucks for me. I will either go online or go to Stockton's B&N.

I'm glad PLAYTIME has grown on you. The only Criterion you mentioned that I have not seen is RED DESERT. Hopefully will be buying soon.

I consider VIRGIN SPRING vastly underrated, especially when dealing with Bergman:



TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION: HORROR is a great collection. I have the single releases of those (well House of Wax comes with the older version of the film), but all four of those I like/love. Great to see Charles Bronson in HOUSE OF WAX. Brian if you get a chance to watch CRIME WAVE (where he plays a very young thug, same director as HOUSE OF WAX) I think you will like that film noir (available on volume 4 noir collection).

[Brian Thibodeau]

^
Modesto's Barnes and Noble does not have DVDs which sucks for me. I will either go online or go to Stockton's B&N.

From what I've read, online buyers pay about the same price as in-store buyers now, thanks to the coupon codes being restricted on the website. The only advantage in-store is the "$5 off $20 or more" coupons that some people are using, and if you can even use them without having to drive to multiple locations. The problem seems to be that managers/staff are all over the map when it comes to applying them, how many you can use in one visit, how many one customer can use in total, etc. Sounds like a royal pain in the ass, frankly. Barnes & Noble members do get an additional 10% off the $19.99 sale price for most of these, which drops them to $17.99, but that's exactly what I paid for my later purchases through this link, which includes free shipping over $25:
http://btob.barnesandnoble.com/index.asp?r=1&btob=y

Edit: realized I left one Criterion Blu off my list above. Fixed.

TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION: HORROR is a great collection. I have the single releases of those (well House of Wax comes with the older version of the film), but all four of those I like/love.

All of the movies in this particular set are upgrades from previously-owned DVDs. Figured one keep case was better than four snappers. I like saving space! Sold the singles ages ago once I saw this one was coming out. Just waited until now to get it at a good price. In the SCI-FI set, I previously owned (and sold) the THEM/BEAST double feature set, and missed out on the WORLD/SATELLITE double feature back when it was a Best Buy Exclusive. The four-pack just made sense.

Great to see Charles Bronson in HOUSE OF WAX. Brian if you get a chance to watch CRIME WAVE (where he plays a very young thug, same director as HOUSE OF WAX) I think you will like that film noir (available on volume 4 noir collection).

I LOVED that movie. Bronson was excellent in it, but I've always had a soft spot for that big mean oak Sterling Hayden. He's just perfect in these noir pictures, imposing no matter which side of the law he's on. Both CRIME WAVE and DECOYS (on the same disc) are top notch crime thrillers. I've read a couple of positive, thoughtful reviews of Sony's Classic Film Noir Vol. 2 (including Glenn Erickson's at DVDSavant) and will definitely be picking that up when the price is right (already have the first set).

[sharkeysbar]

I have picked up a few (non-East Asian) films and collections recently that I have been meaning to get for some time.

Sherlock Holmes Definitive Collection (1939-1946)
Frank Sinatra Studio Stars Collection (1967-1968)
Willie Dynamite (1973)
The Seawolves (1980)
Dilip Kumar Classics For My Library
Amitabh Bachchan Classics For My Library
BR Chopra Classics For My Library

The Sherlock Holmes boxset is excellent, as mentioned above by Brian, 14 movies for £13.60! I notice it has now increased in price to £24 but still great value in my opinion.

The Classics For My Library is a boxset series by Moserbaer for Hindi language films from the 1940s onwards, 6 films per boxset on either a single actor or a particular theme. Some of the themes are a little strange (a "Jab We Met" theme for example) but the sets focusing on a single actor are quite good as they include their famous films and also some lesser known (and harder to track down) titles.

I have also picked up some Hong Kong and Thai titles but they'll have to be on another post. A couple of the Chinatown stores have been having sales, trying to move some of the titles from the 1990s and the (early) 2000s. Prices have been reduced by at least 50% on the Hong Kong original product, making them cheaper than some other stores that are selling PRC bootleg copies! I guess nothing should surprise me, I am just happy that they are available

[Brian Thibodeau]

Willie Dynamite (1973)

This movie is AWESOME! There, I said it. This is actually one of the movies that makes viewing the recent BLACK DYNAMITE a much more rewarding experience.

The Sherlock Holmes boxset is excellent, as mentioned above by Brian, 14 movies for £13.60! I notice it has now increased in price to £24 but still great value in my opinion.

Huzzah!!

A couple of the Chinatown stores have been having sales, trying to move some of the titles from the 1990s and the (early) 2000s. Prices have been reduced by at least 50% on the Hong Kong original product, making them cheaper than some other stores that are selling PRC bootleg copies! I guess nothing should surprise me, I am just happy that they are available

I sorta ran into this problem just today. My most trusted downtown Chinatown haunt, the Wa Yi Trading Co., now has their monster supply of VCDs reduced to 4/$10, regardless of original price, including Shaw brothers stuff (all of which I've already got). The previous "going out of business signs are down, however, which leads me to think they might stick around a while longer, but that price drop doesn't exactly bode well. Mind you, their DVD stock is still plentiful and largely not discounted, and they still get all the new releases in SD and Blu.

In recent months, as my posts here will attest, I've blown untold wads on their previous Buy-One-Get-One-Free VCD sale, which was fair enough (especially on the $5-and-under VCDs), but now everything's the same price. Unfortunately, I've bought so much there in recent months that today, I couldn't remember what I already had, so I just grabbed eight discs before they closed for the night. Definitely going back next week with a little more foreknowledge. Some of these are probably duplicates, which will suck, but since I was already in the neighbourhood anyways, I had to buy something, didn't I? Didn't I?

GAME WITH A RICH LADY (2005) DB entry will benefit from this one!
SNOW FALLING ON THE SKY OF JUNE (2004)
CAN'T STOP THE WAR (Taiwan; 1982)
THE WICKEDNESS IN POVERTY (1979)
UNTOUCHABLE MANIAC (2000) pretty certain I've already got this . . .
MIDNIGHT ZONE (1997)
CITY CRISIS (2004)
CLASSMATE PARTY (1988) aka STUDENT UNION. Think I have both of these now . . .


EDIT: Almost forgot one: found an old Tai Seng VHS copy of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA V in, of all places, a bargain bin in one of our major chain rental stores today. I'm sure it's not the best way to see the film again (borrowed it from a friend centuries ago, and was never able to find a copy of my own to review years later), but at this point, there ain't too many alternatives.

[Brian Thibodeau]

BLADE TRINITY stinks. It was such a comedown from the great first two films. I mean huge dissapointment.

Agreed! Judging by this film, writer-director David Goyer is, at best, a sturdy TV-movie-level director surrounded by production people capable of making his work seem much more large-scale (although there are still many moments that suggest corners were cut). Weird that the writer of the first two movies would feel the need to add two sidekicks and an excess of comic relief to the third. Killing off Kris Kristofferson was a huge mistake, and the principal villain — supposedly the greatest vampire of them all — has almost no personality, and at one point has to hide behind a baby to keep Blade at arm's length! The secondary villains, who actually get more screen time than Dracula, are largely talkers, not do-ers, and do a lot of dumb things throughout the picture in the name of plot contrivance, not character-driven logic. I do think Parker Posey gives the most colorful performance in the movie. That scene where they "torture" "Sidekick #1" Ryan Reynolds while he rips off one-liners was just agonizing to watch, and added nothing to the plot. A lot of moments like that jumped out at me. I read the credits on the DVD sleeve just before I put this on and noticed a professional wrestler in the cast. That was really the first omen. Another is the noticeable lack of participation from Wesley Snipes in the supplemental features. I think that says something . . .

I listed this one on the Amazon Marketplace rather quickly.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

I really didn't think you would like that film. When you see several TV actors like Ryan Reynolds in it you know something went wrong. It makes no sense to me since the second made money and was successful that they could not get a better cast (and better writing). The movie really felt like a straight to DVD release. Unfortunately I've liked too many films that have had a professional wrestler in it: The Princess Bride, Ed Wood, The Rundown .

The reason I don't get Sherlock Holmes Definitive Collection is that I only have a R1 player and also that I have most of the releases from MPI anyways.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Unfortunately I've liked too many films that have had a professional wrestler in it: The Princess Bride, Ed Wood, The Rundown .

Those are all pretty good movies, though, so the wrestler contingent doesn't smell of stunt-casting the way Triple H does in BLADE 3. I think Andre the Giant and George Steele were ideal for their roles in PRINCESS BRIDE and ED WOOD, even if neither was a particularly memorable actor. The Rock, I think, has endless charisma as an actor, and RUNDOWN should have launched him into a solid career as an action movie star, yet he seems to have become stuck in kiddie movies and comedies ever since. Just looked him up at IMDB and discovered he's in THE FAST & THE FURIOUS 5 , which I'm sure will be another one of Justin Lin's utterly undistinguished bling-bling action pictures larded up with computer-generated cars he'll undoubtedly try to convince us are real (as he does in the audio commentary to last year's flashy but unfathomably popular FAST & FURIOUS, which I also watched recently. Now that boy really needs to expand his horizons. He had such potential, once.

I only have a R1 player

Well, that's just unacceptable! Get thee to a Costco or Walmart post haste, sonny! You can probably pick one up for under $40 at this point. And then the world will be yours . . .

[sharkeysbar]

I continue my hunt to find older titles and another recent visit to Chinatown has found me a few more Hong Kong titles,
Kickboxer (1993)
Romancing Bullet (2000)
Chivalrous Legend (1999)
The Black Panther Warriors (1993)
Black Cat in Jail (1999)
Mr Coconut (1989)
Memento (2002)
Salon Beauty (2002)
Girls Without Tomorrow (1992)
Summer Dream (2002)
Lost Souls (1980)
Lifeline (1997)
The Singing Escort (1969)

In my travels I have picked up a few other titles too (you never know what gems you might find in bargain bins),
K20 (2010 Japan)
Tripping (2007 Taiwan)
Taarzan the Wonder Car (2004 India)
Life of Rachan the Boxer ( 2008 Thailand)
The Remaker (2005 Thailand)
Mumbaicha Dabawalla (2008 India)
Bombaiyer Bombatay (2003 India)
Saatchyat Aat Gharat (2004 India)
Shaitani Dracula (India)

The last film, Shaitani Dracula came highly recommended http://teleport-city.com/wordpress/?p=2664 and it lived up to the recommendation, one of the worst films ever made, possibly the worst! I know that is a huge statement but this film is amazing, it is so bad it is immensely enjoyable, even without subtitles! The linked review above gives the film far more detail and justice than I ever could but it is well worth the 38 rupees

[Brian Thibodeau]

Shaitani Dracula (India)

The last film, Shaitani Dracula came highly recommended http://teleport-city.com/wordpress/?p=2664 and it lived up to the recommendation, one of the worst films ever made, possibly the worst! I know that is a huge statement but this film is amazing, it is so bad it is immensely enjoyable, even without subtitles! The linked review above gives the film far more detail and justice than I ever could but it is well worth the 38 rupees

Definitely have to track this down. Beasts, bras and badness! I wonder if Little India here would have it . . .

[Brian Thibodeau]

Yet another haul from Big Lots.

$3
THE RIGHT STUFF (1984) Single-disc. Some stores apparently have the 2-disc set at this price, but no luck for me
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961)
SPINOUT (1966)
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) 2-disc SE
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) 2-disc SE
ANCHORS AWEIGH (1945)
VARSITY SHOW (1937)
THE INVASION (2007)

$6
TCM ARCHIVES: LAUREL & HARDY
Includes THE DEVIL'S BROTHER / BONNIE SCOTLAND

WARNER BROTHERS AND THE HOMEFRONT COLLECTION:
includes THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS (1943) / HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (1944) / THIS IS THE ARMY (1942)

And some 99¢ B-movie Alpha DVDs from an ongoing sale at Oldies.com
PHANTOM FROM SPACE (1953)
I ACCUSE MY PARENTS (1944)
TRAPPED (1949)
BLONDE ICE (1948)
THE FLAMING URGE (1953)
PHANTOM OF SOHO (1966)
NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST 1958)
THE HEAD (1959)
+
THE NAKED TRUTH (MGM; 1958)

[Brian Thibodeau]

STORY OF A DISCHARGED PRISONER (1967) Bought this version. No subs, sadly, which I knew going in. Anyone seen this version? Or know of a subbed one? Dennis?
A FAMILY AFFAIR (1986)
STAGE DOOR JOHNNY (1990)
LOVE IS A MANY STUPID THING (2004)
BEAUTY ON DUTY (2010)
BLACK RANSOM (2010)
FIRE OF CONSCIENCE (2010)

VCDs (4 for $10 from Wa Yi)
LOVE MARRIAGE (not in DB; may be Taiwanese)
THE FOREST RIDERS (1965)
SON WITH TWO FATHERS (2004) Directed by Francis Nam; will have to scour my memory to see if it's an "unofficial" remake of something
THE MISSED DATE (1986)
THE OLD MASTER (1979)
LOVE SICK (1994)
TONIGHT NOBODY GOES HOME (1996)
FEEL 100% 2003 (2003)

$4.00 used discs from Blockbuster. Most will likely be sold off
ZOMBIELAND
THE UNBORN
CREEP
ONG BAK 2 (2 disc)
RESIDENT EVIL APOCALYPSE
DRAG ME TO HELL
SURROGATES (just watched; interesting, but not a keeper)
SOUTH PARK: IMAGINATIONLAND[/b] (ditto)

$3.00 at Big Lots:
SPEEDWAY (1968; Elvis) been loving most of the Elvis movies I've picked up so far!
KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004; U.S. Edition) didn't really need this, but can resell
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING (2005; Renny Harlin Version)
FOLLOWING (1999) Bought one earlier, but this OOP title fetches a pretty penny in Canada, so . . .
BEING THERE (1979)
SUBLIME (2006)
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004) already seen; strictly to resell

From Target, $10
FOX 75th ANNIVERSARY QUAD SET:
ANASTASIA, GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, OX-BOW INCIDENT, SNAKE PIT
FOX 75th ANNIVERSARY QUAD SET:
ALL ABOUT EVE, BEYOND THE VALLEY, INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS, VALLEY
OF THE DOLLS

Blu-Ray Upgrades ($10 ea. at various U.S. stores)
SPY GAME (2000)
KING KONG (2005)
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007)

Got this deal from Amazon.uk, for less than $21 Canadian, SHIPPED! All indications are that the transfers are excellent:
DAVID LEAN CENTENNARY COLLECTION
Includes BRIEF ENCOUNTER, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, OLIVER TWIST, BLITHE SPIRIT, IN WHICH WE SERVE, MADELEINE, HOBSON'S CHOICE, THE SOUND BARRIER, THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS, THIS HAPPY BREED

Titles in green have been sold. (updated previous posts as well)

[Brian Thibodeau]

Spent my annual 2-3-hours-is-all-I-can-take at Toronto's geek-fest FanExpo today (leaving the Spiderman costume at home, of course; no need to frighten the impeccably-attired Miss Marvels, Catwomen and Invisible Girls roaming the convention centre ) and found a whole bunch of Tartan Asia Extreme DVDs being dumped for $3.00 a pop at the "exhibit" for HMV, the big music/movie chain here:

AB-NORMAL BEAUTY (Hong Kong)
THE RED SHOES (South Korea)
ANOTHER PUBLIC ENEMY (South Korea)
THE MAID (Singapore)
A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES (China/Hong Kong)
R-POINT (South Korea)
DIVERGENCE (Hong Kong)
BLOODY TIES (South Korea)
PRAY (Japan)
ONE TAKE ONLY (Thailand)
DORM (Thailand)
APARTMENT 1303 (Japan)
SILK (Taiwan)

I already have the imports of several of these, so if nothing else, this is a cheap way to get subtitles on the supplementary materials.

[Bearserk]

Can we expect that you had your camera along with you to take pictures of all those impeccably-attired female superheroes?

And you need to stop to tempt me with all those movies, I need to put aside money for my trip later this year

[Brian Thibodeau]

Can we expect that you had your camera along with you to take pictures of all those impeccably-attired female superheroes?

And you need to stop to tempt me with all those movies, I need to put aside money for my trip later this year

If your trip is to Canada, then you just need to bring a modest portion of your HK B-movie VCD collection with you and I'll trade you any number of titles on my purchase lists above. Money saved. Easy! Of course, if you end up in Chinatown here, be warned. Cal managed to escape without buying a whole lot, but you might be a different story altogether . . .

I took a few pictures at FanExpo, but mostly wide shots of aisles, displays, crowds, etc. I'm sure some of those female superheroes managed to walk into the frame on occasion. I was shooting with a new point-and-shoot travel camera that I'm still getting used to, so many of the shots are pretty dodgy. I did however get pictures of the original '66 Batmobile (one of my all-time favourite George Barris creations), the Alien Blu-ray "cryo-pod" exhibit (where they stick you in a replica sleep chamber and, I'm told, play a commercial above your head -- I don't like lineups so I passed), a gruff Canadian actor named Art Hindle who had his own table hawking some very obscure (and I'm certain not officially released) 70's Canadian movies he'd starred in, and this old guy signing stuff:



God, my roots are showing. The main attraction for me during visits to this big nerd-out is the artists' area, which is a mix of big-name pros and lesser known local no-names with massive talent. As I used to doodle my own "comics" back in the day but never had the gumption to go anywhere with it, I rather perversely enjoy marveling at the work of those who actually seem to make a living doing illustration. As such, I was probably the only person there with neither a costume nor a backpack stuffed with toys and comics.

[Bearserk]

Did you at least have your picture taken with Stan Lee?

Would have been nice to be there to experience the atmosphere and see all the nerds, hehe, really envious as we never have anything of the kind around here were I am living. Never really get to experience anything that neat around these boring part of the Earth

Unfortunately not going to Canada, at least not these time, going to Hong Kong for 3.5 weeks in November, see if I can't pick up some movies for my collection while I am there
Still trying to figure out what I should do while I am there, places to see and things to experience. The possibilities just seems so many

[Brian Thibodeau]

Did you at least have your picture taken with Stan Lee?

No. I'm not that big a fan of anyone to want my picture taken with them, and I have a very low tolerance for standing in lines for the privilege. I rarely even take pictures like this one, but I guess I just happened to be walking by at the right time and found a spot to sneak a picture. What few photos I took of the overall event are hardly worth keeping in retrospect.

Would have been nice to be there to experience the atmosphere and see all the nerds, hehe, really envious as we never have anything of the kind around here were I am living. Never really get to experience anything that neat around these boring part of the Earth

It's all what you make of it. Judging from the pictures I've seen of your travels around the Norwegian countryside, it hardly seems boring. Cities are cool, but if I had the scenery of Norway within an hour's drive as you do, I'd be leaving Toronto every weekend for at least a day just to hike and bike and marvel at everything. While there is nice scenery in the land outside of Toronto, the terrain of this part of Canada is, at best, slightly hilly with lots of farms. That just can't compare to those incredible lakes and mountains you have there. And trust me, a few nerds go a long way (girls in superhero tights are OK, though), which is why I only go to FanExpo for 2-3 hours, and usually every second year. Part of me just doesn't fit in there, so I just indulge the part that does for a short period of time, but then I have to get out.

Who knows, maybe there's an annual fan expo/nerd convention in Oslo that you're just not aware of?

We spent most of yesterday kayaking around the lake and islands in front of Toronto and I actually wondered how much more interesting it would be in some sparkling mountain lake in Norway! (those pictures of yours linger on the brain, dude) These thoughts intensified when had to paddle against strong currents for nearly an hour on our way back to the dock!

Unfortunately not going to Canada, at least not these time, going to Hong Kong for 3.5 weeks in November, see if I can't pick up some movies for my collection while I am there Still trying to figure out what I should do while I am there, places to see and things to experience. The possibilities just seems so many

Truly envious. I do hope to get there some day, but saving's the hard part, not to mention the loooong flights from Toronto. I'm presently working towards some long-overdue upgrades of stuff around my place -- which is why so many of my DVD purchases have lately been in the $3.00 range -- but after that it would be nice to finally save for a trip to Hong Kong at some point in the next couple of years. So many places I'd love to see in the world, but that one's at the top of the list.

[Bearserk]

No. I'm not that big a fan of anyone to want my picture taken with them, and I have a very low tolerance for standing in lines for the privilege. I rarely even take pictures like this one, but I guess I just happened to be walking by at the right time and found a spot to sneak a picture. What few photos I took of the overall event are hardly worth keeping in retrospect.

So no complete geek just yet, hehe

It's all what you make of it. Judging from the pictures I've seen of your travels around the Norwegian countryside, it hardly seems boring. Cities are cool, but if I had the scenery of Norway within an hour's drive as you do, I'd be leaving Toronto every weekend for at least a day just to hike and bike and marvel at everything. While there is nice scenery in the land outside of Toronto, the terrain of this part of Canada is, at best, slightly hilly with lots of farms. That just can't compare to those incredible lakes and mountains you have there. And trust me, a few nerds go a long way (girls in superhero tights are OK, though), which is why I only go to FanExpo for 2-3 hours, and usually every second year. Part of me just doesn't fit in there, so I just indulge the part that does for a short period of time, but then I have to get out.

Who knows, maybe there's an annual fan expo/nerd convention in Oslo that you're just not aware of?

Well, I wouldn't want to lose the access that we have to the nature around these parts of the world, kinda blessed that way
But it would be nice to attend a convention from time to time, get to experience one of those movie festivals that you talk about from time to time.
Oslo is a bit to far away that I want to consider it, having to deal with finding a place to stay and fixing travel with plane or train, just gets to be a bit to much hassle
Even if it means I can get to get a glimpse of girls in superhero tights

We spent most of yesterday kayaking around the lake and islands in front of Toronto and I actually wondered how much more interesting it would be in some sparkling mountain lake in Norway! (those pictures of yours linger on the brain, dude) These thoughts intensified when had to paddle against strong currents for nearly an hour on our way back to the dock!

Glad you liked them
Kayaking sounds nice, never had the opportunity to try it myself, even though one of my friends do own one, he just needs to get a second bar for his car rooftop so that he can have it with him on our trips. Would have been swell to just glide across the lakes fishing for trout.
Going on another trip next week, so I will hopefully have some more pictures ready for you then. Two day trip this time, so really looking forward to it. Roasting freshly fished trout over the open flames of a camp fire
Did you take any pictures on your trip?

Truly envious. I do hope to get there some day, but saving's the hard part, not to mention the loooong flights from Toronto. I'm presently working towards some long-overdue upgrades of stuff around my place -- which is why so many of my DVD purchases have lately been in the $3.00 range -- but after that it would be nice to finally save for a trip to Hong Kong at some point in the next couple of years. So many places I'd love to see in the world, but that one's at the top of the list.

Mhm, I know, saving can be hard at times, luckily I don't have that many expensive hobbies apart from movies, and I haven't bought very much movies lately. Saving it all up for my trip.
Getting really impatient now, hehe

[Brian Thibodeau]

So no complete geek just yet, hehe

Perhaps it's a lifetime conversion process, but part of me must resist it all along the way. Only my Hong Kong geekitude knows no bounds (of quantity OR production quality )

Well, I wouldn't want to lose the access that we have to the nature around these parts of the world, kinda blessed that way But it would be nice to attend a convention from time to time, get to experience one of those movie festivals that you talk about from time to time. Oslo is a bit to far away that I want to consider it, having to deal with finding a place to stay and fixing travel with plane or train, just gets to be a bit to much hassle Even if it means I can get to get a glimpse of girls in superhero tights

One plan might be to start a convention in your home town/city, and encourage some local ladies and gents to join the festivities in full comic book/anime/gaming regalia. I dare say many of your hearty Nordic gals are practically designed for superhero outfits! A word of warning though, if males will likewise be encouraged to don superhero tights, you must enforce rules regarding mandatory codpieces or athletic supporters (and perhaps shirts). There were . . . things at Toronto's FanExpo that should never be seen by human eyes, even by accident.

Failing that, you could always start up the world's first Norwegian Asian Film Festival by screening movies from your own vast private library, although our British compatriots would probably find the acronym "NAFF" to be rather amusing. I picture an outdoor event, maybe in some hard-to-reach small village up in those stunning mountain areas. Find a couple of local breweries or cel phone companies to sponsor it, and the hipster caché would grow in no time, with the hoi polloi jetting in from far off lands to eat freshly-caught seafood against a backdrop of majestic mountains, sparkling moonlit lakes, kung-fu, gunfights and Cantonese pop music. Now that would be unique!

Kayaking sounds nice, never had the opportunity to try it myself, even though one of my friends do own one, he just needs to get a second bar for his car rooftop so that he can have it with him on our trips. Would have been swell to just glide across the lakes fishing for trout. Going on another trip next week, so I will hopefully have some more pictures ready for you then. Two day trip this time, so really looking forward to it. Roasting freshly fished trout over the open flames of a camp fire Did you take any pictures on your trip?

Were I a fishing person, I'm not sure I'd use a kayak, since a good struggle with a big fish could spin a kayak upside down quite easily, and depending on the type of kayak, it might not be easy to get out! Fish in a canoe, tour in a kayak! I do have a few pictures, nothing spectacular, but best kept offline to maintain what little anonymity I can from those black government helicopters that keep following me.

[Bearserk]

Perhaps it's a lifetime conversion process, but part of me must resist it all along the way. Only my Hong Kong geekitude knows no bounds (of quantity OR production quality )

Oh it will come, as I have heard many many times myself, Resistance is futile
Been going back and have started to re-watch ST TNG again for what must be the fifth or sixth time
We all have a case of HK geekitude I guess, hehe. I still have trouble deciding which places to visit in HK so if anyone has any good tips, I am more than glad to hear them

One plan might be to start a convention in your home town/city, and encourage some local ladies and gents to join the festivities in full comic book/anime/gaming regalia. I dare say many of your hearty Nordic gals are practically designed for superhero outfits! A word of warning though, if males will likewise be encouraged to don superhero tights, you must enforce rules regarding mandatory codpieces or athletic supporters (and perhaps shirts). There were . . . things at Toronto's FanExpo that should never be seen by human eyes, even by accident.

Failing that, you could always start up the world's first Norwegian Asian Film Festival by screening movies from your own vast private library, although our British compatriots would probably find the acronym "NAFF" to be rather amusing. I picture an outdoor event, maybe in some hard-to-reach small village up in those stunning mountain areas. Find a couple of local breweries or cel phone companies to sponsor it, and the hipster caché would grow in no time, with the hoi polloi jetting in from far off lands to eat freshly-caught seafood against a backdrop of majestic mountains, sparkling moonlit lakes, kung-fu, gunfights and Cantonese pop music. Now that would be unique!

And give up my shyness
Stavanger could maybe have hosted a small convention, as for my little piece of Norway I would think that there are way to few people around here to start anything like that.
Norway is just to sparsely populated for it's huge landmass. I do know that they have anime weeks at one of the cinemas in Oslo. but it is just to much work unfortunately to travel there
But it would as you said have been a sight to behold if someone ever did try to get something like that up and running
The closest that I get now is a Bollywood film that is going to shoot some scenes from the pulpit rock and some from the Kjerag bolt. If I get to know which day and have the opportunity I shall try and get up there to take some pictures while they are filming.

Men should never dress up in tights, not for conventions, and not for cycling *shudder*

Were I a fishing person, I'm not sure I'd use a kayak, since a good struggle with a big fish could spin a kayak upside down quite easily, and depending on the type of kayak, it might not be easy to get out! Fish in a canoe, tour in a kayak! I do have a few pictures, nothing spectacular, but best kept offline to maintain what little anonymity I can from those black government helicopters that keep following me.

Well, being a none kayaking/canoe person I have to admit that I at first didn't think of the difference, hehe
I meant canoe, much easier to fish from
The nature over there can't be that bad that you don't want to show at least a little bit of it to us other fellow HKMDB'ers
Without giving away your secrets to the men with shades and black suits

[Brian Thibodeau]

Oh it will come, as I have heard many many times myself, Resistance is futile

Nooooooooo! I have this weird image of a bunch of costumed "conventioneers" swarming around me and when they separate . . . I'm gone! Kinda like Robert DeNiro with all that paper in BRAZIL. Mind you, if they were female superheroes, I might submit willingly.

Been going back and have started to re-watch ST TNG again for what must be the fifth or sixth time

I'm not a big Trek fan outside of certain movies in the franchise, but this is acceptable . . . as long as you don't wear a Starfleet uniform each time you watch old episodes.

The closest that I get now is a Bollywood film that is going to shoot some scenes from the pulpit rock and some from the Kjerag bolt. If I get to know which day and have the opportunity I shall try and get up there to take some pictures while they are filming.

It's rather impressive the number of foreign locales to which Indian filmmakers will travel. I don't watch much Indian cinema anymore, but whenever I peruse the DVDs in Little India here, I see one after the other with settings outside India. Perhaps such a prolific industry has filmed their own country to death?

Men should never dress up in tights, not for conventions, and not for cycling *shudder*

I hear that! I'll make exceptions for cycle racers, of course, but I much prefer casual clothes when I ride my bike because of my tendency to stop whenever I find an interesting store, neighbourhood, event etc. and do a little exploring, and doing that in bike shorts would feel a bit awkward!

[Bearserk]

Nooooooooo! I have this weird image of a bunch of costumed "conventioneers" swarming around me and when they separate . . . I'm gone! Kinda like Robert DeNiro with all that paper in BRAZIL. Mind you, if they were female superheroes, I might submit willingly.

hehe

I'm not a big Trek fan outside of certain movies in the franchise, but this is acceptable . . . as long as you don't wear a Starfleet uniform each time you watch old episodes.

The movies doesn't even come close to the series if you ask me. I fell in love with the series when I got to see a few episodes shown on Sky back in the days when I visited a friend of mine which had a parabolic antenna which was able to receive the signal. TNG and DS9 are just some of the best that TV has to offer in my eyes.
I haven't even gone and seen the last movie as I hated what I saw in the trailer. For me ST has always been about the exploration and wonders, and not about all that moronic action that they are trying to sell in the movies. It is just to completely different things which they have put the same brand name on.
There are better series out there, Firefly and Twin Peaks among others, but I don't think that I ever will get tired of re-watching the ST episodes.
Not wearing any uniform while watching them though

It's rather impressive the number of foreign locales to which Indian filmmakers will travel. I don't watch much Indian cinema anymore, but whenever I peruse the DVDs in Little India here, I see one after the other with settings outside India. Perhaps such a prolific industry has filmed their own country to death?

Not to glad in the whole singing thing so I haven't seen that much Indian movies, although I came across a rather interesting clip just the other day

Magadheera

But it is interesting to see how different nationalities come and film here, not along ago a japanese TV crew was at the Pulpit Rock to film there to show different aspects of Norwegian life and nature.

The Pulpit Rock - Not that glad in walking up there during the summer these days, way to many tourists, but I usually take a couple of trips up there when most of the tourists have disappeared.

Kjerag bolten - I haven't been here myself just yet, still have a bit of a problem finding someone willing to go out on the rock for me It is not far away so I really have to go there one day.

I hear that! I'll make exceptions for cycle racers, of course, but I much prefer casual clothes when I ride my bike because of my tendency to stop whenever I find an interesting store, neighbourhood, event etc. and do a little exploring, and doing that in bike shorts would feel a bit awkward!

Not even there

[Brian Thibodeau]

The movies doesn't even come close to the series if you ask me.

Actually, I probably should have clarified. I prefer the movies starring the original cast. I was never much of a fan of the original 60s series, but my dad was, and he watched the re-runs quite a lot when I was little, so any night when I had nothing else to do, I'd watch them with him. He saw them first-run before I was born, so he was basically watching them for the second, third, fourth time by then, and thanks to that, I'm pretty sure I've seen all three seasons at least once. While I appreciate the show's importance to both television and sci-fi history, I think it's appeal to me is largely sentimental rather than "trekkie".

By the time the movies started coming out, the characters were somewhat mythic, which made them ideally suited to the big screen with all the advances that special effects could afford them in scope. By contrast, I found all of the TNG movies to feel like two-part TV episodes. The only one I own is GENERATIONS, and there again, it's largely because of the presence of the original cast. My dad was also a huge fan of TNG, but as I was older by then, I didn't see as many of those with him. He vehemently resisted watching the recent STAR TREK movie reboot for months. When he first saw the trailer, he seemed like he might give it a chance, but as time wore on, he just didn't want to see his precious memories ruined. When I finally coaxed him into watching it on DVD, he loved it and admitted that it was much better than he thought it would be. And that's coming from a 73-year-old man who's just tolerant of all the flashy FX spectacles that come out these days. I had already seen it on the big screen and thought it was fantastic and faithful to mythology of the original show while kicking the entire franchise's ass into the 21st century, which is where it desperately needed to be if it was going to survive. And look what happened, it was one of the top box-office hits last year and the most successful STAR TREK movie ever, in part because it attracted more than just Trek nerds. You might want to give it a chance.

I think STAR TREK has always been about action as much as exploration and wonders, otherwise there would never have been any conflict to make all the TV shows and movies interesting. All of the TV shows were able to find a better balance simply because they didn't have movie-style budgets, so many episodes had to be talky and philosophical rather than action-packed (especially the original series). Plus they had less than an hour to tell their stories. On the big screen, these movies HAVE to have some spectacle, and that means (or should mean) big-scale action to buttress the big-scale ideas. All J.J. Abrams did was kick up the pace several notches, but the exploration and wonder is definitely still there, and I think it will continue to be there now that they've laid down the basics so well in the first movie.

Magadheera

Fantastic! When I looked the movie up at IMDB, I was stunned to see was released just last year. It looks like something Hollywood would have done 10 or 15 years ago. Then again, that often seems typical of Indian cinema. The scope of that scene alone (and the director's vision) obviously comes up just shy of the budget and technical capabilities of the crew. Even Hong Kong filmmakers could pull off something like that much better these days, but it's still great fun! IMDB also states the film is 166 minutes long. Some things never change . . .

The Pulpit Rock - Not that glad in walking up there during the summer these days, way to many tourists, but I usually take a couple of trips up there when most of the tourists have disappeared.

Kjerag bolten - I haven't been here myself just yet, still have a bit of a problem finding someone willing to go out on the rock for me It is not far away so I really have to go there one day.

Breathtaking sights. I can't imagine anyone taking a bad picture up there.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Games Gamblers Play (1974: HK): Already seen; will comment about later; first Hui film.
The Blue Gardenia (1953)
TCM Archives - The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland) (1933)
Laurel & Hardy - Air Raid Wardens / Nothing but Trouble
Christopher Guest Collection (A Mighty Wind / Best in Show / Waiting for Guffman) (2003) (six dollars at Big Lots this was awesome)
Creature Comforts Season One (big lots)
Funny Games (2008) (big lots)
The Telegraph Trail / Somewhere in Sonora / The Man from Monterey (big lots)
Classic Western Round-Up, Vol. 2 (The Texans / California / The Cimarron Kid / The Man from the Alamo) (big lots)

All Criterion Baby:
Roberto Rossellini’s War Trilogy
Eyes without a Face
Under the Roofs of Paris
Le Deuxieme Souffle
Le Doulos
Stagecoach: already seen, but still quite awesome.
Insomnia
Make Way For Tomorrow
The Importance of Being Earnest
Summertime
Paris, Texas
Wings of Desire
Lola Montes
The Third Man Criterion OOP: love those OOps.

Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo
(book)
Following (): everything you need to know about Christopher Nolan can be found in his first film.
Shutter Island (2010): this film out to remind you of Inception in some ways
Edge of Darkness (2009) BD
The Lodger (1927): actually not as good as the remake with Laird Cregar.
The Invincible Kung Fu Trio (1974): I saw it and forgot about it.
The Alamo (1960)
Zulu (1964)
Leaving Las Vegas: Damn this was depressing.
The Producers (Deluxe: 1968): Have already seen multiple times.
Robocop Criterion: not my first copy.

You will recognize most of these from Big Lots (and a few from the dollar store):
Plato’s Run (1997)
High Roller – The Stu Ungar Story
Wonderland (2003)
Steve Martini’s Undue Influence (1996)
This Thing of Ours
Mission Odyssey
The Ex (Unrated: 2007)
The Royal Diaries (2000: Scholastic)
Digging To China (1998)
Nowhere to Africa (2002: German)
Vernon, Florida (Documentary)
Shamrock vs. Ortiz
Algiers (1938)
Playing for Keeps (1986)
Party Girl ()
Bazooka Classic Cartoons Superman
Facing Fear (2003)