I buy DVDs seen or unseen?

[Logan 5]

With my life becoming busier and busier I have noticed a change in my buying habits. I am buying more and more DVDs of films that I did not see at the time of theatrical release. Previously, I had purchased only films that I had seen and I knew were worth keeping. Now I'm paying three times as much for films that are often disappointing (e.g. What Lies Beneath or Lost Souls). Not sure if this habit began because of poor DVD rental availability (which has since changed) or if it's just good old American obsessive consumerism at work.

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RENEW OR RUN.

[Damian]

My wife and I are guilty of doing this quit a bit actually. Our reasoning is, if we rent the movie, most times we don't get around to actually watching it. The we have to rent it again. So we figure just add a few more dollars and buy the damn thing.

Of course, this is the reason why we have movies like Dr T. And The Women in our collection.


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"They're us....we're them!"
-Damian

[DVDriven]

I don't go to the movie theatre that much anymore, so I rely largely on a movie's premise, who's casted, critics' reviews and word-of-mouth to determine what will find their way into my DVD library. Occasionally I will rent, but it can be inconvenient. With ticket prices at where they are, plus concessions, parking, traffic, etc., it's just easier to gamble with a purchase; if it doesn't work out, there's always eBay. I've regretted only two purchases to date: The Cell and Manhunter 2-disc LE. "The Cell" I may keep, but I'm getting rid of "Manhunter" eventually.

[saraswati]

i never never never do this. actually, i've been tempted before, with Cast Away and Almost Famous. but i did not give in to temptation. i see movies in the theater a lot, and i rent a lot. i only buy movies if they're something i know i want.

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deep in the heat of the bush...

[Chris Knight]

I have only bought ONE DVD before seeing the movie. That was Wild Wild West. It was $9.99 and my sister loved it. I haven't been able to figure out WHY she loves it because I STILL haven't been able to get through the whole movie yet. The only reason I haven't given her the DVD to keep yet is because I feel I should at least watch the movie once (all the way through) before giving it away.

I actually worked with a guy who bought TONS of LDs of movies he'd never seen. It was like 80% of his collection.

I could never understand buying somehing you've never seen before unless you make a lot of money. I don't so I'm a little bit pickier about which movies I buy.

Thankfully, I live 1/2 a block away from Hollywood Video and I pass about 3 Blockbusters on the way to work so I rent before buying.

[This message has been edited by Chris Knight (edited 07-10-2001).]

[Zombie Keeper]

This is what happens after you have replaced all your old VHS movies and are just in the weekly habit of buying DVD's.

Sad but true...

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ZombieKeeper.com
Horror movie reviews from people who watch horror movies.

[Blade]

I do this all the time!

Over the past week and a half I picked up Dog Day Afternoon, The Searchers, The Wedding Planner, Snatch, and Unbreakable.

I don't get to see very many movies in the theater (been averaging about 1 every 2 months this year and that's an increase in movie watching activity).

I like to pick up movies that are considered to be classics, and new releases that look like they'll be interesting based on critics (both professional and amatuer) and movie premise and actors.

Dog Day Afternoon: Al Pacino, true story, Acadamy Award nominations

The Searchers: Often mentioned movie in a Top 5 Westerns thread I read recently. And John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.

The Wedding Planner: I like romantic comedies, Jennifer Lopez is hot ( ), and a friend who's movie opinion I respect recommended it.

Snatch: Madonna's husband directed it, so this was a lock! Actually, I've seen and greatly enjoyed Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and the DVD had some good features. (I picked up Bounce for the same reason (features), and I really ended up enjoying that movie.)

Unbreakable: I'm a mostly retired comic book collector.

Probably going to get Thirteen Days sometime this week too. (Infinifilm, and based on a true story.)

This is what I love about DVD. It allows me to see movies I haven't seen before in a format as close to being in the theater as possible.

There's nothing like a good movie! I need to start watching more of them.

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-David
My DVDs and HT

[slade]

I buy before seeing too. I actually justify buying the DVD because I haven't seen it in the theater (i.e. "well I wanted to see 13 days in the theater, but didn't, so I can use the money I would've spent seeing it to buy the DVD.") I'm fairly selective about what I buy, nonetheless, and haven't been too disappointed.

And, if I only bought movies I previously saw I would never buy new releases becuase I don't go to the theater anymore and I don't rent very often.

I actually kick myself when I do rent a title, enjoy the movie, and then I wish that I had bought it, because then it's like I've wasted that rental fee if I do buy the movie later (how's that for convaluted logic?).

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slade

"It’s amazing that brain can generate enough power to keep those legs moving."

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by slade:

I actually kick myself when I do rent a title, enjoy the movie, and then I wish that I had bought it, because then it's like I've wasted that rental fee if I do buy the movie later (how's that for convaluted logic?).

This hasn't happened to me too often, thankfully.

I employ the same mode of thinking when it comes to rentals. If I rented a movie that I then felt should have been bought in the first place, I add the rental price to the DVD purchase, resulting in a feeling of guilt that I overspent on the film. However, I don't do this math when I go to the movie theatre to see it initially. Convoluted logic redefined.

[DrDetroit]

I did this only with "Nashville" which wasn't much of a risk because I'd heard all the praise beforehand and was guaranteed a good movie.

BTW:

Originally posted by Blade:
The Searchers: Often mentioned movie in a Top 5 Westerns thread I read recently. And John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.

Huh? Jimmy Stewart in The Searchers?

[Jerm]

I haven't bought many movies unseen. But after taking the whole family to see Atlantis (which wasn't a bad film) it would have been cheaper to wait and buy the DVD.
Just to get in the door, I paid almost $20, and that was with the military discount. Add the price of food...I spent a lot of money. And renting here...well it sucks! On base the movies are only $2 but you can't ever find anything, except for Dungeons & Dragons, there are plent copies of that!

[KikuchiyoCM]

>"The Cell" I may keep, but I'm getting rid of "Manhunter" eventually.

That's the strangest thing I've ever read, you might keep the Cell (the oone with Jennifer Lopex in right?) but Manhunter's got to go, is that right?

[Disco Stu]

Originally posted by KikuchiyoCM:
>"The Cell" I may keep, but I'm getting rid of "Manhunter" eventually.

That's the strangest thing I've ever read, you might keep the Cell (the oone with Jennifer Lopex in right?) but Manhunter's got to go, is that right?

I can almost understand that. The Cell may be a terrible movie, but it has some interesting interpretations of other people's visuals and terrific costumes. It also has a large array of extras for $25. Manhunter is a $40 LE, and the director's cut (disc 2) is a poor print that changes nothing significant from the theatrical version (disc 1). On top of that, disc 1 seems edited in a confusing way, at least from the LBX LD I've seen. Some of the scenes are cut shorter and some of the explanatory dialogue is missing, leaving the unintiated viewer lost.


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Arrogance is bliss

[Dlrhas21]

Originally posted by DrDetroit:


Huh? Jimmy Stewart in The Searchers?

I gotta second this... The Searchers, along with Logan's Run (which is appropriate based on the person who started this discussion) were my second and third DVD purchases and Jimmy Stewart is definately NOT in it. The guy that almost got to be Captain of the Enterprise was however.... (Jeffery Hunter for those that care...)

[Blade]

Originally posted by DrDetroit:
Huh? Jimmy Stewart in The Searchers?

Hey, I did say I hadn't seen it yet!

Knew I should have checked that before I posted it. I was getting it confused with the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Blade



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-David
My DVDs and HT

[Logan 5]

The Searchers, along with Logan's Run (which is appropriate based on the person who started this discussion) were my second and third DVD purchases...

Dlrhas21 - That's interesting. What was your first DVD? This would make a great new thread.

7/11/01 - Started new thread: Survey: Your First DVD

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RENEW OR RUN.

[This message has been edited by Logan 5 (edited 07-11-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Logan 5 (edited 07-11-2001).]

Oh, man, I do this constantly.

Cast Away
Unbreakable
Demons 1 & 2
Snatch
wonder boys
Thirteen days
Hidden Fortress
Crouching Tiger, Mad Cow
All the President's Men

these are just off the top of my head. I just broke the 400 DVD mark, and I'd say at least 40 of them were purchased unseen.

I buy movies that:

A) are from directors/actors/writers I dig

2) if I don't like, I know I can get rid of in a hurry

sometimes it's not good (I did not like CT,HD at all), and some times it's good (I dug Unbreakable, Snatch and all the rest on that list)

[SeanL]

For the most part, I only buy movies I've seen at the theaters, and I know I want to have. Although I've bought movie sight unseen, most recently I picked up Snatch....but in that case, I liked the previews, but I just never got around to seeing it at the theaters.



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Sean

I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, when he said, "I drank what?"

[This message has been edited by SeanL (edited 07-11-2001).]

[007eleven]

I don't have any DVDs in my collection that I didn't first see somewhere else (theater, cable, or rental). I guess I don't have the cash to spend freely on movies I haven't seen. My girlfriend's small collection, which may soon be merged with mine, contains 2 movies she bought that she hadn't seen before - but that's only because she had to buy them since she didn't return the card to Columbia House (the Patriot and 13th Warrior)! Ugh! She ended up not liking either enough to keep (anyone wanna buy a couple DVDs?).

[This message has been edited by 007eleven (edited 07-11-2001).]

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by Blade:

Is there a page on this site which lists / displays what smilies are available for use? The John Woo one's neat.

[Adjuster]

Tons of cool smilies can be found HERE.

These are the smilies that EYE has made famous.

Enjoy.

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"I've got a bad feeling about this...."
I AM JEFF'S DVD LIST

[Blade]

Originally posted by 007eleven:
...but that's only because she had to buy them since she didn't return the card to Columbia House (the Patriot and 13th Warrior)! Ugh! She ended up not liking either enough to keep (anyone wanna buy a couple DVDs?).

First, if she's still getting those cards, she should call up customer service and ask to become a preferred member. Then they'll stop sending the cards.

Second: there's always ebay, or the trade forums on various DVD related boards (dvdfile has one as does hometheaterforum.com and dvdtalk.com)

DVDriven,

This site's supported smilies can be found here. This link is to the left of the reply and new post window along with a link to an explanation of the site's UBB code information.

I borrowed the one above from another site's forum.

[Rouge 2]

I only did it for Stop Making Sense and Princess Mononoke because I found them for really good prices at a wholesale place. I did like both films, though.

What I will do is, if I hear a good edition for a film is coming out, like Play Misty for Me, I rent it out and if I like it, I add it to my dvd calender of upcoming releases.

[Obi-Wan]

I have bought several dvd's sight unseen.
Anti-Trust, The Way of the Gun, Thirteen Days, Traffic, Clerks and The Contender to name a few. I buy DVD's every week and when there is not a new release that week that I want I try something I have not seen yet. Its kinda sad but Tuesdays are becoming my favorite day of the week.

[JesseCuster]

So far, the only movie I've done this with has been The Big Lebowski and I was pleased at my decision. Up until now and Lebowski, all I've purchased have been movies that I've liked and wanted to add to my collection. I do the Columbia House thing and I'll eventually get to the point where I have to get some movies that I'm interested in but haven't seen yet. If I had to guess, some of my next sight-unseen purchases will be:

O Brother Where Art Thou?
High Fidelity
The Cell
Traffic
Magnolia
Memento



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"...But this one goes to 11."

-This is Spinal Tap

[Dominik Pfleghaar]

Back when I started collecting movies on Laserdisc I mostly bought movies I already knew from tv or theater.
But now with dvd's being almost as cheap as two entries to a theater, I buy most of them sight unseen.

Although I rely on reviews or threads in the forum.

There are also many older, classic movies I haven't seen yet. I'm always happy to pick such a movie up on dvd and watch it for the first time on this great format.


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Unca Dom
dvdfile.com Administrator
pfleghaar@dvdfile.com
My HT My dvd collection

[Logan 5]

Gwanum wrote: Its kinda sad but Tuesdays are becoming my favorite day of the week.

Yeah, Tuesdays are definitely a weekday I look forward to! -Never used to be that way ... but then came my DVD player!



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