Titles from my personal DVD collection - some of the movies I loved so much I wanted to own them:

[scarletwoman]

In no particular order:

Tales of Hoffman (1951 - directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger - the team that did "The Red Shoes&quot
The Egyptian (1954 - directed by Michael Curtiz, who directed Casablanca)
Zardoz
Resurrection (1980, starring Ellen Burstyn)
Excalibur
Romeo and Juliet (Zefferelli)
Vanishing Point (1971)
Apocalypse Now
JFK
Pow Wow Highway
The Fast Runner (first/only movie ever made in the Inuit language)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Whale Rider
Princess Bride
Waking Ned Devine
Brother From Another Planet
Beowulf and Grendel
Black Orpheus
Once They Were Warriors (New Zealand)
Amadeus
Immortal Beloved
Doctor Zhivago
Secret of Roan Innish
Rob Roy
Into the West (1992 - starring Gabriel Byrne & Ellen Barkin)
Gandhi
The Big Lebowski
The Razors Edge (1984 version starring Bill Murray and Theresa Russell)
Women in Love
Moby Dick (Gregry Peck)
The Doors
The Vikings (Kirk Douglas)
and.. the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy

These aren't ALL the DVDs I have on my shelf, just the ones that I'm particularly fond of.

What's on YOUR DVD shelf?

[longship]

1. Just a few.

A Hitch 50's trilogy.
Rear Window -- beautiful, Stewart and Kelly, with Thelma Ritter chewing the scenery.
North by Northwest -- a favorite of mine. Simply wonderful.
Vertigo -- a stunning flick. Dark and troubling.

Bergman: Wild Strawberries -- a beautiful film.

Koyaanisqatsi -- what can one say?

LOTR trilogy -- well, one has some guilty pleasures.
The Matrix -- more of same

Dr. Strangelove -- flawless.

My Man Godfrey -- Powell and Lombard, and an astounding support cast, script.

Hopscotch -- Matthau and Glenda Jackson. Fun! Everybody chewing scenery.

Some 50's SciFi/Horror.

When Worlds Collide -- interesting.
The Day the Earth Stood Still -- one of the best of the genre ever.
Gog -- Woof, woof. Yup. It's a dog.
The Blob -- Steve McQueen.
Earth versus the Flying Saucers -- Sat matinee fare, but Harryhausen.

TV

The Lathe of Heaven -- PBS's first TV movie. From LaGuin's novel. Hard to get.
Very good considering low budget. Close to the novel.

The Ascent of Man -- one of the best science from 70's. Dr. "Bloody" Bronowski.
Foyle's War -- the entire seven seasons. PBS donor premium. Love it.

[scarletwoman]

2. Wow! I actually have The Lathe of Heaven, too!

I simply forgot! I devoured everything Ursula LeGuinn wrote back in my old sci fi reading days - and I saw the movie on PBS when they first broadcast it. I bought the dvd years ago because I wanted to turn my youngest kid onto it.

I remember watching "The Ascent of Man" when it was broadcast, too. Great stuff!

Koyaanisqatsi - oh, yes. Saw it in the theater when it was first released - definitely a wow. It would be a nice addition to my collection - I just hadn't thought about buying it until you brought it up.

Bergman - I've always wanted to add a few of his movies to my shelf, but those Criterian Collection editions are so darn expensive. If I could only buy one, it would probably be Virgin Spring.

Hitchcock I can certainly appreciate - not inclined to own any, but I certainly wouldn't turn down an invitation to a movie night with someone who does.

50s Sci Fi - great fun. I'll bring the popcorn.

Hopscotch - never saw it. I've got Women in Love for my Glenda Jackson fix. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you're missing out on a transcendent experience.

Thank you for your list! I may have to spend a little more money on Amazon soon.

[longship]

5. Criterion.

My Man Godfrey and Hopscotch are both Criterion. Yup! $40 a pop, minus discount.

However, they are all apparently available to stream on line, apparently for free. My download limits forbid that.


Check it out. Criterion are freaking awesome.

[scarletwoman]

7. About once a year or so, I'll splurge on a Criterion Collection movie.

But I've got to feel highly motivated. Yes, they are awesome.

I'm on dialup, so I can forget about streaming anything, ever.

[brooklynboy49]

8. My Criterions

I don't have many, just can't justify the cost. I have Charade on Blu-ray sitting in my Amazon cart. I already have it on DVD, but I don't watch it, I've been spoiled by high def. I know I'm gonna pull the trigger soon. An all-time favorite of mine.

An aside -- several posters have mentioned My Man Godfrey, which I have on DVD but didn't know was available on Blu-ray. Another must-have, and a definite must-see for those of you who may have never seen it! There are so many must-sees, but I'm just gonna add three more: The Lady Eve, Libeled Lady and Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

Edit -- My mistake, I do have Charade on Blu-ray

[brooklynboy49]

12. IMHO, Godfrey belongs in every movie lover's library :)

nt

[longship]

13. "The Defenestration of Carlo" <== alternative title

I love "My Man Godfrey". It has one of the greatest comedic scripts ever. There's not a bad scene in the movie, nor a bad actor. What are one of Eugene Pallette's first lines?

Ah yes!

It's not hard to start a lunatic asylum, all you need is an empty room and the right kind of people.

I watch it every Thanksgiving evening.

[brooklynboy49]

3. Way Too Many To List

Last edited Mon Mar 17, 2014, 11:56 PM - Edit history (1)

I compiled a massive library of DVDs over the years, only to learn of the coming of HD (Blu-ray) discs in the not too distant future. So, I have a lot of movies twice. I haven't repurchased everything I had on DVD, I have tried to follow a simple rule -- Only repurchase on Blu-ray movies I'll watch repeatedly. For example, I have The Godfather trilogy on DVD. But I didn't buy it again on Blu-ray. I did buy Airplane! a second time, because I know I'm gonna watch it again and again as the years roll by. The Godfather is, obviously, an infinitely "better" movie, and I wil] watch it again. But not nearly as often as I'll watch Airplane! and the other movies I've bought on Blu-ray.

With that fascinating background in mind, here are some of the movies I have on Blu-ray:

Airplane! (Not gonna bother with italics, I'll be here all night lol)
When Harry Met Sally...
The Princess Bride
The Help
Say Anything
The terminator
Alien
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Blazing Saddles
Casablanca
The Adventures of Robin Hood
She's Out of my League
Bad Teacher
Whip It
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Kill Bill I and II
Secretary
Mean Girls
Clueless
High Anxiety
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
There's Something About Mary
Crazy Stupid Love
Horrible Bosses
Wedding Crashers
Groundhog Day
La Femme Nikita
Leon: The Professional
Election
Being There
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Rebecca
Shaun of the Dead
Moonstruck
Anchorman
Out of Sight
Fever Pitch
50 First dates
The Italian Job
Raising Arizona
The Naked Gun
The African Queen
The Scary Movie movies
The American Pie movies
The spaghetti westerns
The Maltese Falcon
Juno
The Reader
Run Lola Run
Body Heat
Heathers
Shawshank Redemption
Knocked Up
Starman
Romancing the Stone
Office Space
Vicki Cristina Barcelona
Volver
Manhattan
Hannah and Her Sisters
Lost in Translation

That's about a third of my Blu-ray collection. Also several TV series -- Mad Men, Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mother (partial), etc.

Just a few DVDs, to provide an example of movies I haven't bought a second time:

A Man For All Seasons
The Usual Suspects
The Shootist
Rio Bravo
Midnight Cowboy
Boyz n the Hood
Freah
Liar Liar
Jagged Edge
Erin Brockovitch
Bad Boys
Sleepless in Seattle
Sleeper
The Misfits
Hitch

etc.

Plus DVDs not yet released on Blu-ray:

Educating Rita
Kids
An Unmarried Woman
Places in the Heart
Killing Zoe
Ghost World

That doesn't even scratch the surface of my collection. I love movies. Movies, music and baseball are my three passions

[scarletwoman]

6. Quite the collection! Let's see, we have Princess Bride and Big Lebowski in common.

I've maybe seen - at best - about 1/3 of the movies you listed. Of those that I've seen, there are several that I definitely consider real gems. Like Midnight Cowboy, Fargo, Erin Brokovitch and Blazing Saddles, to name a few.

Thank you for your interesting list!

[scarletwoman]

4. Forgot to add, "The Last Place on Earth" - 1985 BBC TV mini series, broadcast on PBS.

From the book of the same name, it's an amazing dramatization of the race for the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott.

The acting is top-notch, the scenery is breathtaking - you'll want to wrap in a warm blanket when you watch the episodes that take place in Antarctica - and the story is totally compelling.

It runs about 8 hours in total - an amazing journey.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

9. I own Lebowski too

Armed and Dangerous
The Avengers
Beyond The Mat
Caddyshack
Jaws
The Indiana Jones Trilogy
The James Bond Collection (ending with Die Another day, sadly)
The Prestige
The Thomas Crown Affair (90's version)
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Just Like Heaven
The Man In The Moon (not the Andy Kaufman bio but a movie with Sam Waterston and Reese Witherspoon for the early 90's)
The Island
Breakfast At Tiffany's
Lost In Translation
Slap Shot
Love Song For Bobby Long
Serendipity
High Fidelity
Rounders
There's Something About Mary
Office Space
The Matrix
The Score
Private Parts
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Glengarry Glen Ross
Kill Bill 1 and 2
Pulp Fiction
Gojira (The Japanese and American 1954 version of Godzilla)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head

[scarletwoman]

14. The Big Lebowski seems to appeal to all tastes - your list is certainly VERY different from mine,

but we have Lebowski in common. I think that's fascinating!

There are a number of movies on your list that I've seen and enjoyed, but none of them are movies I felt strongly enough about that I personally wanted to own a copy. But I do love seeing which movies other people value - thanks so much for responding!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

21. The movies are own are generally "party films"

I can put them on and pretty much everyone knows and loves them.

When it comes to renting, I'm far more diverse.

[scarletwoman]

22. Ah well. Since my youngest left the nest, I live alone.

So I indulge completely in my own eccentric tastes.

[Little_Wing]

10. My "essentials" collection

Foreign language:
Aimee & Jaguar
A Very Long Engagement
Children of Paradise
La Belle et La Bete (Beauty & the Beast... Cocteau, not Disney LOL)
The Red Violin
Wings of Desire

English language:
Before Sunset
The Birth of a Nation
Brokeback Mountain
Cast Away
Citizen Kane
Don't Look Now
Dracula (FF Coppola)
Dr. Strangelove
Fried Green Tomatoes
High Art
Koyaanisqatsi
The Last of the Mohicans
Mystery Men
The New World
The Player
Practical Magic
Zoolander

Plus (almost complete) Greta Garbo Collection:
Anna Christie
Anna Karenina
Camille
Grand Hotel
Mata Hari
Ninotchka
Queen Christina

Some essentials I still need:
Before Midnight
Diary of a Mad Housewife (tragically still not available on DVD and never on TV)
Heaven's Gate
Immortal Beloved
Oscar and Lucinda
Starman

While there are many others I would love to own (but honestly can't afford these days), thanks to cable TV and the great collection of my roommate (just about every great scifi movie ever), I catch many of them quite regularly.

[scarletwoman]

15. Oh wow - I forgot Coppola's "Dracula"! That's another one I have in my own collection.

I did love "The Red Violin", having rented it some years back, and have thought about acquiring it.

"Last of the Mohicans" is another one I think about maybe purchasing some day - although there are some things about I really dislike, which is why I haven't already added it to my collection.

I applaud and envy your Greta Garbo collection.

[Little_Wing]

17. Gary Oldman is such a great Dracula

The strngth of his performance makes the horrible casting of Winona Ryder almost forgivable (she has ruined Scorcese's Age of Innocence and the remake of Little Women as well, IMO, although I know I'm prbobably the only person who dislikes her). He, Jeff Bridges, and Daniel Day-Lewis are my favorite male modern actors.

What did you dislike about Mohican? Very curious!

[scarletwoman]

19. Oh yes! He's an amazing actor no matter who he plays.

Oldman seems to be someone who can become completely subsumed into his roles. Honestly, if you didn't know it was Gary Oldman playing Beethoven in "Immortal Beloved", you'd never guess it was the same guy who played Dracula - or Oswald in JFK, or that weird arms dealer in that weird Bruce Willis movie, The Fifth Element.

Back when I still had TV, I saw an interview with Gary Oldman once - it was almost surreal. Oldman, as his "real" self had a high-pitched voice and came across as this tiny, introverted almost non-entity. At the same time, it made me appreciate him all the more as a master of his craft. He's a total chameleon.

As for the Last of the Mohicans - I hated the extreme violence and graphic bloodshed of the battle scenes. I just can't deal with blood and gore as entertainment. I understand the commitment to realism - for sure such battles were horrific - but I just don't care to view those kinds of images. I also didn't much like Madeline Stowe - she somehow sets my teeth on edge. But the worst thing of all about the movie - and I completely understand that they were being true to JF Cooper's novel (but he was an ignorant idiot when it came to actually knowing anything about American Indian culture - he just made shit up) - was that whole "native village" burning the white guy at the stake bit. It's unbelievably offensive to me.

So, although I LOVE Daniel Day Lewis, love Russell Means and Eric Schweig, love Wes Studi, love the soundtrack and the scenery, I've so far just not been able to get past what I DON'T like about the movie to the point where I've wanted to own it.

[Little_Wing]

26. Yes, Mohicans is violent and not very authentic in its native people's portrayal

I understand about the violence aversion. It ruins movies for me, as well.

The Fifth Element is pretty violent as well, but in a more cartoonish way, so more bearable.

[brooklynboy49]

23. Oldman was a great villain in Leon: The Professional

And I agree with your list of favorite actors, but would have to add Paul Giamati on my list

[Little_Wing]

25. Agreed, Giamatti is very good and so versatile

I never get tired of Sideways, he so very soulful, and his performance in John Adams was superb.

Both of them will draw me into even the most mediocre fill. Hell, I even endured The Scarlet Letter for Oldman. (But only once, and I understand he was drunk as a skunk through the whole experience :roll

[brooklynboy49]

27. At the risk of beating a dead horse...

I loved Sideways, and agree with your assessment of Giamatti in John Adams.

But have you seen American Splendor? Giamatti's performance ranks among his best. And Hope Davis co-stars. She is one of my favorite modern day actresses. If she's in it, I will watch it! FWIW, American Splendor gets my highest recommendation. Talk about quirky! I love quirky, and American Splendor is about as quirky as it gets without going overboard.

[Little_Wing]

28. Have missed it, but on my list of "should watch" films

So many movies, only one lifetime

[brooklynboy49]

11. Four jumped off the page for me

The Big Lebowski
Rob Roy
Doctor Zhivago
The Princess Bride

These are outstanding movies, especially Lebowski, IMO a bona fide contender for best movie ever made. Of course, titles like these are purely subjective, but I doubt you'd find ten movie lovers who would compile a top 10 list without Lebowski on it. The same could be said of Doctor Zhivago and The Princess Bride. Rob Roy is probably the weakest of the four (IMO, of course). One strong contender for best movie ever made which you really should add to your library is Shawshank Redemption. If it were up to me, I'd watch Lebowski tonight, if you're in the mood for something totally fun and funny. You can never get too much Lebowski, right, Dude? If you're more in the mood for a movie with moving perseverance and vindication, you'd be hard presed to find something better than Shawshank Redemption.

[scarletwoman]

16. It would be interesting to do a poll and find out how many people DON'T have Lebowski on their

favorite movie lists! I'd be willing to bet that they'd be in the minority.

In defense of Rob Roy - not that I take the least offense in your personal opinion of it - I've always thought it had some of the most wonderfully written dialogue of any movie, ever.

Duke of Argyll: So, Mr. Cunningham, what are these principle sins that distress your mother? Dice? Drink? Or are you a buggerer of boys?

Archibald Cunningham: It is years, Your Grace, since I buggered a boy... And in my own defense, I must add, I thought him a girl at the moment of entry.

Duke of Argyll: [laughs] Do you hear that, Will? Young Cunningham here was unable to tell arse from quim. What say you to that?

Will Guthrie: I've heard that many Englishmen have that same difficulty.

Archibald Cunningham: He's a fair hand with a cleaver, it must be said.

Duke of Argyll: Oh, you do not think much of our highland weapons?

Archibald Cunningham: If I had to slaughter an ox, your grace, a Claymore would be my first choice.

Will Guthrie: You'd best use a musket. Save the beast a slow dying

Duke of Argyll: You are the shite, and the flies upon it!

Duke of Argyll: Oh, I know the truth when I hear it.

Montrose: Oh! And here was me, thinking that was God's gift alone.

Duke of Argyll: Well, if it will help you die any the easier, I'll lay twenty guineas for her.

Robert Roy MacGregor: Fifty would go further.

Duke of Argyll: By God, you have a style to you, MacGregor! I like that!

Montrose: Hmm. They are none too fond.

Forgive me, I didn't mean to quote half the script. It's just that I really, really love the language in this movie. Not to mention, the music, the scenery, and OMG, Liam Neeson, for whom I've had the hots ever since I first saw Rob Roy. And Tim Roth was amazing - one of the most unforgettable villianous performances ever! I will always consider it a travesty that he did not win Best Supporting Actor in the Academy Awards that year!

Uh. Sorry - what were you saying?

[Little_Wing]

18. Liam & Jessica Lange had incendiary chemistry in Rob Roy roaw n/t

[scarletwoman]

20. OMG, yes! I cannot tell you how many times I fantasized about that scene at the Standing Stones...

with myself in Jessica Lange's role, of course. When I first saw Rob Roy, I was in a relationship that was starting to fall apart. All I could think of was how much I wanted someone to love me like Rob Roy loved his Mary.

Yeah, they were sexy hot together, for sure!

[brooklynboy49]

24. I think you may have misconstrued my feelings for Rob Roy

You listed, what, 50 movies? More?

And from that list of 50, I picked out four I enjoy the most, one of which was Rob Roy.

I love Rob Roy. It just may be the most underappreciated movie ever made. As has already been mentioned, Neeson was great and Lange was great, and their chemistry was incendiary. Plus there's Roth in what I consider to be the best bad guy performance in the history of film.

I didn't intend to minimize my love and appreciation for the movie. I was only saying that of the four stand-outs I listed, it came in fourth. Nothing to be ashamed of coming in fourth after movies like The Big Lebowski, Doctor Zhivago and The Princess Bride. That's quite a group to be a part of!

[scarletwoman]

30. Oh, don't mind me. I just got carried away.

[valerief]

29. One that I had to have was Bette Davis's Beyond the Forest, only it's not on DVD.

Had to buy VHS and transfer to DVD for safekeeping.

I just love the beginning of it where she pops up like a jack-in-the-box in the courtroom.

[jim601]

31. Action Movies

Any action movie from the 1980s/1990s, plus a few select ones from the 2000s like The Expendables.