On this board we aim for a thoughtful yet informal discussion of non-mainstream cinema. Our aim is not to be elitist or exclusionary. To that end, this thread is intended as a reference for visitors who are new to the world of film.
We begin with an overview of the basics to help you get started. Feel free to use the comments as an open channel to the board regulars who will try to answer whatever questions you have.
Selecting a FilmHere are a few general film lists to familiarize yourself with "the canon" as it currently stands. There's no right or wrong way to being watching these films, and this board is certainly not limited to the scope of particular lists. But if you want to get started with the essentials, try picking something that sounds interesting and see where it takes you.
○
Sight and Sound: Critics’ Top 250 Films (
http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012/critics/) – from a large poll conducted once every decade, most recently in 2012
○
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?: The 1,000 Greatest Films (
http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm) – one of the more popular thousand-film lists
○
101 Directors Essential Films (
https://mubi.com/lists/101-directors-essential-films) – 101 important directors and a selection of their best works
Watching a Film○ Boutique media labels license and sometimes finance new transfers of films in order to distribute high quality retail copies.
• Criterion Collection (
https://www.criterion.com/) – most popular boutique label
• Masters of Cinema (
https://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc) – similar to Criterion, based in UK
• Second Run (
http://www.secondrundvd.com/) – focused on Eastern Europe
• BFI (
https://www.bfi.org.uk/explore-film-tv/bfi-blu-rays-dvds) – focused on British cinema
• Warner Archive (
https://www.wbshop.com/category/wbshop_brands/warner+archive.do) – rare Hollywood films
○ Streaming sites are the most convenient way to watch, with large libraries for instant viewing. Most sites offer a free trial.
• Netflix (
https://www.netflix.com) – most popular streaming site, get recommendations here
>>3756 • Hulu+ (
http://www.hulu.com/plus) – provides online distribution for Criterion
• Mubi (
https://mubi.com/) – streaming service of the popular film forum
• Fandor (
https://www.fandor.com/films) – focused on non-mainstream
• Amazon Prime (
https://www.amazon.com/prime)
○ Television channels still provide relevant content from time to time, so have a look at the schedule. A few of the best channels include TCM (
http://www.tcm.com/), Arte Cinema (
http://cinema.arte.tv/) and Film4 (
http://www.film4.com/).
○ Trackers are helpful to find rarities and amateur subtitles for foreign films.
• Karagarga (
https://karagarga.net/) – non-mainstream with a focus on arthouse
• Cinemageddon (
http://cinemageddon.net) – non-mainstream with a focus on b-movies
• Passthepopcorn (
https://tls.passthepopcorn.me/) – almost everything
• rutracker (
http://rutracker.org) – Russian site with open signups
Analyzing a FilmThis board is for discussion, so be sure to share your interesting observations on whatever you choose to watch. If you are seeking a deeper analysis, perhaps the links at
>>2486 will lead you to worthwhile reading material.
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