DVDizzy Forum

I'm leaving out the Ultimate Editions, such as Forbidden Planet's or the Superman Collection. Also I'm leaving out The Ultimate Matrix Collection too. I'm talking more of box sets which group different, non-franchised films together under a single heading. (Which sadly, going by my own rules means I have to leave out the Marx Bros collection and the Thin Man collection too)

In no particular order I have the following:


The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection [UK]
Consisting of – Platoon, Salvador, Wall Street, Born on the 4th of July, Any Given Sunday (why was this 2 discs and not JFK?), JFK, Natural Born Killers, Heaven and Earth, The Doors, U-Turn, Oliver Stone's America and Bonus Disc (Looking for Fidel, Persona Non Grata and an Alexander Preview).

As you will soon discover is a common occurance, I've only actually watched about half of these, with the priority being given to the documentries (Persona Non Grata about Palestine is excellent). Pick of the movies is JFK followed by Platoon.

Note: I have the UK set which does not include Talk Radio as Warners presumably couldn't come to a deal with the company how hold the rights over here. Not that it matters, because I got it free with The Sunday Times earlier this year in a cardboard sleeve which neartly fits into the digipack packaging!


The Stanley Kubrick Collection [UK]
Consisting of – 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, Lolita, Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, Dr Strangelove and the documentary disc A Life in Pictures.

Again, I've only seen about half of these, but this time I've not watched the documentary. Pick of the movies are Full Metal Jacket followed by Dr Strangelove.


Classic Comedies Collection [US]
Consisting of – Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Dinner at Eight, Libeled Lady, Stage Door and To Be or Not to Be.

Seen the 1st three on the list of contents above. The best movie of this set without a doubt is The Philadelphia Story, which is pure magic. Sadly, no documentary disc.


The Val Lewton Collection [US]
Consisting of – Cat People, The Curse of the Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, The Body Snatcher, Isle of the Dead, Bedlam, The Leopard Man, The Ghost Ship, The Seventh Victim and the documentary Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Story.

This time I've only watched the documentary (last night in fact). It was so good, I immediately watched I Walked With A Zombie as the documentary gave this lots of praise, and it was great. I've sat on this a long time, but I think I will explore more of its contents soon.


Classic Musicals Collection: Broadway to Hollywood [US]
Consisting of – Easter Parade, The Band Wagon, Bells Are Ringing, Finian's Rainbow and Brigadoon.

I'm not sure why I bought this to be honest. I do like musicals, but normally of the more modern type. At the time I was sharing a train journey with a man I would talk to in order to pass the time and he was a big fan of old style Hollywood musicals, and he sort of talked me into getting this without me knowing. That said, I did enjoy Easter Parade. The only other film I have watched off this set to date is Brigadoon, which I didn't really enjoy.


The Tennessee Williams Collection [US]
Consisting of - A Street Car Named Desire, A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Night of the Iguana, Baby Doll, The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone and Tennessee Williams' South documentary.

I've seen A Street Car Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and just this past week I watched Baby Doll, which I think is going to be the pick of the movies in the box set. Baby Doll has a fascinating history – it’s a shame the featurette on the disc is so short.


Warner Legends Collection [US]
Consisting of The Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Here's Looking At You, Warner Bros documentary.

In a shock move, I've seen all of these, and by far the best is The Adventures of Robin Hood. All are 2 disc special editions too, so have lots of documentaries. Oddly, the bonus disc Here's Looking At You, Warner Bros which is a documentary on the history of the studio is rather poor as it tries to cram too much into too short a run time.


Controversial Classics Collection Vol 1 [US]
Consisting of – Advise and Consent, The Americanization of Emily, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, A Face in the Crowd, Fury and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.

Shockingly, I've not seen any of these yet, despite having them for perhaps a good two years! I do want to see Bad Day and Black Rock and Blackboard Jungle soon though.


Controversial Classics Collection Vol 2: The Power of the Media [US]
Consisting of – Network, All the President's Men and Dog Day Afternoon.

Everyone, and I mean everyone should watch Network. It's superb, and many times more relevant today than it was when it was made. It is by far the standout of the set. I've also watched All the President's Men, but can't drum up too much enthusiasm for Dog Day Afternoon, which remains unwatched.

2099net wrote:I'm leaving out the Ultimate Editions

Aw man, that means I can't talk about the spectacular Astaire & Rogers: Complete Film Collection boxset! Ten films, 1 bonus documentary, 1 compilation CD, and a great selection of nice non-DVD swag! And to think, it only cost me about $55!

netty wrote:
Classic Musicals Collection: Broadway to Hollywood [US]
Consisting of – Easter Parade, The Band Wagon, Bells Are Ringing, Finian's Rainbow and Brigadoon.

I'm not sure why I bought this to be honest. I do like musicals, but normally of the more modern type. At the time I was sharing a train journey with a man I would talk to in order to pass the time and he was a big fan of old style Hollywood musicals, and he sort of talked me into getting this without me knowing. That said, I did enjoy Easter Parade. The only other film I have watched off this set to date is Brigadoon, which I didn't really enjoy.

Watch The Band Wagon, it's got some of the best music selections that help cover a very standard "let's put on a show!" story. Plus, you'll fall in love with Cyd Charisse, especially in "Dancing in the Dark" and the "Girl Hunt Ballet". And it's a good thing you got the US version of the boxset, as the UK DVD for The Band Wagon doesn't have the "Two-Faced Woman" outtake and dailies clips. Another reason to love Cyd Charisse, even if it's not her singing voice!

netty wrote:
The Tennessee Williams Collection [US]
Consisting of - A Street Car Named Desire, A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Night of the Iguana, Baby Doll, The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone and Tennessee Williams' South documentary.

I've seen A Street Car Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and just this past week I watched Baby Doll, which I think is going to be the pick of the movies in the box set. Baby Doll has a fascinating history – it’s a shame the featurette on the disc is so short.

I've been wanting to get this set for so long, and was vocally upset (well, not online, but in real life) when it originally got delayed from release (from March to May, two whole months!). Of course, found out later it was because they found the Brando screen test footage, so that was a justifiable reason to delay the set. Already have the old barebones snapper case sets for Streetcar and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but I'm also anxious to see The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and Baby Doll.

I've got a few actor-centric boxsets, though I do want to get more of the film-collection ones (such as Broadway to Hollywood, Classic Comedies, etc.)

The first WB boxset I bought was the Garbo: Signature Collection, and originally it was just because I wanted Camille and TCM's documentary, Garbo. Seemed like a lot to pay just for two DVDs, but I've since grown to love Ninotchka an her silent films, while the others are still growing on me. I tried watching both versions of Anna Christie and shut off the American one halfway through out of boredom. Still, it's one of my favorite boxsets, mainly for the documentary.

My other actor-centric boxsets are...

The Bette Davis Collection - It's a great first volume (I still need to get Volume 2) and my favorite film of hers, Now, Voyager is included. I wasn't too crazy about the inclusion of The Star, found it to be the one I least enjoyed. Here's hoping we'll eventually get a proper studio release of Of Human Bondage, maybe in Volume 3?

The Joan Crawford Collection - picked it up simply since it came out the same day that the Bette Davis set came out, and I've only been able to watch two of the movies: The Women and Mildred Pierce, along with a few minutes of Possessed. Like the Garbo set, I wanted this one for the documentary as well (which was on the flipside of the Mildred Pierce DVD).

The Essential Steve McQueen Collection - Bullitt. 'Nuff said.

The Lucy & Desi Collection - I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't any new stuff, like a commentary by their children or even an already-existing Lucy documentary. But Too Many Girls and The Long, Long Trailer were the selling points for me, especially with TMG being only available in this boxset.

I've got quite a few standalone titles from many of the WB boxsets, mainly because I wanted a particular title more than I wanted the boxset, and figured I'd get the boxset later and give my spare to Kram or Jane. One boxset that isn't mentioned in this thread yet is The Busby Berkeley Collection, with 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade, Dames, and [/i]Gold Diggers of 1935[/i]. Kram and I were watching Dames on TCM once (strangely, it was a marathon of all five movies in this set), and I've always had an interest in Footlight Parade, so I plan on getting this boxset one of these days.

Scaps

Escapay wrote:

2099net wrote:I'm leaving out the Ultimate Editions

Aw man, that means I can't talk about the spectacular Astaire & Rogers: Complete Film Collection boxset! Ten films, 1 bonus documentary, 1 compilation CD, and a great selection of nice non-DVD swag! And to think, it only cost me about $55!

I think some ultimate editions can be included: Astaire and Rogers isn't really a "franchise" collection.

It's just I don't really consider, say, the Superman Collection in the same league as it is more of a continuous series A-Z and all the letters inbetween. These other boxsets sort of encorage diversity and to some extent experimentation and surprises to the viewer.

Likewise, much as I love my Forbidden Planet HD DVD and Ultimate Collection "gubbins", its just 1 film (well 2 ) so not really a boxset.

I know some people may question why I've bought boxsets and only gotten around to watching half of them to date. Well, one reason is I'm the sort of person who if I see a boxset with 2 films in I would like, I'd rather buy that. Also I hope I'll be surprised by some of the films I don't know at all or so well. And thirdly one day in the distant future, I will eventually get around to watching everything - even if I start watching a movie and turn it off.

Those are my sentiments exactly!! I too, purchase way too many boxed sets (I'm a sucker for them....though since we're keeping it Warner's, I'll leave out the Capra Boxed set).



I have the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton boxed set - which I strongly look forward to the films included...most of which I've never heard of before, but the trailers make them sound refreshing and original

The Ronald Reagan Collection - which is skimpy on bonus features, but has Knute Rockne All American on it (go gipper!)

The Bette Davis Collection vol2. - I have most of the first collections discs on their own, but really wanted the exclusive documentary in this set. Overall, my favorite Bette Davis picture is "Now, Voyager" which isn't in this set, though there are some great titles here.

The Marlon Brando Collection - I still haven't watched any of these films yet (but I am truly excited to see "The Formula", "Julius Caesar", and "Mutiny on the Bounty")

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection - this is one of my favorite collections (next to maybe the Capra set or Universal's EXCELLENT Hitchcock masterpiece collection!)






Sets that I want to get are:

The Robert Mitchum Collection - I have been waiting for "The Yakuza" for years!

Bette Davis Collection vol 1 - Just to keep it all uniform in my collection

Controversial Classics Vol 1 - I want to get The Americanization of Emily and Adivse and Consent...and Bad Day at Black Rock...well, all of them for that matter.....that really is a GREAT set!

Maybe Warner's first "Gangsters" boxed set too....

That's all I can think of right now, but when I go to the store, I usually just want them all!!

Does anyone have the Tarzan sets? I have also been casually picking them up and reading the back of the box. I'm probably more interested in the documentaries on the first set (the second set apparently didn't have any), but would consider a blind buy just for the films themselves if they are worthy.




On a side note: after going through my boxed sets the other day, I realized I already have a TON of movies that I want to see. So I ended up watching "The Formula" with George C. Scott, Marlon Brando (part of the Marlon Brando Collection), Beatrice Straight, Ike Eisenman (from Disney's Witch Mountain fame), and directed by John G. Avildsen (who had just won an Oscar for ROCKY). Overall the picture was OK. I gave it 3 stars on Netflix, would have gladly given it 3.5 out of 5. There were a few AMAZING scenes, but more often than not it became boring and filled with plotholes. The big redeeming factor on the disc is one of the most candid (and scathing) audio commentaries I've ever heard. The director and screenwriter have no shame in talking about Hollywood scandal, on screen fights, lies they told at the time, and blatant honesty with regards to casting and feelings about those choices.

Overall, this thread gave me a renewed interest in my untapped library at home. Thanks Netty!! Maybe I'll get to save a little money for a couple weeks

I don't have any of these sets just yet, but I'd like to own both Bette Davis sets, the Garbo set, Warner Legends, Tennessee Williams, Broadway To Hollywood, and both of the Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory or whatever sets.

Well the new Kubrick boxset has been officially announced:
http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/ ... tion2.html

Less films, more extras (which are certain to be of the usual high Warner Bros standard - but Full Metal Jacket seems to have drawn the short straw )

Still I'll stick with my old set - with has Lolita, Strangelove and Barry Lyndon included.

Disneyfella wrote:

Does anyone have the Tarzan sets?

I own both volumes of the Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller. You are correct about Volume One being the first one to get for sure. It has the first six movies in order of release (not in the order shot) and some really wonderful special features including an all-new feature-length documentary - "Tarzan, Silver Screen King of the Jungle". Some of the other bonuses include all six original trailers for the Johnny Weissmuller/Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane) films and some other vintage shorts.

Volume Two, while very bare as far as extras, has six very prestinely-restored Tarzan movies. These are the six that came after O'Sullivan left the series and was replaced by Brenda Joyce in the role of Jane. Johnny Sheffield is featured in all six of these titles as 'Boy', and you can watch him grow up into to his teens in these six movies. The set includes in order of theatrical release: Tarzan Triumphs, Tarzan's Desert Mystery, Tarzan and the Amazons, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman, Tarzan and the Huntress, and Tarzan and the Mermaids.

Both are very good collections and I watch them regularly. I only wish now that Columbia Pictures would release a box set of the Jungle Jim movies and the Bomba, The Jungle Boy movies. Then the collections of the best jungle movies would be complete.