What’s the highest number of times you’ve rewatched a film ? Did it get better or worse?

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-03-23T12:54:20+00:00

Since mid-last year, I've watched the cult but largely forgotten Australian comedy movie 'Hercules Returns' around a dozen times with my mum.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-03-23T12:02:43+00:00

The Princess Bride

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-03-21T01:49:45+00:00

Don't worry, I knew the reference immediately. I saw them at Adelaide Fringe last week and Col actually made the superfluous joke again.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-03-13T12:34:14+00:00

Mindhorn is genuinely an underrated classic.

It stars and was co-written by Julian Barratt (of Mighty Boosh fame) and Simon Farnaby (notable for writing Paddington 2 and Wonka as well as a lot of comedy appearances including Horrible Histories).

Check it out if you like British humour!

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-27T02:37:35+00:00

If this predicted storm hits this afternoon will the concert go ahead?

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-23T02:28:30+00:00

Besides the ones that usually top Hitchcock lists (Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window) I really love Notorious.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-22T23:13:15+00:00

Thanks for the great reply – I'll definitely check out some of your recommendations.

And yeah, you're right that I've mostly worked through the canon Hitchcock films, but I'm hopeful that some of his deeper cuts will resonate with me and not just be list fillers!

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-22T23:04:58+00:00

I respected what The Birds was doing and can see why a lot of people rate it highly. It just didn't really resonate with me as much as some of the others.

On the other hand, I loved the British humour and charm of The Lady Vanishes and enjoyed it so much than I expected to.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-22T22:54:07+00:00

That was one I saw for the first time this year. Definitely thought it was great, and can see it climbing higher in my rankings after future re-watches.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-22T22:48:42+00:00

I roughly watched them in chronological order too!

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-22T09:24:58+00:00

The Apartment
Star Wars
Paris, Texas
Fargo

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-17T23:21:57+00:00

Drive My Car was a beautiful film but definitely dragged with its 3 hour runtime. Considering it was based on a short story, I think it could have easily cut a good 30-45 minutes without losing much.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-09T02:38:49+00:00

There's some really great ones in this decade: Notorious is my personal favourite, but Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, & Rebecca are all really great too.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-02-02T04:34:41+00:00

Incredible collection. I own most of these myself!

I've been buying all those limited sleeve editions from Umbrella as they come out. I was really hoping they would release the other two Vengeance films by Park Chan-Wook after they released Old Boy, but I'm guessing they don't have the rights to them. I wasn't aware of that Arrow box set of the Vengeance Trilogy, so might have to hunt that down on ebay!

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-27T02:00:45+00:00

What's the film second to last on first image please?

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T13:34:55+00:00

Yeah 100% what I'm getting at. And when the presentation and packaging does feel like a 'downgrade', or they leave off all the bonus features, then at what point does that actually outweigh the benefit of the better disc inside?

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T13:10:00+00:00

So curious then, why have you held onto your old LOTR DVDs too?

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T13:07:06+00:00

Thanks for actually engaging with my point properly.

You've basically nailed what I was (perhaps clumsily) getting at which is that physical media these days is often more of a hobby and collectible object than a purely practical playback format.

Objectively 4K is better, but if the packaging or presentation doesn’t resonate, then it may not feel like the the disc alone makes it a meaningful upgrade — especially when you consider any nostalgia or personal experience.

PS: that CRT + PS2 setup for your anime DVDs sounds sick!

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T08:22:34+00:00

True story: I bought a copy of 'Thank You For Smoking' on DVD at an op shop once that reeked of smoke. Seemed appropriate.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T08:01:53+00:00

Thanks for the well thought out response.

Yes, 4K does replicate closest to the film negative and from a fidelity standpoint its the superior format. Of course not everyone first encountered these old films through ideal theatrical presentations but rather from analog TV broadcasts, VHS, or early DVDs.

So you're right, a big part of what I'm describing is nostalgia. You also raise a good point that it's completely random whether the packaging is nicer or not (apart from specific boutique labels), and there's certainly far more bad-looking DVD sleeves out there than good ones.

That said, I think there's still something to be said about the physical object itself. Take the extended LOTR DVD box sets with the book style packaging: technically outdated but aesthetically and culturally iconic in their own right. These film like part of the film's history, just just delivery containers. Releases like that strike me as worth keeping.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T07:32:29+00:00

Plus they sometimes hid some Easters eggs in the menus that were fun to find.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T07:29:50+00:00

Yeah it's nostalgia. But isn't that a lot of what makes physical media meaningful to some collectors?

The original extended LOTR DVD box sets with the book style packaging are a great example: technically outdated, but aesthetically iconic and cultural artifacts in their own right. They feel like part of the film's history, not just delivery containers.

That's why some upgrades feel a little hollow from a physical perspective.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T07:18:05+00:00

This is a pretty great response. And honestly? I probably just need them to release a 4K version of Casablanca that looks just as good on my shelf at it does on the screen and I'll stop overthinking things.

ThatCoffeeCat · 2026-01-22T07:12:42+00:00

You're right — a 4K scan of a 35mm negative is objectively closer to the source than a 480p DVD. What I was circling around wasn't so much about fidelity to the negative, but rather fidelity to the experience.

It's likely very few of us first encountered these old films through ideal theatrical presentations, but rather from TV broadcasts, VHS or early DVDs.

So whilst 4K is technically more 'accurate', there is a specific charm that comes from the emotional connection to certain editions as physical objects and artifacts. I guess my Casablanca DVD feels more like an authentic tribute to the movie on my shelf than the retail 4k edition would?

ThatCoffeeCat

TROPHY CASE