I bought something like 10 DVDs recently on a couple different trips to Blockbuster and FYE. I've had the luxury to splurge a little. Here is the following list with reasons why I bought them in parenthesis separated by commas. In the comments section, take some time to discuss what you just bought or are planning on buying (if you can get to 10, that sounds great) and why you bought it. Understanding the film industry is about understanding our choices as consumers. Also, please click here on my helium article because that's the only way I get my revenue.:
1. King of California:
-I haven't seen enough good films from 2007
-Sounds like a good story
-Michael Douglas is an actor I haven't seen anything good from in a while)
2. Be Kind Rewind:
-It's one of my 4-star films from 2008
-The sweeded portions of the films were very rewatchable and i wanted to know what was up behind the scenes.
-The concept of sweeding that the film helped revolutionize would probably be better explained. I imagine the extras would not dissapoint
-Probably entertaining on rewatch
3. X-Men 3:
-I love the X-Men trilogy
-I have a mild interest in whether Brett Rattner is actually a good director or not since he seems mildly hated by other film buffs and I thought that the DVD commentary would provide insight
-The action scenes are always great to rewatch on DVD
-The deleted scenes might ne extensive since there are so much story they chose to cut
4. The Break-Up:
-I caught a little on TV and it was good so far,
-A supporting role from Jason Bateman looked intriguing
-I wanted to laugh and Vince Vaughn guarantees that for me
-Vince Vaughn as an actor also drew me in
5. Elizabethtown:
-I saw about 90% on TV and thought it was ripe for rewatching
-I read into some symbolism from the film that I wanted to check which the commentary would provide
-It was just a solid film. Not a 4-star film, but relatively lightweight and enjoyable
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
-I've watched this film 1 1/2 times and my general rule is only get a DVD of something you've seen once but I felt it got better on the second viewing so I could see it having a long shelf life
-Indiana Jones is a legendary trilogy (or whatever you call it now) and there's just a need to own a piece of it
-Hearing Lucas and Spielberg in action sounds like a great idea. I've read so much about it here.
-It was a complex storyline that would probably make more sense if you view it over again
-I thought others might like it
7. Orange County:
-I saw it in 2002 and think it's a film with a lot of great lines and funny moments that I think I might appreciate more in retrospect
-I also want to rewatch it to see all the cameos
-I have a greater appreciation for Jack Black now
-Just the themes about how being educated and going down the conventional track for success isn't all it is cracked up to be need rewatching
-Tom Hanks' son before he hit it big with Mad Men
8. Kingdom of Heaven:
-I saw a few minutes on TV and I was impressed with the cinametography
-Wanted to dig my teeth into some historical fiction
-I wanted to be surprised by something that could be great and it had potential
-I haven't seen enough Ridley Scott
-I remember a friend talked wildly about how great of a film it was right after it came out so word-of-mouth
9. Religulous:
-I like Bill Maher's political views a lot
-As a member of a religious minority I love it when people pole holes in Christianity
-I thought it might make my top 10 list of 2008 if I got around to seeing it, even though I already made my top 10 list)
10. Ghost Town:
-I just watched the Extras series and now have a fascination with Ricky Gervaise
-I wanted a not-too-ambitious comedy to enjoy
-Gotta love Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni
-One of the films from 2008 that intrigued me that I haven't seen
Showing posts with label dvds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dvds. Show all posts
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The 10 DVD game
I bought something like 10 DVDs recently on a couple different trips to Blockbuster and FYE. I've had the luxury to splurge a little. Here is the following list with reasons why I bought them in parenthesis separated by commas. In the comments section, take some time to discuss what you just bought or are planning on buying (if you can get to 10, that sounds great) and why you bought it. Understanding the film industry is about understanding our choices as consumers. Also, please click here on my helium article because that's the only way I get my revenue.:
1. King of California:
-I haven't seen enough good films from 2007
-Sounds like a good story
-Michael Douglas is an actor I haven't seen anything good from in a while)
2. Be Kind Rewind:
-It's one of my 4-star films from 2008
-The sweeded portions of the films were very rewatchable and i wanted to know what was up behind the scenes.
-The concept of sweeding that the film helped revolutionize would probably be better explained. I imagine the extras would not dissapoint
-Probably entertaining on rewatch
3. X-Men 3:
-I love the X-Men trilogy
-I have a mild interest in whether Brett Rattner is actually a good director or not since he seems mildly hated by other film buffs and I thought that the DVD commentary would provide insight
-The action scenes are always great to rewatch on DVD
-The deleted scenes might ne extensive since there are so much story they chose to cut
4. The Break-Up:
-I caught a little on TV and it was good so far,
-A supporting role from Jason Bateman looked intriguing
-I wanted to laugh and Vince Vaughn guarantees that for me
-Vince Vaughn as an actor also drew me in
5. Elizabethtown:
-I saw about 90% on TV and thought it was ripe for rewatching
-I read into some symbolism from the film that I wanted to check which the commentary would provide
-It was just a solid film. Not a 4-star film, but relatively lightweight and enjoyable
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
-I've watched this film 1 1/2 times and my general rule is only get a DVD of something you've seen once but I felt it got better on the second viewing so I could see it having a long shelf life
-Indiana Jones is a legendary trilogy (or whatever you call it now) and there's just a need to own a piece of it
-Hearing Lucas and Spielberg in action sounds like a great idea. I've read so much about it here.
-It was a complex storyline that would probably make more sense if you view it over again
-I thought others might like it
7. Orange County:
-I saw it in 2002 and think it's a film with a lot of great lines and funny moments that I think I might appreciate more in retrospect
-I also want to rewatch it to see all the cameos
-I have a greater appreciation for Jack Black now
-Just the themes about how being educated and going down the conventional track for success isn't all it is cracked up to be need rewatching
-Tom Hanks' son before he hit it big with Mad Men
8. Kingdom of Heaven:
-I saw a few minutes on TV and I was impressed with the cinametography
-Wanted to dig my teeth into some historical fiction
-I wanted to be surprised by something that could be great and it had potential
-I haven't seen enough Ridley Scott
-I remember a friend talked wildly about how great of a film it was right after it came out so word-of-mouth
9. Religulous:
-I like Bill Maher's political views a lot
-As a member of a religious minority I love it when people pole holes in Christianity
-I thought it might make my top 10 list of 2008 if I got around to seeing it, even though I already made my top 10 list)
10. Ghost Town:
-I just watched the Extras series and now have a fascination with Ricky Gervaise
-I wanted a not-too-ambitious comedy to enjoy
-Gotta love Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni
-One of the films from 2008 that intrigued me that I haven't seen
1. King of California:
-I haven't seen enough good films from 2007
-Sounds like a good story
-Michael Douglas is an actor I haven't seen anything good from in a while)
2. Be Kind Rewind:
-It's one of my 4-star films from 2008
-The sweeded portions of the films were very rewatchable and i wanted to know what was up behind the scenes.
-The concept of sweeding that the film helped revolutionize would probably be better explained. I imagine the extras would not dissapoint
-Probably entertaining on rewatch
3. X-Men 3:
-I love the X-Men trilogy
-I have a mild interest in whether Brett Rattner is actually a good director or not since he seems mildly hated by other film buffs and I thought that the DVD commentary would provide insight
-The action scenes are always great to rewatch on DVD
-The deleted scenes might ne extensive since there are so much story they chose to cut
4. The Break-Up:
-I caught a little on TV and it was good so far,
-A supporting role from Jason Bateman looked intriguing
-I wanted to laugh and Vince Vaughn guarantees that for me
-Vince Vaughn as an actor also drew me in
5. Elizabethtown:
-I saw about 90% on TV and thought it was ripe for rewatching
-I read into some symbolism from the film that I wanted to check which the commentary would provide
-It was just a solid film. Not a 4-star film, but relatively lightweight and enjoyable
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
-I've watched this film 1 1/2 times and my general rule is only get a DVD of something you've seen once but I felt it got better on the second viewing so I could see it having a long shelf life
-Indiana Jones is a legendary trilogy (or whatever you call it now) and there's just a need to own a piece of it
-Hearing Lucas and Spielberg in action sounds like a great idea. I've read so much about it here.
-It was a complex storyline that would probably make more sense if you view it over again
-I thought others might like it
7. Orange County:
-I saw it in 2002 and think it's a film with a lot of great lines and funny moments that I think I might appreciate more in retrospect
-I also want to rewatch it to see all the cameos
-I have a greater appreciation for Jack Black now
-Just the themes about how being educated and going down the conventional track for success isn't all it is cracked up to be need rewatching
-Tom Hanks' son before he hit it big with Mad Men
8. Kingdom of Heaven:
-I saw a few minutes on TV and I was impressed with the cinametography
-Wanted to dig my teeth into some historical fiction
-I wanted to be surprised by something that could be great and it had potential
-I haven't seen enough Ridley Scott
-I remember a friend talked wildly about how great of a film it was right after it came out so word-of-mouth
9. Religulous:
-I like Bill Maher's political views a lot
-As a member of a religious minority I love it when people pole holes in Christianity
-I thought it might make my top 10 list of 2008 if I got around to seeing it, even though I already made my top 10 list)
10. Ghost Town:
-I just watched the Extras series and now have a fascination with Ricky Gervaise
-I wanted a not-too-ambitious comedy to enjoy
-Gotta love Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni
-One of the films from 2008 that intrigued me that I haven't seen
Friday, May 25, 2007
Star Wars Prequels and the DVD Revolution
I walked out of the theater from Star Wars III with my dad with whom I had a memorably different reaction than I did. "The movie wasn't fun like the old ones," my dad said. I couldn't argue that the dialogue was wooden and that is the general consensus. The lines have more gravity behind them than the innocent serial adventure that was the original Star Wars.
But then again, the Star Wars prequels weren't exactly serial adventures and this might have also been the source of their undoing in terms of connecting to the large base of viewers that the original trilogy did*. The Star Wars prequels were enjoyable, more than anything else, for those moments where we go, "Oooohhhh, so that's how it happened." To the extent that Star Wars is a pseudo-real universe**, this is like going back into the history books and reliving those historic events in a way that we can never actually do with real history. I might even consider it to be a more authentic experience, considering you can never truly recreate the Wild West or the Civil War except for a documentary but you can create the story before Star Wars IV with absolute authenticity, considering it exists only within the mind of the filmmaker who creates it. As mentioned before, this appeal has to do with one having to have extreme familiarity and interest in wanting to explore the Star Wars experience to further depths. Now, I don't know the exact numbers but we all know there is a significant following of Star Wars devotees who are very, very into the Star Wars phenomenon and the fan base extends beyond those who dress up in costumes and go to conventions.
When thinking about it more, it struck me that these elements that are what drives the prequels, catering to a fan base who wants to know the story behind the story, are also becoming an ever-increasing part of the present-day film experience with the advent of DVDs. With the extra features that come with DVD's, people who weren't necessarily film buffs before might be converted into them simply because learning things about what went behind the making of the movie they are watching becomes so much more readily available to them and is presented as entertainment. Movies are no longer texts that are limited to their final cut that appears on the screen. They become more plastic and your knowledge of that text changes as you chose immerse yourself into it more. That choice also makes the relationship between the viewer and the text interactive and as film watchers and it adds to the other outlets with which we, as film watchers, can immerse ourselves in these stories. The previous outlets were books that were relegated to the sci-fi section of the bookstore and only appeal to the hard core Star Wars (or Star Trek, for that matter) fans, but we can immerse ourselves in a more accessible way.
So to conclude, DVDs have helped to create the appeal of prequels ranging from Star Wars I-III to Batman Begins, or even stories that might fill-in-the-gap between previous stories like Superman Returns.
*One might argue that because Star Wars III became the 7th highest grossing film of all time (now 8th, displaced by Pirates II) and Star Wars I became the 4th highest grossing film of all time (now 5th, displaced by Shrek 2), that these films were seen be everyone. By "connecting," I'm speaking of number of satisfied film goers, which I don't believe Star Wars was able to do on the whole.
** I place myself in the casual fan category
But then again, the Star Wars prequels weren't exactly serial adventures and this might have also been the source of their undoing in terms of connecting to the large base of viewers that the original trilogy did*. The Star Wars prequels were enjoyable, more than anything else, for those moments where we go, "Oooohhhh, so that's how it happened." To the extent that Star Wars is a pseudo-real universe**, this is like going back into the history books and reliving those historic events in a way that we can never actually do with real history. I might even consider it to be a more authentic experience, considering you can never truly recreate the Wild West or the Civil War except for a documentary but you can create the story before Star Wars IV with absolute authenticity, considering it exists only within the mind of the filmmaker who creates it. As mentioned before, this appeal has to do with one having to have extreme familiarity and interest in wanting to explore the Star Wars experience to further depths. Now, I don't know the exact numbers but we all know there is a significant following of Star Wars devotees who are very, very into the Star Wars phenomenon and the fan base extends beyond those who dress up in costumes and go to conventions.
When thinking about it more, it struck me that these elements that are what drives the prequels, catering to a fan base who wants to know the story behind the story, are also becoming an ever-increasing part of the present-day film experience with the advent of DVDs. With the extra features that come with DVD's, people who weren't necessarily film buffs before might be converted into them simply because learning things about what went behind the making of the movie they are watching becomes so much more readily available to them and is presented as entertainment. Movies are no longer texts that are limited to their final cut that appears on the screen. They become more plastic and your knowledge of that text changes as you chose immerse yourself into it more. That choice also makes the relationship between the viewer and the text interactive and as film watchers and it adds to the other outlets with which we, as film watchers, can immerse ourselves in these stories. The previous outlets were books that were relegated to the sci-fi section of the bookstore and only appeal to the hard core Star Wars (or Star Trek, for that matter) fans, but we can immerse ourselves in a more accessible way.
So to conclude, DVDs have helped to create the appeal of prequels ranging from Star Wars I-III to Batman Begins, or even stories that might fill-in-the-gap between previous stories like Superman Returns.
*One might argue that because Star Wars III became the 7th highest grossing film of all time (now 8th, displaced by Pirates II) and Star Wars I became the 4th highest grossing film of all time (now 5th, displaced by Shrek 2), that these films were seen be everyone. By "connecting," I'm speaking of number of satisfied film goers, which I don't believe Star Wars was able to do on the whole.
** I place myself in the casual fan category
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