How do you access your films?

How do you access your films? Mar 25, 2021 23:43:18 GMT

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Post by london777 on Mar 25, 2021 23:43:18 GMT

Mar 25, 2021 21:48:35 GMT lune7000 said:

I don't know how you folks find out about all these foreign films. Is there a website that looks at new releases from around the world? The number of new films produced each year must be staggering. How can you know what is worthwhile?

You cannot always. I have plenty of dross in my collection. And one person's dross is another person's masterpiece.

I can only tell you what I do. Others will have their own systems or no system at all.

I keep a list in Excel, with title (sometimes in English, sometimes in the original language if different), date of release, and director.

I delete titles as I acquire them (cutting and pasting them to a stock list). I add titles on which I am prepared to speculate the massive sum of US$5. I give the list on a memory stick to my shoeshine friend. He can always find 12 titles a month from the list on torrents, even some quite obscure ones. I cannot afford more than 12 a month and indeed I do not have time to watch more than 12, given that I also have some 1300 in stock to re-watch.

Before that, I first check on Amazon US to see if the title is available at an affordable price for me. I only buy DVDs described as in 'good' or 'very good' condition. It is very rare that I have to return them on account of condition.

I guess your real question is: 'How do I know which titles to buy?' I read reviews on BBC Online and The Guardian Online. I follow recommendations from certain members here. I rarely follow actors but I do follow directors. If I have liked a film by a certain director I will try another of his or hers. (By no means infallible). I read reviews on IMDb, though with much scepticism. I look at lists like (for example) The Best 100 French Films or 20 Movies with Great Twist Endings. There are great swathes of movies I wont bother with, as a rule: silents and BMF movies, westerns, musicals, comedies other than black, family films, horror, sci-fi, sports, love stories, and I have an aversion to anything medical. Of course there are exceptions and some of my favourite movies can be found in each of those categories. On the other hand I will always give Film Noir, spy stories, political stories, or tales of revolution, resistance and class warfare, a chance. I am particularly fond of stories of personal redemption so long as they keep religion right out of it. (So I like The Searchers although it is a western).