ethnosax

CHALLENGE 21 Here are five from my shelves: 1. Patema Inverted (Patema & Eiji) 2. Romeo + Juliet (Romeo & Juliet) 3. In the Mood for Love (Chow & Mrs. Chan) 4. Before Sunrise (Jesse & Céline) 5. Charade (Peter & Regina) Favorite Valentine rewatches include Charade, Once, and About Time.

Binders of discs were a lot easier to move to another country when I lived overseas. Also, DVD cases were ugly.

There's a steelbook for Dark City.

Wait... Ernest movies?? I think you've dug a little too deep. I'm having to change my mental image of you...

CHALLENGE 20 Thanks, @extantsrevenge! Pretty hilarious challenge for a community that probably hasn't purchased a DVD in the past ten years. As for me, most of my DVDs went into binders years ago, so you'll have to be content with discs for this one. 1. Titan A.E. Not the first time I've mentioned this one, but really—it's time for this to be on blu-ray and 4K and housed in a premium steelbook edition. 2. The Village. The HD version exists, so why not at least a blu-ray release, with a Zavvi steel to match the other early Shyamalans? (For some reason, I didn't realize that Lady in the Water has a blu-ray, so I mistakenly included it in this photo. It does need a steelbook, though, so it goes with Part 2 of this challenge.) 3. Never Cry Wolf. I have no idea why Disney seems to have disavowed all knowledge of this film. Beautiful cinematography, great performances, 80s synth score, and an environmental message that would land even better today than it did in 1983. At least they could remaster it and put it on Disney+, but no. Nowhere to be found these days. 4. Lagaan. One of the greatest and most successful Bollywood films...and nothing but a DVD. I hope someone with the ability to do a 4K remaster will get the rights to this one someday. 5. King Lear. My favorite version of Lear—black and white, Russian, absolutely gorgeous. I think even the DVD is now out of print, so it would be great for Criterion or Kino to grab this one. Some of the movies I'd gladly re-buy for a good steelbook (also, six movies that I'm sure have never appeared in the same list together): 1. Citizen Kane. Lots of good blu-ray and 4K options, but we're still lacking a steelbook. 2. Babette's Feast. I think of this movie often, and it holds up perfectly. It should have an artistic, beautiful steelbook. 3. Rebecca. This one represents all the Hitchcock classics that haven't yet received a steelbook. There are a lot, and I'd take them all. 4. A Christmas Carol. My favorite adaptation of this story. I'd like to add this to the Christmas movie steelbook shelf. 5. Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Still my favorite Tim Burton. If even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I think I'm the only fan of, has an HDZeta premium, what about this one? 6. Napoleon Dynamite. Its classic status is now thoroughly assured. Let's have a steelbook premium edition!

I am totally into that! 👍

CHALLENGE 19 1916 – The Rink (Chaplin short included on the Modern Times Criterion disc) 1926 – The General 1939 – The Wizard of Oz 1946 – Notorious 1953 – The War of the Worlds 1962 – Lawrence of Arabia 1975 – Jaws 1986 – The MIssion 1998 – Dark City 2008 – WALL-E 2016 – Kubo and the Two Strings 2021 – Dune Favorite decade: Impossible to choose, but I'll split it between the 1920s (I love the silent era) and the 1950s.

CHALLENGE 18. Thanks to @Mrdugan 1. Star Wars. For me, movie merch started with Star Wars figures from when I was just a few years old. I've since sold off those originals (I had at least one of each of the original Kenner figures), but as a SW fan and a musician, I still have a newer set of the cantina band figures on my shelf. 2. The Emperor's New Groove. I really don't care for Funko pops, but on a few occasions, they've lured me in—such as this one, from my favorite Disney film. 3. A Monster Calls. I love the book, the film, and now this premium steebook edition. I also love "Art of" books about movies, and this one is the best I've ever read. Truly informative and thoughtful about all aspects of the film adaptation. 4. Tron Legacy. How can anyone fight for the users without a Flynn Lives T-shirt? 5. Lost in Translation. Pretty decent poster for one of my favorite films.

Not really feeling that, unfortunately.

Not much of an action movie guy, and feeling nervous about whether my duos will be approved, so I'll share more than five pictures and hope for the best. 1. Gladiator. Maximus and Juba 2. Doctor Who (Pertwee era). The Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart 3. Top Gun: Maverick. Maverick and Rooster 4. The Batman. Batman and Gordon / Batman and Alfred / Batman and Catwoman 5. Into the Spider-verse. Miles and Peter 6. True Grit. Mattie and Rooster (the second Rooster in this list??) 7. Tron Legacy. Sam and Quorra With the Sundance Film Festival just around the corner, I have to add my voice to the others who already have said that it's definitely time for a proper 4K restoration and premium release of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Oh, I think it's exactly your kind of movie! Give it a chance, and let me know what you think.

Thanks for the new challenge, @Chief_lookout! Top tens are impossible for me, but here are ten beloved films from my shelves. Think of it not as "my ten all-time favorite movies," but more as "ten movies I am always in the mood to watch, any time of day." I'm starting to feel like I keep showing the same movies over and over in these challenges, so for this one I'll try to select movies I haven't used before (or at least haven't used very often). 1. A Monster Calls. Love the book, love the movie. I once watched it with a friend whose dad had just passed away, and it was one of those moments where as soon as the movie started, I thought, "Wow, could I have made a dumber choice??" But it turned out to be very therapeutic and beautiful. 2. Wings of Desire. I may have mentioned this one before, but its lyricism and everyday beauty, all leading to a classic existential "leap of faith," are just perfect. 3. True Grit. The rare instance where I love the original novel and both film adaptations. If I had to choose just one, though, I'd pick the most recent film as my favorite version. This is one I'd put into an "American Films" time capsule. It says so much about the character of the country. If you love the film and haven't experienced the novel, I highly recommend the audiobook read by Donna Tartt. It will make you wish your daily commute was longer. 4. Vertigo. I have to admit, I was disappointed to see Vertigo lose its top spot on the 100 Greatest Films list this year—and to a film I haven't even heard of! For me, Vertigo is like The Great Gatsby of film. Like that book, and like True Grit, it is incredibly perceptive about American culture. (And it has one of the greatest film scores ever.) 5. Paterson. Pure comfort food for me. I use this film in class to talk about the poetry of everyday life, and the pleasures of a quiet life well-lived. 6. Gladiator. When this was new, and super-popular, I resisted it, as I often do with movies that are super-popular. But when I finally got around to it, I had to admit that it is the perfect heroic epic. 7. Spirited Away. This so skillfully brings together elements from all fantasy and fairy tales, but also with unexpected surprises, that it instantly felt like a story that's existed forever. For me, it's right up there with Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and the other classic stories it references. 8. Singin' in the Rain. Perhaps the happiest movie ever made. We watched it again this year on New Year's Eve, and it was the best way to bring in the new year. 9. Safety Last! I've mentioned Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin here before, but Harold Lloyd is also amazing. Safety Last! is a comedy, but it's also the most tense, stressful movie I've ever seen, once he starts the climb up the building. Absolutely hilarious all the way through. 10. Charade. Runner-up for "happiest movie ever made." Grant and Hepburn are a total delight in every minute of this lite tribute to the spy genre. For any of you who aren't married yet, I recommend watching this with anyone you date, and you'll be able to tell if this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Movie I'd most like in steelbook: Titan A.E. What is wrong with this world, that this movie has not become a cult classic? It's never even had a blu-ray release, let alone 4K! It has great voice work, beautiful imagery, and a rockin' soundtrack. Here are some other things that make me very fond of Titan A.E.: It represents that brief era when hand-drawn and CG animation were very awkwardly integrated. I find this really charming, and to me, the awkwardness is evidence of the creative energy and craftsmanship that went into every aspect of the filmmaking. It exists side-by-side with Treasure Planet—two versions of basically the same story, with one being the Disney version and the other being the anti-Disney version. Titan A.E. is full of attitude that wasn't at all Disney-ish. I love both movies, but Titan A.E.'s grunge aesthetic makes me love it just a little bit more. The DVD cover had a critic quote that said, "This is the movie Star Wars fans have been waiting for"—implying that The Phantom Menace was not the move SW fans had been waiting for (which I agree with). I could go on and on. But I think the vibrant, rock aesthetic of the film would lend itself well to an over-the-top premium steelbook release. I don't know which retailer would do best with it, but I do like what Manta has been doing in the past couple years, so I'd vote for either them or HDZeta. Here's a steelbook concept I put together some years ago, using the rather limited poster art that's available. I hope an official release would look much cooler.

I would be very, very surprised if Criterion doesn't announce this one by the end of 2023.

I don't know. I got it to the US from Zavvi, but I have no idea which Zavvi it was. It included tracking, which was nice, and arrived in good time and perfect condition.

This is a really elegant, beautiful steelbook for one of my all-time favorite films. I modified it a bit, to get the spine in the right direction and to make room for the Criterion blu-ray and booklet. Feeling complete now, and looking great!

Wow Bob Wow—the first TP steelbook! Though FWWM is my least favorite part of TP, if the artwork is good I will pick this up and hope for steels for the TV series.

CHALLENGE 1: LENTICULAR Missed out on the first one because the week went by quicker than expected. Since I love lenticulars, I'm glad to return to this challenge now. I can't pick just one favorite, as I enjoy almost all of them. But I'll single out Rogue One, as my favorite Star Wars movie. It's also a special set for me because at the time, it seemed like there would be more options for premiums (even an OAB from BF that was on the schedule for a few years), but this BF set ended up being just about the only premium. I can dream of an eventual premium set of Andor and Rogue One, but until then, I'm glad I picked up this set. My preference is for depth lenticulars, which always feel like magic to me. But occasionally, you don't have to choose, and you can get depth and transitional, which seems beyond even magic. Here are a couple of those that I like. First, Pan's Labyrinth: And then, this brilliant concept for The Incredibles: Hard to capture the separate images in a photo. Looking at them in person, the trick is to close one eye and watch the transition, which, on both of these editions is fantastic.

Here are some for the Christmas/snow challenge: Christmas: The Chosen. Season one includes the first Christmas episode, and of course the rest of the seasons focus on the reason for Christmas himself. Fascinating series, really well done. A Christmas Carol (originally Scrooge). I love Dickens's novel, and in my opinion this is the best-ever movie version. Doctor Who, Christmas specials. From the sublime to the ridiculous. Snow (movies in which snow is significant to the plot or a specific scene): Groundhog Day. "All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is going to push off to the east and hit Altoona." The Empire Strikes Back. Sixth planet in the Hoth system. "That's it. The Rebels are there." The Fellowship of the Ring. "Yonder stands Barazinbar, the Redhorn, cruel Caradhras..." Citizen Kane. "You won't be lonely, Charles..." What we're planning to watch sometime this week: MIracle on 34th Street (original version). Haven't watched that one in several years, time for a revisit.

It's funny that Germans wanted the movie title in German but were totally fine with "Ultimate Collector's Edition"...

@R1s1ngs0n For clarification, when you say "movies," you mean theatrical release films? So Christmas TV specials don't count?

Just trying to keep you on message with your branding. Though now your branding is getting kind of weird. Get us back on track with a Coop thumbs-up, please.

Hold on—I'm pretty sure you meant to type "pine weasels" instead of "dogs," right? 🤨

Thanks, @coupelle! Here are five animals from my shelves. 1. Requin 2. Mariposa 3. 犬 4. Llama 5. Bird Favorite animal: Fizzgig

I don't have a lot to choose from this week, but here are my five: 1. Twin Peaks. I haven't read through all the entries so far this week, but I presume this series has already been mentioned by... someone... what was his name again? ... (@Reagh) When I happened across the premiere of Twin Peaks, it completely changed my perception of what TV could be. Raised on a steady diet of 80s sitcoms and action shows, nothing had prepared me for the wonder of this world that Lynch and Frost created. 2. The X-Files. The only series I've watched close to as many times as I've watched Twin Peaks. When it was mediocre, it was really mediocre—but the good episodes are so, so good. I love the early years of Mulder and Scully's developing friendship, and I love that the screenwriters figured out that a comedy episode a few times a season could be a really good thing. 3. Doctor Who. For me, just the classic era—the first four doctors. I couldn't choose a favorite among the first four; they were each a bizarre delight in their own ways. I haven't kept up with the new era, though I think Matt Smith was a very classic-era Doctor. 4. Carnivale. I've mentioned this one in a previous challenge. This series was ahead of its time by just a few years. Had it been created during the streaming era, with an internet full of geeky YouTube channels analyzing each week's episode, I think it would have been much more popular. I'm sorry HBO didn't see fit to continue it in any form, but I love the two years we got, in all their gloriously supernatural, mythological Flannery O'Connor-ness. 5. Voyagers! My out-of-left-field entry this week. When I watched this series as a kid, it was one of the coolest, most exciting things I'd ever seen. For years, I retained vivid emotional memories of the Titanic episode, and the Thomas Edison episode. I was so excited when it was released on DVD, and I could share it with my kids. What did I learn? Some stuff from my childhood is not nearly as good as I remembered it. Three shows I'd like on disc: 1. Andor. I love love love this series! I was just about done with Star Wars, but finally, finally Star Wars has become so many of the things I always wished it could be. I haven't been this excited about any TV series or anything Star Wars for a long time. 2. Push, Nevada. This was a series created by Ben Affleck, and it was connected with a contest where you had to piece together clues in each episode and then call in at the end to win a lot of money. It was also the first show I can remember that made good use of the internet and real-world interaction—any website you saw in the series was actually a website you could visit, and you could call any phone number in the series and get the voicemail of that character. The show wasn't popular and didn't even last through its first season. But I loved the characters and the quirkiness. Many things after Twin Peaks had the tag line "If you like Twin Peaks, you'll love ________," but this, for me, is the only series that really was Twin Peaks-y. I'd love to watch it again, incomplete though it was. 3. Otherworld. Another action sci-fi series that I remember really loving as a kid. And it was also short-lived. It was about a family that got pulled into an alternate world of some sort. I think I was the only person I knew who watched it. When I told a teacher about it, she thought I was talking about the soap opera, Another World. That was embarrassing.