Starting to get started

This turned up in the post a couple of days, thanks to Amazon Prime and a bit of casting about for a straightforward way to get started. 

Now, the way that the sell-through market works these days, unless there's a supply issue or else a film has some scarcity value to it, through being long-deleted on DVD, or previously unavailable, movies cost buttons. 

In this instance, half a dozen movies for about a quid a pop. Admittedly, in the world of the box set, you tend to get a mixed bunch, quality-wise. 

The Expendables

Blitz

The Bank Job

War

Revolver

Chaos

Now, I'm not pre-judging the posts to come - though I've seen each of these before - but we're presented with a spectrum of the artistic and experiential possibilities of the cinematic art-form here. 

I'd reckon that - and this is me speaking off the top of my head - that there's one fine movie here, two serviceable ones, one interesting misfire, and two duds. 

However, six movies packaged together offers a chance to get re-acquainted with Statham, and it offers an opportunity to chat along the way about the circumstances in which these films get put together, released, sold, repackaged, and then sold again. 

I can't quite see who the box set is meant to appeal to. To Statham fans, but of course, but those of us who are privy to the cult of the Stath is only too well-aware that for each fine flick there's a shocker. Besides, collectors will collect, and so will already have these films on their shelves. Sure, a few will buy up these collections for the sake of completeness, but we're in rarified territory here. There can't be too many of those cats about.

Maybe the idea is to lure in the casual buyer. Father's Day and Christmas giftage possibilities for those who only have a passing understanding of what the Statham fan in their social circle likes, apart from balding men hitting things. 

The DVD packaging indicates that this is a Lionsgate product. Maybe these films are all owned/licensed by that distribution and production company. This is what they've got, and by Christ they'll re-sell it. Fair play to them.  

A look inside. Lionsgate logos on each disc, the cinematic finery held in those flappy hinged holders that only the sturdiest of box sets have. They're all bare-bones releases by the look of them, each of them marked NOT FOR RENTAL or a variant thereof. The movie, maybe subtitles, a straightforward menu. Perhaps a trailer. That's your cracker.  

Nevertheless. Here we are. Six of the oeuvre, and as good a place to begin as any. I can't promise to work through these six before moving on. I'm impetuous like that. But have no fear, the complete works will be given their due. 

Even Chaos, which I'm sure I've fallen asleep while watching before.