To my fellow blind-buying collectors (who actually watch their movies), how is it going so far? Favorites or biggest disappointments?

I am, like many of you probably are, a big blind buyer. I don’t do streaming services and love the thrill of picking up a release that sounds interesting that I haven’t seen before. I’m sure we’ve all found treasures and have all been burned before.

The best blind buy I’ve had this sale was Dogfight (1991). It was such a sweet and charming little film without any real central conflict/big turns. Plus River Phoenix as incredible.

Victims of Sin (1951) was a close runner up, what a powerful and bleak film. I’m so glad Criterion has released more Mexican films that are not Del Toro / Buñuel.

Girlfight (2000) was also a solid movie. Definitely not the best of the bunch I got, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Granted I’m a touch biased because I enjoy boxing.

My biggest disappointment was Pinocchio (2022). Aside from the gorgeous animation, I hated almost everything about it. I went in excited because I adore Disney’s Pinocchio, but this was a huge misstep for Del Toro in my opinion.

The runner up was Lynch/Oz (2022). It was by no means a bad documentary, but it wasn’t great either. The sections sometimes felt a little disjointed and some of the narrators talked more about themselves and their works than Lynch’s. I wish it felt more cohesive, rather than 6 different video essays slapped together.

The blind buys from my recent haul I still have to watch are:

  • The Runner
  • I Am Cuba
  • Afire
  • Werkmeister Harmonies
  • Querelle
  • Bound