With a real slowdown in vintage genre DVD releases, I'm finding this a really good time to spend my money catching up with older releases where I can. The
problem is, with the economy being so awful, there isn't a lot of money around to do that! It got me thinking, trying to choose carefully, what are the
purchases I've gotten the most value from -- what comes out of my collection regularly into the player, and why. I'm sure we've all spent $20 on a
disc that hasn't seen the light of day since, or found ourselves thinking "I upgraded from VHS for this?" So, what's the best DVD entertainment return you've gotten on your dollar over the years? Can be a $50
Criterion single disc, or a dollar store double that just gets a lot of rewarding rewatch, so long as it doesn't gather dust.
Here are a few of mine:
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON legacy collection. Great movies plus Tom Weaver, Bob Burns, Lori Nelson. I could listen to those commentaries a dozen more times and still get a kick out of them.
Mill Creek's Best of ONE STEP BEYOND 50 episode pack - I spent about six bucks on this and I watch a couple of episodes every few weeks - usually good stuff, and even when it isn't, you'll catch some great character actors and you're only out 25 minutes of your life instead of investing in a terrible feature!
Mill Creek's MYSTERY CLASSICS 100 movie pack - Same kind of deal. When nothing else is looking good, I can find some obscure gem I've never seen in this pack. Since I'm more of a horror/sf buff, I'm less knowledgeable and accordingly less picky about having pristine versions of these PD films. (Or ending up with a lot of useless duplicates around like the genre sets) It is like your own weird '70s late night UHF station in a box.
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (SE) Paramount - For a movie I like, but never loved, I find this disc in the player an awful lot. Again the commentary seals the deal - Bill Warren, Bob Burns and Joe Dante are on the ball. I like the Ann Robinson commentary too, wherein she occasionally pokes Gene Barry with a stick and he says something.
HOUSE OF USHER/PIT AND THE PENDULUM Midnite Movies disc - Just 2 amazingly good default options for me, on one disc, with OK Corman commentaries for about 10 bucks.
I've got plenty of others, but toss some recommendations my way!
Here are a few of mine:
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON legacy collection. Great movies plus Tom Weaver, Bob Burns, Lori Nelson. I could listen to those commentaries a dozen more times and still get a kick out of them.
Mill Creek's Best of ONE STEP BEYOND 50 episode pack - I spent about six bucks on this and I watch a couple of episodes every few weeks - usually good stuff, and even when it isn't, you'll catch some great character actors and you're only out 25 minutes of your life instead of investing in a terrible feature!
Mill Creek's MYSTERY CLASSICS 100 movie pack - Same kind of deal. When nothing else is looking good, I can find some obscure gem I've never seen in this pack. Since I'm more of a horror/sf buff, I'm less knowledgeable and accordingly less picky about having pristine versions of these PD films. (Or ending up with a lot of useless duplicates around like the genre sets) It is like your own weird '70s late night UHF station in a box.
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (SE) Paramount - For a movie I like, but never loved, I find this disc in the player an awful lot. Again the commentary seals the deal - Bill Warren, Bob Burns and Joe Dante are on the ball. I like the Ann Robinson commentary too, wherein she occasionally pokes Gene Barry with a stick and he says something.
HOUSE OF USHER/PIT AND THE PENDULUM Midnite Movies disc - Just 2 amazingly good default options for me, on one disc, with OK Corman commentaries for about 10 bucks.
I've got plenty of others, but toss some recommendations my way!
With exception of new releases, are all dvds headed for bargain
basement pricing? 
