1) Were you a big film fan before the advent of DVD/Blu-ray?
- Quite so. I was introduced to films by my mom and aunt who often took me to the cinemas.
2) What is your earliest film memory?
- My memory of this, unfortunately, has been lost.
3) What are your favourite cinemas you have been to and why?
- Since 1998, I haven't been to ANY cinema. But in my childhood and teen age, I was often taken to the cinemas at least once in a week either by my mom, my late uncle and sometimes even my neighbor! Most cinemas in the past - sometimes with a grand decor - could accommodate at least 500 to 700 audience, unlike most cineplex today. Those good old days of the early to mid-80s
4) What are your favourite films?
Silent Films:-The Golem (1920), Haxan, Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Metropolis.
Films before the 70s:-Freaks, Mad Love (1935),The Lodger (1944), Carnival of Souls, The Longest Day, The Dirty Dozen, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Rosemary's Baby,
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Wild Bunch.
Films of the 70s:-Tora! Tora! Tora!, Companeros, Papillon, Dirty Harry, The Godfather, The Poseidon Adventure, The Yakuza, Star Wars, A Bridge Too Far, Operation Daybreak,
Murder on the Orient Express, Taxi Driver, Assault on Precinct 13, Two-minute Warning, The Omen, Black Sunday (1977), Alien.
Films of the 80s:-The Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Gandhi, The Elephant Man, The Killing Fields, Die Hard, Robocop, Wild Geese II,
First Blood, Rambo - First Blood Part II, Missing in Action II - The Beginning, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Day of the Dead, Fright Night, The Name of the Rose, Misery, Predator, The Untouchables, Black Rain, The Abyss, The Thing, The Fly, Videodrome.
Films of the 90s:-Total Recall, Men in Black, Cape Fear, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Candyman, Sleepy Hollow, The Crying Freeman, On Deadly Ground, City of Joy, Forrest Gump, Q&A, Contact, Man on Fire, Leon the Professional, Ronin, Carlito's Way, Casino, Gladiator, Braveheart, The Crow, The Game, Crimson Tide, Con Air, The Replacement Killers, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Executive Decision.
Films of the 2000s:-Black Hawk Down, Cast Away, The Pursuit of Happyness, Kingdom of Heaven, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,
Lord of War, The Bourne Supremacy, Hotel Rwanda, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Tron Legacy.
5) What are your favourite soundtracks?
-Black Rain, Forrest Gump, The Pursuit of Happyness, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Air Force One, Con Air, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Dirty Harry, Predator, Companeros, The Untouchables, Rambo - First Blood Part II, Executive Decision, Speed, Pirates of the Caribbean, Malena, Tron Legacy.
6) Who are your favourite independent distributors?
-If you're referring to blu-rays or dvds, my favorites are: Shout! Factory, Arrow Video, Scorpion Releasing.
7) Who are your favourite major distributors?
-Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony and Universal.
Best releases of all time on DVD?
-The ones I've got: The Adventures of Indiana Jones (2003 edition), Star Wars Trilogy (2004 edition), Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set (Limited Tin Box, 2008 edition), Blade Runner: Four-disc Collector's Edition (2007 edition), Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997, and The Bronx Warriors Trilogy (Limited Tin Box, 2009).
9) Best releases of all time on Blu-ray?
-So far, none. However, if it's the PQ aspect: THE TERMINATOR is one clear winner. If AQ: THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, and those with 7.1 DTS-HD MA sound.
10) Biggest annoyance when it comes to buying films?
-Censorship, especially by the BBFC (headbutt, horse falls?).
11) Do you ever buy used?
-Occasionally in reseller stores. Before buying used discs, I'll always check them physically. I have never bought used online.
12) What do you think of digital copies and streaming media?
-I haven't downloaded any because I don't get much pleasure from watching films through those media.
13) If you could release any film, and give it a commentary, what would it be and who would be commentating?
-Perhaps The Replacement Killers with Chow Yun-fat and Mira Sorvino commentating.
14) Do you have a link to your collection?
-I have one on Bluray.com but haven't linked it to Rewind.
15) What's more important for you? Transfer, audio, or extras?
- If I have to choose one, I'd choose transfer. I don't mind having a blu-ray with lossy audio or no extras as long as the picture is crisp.
16) What films haven't been released on disc yet (or not been given a decent release), that you really want?
-Obscure films of the 70s and 80s: Weapons of Death a.k.a. Napoli Spara! (1977), High Risk, The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981), 2020 Texas Gladiators, Raw Force, Target Eagle (1982),
The Final Executioner, Killing Machine a.k.a. Goma 2, A Man Called Rage, Tuareg the Desert Warrior (1984), The Annihilators, L.A. Streetfighters (1985),
The Devastator (1986).
-Forgotten films of the 80s and 90s: Let's Get Harry (1986), Nowhere to Hide (1987, Amy Madigan), Dead Bang (1989), Extreme Justice (1993), The Immortals (1995, Eric Roberts),
The Ghost and the Darkness, The Substitute (1996), Turbulence (1997).
17) Favourite actors/actresses?
- Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Jack Palance, Lee Van Cleef, Henry Silva, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Denzel Washington, Will Smith,
Arnold Swarchzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Robert de Niro, Tom Hanks.
18) Favourite directors?
- Ridley Scott, Franklin J, Schaffner, John Frankenheimer, Richard Attenborough, Roland Joffe, Sidney Lumet, Brian de Palma, Martin Scorsese, Wolfgang Petersen, Richard Donner, Walter Hill, John Woo, J. Lee Thompson, Enzo G. Castellari, Anthony M. Dawson, Christophe Gans, Guillermo del Torro, John Carpenter,
David Cronenberg, Robert Zemeckis, Paul Greengrass, Joseph Kosinski.
19) What % of your collection is movies, and what % TV/documentary/special interest?
-95% movies, the rest is WWII documentary, music video and concerts. No TV series at all.
20) What are your favourite genres?
- This is wide-ranging: action, adventure, thriller, sci-fi, horror, suspense, drama and combinations of the aforementioned.
21) Least favourite genres?
-Animation, teen romance (the years are over
), period drama (Legends of the Fall, The Remains of the Day, The English Patient), comedy drama, romantic drama (but there are some I still like: One Fine Day, A Walk in the Clouds, While You Were Sleeping, Bed of Roses), family drama (Home Alone, Free Willy).
22) Have you ever bought multiple copies of the same release purely for the different packaging?
-Yes. I've got different versions of Rambo on dvd, multiple versions of Watchmen on dvd and blu-ray and few other titles.
23) What do your friends and family think of your collection?
-They think it's overloaded
24) Recommend us 3 lesser-known films you think deserve to be recognised!
-Those who like WWII films of the 70s should try OPERATION DAYBREAK, which is largely based on a true account of the Czech resistance. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this several years ago on dvd. Get the Warner Archive Collection if you want to watch it!
-Those who like Italian action films of the 70s should try THE BOSS a.k.a. IL BOSS, especially if you're a fan of Henry Silva or THE BIG RACKET with Fabio Testi.
-Those who like British crime thriller of the 70s should try THE SQUEEZE (Stacy Keach, David Hemmings) and also SITTING TARGET (Oliver Reed).
