I remember my first DVD, Resident Evil, which I obtained with saved money for a good while before we even owned a DVD player.
While I admit my reasons for movie collecting was more for competitive reasons at the time, I can now say that my reasons have evolved with time. In general, reasons can vary from collector to collector, whether it’s pride in owning a tight collection of nostalgic movies, to gathering a library for friends and family, to the simple pleasure in the pursuit of movie discovery and ownership. As well, you might collect for the thrill of the hunt and excitement in striking a good bargain.
Whatever the reason, the collector is often times looking for ways to expand their collection, to rearrange, catalogue or showcase it.
Come back to this blog every now and again for some suggestions
On expanding your collections. Damn, is it hard to find a great movie these days or what? It feels like maybe 1 out of every 20 movies I check out is an 8.5/10 or higher and that’s with being pretty selective with movie viewing.
And Ah! The feeling of experiencing an excellent movie... There’s something simply in the search for one.
Here are some of the resources I’ve used in trying to find excellent movies.
1) Google Rotten tomatoes or Metacritic and navigate the website to find their list of all time top movies.
2) Take a look at the American film institute’s list of top movies.
3) Search Amazon.com/.ca for movies you like to find out what other’s bought and liked. Have Amazon generate suggestions to follow up on.
4) Visit your local bookstore or library for books on movies. A particularly helpful book I recommend is the “1001 movies you must see before you die” book.
5) Google “movies like [insert your favourite movie name]” for suggestions on other movies that might be of interest.
6) Google top 100, 25 or 10 list for suggestions of other people’s “top” lists.
7) Ask what peoples favourites are on a social networking site (like facebook). Friends that are into movies might have excellent suggestions or might be able to provide you a more personalised suggestion.
8) Chat up the local movie store clerk to see if they might have some suggestions
9) Visit your local movie sale stores like HMV or Future shop. They sometimes have sales on popular and must watch movies. At HMV they have “best of the best” markers on particularly great movies.
10) Consider expanding your collection by getting movies with the same great actors and directors or by interesting themes. Search for their work and for lists on IMDB. Also Google their best works.
11) Consider the awards a movie has received like Oscars or the accolades from the Sundance festival for example. Also note, there are some great movies in award runner ups.
12) Visit “Studio Canal” or the “criterion collection” on the internet. Though pricey, their collections generally comprise solid movies. The packaging and presentation is excellent. The websites are informative.
13) Visit YouTube for suggestions from other collectors.
14) Check out Trailers online, on DVD’s, blue rays or VHS’s for ideas for potentially great movies.
15) Consider movies that have a cult following.
16) Keep an open mind and consider movies you might not normally watch.
17) Explore older movies from recent old releases straight through to silent movies.
18) Keep an eye out for movies some consider to be hidden gems. Don’t be afraid to at least try a no-namer from time to time.
19) Talk and share your experiences with the movies. Explore movie supplements. This can add depth to a movie and transform one into an excellent movie. As well, it might bring on suggestions from someone about a movie you might really enjoy.
20) Visit your local pawn shops for classics you might have difficulty finding elsewhere.
21) Cross verify your findings with information you’ve gathered, or cross verified that others have enjoyed a certain movie using the internet or asking friends
22) Consider reviews but remember that they might not always be in keeping with your tastes. Roger Ebert has a section on “great movies” on his websites.
23) Visit eBay for other classics you may have a hard time trying to find.
24) Keep an eye out for movie sales, sometimes the weirdest places will have them and because people seldom check those places, sometimes you can get great deals
25) Take a look for Classic and great movies at garage sales or on Kijiji.
Any other suggestions?
While I admit my reasons for movie collecting was more for competitive reasons at the time, I can now say that my reasons have evolved with time. In general, reasons can vary from collector to collector, whether it’s pride in owning a tight collection of nostalgic movies, to gathering a library for friends and family, to the simple pleasure in the pursuit of movie discovery and ownership. As well, you might collect for the thrill of the hunt and excitement in striking a good bargain.
Whatever the reason, the collector is often times looking for ways to expand their collection, to rearrange, catalogue or showcase it.
Come back to this blog every now and again for some suggestions
On expanding your collections. Damn, is it hard to find a great movie these days or what? It feels like maybe 1 out of every 20 movies I check out is an 8.5/10 or higher and that’s with being pretty selective with movie viewing.
And Ah! The feeling of experiencing an excellent movie... There’s something simply in the search for one.
Here are some of the resources I’ve used in trying to find excellent movies.
1) Google Rotten tomatoes or Metacritic and navigate the website to find their list of all time top movies.
2) Take a look at the American film institute’s list of top movies.
3) Search Amazon.com/.ca for movies you like to find out what other’s bought and liked. Have Amazon generate suggestions to follow up on.
4) Visit your local bookstore or library for books on movies. A particularly helpful book I recommend is the “1001 movies you must see before you die” book.
5) Google “movies like [insert your favourite movie name]” for suggestions on other movies that might be of interest.
6) Google top 100, 25 or 10 list for suggestions of other people’s “top” lists.
7) Ask what peoples favourites are on a social networking site (like facebook). Friends that are into movies might have excellent suggestions or might be able to provide you a more personalised suggestion.
8) Chat up the local movie store clerk to see if they might have some suggestions
9) Visit your local movie sale stores like HMV or Future shop. They sometimes have sales on popular and must watch movies. At HMV they have “best of the best” markers on particularly great movies.
10) Consider expanding your collection by getting movies with the same great actors and directors or by interesting themes. Search for their work and for lists on IMDB. Also Google their best works.
11) Consider the awards a movie has received like Oscars or the accolades from the Sundance festival for example. Also note, there are some great movies in award runner ups.
12) Visit “Studio Canal” or the “criterion collection” on the internet. Though pricey, their collections generally comprise solid movies. The packaging and presentation is excellent. The websites are informative.
13) Visit YouTube for suggestions from other collectors.
14) Check out Trailers online, on DVD’s, blue rays or VHS’s for ideas for potentially great movies.
15) Consider movies that have a cult following.
16) Keep an open mind and consider movies you might not normally watch.
17) Explore older movies from recent old releases straight through to silent movies.
18) Keep an eye out for movies some consider to be hidden gems. Don’t be afraid to at least try a no-namer from time to time.
19) Talk and share your experiences with the movies. Explore movie supplements. This can add depth to a movie and transform one into an excellent movie. As well, it might bring on suggestions from someone about a movie you might really enjoy.
20) Visit your local pawn shops for classics you might have difficulty finding elsewhere.
21) Cross verify your findings with information you’ve gathered, or cross verified that others have enjoyed a certain movie using the internet or asking friends
22) Consider reviews but remember that they might not always be in keeping with your tastes. Roger Ebert has a section on “great movies” on his websites.
23) Visit eBay for other classics you may have a hard time trying to find.
24) Keep an eye out for movie sales, sometimes the weirdest places will have them and because people seldom check those places, sometimes you can get great deals
25) Take a look for Classic and great movies at garage sales or on Kijiji.
Any other suggestions?
RSS Feed
