Ownership, above all else (1 Viewer)

I've been trying to curb my dvd purchases recently. Partly to save money, partly because the rental stores are getting better at stocking the dvd's I wanna see, but mostly because there hasn't been too much I really want to own.
But, I have become painfully aware of another disturbing trend; when I do buy a movie, the overwhelming compulsion to actually SEE the movie seems to disappear! Too many times I'm on way home from the local home electronics superstore with my new acquisition(s) in the trunk of my car and I still stop at the video store TO RENT SOMETHING ELSE! Heck, last week I paid a small premium to get my hands on Gangster No. 1 early, as it was a film I really wanted to see when it skipped through the local art house theater last summer, but here I am, a week later, and I've yet to watch it; instead I endured the tepid Kiss of the Dragon (the billiard ball scene was cool, but I was bored by the rest) and Rockstar (can't even carry Amost Famous' clapboard), both of which I had subsequently rented.
Next up; Ghost World. But when will I actually ever watch it?????
I think I need help

I know what you mean. There are still a few of mine that I have yet to see. I tend to get movies that I know I'll watch. It maybe now, or 3 months down the road, but I still watch them. Plus it makes me feel better to know I have the movie, in case it goes out of production.

Nope, 100% of what I buy I want to see as soon as possible.
Trouble is, I will buy multiple discs all at once. Then, before I get a chance to watch all of them, I buy more multiple discs all at once. Then an occassion hits like a birthday or Christmas and everyone knows to buy me DVDs.
The backlog grew and grew. It's just under 300 discs now!
But I want to watch every one of them...

While I don't have 300 unwatched discs in my collection, I like to have 10 or so. That way if I'm in the mood for a movie, I always have something on hand and I don't have to leave the house to rent something. It is -30C here today and the thought of going out scares me.
Regards
KrisM

I've always believed in no returns, no late fees, and an affordable home video collection. Or was it someone else who said that?

David! Did you mean you have 300, or the backlog is 300 !!!
I only have about 120 total and even when it's a mammoth to get through like an X-files edition I just have to get through them as fast as possible!
How many do you have all told?

I know the feeling. But my psychosis is related to economics. At about 20 bucks, less when they are first released and heavily discounted, a new DVD release is hard to pass up even if I have never seen the movie before. Considering rentals are about 5 bucks (1/4 of a newly released DVD price), they really don't have the same value dollar for dollar as a good "owned" DVD. I kicked myself for passing up Fight Club the first time around and ended up paying $25 for it when I could have had it for $15 when it first came out. Swearing that wouldn't happen again, the next few months that followed, there was hardly a new DVD release that I would pass up. Of course, I ended up with some rather passable films that should have been nothing more then rentals at best. In the time since, I just use Netflix more heavily, and buy more cautiously. And when I do buy and end up with something not to my liking, I find that the software trade board here is a good place to get something of equal value for my unwanted DVDs. So again, it is economics .

I am currently between the 200-250 disc now and have a few I've yet to see. I look at the spines staring at me every day and as I scan them, the "urge" to watch one diminishes as I talk/think myself out of watching it again that evening. The result is that I usually don't watch anything that day.

I have saved a couple titles for a day when there is absolutely nothing else to do and may be snowed in or surrounded by killer bees, or something????

I may not have as many as a lot of you guys for I have other hobbies and limited on funds... but I am proud of what I do own!

stewart borland:
The 2nd one.
Yep. Total is 1052 (1053 if the Jurassic Park bonus disc will ever show up! ).
Oh, hey...I'm a rookie around here. Ask RAF how many he's got!

David,
Man I thought I was the only one with those type of numbers unwatched. Actually my total is probably around 250, but most of those are TV shows that I'll eventually get to... That's what retirments for.
Daniel L

Daniel,

Dream on - I've retired and STILL don't have time to watch all my new DVD's. Things to do just become even more numerous. I don't know how many retirees I've heard say they don't know how they ever had time to work before.

As mentioned above, back when I was renting laserdisks I used to watch every laserdisk I rented and ended up not watching the ones I purchased for quite a while (if ever, shamefully).

Now I only purchase DVD's, so I won't 'fess up to how many I have yet to watch. I'll just admit it's embarrassing.

I watch all my DVDs and more than once for most of them. What I find is I am really losing interest on the "extras". I have Citizen Kane sitting around (yet to listen to Roger and watch the Battle of Citizen Kane), ditto with Stunt Man, have not touch any extras on JP3, POTA, don't remember if I went through all the extras on PM....Another trend is I am buying a lot of my DVDs here now , HTF members have great used DVDs and great prices.

I've actually reduced my "unwatched" number in my collection down to about 5, out of a total of 520 titles. With only a few discs on order between now and the end of February, I'll be rewatching quite a few titles. I think it's time for another James Bond festival.

I know what you mean, Mario. A few weeks ago, I bought Fast And The Furious and Mad Max, despite a near-total lack of desire to watch either of them. I bought 'em just because of some completist sense that they belonged in my collection, for whatever reason. Even though I hadn't watched either, I kind of wanted to go out and buy a couple other discs instead of sifting through my backlog.

I think the initially very low prices for new releases is partially responsible. I've started over the past few weeks to be more selective about my purchases, and my list of discs to buy in March has been pared down to just a single DVD. I rarely maintain a backlog for any length of time, though. Mad Max is the only unwatched DVD in my collection that I have any intention of giving a spin, and that's just a few minutes away...

I've had this problem for a long time now. There must be at least 100 movies in my collection that i've never even . That's not even counting the DVDs of films I've seen before that still haven't seen the inside of my player. The problem is that once I own a movie, the urgency to watch it disappears. I can see it anytime, so what's the rush? I swear, sometimes I get more happiness in knowing that I own all these films than I do in actually watching them. It's a sickness, I tell ya....

You guys are gettin' me nervous! I've only had my DVD player nine months or so....and I'm up to 52 titles.
Now, everything is relevant. Most of you guys will say that's nothing. But, my wife on the other hand, sees things differently. She seems to be the practical one who reminds me I don't have time for all this...and that I don't need to OWN these movies.
I'm starting to see some disturbing behavior on my part: discreet purchases, buying DVDs for other members of the family for Christmas (including 101 Dalmatians for my dog! Animated, BTW.), etc.
Most of them have been watched. The rest will be watched soon.
But the ownership question is, indeed, vexing.

Oh thank goodness! I thought I was the only one with more than 10 un-watched disks. (I just counted 32 box's)
Most of the un-watched collection were Christmass gifts of movies that I recently saw (Perl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, Moulan Rouge). Others are some fairly heavy drama's that I just have not had the heart to sit through (Godfather Collection, Citizen Kane, Elizabeth R, Brazil, Unberable Lightness, etc.)
So I'm not alone....

To be honest I haven't a clue as to exactly how many DVDs I have (400+??) or how many I haven't watched (200+??) but I just got ReaderWare and a :Cue:Cat so all that will be remedied soon, and I'll be sure to add a watched/not watched field to the database.
What I should say though is that unlike many here I do lend to friends so many unwatched by me disks have been watched by others. I don't rent, so if I'm not watching DVDs I'm probably going to the movies, which is fine by me (or wasting my time posting on the HTF )
Also, I'm definitely a collector in some sense: I used to collect screenplays before I got into DVDs -- and let me tell you, I've watched a lot more of my DVD than I have read screenplays...
Ted

I'm another one with several dozen unwatched DVDs. Most of them are movies or TV shows that I've seen and loved, but I haven't gotten in the mood to watch them again on DVD. But the number films and shows I own on DVD that I've never seen before is more substantial than I'd like. I keep rationalizing that it's better to be addicted to DVDs than drugs or shoes, but ideally it would be better not to be addicted to anything.

-Jerry