# Your criteria for owning (vs. renting) DVD's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874 "2005-07-17T14:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/1 "2005-07-17T14:52:25Z")
We have a small collection Of DVD’s (plus hundreds of VHS videos taped over a period of years) that have come mostly as gifts from others. We also avail ourselves of the 3-at-a-time deal from Netflix. The ones I have bought myself are of two main types: 1. those really good deals in the “under $10” bins at Wal-Mart or Kroger 2. movies or TV shows that I know I will see more than once. I have many favorite movies and shows that I wouldn’t mind owning, but not at the $15 and up prices. Especially since we can see most of the good stuff on TV if we just wait for them. The only really expensive DVD purchase I have made for myself (as opposed to gifts for my wife) is _The Godfather Collection_ 5-disc set, and I have watched it several times. What determines for you whether you will buy a DVD instead of waiting for it to appear on TV or just renting it? Do the “special features” or “bonus goodies” tip the scales toward purchase? ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/2 "2005-07-17T15:22:04Z")
Bonus features, especially the presence of one or more good commentaries, ratchets it up big time. I also use netflix, but I’ll be damned most of the time if I can watch a movie in the first day or two of getting it, and then want to wait a week to watch the commentary with Director, Producer (who actually is another director and clearly had a hand in production), Art Director, and Major Star. If I own it, no worry. Because, no, I can’t just watch a movie two days in a row, once without commentary, once with. I buy a little more randomly than I really should, though oftentimes it is the weekly circulars “buy any of these two movies for $15” deals. I have stuff I’ve bought that I’ve not watched in two and a half years, namely a number of MST3k movies that came in box sets. But they’re there when I am in that specific MSTie mood (okay, I requested the MST3k as Xmas presents, but same general argument). Only Mostly Missus and I have quite an extensive DVD collection between us, and we watch most of it quite often. Simply put, we don’t like television. There’s rarely anything truly good on, and when there is, it’s just not really the mood you want (I can watch Terminator 2 with maniacal glee, but not if I’m in a cheesy Mel Brooks comedy mood). Plus, my work is nicely divided into two categories: (1) running around DC taking interviews for background investigations and (2) typing them up in the privacy of my home. Between downtime with OMM and working at home, I probably watch 4-5 discs each week. Netflix can’t keep up with that unless I want to upgrade my plan, and I’m quite happy with the current $18 price break of my 3-at-a-time plan. So I see movies I own for the 20th time. I try to choose movies I know will hold up to so many viewings, and those that don’t just become something to pop in when I want easy to ignore background noise. P.S. - We probably only rent movies from a physical store once every month or two, when we really want something new, but Damnit it’s Sunday and Netflix is not going to come through. ---
**Author:** ![tristessa\_home](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tristessa\_home](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tristessa_home)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/3 "2005-07-18T14:07:11Z")
First off, for renting…I guess I do just go for the current “cool” ones, but I go to the alternative video stores to rent the really amazing foreign ones “criterion” series, etc… and then I tape them. though not always. Then I go by Director: Scorsese, [Sir David Lean](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000180/), John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder, Abel Ferrara, Sidney Lumet, Dario Argento, David Cronenberg, Brian De Palma, Roman Polanski, Luc Besson, Warren Beatty, Tim Burton, Nicolas Roeg, Peter Weir, Lucino Visconti, Margarethe von Trotta, Francis F. Coppola, Charlie Chaplin, Pier Paolo Pasolini etc. There’s more women, I just can’t think of them right now. Asia Argento. (yes, she makes films.) Then I go by the Actors and Actresses I like, though if there’s a combination of one good, one “bad” (one I dislike) I don’t get it, unless it’s a really amazing film. [Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102015/) I really like documentaries. If you want to see something that will knock you out of your seat- get this film. hopefully, a large percentage of you will have seen it already. I loved it. Though it is harsh. It is narrated by Eleanor Coppola. (his wife) It is just brilliant. Paris Texas. [Wim Wenders](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000694/) I have too many to count- well, over 200. Some of my all time faves: (Tho I think they are all amazing, I will make some small notes) Marianne & Julianne Franny & Alexander The Man who fell to Earth Death in Venice/ movie & book. Lolita / movie & book. A Pure Formality (Pura formalità, Una) - [Roman Polanski](http://www.imdb.com/find?q=Roman%20Polanski;s=all), [Gérard Depardieu.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000367/)Dog Day Afternoon The Verdict And Justice For All Serpico Dance With a Stranger Man Bites Dog Moulin Rouge Gallipoli, Peter Weir. (1981) The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) The Killing Fields. The Hunger Bonjour Tristesse Goodfellas Les Diobolique- Henry George Clouzot. 1955.($60-CDN) Simone Signoret. remakes: Reflections of Murder (TV) Sam Waterston & Tuesday Weld. Pretty good. 1974 Diabolique 1996 / Just to watch Isabelle Adjani & Sharon Stone. (the ending was awful.) Été meurtrier, L’ - 1986. Isabelle Adjani. Also known as “One Deadly Summer” Camille Claudel, Gérard Depardieu. Anything with /directed by/ or starring… Roman Polanski, Gérard Depardieu & Catherine Deneuve & Jean Reno. (That would be a great cast!) Roman Polanski: Knife in the water Repulsion. Chinatown Bitter Moon Tess The Pianist * * * Belle Du Jour The Hairdresser’s Husband Danton. * * * Then I go for the fluff. Comedies, and such. The list is only SOME of the ones I like/love. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/4 "2005-07-18T14:38:43Z")
Usually, if I buy a DVD, it’s either a movie that I’ve seen before and really liked (such as Flight of the Intruder) or it’s in the $10 and under bin at the HEB. I think it’s amusing that I’ve bought more anime DVDs at my neighborhood grocery store than anywhere else because of their $10 and under bin. There are LOTS of treasures to be had in the $10 and Under Bin. The other time I’ll buy a DVD set is if it’s a TV show. I don’t like renting TV shows as a rule. Granted, my TV DVD collection is sparse. I have Firefly on DVD (The whole series fits on one 4 disc set), the first season of Buffy, the first season of Roswell, and I have a box set of Band of Brothers that my dad loaned me and I still haven’t found time to watch. My family has a wierd DVD network going. One of us will buy a DVD, watch it a bunch, and then trade with a family member for one of their DVDs (Usually it’s me trading with either my dad or my brother, since I go to college in another town) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/5 "2005-07-18T20:24:23Z")
For me, it’s got to be (a) something I really liked and want to see again, and (b) has at least a decent director’s/writer’s/producer’s commentary on it. I can overlook (b) if (a) is really cool, but most of the time I want my extras. Oh, one more thning: _anamorphic widescreen._ If it’s not anamorphic, it’s gotta be damn good for me to overlook that problem. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/6 "2005-07-18T21:17:27Z")
Pre-Netflix: Because we wanted to see it. Post-Joining-Netflix: Because we wanted to see it again or it’s a television series. ---
**Author:** ![Wartime\_Consigliori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@Wartime\_Consigliori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wartime_Consigliori)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/7 "2005-07-18T21:23:02Z")
My criteria is pretty simple: If I am sure that I will watch this movie more than three times, I go ahead and buy it. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/8 "2005-07-18T21:28:17Z")
I must LOVE the movie. I have not only the regular release of LOTR etc, but the EE versions as well. I plan on purchasing all the HP series, and if Narnia is any good–those too. I plan to own all the Monty Pythons, too, but it’s not a high priority. Other than that-not so much, eh. I bought _Love Actually_ and that’s about it. I’d rather rent. Has to be widescreen; really like the “extras” discs. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/9 "2005-07-18T21:35:00Z")
I rarely watch or listen to the commentaries, but I’ll buy movies I LOVED (as opposed to liked) and know I will watch multiple times to get my money’s worth without getting bored of them. I love film noir, mysteries, crime capers, gangster films, smart/stylish action movies, and movies with “mind-fuck” twists, so a good deal of my collection consists of those sorts… lots of Tarantino, Scorsese, Woo, Ritchie, Gilliam, Fincher, Rodriguez, and so forth. I’m also a sucker for DVDs priced between $5 and $10, since if I watch them 2-3 times, I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth compared to the price of rentals. Those are usually the only DVDs I’ll go crazy and “impulse buy”; most of the time I do a lot of price comparisons between Best Buy, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), Deep Discount DVD, Target, eBay, and so forth. Occasionally, I’ll just want to “vote with my wallet” to support things I really, really enjoyed, such as the \*Arrested Development \* and _Scrubs_ season 1 box sets, since both shows are always struggling for ratings despite being the funniest shows on television. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/10 "2005-07-18T21:49:27Z")
I collect VDs in four genres: sci-fi, detective/spy/film noir, war, and animation (although I haven’t gotten involved with _anime_ as yet). The ones I purchase mostly are films that I know I’ll view multiple times and that I personally consider classics of their type. If they are cheap, all the better. The most expensive set I’ve splashed out on was _Firefly_ at around 40 bucks when it first came out. OTOH, yesterday I found a new copy of _Dark City_ at Fry’s for $5.80; that’s the score of the year as far as I’m concerned. I buy because commercial TV tends to hack films up, and because if I don’t buy now, it may go out of print later. Right at this moment, I’d very much like to have _From Russia With Love_ and the 1953 version of _War of the Worlds_, but the former appears only to be available as part of an expensive boxexd set, and used copies of the latter seem to be selling for around $70 (!) apiece. I’m hoping for maybe a reissue when the Spielberg version goes to DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/11 "2005-07-18T21:59:15Z")
Simply if I will watch it more than once. The special items mean nothing to me; I don’t think I’ve ever watched anything but the movie on a DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/12 "2005-07-18T22:36:17Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I collect **VDs** in four genres: sci-fi, detective/spy/film noir, war, and animation (although I haven’t gotten involved with _anime_ as yet). Kinky alien space-girl with crabs. Dangerous temptress in a red dress hiring you for one dirty job - leading to herpes. Fighting on Okinawa by day, Japanese prostitutes with syph by night. And I’ve seen those disgusting pictures of Minnie Mouse doing Goofy. Probably give him rabies. I spent too much time on an unfunny typo joke. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-criteria-for-owning-vs-renting-dvds/312874/13 "2005-07-19T00:08:26Z")
I’m a bit of an anime buff, and I have a tendancy to buy stuff I’ve never seen, or sometimes even heard of. A good chunk of it I can’t really pre-watch–I don’t have cable, we don’t get much good anime on TV here anyways and some of it is near impossible to find to either rent or buy without special ordering it. Generally it comes down to: –Have I seen it before? ----if not, does it look good enough to buy? ----if so, is it worth buying? –Is it over-priced? I’m pretty good at being able to guess just how much I’ll like a show or movie I’ve never seen before, so generally I’m not disappointed with a purchase. Price has put me off a few purchases–I’d like to get Metropolis, but I’m not paying the $35-40 HMV charges for it. I do have a tendancy to prefer owning something to renting it though, so if it’s something that I’d like to buy I won’t rent it, even if no stores carry it in stock.