Some software thoughts (personal and otherwise) on this July 4th. (1 Viewer)

[RAF]

Happy 4th of July to all our American members. Today has provided me with some interesting software related items that I’d like to share with you.
As some of you know I have a fairly substantial video disc collection. With the demise of LDs as a medium offering new releases, the number of titles on he LD side of my software ledger stopped (at least for now) at exactly 1776 titles (which is well over 2000 discs because of multiple disc LD sets.)
And, as many of you know the movie, 1776, has just been released on DVD this week. It just so happens, with no previous planning on my part (which makes this seem a little weird to me), that this DVD happens to be the 1776th DVD title in my collection! So, not only has the number of DVDs in my archives caught up with my LDs (in about ½ the time) but there is this curious coincidence regarding the number of this movie in my DVD collection (which I generally number in order of purchase except for certain sets). The irony of all of this caught my eye and I just wanted to share it with you. (For those interested, the total count of all discs now stands at approximately 4200.)
So, the numerical trivia aside, what did I do this Fourth of July? Naturally, I decided to watch the movie, 1776. While it had its moments (I had missed this one both on Broadway and in its LD release) I must say that I was generally disappointed. This is probably a bit of a case of over-hyping. I’d read of the restoration, the inclusion of over 20 minutes of “missing” footage, etc. and all the rest. Quite frankly, I thought it was drawn out, contrived, and I’m not in love with any of the songs (even though I’m a big fan of musicals.) In fact I can’t think of one song from 1776 that I will be humming. While I generally like to show musicals off to my grand-kids, and they love them, I really don’t think that this musical would hold their interest. In fact, while there are musical numbers, I don’t really think of this movie as a true musical.
Sorry to disappoint any 1776 fans, but that’s just the way that I feel about this release. And, as we like to say here, "your mileage may vary." On the other hand, there is another recent release out there on DVD that I highly recommend for watching on this 4th of July (or at any other time, for that matter). I’ve seen it twice so far and will probably watch it again this weekend. The title? The Majestic, starring Jim Carrey and a great supporting cast. This film totally took me by surprise and, in my estimation, is far more appropriate (not to mention enjoyable) than 1776 in capturing the true spirit of the holiday. I highly recommend this mostly overlooked title for your consideration and I consider it one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. A bit sappy? Perhaps. But a nice story with tremendous performances, picture and sound throughout.
So there you have it. Some numerical oddities, a couple of films, and some random thoughts from the old timer on a lazy summer day.
Enjoy!

 

[Jack Briggs]

RAF, an interesting anecdotal post. Did you, by any chance, indulge in the reading of tea leaves or use Tarot cards during this experiment? This numerical curiosity surely cannot be a mere coincidence. JB

 

[RAF]

No, Jack, but let me share an even odder circumstance. Usually my DVDs arrive in packages of between 4-12 titles but in the case of 1776 it came as a single title. So there was no mistaking that it was my "1776th" title since there was no shuffling involved.
Very, very weird. Of course, there is one disclaimer here (which would throw all this out as an absolute). I've resisted the temptation of numbering my STTNG boxed sets (currently the first 3 seasons) until I receive all 7 boxes. That's because I don't want to be moving them around all the way until December. Besides, the whole purpose of my numbering these titles is to find them on the shelves (using DVD Profiler as an indexer) and the STTNG boxes don't exactly shrink into the background.

So, "technically" I guess 1776 came in as my 1779th DVD acquisition but you know damn well I'm placing a "1776" numerical label on it. And since I had already decided on holding off on the STTNG title numbering long before I got the 1776 DVD that makes it even weirder.
Someone's pulling the strings!

 

[Cees Alons]

So, "technically" I guess 1776 came in as my 1779th DVD acquisition ...

Yes, but you didn't know that when you decided to wait for the completion of your STTNG-set, so this actually made it even weirder. Now the forces behind it even influenced your thought processes to get the desired result...
Oh, and as you may have guessed from other evidence, your recommendation led me to order The Majestic, and it's on its way by 'planes and boats and trains' to my collection...
Thanks!
Cees

 

[RAF]

I think you'll like The Majestic, Cees. And the fact that one of the major themes of the film (there are many!) is the renovation of a aging theater makes it even more attractive to many of us who share the love of movies.
I can't say enough good things about this film (probably because I wasn't expecting much.) Of course, now by "hyping" it it will probably disappoint some others.
And yes, getting back to the numerology of my DVD collection, it did not escape me that my decision to hold off on numbering my STTNG "boxes" contributed to the movie 1776 being No. 1776 in my collection. Since I made this decision way back when I received STTNG Season One this makes it even stranger.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I am of course compelled to talk whenever 1776 is mentioned, and what i would say to Robert is that the film gets better with repeat viewings (as Ive seen it at least 100 times now)

Some of the novelty came from knowing a 141 minute version, then having one some 30 minutes longer, but for a lover of history and comedy, its a really great film

and while i thought the magestic was overall an enjoyable, i think it is far to capra-corny / sappy for the holiday! 1776 packs some good emotional punches toward the end, without getting syrupy (now that the scoring has been altered that is....)

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Raf,
This is one of the most startling threads
I have recently read. 1776 becomes
your 1776th DVD? How odd is that? I bet
that's something that CLEO the tarot reader
could never have predicted.
Sorry to hear about your disappointment with
1776. This is one of my top 10 favorite
movies but to be honest, had I not seen this
first as a child, I would probably not be a
fan today. Children are more impressionable
than adults sometimes.
Glad to hear you liked The Majestic.
Members here raked me over the coals when my
review recommended this title. Since then,
it has been fun reading about more and more
people falling in love with this film.

 

[Ken Chan]

Hmm, interesting coincidence.
My 1776 LD is on at this moment, and I'm enjoying it as much as ever. Lots of clever lines, and the songs are memorable (easy when you've heard them a few dozen times ).
I forgot to order the DVD, and am rectifying that now too.
//Ken

 

[RAF]

It was not really my intention to "bash" 1776 but to give my impressions of this film as a sidebar to what is an interesting coincidence in my DVD numbering scheme. I can see where repeated viewings might cause this film to grow on a person and I certainly will give it a chance.
Perhaps some of my disappointment came from the fact that this film has been highly touted by a lot of people over the years (including Ron Epstein) and cries for a restoration at least piqued my curiosity. I guess I was just expecting more. And as a "musical" it just doesn't click for me. It's not just the poor singing voices (after all, if I could put up with Lee Marvin in "Paint Your Wagon" I could survive anything ) but the tunes were far and few between and didn't really seem to fit in. But, like I said, that's just my opinion and I respect those who love this film.
As I said, part of my expectations probably came from the build-up. I remember when Forest Gump came out and I was one of the last to see it. With all the hype there's no way it could live up to it and I also was expecting more. Like 1776, I probably would have liked FG more if I knew nothing about it beforehand. And that's also why I probably was so pleasantly surprised with The Majestic. I knew nothing about it (other than it starred Jim Carrey and was directed by the person who directed Shawshank and Green Mile). I really liked it and successive viewings have reinforced this for me. Yes, it has that Capra-esque "small town America believes in the common man" theme but it doesn't take the easy way out where it could.
When Jim Carrey's character finally remembers who he is, he tells his "girlfriend" before she discovers the real evidence for herself. Most formula films take the easy way out.

But, different strokes for different folks. I loved The Majestic and was lukewarm with 1776. Some will see it just the opposite or love or hate them both. I'm old enough to understand the "inside jokes" (as a History minor in college) in 1776 so it's not as though anything went over my head or under my radar. But, like I said, that's just my opinion. (And, no, I wasn't there in 1776 so it's not first person stuff! )
I will give 1776 a chance. Of course, I've only got about 1000 other titles waiting in the queue!

P.S. I just realized it's the fifth anniversary of my joining the forum. Happy fifth on the fourth!