What's new

Top Ten Discs You Own...But Never Watch (1 Viewer)

Ernest Rister

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
4,148
Anyone else feel a sense of shame that you have discs in your collection that are masterful, and yet, you never watch them -- or in some cases, have never watched them at all, have only watched the bonus features?

This is confession time.

The Best Discs in my Collection That I Never Watch

1. Band of Brothers
2. North by NorthWest
3. Rain Man
4. Monsters, Inc.
5. The Green Mile
6. Spartacus: the Criterion Collection
7. Thirteen Days: Infinifilm
8. Pollyanna and The Parent Trap: Vault Disney
9. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (love the movie, but I strangely have little impulse to see it again)
10. Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto -- I've only watched the bonus features. I'm sorry, Pluto has never done a thing for me.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Leaving aside films I bought as gifts for my wife or son, which I don't really feel are part of my collection per se, there are zero such films.

I watch every one of them and will watch every one of them again.

Except for Band of Brothers, I have all of the dvds in your list. And I've watched all of them, many multiple times. All I can say is that if you never watch your dvd of films like North by Northwest, then you don't know what a great time you're missing.
 

Paul_Scott

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
6,545
i have legions of titles that would qualify here.

Sound Of Music (original 5 star release), was bought on its street date, and yet i still haven't watched more than the first 15 minutes and a few other musical numbers .
i did watch the doc though.
whats even more annoying is , if a better a/v version comes out like its supposed to, i would probably not hesitate to upgrade it
(shrugs his shoulders).

its that kind of disconnect, that i'm fully aware of, that prompts me to post 'ennui' threads periodically.

other 'quick to purchase, but still haven't watched once/never feel like watching' titles include:
Re-Animator Millenium Edition
Only Angels Have Wings
Seventh Seal (Criterion)
Wild Strawberries (Criterion)
Traffic (Criterion) *still unopened*
8 1/2 (Criterion) *still unopened*
Crimson Pirate *ditto*

its because of wastefulness like this that i've started using netflix again.
happy to say i haven't bought one new release so far this year (tho' thats soon to change in a big way starting on the 22nd)

oh and just one more note- i was going thru my collection at some point early last year, and was thinking this exact same thing and so instead of sitting down and watching something brand spankin' new, i forced myself to dip back into my collection and give another watch to something i already owned and never thought about- a moldy oldie- without putting any thought into it, i made a stab in the dark and pulled out Spartacus and had a grand old time.
in fact, that viewing was probably the most i had ever enjoyed that particular film and it made me feel a whole better about my collection in general afterwards.
 

AaronMan

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 20, 2003
Messages
286
Real Name
Aaron
Why did you buy The Complete Pluto if it "has never done a thing for you"?

I have a lot of movies in my collection. Obviously, with my job and other responsibilities, I can't watch them as much as would probably like to, but the reason why I bought them was and is because they are films that I enjoy, and they will be available to me at all times. Not because they are recognized by many to be great masterpieces and I should own them for some reason. There are a lot of artsy foreign films that are certainly great films, but I don't feel compelled to own them because some critics said they were. If I like it, then it goes into my collection and could watch whenever have the time. And who knows what will and will not be released on HiDef DVD?


So to answer your question, I guess it would have to be some of the TV series. Mainly because it a lot of footage to digest.

Thunderbirds Mega Set
Stingray Box Set
Band of Brothers
Miami Vice Season One (Although I'm in the middle of this set right now because I just bought it.

I gotta say though, Master and Commander is a very watchable movie to me. The only reasone why I haven't watched that one lately is that it has been on HBO/Cinemax a lot. Whenever its on TV, I get sucked in and wind up watching the whole thing.
 

Casey Trowbridg

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Messages
9,209
I have a few...I've owned Brave Heart for 3 years now and haven't watched it. I think I've watched Meet the Parents once, and the same for 13 Days. Some of the stuff I haven't watched is due to it being recent purchases like I still haven't gotten in to the Ultimate Matrix Collection for example, but its coming. I'd also say that Rocky is one I've had for awhile that I really should get around to viewing.
Again, for me I haven't viewed a certain percentage of my collection but that's really not the point for me. The point is that when I am ready to view them they will be right there and available, I don't feel the need to view something the instant I get it. That's why I have a fair stack of unwatched films, but I don't intend for them to remain that way forever...well maybe Rocky V will remain unwatched.
 

Thomas T

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
10,288
Ummmm ..... no! I watch all the movies but there are plenty of them with special features I've never watched and have no inention to.
 

TravisR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2004
Messages
42,426
Location
The basement of the FBI building
For me, there are times that I end up watching movies that I buy on a whim more than the things I am excited about buying. An example would be The Prowler (a slasher movie from the early 80's), I watch way more than I watch Lord Of The Rings. It's no contest which is the better movie but I guess my own disfunctions make me go for The Prowler more than LOTR:)

By the way, watch North By Northwest immediately!
 

Jeff Whitford

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 31, 1998
Messages
1,296
1)Die Hard All of Them
2)Lethal Weapon All of them
3)Star Trek 2,3,4,6
4)The Abyss 2 disc
5)Forrest Gump
6)Speed
7)Sound of Music
8)Terminator movies all 3
9)Perfect Storm
10)The Green Mile

Some great movies huh? Yep and I wont get rid of them but the top 8 ive seen so many times its just hard to pull them off the shelf.
Its interesting that so many people said Band of Brothers. I think I watch it a least twice a year. It always starts with me wanting to see "The Day of Days" and then im hooked into watching thru till the end. Granted its over a couple nights.
Great idea for a thread.
 

Ernest Rister

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
4,148
Why did you buy The Complete Pluto if it "has never done a thing for you"?

Archival reasons. Bit of an animation propellor head, you know.

if you never watch your dvd of North by Northwest, then you don't know what a great time you're missing.

Or maybe I've seen the movie 1000 times? I don't watch Snow White, either. I know the thing backwards and forwards -- so much so, I bet I could draw my own storyboards of every shot in the film. But I bought the new DVD for the a/v and the new bonus features, and I watched the disc quite a bit in the days after release. Now, I never even crack it. Same thing with Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,864
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
I have over 800 titles in my collection, and have about 25 that I have not watched completely yet. Almost half of those, though, are TV season sets, which usually take me longer to get through.
 

Steve Christou

Long Member
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2000
Messages
16,333
Location
Manchester, England
Real Name
Steve Christou
I bought the Schindler's List DVD last year and still haven't got round to watching it. I haven't seen the film in years. A great movie by one of our greatest directors but it's also one of my least favorite Spielberg films along with Empire of the Sun, Amistad and Color Purple. Tell truth I'd rather watch 1941 again for the umpteenth time, than sit thru SL again.

I buy so many dvds each year that there are bound to be a whole bunch we still haven't got round to watching yet, Schindler's List is the highest profile title of my yet-to-be-watched, the only one worth mentioning.:)
 

LanieParker

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 15, 2004
Messages
735
Movies I have but have not watched yet:

Wimbeldon
King Arthur
Wicker Park
Troy
Shall We Dance
Vanity Fair
Without A Paddle
Chronicles of Riddick
Hero
The Forgotten
I, Robot
Collateral
Little Black Book
The Notebook
Ray


I wish I could just sit down and watch them, but I am too busy lately and there just isn't any time right now. Tv on dvd has been hard to do lately too.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Well Ernest, you and I are just different. No matter how many times I've seen a great film, the thought of never seeing it again would drive me nuts. I have over 1000 dvds, so I basically just cycle through them, and it might be three years between viewings for some films, but I look forward to every single one.

The 10 dvds I haven't watched for the longest time (but will soon again):

Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein
Desk Set
Cliffhanger
1941
Good Morning, Vietnam
True Lies
Stir Crazy
Heaven Can Wait
The American President
 

Ernest Rister

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
4,148
Well Ernest, you and I are just different. No matter how many times I've seen a great film, the thought of never seeing it again would drive me nuts.

Well, sometimes you need a break, you know? A good, long break. That's one reason I have the DVD, so I can watch it whenever I want....I just haven't wanted to watch these in, well, coming up on a few years now.

I have over 1000 dvds

Woo -- now that's where you and I differ. I have a mere fraction of that haul. Now VHS and laser archives...that's a different story.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
BTW, Ernest, I was impressed while reading Roger Ebert's newest book, Great Movies II, to see him quote the "critic Ernest Rister". :emoji_thumbsup:

Even though I disagree with him and you about that particular film, I'm still impressed. :)
 

Brook K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
9,467
I bought the Godfather set the week it was released and have never watched it. Must be going on 3-4 years now that I've owned it.

Ikiru is one of my very favorite movies, but I've only watched the DVD once.

I have tons of movies in my collection that I've only watched once. I pretty much always have either A. something from Netflix or B. something unopened, so I rarely ever have time to go back and watch things multiple times.
 

Paul D G

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 25, 2001
Messages
1,914
I have a number of discs I have not watched (Band of Brothers' mention prompted me to write this because just today I was thinking how much I want to see it again), but for me it's more a question of time.

Just today I popped in Donnie Darko to watch while the kids were asleep and 2.5hours later I was only just hitting the 1hr mark in the movie. Such is life with two small children.

I don't know when I'll get to Band of Brothers (which I have only seen on HBO) but I don't want to start it until I know I'll at least be able to get through four episodes on one week.

-paul
 

Todd_Brown

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 7, 2000
Messages
389
I have quite a few that I haven't got around to for lack of time. I have a fairly large collection that I constantly add to, for many of the reasons already mentioned. I love that I have a pretty good library at my disposal, its far from perfect (that makes it fun), I am constantly trying to flesh out sections (animation, classics, action, etc...).

It just comes down to time.
 

WillardK

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
318
Nothing remains unwatched. I've always been selective about purchases (still making good use of cable and *gasp* vhs), but as my collection has slowly grown there are discs that inevitably don't get re-watched as often as I'd have originally thought. It's a factor of time more than interest.

The one set of discs I most often wonder to myself whether I should have bought is the Kubrick collection. The films are frequently on cable, easy to find as rentals and destined for periodic reissues. However, without this set, I'm not certain I would have come to the surprising revelation (after 2 or 3 disc spins, although I'd seen it before) that Barry Lyndon might be my favorite.

The greatest advantage of dvd for me is the unprecedented access to lesser known or less popular films (what TravisR said). I'm reminded of that when I revisit a B-level Fassbinder or unexpectedly sit through the entirety of a pop-60's Bollywood epic AGAIN! It's the more familiar titles that have so far gotten rewatched fewer times, largely because I've seen them many times before. Citizen Kane, 8 1/2 (!!!), most of the Kubricks, the Hitchcocks (though I recently watched Notorious again). Then there are those that maybe deserve a special category for being really really long and only appropriate for particular moods: L'Avventura (twice), Saragossa Manuscript (twice), The Falls (one of my absolute favorite of favorites which, to be fair, I only purchased about a month ago and have watched once), Last Year at Marienbad (just seems long), The Leopard, The Damned (once each), most Kubricks... that's not including a viewing with commentary when provided.

No guilt though, just a reassessment of purchasing habits (which for me were fairly conservative to begin with).
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,657
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top