I am just curious (and dont want to be blasted for this), but since I have been around the boards for a couple weeks now I noticed that alot of people really hype having alot of horror movies and international stuff in collections. Why is this? I am not saying anything wrong or bad about I am just wondering.

I myself dont much enjoy foreign films and most of my horror is mainstream stuff to go along with what I will admit is a mostly mainstream collection. Although I do enjoy collecting mostly films that I either really thought were cool or have significance in the film history.

So why all the horror and just what is attracting about international films?

And again please dont blast me, its just a question.

I don't get the horror. Horror movies are the lowest form of movies. But people like them. As for international movies, well a lot of them happen to be pretty good. I don't think there are too many collections built only on horror or foreign films or both. Its mostly a mix.

With an opinion like that, I'd be suprised if you didn't work for Paramount. It's just like any other genre of film, some are crap, some are good.

I collect almost everything - mainstream, sf, international, etc. It depends on what my mood is. As for horror, I tend to watch it when I am brain dead from the stress in my job (For example having to deal with an idiot who has a foot fetish who molested two teenagers in the library) When I get home these films are about all I can take
Austin
PS the police are still looking for him

It's all personal preference. You buy movies you like, you buy genres you like, simple as that.

I ran out of domestic things I was interested in so I started branching out to foreign (esp HK/Chinese) cinema...

They're both areas where a collection is likely to be somewhat distinctive, once you get beyond the well-known titles. And if you have a distinctive collection, in whatever genre, you're more likely to talk about it than if you have a more mainstream, or less focused, collection.

I guess I'm one of those DVD Talkers straddling the arthouse and the grindhouse. The only movies I truly despise are of the formulaic mainstream variety. Surprise me. Shock me. Show me something I haven't see before.

Familiarity breeds contempt. And boredom.

I don't know what the deal with horror is. Most of the horror I've seen is trash.

As for what is attractive about international films, ask yourself what is attractive about American films. You might respond by saying there is nothing inherently attractive about American films, but there are some truly outstanding films that come from the USA. The same is true for films made outside the USA. An interest in foreign films is an indication that one has a true appreciation of cinema, because these films typically need to be sought out and discovered.

The same could be said of why people have lots of comedy or sci fi. Its just people tastes. I personally have lots of sci fi and not many horror

99% of everything is crap. Therefore 99% of [your favorite genre here] is crap.

Well said...........


Fifteen years ago you would not catch me watching a movie with subtitles....I sure found out what I was missing.

My advice, go to Roger Eberts Top 100 films and look them over...its a starting point to many wonderful foreign and domestic films...who knows you may just find something that you love!

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatmovies/

Could you elaborate on what you don't enjoy about "foreign films." Do you not like reading subtitles, or is it that you don't feel that you can relate to any stories set outside the United States, or something else?

There'ya go! A big reason for having a DVD collection in the first place is to have those niche films at your disposal. Most horror and foreign films are NOT mainstream. Films like "Burial Ground" and "Inferno" not going to easily be found to rent.

Also, horror and foreign films often times have a lot of atmosphere. They (the good ones anyways) pay special attention to set the tone and mood. Each one (again, the good ones) have a "personality" that is unique.

In contrast, you can take any Adam Sandler/Ben Stiller movie and they are pretty much interchangeable.

What I have difficulty understanding is why people collect mainstream titles that are readily available for rent at every Hollywood Video and Blockbuster.

A large portion of my collection would be at home in arthouse or grindhouse theatres.

In my younger days, I used to be just an average mainstream film watcher. Just something to do to kill a couple hours, like the majority of the population. When I started to get interested in horror, foreign, cult, etc. films, I started to become a film lover, films started to interest me on a different level instead of just being a casual diversion. I suddenly became interested in the actual people involved in front of and behind the camera. I started noticing certain film styles, homages, construction, etc., in other words, I started actually watching films. I became interested in the art form itself. Anyway, its the non mainstream stuff that caused this interest, and these are the films I want to own and watch (and perhaps analyse) over and over again. Mainstream films? Nah, usually once is enough (sometimes more than enough), and I don't feel the need to own them.

For me, it's a little of both. The only real foreign films that I am interested in are generally WWII films. For example, Das Boot and Stalingrad. I can tolerate subtitles if they're from a German/Russian source. But I despise French. (Which is why I always watch the English-dubbed version of Brotherhood of the Wolf.)

And as for relating to stories outside the US, that is a big part of it too. Quite frankly, I don't get the European lifestyle. If anything, I understand the oriental lifestyle more and will watch a Far East film before I watch a European one. Maybe it's that the European urban state is so different than anything in the States. By that I mean, the tight and narrow streets, and the clumped together buildings. But I also know, through personal contact, that Europeans really don't know much about American life either. One strange but obvious thing is the difference in our driving habits. In America, we drive everywhere and often. In Europe, they seem to rely more on mass transit and therefore they criticize American use of fossil fuels. (My personal contact was a far left-wing Parisian.)

I'm not a real big fan of general drama of which I find of alot of, shall we say, non-mainstream, film.

Also, I don't own a single comedy DVD. I used to somewhat like comedy when I was younger, but in my middle-age years, comedy does nothing for me. In fact, I find most comedy just silly.

Horror? Now that's a genre I too don't have much interest in either. The only horror films I own are basically the Alien and Predator films.


My favorite genres are sci-fi/fantasy, action blockbusters (including comic book hero stuff), historical epics (including war movies), and Westerns. My animation interest is generally with the new stuff, mainly CGI shows, ie. Beast Wars/Machines, Roughnecks, Shadow Raiders: War Planets. I don't hardly care at all for anime.

I have very little horror in my collection. I plan on adding more but it isn't a genre that really interests me much. I like old campy stuff, ghost stories and other psychological movies but don't usually enjoy slasher films.

I don't consider "foreign" to be a genre. My dvds of foreign films are comprised of many different genres. I love Chinese action, french dramas, some Italian horror, Japanese samurai, and gritty Mexican films. I also love hollywood classics, american crime films and super hero movies. I'm also starting to explore silent film. It is a mistake to get hung up about where a movie is made. There are well made, interesting films made all over the world. Why be content with the formulaic american movie scene where it is rare to green light a movie that isn't part of a franchise, a remake or a sequel? The world is your oyster.

Some are turned off by subtitles, but they don't bother me. I've gotten so used to them that I actually sometimes turn them on during english movie, which is a language that I completely understand.

Anybody else see a bit of a contradiction in those two statements? I'd say -- and, judging by most of the pro-horror responses here, I'm not alone -- that great horror films typically need to be sought out and discovered more than great foreign films; I could make a blanket statement like "people who like foreign films tend to list largely the same directors (Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Ozu, Antonioni, de Sica, etc. [I left Fellini off because he's almost mainstream, comparitively])", but, fact is, it'd be evidence more of my own limitations than those of the fans of the genre in question.

And, hey, let's not forget ... some foreign films *are* horror films! But I guess you have to seek those out and discover ... that they're trash. Right?

God bless you, Groucho. Except that my favorite genre is crappy films.

My horror collection began one Halloween when I tried to rent some horror flicks at the local Hollywood video -- there was nothing left of any value. After that, I started collecting horror movies and each Halloween (or week of Halloween), I tend to watch plenty of horror movies to make Halloween all the more special -- and now I always have plenty to choose from.

WTF? So, just plain ol' zenophobia and provincialism?

I live in Boston, and your description of Europe sounds a lot like home to me. Also sounds like NY, SF, Philly, to name a few. You ought to get off the plantation sometime. Expand your mind. Broaden your horizons. Or not.

Because some people like to watch movies more than once. Even if they are mainstream.

I knew it was about time, once again, to defend the library and my taste in film. since thats getting old and very boring...I'll pass this time. judging someone on the taste they have...and the collection they have....is a waste of time. as far as horror....take a look at my library contents. but be warned...you will choke yerself on all the horror. but at the same time...my library is also very well-rounded and pound for pound....a great selection based on MY tastes....not the dude next door. I see many collections with nothing but mindless comedy, but why ask why? go for whatever you want and I promise I'll care less. UNLESS....you share a similar taste to mine.



I cant believe this is being asked again. I guess people just are not into building personal libraries any longer. what a freakin' shame.

There's no good reason not to have an international DVD collection, unless you don't take movies seriously. Most of the great Hollywood and otherwise American classics of the past thirty years, even, were either directed by foreign directors, or heavily influenced by a mixture of foreign and American movies.

Some people would say I have a LOT of horror movies.
Others would say I DON'T have too many horror movies.

Why? Because a majority of my horror titles are pre-1970s, and a lot of people don't consider that horror movies existed before 1973.

Good one.

Now if you will excuse me, I got horror movies to watch.