Comments on: Top Picks for non-Region 1 DVDs?

Question: Top Picks for non-Region 1 DVDs?

anastasiav — Wed, 24 May 2006 12:53:32 -0800

We were recently given a region free DVD player. What great DVDs should we get to play in it that we could not otherwise see in the US? A couple of other notes are the

We're not into Anime. He likes action movies, Star Wars, Sci Fi, movies where things blow up. I like BBC drama. We both like things that are well written and funny. Subtitles don't scare us. We're trying to build a collection of high quality child-appropriate films. I often buy DVDs only for the high-quality extras and never watch the film.

What can we now watch that we couldn't otherwise?

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:04:15 -0800

Just to confirm: Region free and able to handle both PAL and NTSC video signals?

By: mikeh

mikeh — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:06:03 -0800

If you like BBC television and he likes sci-fi, the television show Spaced kind of covers both. A friend passed it on and I found it pretty amusing. Features actors you may recognize from Shaun of the Dead.

By: featherboa

featherboa — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:16:44 -0800

Depending on what you mean by BBC Drama, I would highly recommend Life on Mars (series one box set here). It's a police drama with a Quantum Leap-style twist. Just brilliant, and I think you would both enjoy it.

By: anastasiav

anastasiav — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:16:46 -0800

Region free and able to handle both PAL and NTSC video signals?

Yes, seems to be. Or so the instructions indicate, anyhow.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:19:12 -0800

This is not exactly child-appropriate but he might like it: Pusher (IMDB) is available in the U.S. but as far as I can tell the complete Pusher trilogy (IMDB: 2, 3) will only be available as region 2 dvd's.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:26:11 -0800

A Bit of Fry and Laurie has started being released on region 2 DVDs and it's quite good and funny: lots of wordplay and such like.

By: Mean Mr. Bucket

Mean Mr. Bucket — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:28:10 -0800

Lots of JHorror.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:34:53 -0800

I like BBC drama.

The Crow Road, from the Iain Banks book.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:47:31 -0800

The long edition of Until the End of The World; Black Cat, White Cat

By: bingo

bingo — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:08:40 -0800

The Tomorrow People is the first thing I bought to use with my region-free DVD player, and it sounds like something you both would like...or would have liked, when it aired in the 70s, anyway.

By: GaelFC

GaelFC — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:26:55 -0800

Ooh, avidly seconding "Spaced." I love it.

By: martinX's bellbottoms

martinX's bellbottoms — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:31:41 -0800

Machuca

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:59:04 -0800

Mrs. Jones is partial to Jonathan Creek.

By: Orange Goblin

Orange Goblin — Wed, 24 May 2006 15:08:31 -0800

Why do people always manage to get to recommending Spaced before I do?

By: kensanway

kensanway — Wed, 24 May 2006 15:09:16 -0800

I think what you want is to regularly check some DVD sites that specialize in this. I had a few bookmarked, but my computer's in the shop. Check out Masters of Cinema and also Jonathan Rosenbaum has a foreign DVD column.

By: Wristle

Wristle — Wed, 24 May 2006 15:42:01 -0800

You can learn a lot from this site, where the information flows fast and the opnion free.

By: jonathanstrange

jonathanstrange — Wed, 24 May 2006 17:49:48 -0800

A really good Australian comedy duo is "Lano and Woodley". They are currently on their goodbye tour, but their series, "Lano and Woodley" is really funny, side-splittingly funny.

By: surferboy

surferboy — Wed, 24 May 2006 20:05:26 -0800

If you like scary movies, Descent is a great European film that hasn't yet been released in the States. I watched it with three other men recently, and we were all screaming like little girls.

By: neckro23

neckro23 — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:17:27 -0800

Second Spaced. It's in widescreen, has a commentary, a bunch of features, is a hilarious show, and is only available in R2.

By: porpoise

porpoise — Wed, 24 May 2006 23:13:23 -0800

Dellamorte Dellamore. I got my copy from these guys (they were SLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWW shipping).

If you have a computer and a DVD writer - region coding isn't a problem (well, an unsolveable problem). I second/third/n the PAL/NTSC capable set-top DVD unit; hai, tres bueno mate.

The thing with "unwatchable" DVDs is that... well, they're going to be expensive. Given that, a list of HK Asian cinema movies that I've liked that fit your description:

Hong Kong 1941
A Better Tomorrow II
Ichi the Killer
God of Gamblers

Oh.. suitable for children... the last one (GoG) might fit, but the rest are mostly for adults. HK1941, though, more for the complexity of the situation rather than sex/violence.

I would highly recommend 1941 for you and the husband, though - the ending didn't "make sense" for me, but it's a very well put-togather movie.

By: jtron

jtron — Wed, 24 May 2006 23:17:16 -0800

The UK DVD of They Live has a commentary track by director John Carpenter and star Roddy Piper that is, I believe, absent from the US release. Amazon.co.uk has it for pretty cheap, I think.

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Thu, 25 May 2006 02:58:29 -0800

Dvd Compare is your friend. You put in a title, and it compares region 1 and 2 versions of the same film and lists the pros and cons...

I would also second the recommendation for Descent and Spaced. Plenty of BBC series as well. Nature documentaries and the likes.

By: hoverboards don't work on water

hoverboards don't work on water — Thu, 25 May 2006 06:36:03 -0800

Nousukausi, if you can find it. It's Finnish, not Japanese.

Also, Spaced is an excellent suggestion.

By: nimsey lou

nimsey lou — Thu, 25 May 2006 07:08:33 -0800

The Comic Strip Presents.
I cannot get to AmazonUK for for some reason. (so no link). But if you like british comedy like the Young Ones... it has: Peter Richardson, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Rik Mayall, Robbie Coltrane, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer, etc.