I've cut waaaay back

[Frankie]

I’ve almost lost total interest in buying these things. I used to follow it pretty closely, looking at when the new releases were coming out, what features they had etc. I’d pick up 3 or 4 a month.

Then one day I was looking at my smallish collection (106) and said to myself, “Why do I buy these?” And that was it. I’ve purchased one in the last 6 months. I think I’ve become pickier as far as what I want to own. I bought Hollow Man when it came out. For gods sake what was I thinking!!!

I’m waiting for a few titles that are still unavailable, but as far as Black Hawk Down or some other new release I’ll pass.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[aintnosin]

In a word... no.

[pdjennings]

I'm sorry .... hope you get better soon.

:p

[Dark_ph0enix]

I thought about cutting down a few months ago - I've spent about £3000 on DVD related products in the last 18 months.

But who can resist the shiny glow of a new DVD release ?

[Miggy]

I've always tried to only buy movies I really liked. I simply don't have the extra cash to buy anything and everything that comes out. Only two DVDs have I bought "blind" and that was Caligula (because of all the talk here of how bad it was) and, even blinder - becuase I had never even heard of it - Cube. So, 1 out of 2 there isn't bad and I knew in advance of the bad one.

I would say, allow yourself a budget to get the ones you really want. If there just happens to be no DVDs you just really want, then that it just the way it is.

Miggy, the Thief

[feldon23]

I said “Why do I buy these?” quite a while ago at the ~40 DVD mark.

My next purchases will be Monsters, Inc., Lord of the Rings 4 disc, and maybe L.I.E.

[AnonomusBob15]

I have gotten pickier also. I remember once I had gotten Hollow Man and Charlies Angels. So now, I try to concentrate on the films that I love, and also an occasional popcorn flick.

It works out quite nicely. And plus, if I make a blind purchase, and don't like it, I trade it.

[IRISH TENOR 2]

I ebayed the ones I didn't want anymore and made the $ back that I spent and then some

[SeanL]

I'm pretty picky, out of the 184 movies I own, there've only been a handful of blind purchases. I go thru spurts. For the last few months, it was buy one here and there, but this month I've already bought 5(counting BHD tomorrow).

[Marty McFly]

I limit what I buy, simply because I don't have money to spend on something I'm not going to use. It's exactly the reason why I've put a stop on how many discs I purchase. I was buying them here and there with a load of blind buys, and had them sit on my shelf for 6 months. The next one for me is Speed: 5-Star at the end of July.

[mrdigital]

I'm thinking of cutting back myself, and what do I do...in a span of 6 days, I buy Pi/Requiem for a Dream 2-pack, Waking Life, and Final Fantasy, and struggled before putting back Memento LE (I have the original)!


Consider me a failed test case...

[Moppy007]

I often see some stuff in my collection i think i could have gone without - they aren't movies i really love, i just like them. except it's so darn hard to resist buying one, especially when they're cheap!
now i figure if it's a movie i like but don't love, i'll wait for a bargain.

[Martin Blank]

I've cut way back too. I'm going to try to only buy 12 to 15 titles per year. I've bought over 100 since July 1999. We'll see how it goes. I will probably pick up the new Depeche Mode DVD soon, then it's FOTR in August, and a bunch of things in the fall (including FOTR again!).

[Flash Ahhh]

I go in spurts myself.

I do like to experience new movies, so I do buy a lot of titles site unseen based upon reviews or other peoples recommendations.

There are times I buy 5 titles a week and other times where I might only get 5 a month.

I know sometimes it's easy to jump on the DVD buying band wagon. It's important to paceoneself and if need be, take a break.

For the most part DVD's aren't going anyhwere. There's rentals, used DVD's, online and B&M discounters, trader lists, etc. So there is plenty of opportunity.

Enjoy the hobby, don't turn a great and rewarding hobby into a burdensome hobby.

-Flash

[George McFly]

can Frankie be banned immediatly?



OT- I've cut back simple because I'm broke plus no titles I really wanna get but that'll all change come August but as far as losing interest in DVDs not a chance

[Wflanagan]

Hello, my name is Walt and I am a DVD addict.

But seriously...

I received my DVD player as a gift in December 1999 and in the intervening years I've accumulated about 85 discs. I feel pretty good about the size of my collection, but I agree with what some have you said about suffering from some sort of DVD fever.

An example: I searched and searched for the limited edition Men in Black that came out a while back. Got it. Watched it. Enjoyed it, but...then came to the realization I'm less than the biggest fan of the flick. So I sold it and I haven't felt my life was any emptier since it left my possession.

Luckily, there are many shops that are dealing in used DVDs, so buyer's remorse is easily cured with a quick and painless transaction.

So I guess the moral is buy what you can afford, but perhaps more importantly, buy what you really, really like! No need to feel bad about NOT buying discs!

Walt

[slymer]

I try to cut back but usually can't. There's usually something every week that I'm interested in. This week it's Buffy Season II and Monster's Ball. Next week it'll be the Majestic and Orange County. Not to mention older movies that have already been released on DVD that I still buy from time to time. To make matters worse I just picked up a Malata, so now I can play all regions, and PAL. I find myself scouring Hong Kong and Korean DVD websites looking for interesting movies. A friend of mine has over 1000 movies, so I get a lot of recommendations from him.

I don't regret any of my purchases really. I love movies, so I have no problem spending money on them. I really need to save up for a better TV though.

[theta]

Here's what you do. First, cultivate a serious taste in art cinema. Develop yourself as a human being by absorbing the best of cinema from around the world. Also develop a healthy disdain for Hollywood "product." Become so snobbish that you disdain the multiplexes and only enter the most serious theaters to see the finest of films.

Then get a low-paying job. You will never buy a DVD again, because, after what Kino and Criterion charge, you can't afford them!

In all seriousness, here's the trick; limit yourself in the terms of the quality of releases: buy only what you see as the best, and let nothing else sully your collection (with occasional exceptions, of course.)
For example, I love stupid action movies, but I'm not going to buy a stupid action movie that isn't a credit to the genre in my opinion. So while "Face/Off" might not be as a great a film as, say, "The Seventh Seal", it's still, IMHO, great for what it is.
Keep your standards high, and your disc bills will be low and you'll be generally happy with your collection, even though it will likely expontentially grow and take over your house anyway.

[daley92782]

For me when buying a movie if I have seen it and like it and think it would be a good choice for my collection then I get it, If I have not seen the movie I usually read the reviews and see what people have to say about it. I usually buy at least one new movie a week if not then one or two every two weeks and with my old one's I buy them back for money to hopefully make what I had earned before.

[Avid]

It has been picking up for me. About four months ago I hit 25 and that took over a year to get to. Today about a dozen DVDs came in from three different vendors (I thought they would stagger) and I am now up to around 40.

I have been thinking about buying a bunch of classics that I have never seen which would probably bump me up to around 80 at the end of the year if I do.
Movies such as the Godfathers, Chinatown, The Hustler, The Producers, On the Waterfront, Easy Rider... My friends are amazed I haven't seen these.

I do try to be picky about what I buy, but I think I will have a larger collection than I set out to when I started.

[Lo Pan]

I'll start cutting back on my purchases when I get to 2,000 DVDs.

(I'm three quarters of the way there right now.)

[Scarface]

I'm pretty picky with my discs, I admit, and with my collection I love a majority of the movies (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Assault on Precinct 13, 2001), like some (Witchfinder General, The Warriors, etc), and got a few as gifts (The 6th Day, Hollow Man, few others), but I can honestly say I don't regret any.... I'd have a hell of a lot more if I wasn't so damn picky - I go to a shop, and stand for about 45 mins deciding what to buy....

[Daniel Shock]

I've had to make a deal with my wife...one DVD per month...I think she mumbled something about "retirement"

[UFO]

Originally posted by Frankie
Anyone else feel the same way?

Yes! My collection is just now approaching 200...after 3 years. Probably 1/4-1/3 of the disks I got free. I'm pretty picky. Some on my list may seem like strange choices to you, but they are dear to me. I won't buy a DVD just because the movie was popular or made lots of money. For example: Pi LOVE that movie, but most people have never seen it.

[Soggy Bagel's Revenge!]

Originally posted by theta
Here's what you do. First, cultivate a serious taste in art cinema. Develop yourself as a human being by absorbing the best of cinema from around the world. Also develop a healthy disdain for Hollywood "product." Become so snobbish that you disdain the multiplexes and only enter the most serious theaters to see the finest of films.

Then get a low-paying job. You will never buy a DVD again, because, after what Kino and Criterion charge, you can't afford them!

Ack! I think I now know why I don't buy a huge ammount of DVDs on a regular basis!

I've cut down on my DVD spending in the past few months, and I must say, it has worked rather well -- Since January, I have bought only 5 DVDs! "Pink Floyd's The Wall", "Rebecca" (Criterion version), "From Hell", "The Lodger", and "UHF"!

Thanx,
Brook

[Soggy Bagel's Revenge!]

BTW, theta, you have an AWESOME DVD collection! Kudos!

Thanx,
Brook

[aintnosin]

With Star Trek: the Next Generation and Babylon 5 both coming out in box sets, I'll should probably limit myself to just the two LOTR releases...

Yeah, right....