Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I've used that same phrase, substituting "listening to" for "watching," especially early in our marriage when I was collecting records (vinyl) and again when I switched to CD. Considering she *knows* I very much dislike "live" TV and do 95% of my viewing via DVD/BR you'd think she'd know better by now. I've *never* liked being dependent on what some DJ or TV station wanted me to hear/see. That's why every car I've ever owned has had a cassette deck (in 1970 when all my friends had 8-track) or CD player and also why I jumped into movie/TV show collecting as soon as DVD became the default media (I never purchased pre-recorded tapes - I know how fragile and tenuous they are - I made my own tapes for the car off albums/CDs).

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I'm 100% with you; though the millennials would counter the argument with 1 word, "streaming".

Even a few years back before video streaming I was writing a will & trying to find SOMEONE/ANYONE to leave my HUGE music & movie collection to. No one (Including the college I went to) wanted it; & I mean no one.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Overseas? That would be tough with the collection. What country are you going to? I'd love to move to Europe, but don't have the $'s, & it would be really tough with my feline family.

I've been trying to find a way to get rid of 2/3 of my book collection (I have a Kindle & I HAVE to downsize). Not only no takers so far, but I packed them in boxes that I can't lift & that won't fit in my car!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

This being the presumed last day of the sale, I just squeaked an order through:

Forgotten Noir Vol. 1-5, 7-9 (6 is no longer on sale, if it ever was)
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (already have the R2 DVD, but will appreciate the subtitles)
British Noir Double Feature (The Slasher / Twilight Women)
Positively No Refunds (Bride of the Beast / White Gorilla)
Jerry Warren Collection #1 (Man Beast / Batwoman / Curse of the Stone Hand)
Precode Hollywood Double Feature (Hell Harbor / Jungle Bride)

Also just squeaked past the $50 mark for free shipping.

Hehe, there's also a vague possibility that I could be moving overseas in a few years, but I look on my movie collection as an asset. Not every country in the world is streaming-friendly. I've occasionally even daydreamed about hosting a weekly movie night at the local library!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

That's actually an excellent point; IF you can afford the shipping. I couldn't.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Well I wasn't gonna bite since somebody posted a deal at Kino ;). But I said WTH since I've been looking at VCI stuff for a long time. Decided on these, largely based on everybody's posts in this thread. Not a big fan of Noir, and found I actually had a few of the Noir I've picked up at thrift stars, so I tried to get a fairly good sampling. Anyone I took the plunge. Thanks everyone for the helpful posts !! :thumbsup:

BEST OF BRITISH CLASSICS: HELL IS SOLD OUT 8492 $3.99
BEST OF BRITISH CLASSICS: THE GIRL-GETTERS 8489 $3.99
DIANA DORS Double Feature 8652 $3.99
EL HOMBRE INVISIBLE – ORIGINAL MEXICAN CLASSIC 8728 $3.99
GUYANA TRAGEDY: THE JIM JONES STORY 8505 $3.99
I WAS A SPY 8749 $3.99
JERRY WARREN COLLECTION #1 KPF628 $3.99
JERRY WARREN COLLECTION #2 KPF629 $3.99
NAKED KISS, THE - Collector's Edition 8481 $3.99
NIGHT VISITOR, THE 8881 $3.99
PHANTOM CREEPS, THE 8508 $3.99
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS 8420 $3.99
SCREAM THEATER Double Feature VOL 4 8786 $3.99
STAR AND THE STORY COLLECTION VOLUME 1, THE 8595 $3.99

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I finally placed an order.. I missed out on Gabby Cartoons before price went up. Got most of what I wanted by waiting for titles to be added. Passed on some because they were DVD-r.


WATCH ME WHEN I KILL
3 NUTS IN SEARCH OF A BOLT
PROMISES! PROMISES!
ACROSS THE BRIDGE
39 STEPS,
THE Night VISITOR, THE
SANDWICH MAN, THE
few other non bargain bin for free shipping.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

So here we are on February 1st, and the sale is still up and running. You know, just in case anyone found more money laying around that they had no other use for. I'm now convinced VCI is only keeping it active because they've been diligently huddled around their computers all weekend watching my shopping cart, which has been in constant flux, adding this, dropping that, but rarely dipping below about 40 titles (in addition to the 41 I've already purchased earlier in the sale). Jesus. I am getting better at cross referencing certain single titles to the many "collections" they have, since many of those actually combine multiple single-disc titles (as opposed to putting two movies on a single disc and dropping the extras) and might actually be a bit cheaper (per-disc) during VCI's 60% off Black Friday sale, assuming they do that again this year, and assuming everything is still in print and still on pressed DVD by then. Still clicking away . . .

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I bit on this one this time out. I watched it last night and found it's a passable early 60s Sex Comedy (of errors) with a bit of nudity. They repeat, and repeat, and repeat (4 or 5 times) the same shot of a nude Jayne Mansfield rolling around on the bed (it somewhat mimics the Marilyn Monroe Playboy spread). That's surprisingly the worst part of the film as it has little to no bearing on what's happening. The print is quite good. For some reason I expected to hear the Bacharach and David song "Promises, Promises" used as the theme song in spite of it being written for the 1968 play. -screwy-

Of course since I decided to *not* make that second order last last night I check today to find the sale is still going on and the titles I want are still included...

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I had to call VCI today to fix a glitch in my last order and was surprised and disappointed to learn that their stalwart CSR Penny is no longer with them. I had been dealing with her for years and she was fantastic. I was told she moved on to a better job with another company, which is nice for her, of course, but I'll definitely miss her.

The rep I spoke to today was very nice and resolved my issue. I asked about the sale and she said she didn't know how long it would last, but that if it were up to her it would just keep going on. She said they have way too much product on hand and it's time to move it out.

I wound up ordering THE LOST CITY serial yesterday and added all of the U.K./RANK war titles to the order. I spent about an hour researching the latter and found nothing but great reviews for all of them. As Brian and others have posted earlier, these are the types of DVDs that are going to disappear or go strictly MOD, so picking them up now is the way to go.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Oh, I wish I hadn't read that . . . :lol:

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Seeing the sale is still going on I pretty much did the same thing. I'll probably wind up ordering most, if not all, of them myself.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Those have likewise been in my cart for a while now, despite many of them already being reissued in the VCI's British War Film Collection sets (which could be cheaper per film at Black Friday time). One of those is a 4 film, 4 disc set -- which means they repurpose existing discs -- while the other is a 4 film, 2-disc set where they've been paired up on single discs, most likely without extras. It'd be nice if they'd be more consistent with their collections, but I suspect double feature discs will be the way of the future meaning, eventually, the sets with all single-title discs will be the next collector's items to keep an eye on when they eventually get replaced.

For balance, I just added a Mexican wrestling movie called Las Mujer Murcielago (aka Batwoman) almost entirely based on the clip on its page, and because, for once, the character in the movie -- and in particular her costume -eek- -- actually matches the painted poster art on the sleeve! I'll make due without subtitles. :)

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I wish they would have a section for "newly added" if the sale is going to be ongoing.

Also hope they ship a little faster than in the past.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Hmmm.... didn't pick up on that one. I can wait as I tend to like those sets better than lots of single titles.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Yes, that'd be nice.
I did my first order fairly early in the sale and it came within a week! That's the fastest I've ever received a order from them.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I just noticed it's been a week since I ordered & no shipping notice. I emailed them; hopefully will hear back tomorrow.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Then you should order SILVER FLEET and MORNING DEPARTURE now at $3.99 because those two are not included on the sets. ;)

I wasn't aware of the sets either, so thanks for that, Brian. I may cancel my order for THE WAY AHEAD, SEA OF SAND and WE DIVE AT DAWN and pick them up in the sets at a future sale. That way I can get the other titles as well. I don't think there are many extras on these, the Rank titles in general from VCI tend to be bare bones, so getting them in the sets is probably the way to go!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I've ordered from them twice and received no shipping notice, just an order confirmation.

My latest order was placed last Tuesday and I received it yesterday. The previous order was during Christmas season and it took a couple of days longer to arrive, but still within a respectable amount of time.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

I started getting paying more attention to their collections while compiling my latest cart. I've bought a few of the collections in the last two Black Friday sales (Deadly Dames 3-Disc, 80's Fun Films 4-Disc, Classic Rank Sampler Vol. 1 4-disc [mainly to get Ferry To Hong Kong], Noir Classics Vol. 1 6-disc, Psychotronica Vol. 1 3 disc), and it wasn't until after my $3.99 Sale orders shipped that I noticed a couple of singles I purchased were already in these sets.

Browsing around their site reveals that VCI rebundles a lot of their titles, so while these singles will very likely go out of print at some point, the physical discs they have left over may very well end up in new collections. I'm still stocking up on a lot of these singles because I can at least make a little money on them on Amazon Marketplace up here if I decide they're not worth adding to my core collection.

Other 'collections' to check first should probably include:

JESSIE MATTHEWS COLLECTION VOL. 2 (4 discs)
Volume 1 must have gone out of print, which suggests that even VCI's collections might have expiry dates!
DIRK BOGARD COLLECTION VOL. 1 (4 discs)
DIRK BOGARD COLLECTION VOL. 2 (2 discs)
DIRK BOGARD COLLECTION VOL. 3 (4 discs)
Volumes 1 and 3 repurpose single disc titles, but Volume two doubles them up. Its singles -- Boys in Brown, Once a Jolly Swagman, Hunted, Dear Mr Prohack -- have all been in the $3.99 sale at various times and might be preferable.
FORGOTTEN NOIR COLLECTIONS (3 discs each)
These pair up the existing double features and may be cheaper at Black Friday
JOHN MILLS COLLECTION (4 disc)
You'll find Morning Departure tucked away in this one.
RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH COLLECTION (2 discs)
Morning Departure is in this one too, but obviously it's doubled up with another title and loses its extras (if any)
KENNETH MORE COLLECTION (4 disc)
All titles available as singles in the $3.99 sale, but again probably cheaper to get this set at Black Friday if you're interested in all four.
ROMANTIC COMEDY 4-PACK (2 discs)
All four of these titles are in the $3.99 sale, or have been, as singles, but they're doubled up here without extras.
NOIR COLLECTION 4 PACK (2 discs)
Four solid titles doubled up here with no extras. You're better off buying the well-appointed singles. Naked Kiss is also available as a single in the Deadly Dames collection.
STEWART GRANGER COLLECTION (4 disc)
Three of these titles are in the $3.99 sale, but one -- Love Story -- is no longer available on VCI's site, so perhaps it's OOP?





I'm not sure VCI does shipping confirmations or tracking anymore. I just checked back through my emails from the past couple of years and noticed that I only get order and payment confirmations. Most of the shipments arrived within a couple of weeks, though.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Brian, I'm rethinking making any changes to my last order based on the possibility you brought up about collections potentially going out of print. It's also possible that even if the collection stays in print, one or two of the titles may go MOD as has happened with some of their Serial packs. I was going to cancel three of the Rank War titles I ordered and wait to buy the sets during a 60% off sale, but now I'm not so sure it's a good idea just to save $12. This way I'm guaranteed of getting those three titles in print and pressed.

As always, thanks for sharing all your research, Brian.

EDIT TO ADD: Well, my thriftiness got the better of me and I decided to cancel my order of the three Rank war titles that are available in collections. I'll just gamble that the sets will still be in print and pressed during the next 60% sale.

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

DAMMIT, they added more titles! Plenty of stuff NOT in the collection sets, either. And just when I'd thought I was finally ready to checkout with 44 discs. Bastards are doing this on purpose. They know I can't resist. :lol:

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Order arrived today. Guess I'm going back to the site. I repeat, I wish they'd add a new arrivals section to the sale!

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Almost everything that interested me was a MOD. Does anyone know if Return Of Chandu is a significant upgrade from the Alpha?

Re: Official VCI/ROAN/ALPHA Bargain Thread
 

Worth noting (although not all the new additions, of course):

THE AFTERMATH
ARSENAL MURDER MYSTERY
BAD GEORGIA ROAD (DVD-R)
DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (not the deluxe, but still some nice extras)
DIXIE DYNAMITE (DVD-R)
EYES IN THE NIGHT (DVD-R)

FIRST A GIRL (DVD-R)
THERE GOES THE BRIDE
I believe these were also in the first Jessie Matthews collection, which is also OOP)

FROM THE DEPTHS Double Feature (amusing 70's pseudo-science "documentaries"
GUNS AND GUTS
GUYANA CRIME OF THE CENTURY (VCI's other Jonestown flick is pretty good)
NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH (also in one of the noir 4-packs, but doubled up with another title and minus the extras)
POSITIVELY NO REFUNDS DOUBLE FEATURE
QUACKSER FORTUNE . . .
SANTA CLAUS Special Edition (English version)

GETTING IT ON (DVD-R)
HOMEWORK
ROCKIN' ROAD TRIP
SUMMER SCHOOL
Both of these are available, pressed, in the 80's Fun Flicks collection which should be a cheaper option at Black Friday

JUNIOR G-MEN OF THE AIR - still on pressed DVD
TAILSPIN TOMMY - ditto!

Three AZTEC MUMMY discs - no subs, but excellent prints. Looks like they've added several other Mexican titles as well