DVD? No Thanks

We did have a DVD player for a few months, but I never really got the hang of it.  The remote control looked like something you would use to fly a space craft, there were always huge black areas at the top and bottom of the screen when we were trying to watch a film, and it was one heck of a palaver clicking through endless options on the DVD just to get to view the film. 

The player we had was not one of the cheapest on the market but the darn thing just never really worked properly.  The final straw came when we had rented two DVDs one Saturday evening (Miss Potter for me, Rocky IV for P) and the flipping thing got stuck half way through each film.  Oh the cursing, the shouting and the gnashing of teeth (and that was just me).  I had been so looking forward to seeing Miss Potter and had really enjoyed the half I did see, so you can imagine my frustration when the second half remained completely elusive.  Poor P had the same experience when trying to watch Rocky IV after I had gone to bed in disgust!!  Needless to say the infernal machine was returned back from whence it came, a full refund was achieved, and we are now very happily DVD-less again.

Most charity shops and car boot sales are now awash with video films as everybody else seems to be converting quite happily to DVD.  Now most videos are priced at 50p I've started buying quite a few of them.  Today I found two films I really like that I haven't seen in ages.

Quadrophenia

which I've only seen once many many years ago - possibly in the cinema when it was first released in 1979 / 1980.  This has a stellar British cast of youngsters, almost all of whom went on to become stalwarts of British film and television - there is Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox, Sting, Ray Winstone and Phil Davies. 

I also picked up Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I love this film, and also saw it many years ago in the cinema.  I've seen it a few times since on TV but I don't think I've ever managed to see it all the way through since 1977!!

A couple of weeks ago I picked up The Dish on video

This is an Australian film about the 1969 moon landings.  I had never seen this film as it is quite a new one (2002) but thought for 50p for the video I'd give it a go.  It was a real gem - one of those films I can imagine I will watch time and again.  If you ever come across this film (on video or DVD!) do watch it, its great.

I'm always on the lookout for a couple of my favourite ever films on video - Reykjavik 101 (continuing my love of all things Icelandic) and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (I'm pretty keen on Australian films too).  Both of these are already on videos that I taped from the TV.  However, both have large chunks of the story missing due to my ineptness!!  Reykjavik 101 is missing the first 20 minutes as I wasn't sure I was going to like the film so didn't video it from the start - what a twit!!  And Priscilla, Queen of the Desert has 15 minutes missing in the middle where somehow I managed to tape part of an Inspector Morse episode over it!!  It doesn't stop me watching these films, but I would quite like to know what happened in the bits I missed.

I'm sure eventually P and I will have to succumb to another DVD player (mainly due to the fact that you can't rent anything on video any more) but for the time being we are both more than happy with our trusty old video player.  And I, for one, am looking forward to a mini film-fest this weekend on a format that I can stop, rewind, forward, eject and just plain old 'watch' with no hassle whatsoever.

Comments

[The Shopping Sherpa]

I don't have a DVD player either although I'm sort of cheating as both the laptops in the house have them included so I can watch them if I need to.

I'll keep an eye out for you in the op shops for Priscilla along with any other good Aussie films...

[Gill]

Oh I love buying videos, they're so cheap at boot sales now, people seem to be clearing them out. I've picked up some great films like you, they're good enough for me and easy to operate! I'll look out for the Priscilla film too.
Now tell all, why the fascination with Iceland and Australia?!