DVDs you regret purchasing (1 Viewer)

[Casey Trowbridg]

The only regret I can think of off hand, is Ready to Rumble. It is a decent DVD, but the movie really really sucks.

Most of the movies I get are blind buys because I don't go to the theater very often, but I've had pretty good luck.

 

[Frank@N]

I make blind purchase all the time due to avoiding theaters and refusing to watch movies on TV.

I'm fairly open minded and rarely sell movies back, unless I'm very disappointed with them:


America's Sweethearts: grating and unfunny comedy.

Home Fries: overly weird black comedy.

Prince of Egypt: animated re-telling of the story of Moses.

Run Lola Run: Low budget 'trendy' euro-flick.

Don't Say a Word: grossly farfetched thriller.

John Q: good performance by DW, others are wasted and annoying.

Bottle Rockets: over quirky, for my tastes.

Spanish Prisoner: low budget, awkward thriller.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Stargate the collector's edition - I found it at a used DVD store only to find out that it was non-anamorphic and over-the-top edge enhancement and then I found out the Ultimate Edition was due out in a month. So, I gave it to a friend... who then was able to get the rebate when he bought the UE with the CE proof of purchase.

Ahh well.. that's what friends are for.

Road to Perdition - blind buy.. okay movie, but not anything I would watch more than once.

My Cousin Vinny - impulse buy off of the cheap rack.. still in the wrapper. Again, okay movie.. but, don't really have a desire to watch it again.

Lilo & Stitch - My 4 year old doesn't even want to watch this one again. What a pre-fabbed marketing gimick by Disney!

This is a great thread topic, by the way. It's always interesting to see what some people like and dislike.

 

[Frank@N]

I also like to add 'Daredevil' to the list.

This is a marginal movie that, like Spider-man, is far from greatness.

The last straw: there is talk of a 'Daredevil 1.5' release.

This release will include 30 minutes of extra footage that *should* have been included on the 2nd disc of the original release!

Talk about a cash-in.

 

[Adam_R]

That first release of Highlander. What a piece of crap. WORST. TRANSFER. EVER.

 

[richardWI]

I just got Russian Ark and I was all excited to see it, but could only get 6 minutes in. The nonstop shifting camerawork and frantic staging was giving me a headache.

The concept was way more interesting than the execution.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Summer Of '42 (aaaarrrrggghhh!)

Die Another Day ( shoulda known better...i avoided it in the theater, but didn't have the foretitude when it hit disc)

Horror of Dracula

the Moon-Spinners (another horrid Di$ney non-oar Vhs master dumped onto disc- shameful)

Flashdance (when i was younger Beals sure seemed cute. now that i'm older, she's still cute, but man, is this one brain-numbingly stupid movie)

 

[Kenneth English]

The Transporter - really distressingly idiotic (and I like big dumb action movies).

American Beauty - the most mysteriously overrated film of the last ten years. I do not get it. Cynical crap masquerading as social commentary.

Contact - I should know better than to buy anything (post-1990) with the name Robert Zemekis attached to it.

Your Friends and Neighbors - these ain't my friends and neighbors. More depressive, cynical American Beauty-esque drivel.

 

[SteveGon]

The Loss of Sexual Innocence - Don't be fooled by the hot chick on the cover. This is really just pretentious indie bullshit from Mike Figgis.

Extreme Prejudice - Like the movie, but it's fullscreen.

 

[Michael Caicedo]

A Beautiful Mind But I keep it around because it's suitable for when you're having company that objects to language or adult themes( read, I keep it around for grandma).

 

[Patrick McCart]

2001: A Space Odyssey

This was one of my first titles... I love the movie, but the DVD is very low-grade now. I'm holding out re-purchasing it so I can get it in the Kubrick box set (remastered version).

A Beautiful Mind: Widescreen

I simply didn't like the movie. The technical aspects are great and some fine actors...but the dialogue makes me cridge. The endless cliches don't help, either.

Cast Away: 2-disc SE

OK movie, but it's not really worth seeing more than once.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I got it for $5 used at a rental and it's really empty to me. Sure, the technical aspect is great...

Monsters Inc.

OK movie, but it felt forced to me. Well-made DVD, though.

Spider-Man: Widescreen

Good movie, but it's not worth seeing more than once.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: SE

I see why it's considered great, but I didn't really like it much.

 

[Conrad_SSS]

CELEBRITY....One of the worst movies I've ever seen. I turned it off half-way through.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I started collecting Criterion DVDs, until I realised I wouldn't watch half of them ever again and just plain didn't like or get a few. Fortunately, since they're so popular and valuable, I didn't lose much selling them back.

Some of those titles include Walkabout, Salo (bootleg), Picnic at Hanging Rock, Blood for Dracula, Tokyo Drifter, etc.

Thank god for Netflix- I can watch still fulfill my curiosity and pay very little. And I've kept a bunch- Fellini, Bergman, Tarkofsky- so I still get to keep my film snob cred.

Two music DVDs very much disappointed me- a Dizzy Gillespie concert where he's already old and barely plays, and a John Coltrane documentary with a lot of boring talking where I was hoping for some nice concert footage.

 

[WillKTaylor]

I'm with ya, Mike. I too have begun collecting Criterion editions. Sadly as it is, I would prefer to know next to absolutely nothing going into a film. Limited reviews lead to many blind buys, of which, I have had great luck, but some have been completely out there. Sorry to hear about Tokyo Drifter. I enjoyed this movie - full of extremes and very funny at times. But, some Criterions which I have yet to either completely finish watching, or would have no problem reselling are Picnic and Hanging Rock, The Seventh Seal (just did not get this story) or M. However, some of my now favorite films may have never been found such as, just about anything Kurosawa, Insomnia and The Element of Crime.

The only other collection regretables would be Baise Moi (utter tripe. the entire production crew should be stood up, blindfolded and given their last cig), Star Wars ep. 2 (at least the first had no less than a 20min pod racing sequence) and Search N Destroy (5$ CC buy that well, may as well been better applied to a pack of smokes) and lastly, the Canadian P&S version of Lost Highway. I can't believe Lynch had any say in this title's release such as it was. What a disappointment, I just had to see for myself. Otherwise, every other disk I own is worth something in it's own right.

 

[Joe_RM]

CAVEMAN - when I was 11, I thought it was hilarious. Now I'm in the 30's and wandering if I was retarded back then, I stopped it half-way through. Thought the stop-motion animation was very good though.

OUTLAND - I really like the movie, but the transfer is just HORRIBLE. It does all kinds of crazy things with my 50H82.

My BIG Fat Greek Wedding - Its OK for one viewing....thats it.

 

[Tin-Lun Lau]

Black Mask 2 - horrible movie. it's sad to see Tsui Hark and Yuen Wo-Ping collaborate on this stinker.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - bad movie but good soundtrack.

 

[Jeff Whitford]

Tin you might want to edit your post as talking about bootlegs is a no no around here

 

[Mike Broadman]

I'm with ya, Mike. I too have begun collecting Criterion editions. Sadly as it is, I would prefer to know next to absolutely nothing going into a film. Limited reviews lead to many blind buys, of which, I have had great luck, but some have been completely out there. Sorry to hear about Tokyo Drifter. I enjoyed this movie - full of extremes and very funny at times. But, some Criterions which I have yet to either completely finish watching, or would have no problem reselling are Picnic and Hanging Rock, The Seventh Seal (just did not get this story) or M. However, some of my now favorite films may have never been found such as, just about anything Kurosawa, Insomnia and The Element of Crime.

Yep.

I think it's totally worth it to watch all of the Criterions, just not to buy them. And by using Netflix instead of waiting to have the money to buy them, I'm getting through them much much faster and I can spend my DVD money on stuff I know I'll re-watch (like my increasing obsession with TV on DVD and music DVDs). In fact, if I would collect them, I would never do it fast enough to keep up with the new releases. And, like you said, it introduced me to films I now love that I never would have been aware of- Dead Ringers, Sid & Nancy, My Mon Godfrey, and all of Bergman's films.

Another set of DVDs I regretted buying was The Sopranos, the only TV DVDs I sold. I do like the show, but I just won't ever watch it again. I feel the same way about 24, which I'm addicted to, but don't ever want to see again. And it ain't like I'm shy about buying TV on DVD. Right now I'm going through Family Guy volume 2, Star Trek Deep Space 9 seson 5, Looney Tunes, and Farscape season 2. Also own Babylon 5, TNG, The Prisoner, Monty Python, and Twin Peaks.

 

[WillG]

I regret all my DVD purchases because no matter what it is, I will only watch it once. They come out faster than I can watch them and I already have a quite a backlog.

 

[DeeF]

I think the only DVD I've regretted buying was the recent version of

Cabaret

with that different cover. It said "enhanced" on the box, but the transfer is the same as the older version, unenhanced (to say the least).

The old version has the original poster art, so I kept it and gave the newer one away.

Needs new transfer, guys.