Recently went nuts with ordering dvds online. Damn you, sale prices!:
Blade Runner 5 Disc Collector's Edition - I've been wanting this since it was announced. Saw the new print when it was shown here in L.A. last year. In my opinion, the greatest science fiction movie ever made.
Bram Stoker's Dracula -Not a classic Coppola film by any means, but the look and feel of it made this worth buying for me.
Bubba Ho-Tep -Quirky and strange, this movie is based on a novella by Joe R. Lansdale that is even funnier. Bruce Campbell's greatest performance.
Chinatown -The classic. Been meaning to pick this up for a while.
The Two Jakes -A lot of people like to bag on this one, but I like it as well. Too bad we'll never see the trilogy completed.
Houdini -Starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Never seen this but Harry Houdini's been a hero since I were a lad.
Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition
-When it comes to 1970s action, Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood are two of your best guides. I've held off buying the Dirty Harry series for years in anticipation of a set like this.
Villa Rides -I really wasn't a big fan of this the first time I saw it. However, that was merely videotape and any movie that features Yul Brynner, Robert Mitchum, and Charles Bronson is worth another look. One sad note about this movie is that before the studio screwed with it, it was to be a Robert Towne screenplay directed by Sam Peckinpah. Fools!
The Paul Newman Collection -This contains seven movies: Harper, The Drowning Pool, The Left-Handed Gun, The Mackintosh Man, Pocket Money, Somebody Up There Likes Me, and The Young Philadelphians. At $25 for the set, even if I only watch the first two movies it's a bargain. However, Paul Newman is great. I'll watch them all.
Hud -See above. I've never seen this.
The Hustler (2 Disc Collector's Edition) -One of my favorite Newman films, in glorious black and white, remastered picture and sound with special features galore.
Hombre -Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Honestly, as good as everyone thinks Leonard's crime novels are, I actually prefer his westerns. I've never seen this movie, and in addition to Paul Newman in the lead role, it features the awesome Richard Boone as the heavy. How could I say no?
Ball of Fire -A screwball comedy starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, and directed by Howard Hawks. Hawks directed several of my favorite movies so I threw this on the order.
Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection -Been eyeing this one for a while. This set contains five movies: Manhattan Melodrama, Evelyn Prentice, Double Wedding, I Love You Again, and Love Crazy. Seeing Myrna Loy for the first time in The Thin Man movies as a teenager was a startling experience for me. Onscreen she was so sexy, so sophisticated, and so witty as to put many contemporary actresses permanently in her shadow. Never better than when paired with William Powell, and since I already have their Thin Man set...
I own a region free dvd player as I find that in a lot of cases, awesome stuff just doesn't get released in the US, or at least not in the amazing editions they get overseas. So from across the pond:
Dog Soldiers -While this is available on dvd in America, the UK dvd features more special features. A fantastic low budget horror movie.
Withnail and I: 20th Anniversary Edition -Line for line, easily among the funniest movies ever made. This edition puts the Criterion one to shame too.
Billion Dollar Brain -My least favorite of the Harry Palmre films. Also available on dvd in the US. I figure as long as I already own three disc special edition of The IPCRESS File, and the UK Funeral in Berlin, I might as well spring for this.
Savage Islands -This was released in 1984 in the US as Nate and Hayes. It resembles Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in that they both stole from some of the same sources, but I think this movie is a lot more fun. I've always wanted to own this movie with the original title.
Casanova A tv miniseries starring Frank Finlay in the title role. Written by Dennis Potter. Nuff said.
Zulu: 2 Disc Special Edition -The movie that announced Michael Caine to the movie going world in a tricked out edition we'd never see in the States.
Now if only someone would remaster The Man Who Would Be King and get Connery and Caine to do a commentary for it...
The Hustler, probably one of the best movies ever.
My sister loves The Thin Man. She read the book and have to have the first film.
Withnail and I, that's one of my ultimate favourite movies of all time. I know it word for word! And one of the greatest soundtracks for a film too. I'm jealous you got your hands on the anniversary edition. I need to pick one up next time I'm over there. My dvd player has a selection for diffeerent regions so that's no problem.
