# What do you think of buying DVDs of movies you haven't seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128 "2005-02-09T03:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/21 "2005-02-09T12:46:44Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > plus some bootleg DVDs for The Amazing Race seasons 1-4 which had a couple episodes I missed the original broadcast of. šŸ˜‰ OOOOooo!!! Please tell me where I can get this! Send me an email if you donā€™t want to post it-I missed the first four seasons, and I need to see this ā€œFloā€ that annoys so manyā€¦ > [@wolf in second hand clothing](#): > > I also need to watch Mystery Men Ummmmmā€¦you may want to rent this one first. I liked it, just because Tom Waits is in it, but itā€™s really not everyoneā€™s cuppa tea. Just sayinā€™ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/22 "2005-02-09T18:42:22Z")
Personally speaking, as a general policy, I think itā€™s nuts. But I know plenty of people who do it all the time. Go figure. šŸ˜• Then again, I see probably a hundred films every year, at least 3/4 in the theater. I know not everyone can do this (or are equally inclined). ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/23 "2005-02-09T19:16:04Z")
TV shows where I have seen most of the episodes but not all: Babylon 5, The Prisoner and Jonny Quest (I also didnā€™t see all the episodes of Firefly, but that is because they werenā€™t all aired). I figured buying the DVDs was my best chance to see all the episodes. I bought the Toy Story / Toy Story 2 DVD but I had only seen the first movie. I think the only movie Iā€™ve bought unseen was The Seven Samurai. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/24 "2005-02-09T19:43:42Z")
Itā€™s extremely rare that Iā€™d buy a DVD of a movie Iā€™ve never seen, but I did just get Robert Altmanā€™s [Secret Honor](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088074/). I like Altman in general, and as my collection already includes **All the Presidentā€™s Men** , **Dick** , and Oliver Stoneā€™s **Nixon** , you might guess that Nixon and Watergate is an interest of mine. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/25 "2005-02-09T20:13:00Z")
> [@Vision of Love](#): > > So who else around here does this? Show yourselves! šŸ™‚ My GF and I do this frequently. The latest was Monster. Sadly, thatā€™s one that while good, weā€™re not sure that we will watch again. We paid $13 for it. It would have cost us about $26 (with snacks) to see it in the theater. Renting locally isnā€™t an option as I have made a vow not to rent from our single local video store (not a chain store) after being boned by them. Netflix doesnā€™t satisfy the impulse to see a movie immediately. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/26 "2005-02-09T20:32:27Z")
I will often buy DVDs unseen if they are inexpensive ($10 or less) and have been recommended to me. I got _Being John Malkovitch_ and _The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension_ this way (among others). At $10, if I watch it twice, Iā€™ve gotten my moneyā€™s worth, and if itā€™s truly terrible, Iā€™ll give it to someone who likes it as a gift. I buy Woody Allen movies without watching them first because I know I like Woody Allen movies. Iā€™m just about to buy Firefly based on numerous recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/27 "2005-02-09T20:58:08Z")
> [@Midaro](#): > > [Minor Hijack] I donā€™t get the whole buying movies fullstop. > > Seriously, how many times do you want to watch the same film? > > ā€¦BTW I know Iā€™m in a very small minority.[/Minor Hijack] Exactly. I donā€™t want to buy the movie if I havnā€™t seen itā€¦ but if Iā€™ve seen it, I donā€™t need to buy the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/28 "2005-02-09T21:33:15Z")
I do this occasionally. I bought The Cooler with WH Macy and Alec Baldwin having not seen it. It was 8.00 at Blockbuster. I liked it enough but probably wouldnā€™t watch it again. Same with Zombi 3. I hadnā€™t seen one of the famed Italian Zombi seriesā€¦ What a terrible choice. I returned it. House of the Dead was purchased unseen as wellā€¦ Now thatā€™s a GREAT bad movie. I watch it regularly with friends. So far my average isnā€™t taht good. So I pretty much stopped doing it. It 's hard when you have those 3 for 20 deals at Blockbuster and Hollywood and you are struggling to find that third movie. I think thatā€™s how I ended up with Saving Private Ryan. Iā€™ve seen it and really liked it. but itā€™s not a movie I will probably watch after my initial viewing of the DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/29 "2005-02-09T23:45:12Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Exactly. I donā€™t want to buy the movie if I havnā€™t seen itā€¦ but if Iā€™ve seen it, I donā€™t need to buy the movie. Thatā€™s pretty much how I felt for a long time. I still feel that way to some extent. Butā€¦you buy a movie, or get one as a giftā€¦and then you think, for instance, ā€œIf I have _Castle Cagliostro_, I ought to have _Laputa_ too, itā€™s just as goodā€¦And, heck, _Yojimbo_ is more of a personal fave than thoseā€¦so I should get thatā€¦ā€ Itā€™s insidious. Eventually you have a full blown collection. Itā€™s not necessarily even about watching the movies, itā€™s about having them. Strange, I know. I used to buy a lot of movies when I lived in the Caribbean. There wasnā€™t a good place to rent (besides, most of the rentals were stolen property anyway, and I didnā€™t want to support that) so when I visited the states Iā€™d stock up on movies I hadnā€™t seen. This is how I came to own _Dangerous Beauty_. All the reviews I saw said it was good. Oh, how wrong they were. Yuck! Since then Iā€™ve mostly bought movies that Iā€™ve already seen. But, if ever a Miyazaki movie manages to get onto DVD without me having seen it first, Iā€™ll buy it unquestioningly. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/30 "2005-02-10T00:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > So who else around here does this? Show yourselves! For me, itā€™s a matter of building a film library in much the same way as one might build a book library or a CD library. I donā€™t ā€œblind buyā€ in the strictest sense of the phrase; usually Iā€™ll have some reason to believe I would want to own the film, such as a known favorite director or screenwriter. Iā€™ll do a little research, read some reviews and listen to trusted recommendations, and _then_ I might buy a film I never saw. But it isnā€™t like an impulse buy with no basis whatsoever. (Well, ordinarily not. That still happens, but itā€™s rare.) ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/31 "2005-02-10T01:31:41Z")
I just got **The Princess Bride** today. Iā€™ll watch it after Iā€™ve seen **Lost** and **American Idol**. Just a question about the SE DVD: Does it really not come with an insert (the card/booklet that has the scene listing)? It was factory sealed too. Please tell me this wasnā€™t just on my copy, as this also happened to my copy of **Mean Girls** and I was pretty annoyed about that. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/32 "2005-02-10T01:47:50Z")
I do this all the time, but only when I can get the movie for $10 or less, i.e. pre-watched from the video store. Since renting it is almost $5, I figure itā€™s a bargain to buy the thing for $10. I can take as long as I want to watch it, without having to return it. If I like it, I can watch it over and over again. If I hate it, I can give it to someone or sell it. Shouldnā€™t be too hard to get $5 for it, putting it at the same cost as a rental in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/33 "2005-02-10T01:51:28Z")
I usually only buy movies that Iā€™ve seen and expect to watch repeatedly. The exceptions have been: _Spirited Away_ _Napoleon Dynamite_ _Julie Taymorā€™s Titus_ _Castle in the Sky_ _Chinese Hercules_ The last one was three bucks, and was purchased solely on account of the awesomeness of the title. Never did get around to watching itā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/34 "2005-02-10T01:59:05Z")
> [@Vision of Love](#): > > I donā€™t like renting movies because if I really like it and ended up buying it, Iā€™d have wasted $5 on the rental. Right. If thereā€™s a movie you want to see, do you rent it or just buy it? Itā€™s a risk either way. You have to balance the risk of wasting the rental fee on a disc you end up buying anyway, with the risk of spending money on a DVD you donā€™t like well enough to keep. But if you donā€™t want to keep it, there are places you can sell uses DVDs, so that your net loss isnā€™t much more than a rental fee anyway. And, itā€™s kinda nice to have a DVD that I havenā€™t watched yet sitting on the shelf, in case I feel like watching a movie but donā€™t feel like running out to the video store (or am not able to for some reason). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/35 "2005-02-10T02:02:48Z")
```auto **newcomb being** Join Date: Jul 2001 Charter Member Posts: 31 ``` Dude, will you stop SPAMMING us with your non-stop posting? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/36 "2005-02-10T04:00:05Z")
I usually only buy movies or tv shows that I _know_ I like. However, I recently bought the first seasons of Dark Angel and Millenium, of which Iā€™ve only seen a couple of episodes each. If I like them, I might try this more often, but probably with TV shows, since Iā€™m more interested in having them on DVD than movies. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/37 "2005-02-10T04:20:39Z")
We occasionally buy movies weā€™ve not seen. Basically, if itā€™s gotten great reviews and positive buzz from friends, weā€™ll buy it rather than rent and then purchase. Going to the movie theatre does not appeal to me at all anymore. Itā€™s not really the money involved, but the obnoxious @ssholes that talk incessantly throughout. For the most part, I donā€™t understand purchasing DVDs of TV series that are being shown in syndication (IE, Simpsons). Why would I pay to see something Iā€™ve seen dozens of times and is on 12 times a day? I have, however, purchased seasons 1 and 2 of Six Feet Under because those are not being shown in reruns in my neck of the woods. I just ordered Wonderfalls (of course, I only saw the 4 episodes that Fox originally aired before cancelling the series). Based on the 4 known episodes, I feel confident I will be satisfied with the remainder. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128/38 "2005-02-10T05:23:59Z")
I do it all the time. A quick rundown: War Games Red Dragon The Ring Men in Black II Spider-Babe\* Baby Snakes Does Humor Belong In Music? Strange Brew Reefer Madness Cocaine Fiends Joshua-The Black Rider/Kid Vengeance\*\* The Black Six/The Black Gestapo\*\* \*Hey, Misty Mundae is hot. \*\*Anyone who has ever looked through the movie section of a BX/PX knows that AAFES has a talent for finding the worst movies ever. If you really want the Maniac Cop trilogy on DVD, or want to see the sequel to _Amazing Colossal Man_, ask your friendly neighborhood troop. These are two films on one disc, and theyā€™re all bad blaxploitation films. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-buying-dvds-of-movies-you-havent-seen/289128.md?page=1)