What is an absolute 'Keeper' on DVD/BD

[madmac]

There seems to be a lot of people on this forum that like to collect films. This baffles me a bit because I find in 99% of cases, A film is watchable once.

So then, what are your absolute keepers?. A few of mine (I'm 49 now) are the below. These are films that I will definitely watch again at some point and some of them have been watched many times already. This of course does NOT apply to concert DVD's which can be watched many, many, MANY times.

1. Amadeus
2. An officer and a gentleman
2. Terminator 2- Judgement day
3. The Mission (If for nothing else than for the music!!)
4. Hannah and her sisters (A Woody Classic!!)
5. Maybe I'll watch Titanic a few more times over the years

Sound off folks !! :W

[aud19]

I agree the majority of movies are good as rentals but you get the odd good one here and there as well as the classics.

I've got a bunch of good/classic family Disney films for the kids (and I admit I enjoy them also), the Star Wars, Matrix, LOTR, Harry Potter series a few classics (Casablanca, Wizard of Oz etc), some holiday flicks (I wish Muppet Christmas Carol would come out ob BD)

A bunch of others I can't recall at the moment.

[Hdale85]

There are some movies that aren't even good rentals lol We watched one recently that I haven't been able to sit all the way through because it just came off as so weird and I couldn't understand where it was really going lol.

[aud19]

Yeah I finally watched Sucker Punch a month or so ago and was like :blink: ...welll that was a waste of time! :lol:

[Kevin P]

A lot of comedies are rewatchable. Office Space, The Wedding Singer, There's Something About Mary, Dumb & Dumber...

Aside from those, there's Star Wars (never can watch those too many times), Back To The Future trilogy (my absolute favorite movies EVER), Terminator (esp. the first two), The Matrix, Titanic and a few others.

We have a bunch of movies we bought and only watched once.

[Hdale85]

We have such a backlog of new movies to watch that it's hard to fit in re-watching of old movies lately. I think we have something like 60 movies that are sealed that we haven't opened and watched yet lol.

[Ovation]

I must have nearly 1000 movies (DVDs, Blu-rays, HD DVDs and a few on VHS that have not been released any other way yet), so a list of "keepers" would be quite long for me. I should point out that a good chunk of them are work-related as I use films in courses I teach (historical feature films, mostly). Still, if I had to pare it down to an absolutely can't go without list, a partial list would include:

Lawrence of Arabia (the new deluxe Blu-ray will be under the tree for me)
Casablanca
Ben-Hur
just about any Hitchcock (North by Northwest in particular)
Blade Runner
Citizen Kane
Stagecoach
Unforgiven
Planet of the Apes (the original)
Dr. Strangelove
Spartacus
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The African Queen
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Bond movies

It is also worth noting that at least half, if not more like 2/3, of my collection was acquired at a per movie cost that is lower than average rental costs at my video store. Why pay more for a rental when I can own it?

[wkhanna]

........ a partial list would include:

Now that is a list I can relate to.

those in comman with my personal 'Keeper' list:

Lawrence of Arabia (the new deluxe Blu-ray will be under the tree for me)
Casablanca
just about any Hitchcock (North by Northwest in particular)
Blade Runner
Citizen Kane
Unforgiven
Dr. Strangelove
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The African Queen


Allow me to add:

Just about any Steve McQueen film, especially:
Sand Pebbles
Le Mans
Bullitt
Papillion
The Great Escape

Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe
Scarface
A Man for All Seasons
Nearly any Shakespeare adaptation
Doctor Zhivago
A Man & a Woman

I will stop now & spare bandwidth for the masses……

[Hdale85]

I believe you mean Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I'm not sure what it is but I can't get into the really old movies.

[wkhanna]

I believe you mean Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I'm not sure what it is but I can't get into the really old movies.

Opps! ops:
I always get that wrong!
It's what happens when you turn curmudgeon age.....

[George Bellefontaine]

Just about any Steve McQueen film, especially:
Sand Pebbles
Le Mans
Bullitt
Papillion
The Great Escape

as well as The Magnificent Seven, The Getaway, Baby The Rain Must Fall, The Thomas Crown Affair, etc, etc, etc, :T


As far as movie collecting goes, it's like music: if it's truely well done and stays with you, it's worth watching ( or listening to ) again and again. I have well over 1500 movies now in my collection, that includes a few vhs tapes of films that so far haven't been released on dvd, and about 100 or so laserdiscs that haven't been released on either dvd or blu-ray. And to list my favorites would take too much time and space, but many titles already mentioned here by others, especially Ovation and wkhanna, would be on that list.

[madmac]

as well as The Magnificent Seven, The Getaway, Baby The Rain Must Fall, The Thomas Crown Affair, etc, etc, etc, :T


As far as movie collecting goes, it's like music: if it's truely well done and stays with you, it's worth watching ( or listening to ) again and again. I have well over 1500 movies now in my collection, that includes a few vhs tapes of films that so far haven't been released on dvd, and about 100 or so laserdiscs that haven't been released on either dvd or blu-ray. And to list my favorites would take too much time and space, but many titles already mentioned here by others, especially Ovation and wkhanna, would be on that list.

It's true...."unforgiven" is a classic and you all have inspired me to watch that one again. George.....you actually have Laserdiscs??. OH MY!!....that takes me back. I bought into that format, paid a grand for my player and put X amounts of money for a number of discs, and then the damn format went down in a matter of merely a few years when DVD was introduced. Sold the player and the discs at a garage sale for 30 bucks!!. They called it the 'future' of home theater at the time!! Hehehehe :rofl:

[Hdale85]

Wow....1500 and here I thought my collection of a little over 500 was big.

[George Bellefontaine]

Wow....1500 and here I thought my collection of a little over 500 was big.

I've been collecting ever since vhs was introduced. I would have more than 1500 but over the past 10 years I have culled out a lot of titles I had purchased on a whim and after viewing decided it was not a collectable. I don't buy as many these days, but I am always a sucker for stuff from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, as well as any classic, like Sunset Boulevard which was just released on blu-ray.

[Silver1omo]

I just got some of the Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki movies. Most of them are keepers IMHO.
Also:
LOTR
Hero
Dark City
Dogville
Alien
I need to start getting Disney movies.

[Dmantis]

I have been collecting movies for years and years. I have many I have watched over and over.
I could write a pretty serious list but I'll keep it short.

Star Wars all of them - I can watch them on a rainy day , snow day or any in door day that I'm gonna spend some time in front of the Tv. I have all copies in all formats which is insane but I love them that much. I feel left out if I don't get the new version or format.

Gladiator- Such a fantasitc movie with great acting , surround sound and moving story. I have watched this movie many times and loved it each and every time.

300- what a cool version of a time period in history and how they filmed it. Excellent.
Troy- Brad Pit at his best and told a great story.

The Matrix series - I thought this was a very interesting concept for a movie and killer mind bending story. I have watched them so many times especially the first one.
Star Trek all of them - really who couldn't sit and watch any Star Trek movie and fully enjoy it no matter if it wa the first time of the 50th.

Rush Hour series - Great interaction between partners of cops from different countries. Funny as hell and interesting story telling.

Terminator all of them - I find these films very well done and tell a story of what could be if we allow technology take over us. If you remove the fantasy , you can learn a bit about keeping grounded on some level.

I also collect Tv shows that I really enjoyed and can watch entire seasons in a weekend if I was sick on the couch or snowed in.

Bad weather is always a great excuse to have a movie moment or weekend.

Side note: All my movies which I probably have well over 400 are all keepers.

[aud19]

Dark City...I haven't watched that in forever...I wonder if the wife's seen it?

[impala454]

I have no qualms about watching a movie many times over. Going through my collection, here's some that I've watched an embarrassing number of times:
(* = ones I watched a million times when I was younger but still like and currently own )

Apollo 13
Avatar
Back to the Future*
Bourne Trilogy
Crimson Tide
Dazed and Confused
Deep Impact
Full Metal Jacket
The Hunt for Red October
The Last Samurai
Lord of the Rings
Office Space
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves*
Saving Private Ryan
Shawshank Redemption
Star Trek 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11
Star Wars 1-6
The Sum of All Fears
Terminator 1 & 2
TMNT 1*
Transformers 1
The Wizard*
X-Men 1-3, First Class

Also on TV (since the thread was DVD/BD related):

Star Trek TNG - Have probably seen every episode at least 3-4 times, and my favorite episodes 20-30 times or more Sold all 7 seasons of DVDs and now collecting the BDs (which are awesome).

Firefly - Watched the entire series at least 10 times over and will continue to watch them.

[blk100rr]

Gladiator
Layercake
LOTR
The Matrix (1st one only)
The Godfather I and II
Just about any 007 movie
The Shawshank Redemption

[Lex]

Well, you know, I am a person that their movie tastes and habits have changed over time. I have over 500 regular DVDs, not many of which ever see the light of day now. Then I was in a phase where I bought everything coming and going. Many have only been watched a time or two. But there are classics for sure there worth rewatching, someday maybe I will thin them down. They are in plastic tubs with lids.

There are plenty of movies in there worth watching, but I admit to being focused more on only the best of what comes along in blu-ray, or I watch things on the movie channels in HD. With HD content on TV now, it has changed my viewing and buying habits. I will buy a great action adventure film. I will buy a good one at budget prices like Ghost Protocol recently for 15 bucks, the MI series is worth collecting, or I will buy a great romantic comedy from actors I like. Example is recent Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts last romantic comedy. I love that film for some reason. The other night I watched War Horse on a movie channel. What a fantastic film. Will I watch it again? Probably not. But it was great.

There are classics that I own on BD or even HD DVD. But often I will wait for a BD to bottom out in pricing to 10 or 15 buck range now if I buy at all. I don't buy to many DVDs at 25 to 30 bucks now for a single film. I did pay over $100 for Bond and Friends.

1. Matrix First film is best. I have on HDDVD
2. Borne Trilogy (I was bumped that Mat Damon was bumped or bumped himself from the series in the 4th, have not bought or watched) HDDVD
3. Terminator series
4. Bond collection on BD 22 films, replace films that somehow went missing, and then some. True classic films to me.
5. Friends collection on BD
6. Pretty Woman, now on BD
7. Italian Job (own on BD and HDDVD)
8. Avatar, the scenery is so amazing.
9. Sleepless in Seattle, addicted to Love, favorite Meg movies...
10. I rewatch romantic comedies a lot and I like action films with a sort of romantic overtone, like Terminal Velocity and another film with Christian Slader and Travolta, and a girl in it I liked, but I do not know her name, Broken Arrow.

There are more. Not documented now.

I see a few films on others lists I might add, and a few surprises I see on others lists.

I don't think I have over about 75-100 BD and HDDVD combined, (well, if you counted each disc, like 22 bond movies, then yes, over, but just collections and individual cases, no.

So as you can see, I have slowed down on what I buy. I do not buy standard DVD now at all.

[Lex]

Dan, trivia, I went to high school with one of the actors in An Officer and a Gentleman: See if you can guess which one...

Doug

[audioqueso]

As absolute keepers... hmmm???
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Pulp Fiction.
Definitely The Godfather and Shawshank Redemption. Tons of great and favorite movies, but I think these are definitely keepers. I'll think of more later.

[Hdale85]

The Shawshank Redemption is probably by far my all time favorite movie, no surprise at all that it's the top rated movie of all time on IMDB. We actually watched it last night because Diana said she hadn't seen it, but after watching it a bit she thinks she's seen at least part of it. Such a fantastic movie that never gets old.

[madmac]

The Shawshank Redemption is probably by far my all time favorite movie, no surprise at all that it's the top rated movie of all time on IMDB. We actually watched it last night because Diana said she hadn't seen it, but after watching it a bit she thinks she's seen at least part of it. Such a fantastic movie that never gets old.

That is a good one and Morgan at his finest. I should see that again honestly!! :T

[Hdale85]

Yes, I need to get all of his movies as he has really grown to be my favorite actor. Not just for his acting abilities either, but he is also am incredible person that is also very intelligent and interesting on so many levels. He's getting up there in age though, it'll be a sad day when he goes but hopefully we have another 10-20 years with him as I can't think of anyone that really matches him as a performer or a person.

[Chris D]

In general, I agree, Dougie. I was really disappointed when Morgan Freeman got all political this last election, though. It's nice when I can watch actors perform without having in the back of my mind, "man, this reminds me of the last political protest they were at", or the last time they preached their political slant at the public, or the last political ad they ran to support their agenda.

Same thing with news anchors. I like news anchors the best when I honestly don't know what their own personal politics are, and don't feel like their choosing to slant their stories.

[Hdale85]

Well it's pretty easy to tell a news anchors political stance just by what company they are working for generally lol. While I agree everyone is entitled to their own views and I just don't think about it too much. Any time an actor/actress has a political view or anything it's going to get broadcast all over the place. It's just the nature of being a celebrity.