May 26, 2005

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  Foxie Roxie is responsible for this ElectricMovies entry. She has "tagged me" for a "movie quiz" and since it's a quiz about movies, I just had to answer her challenge. She asked four questions, each of which is answered with my usual attention to detail, with links to the imdb pages where applicable. At the bottom of this entry are three Xangans to whom I forward the challenge. If you have already been "tagged" of course elsewhere on this community, you are exempt from having to answer a second time. This is not required of you by your Xanga membership, and is presented for fun. If you answer the challenge, you announce the answers in a post on your own blog, and name the people you have "tagged". It was interesting to me to read that people were "surprised by the amount of movies they own." Well, kids, as Al Jolson used to proclaim, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

  
  

  1) Total number of films I own on dvd/video: I simply can't count every one, because it would take all night.
  a.  My first video format, in 1981 was the CED videodisc, which RCA introduced to compete with MCA Universal's "laserdisc". Both debuted in the early 80s, after Beta and before VHS became popular. You could tape your own movies off the TV with videotape, but "discs" were play only, and very few people, mainly "film collectors'" (like moi) bought them.  I had 134 films on CED but these were eventually stored and somebody broke into the storage facility and stole them. The format was discontinued after about 7 years.
  b. I have approximately 250 Beta tapes. Over 100 are single movie tapes purchased from the old Music Plus stores in the 80s. The rest were recorded by me from television, and each tape contains two movies, so I guess you could say I have 400 movies and television shows on Beta. I don't have a player though, so can't watch them.
  c. There are over 500 VHS tapes in my collection, taking up two complete bookcases which stand about 7 feet tall. Hardly any were "purchased" Most started out as blanks on which I taped three movies or episodes of television series on the "slow speed". Most of these are unwatchable now. I have about 8 complete television series, including the original "Outer Limits", the 1985 version of "Twilight Zone" and Stephen Spielberg's "Amazing Stories", "L.A. Law", "Twin Peaks", "Police Story", "The Monkees", and the great Canadian series "De Grassi Junior High" and "De Grassi High", the documentary series "World at War" the complete miniseries "Winds of War", and "War and Remembrance" "The Thorn Birds", "The Stand". I have some movies in my collection, like Ken Russell's "The Devils" starring Oliver Reed which were never released on video.
  d. I began collecting laserdiscs in 1988 with the Criterion edition of "West Side Story". (It cost $250.00. I'm not kidding.) I have a total of 165 laserdiscs, and my player still works. However, I went through four players before the one I have now, which creaks to life when I start it, so I don't play it all that often. 

  
  

  Needless to say, I have a lot of "duplicate films" on all formats. I think I own two VHS, one Beta, two laserdiscs, and one DVD edition of "The Wizard of Oz", which is probably my favorite movie of all time.

  
  

  2) The last film I bought: "The Fifth Element" DVD:Special Edition, at Best Buy. $19.99 I can' t afford to buy too much now. I have to pay off a massive credt card debt incurred in part, by going to DVD Planet and spending up to two hundred dollars a crack on credit for DVDs.

  
  

  3) The last film I watched: A neat little romantic comedy from 2000 called "Committed" recorded from the IFC off the Tivo. Directed by Lisa Krueger, and starring Heather Graham, Casey Affleck, and Luke Wilson. With Mark Ruffalo (playing a bad guy) Goran Visnjic, Patricia Velasquez, and with an appearance by Mary Kay Place. 8 of 10 on the Mikometer. .
  Heather is Joline, who gets married to Luke Wilson's Carl at the beginning of the movie. She is "committed" to the marriage, and both parties are young N.Y.artists and  socializers with a large group of friends. Casey Affleck is Jay, Joline's loving brother. Joline is going to surprise Carl with a "birthday party" since he hasn't had one in about six months or so, since he is feeling down because his job as a photographer for a newspaper gets him gigs taking photos of food. Carl leaves Joline on the evening of the party, which she goes ahead with, and then she decides to follow him because she loves him and wants to save the marriage. Filled with quirky characters and nice little plot twists, I would recommend it as a perfect "date" movie. Graham is delightful, and Paricia Velasquez has a glowing charm as Carmen, the girl Joline finds Carl shacking up with in Texas, and who soon becomes a fast friend of Joline's.
  I am currently viewing the new DVD of the restored version of Sam Fuller's "The Big Red One", and "In Good Company" with Dennis Quaid is next up. I have over 100 movies queued up on two separate Tivo machines, and always have at least 50 movies in my Netflix queue.

  
  

  4) Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me.
  a. "Gone with the Wind"
  In 1939, America was a peaceful repository of innocence, while war raged unchecked on the other side of the globe. GWTW doesn't preach. It doesn't have a message, except that ultimately, Rhett just doesn't give a damn for that whiny ol' Scarlett after all. This is the ultimate Movie Movie, and it is even better if you've ever seen Selznick's "followup" film to aspire to greatness, which now embodies nothing but camp, the amazing "Duel In The Sun." I can even overlook the obvious "minstrelcy" embodied in the ridiculousness of the "darkies". GWTW is Total Soap Opera, and even as such, makes for a great picture show. (review previously posted)
  b. "Duel in the Sun"
  Selznick wanted to "top" his efforts with GWTW, and the film that resulted is one of the camp classics of cinema, and a favorite of Martin Scorsese. Starring Selznick's wife and frequent star Jennifer Jones as Pearl, the half breed spitfire, with Gregory Peck (as the hissingly "evil" bad brother Lewton 'Lewt' McCanles and Joseph Cotton as Jesse, the good brother, both sons of cattle baron Lionel Barrymore, the story is epic in proportion, and filled with cheese, bad dialogue, and  fantastic cinematography. I never tire of watching it , and have it as a "permanent" entry on my Tivo player, as well as in two VHS copies. It hasn't made it to DVD yet.
  c. "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy"
  This is the best "trilogy" ever presented in cinema. Better than even "Star Wars", every thing about this trio of films speaks of cinematic art. Expertly cast, with sweeping New Zealand vistas standing in for Middle Earth, I watch this trilogy in it's entirety now every year, as I did the "Wizard of Oz" in my youth.
  d. "Tank Girl"
  Rachel Talaly directed the penultimate "comic book movie" in 1995. It is seldom mentioned, hardly ever seen, but is a classic of the genre, and I watch it six times more often than Spiderman, or Superman for that matter, which was my favorite comic book movie before Tank Girl. Starring Lori Petty in the title role, with a very early appearance by Naomi Watts, and also starring Ice-T and Malcolm McDowell when he was the villian in every movie that seemed to come out, this film has absolutely the funniest and best musical comedy version of Cole Porter's "Bird's Do It' that I've ever seen in a movie. The post apocalyptic tale of survivors hoarding the water supply, the "rippers" half human half kangaroo (see the film), and the "corporation" headed by McDowell, out to stop the rest of the world from having a good time, this is one enjoyable romp. I have the laserdisc, and it is available on DVD.
  e. The aforementioned "The Fifth Element".
  Along with Scorsese and Lurhmann, Besson is one of cinema's current artistes. I am always upset that "Fifth Element" didn't get more respect. I have always believed that what I call the "money shot" where Leeloo emerges from the ducting to glimpse the CGI city (along with the audience) for the first time, signals the emergence of CGI as the future of special effects, a point which of course has now been proven by countless films. "Fifth Element" is, as a fantasy science fiction film, better that "Star Wars" or "Aliens". It has sweep, beauty, another nasty turn by Gary Oldman (also good in "Leon") and of course Bruce Willis playing Bruce Willis. And as for Milla, well, she's....perfect. The plot is astounding as well, and I've always wondered why there isn't a sequel to this work of art! (review previously posted.)

  
  

  5) People to Tag : Lionne: Queen of Scots: screaminginmyhead

  
  

  Movies are my life. (photo below is Jessica Harper (Phoenix) in Brian de Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise" another film I never get tired of watching, and saw five times in a row on acid at the Cinerama dome in 1976. (Video capture from the Tivo)

  
  

  

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