"Sight unseen" gems (1 Viewer)

[MartinTeller]

The "impulse buying blunders" thread got me thinking about all the movies I've bought sight unseen, and I did a count. Currently, 97 out of 249 movies in my collection were bought without having ever seen them. I didn't realize I was such a risk-taker! (Of course, about 10 of those 97 are in my "to be sold" pile, and another 15-20 still haven't been watched).

What are your favorite movies that you bought sight unseen? For me:

* most of the Jackie Chan movies I've bought... a few have been disappointing, but for the most part I've been pleased (mainly because I've been very careful about checking reviews before I buy any J.C. film)

* High and Low, The Hidden Fortress, Sanjuro, and Yojimbo... Kurosawas that had previously slipped under my radar. Now where's my Red Beard, Ikiru, Dreams and Dodeskaden???

* Moulin Rouge... just watched it the other night, brilliant!! Ran out the next day to buy Romeo + Juliet.

* The Wicker Man... made me wish I had bought the limited edition box (which I still might do)

* 12 Monkeys and Fight Club... both movies I had avoided for years because of a lack of faith in the lead actors (Willis and Pitt)

and...

Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Dancer in the Dark

Kwaidan

Black Orpheus

Suburbia (the Penelope Spheeris one)

Rock n Roll High School

Zoolander

 

[Rain]

Gosh, there are just too many to mention.
But this weekend I watched one of these--Designing Woman. While it's certainly not in the running for the greatest film ever made, it was a charming and delightful light entertainment.
Consider it recommended.

 

[george kaplan]

I've never bought a dvd sight unseen except for gifts.

 

[Brook K]

Lot's, I used to never buy films sight unseen, but I do it all the time now:

Sullivan's Travels

The Lady Eve

The Blue Angel

The Last Laugh

Broken Blossoms

That Obscure Object Of Desire

are just some of the great films I've bought unseen. This month, 5 of the 8 DVD's I'm buying I've never seen.

 

[SteveGon]

I pulled a two-fer last week: I picked up The Saragossa Manuscript and Donnie Darko sight-unseen. I like weird movies so hopefully I won't be disappointed!

 

[Evan Case]

Wages of Fear: Couldn't get that cover out of my head.
WWII in Color: Not really much risk here. The title is description enough.
Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy 1-9: I'd read about their silent classics for years, so I practically knew them. No regrets on the purchase.
Any of the others were parts of boxsets, such as Barry Lyndon or various Monty Python episodes.
With the exception of Wages of Fear, I don't think I've ever bought, or will ever buy, a title purely on impulse without first knowing what to expect.
Evan

 

[Jefe Noche]

Mistakes:
Moulin Rouge (needed to see it, but not own it)
The Pledge
Worth the "Risk" (Thank you HTF )
Pi
Antz
Ben Hur
Chinatown
Das Boot
Patton

 

[LukeB]

Good Sight Unseen Purchases

Galaxy Quest

The Straight Story

Fantasia 2000 (from the Fantasia Anthology)

2001: A Space Odyssey

Funny Farm

The Great Escape

There are tons more, but these come to mind. I've gotten to become pretty good and picking out movies that I have a feeling I'll like.

 

[MartinTeller]

Oh, I forgot! TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2!! I never expected to love these movies, but a friend had praised them so much that I took a chance when I saw the Toy Box selling cheap.

 

[JonZ]

Off the top of my head........

Wickerman

Ghost World

Donnie Darko

Moby Dick (1956)

A Touch Of Evil

Beyond The Mat

Titus

Training Day

The Way Of The Gun

Memento

 

[Walt Riarson]

Mistakes:
Wonder Boys (decent movie, but overrated)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (this one just didn't do much for me)
Worth the Risk:
Basic Instinct
Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
The Wicker Man
Theater of Blood
Planet of the Vampires

 

[Ryan L B]

i got the rock criteron, kingpin, there's something about mary and all in the family season 1 for about $105

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Great
Yojimbo: Criterion Collection
Sanjuro: Criterion Collection
The Hidden Fortress: Criterion Collection
Not So Great
Brazil: Criterion Collection
Awful
nothing yet
I refuse from now on to buy things site unseen.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Of my 77 DVD's, 41 are titles I saw on DVD for the very first time. I didn't see them on TV, VHS, or even in the theater.

Some of the titles I saw on DVD first for the first time include 8 1/2, North By Northwest, City Lights, Some Like It Hot, It Happened One Night, Being There, and even Nosferatu (1922). Suffice to say...I'm very pleased when I get to see a movie for the first time and I like it.

Most are titles I recived as gifts or by good word. I have yet to buy a DVD-first movie that I didn't enjoy.

 

[Bill J]

I only buy DVDs for films that I truly love, so I never bought a DVD for a film that I haven't seen.

 

[Cary T]

This is only for american movies (I've bought tons of anime series box sets unseen). I have 7 DVD's I've bought unseen. My favorite my favorite of the 7 is Ghost World.

 

[Kevin Leonard]

I can honestly say 65 to 70 percent of my collection is made up of films I hadn't seen prior to purchasing. And lo and behold, I've held on to all but one of 'em! (The DVD in question was Romper Stomper, which was good, but I got the feeling I wouldn't be watching it again.)
Some of the more notable sight-unseen buys:
American Pie
American Movie
Bad Taste
Black Narcissus
Bring It On
Chicken Run
The Claim
Cube
Def by Temptation
Donnie Darko
The Doors Collection
Fishing with John
For All Mankind
Ghost Dog
Ghost World
The Limey
Office Space
Out of Sight
Permanent Midnight
Re-Animator
Sexy Beast
The Sopranos: Seasons One and Two
Sullivan's Travels
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Titus
Traffik (original UK miniseries)
Wonder Boys
And many, many more.
That's the thing I love most about DVD: they allow me to discover a lot of great films/tv shows/documentaries that I otherwise might have never seen.

 

[Scott D S]

When I bought the Stanley Kubrick Collection (version 2), I hadn't seen Lolita or Barry Lyndon.

Other that that, the only other DVDs I have purchased without having actually wacthed the program before was Jurassic Park 3 (to finish the collection and get the 4th disc) and Clerks: The Amimated Series (I am a huge Kevin Smith fan).