*gasp!*Well HMV have got a new sale on apparently, so I thought I'd take the liberty of going through it for you and picking out all the absolute
steals. With brilliant films at just £2.99 (free delivery) you can't really go wrong.
On the Waterfront - £2.99On the Waterfront is sensational. It's unusual that an older film will really connect with me, but I was amazed at just how gripping and absorbing this film was.. and go on, powerful too. Marlon Brando keeps it very real, playing a tough street punk on the outside, introspective loner on the inside. He could have been a contender, he could have been
somebody! What he is fantastic, and well worth checking out!
Sideways - £2.99This has shaped up to be a bit of a cult classic, and for good reason too. From the mind who brought us Election and About Schmidt comes another funny yet touching tale.
Shawshank Redemption - £2.99I've never understood why The Shawshank Redemption is always in sales so ridiculously cheap! It must be one of the reasons why it's one of the most bought DVDs of all time I guess. This version is the special edition - which is one of many I think. I know there's another super-deluxe bells and whistles one, but I'm not sure if it's really worth it or not.. At any rate, if you've never seen The Shawshank Redemption then this might be the DVD to get. It tops 'Best Film of All Time' lists consistently for a reason you know!
Collateral - £2.99Michael Mann! What a guy! This is an all round solid thriller, engrossing and thrilling in equal measure. It's got a great style to it that evokes 'Heat' at times. Great film!
Platoon - £2.99As you may know this is one of my favourite films of all time. It's easily the best Vietnam war film of all time for me. I just don't think you can beat its intensity, in the general atmosphere but also in the relationships between the main characters. It's beautiful too, the way in which Oliver Stone frames a lot of his shots are truly stunning.. This isn't the special edition, or definitive edition, but if you're unsure on whether to pay more for those, then you should DEFINITELY buy this.
The Big Lebowski - £2.99Somebody said to me the other day that they didn't like The Big Lebowski - shocker!! I was quick to point out how very un-dude they were being, and set about reteaching them to think
properly. This film is genius! It's probably my favourite Coen Brothers film (which is saying something!) and provides non-stop laughs from start to finish. £2.99 for that.. that works out at about 1p for every laugh out loud moment - pretty good value for money!
Team America - £3.99Personally I think this is worth buying just to marvel at how much sick can fit in one little puppet! I love Matt Stone and Trey Parker. I believe that they're two of the best satirists of our times - even if they do do it through a really juvenile humour. Sadly, this DVD doesn't include the extra-extra explicit puppet sex scene on it, what a gip!
American Beauty - £3.99Sometimes.. there's so much beauty.. in this film.. I think that my heart can't take it.
What a film - absolutely brilliant story, script, direction, acting, cinematography and message. This is another Best Picture winner, and a well deserved Best Picture winner at that. And it has some decent special features too - one of my favourites was about Cinematographer Conrad Hall and his work on the film. It completely amazed me to find out how a shot of Lester in the burger shop during the day was actually filmed at night. He guy was an absolute genius of light, sadly this was one of his last films before he died..
Untouchables Special Edition - £3.99This is a consistently brilliant film, great cast, story, script, memorable dialogue.. and yet it tends to get overlooked an awful amount. I mean it has critical praise alright, but it never seems to stray into top movie lists. Kind of a weird one that, so worth buying to show those punks who's who!
Brazil - £3.99Braaaziiiiiiiiiiiiiil - Da dah dah dah da dah da daaaaaaaah!
Terry Gilliam you freaking GENIUS. There's a feature on this DVD called 'What is Brazil?' which is a massive documentary that fails to actually answer the very question it's named after.. so I won't bother to summarise it here in a few lines.. If you haven't seen it lets just say it's a "distopian sci-fi/fantasy/comedy, hilarious and bizarre in equal measures, with a really engrossing story".. It's probably Gilliam's masterpiece, and a real technical triumph at times, with some absolutely fantastic sets and set pieces. Definitely one to watch!
Office Space - £3.99Office Space is one of my very favourite comedies of all time. It's a live action comedy from Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead / King of the Hill) . Don't expect anything crass though, as the main vein of humour running through this film is
cynicism. It's completely infused with it. You don't have to have worked in an office to 'get it' but it certainly helps. Genius film, absolutely brilliant!
Terminator One - £3.99Terminator One Special Edition DVD for £3.99! Not much else to be said really!
Election - £3.99I mentioned Election up there look ^^^ Next to Sideways look ^^^
I'd have to say this is my favourite of his films. It's a very dark humour which I love. Very funny too, Matthew Broderick plays someone completely hateful and yet manages to keep you on his side. Great film!
The Conversation - £3.99This is a very interesting drama from Francis Ford Coppola. It featuring Gene Hackman as a surveillance specialist who becomes too caught up in a case when he believes a murder is afoul. It's a kind of study into personal privacy and paranoia, and the way in which it's filmed really helps to emphasise that. It's a great film, well worth checking out.
American Splendor - £3.99This is the film based on the comic book of the same name, featuring a superb Paul Giamatti as depressed loner comic bloke (Harvey Pekar). The comic book was really self referential, and the film does the same thing. What's quite bizarre is how the real life Harvey Pekar actually pops up in random segments and interacts with the actors on the film. It's funny, and quirky, and you should check it out if you have a slightly unusual sense of humour!
Bad News Bears - £3.99Ok, I admit, I've never seen this film before in my life, nor do I particularly want to. HOWEVER it's directed by Richard "BeforeSunriseBeforeSunsetWakingLifeSlackerDazed&Confused" Linklater, and any extra sales will all help to fund further indie flicks of his. So go on, help fund a genius filmmaker today!
Not bad, especially as it's going for around the £70 mark everywhere else!
