Post 4

Not a lot of film-watching for me this week as I've been putting in longer days at work, which translates to shorter evenings and earlier bedtimes. Oh well, c'est la vie, eh? Regardless, I did begin watching the 1983 Costa-Gavras release Hanna K. (which is only available on VHS), starring the late Jill Clayburgh and a young Gabriel Byrne. Unfortunately, I found the film (at the least the beginning of it) to be oddly dull (which surprised me because the plot seems like it would be very interesting and Costa-Gavras productions [IMHO] are typically gripping affairs). Anyway, the result of longer workdays and a film that hasn't (so far) grabbed my attention was that I found myself nodding-off about an hour in to the proceedings. I plan to complete my viewing of it in a day or two, so more comments to come....

One more thing for now: Just want to mention (and remember) that about 10 days ago I finally watched a film that has proved illusive to me for more than 20 years: George Sluizer's original The Vanishing (Spoorloos), which has been on my mental "must-see" list since oh, only about 1991(!). So here's the deal with this film...it is arguably the best and most intelligent thriller/horror film...ever. I simply can't say enough good things about it and I've been recommending it to anyone who enjoys good films ever since watching it (if you happen to stumble-upon this blog, go get your hands on a copy as soon as you can--do not hesitate). By the way, even though the film still exists on VHS (and I, of course, love VHS), I viewed it via DVD as I recently ordered a copy of the disc for the library in which I work after noticing that Criterion offered it, figuring that they would include some extra goodies. Oddly enough, their release only contains the film, the theatrical trailer, and a brief essay. Can't complain though, as the print looked fantastic on an HDTV.

Post 3

I screened Vincent Ward's 1984 feature-length debut Vigil on Saturday, February 15th. Visually a very interesting film with a mostly engaging, yet cryptic story. Overall, a pleasure to watch and a unique film (I can't recall anything else like it). I have very vague memories of it when it hit U.S. shores back in the mid-to-late-1980s, but my existence (and mental state) at the time was such that I never did get to a theater to see it. After that, as with many near-misses in life, I suppose my attention shifted on to something else, then something else, then something else, and then, well, Vigil faded from my view. Nice to have rediscovered such an intriguing and gripping film. Speaking of Ward, I saw his big-budget U.S. debut Map of the Human Heart recently (streamed via Netflix) and, while it was also of interest visually, the script tried to cover way too much, which resulted in a muddled and ultimately frustrating production. I can't help but surmise that, like many other foreign directors who encounter the surreality & vagaries of movie-making in Hollywood, Ward found his interest in that profession waning after the experience of Map of the Human Heart (as well as his ill-fated work on Alien³); his output has slowed to a crawl since. A real shame as Vigil is a memorable debut and his second feature, The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey, also appears to be worth a look (I've seen some very interesting-looking sequences of it). An organization known as NZonScreen (I believe it might be the New Zealand Government's film board) has a section on Ward, which includes a clip of an early student film, a short entitled A State of Siege (its source is a Janet Frame novel), and this looks like another Ward production worth viewing. Almost makes me willing to spring for the Region 4 DVD of Vigil that includes this as well as a short documentary by Ward.

Late last night & very early this morning (February 16th-17th), for the first time in more than 25 years, I watched the delightful Turtle Diary. Wow, what a fantastic film (much more thoughtful and wistful than I recall the first time-around)! Then again, how can you go wrong if you combine a Harold Pinter screenplay of a Russell Hoban novel with leads Glenda Jackson & Sir Ben Kingsley in addition to supporting players Michael Gambon & Jeroen Krabbé (among others)?!??! Funny that as a young man I found the film pleasant, yet unexceptional; however, with time and experience between that me and today's me I now see this film (and its source novel, also entitled Turtle Diary) as a truly sublime work on the joys & sorrows of life (and being truly alive). Remarkable accompaniment as well from the late Geoffrey Burgon.

I also squeezed-in Bergman's Winter Light (via Criterion's DVD release) on Saturday the 15th, so a terrific weekend as far as film-watching goes. IMHO Winter Light is one of the more accessible Bergman films (still, it's jammed with meaning layered upon meaning) and, although it seems hopeless & pessimistic in many ways, it's ultimately uplifting.

I'll conclude with a couple of odds-n-ends:

• My VHS of Vigil included some very faint, extraneous noise on the audio track. At first I thought I had left the radio on in another room or that my neighbors kids were outside playing. Eventually I realized it was on the tape. Not sure how it got on to a new, shrink-wrapped, never before viewed cassette. It sounded like dialog from a Spanish-language film, but it didn't ruin Vigil for me.
• I tried to watch an inexpensively acquired VHS of Turtle Diary that I purchased about two months ago, but the tape was unusable. The picture was almost nonexistent and I was unable to even rewind or fast-forward. Luckily, someone has posted the entire film on to YouTube, so I was able to access it just the same. Still, it was hard to discern some of the more dimly-lit sequences, so I checked Amazon and noticed a vendor selling a brand-new VHS of the film for only $28. Decided to purchase it right away (impulse buy?) as this is a memorable flicker and that price is a steal when you consider Turtle Diary has never seen a DVD release (and, at this point in time I assume, likely never will) anywhere.

Post 2

Here's the thing about my collecting: I tend to get ahead of myself from time to time as I'll locate several movies on VHS and purchase them over the course of a few days. So...this creates somewhat of a back-up as the search for (and acquiring of) films can be a lot of fun. By the way, the typical outlets have been (in my experience) the best places to go and these include Amazon and eBay, but I've also had some luck with half.com and blujay as well as simply digging deep via Google (i.e. trying various searches with different terminology, then persistently going through page after page of results).

Recently, my persistence has paid off as I've found several great deals. In fact, here's some of the films on VHS I've acquired over the past month or so:

• Vigil (1984, New Zealand; got it for $7.97 + shipping; condition=new)
• Starlight Hotel (1987, New Zealand; got it for $1.99 + shipping; condition=new)
• Next Year if All Goes Well (1981, France; got it for $1.99 + shipping; condition=new)
• Nudo di donna (1981, Italy; got it for $5.00 [free shipping]; condition=like new)
• The Girl in the Picture (1985, United Kingdom; got it for $7.95 + shipping; condition=new)
• Knights & Emeralds (1986, United Kingdom; got it for $5.96 + shipping; condition=new)
• Arthur's Hallowed Ground (1984, United Kingdom; got it for $5.00 + shipping; condition=new)

As far as I know, none of these is available on DVD in Region 1 (and some are, to my knowledge, not available on DVD anywhere). Regardless...now I've got to have some viewings since these tapes are starting to pile up in to my "I need to watch these" section near my bedroom TV.

Post 1

Yes, it's true and I've finally decided to embrace it: I'm obsessed with VHS tapes. Okay, well, I'm obsessed with films and tracking down hard-to-find ones and especially those that are only available via VHS tape. Why VHS? Well, there are still (as of early 2014) a lot of interesting, yet sadly forgotten, films (mostly foreign ones) that remain accessible only via the VHS format (at least here in Region 1). Moreover, I find I have a fondness for VHS because it reminds me of younger, more carefree times (for me personally) in the early to mid-1980s, when this format dominated the home video market and I still had my whole life in front of me (as well as a lot of hair on my head, no house payment to worry over, very few bills, etc). So, one of my current favorite activities is to trawl the Web looking for 1980s videocassettes of now-forgotten film gems, still shrink-wrapped, that can be had at a reasonable price. And since I'm doing this as a hobby, I figure why not create a film journal of sorts, in which I list the flickers I watch and my impressions of them. Hence, Obsessed with VHS....