# Long time VCR owner, long time DVD owner - absolutely no product. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569 "2003-12-29T12:36:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/1 "2003-12-29T12:36:15Z")
In another thread someone mentioned that they owned 300+ DVDs. At Christmas I was at my brother’s - his family had DVDs laying everywhere that they had received for Christmas. I love movies. I do a monthly review for the work magazine. I see between 50 and 150 movies a year at the cinema depending on what is released, I usually have rented stuff at home (tonight _Adaptation_ which I saw at the movies and _The Recruit_ which I haven’t seen. Anyhow, I own **no** DVDs and only 2 sporting videos - not a single solitary movie. Why do people buy them? Anything that is not a new release can be rented for $1 a week. Recently I introduced my teenage son to _An American Werewolf In London_ and _Cool Hand Luke_. Why do you people own them? How often do you watch them? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/2 "2003-12-29T12:55:39Z")
Just as I won’t part with the books I love the most, I also own the movies I love the most. Yes, I can go and rent most (though not all) of my movies, however on a snowy Sunday afternoon or a late Thursday night, I don’t want to haul off to the movie store. I can simply select one of Lisa’s Best titles and voila! Instant guaranteed (albeit previously viewed) happiness. In fact, this past week I’ve been on holiday and have immensely enjoyed re-watching my Buffy DVD’s. Complete with an occasional director’s commentary. That doesn’t mean I don’t ever watch new movies. But if it’s a choice between watching Charlie’s Angels 2 on the tube or A&E’s Pride and Prejudice on DVD, I’m going with the latter. How often do I watch them? I wait several months, if not years, between viewings. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/3 "2003-12-29T13:06:16Z")
Many of our dvds were gifts (I got 7 this Christmas; Mr Cazzle got 2). DVD’s are an easy present for the people you don’t know how to buy for, so they are popular gifts. Some of our videos and dvds are ex-rentals, and they cost only marginally more than renting them would (ex: America’s Sweethearts on video cost $6 for an ex-rental copy; at the same time it cost $5 to hire). Others we buy on sale - some I got at a massive discount because they were missing their covers, and so they cost only a couple of dollars each. How many times do we watch them? Well, picking one out at random, I’ve watched Mr Deeds about 4 times now over the last twelve months, and I’ll probably watch it once a year for the next few years. America’s Sweethearts has only been played twice in 2 years, but that still worked out cheaper than renting it twice! It might be a couple of years before I drag it out of the cupboard again. If I really like a movie, I may watch it every couple of months for a while, otherwise it could just get an annual airing. I like revisiting movies that I’ve enjoyed so it makes me happy. My grandfather doesn’t understand why anyone would want to watch something that they’ve already seen. My mother will watch the same movie daily for weeks on end. Different folks… different strokes… > [@](#): > > I love movies. I do a monthly review for the work magazine. I see between 50 and 150 movies a year at the cinema depending on what is released, I usually have rented stuff at home (tonight Adaptation which I saw at the movies and The Recruit which I haven’t seen. I suppose one major difference between you and I is that you watch and love many movies… I watch few, and like fewer. I go to the cinema 8 times a year, tops. Some years - I don’t go at all. I go six months or more without renting a movie, and yet it still takes an hour to chose one - and then I still often leave the store empty handed. When I do find a movie I like, I want to enjoy it over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/4 "2003-12-29T13:14:17Z")
Very wise **PunditLisa** a comparison to books makes sense. So it’s me. If I read a book and think X will like this, I give it to X. If I read a book and think I may wish to read this again someday (and I don’t know anyone who would like it) I give it to one of the libraries I’m a member of. I know where all these books are. [aside]For years I used to claim the value of the books I gave to libraries as a charitable donation. The library staff tend to remember people who bring in boxes of books, so I thought I was fine. It turned out I couldn’t claim any of it but I already had the refunds.[/aside] But yes there are books I don’t give away, that I like close to hand in case I need to read them. Your point is well taken. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/5 "2003-12-29T13:17:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cazzle \* > \*\*I suppose one major difference between you and I is that you watch and love many movies… I watch few, and like fewer. I go to the cinema 8 times a year, tops. Some years - I don’t go at all. I go six months or more without renting a movie, and yet it still takes an hour to chose one - and then I still often leave the store empty handed. When I do find a movie I like, I want to enjoy it over and over again. \*\* Let’s try an experiment, **please**. Tell me a few movies that you like and I will try to pick you some DVDs. This is far more important to me than it is to you. It relates to an interesting idea I discussed with my nephews over Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/6 "2003-12-29T13:29:17Z")
Here are some of the movies in my collection: Pleasantville Ice Age Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Four Weddings and a Funeral My Big Fat Greek Wedding Moulin Rouge A League of Their Own Amelie The Court Jester My Fair Lady The Emperor’s New Groove Toy Story Zoolander Dead Poet’s Society Hot Shots The Wizard of Oz Election The Great Race Do your worst! ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/7 "2003-12-29T13:44:40Z")
Like **PunditLisa** , I buy DVDs that I want to have close by if I want to be entertained. I generally limit my purchases to sale items and new DVD discounts; the average cost of a DVD in my library is about $10. Given that I don’t own a car or have kids, the 276 DVDs that I own are a much less costly vice. I admit to a few clinkers (I bought the craptacular **Deep Blue Sea** for $5.00 just for Thomas Jane’s blond, muscular hunkitude), but on the whole I find having a library to dip into to be very satisfying. Here’s a link to my [collection](http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&sub=All&id=gobear). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/8 "2003-12-29T13:55:59Z")
I just need to be rude for a moment **cazzle** , I need a guide to your age - generation X, baby boomer, pepsi generation. What is one of the first movies you saw at the flicks? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/9 "2003-12-29T14:05:44Z")
lol, it’s a funny old list, isn’t it 🙂 I’m 27. My tastes are pretty superficial - I like kid’s movies, chick flicks and lowbrow comedy. I HATE violence in movies, and my standards on that border on the extreme. I’m a nightmare to watch a movie with. I think the first movie I saw in a cinema was Robin Hood (the Disney cartoon). HTH! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/10 "2003-12-30T11:45:26Z")
O K **cazzle** I’ll give you a bit of background. At Christmas I was talking with my nephews and their friends about movies. They would mention a movie they liked and I would suggest something similar and it would turn out they hadn’t heard of it Because my 2 sons are nearly 6 years apart I rent stuff for the younger one that his brother liked at the same age. It seems that teenagers don’t look through the back catalogue and I was lamenting that these kids were watching mediocre movies while good ones are available. With a bit of Q & A we worked out where the gap seems to be and that’s what I wanted to test on you. By rights most of the movies on this list should have been of little interest first time around because you were the wrong age. Maybe you’ve since seen some of them. What I’d like to knoe is - of the ones you’ve seen how many did you like/dislike and how many remain unwatched. By the way I was surprised by your violence bar. I took you at your word and eliminated anything with so much as a punch in it. I was surprised by the number of movies that have at least one violent incident - I had to cull some gems that for some reason needed a fight scene. Cheers and thanks for the help. Anyone reading less than say 30 is welcome to reply. 84 Charing Cross Road The Accidental Tourist Agnes Of God All Of Me Always Amadeus American Flyers An American Tail An Angel At My Table Arachnaphobia Arthur Atlantic City Beaches Beetlejuice Better Off Dead Big The Big Chill Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure Biloxi Blues Birdy Brazil The Breakfast Club Cane Toads Chances Are Chariots Of Fire Clockwise Coal Miner’s Daughter The Coca Cola Kid Cocoon Crossing Delancy Dangerous Liaisons Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Diner Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Dream Team Educating Rita Edward Scissorhands Fast Times at Ridgemont High Ferris Bueller’s Day Off A Fish Called Wanda Ghostbusters The Gods Must Be Crazy Gregory’s Girl Leningrad Cowboys Go America The Little Mermaid Lost in America Malcolm Moonstruck Planes, Trains & Automobiles Prick Up Your Ears Rain Man Raising Arizona Roxanne Stand And Deliver Tootsie Willow Withnail And I The Great Mouse Detective The Secret of NIMH Twice Upon A Time ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/11 "2003-12-30T12:35:30Z")
Like you, I absolutely love movies. I buy them for various reasons; 1. Renting a DVD where I live cost about 4.00, buying them costs between 5.00 and 20.00 depending on whether I go to a retail outlet or eBay. If I watch a movie 3 times then on average, I’ll save money. Occassionally I’ll buy a movie, watch it once or twice and decide I don’t like it, in which case I’ll sell it on eBay and get probably 75% of my money back. 2. Many movies I’ll watch several times and then watch again several times with the commentary on. Citizen Kane is a great example of this. 2 hour movie, 2 commentaries (Ebert/Bogdanovitch) and a 2 hour documentary. This is difficult to do if I rent a movie as I’d need to do that over a 3 day period in which case I would overdose on the Citizen Kane. 3. Many movies that I like are very, very difficult to find at the local video store. In fact, many aren’t even available in the UK. Buying them is the only option. The majority of my collection is region 1 (US) even though I’m living in the UK right now. This is because in a lot of cases the UK version is edited for content which also annoys the crap out of me. I also have a sizeable number of region 3 and region 0 movies. 4. About 25% of my collection is TV shows. TV generally sucks and I only ever watch sport, not entertainment shows. I like having the ability to choose from several hundred episodes of my favorite TV shows and several hundred movies when I decide to spend the night at home. 5. Rented movies invariably have scratches or some other defect which really, really pisses me off after I’ve driven to the video store. Here is my [list](http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollection.asp?alias=uk_yankee1969) which, to put it mildly, is a little esoteric. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/12 "2003-12-30T12:44:05Z")
Great list! Here’s some feedback: Arachnaphobia - am terrified of spiders, so will give this one a miss, thankyouverymuch 🙂 Beaches - loved this when I was 13. Beetlejuice - saw it long ago, and disliked it Better Off Dead - liked this one Big - mildly amusing, but not my cup of tea Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure - loved this back in the day. Chances Are - not my style Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - didn’t like this at all Edward Scissorhands - hated it! Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - didn’t mind it. A Fish Called Wanda - was ok Ghostbusters - was ok The Little Mermaid - loved it in my early teens Moonstruck - not my kind of movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles - hated it. Really don’t have a lot of time for Steve Martin or John Candy movies Tootsie - didn’t like it The Secret of NIMH - used to like it when I was younger Some hits, some misses. Will check out a lot of the others on your list - some I’m sure I’ve seen but don’t really remember and others I’ve never even heard of, so it should be interesting. I suppose I should give you a list of other movies I’ve liked over the years that I remembered from reading your list: Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey Wayne’s World Flying High Naked Gun Silent Movie Brain Donors ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/13 "2003-12-30T12:58:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cazzle \* > \*\* > Edward Scissorhands - hated it! > \*\* Heretic! You must burn at the stake! How can you hate this movie. Do you have no soul? No heart? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-vcr-owner-long-time-dvd-owner-absolutely-no-product/221569/14 "2003-12-30T16:48:05Z")
We have a lot of DVDs, but most of them are anime. In fact, the reason we bought the DVD player in the first place was because it offered much advantage to anime fans…the multiple language tracks make it possible to watch either in an English dub (useful if friends are over) or the original Japanese with subtitles, and the animation is so much sharper. I also like to buy DVDs because you get more time to savor and enjoy the extras, rather than ODing on a movie as **sirtonyh** mentioned. And, we also have a lot of TV series box sets, which often are not even available for rental–and you can take as long or as little time as you like to watch them. Almost all of our prerecorded VHS tapes were gifts or children’s videos…rental seemed like a better choice when VHS was the dominant format. But, if you really like a movie, the extras on an average DVD generally make it worth owning. Actually, rental fees (d\*mn Blockbuster’s about all that’s left these days) can make a movie worth buying if you are going to rent it more than twice, and sometimes even once!