I recently found this wonderful little gem of a site. Seriously, i adore this kind of niche stuff.

What stunned me the most, was the insane film knowledge that floated around here. I hadn’t even heard, let alone watched, half of the movies you guys are talking about. Well, i am only 17 but still… I currently watch around 6 movies a week. I go to the library every Monday and bring home anything of interest (which is usually a lot). The problem is, they don’t have any films coming even close to the level of undergroundness (made that up) that the films on this forum are on.

So, i was wondering, where do YOU learn, watch and stay up-to-date on films? What is the best way, to broaden ones horizon?

Also, i noticed the extreme interest in Asian films. How do you get into that kind of thing? I mean, most of that stuff is practically impossible to find. And then of course, a new DVDplayer is mandatory.

Thank you very much
/A humble newbie looking for illumination

I remember I was not into film about two years ago: I only watched films that were mainstream and I didn’t watch very many of them. However, I did have all kinds of time to myself and I remember sitting in my English class in 9th grade, staring at the Spirited Away poster hanging on the wall. Well, I was curious about it during 11th grade and I saw it—that opened up the door for me.

At first, I went through movies from the same director and then it expanded to movies from Studio Ghibli. I basically started with something small and it flared up to the point where I started checking out other director’s works. I believe what helped a lot was IMDB.com; there’s a lot of information that you can get from there including all the movies a director had done, the actors in them, and many other things as well. They also recommend movies, which really helped because I would check them out and then check out the rest of that director’s movies.

Eventually, you get to the point where you’ve seen so much, but you want to see more—that’s when I found this website, which really informs you of more underground film.

To sum it all up, I started with mainstream films, then independent films from the U.S., then foreign, and then foreign independent, which can sometimes be a challenge to find. I think a good way to get access to more film is by using that Blockbuster rent by mail service (similar to Netflix) because that’s how I ended up watching a lot of the movies I researched.

First off welcome to the site - I’m not as regular a poster as others here (I don’t seem to find the time these days) but you are certainly on the right track when it comes to finding out more about Movieland.

You are probably hitting the “scene” at just the right time - I didn’t get into cult cinema until I was at least 22/23 and I’ve been playing catch-up ever since. If you are prepared to take the time to look around sites, read reviews and join up to other forums there’s whole raft of different genres and styles out there. The cheapest way is probably to rent (more so if you are an American) and it allows you to try films without wasting cash especially when you are new to a lot of different genres.

Here are some sites that I’ve found useful tools to cult/alternative cinema:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/

http://www.critcononline.com/

http://www.dvdtalk.com/

http://www.mondo-digital.com/

I’m sure others will be able to provide you with other links (particularly about Asian cinema as I’m not really up on this). Admittedly my links are mainly “cult” orientated and don’t take into account modern Independent cinema but I’m sure others will be able to fill you in.

It’s basically a matter of looking around to see what’s available (on-line sales are always a good way of trying new stuff cheaply), reading reviews and thoughts on sites like this and plenty of cash :D

I second Sleaze’s choice for top site with dvdbeaver. Just check their best-of-year lists to find a treasure trove of Asian and European cinema.

Also nice is the top 250 list of IMDB. It contains many many mainstream films, but also a nice selection of Asian cult and older famous classics. Just check the weirder sounding entries in it and look for reviews of those titles. Even though it is obviously USA-dominated, knowing most of those 250 will give you a running start in world cinema as well and introduce you to its most famous directors.

Once you have a title you’re curious about, a good way to check for reviews (apart from IMDB’s “external reviews” tag on the bottom right of every film entry) is the Danish but English-friendly site DVD-Basen.

And definitely check the site which hosts them, DVD-Times, as they have some reviewers with ace knowledge in their fields.

This is very interesting Oddly enough, i am a dane, so dvd-basen is perfect :D

Thank you very much for the links. That was exactly what i was hoping to obtain with this post. For the past year, i have been digging myself through both the IMDB 250 list and my “1001 movies to see before you die” book. And i am going strong. I have seen most of the classics (just saw “wrath of the grapes” an hour ago for instance), and i own copies of many of them (just got “the cabinet of dr. caligari"). The classics are not a problem- the library usually have them. The problem is those underground asian movies, and as a foreigner, i don’t have access to those cool renting sites you guys have (besides blockbuster, but ours has a very weak catalogue and is expensive). But, thats not a problem you guys could help with. Luckily though, my film teacher is a hardcore movie addict, and i can usually borrow the more underground films from him. For some reason, he gets free dvd’s with the mail, because he’s an editor of a local film magazine. Bastard. My current to-watch-list is:

Zebraman, the great illusion, Dark Star, the girl who leapt through time, the russian ark, a night on the galactic rail road (impossible to find) and the Studio Ghibli films i have yet to watch.

Thank you very much for you answers. They are much appreciated.

Oh, and Sleaze, are you the same guy as Sleaze from dvdmaniac?

Mr.Jagil - December 19, 2007, 10:09am

Oh, and Sleaze, are you the same guy as Sleaze from dvdmaniac?

I’m Sleaze on here, Movie Patron and Flixster. Mr C on the Pre Cert forum and Richard C on Maniacs and Love, Lock And Load :D

Sleaze - December 20, 2007, 3:37am

Mr.Jagil - December 19, 2007, 10:09am

Oh, and Sleaze, are you the same guy as Sleaze from dvdmaniac?

I’m Sleaze on here, Movie Patron and Flixster. Mr C on the Pre Cert forum and Richard C on Maniacs and Love, Lock And Load :D

Christ on a bike Rich.. no wonder you “don’t have time”. 

As this is in top, i just wanted to let you guys know that i got a job at the local art cinema. Hopefully that will help me evolve. Rock on!