I actually don’t blind buy with movies much. More so with music. And I’ve especially never blinf bought a Criterion because they’re so expensive. But I did just blind buy a Scorsese boxset which contained four of his films I hadn’t seen. Worth it for The Last Waltz.
I blind borrow-from-the-library criterions often. (I blind buy movies all the time but never criterions)
Worst… The Fallen Idol
Best… The Naked City
I blind buy. But only if the movie has special features. None of this “just the movie” criterions for my blinds.
What’s the definition? Is blind buy without seeing it, or without having heard about it?
Haven’t seen it. For me anyway..that makes a blind buy.
I would consider a blind buy something you have never even heard of and know absolutely nothing about.
Oh, blind bought Far From Heaven as well. Forgot about that.
Anyways, like Lona, I blind borrow with Criterion all the time. Never has really lead me to anything painful. Usually it’s done me very well, like for The Cranes Are Flying, Gimme Shelter, F For Fake, to name a few.
I don’t do it often (since I usually don’t have two twenties to blow), but I have to say, F for Fake was the greatest blind buy I’ve ever made.
I have never boughten a Criterion I have never heard of (and I agree with Lona that this is what blind buy means), but I have blind rented all the time.
Wait a second I bought Children of Paradise and Andrei Rublev after only remembering their names off of a best films list. I would consider that a blind buy, and I was happy with both.
I am planning on this with Pierrot le fou. A good idea?
Law, Very good. The only reason I don’t own it yet is because I am waiting for the Blu Ray.
Oh also my second Criterion purchase was during a June at B&N, and I had one more I could get free, and I just grabbed Rashomon due to the premise and because I had seen Seven Samurai (my first purchase). Rashomon gave me the idea for a script that I later turned into my first film (A Confession of Pain, a lot of you watched it), so uh ya a pretty damn good blind buy.
I just went and looked at my Criterion Collection to see what ones I have blind bought: the four that I know for sure I did were The Bad Sleep Well, Vengeance is Mine, The Flowers of St. Francis, and Jules and Jim. The reason I bought The Bad is I have liked the other Kurosawa films I’ve seen, the same with Jules and Jim, I’ve enjoyed the Traffaut films I’ve seen. (Now that I think about it, I also Blind Bought Pierrot le Fou, too again because of Godard). Most of my blind buys are because I’ve had to find a “third dvd” to take advantage of BN buy two get one free sales. For the most part I haven’t been disappointed, though St Francis would probably be one that I’d like a “redo” on.
I do research on them now, IMDB, and, if I can find them, New York Times movie reviews. They are too expensive to truly blind buy them, I Netflix them, as well… that’s saved me a couple times, case in point: Grey Gardens… that one physically hurt to watch.
Yeah I have to admit…in response to my first post, I usually do research on a Criterion before I buy it. So that’s not really a blind buy. That’s more of an educated guess. I agree with Loofrin: I may blind buy a DVD (rarely it’s a Criterion) if it’s to satisfy a “buy two, get one free” kind of deal.
And yes…two twentys are hard to come by ;)
I only wish I knew of a library that had Criterion releases I could check out…
i blind buy a lot, probably more often that i buy things i’ve seen. i’ve never blind bought anything i didn’t love, a lot of my favorite films were blind buys. i dont just pick something randomly though, an educated blind guy i guess.
A local store was closing its doors and offering big “going out” sales and I ended up blind buying for the first (and only?) time.
Rashomon – Maybe this is a cheat, since I’ve watched a lot of Kurosawa and knew exactly what I was in for.
The Leopard – Burt Lancaster? Dubbed over in Sicilian? Turned out to be one of the finer period films I’ve seen.
Shoot the Piano Player & Jules et Jim – At the time I’d only heard the name Truffaut once before in connection with some “New Wave” thing I’d read about somewhere. :) Needless to say these two were quite the eye-openers, as I’d not previously associated this kind of film-making with a vintage period of cinema.
I also almost purchased Man Bites Dog and Mike Leigh’s Naked, both of which I later saw and dearly wished I had picked them up at the bargain price.
Sunday, Isn’t The Leopard amazing? I blind bought that on the basis of it being one of Scorsese’s favorite films. A lot of my blind buys early in my film education were due to Scorsese’s suggestions.
As far as Criterion goes, I blind buy everything. Of Course, I spend a good hour or two searching the entire Criterion section. No bad experiences to speak of.
I almost bought the Vanishing based purely on the cover (it was behind the film store counter). I didn’t, but would not have regretted it after finally renting it (with no idea what it was about).
I blind buy movies all the time. My best of such buys was Takashi Miike’s “Audition.” I was just so intrigued by the sinister woman holding the syringe on the cover that i had to buy it. Granted it’s not a Criterion release but is a good example. I have also had incredible good luck at blind-buying animes, like Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Lain, etc.
I bb’ed atleast 6 so far – Stranger than Paradise, La Jetee/Sana Soleil, Scenes from a Marriage, Mamma Roma, Days of Heaven and regret the last one.
only Criterion that I’ve blind bought was If…., and it turned out to be an excellent choice. One of my favorite movies now
I never blind buy (actually i used to, but ive had too many bad experiences). there are so many movies in the world, and the crappy ones far outnumber the good ones. i make sure i have at least an interest in the film (or album) before i pick it up. if not, i can always rent or view it for free somewhere.
It’s called a blind buy – as in, haven’t seen it; vs. Deaf buy – Haven’t heard it.
I was under the impression that blind buy meant that you had not heard of it, with “blind” more figurative, indicating a lack of knowledge about the product.
If you are blind…you still have your other senses though…
I blind-bought Ran after my Lighting & Field professor raved about it. Also, the discontinued situation kind of heavily figured in.
Also blind-bought Last Year at Marienbad. Haven’t finished it yet, but the photography in the opening sequence is one of those rare captivating moments that truly leaves you breathless.
Oh, on that trip I also picked up Forbidden Games. :) It was a very good day for blindness.
@Law – I recently did that with Pierrot le Fou and am pretty damn glad I did :)
Grafton
We’ve all done it at least once….wandered aimlessly into a movie store. Two twentys in our pocket. Walked over to the Criterion section. Picked up a film with a cool title and an artistically impressive front cover. Looked at the synopsis. Walked to the smiling lady behind the register and bought the film without any prior knowledge of what it’s all about.
Have you had any luck with your blind buys? Do you do it often? What’s your worst Criterion blind buy? What’s the best one? Do you feel a bit naughty after you do it?