A big part of the fun of collecting physical media from boutique labels is actually discovering a new label. Every company has their own unique touches on the types of films they release, how they present them, and what they lie to include to enhance the experience of watching the film. Personally, Matt loves this act of discovery!

In this first of his Label Discovery episodes, he finally gets to dig into Indicator, a boutique physical media line from UK distributor Powerhouse Films. he goes into a little bit about the history of the label and what sorts of films they release. He then talks about his experience in sampling three Indicator Blu-ray releases that he has added to his own collection and what he thinks of them. Spoiler alert: he's a pretty big fan!

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemaonashelf/

Matt's Letterboxd: @Matty236

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Music:

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

One of the really special parts about collecting movies on physical media is the great boutique labels that create some of the most exciting releases each year. In the first of his Label Spotlights, Matt wanted to talk about the label that started it all 41 years ago: The Criterion Collection!

In this episode, he'll touch on the history of Criterion from the early days of laserdisc all the way to the present, the innovations and impact that their legacy has had on the physical media space, and what makes them a great boutique label. Also he starts what will be a recurring series called the Criterion Hall of Fame, which highlights some exemplary Criterion releases. His first entry into the Hall of Fame? Terrance Malick's stunning 1998 film "The Thin Red Line."

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemaonashelf/

Matt's Letterboxd: @Matty236

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Music:

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

There are so many different ways to go about building your physical media collection, and the beauty of it is that there is no right or wrong way to go about it! 

For this episode of Cinema On A Shelf, Matt breaks down collecting into two focal points: the HOW and the WHERE. The "how" part of the discussion is a bit of a brainstorm of the different ways you can focus on what you add to your collection. (Genres? Franchises? Labels?) The "where" part of it is a little bit different in modern collecting, as physical media isn't in quite as many places as it used to be. This doesn't mean that there aren't a whole bunch of great options for finding your favourite films though! What does your way of collecting look like?

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemaonashelf/

Matt's Letterboxd: @Matty236

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Music:

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Whether you have never owned them or want to get back to collecting them, movies on physical media are pretty great. You can go diving for DVDs, high definition hunting for Blu-Rays, or searching for the sharpest 4K UHD discs that technology can produce. So what do you need to know about starting your collection?

In this first episode of Cinema On A Shelf, Matt talks about the different physical media formats available today, why you would choose to watch and collect films on physical media, and what you will need to get started in terms of a player and storage. He'll also go through an interesting breakdown of a random selection of movies from 2019, how you could watch them on streaming and digital rentals versus physical media, and a few surprising discoveries about the costs and availability for each option.

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemaonashelf/

Matt's Letterboxd: @Matty236

---

Music:

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/