So, shortly after my friend leaves I begin to *seethe*. (1 Viewer)

[Rain]

I've had friends fall asleep during movies.

I choose to blame the intoxicants.

Still love them though.

 

[KeithAP]

He then offered to rent the disc and bring it over.
"I don't play scratched-up rental discs in any of my players," I insisted.

You're a raging anti-rentite! Next thing you know you will be saying rental DVDs should have their own stores.
[I hope there are at least a few Seinfeld fans reading this thread or that joke was totally waisted]

I can understand being frustrated but seething seems a little strong. And the name of the pizza place is....?

Cheers,
Keith

 

[Vickie_M]

I think it's a shame you weren't able to enjoy all the good things that LOTR had to offer. As someone who wasn't into fantasy in any way, shape or form before seeing LOTR, I can attest that you don't have to be "into fantasy" to appreciate great scenery, cinematography, costumes, writing, music, acting, any or all of those things. That you had to "suffer" through it is a damned shame. Aren't there good things to appreciate about 2001 even for someone who's not "into sci fi"?


We have a front projection system and *we* need a bigger screen. Size matters.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I was about to award John Rice the Crankiest man of 2003, but it looks like Jack might win it this year.

:p)

Oh yeah, what's the name of the pizza place?

 

[JohnRice]

I'm relieved.


All I can think is.....

1) If this is what Jack considers a bad friend, he doesn't know what a bad friend is. Like Rain said, people who stick by you are the ones who are willing to not always say what you want to hear, even if they might occasionally lack a little tact.

2) I'm not the least surprised that after all Jack wrote, all Vickie saw was that he didn't want to see or like FOTR.

3) OK, maybe I am cranky.

 

[Edwin-S]

Dear Ann Landers, am I wrong to feel this way?
------------------------------------------------------------

Yes. Your luddite bud was so impressed with your set up he got a glimpse of the home theatre light and voiced a thought that lots of HT nuts think about every day....."it's never big enough".

I think your friend sees you as a person he can talk straight out to. I wouldn't take anything he said to heart. I'm sure that he didn't even realize that you might find his comment irritating. If he has been a good friend over the years.....let it slide. After all you still have the WEGA and good sound. He has to go back to watching a 27" TV with a 4" speaker. You tell me. Who's going to be the really dissatisfied one?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Albano's New York-Style Pizza, 6271 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Ph.# (323) 934-2494. The only really, really good pizza in Los Angeles.

David Lawson: Thanks for catching the (I swear) typos. In my present state, that could have sent me over the edge and led to my making the connection between wrist and razor. But the high cost of cat food keeps me from committing so final an act. JB

 

[Vickie_M]

I'm not the least surprised that after all Jack wrote, all Vickie saw was that he didn't want to see or like FOTR.

I addressed it. Yes, in an offhand manner, but the entirety of page 1 was devoted to people addressing that part of it, quite well and better than I could.

What do I think? Well, I think Jack's lucky to have friends who want to come over and watch movies in the first place. (Pathetic personal rant: We have a great home theater set up, over 1000 DVDs, and don't have ONE SINGLE FRIEND who wants to come over and watch movies with us. They're just not into movies. At all. Of any kind. Ever. When we lived in KC we had "movie nights" several nights a month with a bunch of friends. They all still live down there, while up here, no one's set foot in our home theater besides us to watch movies (as opposed to just coming to visit) for 3 years. My best friend used to come over and watch movies, but he moved to Seattle in 1999 and I miss him terribly. End pathetic personal rant)

I like good movies of all genres. I just thought it was a shame to dismiss a particularly good movie with a sweeping "I don't like that genre" hand.

And maybe Jack DOES need a bigger screen. But then, to me, no screen is big enough.

 

[Dean DeMass]

"You need a bigger screen."

Jack,

I personally bought a 50" widescreen Toshiba for Lord of the Rings and also for Attack of the Clones.

You know how many times I had friends tell me I needed a bigger screen when all I had was a 27" tube? Too many to count, and everytime they said it, I agreed with them. They enjoyed my theater so much that they couldn't imagine how great it would be a with a larger screen. Now that I have the larger screen, no one comes over.
However, that is because I really no longer have the time to host movies for friends anymore. Between working all the time and my girlfriend, time spent with my friends is very limited now. On a positive note, my girlfriend's son loves my home theater.

BTW, I curse you for not loving The Lord of the Rings.

-Dean-

 

[Dennis Reno]

BTW, I curse you for not loving The Lord of the Rings.

I must second Dean on this You must learn to love LotR or sleep in the litter box.

The wife and I had some friends over for a Super Bowl party. For many this was their first taste of HDTV. Watching it on a 100" projection system only added to the fun. Early in the 3rd quarter the signal strength dipped and we lost the picture. One of my buddies had the stones to blurt out "This never happens with my cable!" So I promptly switched the channel to the cable feed. Nothing looks worse than a standard cable picture blown up to 100" (well, other than those rental DVDs!) The rest of our friends quickly "encouraged" him to shut the he!! up!

 

[Vickie_M]

You must learn to love LotR or sleep in the litter box.

I actually have a cat who sleeps in the litter box! It's not as gross as you think. I have 4 cats and 2 litter boxes. Every single time, immediately after I've completely changed the litter, Ran Tan will get in one, lie down and, if nothing bothers him, will go to sleep. I think it's a territorial thing. He won't do that if any of the other cats has used the box, only after it's fresh and clean. Very weird.

Um, end pathetic tangent.

Great story about the SB party!

 

[Angelo.M]

Keith P:

Great post!

Jack:

Two things. First, you're kidding, right? This is the kind of thing that loosens your bolts? Think back to what made you guys friends in the first place; I'm willing to bet it outweighs, by quite a margin, his recent behavior.

Second, fill me in on this business about no rental, no borrow, no loan. Do you wear white gloves when you load your DVD player? Do you keep antibacterial soap in your living room? As a doc, I have a great supplier of gloves: latex, non-latex, powder, no-powder, sterile, non-sterile. Just let me know what you need and I'll cut you a deal...

 

[MikeM]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I too never use or handle rental DVDs in my system.....unless I'm wearing my specially designed "Rental DVD Suit" of course....



I've had friends who have said the same type of comments to me. I know HT is a large part of your life, but sometimes it's much easier to simply let it go. It's tough. It sounds like his comment was made because the size your TV was perhaps the absolute only thing he felt took away from that "movie theatre feel". Again, that means that he thinks everything else in your setup is completely top notch.

If you really want to dig into him, just view his photographs and calmly say in passing, "I like this one, but don't you think a lower aperture setting would have really brought out the foreground and made this a much better image?"

 

[Paul Bond]

Well you know, Jack, despite everything 'they' say, we all know it's all about SIZE. SIZE matters. The guys with the biggest screens always get the good-lookin' girls.

Of course, if it isn't a problem for you, then maybe you should have your 'friend' BUY you a bigger TV. One of your choice, of course. Then you could both be happy.

 

[Scott Littlefield]

So Jack, let me get this straight.

Your friend finally takes interest in a hobby of yours, a hobby that you have apparently been trying to interest him in for years. The material he chooses to view, material that would interest him the most in your hobby, isn't your favorite so you belittle it. You also display an elitist attitude toward him concerning rental discs. He compliments your sound system and you make comments like "I suffered through the movie." At the end of the film, he once again compliments your sound and suggests that a larger screen would be even better (obviously more theater-like). Knowing that all of us would like a bigger screen in our home theaters, it seems to me that he was even "talking the talk" with you about your hobby.

Then you come to a public forum and insult your "friend" in front of thousands of members.




Are you sure he's the bad friend?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Angelo: I did a thread here about two years ago regarding my landlord having discovered DVD (and home theater). I mistakenly told him about my own library and, suddenly, he and his girlfriend were all over me to let them borrow "a few" titles. I blew them off successfully. And I ranted here about people assuming that other people who have ammassed large DVD libraries are somehow now free rental outlets for "friends" and relatives. You should've seen the thread (it was linked over at DVD Talk, too). And, yes, I am excessively careful with discs (and the equipment). Before and after each play I even wipe the disc tray with a soft cloth. In fact, the entire main system is covered up when not in use. All my equipment looks new. As do all my discs. Pride of ownership mixed with a healthy dose of obsessive/compulsive leanings.

Vickie: If ever I am in the Chicago area I would love to visit you and your husband for an evening of home theater fun. (Keep the Stanley Kubrick films out in the open, please.)

 

[JohnRice]

Jack, I think it is quite safe to say......


We would drive each other out of our respective minds.





"Pride of ownership mixed with a healthy dose of obsessive/compulsive leanings."



Yeah, right.


:p)

 

[MickeS]

Jack, but why no rentals? That's the part I don't get.

/Mike

 

[Mark C Sherman]

I have/Had a Friend/Roommate that was the same way. I have a very nice set up in my place which I spent countless hours on making sure that the sound and picture look and sound the best they can. Well This Guy would always find something wrong with it. When we were watching Lord of the rings I had to keep tuning it up to hear Them talking then turn it down when the loud part came. he said he Never heard of such a thing. Mind you he as a little mini System for his HT with a 25in K mart special TV. He insists that his system is as Good as mine because his system has the same amount of Power as mine yeah right.


I Know the type of person Jack and I feel for you. Since he could not find anything wrong with your set up and since it is far better then anything he has had he has to find fault in yours to make something up in order to make himself Feel better.

 

[JohnRice]

Mark, it seems to me that what Jack is describing and what you are describing are very different things.


FWIW, and I guess I'm exhibiting my patented "crankiness" here, but if you are constantly adjusting the sound level on your system during a movie, it is not properly set up. That would probably drive me nuts. :p)


I do sympathize with the "same amount of power" comment, though. I don't think anyone has said that to me in a long time, fortunately.