This is part seven of a 12-part series on my experience re-building my physical film collection in response to streaming fatigue. I’m giving myself a $30/month budget for curating a new personal movie collection from thrift stores. Read the introductory post and follow along here on Retro Chronicle.
***
In my introductory post in this series, I made a prediction about how the month of October might play out: “Leading up to Halloween, I’ll probably focus on stocking my horror collection more.” That didn’t go according to plan; instead, I continued my usual approach of browsing for DVDs from sources that consistently offer the best deals: garage sales and one specific thrift store that sells media for 20 cents each. After one yard sale, one church rummage sale, and three visits to my local thrift store, I ended October with my best month yet, despite none of the finds being of the spooky variety.
Local Thrift Store: 15-movie haul – $3
- “Spider-Man”
- “Shrek 2”
- “The Terminal”
- “Spy”
- “Unleashed”
- “Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood”
- “Spanglish”
- “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
- “Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest”
- “Frosty The Snowman”
- “Batman Begins”
- “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
- “National Treasure”
- “Trouble With the Curve”
- “School of Rock”
Starting out the month with 15 additions for just a tenth of my monthly funds is immensely satisfying from a budgetary perspective. This batch brought a nice variety of titles, mostly solid but nothing particularly notable. My favorite from this batch is probably “School of Rock,” which will join “Slacker,” “Dazed and Confused,” and “Before Sunset” in the Richard Linklater filmography. I’m hoping to add “Boyhood” and the rest of the “Before” trilogy before the experiment’s end.
“Spider-Man” will join the Marvel collection, with the first copy of the film remaining in the Superbit special collection. A third copy of the same film could find its way into a Sam Raimi filmography. I was stoked to find “Shrek 2,” allowing me to add the only two films in the series I wanted (aside from “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) for a grand total of 40 cents, but I’ll likely still try to complete the collection. “The Terminal” will kickstart my Steven Spielberg collection, with my first copy of the same film remaining in the For Your Consideration (FYC) special collection.
“Spy” and “Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood” both included unredeemed digital codes for the films (score!). “Hollywood” will join “Django Unchained” in the Tarantino filmography. I watched “Unleashed” as a kid and its story (which revolves around a boy who was raised as an attack dog) stuck with me. “Spanglish” was a middling Sandler flick that flew under my radar.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest” are my first finds in the franchise. The great thing about this being a five-film franchise is that I could potentially acquire the entire series for a dollar with how much I’m currently spending. I’ve found these two films maybe 50 times already since I’ve started collecting again and am glad that I waited to pick it up for the right price.
“Frosty The Snowman,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” and “National Treasure” will bulk up the children/family collection. “Trouble With the Curve” doesn’t interest me at all, but it’s nice to pick up cheap trade fodder. “Batman Begins” kickstarts my Christopher Nolan filmography, which I intend to complete, prioritizing his first three films released prior to the Batman trilogy: “Following,” “Memento,” and “Insomnia.”
Pasadena Rummage Sale: “Josie And the Pussycats,” “Nebraska,” and “Parent Trap” – $3
One Saturday morning halfway through the month, my partner and I set out for a rummage sale in Pasadena where we picked up a few one-dollar flicks. “Nebraska” was the highlight of the batch, joining “The Descendants” in my Alexander Payne collection. I’ve never seen “Nebraska” but am a big fan of Payne’s work, mainly “Election” and “Sideways,” which are also towards the top of my wanted list. I’d been looking for the original “Parent Trap,” for my partner, who was named after the 1961 film’s lead. We are both fans of the Lindsay Lohan-starring remake, so I’m eager to check out the original (and potentially its three sequels).
“Josie And the Pussycats” was a peculiar find. I picked up this one primarily for my partner, who appreciates the film’s commentary on the commercialization of pop music. The film was a box office failure but eventually went on to build a cult following. I’d been looking for this film and was excited to pick it up. However, upon inspecting the film at home, I noticed the top of the cover read: “THIS FILM EDITED FOR FAMILY VIEWING,” meaning that this was a PG-rated version of the PG-13 original. On the plus side, I’m happy to have a copy of the film in my children/family collection. My search for an uncensored copy persists.
Local Thrift Store: 5-movie haul – $1
- “Pay it Forward”
- “Kung-Fu Panda 2”
- “Franklin Goes to Camp”
- “The Da Vinci Code” (sealed)
- “The Imitation Game” (FYC)
I was excited to pick up a copy of “Pay it Forward,” after discussing the film with a friend just a few days prior. I recalled the film’s attempts at being sentimental and inspirational culminating in its heart-breaking and upsetting conclusion. I was in awe of Haley Joel Osment’s acting chops, even in the midst of the film’s muddling plot, thinking this must be the greatest child actor of all time. “Pay It Forward” (2000) was awkwardly released in Osment’s filmography between 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” and 2001’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”
Similar to “Shrek 2” from earlier this month, “Kung-Fu Panda 2” was nice to find for 20 cents after picking up the first film the last month for the same price. “Franklin Goes to Camp” reminded me of August and September, when I found episode compilations of “Recess” and “The Simpsons” respectively. Four films were released in the “Franklin” series, along with select episode compilations like this one, which features six episodes involving Franklin attending camp. “The Da Vinci Code” is being added to the sealed pile for sale/trade. Lastly, I found a For Your Consideration (FYC) copy of “The Imitation Game,” a welcomed entry to the special collection.
Atwater Village Yard Sale: “Panic Room” + 30 For Your Consideration DVDs – $20
For Your Consideration DVDs:
- “Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here”
- “A Quiet Place”
- “Incredibles 2”
- “When They See Us”
- “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri”
- “Blackkklansman”
- “Boy Erased”
- “Catherine Called Birdy”
- “John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous”
- “Vice”
- “Black Panther”
- “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
- “Minari”
- “The Martian”
- “Spencer”
- “My Policeman”
- “Ready Player One”
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
- “King Richard”
- “Spotlight”
- “The Fablemans”
- “Joker”
- “Get Out”
- “Judas and The Black Messiah”
- “Rotten”
- “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”
- “A Star Is Born”
- “Avengers Endgame”
- “Lady Bird”
- “The Trial of The Chicago 7”
On one lazy Saturday morning in October, my partner and I stopped by a garage sale in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles. The owner was hauling boxes of books from someone’s enormous personal library onto tables throughout the mostly empty house. My partner and I browsed the stacks for about 30 minutes, sifting through the remarkably curated collection of books before discovering a room that contained roughly 150 DVDs on a shelf. Without price tags, I asked the seller how much the DVDs were. He responded flippantly: 3 for $5, and I resumed browsing the DVDs with discernment for films that would be worth adding at this price.
After a quick scan of the shelf of rather unremarkable selection of movies, I didn’t find anything for the right price, gave up on DVD hunting, and resumed sifting through the much more impressive collection of books. But as I entered the final room of books, after about an hour of browsing, I stumbled upon boxes full of FYC movie screeners. This must have come from the personal collection of an awards voter, accumulated over a little less than a decade. Not only were there over 75 screeners, but the selection included some titles I was actively looking for. I began sorting through and adding them to piles: one for must-haves and a second for like-to-haves.
With $23 left of my monthly budget remaining, I knew I’d leave with at least 12 or so screeners. But as I kept finding more that I wanted to add to my collection, I eventually narrowed down the pile to about 30 titles and made my way back to the seller to confirm the price. One thing I’ve learned from negotiating at garage sales is that it’s often helpful to make a small purchase to “break the ice” first. On this morning, I had already identified three books that my partner and I wanted for our library and purchased them outright for the asking price, $10. Afterward, I asked again about how much the DVDs were priced, this time aloofly highlighting that these were lowly FYC discs: “How much could you do on the screeners?” I figured he’d give me a good deal, considering FYC screeners are neither legal to sell nor likely to even play. He glanced over my box of screeners and said he’d take $20. Good deal.
This was the most thrilling FYC collection haul since the start of the collecting journey and possibly my favorite acquisition overall, a strange concept considering the improbability that I’ll pop any of these in my DVD player. Collecting niche media can be weird and confusing. Why am I even picking these up? Is it rooted in an interest and curiosity around awards screeners or hopes that they’ll one day be valuable? Regardless, this batch covers a lot of ground and brings my FYC collection to a respectable little collection that spans decades.
The oldest of the batch is “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.” Two surprise finds include “Avengers: Endgame” and both “Black Panther” films. It’s strange to remember Marvel has been trying to earn Academy Awards for its cinematic universe since the first “Iron Man,” although both “Black Panther” films were the only ones to bring home the gold. “Spencer” is my first NEON screener; “Minari” and “Lady Bird” kickstart the A24 portion of my FYC special collection, adding some needed indie love to the special collection.
Some FYC discs, such as the six pictured, were never given an official physical release. Thus, access to these titles is entirely dependent on access to this streaming services that host them. John Mulaney’s “Kid Gorgeous” and Tig Notaro’s “Happy to Be Here” were high on my stand-up wanted list, with other stand-ups like Adam Sandler’s “100% Fresh” and Chris Rock’s “Tambourine” similarly trapped on streaming. “Catherine Called Birdy” is a Lena Dunham-written and directed feature that stars Bella Ramsey and received positive reviews despite not generating a lot of buzz. The Harry Styles-starring film “My Policeman” released to mixed reviews, which may have contributed to it never getting a physical release. Interestingly, the FYC copy of “My Policeman” is valued at about $25 and will likely increase in value if streaming-adverse cinephiles seek it out.
“When They See Us” and “The Trial of The Chicago Seven” are both critically acclaimed stories revolved around civil rights issues in the United States. I was very excited to see that the four-part “Trial of the Chicago 7” included every episode (rather than just one or two episodes, which is typical of multipart screeners). It’s disappointing to see both pieces of work never released physically, which ultimately limits their reach, as both tell stories that are tragically more relevant than ever.
***
With October coming to a close and five months left of this experiment, I’m looking ahead with earned optimism. As the collection grows, it’s beginning to actually reflect my identity and tastes. It seems similar to the way a vinyl record collection or home library takes time to grow into something organic and personalized. Moving forward, my purchases will likely get more discerning as I expand on the weirder parts of my collection. For instance, I may focus more on the Director Filmography, filling in the gaps by seeking out overlooked films by my favorite filmmakers; or I may kickstart collections from specific distributers such as Vinegar Syndrome, Oscilloscope Laboratories, or Shout Factory.
SuperBit Collection Update
In addition to the 30 FYC screeners from the Atwater Village garage sale, I also grabbed a Superbit copy of “Panic Room,” making it my third entry in the collection. I decided to take a moment to pull out my 3-film Superbit collection and take a closer look at the consistent packaging (picture below). After finding three Superbit DVDs in the first six months, I’m expecting to end the year-long experiment with a collection of seven or so Superbit titles, ideally including: “A Knights Tale,” “Gattaca,” and the three pack, containing “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “The Fifth Element,” and “Desperado.”
With these first seven months complete, my current collection is composed of these mini collections:
- General DVDs
- General Blu-ray
- Family/Children
- Marvel
- Horror
- Criterion
- Documentary
- Stand-up Comedy
- Music/Concert
- Director filmographies
- Wes Anderson
- Noah Baumbach
- Cameron Crowe
- David Fincher
- Michel Gondry
- John Hughes
- Spike Jonze
- Ang Lee
- Richard Linklater
- James Mangold
- Christopher Nolan (new)
- Alexander Payne
- Martin Scorsese
- Ridley Scott
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Steven Spielberg (new)
- Quentin Tarantino
- Lars von Trier
- Gus Van Sant
- Superbit DVDs
- Slumber Party Multi-Film Collection
- Television
- Children/Family Television
- For Your Consideration (Special Collection)
***
This is part seven of a 12-part series on my experience re-building my physical film collection in response to streaming fatigue. I’m giving myself a $30/month budget for curating a new personal movie collection from thrift stores. Read the introductory post and follow along here.