My strategy was to pick dvds I love, from filmmakers I admire.

1. jfrost
2. Franchot
3. Mhepburn20
4. RyoHazuki
5. Cameron
6. dollfins1
7. darkhawk
8. William Fuld

1. jfrost
2. Franchot
3. ryuryu2949
4. RyoHazuki
5. cleaver
6. dollfins1
7. slop101
8. William Fuld’

1. jfrost (Ridiculously difficult decision)
2. exharrison
3. ryuryu2949
4. RyoHazuki
5. cleaver
6. dollfins1 (Was very difficult dismissing Arrested Development)
7. slop101
8. obscurelabel

Before I vote, I want to jot down a few words about my collection.
First and foremost I took into consideration the actual quality of the content - what good is a dvd if the program on it sucks?
So, as most others have, I've picked some of the greatest classics of all time, along with some current and modern-day classics.
But also, what you won't see in my collection is a dvd with weak technical aspects - every dvd has great, worthwhile extras along with top-noch audio and video.

My picks:

1. Drexl vs. jfrost
this one was easy as I like Drexl's movies a lot more, even though I hate hate HATE Forest Gump...

2. Franchot vs. exharrison
Great films in both collections, but Franchot wins because his are the better dvds

3. Mhepburn20 vs.ryuryu2949
another tough one, but Mhephurn just has classier titles.

4. Joe Molotov vs.RyoHazuki
VERY tough call - they both have the same number of stuff I like and stuff I don't
but Ryo's collection is just a little better.

5. cleaver vs.Cameron
Godfather wins it for cleaver.

6. raining_helper vs. dollfins1
both good collections, but dolfins' is the one I'd want to revisit.

7. slop101 vs.darkhawk
duh...

8. obscurelabel vs. William Fuld
both picked some great films, but obscure's choices (though great films) are mostly crappy dvds.

1. jfrost
2. Franchot
3. Mhepburn20
4. RyoHazuki
5. cleaver
6. (really tough) raining_helper
7. slop 101
8. William Fudd

Voting based on what you don't like instead of what you do like?
I don't quite gork that strategy because I feel that a true lover of film will vote for what they like instead of what they don't.

Yeah my tiebreakers are which DVDs I like the most, not the least.

Ok, getting close, so time to defend my collection:

ryuryu2949’s Collection:
1. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition
2. Back to the Future Trilogy (Boxset)
3. Seinfeld Season 4 (TV)
4. Shawshank Redeption 3-disc Deluxe Edition
5. Unforgiven 2-disc SE
6. The Deer Hunter (Legacy Series)
7. The Usual Suspects SE
8. Rashomon (Criterion Collection)
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2-Disc CE)
10. Old School (Unrated, WS)


- From the epic (LOTR: TT EE) to the small-scale (Rashomon), from movies where the camera just allows the brilliant performances to shine (Unforgiven) to movies where the quirky cinematography effectively allows the camera to become one of the performers (Eternal Sunshine); from movies that make you think (The Usual Supsects) to movies where you just turn your brain off and laugh (Old School); from childhood cult favorites (Back to the Future) to undisputed classics (the Deer Hunter); and from movies that give you hope (The Shawshank Redemption) to DVDs that give you the "yada, yada" (Seinfeld), I have strived to create a collection that exhibits a wide range of moods and emotions, while maintaining viewer & critical appeal, and of course, always having substantive special features.

Sure, only one of these movies is a "Criterion Collection" dvd, but under my own "criterion" (and hopefully yours), these DVDs are the ones we keep coming back to.

1. Drexl
2. Franchot
3. Mhepburn20
4. Joe Molotov
5. cleaver
6. dollfins1
7. darkhawk (tough matchup -- slop101 would have won against most others -- BTLC for the win)
8. William Fuld

This Round’s Match-Ups

1. Drexl vs. jfrost
despite how much I hate Forrest Gump, having the decalogue, moulin rouge, and amelie in the same collection makes it very enjoyable over all.

2. Franchot vs. exharrison
hard choice, in both collections there is only one title i don't own myself...
in the end i let the box sets decide, woody allen over bruce lee.

3. Mhepburn20 vs. ryuryu2949
awesome titles, great box set and tv set choices.

4. Joe Molotov vs. RyoHazuki
very equally matched. hard choice. both very solid and nicely diverse, but RHPS, TP, Kubrick, and A Christmas Story tip the scales for me (only stinker imo is The Matrix).

5. cleaver vs. Cameron
neither are particularly strong imo, and as much as i love the godfather trilogy and rushmore, i would never myself want saving private ryan, die hard, or star trek anywhere near my collection.

6. raining_helper vs. dollfins1
both are good, but i own all 10 of the first collection myself. very nice choices with great tv and box set choices.

7. slop101 vs. darkhawk
geez, some of these matchups are just too equally matched. but the first one is very strong without even picking a box set, and deadwood wins out over the thorn birds.

8. obscurelabel vs. William Fuld
i think this is the hardest matchup this time. i would abstain if i could. i own 8 from each group, so i guess it comes down to simpsons over dick van dyke.

Gork? Do you by some chance mean to use the term "grok" in reference to Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land?

From Dictionary.com
Main Entry: gork
Pronunciation: 'gork
Function: noun
medical slang, usually disparaging : a terminal patient whose brain is nonfunctional and the rest of whose body can be kept functioning only by the extensive use of mechanical devices and nutrient solutions —usually used disparagingly —gorked /'gorkt/ adjective medical slang, usually disparaging

D'oh - you're right, I meant grok - it was a tpyo.

Cool. Always liked that term.
Info on grok:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok

I suppose if Ryu defends his I should also jump in this fray:

Mhepburn20’s Collection:
1. The Adventures of Antoine Doinel (Box set)
2. Fanny and Alexander (CC)
3. Beauty and the Beast (CC)
4. Monty Python Megaset Flying Circus (TV)
5. Notorius (CC)
6. Ikuru (CC)
7. Amadeus (2 disc)
8. Looney Tunes Golden Collection
9. Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Vista Series
10. Lawrence of Arabia (LE)

I selected films that elicited strong emotional responses from me regardless of how many times I had viewed them. While selecting I tried to choose from different genres as well as extraordinarily different styles of filmmaking. My collection may contain several criterions but I fail to see how this can be a negative. Hasn't criterion and the films I selected in particular become synonymous with quality? Additionally I have quite a few foreign films on my list and I realize some of these may not be familiar to everyone one. If you haven't seen them I urge you rent anything on my list as they contain what I perceive to be some of the best foreign cinema available in region 1.

I chose Antoine and Fanny & Alexander as much for the movies themselves as how they represented their filmmakers and their contribution to this genre (coming of age movies). I selected Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast out of personal feelings that it is one of the most visually interesting movies and a unique take on what could otherwise be a very tired tale. Monty Python's Flying Circus has always and will always provide hours of amusement for any viewer. Notorious, Ikuru, and Amadeus were selected primarily due to the performance of the lead actors and actresses in each piece as well as being wonderfully representative of their genres and unique films from their directors (Spy thriller, End-of-life drama, and Biopic). After that I ventured into nostalgia territory with the brilliant animation of Looney Tunes in some of their earliest pieces. The next selection, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, is just a fantastic release of a fun, innovative mainstream film and helped in adding comedy to my list. The only genres I felt I was truly lacking in at this juncture were horror and action, I would have loved to select Alien or Aliens at this juncture but both were previously taken so I went towards the action genre with the best character driven action movie of all time: Lawrence of Arabia. Hopefully you have your own great memories with these films that would cause you to choose my collection. If you don't have those memories then at some point in the future I hope you seek them out.

I obviously voted for myself because I need the votes. You're a very strong opponent and I'm honored to be defeated by your list which is excellent. (And by my tally, it looks as though you will be the winner in our race.) Had you been in another match-up against someone else, I would have easily voted for you. If I had to pick a "weak" film from your list, I'd pick maybe "Yi Yi" only because I thought it was going to be a better film than it turned out to be (for me.) Again, it certainly isn't a bad film at all.

In my post, I'm suggesting (and, I guess, not suggesting very well), that all of the films in both match-ups are very good and pretty much cancel each other out with their excellence. I was forced to look for the one "weak" film that lessened the entire list. At least, that was my reasoning.

1. Drexl
2. Franchot
3. Mhepburn20
4. Joe Molotov
5. Cameron
6. raining_helper
7. slop101
8. William Fuld

1. jfrost
2. exharrison
3. ryrryu2949
4. RyoHazuki
5. cleaver
6. dolfins1
7. slop101
8. obscurelabel

Holy crap! Same for me! I'm with ryuryu all the way. I suppose there's a reason why I like your list so much. Ha!

1. Drexl
2. Franchot
3. Mhepburn20 (my pick to win the draft)
4. RyoHazuki
5. Cameron Cameron Cameron Cameron Cameron
6. raining_helper
7. slop101
8. William Fuld (if only because obscurelabel's market-driven picks are )

Thanks Illennium. I know you only had adventures when I took over your list but I have been wondering what you thought of the ultimate outcome; glad to see I have your support.

1. jfrost - Tough to pick against a collection with The Decalogue, but I like jfrost's slightly better all-around.

2. Franchot - Might be my favorite of all of the collections.

3. Mhepburn20 - Pretty easy for me to pick: LoA, Antoine Doinel set, Fanny and Alexander box set... nice.

4. RyoHazuki - another tough one. Very hard to vote against Joe Molotov's, but Eraserhead is one of my favorite discs.

5. Cameron - Very diverse mix of very good discs.

6. raining_helper - Wasn't too close for me, but dollfin's WSS:SE and Great Escape are great choices.

7. slop 101 - Maybe my new favorite collection. darkhwak is good, but slop has an amazing set of discs. Short Cuts. mmm... I like.

8. William Fuld - I like many of obscurelabel's picks, but maybe a little too top-heavy on the "gimmicky" discs and OOP CCs. Fuld's is more well-rounded.

1. jfrost
2. exharrison
3. ryuryu2949
4. RyoHazuki
5. cleaver
6. raining_helper
7. slop101
8. William Fuld

By my tally we are quite close. And losing to your list is worthy one to lose to. And "Yi Yi"... what can I say. I knew it was a gamble, but I felt it deserved to be on my list.
Good luck. And if you win this round good luck past that.

jfrost
exharrison
ryuryu2949
ryohazuki
cleaver
dollfin1
darkhawk
obscurelabel