What to take?!

As with most young people my age, I'm off to le university in a month or so.

Yeh. I know. At least I'm in London, doing film (well, Classics with Film, but you don't want to know about the first half)

I'm already stocking up on essentials - movie-themed notebooks, posters, and my obligatory movie mug (Pound World had some awesome Get Carter retro ones, but they sold out, so I got the Bullet one instead. Dead cool. I've just got to see the movie quick before someone asks about it...)

Top of the list, just above accomodation and food, is narrowing down a DVD selection. Ach, the agonising choice. I've found a wallet with 10 spaces in - and two DVDs can fit cosily in each, bringing it up to 20 spaces. Additionally, they've all got to be things which are mine, predomenantly mine, or things unlikely to be missed.


Definitely making the cut is:

Tideland - all mine, won't be missed ("worst film I've ever seen" - mum), and a hard film to find in a hurry. Plus, I'm going off for a film course, so hopefully I'll find someone prepared to sit through this interesting watch.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - like Tideland, this is mine and even more obscure.

Guns of Navarone - same criteria.

LA Confidential - At Southampton, there was a DVD library of classics which could be borrowed, naturally for work puporses only. I'm expecting Kings to have a similar system, which is why The Godfather probably won't be coming with me. Is this well regarded enough to deserve a slot? I certainly think it should be, but I'm not going to risk it.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - this is the first one which isn't mine. But it's my favourite film - I feel I have a claim. And it's not that often watched either. Same goes for:


Brazil - again, not even remotely mine. But I want it.


Not making the cut:

Fellowship of the Ring - if I had to pick 20 DVDs to take to a desert island, this would most certainly be coming. But I'm not, and I have to pick practicality over sentiment. I love this film, but I don't watch it enough to make it worth giving it a spot. Same goes for Signs and Zulu - if I were at home until Christmas, I probably wouldn't even take them off the shelf.

The Godfather - as pointed out above, this should probably be at the college already. But I'm taking Reservoir Dogs, just in case.


Time Bandits, Labyrinth, American Astronaut - all mine, but I won't be tkaing them. Same goes for Big Lebowski.



That leaves 12 spaces, and a horrible long list for them:


Planet Terror, High Plains Drifter and The Company of Wolves - none of which are really mine, and they're not exactly favourites yet, but by Christmas they could be.


The Warriors and Miller's Crossing - Miller's is mine. These were in the above catagory last year - now they're pretty close to making my top list. OK, taking Warriors - I'll leave the other for now.


Jackie Brown - tempting, but maybe not.


Apocalypse Now and Blade Runner - surely surely these must be in a local DVD library?


Hot Fuzz and Lost Boys - I want to weep! Two of my favourite movies, and two I watch an awful lot. Unfortunately, there's no way I'll get either of them out of the house.



I've found the library catalogue - they seem to have a lot there, including Dogs, but hell, I still want my own copy. I've also got room on my portable movie player - maybe Hot Fuzz will have to go on there.



OK, so here's the damage:

• Brazil
• Tideland
• L.A. Confidential
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
• Guns of Navarone
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Blade Runner (final cut)
• Reservoir Dogs
• The Warriors
• Apocalypse Now (redux)
• Planet Terror
• Miller's Crossing
• Plus one disk from the Prisoner boxed set (Arrival, Chimes of Big Ben, Dance of the Dead and A, B and C -I'm regretting picking that one already)
• My Doctor Who count is equally restrained - my favourite, Utopia, an episode I'd show to the uninitiated, Blink, and maybe one of the videos too. Although that's a seperate minefield (I've narrowed it down to six...)

Yuck! Nasty nasty job...