The Arrow Thread

[Rob4]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

That's the problem when mainstream television doesn't show older classic films any more

Top prize for truest comment of the day.

I like having my collection but I also miss the days when you had a choice of only 3 channels (later 4) and if you wanted to watch something they dictated what you watched. It might not have been a massive choice but paradoxically it expanded your movie viewing experience. I especially liked it when they had a season of a particular Star or Director. In a way Indicator have been bringing that back with their boxsets.

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

That's the problem when mainstream television doesn't show older classic films any more

Even if they did, I still wouldn’t be interested in anything from the Arrow Academy range which is great for my wallet

Same as how I’m not interested in 90% of the stuff 88 Films put out these days since they started putting out shit loads of Shaw Brothers stuff, not my cup of tea and I’m not a fanboy label collector

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

These two films would be okay if you could pick them up for a reasonable price, but twenty quid each for a blind buy is out of the question.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

These two films would be okay if you could pick them up for a reasonable price, but twenty quid each for a blind buy is out of the question.

That's why I always wait for the sales unless the release is limited. I have plenty to watch in the meantime.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

[g053584398]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

That's the problem when mainstream television doesn't show older classic films any more

Very true. Having said that I suspect that the majority of the mainstream contemporary audience wouldn't have any interest in films which don't feature 100 cuts per second, plots that you could write in full on the back of a stamp, actors dressed in superhero costumes or bad CGI.

Each to their own I suppose, but give me the kind of films that Hollywood used to make over contemporary ones any day of the week. Hollywood films were so much better even as recently as the 1990s. At least interesting films continue to be made in countries other than the United States.

[Susan Foreman]

Arrow @ 10

Top 10 Arrow Picks with Richard Ayoade

DEEP RED (1975): Alongside the other Argento’s like TENEBRAE, PHENOMENA and INFERNO. Argento is someone who was always great at creating sequences and mood, and for that I’ll always be drawn to his films – though he never quite seemed to have the attention span for exposition. He really is just one of the best directors of the close-up, and there’ll always be an amazing moment to love in his films. I remember someone saying that they’d rather listen to the sloppiest twenty-minute Jimi Hendrix solo than all of the tight Eric Clapton solos, and I think Argento’s like that.

BLOW OUT (1981): I love this whole era of De Palma, and I would also include SISTERS, OBSESSION and RAISING CAIN within that. The way he uses colour and sound to explore themes, his interest in dissecting dreams and the mechanics of addressing point of view just make him one of the most exciting directors there’s been.

RED SCORPION (1988): By no means the greatest film ever created, but there’s something I find very funny about the rehabilitation of a Soviet man to American values: that political-conversion-themed-action-film genre…I’m sure there’ll be more.

COFFY (1973): I would include this alongside Foxy Brown. There’s still never been anyone like Pam Grier, I think she’s just a brilliant actress. Both those films are really exciting, as is that whole era of early ‘70s grindhouse.

THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984): This is one that I never would’ve come across without Arrow Video having released it. There’s a Wes Anderson feel to the credits that I’ve always wondered if he was referencing in LIFE AQUATIC.

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985): This is another one I hadn’t been able to see before Arrow Video released it due to it only ever being available on dodgy prints, despite having always wanted to see it. Again, it’s one of those films that you can’t understand why it isn’t more well-known – and then you see it and you realise how bold the plot directions are and why its audience is so limited. A lot of films Arrow Video release all seem to be taking risks in a way that other films don’t.

THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES (1972): One of the most haunting scores in any gialli. We actually stole parts of this film’s soundtrack for the start of At the Apollo, an Arctic Monkeys concert movie.

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981): Just to represent all the Fulci. I never have strong memories of the plots in his films, again the main things to enjoy about Fulci are those low camera placements and strange points of view. The opening shot in this for example has always stayed with me.

THE FIFTH CORD (1971): Mainly because of Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography, it’s one of the most beautifully shot of the giallo films.

SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984): I’ve always liked coming of age films, and for me John Hughes has as strong a particular voice and aesthetic as any of the directors included on this list.

[Rik]

No sign of the sale on their website, wonder if it starts at noon, but Zavvi have a BOGOF sale on Arrow Video items at the minute. Nothing happening at Amazon yet either

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Rik

No sign of the sale on their website, wonder if it starts at noon, but Zavvi have a BOGOF sale on Arrow Video items at the minute. Nothing happening at Amazon yet either

They haven't started the iTunes sale either which was supposed to be from the 15th, I've been keeping my eye on that so I can get some cheap digital copies of films I might not buy otherwise.

[Rik]

I was right about the noon start

BOGOF