Boosting my DVD collection

My DVD collection is tiny. I have about 15 films, but would really like some more. Can you recommend me some based on these pointers and a list of films I have?:

- I don't like sci-fi
- I don't like cheap horror movies
- I like movies based on books or plays (especially plays)
- I like romantic films, but not really 'chick-flicks'
- I don't like 'epics'
- I don't like cheap comedies

Okay, long list there. My films are:
Another Country
Educating Rita
Sweet Bird of Youth
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
A Streetcar Named Desire
Night of the Iguana
Vanity Fair
Blair Witch Project
Simpsons Movie
Ghostbusters
Gremlins
Muppets Christmas Carol
Orphee
Brighton Rock

And:
The Great Gatsby
Pride and Prejudice (Tv)
Brideshead Revisited (Tv)

Since your profile doesn't mention it I'm going to assume you are somewhere in the United States and seeking suggestions for R1 DVDs, yeah? If not we may have to adjust some of these depending on availability.

Actually, check that. I see you have the excellent Brighton Rock on your list, which must mean you're a R2er because I know it isn't yet released in Region 1 (I own it as part of the R2 Graham Greene boxed set). OK, so, let's see...



Alrighty. Given that I'll start with plays and I'd steer you toward Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966 - Mike Nichols), Amadeus (1984 - Milos Forman), A Soldier's Story (1984 - Norman Jewison), Death of a Salesman (1985 - Volker Schlöndorff), Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962 - Sidney Lumet), A Man for All Seasons (1966 - Fred Zinnemann), The Lion in Winter (1968 - Anthony Harvey), Miss Julie (1951 & 1999), The Browning Version (1951 & 1994), The Winslow Boy (1948 & 1999), Inherit the Wind (1960 - Stanley Kramer), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992 - James Foley), The Iceman Cometh (1973 - John Frankenheimer), Butley (1974 - Harold Pinter), The Philadelphia Story (1940 - George Cukor) and Harvey (1950 - Henry Koster).

And that's without getting into Shakespeare, Neil Simon or Musicals, just trying to give you some greats adapted from 20th Century drama (mostly).



And since you enjoy adaptations of the theatre, also check out some of the stories set in the behind-the-scenes world of hot lights and greasepaint such as The Dresser (1983 - Peter Yates), All About Eve (1950 - Joseph L. Mankiewicz), The Producers (1968 & 2005), To Be or Not to Be (1942 - Ernst Lubitsch), The Entertainer (1960 - Tony Richardson), Waiting for Guffman (1996 - Christopher Guest), Bullets Over Broadway (1994 - Woody Allen), Noises Off... (1992 - Peter Bogdanovich), The Tall Guy (1989 - Mel Smith), The Sunshine Boys (1975 - Herbert Ross), The Country Girl (1954 - George Seaton), Being Julia (2004 - István Szabó), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994 - Louis Malle) and the documentaries This So-Called Disaster (2003 - Michael Almereyda) and Life After Tomorrow (2006). Also a must-see Canadian television series from this new century is "Slings & Arrows" (three seasons, 2003-2006).


Looks like you don't own any for examples, but a few I'd recommend off the bat are Truly Madly Deeply (1991 - Anthony Minghella), Casablanca (1942 - Michael Curtiz), Notorious (1946 - Alfred Hitchcock), Amélie (2001 - Jean-Pierre Jeunet), The Bridges of Madison County (1995 - Clint Eastwood) and Two for the Road (1966 – Stanley Donan). Also check out THIS THREAD and THIS THREAD that already exist on the subject of romantic flicks.


That should get you started

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Thanks! This is really helpful. I've seen the play of Who's Afraid of Virginia woolf and loved it! And I've wanted to try some O'Neill.

It's a really great film. Give it a shot!

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You listed a lot of what you don't like, but not a lot of what you do.

Are you against all horror/comedies?
What about action adventure?

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The totally awesome and soul consuming TFH One a Day Reviews.

Try A Clockwork Orange, based on a novel written by Anthony Burgess.
Try Dial M for Murder which was based on Frederick Knott's play in the 20th century. Great low budget mystery film too, one of my favourites. As Holden said, Casablanca is a fantastic romance flick.

I'd recommend just renting the DVD and burning it, since DVD's will eventually be void, one day. I use to prefer having the DVD to own, but then again I usually watch a movie that I find decent once, and a movie I adore 2-3 times maximum.

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"I'm a man." "Not everybody's perfect!" - Some Like It Hot

I like watching a horror movie (well,some) but I don't like owning them (I've only watch Blair Witch project once)

I don't really like action adventure.

What I DO like:
Clever films
Ones that fit in with my other films
Not against historical films
Films with great characters
Emotional conflict films

I like witty films but I prefer them to have other elements (I like Blithe Spirit, if that helps)

Then I definitely, DEFINITELY second my own recommendation for Truly, Madly, Deeply.

Try Sunset Boulevard, (1950) great witty film, great characters, truly a somewhat boggling romantic story.

Holden already mentioned Harvey, so I will strongly second that one.

How do you feel about musicals? Cabaret is a great story with great characters and fantastic acting.

Huh?

recommend constant gardener or brick and pretty much most recent stuff starring robert downey jnr for good characters like a scanner darkly or kiss kiss bang bang.almost forgot you really must see if not own memento

We might have a video of memento somewhere at home
and i've been meaning to watch cabaret

Oh, I like musicals

Have tried any of the discworld novels?

If you have then id recommend The Hogfather.




In the Discworld (a fantasy universe that bears more than a passing resemblance to our own), the winter holidays are overseen by the Hogfather, a jolly fat man in a red suit who comes down the chimney to leave presents for good little girls and boys. Of course, he’s not exactly like Santa – the Hogfather’s sleigh is driven by a team of boars, and children are encouraged to leave out sherry and turnips instead of cookies and milk – but the idea is the same. Who wouldn’t love the Hogfather?

Well, someone doesn’t. A mysterious group of beings hires the Assassins’ Guild to have the Hogfather whacked, and one of the assassins is actually crazy enough to try.

Trust me you'll enjoy this dvd/book

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~In the event of a Zombie Uprising, remember to sever the head or destroy the brain!~

Its a adeptation on DVD from the book.

Hmm...Clerks is pretty whitty (heh, I made a rhyme :]).

Maybe rent The Shining and see how you feel about that.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is really good.
Requiem for a Dream.
300 has really good characters.

My advice is proally going to be completely useless. You should listen to Holden and n3wt.

You could also try lovefilm.com my mate gives it two thumbs up.

Oh, no, I don't like fantasy books.

Oh, I love 'forbidden love' stories. I'm a sucker for those!

Orlando
The Straight Story
Bright Young Things
Breakfast At Tiffany's
Before Sunrise
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
Being John Malkovich
Dangerous Liaisons
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind
City Of God
Run Lola Run
Six Degrees Of Seperation
Addictied To Love
Dog Soldiers (more gore than horror, but bloody funny with it)
The Hustler
Girl, Interrupted
Good Night, And Good Luck
Downfall
Ed Wood
Get Carter (1971)
The Long Good Friday
The Hitcher
Sense & Sensibility (1995)

TV
House Of Elliot (1991 BBC)
Bleak House (US title "Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House" I'm assuming that the Pride & Prejudice you have is the '95 BBC version. If not, then you need to see that.)
Life On Mars (The US version starts in the fall, but my guess is this'll be grittier. Obviously it'll have more of a UK bias though, so you might not get all the references.)


Of everything I've listed here, if you only see one, then make sure it's The Straight Story. To be honest with you, if I meet someone who doesn't like that film, then I don't consider them to be human.

What are some of these films about? Yes it's the 95 bbc adaption. and i wanna get ashes to ashes on dvd as i am a total 80's girl