DVDs are fun, but no repeat value? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Karlosi]

In January 2000 I began keeping a card file of movies I've watched from my collection. Here it is, almost 4 years later, and I'm just a little over halfway through - and this is with making a conscious effort! If I relied on pure "desire", there's no way I'd come that close. I know this sounds like "forced movie watching," but after all, our collections supposedly consist of films we WANT to see. This is just a little coaxing, that's all.

I'm not saying it's a sin to let your movies languish on a shelf somewhere, but I'm just suggesting that as big film lovers, we all owe it to ourselves to make more of an effort to get our movies watched. I know it sounds like a job, but it's fun, not work. It's rewarding, but it takes some committment.

I like to pick a theme for the week and go with it - "silent films week," "Godzilla week," "Jack Lemmon week," - whatever. Then I attempt to put something different on from that subject that I haven't seen last time. And of course, I also watch whatever comes to mind when I'm in a certain mood

 

[Steve_Tk]

Nils if you read my post I said I have 100 DVDs. At least 100, not sure what it's up to now, probably more around 160 but I have not counted in a while. But my post clearly said 100 and I have not been here since 97 like some people.

I also did not attack anyone's opinions here, but I do attack my friends because he will admit that he has a lot of movies that he hates because he just buys them from marketing or movie hype. I do have limited experience with home theater friends, and the few that I have will admit they do not like their collections and wasted a lot of money, so I think I'm allowed to discredit their movie buying habits.

So basically all I'm saying is if you only like 20% of your collection then you might try spending your money more wisely in the future. If you take offense to that then so be it.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

You really have to be (cattle) prodded to watch a movie? That is just like the original poster. Why would you buy/keep a film that you won't watch unless you're practically 'forced' to see it?

I end up with subtle reminders that I need to see a movie again. I'll see an ad on TV or hear someone unknowningly quote a line from one that I have, and as soon as I get back home, I drop it in and start it up.

Glenn

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Even with my (as of now) modest collection of almost 200, I doubt that I will be able to rewatch everything. At least as long as the collection keeps growing, there is always something new to watch before I start watching all the older ones.

However, I do collect with repeat potential in mind, so if I stop buying dvds some day, I'll be happy to rewatch most of the ones I've got.

 

[DeathStar1]

The problem becomes not so much whether DVDs have repeat value as much as do you have enough time to be able to watch DVDs more than once?
>>>

I guess we can add that to the title of the subject as well .

This does lead to the question how large is too large when it comes to DVD collections - or any media collection such as books, records, etc.>>>

Agreed. I converted my closet into shelve space so I can store my book collection, DVD Collection, and toy collection. PRetty soon the DVD Collection is going to need more space, As I've got around 200 titles as is, counting TV on DVD releases.

 

[Jim Peavy]

Good topic, and one I've been giving some thought to lately.

Like many others, when I first got into DVD I bought some stuff I didn't really want, just because it was the "DVD du jour", or thought it'd be cool to have irregardless if I'd ever watch it. So these days, I'm more discriminating.

I'm a big horror and SF fan, so most of my purchases are in those genres, with the smattering of anime' and action. The Universal horror films, japanese kaiju and SF films, James Cameron and Miyazaki's stuff, all of this I can watch, if not the whole thing, at least scenes, many times.

Most "mundane" flicks I'll rent or see in the theater, and am happy to see and enjoy once. Something like A Beautiful Mind or Gangs of NY I'll see once, thoroughly enjoy the theatrical experience, and never really get the hankering to see again. Then there are particular non-genre films like Rushmore or Casablanca that I will buy because they're special to me, and I know I'll watch again.

I still don't sweat over buying DVDs too much, because I can always eBay it away, and get pretty much what I paid for it minus what it would have cost to rent. And considering I might have "rented" it for a year or more, that's a pretty good deal.

 

[Timo_T]

I'll likely buy a DVD if it's reasonably priced and seems interesting, for one reason or another. But I have no problem selling it away after I feel that I'm not going to watch it again.

For example, I bought and watched 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and instantly felt that it's not my cup of tea. Off to eBay it went. I also bought Arnie's 'Last Action Hero' since it was one of my favourite movies when I was a kid. Watched it twice and got sick of it. eBayed that one as well.

Considering I watch the vast majority of my movies more than once, this system becomes cheaper than renting. Also I can't look at my DVD shelf (only around 90 movies at the moment) and think "man, that's one pile of crappy movies".

 

[Justin W]

Something like A Beautiful Mind or Gangs of NY I'll see once, thoroughly enjoy the theatrical experience, and never really get the hankering to see again.

I totally agree. That's why I don't have the Godfather, The Seven Samurai, or Citizen Kane. But I have all the Kevin Smith movies. They're good movies to see once but repeat value is where it's at. I have about 50 DVDs right now (only been collecting a year). And I love each one of them. I watched them each between 3-10 times. I bought the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And while it's a great film. I've watched it twice in a year. Not worth it to me. Repeat value is more important than greatness. Jaws, Pulp Fiction, and Adaptation are my most watched DVDs.

 

[MattCPT]

I own 25 DVDs, and I can say that I didn't purchase even 1 movie DVD. I received 5 DVDs when I purchased my DVD player. One of my friends bought me Blackhawk Down, and my wife bought me Matrix as demo DVDs because they know how much I enjoy my home theater system. I bought the DVD of the New England Patriots winning the Superbowl because I'm a big fan. I have watched the Patriot DVD more than any of the other ones.

All my other DVDs are Concert/Music DVDs. I find that I get the most value from these. My wife and I will re-watch these DVDs more than we listen to many Cds. I find that I get a better picture and better sound with a DVD than most concerts. I'd rather pay $18 for the DVD than $60-100 for the concert tickets not to mention food/drinks and the fact that it can't be experienced over and over like a DVD.

I find that I can't watch all the movies I want to even once never mind replay a DVD that cost $18. To me there isn't any justification to buying movie DVDs. I'm sure that I'm in the minority but I find that I can borrow a lot of good DVDs from my local librarys for free. I also get one older DVD each month for being a part of the Blockbuster rewards program. I only rent about 2 new movies a month from Blockbuster for $9. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ash Atchison]

I'll throw in the perspective of a horror/cult/foreign film fan such as myself (for the record, I own somewhere around 500).

I can't tell you how many times, before the advent of DVD and the internet, I'd go digging for obscure films at the local mom and pop, retail, and pawn shops... in dark alleys... at night... and end up with squat or, in some cases, slightly less than squat. I mean, to come across a watchable tape of something like House on the Edge of the Park, or a Bunuel flick, or Salo would be equivalent to finding the lost ark (ok, so Salo is still there). So you can imagine after years of frustration, that when these seemingly invisible films are suddenly available, it's like a frenzy.

Me, I'm making up for lost time. If I see something that I had once been flinging up dust from a cardboard box in the back of some abandoned video store for, you better believe that I'm all over it whether I'll watch it once or a hundred times. It's being able to go "man, I'm glad I'll never have to look for you again!" that gets me to collect.

 

[John Alderson]

I bought the DVD of the New England Patriots winning the Superbowl because I'm a big fan. I have watched the Patriot DVD more than any of the other ones.

That's a great DVD. I watched it to cheer myself up after the Sox collapsed. Put me back in the football mood.

I try to only buy films I know I will want to watch multiple times. I have gotten much better at this the past couple of years. I used to buy a movie if I really liked it; now I know that not all movies that I like are interesting enough to watch multiple times.

I'm up to 170 films on DVD (not including TV/Music). I have been collecting since 1998, but I refuse to say I "only" have 170. My friends and family invariably think I'm crazy to own that many. But I love the fact that when I want to watch a movie (almost every night), my problem is that there are ALWAYS several titles I want to watch, and I can't decide between them. That's a nice problem to have, and is why I think I have a very successful collection for my tastes.

I also make a consious effort to consider films that I haven't watched in a long time. This is not "forcing" myself to watch something, but to remember films that I might otherwise forget to enjoy now and then.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Even if I were to watch ONE movie per day (which is a goal but one in which I'm usually unsuccessful!) this only translates to 365 films per year. It would take me approximately FOUR YEARS to go through my collection even ONCE, and the best case scenario would be that I'd only get to see each movie 10 times a piece - and that's only IF I live till 80, and IF I watch one different film a day! I know it sounds anal, but think of it!

That is kinda depressing. I've always sort-of consoled myself by saying, think of the library you're building to keep yourself occupied once you retire? Assuming I live long enough and make enough to retire in the first place, and that I'm not senile by then...

I find I have to buy some things simply because they're unavailable here for rent, most rental shops carry only the latest new blockbusters and don't have more obscure stuff. Even relatively new stuff, e.g. Law & Order or Homicide, which I'd like to watch by renting since I don't feel like spending that much to buy outright, isn't available. I've been buying DS9 sight unseen so that I can watch it for the first time, but that's not a good example since I'm a Trek-fan anyway, but you get the idea.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Maybe I'm a little different than most here but...I have over 500 DVDs and buy them as entertainment not only for me but also for entertaining my family and friends. Some I have watched numerous times. Some I have yet to watch eventhough I bought them three years ago Black Friday.

Bottom line I stock my DVD library to entertain a wide variety of taste including young kids. How many times am I gonna watch Chicken Run or A Bug's Life? Yet they are in my library for my younger relatives.

 

[Estevan Lapena]

Exactly, that's the "repeat value" right there. If I had a lot more money, I would probably have a lot more DVD's, but as it is I need a job. With the budget I have and being only 16, I am proud to own such a collection at this point in my life. It will increase with time, assured, but I don't believe that the format will be going anywhere anytime soon, so I have time.

PS: I would have a lot more DVD's if I didn't have to buy my 5.1 setup... (3000 Bucks is a lot of saving and work...and DVD's!)

 

[JonZ]

My collection can be viewed here.
http://www.geocities.com/tarim69/dvdpage.html

Id say 85% of these titles are must haves. I had them on VHS and about 60 of them on LD.

I usually get the bug for these films at least once every 2 or 3 years so for me the repeat is there and alot of them Ive seen over and over again.

On my rewatch list becuase I havent seen them in about 2 or 3 years: Drugstore Cowboy,Nightmare Before Christmas,Leon/The Professional,Leaving Las Vegas,Bringing Out The Dead, and so on.

 

[Nick T Robot]

JonZ, your collection looks great. I like how you have the same X-Files DVDs (Seasons 1-3 and the movies) that are in my collection.

 

[Chad A Wright]

I won't buy something unless it had repeat value. I may not find time to watch a certain movie more than once every year or two, but I also plan on this collection lasting a long long time.



In his defence, I'm 23 now, and love Independance Day. When it came out I was a lot younger, and so it seemed like one of the coolest movies. Now, as a movie lover, I recognize the problems it has, but I still love it for nostalgia sake.

 

[Mark-W]

Well, I am surprized more people haven't chimed in
that own a few thousand titles, because I know they're members here.

Currently, my collection is around the 800 mark,
and that is after I have thinned it out a several times.

I have my sure fire way to prevent me from
having too many under appreciated titles.[*]I won't add any more shelving space than my current system,
which can hold about another 100 DVDs.[*]When the shelving is starting to look full, I go though it and read every spine, and ask myself the following questions:

1. Have I watched this film in the last year?
2. Is this title out-of-print or otherwise unavailable as a rental?
3. Is it part of a collection I have of an actor or director where I might want to watch parts of it just for comparrison at some point (i.e. Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Woody Allen, Bette Davis, Juilanne Moore, Monty Clift)?

[*]IF I answer no to all those questions, even if I love the film, I list it on eBay.
(Even though I have struggled with this decision at times,
I have never looked back later and regretted it.)[*]If a DVD to be sold on eBay is not free of scuffs or scratches, and the interest in the film is so low or it is not worth my time to list it, I simply offer it to a friend or family member, either free of charge, or for a buck or two.[*]I also put DVDs on eBay if there is a better version coming out.[/list]With this system, I find that what I end up paying, by the time all is said and done,
less than if I had rented many of these titles.

The one new thing I have tacked on to this,
is that I find, for my collecting habits,
it is impractical for me to buy television series
that have run for more than 4 seasons.

For example, as much as I have loved The Simpsons,
I know that I am never going to go back and think,
"Gosh, I really would like to see that episode where
Homer buys Lisa a pony," especially since I can
readily find The Simpsons on television or
rent one of the DVDs from a place like Netflix
if I really get a hankering to see that episode.

Meanwhile, I feel a bit more relaxed about buying
a much enjoyed series like Sports Night,
The Vicar of Dibley, or The Critic
that not only are on television less frequently,
but the investment in owning the entire series
for any of those is limited to one boxed set.

As for eBaying the DVDs...
Sometimes I actually make a profit on titles I sell, and that is not my intent, but it is nice way to recover some of the money I spend on DVDs.

Mark

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It's the best remake of Plan 9 From Outer Space I've ever seen.

FWIW, I think ID4 is an almost exact rip-off of George Pal's movie of "The War Of The Worlds"

 

[DeanWG]

DVD collections have turned into a topic all to themselves, haven't they?

For instance . . . we have just north of 400 titles. I've gone through them a number of times seeing if I can "weed" out some of the questionable titles. I always end up thinking about some time where I actually wanted to watch that title, and if that happened again, what would I do?

Of course, I've also glossed over some of the titles that the wife wanted that I would never think ONCE about watching (Crossroads! WHY OH WHY IS THAT ON MY SHELF!!!) Alas . . . I can't touch it without paying a heavy price.

The funny thing is, on a Saturday afternoon, I can't count how many times I've decided to watch a movie, looked at those two bookcases and thought "nothing interests me." That's crazy, but true!