# Do you buy movies (VHS, DVD) you haven't seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860 "2002-08-28T01:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/21 "2002-08-28T17:38:17Z")
I have about 1000 movies, but I didn’t buy most of them. 😉 And most of the time, the ones I do buy are ones I’ve never seen, like **Flesh Feast** , which was $5 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/22 "2002-08-28T18:24:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **I also tend to buy anime based on word of mouth, because there aren’t any good rental places that carry anime convenient to my house. There, I miss more often than I hit: _Princess Mononoke_ and _Ninja Scroll_ were happy exceptions, but mostly I get drek like _Ninja Scroll II_ or mediocre “anime mad-libs” like _Legend of Escaflowne_** \ Regardless of the publisher’s deception to the contrary, _Ninja Resurrection_ is **not** Ninja Scroll 2. (Lousy misleading bastards. :mad: ) \ Personally, I have a habit of buying movies I haven’t seen before. Some of them are movies that I wanted to see in theaters that never did, some of them are movies that were recommended to me by friends who have similar tastes, and the rest are “best picture” nominees that sound interesting. And damn near all of them are either Target discount/clearance movies, or Blockbuster pre-viewed. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/23 "2002-08-29T10:12:26Z")
I did the exact same thing, **Cervaise** – I bought _Say Anything_ without having seen it. I bought it a couple months ago, and I still haven’t watched it. I’ll probably get around to it when I declare a Cusack movie night. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/24 "2002-08-29T15:12:56Z")
Almost all of my DVD collection were bought _because_ I had seen them, and wanted to watch them again, with the included extras and the directors commentary also. I have bought only one DVD (Final Destination) before seeing it, and it is the only one I would never watch again due to it being absolutley awful. I try now to buy mainly classic comedy series, as I seem to get the most mileage from them, even as half-hour fillers between regular TV. ---
**Author:** ![gus28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6de8d8/32.png) [@gus28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gus28)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/25 "2002-08-29T15:32:10Z")
If I can find a dvd that I’ve heard good things about on sale, I’ll buy it. That’s mainly because I will watch good movies up to ten times before I get tired of them. Also, I am a very forgetful person when it comes to the little things, so half the time I end up paying late fees at the local Blockbuster anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/26 "2002-08-31T05:35:27Z")
I only buy misic videos, and I haven’t seen them before I buy them. So far I ---
**Author:** ![angelicate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@angelicate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/angelicate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/27 "2002-08-31T05:46:26Z")
The only DVD I’ve bought without seeing first was “High Fidelity.” It was on clearance, at a store that was going out of business, and I’d wanted to see it for a while, so I figured it wouldn’t be a bad buy. I ended up loving it. I used to buy a lot of videos without seeing them, especially when the videostores were starting to phase out VHS for DVD and you could get movies for $1.99 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/28 "2002-08-31T13:13:27Z")
A DVD is $20. If I’d have seen the movie first run in a theatre with my huband and hired a sitter, we’d have spent way more than that. So I have no problem buying DVDs I’ve never seen. And we have a pretty big TV and a pretty nice set up for watching movies, so it isn’t like watching them on a 13" screen. With two young kids we don’t get to the theatre often. We have a pretty large DVD collection. Lots of stuff for the kids, my husbands extensive colletion of Hong Kong action fliks and anime, my classics and modern romantic comedies. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/29 "2002-08-31T14:24:45Z")
The only time I’ll buy a movie that I haven’t seen (and when I do that I always do so on VHS) is when I really want to see it but can’t find it at the video store or anywhere else. The only movies I have done this is **if…** and **Magic**. I haven’t been disapointed, as I found that I like these two movies enogh to watch them more than once. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/30 "2002-08-31T20:44:26Z")
I do occasionally. I don’t get to the theatre very often, too expensive when you consider babysitting on top of the price of the movie. I usually rent if I’m not sure if I will like it, but I’ve bought Amelie, Harry Potter, and Snatch recently without seeing them. Mr Sea does very often with anime, as there isn’t a way to see it otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/31 "2002-08-31T21:03:35Z")
I’ll buy a movie sight unseen, given one or more of the following criteria:[ul][li]It’s marked down near or below rental price.[/li][li]It’s by a director I really like.[/li][li]I’ve heard enough about–good or bad–to raise my curiosity level above the price threshold.[/li][li]I have a job.[/ul][/li]I recently bought a buttload of videos, some of which I was mildly curious, because someone in my building was moving out or something and was selling them all for fifty cents apiece. Yes, a couple of them were garbage, but I didn’t have to rent them at $2.50 or more a pop to find that out. OTOH, I think that the psychological disorder known by the euphemism of “collecting” can come into play for some people. I’m a recovering collector myself, and I remember the days when filling up those shelves with CDs (or books, or Redwing pottery, or aquarium ornaments made in Occupied Japan) then putting up more shelves, then filling THEM up, was as much motivation for buying them as was any real benefit I’d achieve by owning them. (Aside to **Cervaise** : I think _Dancer in the Dark_’s subtext has more in common with that of _Hollow Man_ than _Umbrellas of Cherbourg._ Would be happy to elaborate if curious.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860/32 "2002-08-31T21:06:22Z")
Oik. I’ve really got to get back in the habit of previewing. It’s just that when the board is slow, that makes it take TWICE as long. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-buy-movies-vhs-dvd-you-havent-seen/125860.md?page=1)