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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
Being There One of my favorite all time movie. It's available to rent for three bucks on a dozen streaming services. For me, the few bucks are well worth seeing it in HD vs. a potentially scratchy and lo-rez VHS.
I have it on DVD.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
@puff_not_snuff

Considering the types of movies you enjoy, if you haven't seen Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars yet, I'd highly recommend putting it at the top of your list. There's nothing quite like it that I've seen...it's a masterful black comedy/ psychological drama and commentary on Hollywood/pop culture.

 
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@puff_not_snuff

Considering the types of movies you enjoy, if you haven't seen Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars yet, I'd highly recommend putting it at the top of your list. There's nothing quite like it that I've seen...it's a masterful black comedy/ psychological drama and commentary on Hollywood/pop culture.


That looks great. Maybe I'll watch that tonight. I enjoyed The Unbelievable Truth just as much as Henry Fool, maybe even more so, and would go as far as calling it a "masterpiece".

Check out this scene with a young Ede Falco. It's hilarious.


@jpmcwjr I agree about Being There. Whenever I mentally compile a "5 favorite films" it always makes the cut and is one of the few movies I have watched multiple times in a short period of time.
 
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timelord

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 30, 2017
956
1,971
Gallifrey
It took me most of the first page to work out that this thread was about watching 'soaps'; nah, don't do that.
 
Jan 27, 2020
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Comment still valid. Video quality is way better in HD, though a DVD is considerably better than VHS. To each his own.

Have you considered getting a digital projector? We have this one, not sure how HD it is to be honest, but it's rather nice to watch films on. Oddly, I still like to watch my stories (aka British television shows) on a smaller screen. I don't know why I develop so many strange preferences but probably everyone does without exactly realizing it.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,760
27,371
Carmel Valley, CA
Have you considered getting a digital projector? We have this one, not sure how HD it is to be honest, but it's rather nice to watch films on. Oddly, I still like to watch my stories (aka British television shows) on a smaller screen. I don't know why I develop so many strange preferences but probably everyone does without exactly realizing it.

Considered, but rejected. Big screen 4K TVs are preferable to me for my viewing habits. For one, no more than two additional folks, for another, set up is problematical. Don't have a room I could dedicate to same. Third, not sure that a projector could give as good a picture as I have now.
 
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Jan 27, 2020
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Considered, but rejected. Big screen 4K TVs are preferable to me for my viewing habits. For one, no more than two additional folks, for another, set up is problematical. Don't have a room I could dedicate to same. Third, not sure that a projector could give as good a picture as I have now.

I get all of that. Actually, being in a NYC apartment space is actually the reason we got the projector vs. a flatscreen TV. We have a pull-down screen which is just in front of a bookshelf and keep the projector just to the side of the sofa when we aren't using it. While the definition isn't likely as good as your TV it does give an "at the movies vibe".
 
Jan 27, 2020
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Just looked at the specs. The pro version is HD; the other is less.

Even so... I wonder how ambient light effects the HD as we have windows in every room so there is always some amount of ambient light. I will say that the speaker is pretty damn good on this thing- we have speakers in the room we could hook it to but never bothered.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
That looks great. Maybe I'll watch that tonight. I enjoyed The Unbelievable Truth just as much as Henry Fool, maybe even more so, and would go as far as calling it a "masterpiece".

Check out this scene with a young Ede Falco. It's hilarious.


@jpmcwjr I agree about Being There. Whenever I mentally compile a "5 favorite films" it always makes the cut and is one of the few movies I have watched multiple times in a short period of time.
Wow, that's interesting you liked TUT that much...I'm going to watch it. I was browsing some info on it and seems to be considered one of Hartley's best movies. I ordered the DVD along with Fay Grim and threw in Henry Fool as well so I don't have to deal with the VHS.
 
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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
Comment still valid. Video quality is way better in HD, though a DVD is considerably better than VHS. To each his own.
I make it a point to obtain and watch only an actual hard copy of a film if at all possible. I avoid any kind of "streaming" digital on-line versions on principle...even if the picture quality might be a bit better...unless there's no other way I can watch something and I really want to see it bad enough...which is very rare.
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,760
27,371
Carmel Valley, CA
Interesting! Since you can't be watching the original* hard copy of a released commercial film, all of the available copies are degraded.**
So, it'd seem to be a question to me of why not watch the best "print"/version possible?


*Some possible exceptions!

**[Unless it had been carefully telecined and edited; might be better than the original in capturing the director's intent.]
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
Interesting! Since you can't be watching the original* hard copy of a released commercial film, all of the available copies are degraded.**
So, it'd seem to be a question to me of why not watch the best "print"/version possible?


*Some possible exceptions!

**[Unless it had been carefully telecined and edited; might be better than the original in capturing the director's intent.]
It's not about those types of considerations. It's simply that "hard copies", such as DVD's or physical books, are being phased out and are slowly but steadily becoming harder to obtain and more expensive. Just as with tobacco, they will never be more available or less expensive than they are right now.

Eventually when everything is only available in digital format, the editing, censoring and outright destruction of any and all material deemed contrary to whatever the current prevailing whims of the lunatics in charge are will be the norm. If anyone thinks that is far-fetched they are delusional imo, and not living in reality. These intentions have been openly declared and there have already been cases of it starting to happen.

So for anyone who is content with whatever the current digital form is of whatever media you are accessing...that's your choice...but I'm not going to participate in the process while any type of hard copy is still available. Use it or lose it.

FllY3rlXkAIouUe.jpg
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,760
27,371
Carmel Valley, CA
I see; thanks for the explanation. Big Brother is watching! And all animals are equal, except some are more equal than others.....

You have a good point, and fortunately I won't live long enough to experience complete gov't control.
 
Jan 27, 2020
4,002
8,122
It's not about those types of considerations. It's simply that "hard copies", such as DVD's or physical books, are being phased out and are slowly but steadily becoming harder to obtain and more expensive. Just as with tobacco, they will never be more available or less expensive than they are right now.

Eventually when everything is only available in digital format, the editing, censoring and outright destruction of any and all material deemed contrary to whatever the current prevailing whims of the lunatics in charge are will be the norm. If anyone thinks that is far-fetched they are delusional imo, and not living in reality. These intentions have been openly declared and there have already been cases of it starting to happen.

So for anyone who is content with whatever the current digital form is of whatever media you are accessing...that's your choice...but I'm not going to participate in the process while any type of hard copy is still available. Use it or lose it.

View attachment 249264

Brian, this interview with Hal Harley might interest you esp. regarding your DVD collection (which I understand and appreciate). One of his films is basically unavailable now as it was made with a studio which has no interest in making it available, etc.


Do you ever check thrifts for DVDs to fill in your collection? They are as cheap as water there and I often see plenty of brand new ones.
 
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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
Brian, this interview with Hal Harley might interest you esp. regarding your DVD collection (which I understand and appreciate). One of his films is basically unavailable now as it was made with a studio which has no interest in making it available, etc.


Do you ever check thrifts for DVDs to fill in your collection? They are as cheap as water there and I often see plenty of brand new ones.
Thanks, I'll have to check out that interview when I have a chance.

Not thrift stores per se, but in the past those "bargain bins" full of cheap DVD's used to be common in many stores. I got some from those, but usually the selection is very limited in stores...usually had to order on-line for what I was looking for.

Most of what I have I purchased years ago when they were dirt cheap even for new ones. Fortunately I didn't buy very many VHS...I didn't really start accumulating them until DVD's came out. I don't buy that many these days because I'm not interested in most newer movies, but when I do I normally use ebay. If the new ones are too expensive I get used, but often there's not that much of a price difference.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,637
14,765
Brian, this interview with Hal Harley might interest you esp. regarding your DVD collection (which I understand and appreciate). One of his films is basically unavailable now as it was made with a studio which has no interest in making it available, etc.
Enjoyed reading that. I'm glad to see he's found a way to run his own business outside of the corporate control structure. I didn't know he had his own film site.

There's actually a third film in the "Henry Fool trilogy", "Ned Rifle", but the DVD can't be had...and something like $139 for the blue ray on ebay. If I had known he was selling box sets before I ordered those DVD's I would have just bought from his site. He would probably be amused at this conversation which arose all because of your "their" typo.

It's so true that the '90s were a heyday of independent films. A lot of people are using the internet now to do their own thing and bypass the corporate vampire squid, but eventually if things continue on the current trajectory, much if not all of that internet freedom is likely to be swept away.
 
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