Heartagram

Many of my purchases are blind buys and many have floored me, where as others have dissapointed. But at the moment one title comes to mind an that is

Farscape I just bought Starburst Volume 1 and was absolutly astonished how good this series is, I almost want to go get the more expensive seasons just so I can watch them all now (almost).

LasVegasMichael

I blind buy tv shows often (X Files, Nip/Tuck, Monk, etc), but a couple come to mind as being really good:

Best TV on DVD Blind Buy ever. If you don't already own this, go buy it!


This one ties for best. It is outstanding, and is the original, and best of its genre:


I blind bought the following, and with the exception of S1 being in 4:3, a great blind buy.


another outstanding blind buy tv on dvd choice:



And the one I am most embarassed about. Yes, until the 4D SE, I had never seen this film:



Those are my faves, but there are tons more, I'm sure.

B5Erik

Hey, I've still never seen Gone With the Wind. Ten years from now I will probably say the same thing - I just don't have any great interest in it.

But I'm sure it is extremely well made - it's not the highest attended movie in American movie history for nothing (if it came out today and they sold the same number of tickets now that they did then it would have over a BILLION dollar box office take)!

I'm trying to narrow down my best "blind buy," but it's pretty hard since there have been so many....

DoogieHowser

I keep seeing Firefly on people's lists as a great buy. I never saw the series. I wonder if it is worth the full price fifty bucks? Is it as good as Battlestar Gallactica?

darmok

i have had many personal good blind buys, but my most recent one was "Dog Soldiers" for $6.99 at CC. i'm a sucker for horror flicks, and this one was surprisingly decent.

ctyankee

No idea what the best one was ...

Certainly Mulholland Dr. is way up there. It was released to the theatres around Sept. 11, 2001 so many of us had other things to do besides go to the movies.

Another film that comes to mind is L'Appartement. It had a very small art house distribution in the States but is a terrific film. Currently available as a Region 2 release. It has been shut out in region 1 (so far) because of the Wicker Park remake. No comparison.

reverie

You should be able to find it in the high $30 to mid $40 range, and it is WELL worth the price. Unfortunately I can't give you comparison since I've never seen Battlestar Gallactica.

lizard

No need to pay $50 for it. Firefly is available from places like Amazon, Buy.com and Overstock.com for less than $35 shipped. If you don't like it you could probably sell it used for most of what you paid for it.

If you like Sci-Fi and Westerns you will likely enjoy Firefly. If you don't like those genres, you might not enjoy it. I haven't seen the new Battlestar Galactica, so I can't compare the two series.

There is an old thread called Opinions on Firefly that you might want to check out.

Tassadar

Some of my favorite blind buys have been joss whedon shows, I bought buffy "blind", (well sort of i had seen a few episodes when i was younger but didnt really enjoy the show) and now its one of my favorite shows of all time, I also blind bought Firefly because it was on sale for 20 bucks canadian, and it was a great choice, another great blind buy was Freaks and Geeks, I had never seen it before and based off "internet hype" I decided to check it out.

dcambensy

Another vote for Firefly. The banter between the characters is GREAT. The Jaynesville episode had me rolling.

And

Alias S1

OldBoy

"Dawn of the Dead" (1978)...bought the Divimax and have never looked back!!!!!

JSwarce

Doogie:

Battlestar Gallactica was also a good blind buy for me.

Firefly and BSG are different types of shows. I find BSG to be more of a dramatic series, while Firefly has its fair share of comedy mixed in to the action/adventure. The banter between the characters in Firefly is very intelligent and funny. Both shows are character-driven. I would recommend a purchase of Firefly and a rental of BSG (if you have not watched it on Sci-Fi). As others have said, you can find it for less than $40.

BTW, the same people that did the effects on Firefly also do the effects on BSG (you can spot a Firefly-class vessel in BSG if you look closely!).

John

JIF

BATTLE ROYALE

&

HERO (1 1/2 years before the North American theatrical release).

NCYankee

Best blind buy that was not a blockbuster:
Ginger Snaps

Also, Pitch Black was a good one.

Best series: Band of Brothers


Among better known films, I would say The Last Samurai was a good blind buy.

I have several that I have yet to watch but I think I will like a lot, judging by word-of-mouse:
City of God
Bubba Ho-Tep
Dead Alive
Evil dead II (Not really a blind buy, since I have seen the first and third in the series)

jet

For me the best blind buys have to be the following:

Buffy
The Killers CC
Run Lola Run
Bubba Ho-Tep
Carnival of Souls CC
Peeping Tom CC
Glitter.....J/K

smokinscurvy

Arrested Development - how did I miss this show? Now I watch it religiously or at least Tivo it

Memento:Limited Edition - I was PO'd at the menus ... then awestruck by the movie

Grolim

Best: Sopranos - Bought all 4 sesons at once and loved them.

Worst: Lost in Translation

Mike Lowrey

I got Pitch Black as sort of a blind buy, but I'm not all that thrilled about it.

Band of Brothers, however, I watched and taped the show when it first aired. I only taped it because I didn't want to wait the year or so before it was released on DVD before I could watch it again.

Now The Last Samurai was a blind buy for me. Watched it twice since I've had it and it really is a good movie. A bit slow out in the middle, but once the action begins, it's great.


My latest awesome blind buy is 24 - Season 1. I watched the first episode of Season 2 when it aired, but that's it. However watching this show in a marathon is just awesome. I love the cliff-hangers at the end of each episode.

NCYankee

I think that the final battle in The Last Samurai is one of the most gut-wrenching scenes of sustained violence I have ever seen. And I mean that in a good way.

Mike Lowrey

Really? Sky Captain as reference material? With all the Sepia tones and whatnot?

I thought the movie had very soft looking imagery. And knowing how it was made kept giving me the impression that it was indeed fake. However, it was an interesting visual piece.

Mike Lowrey

Yep, and with the use of the gatling guns to mow down the Samurai was really moving and a bit sad.

That said, the final battle in King Arthur - DC is also very brutal and gut wrenching. Very Braveheart-like.

HistoryProf

3 Women
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
The Beguiled
Le Cercle Rouge
John Cassavetes: Five Films
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Were Warriors
Rear Window
Rififi
Straw Dogs
The Night of the Hunter
Treasure of the Sierra Madre

diespine

fight club, i am suprised a lot more people did not have this on their list since it did not do well in the theaters but i think the dvd sold pretty good

medavidson

Hands down: Arrested Development. Trust us: Get this DVD. If you don't have it and won't just get it, go read about it (then I'll bet you'll get it).

Second choice: Magnolia. Highly recommended. Not for everyone. If you're a fan of the f-word, you may enjoy it though!

movieking

I make a number of non R1 DVD blind purchases, and I just finished watching the Infernal Affairs trilogy, so that would definitely be one of my best blind buys ever. It was terrific.