Bargain Blockbusters

Recently I made a visit down to the local blockbuster in Sunny Rochdale. Known for having good bargains, I surprised myself by getting the following ex-rental DVD's for the equivalent of $15:

Sweet and Lowdown
Swimming Pool
The Cooler
In The Bedroom
The Thin Red Line
Grateful Dawg
Elephant
Ivans XTC
Blind Flight

That’s $15 for everything! By far the best of the bunch so far – and, if I may say so, myself it is a damn good bunch- have been Ivans XTC and Elephant: two unbelievably amazing films, that could convince anyone American independent cinema has a long and healthy future. Consider how ridiculous their initial premises sound:

Ivans XTC: a drama about a Hollywood agent which is based on ‘The Death of Ivan Ilych’ by Tolstoy.

Elephant: a portrayal of a Columbine High School massacre which uses Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as its main theme.

Despite the insane-sounding ideas, I’m pretty sure why they convinced me: because the cinematography on each of them was amazing. Let’s hear it for Harris Savides ASC (Elephant) and Bernard Rose and Ron Forsythe (Ivans XTC).

Here’s some screenshots from both of them to prove it:

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