Bottle Shock

To DVD or not to DVD?

mhalecclLeave a comment

For those cold nights when you’re snuggled up on the couch and in the mood for dvds, largely because you’re knitting and you haven’t worked out how to knit and read at the same time, what you need is a good movie.

Thankfully the library not only keeps me well stocked in reading material, it also keeps me well stocked with DVDs. I’ve had a couple of really good dvds out recently.  Bottle Shock with the lovely Alan Rickman playing a British wine connoisseur in France who decides to do a blind taste testing with French wines up against Californian wines – with surprising results and is based on a true story no less.

Another gem I  stumbled on A common thread , is about a 17 year old who discovers she’s pregnant and goes to work for an embroiderer for haute couture designers.   The diving bell and the butterfly  is about former Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, which shows the aftermath of a debilitating stroke through his eyes.  In both movies, action takes second place to narrative and could be described as bleak, but both are stunning movies in terms of cinematography and heart. 

Here are some tips if you’re trying to find something to watch on the catalogue and don’t want to look through all 5599 listings on the catalogue:

  • In ‘Search catalogue” – type in your favourite actor and click on author – limit material type to “dvds and videos”
  • If you have a favourite distributor ie Hopscotch and Madman films distribute largely independent films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Wrestler and docos such as Microcosmos – in “Search catalogue” type in Hopscotch and limit material type to “dvds and videos”

Otherwise if you’ve seen something that takes your fancy on the Bestseller dvds – if you have the patience you can always see if there is a lending copy that you can place a hold on.  The only thing with this is that you may have to wait months for it to come in and it will cost you $3- 4 for the week ($2 for reserve charge plus the AV rental) so $5 for the week for a Bestseller movie doesn’t seem so bad.