Here’s a sad fact. It’s getting harder and harder to purchase a DVD movie on a Friday night.
In fact, there’s only four places I know of: a Barnes & Noble bookstore, Walmart, Half Price Books and Movie Trading Company.
The old days where a movie rental store seemed to be on almost every corner, i.e. Blockbuster Video, are long gone, especially when it comes to classic films.
I spent about 20 years working at a Plano video store recommending movies to dedicated film fans and casual browsers alike.
I’ll share a secret with you. If you’re looking for recent movie releases and restored classics, I can help, especially if you’re a cinephile seeking quality restored classics.
The best places I’ve found are Barnes & Noble and Half Price Books.
Look for the Criterion Collection, a distribution company that restores Hollywood movies and often adds a commentary track and a plethora of other features.
I picked up Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic “Seven Samurai” and Martin Scorsese’s 1980 classic “Raging Bull,” starring Robert De Niro in his Oscar-winning role as boxer Jake LaMotta.
Criterion’s restoration pulled out all the stops, including frame-by-frame adjustment to the black-and-white film to make it the best it can possibly be.
It’s available in Blu-ray and 4K. A word to the wise, however. Keep an eye out for the Barnes & Noble Criterion half-price sales in July and November.
I took advantage of my own advice in November. I received Stanley Kudrick’s 1999 erotic whodunit “Eyes Wide Shut” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a Christmas gift.
I also picked up “The Wages of Fear,” the 1953 black-and-white taut thriller starring Yves Montand and Charles Vanel.
Some cinematic gems get away, though.
I missed out on the sale price of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985) in November, but I’ll be sure to pick it up in July, when the next Criterion sale rolls around.
