The streamers are guilty of the same mindset that most of 21st Internet business has been based on: treating whatever they sell as a collective commodity and not individual items of value, and hiding the good things in among crap. Whereas with a DVD or Blu-Ray purchase you're only getting the movies and TV shows you WANT to see (plus additional related material in some cases), and you feel more satisfied with that (or I do).
And, yes, I know the film studios have always been guilty of mistreating what they make, but that's where the critics and fans exist to point out their mistakes.
Yes, I feel like by focusing on short term profits, the studios and streamers are not thinking of the long term health of the industry. They’re finally moving back toward somewhat healthier windows for theatrical, but the focus on streaming is troubling. I’ve got some beef with Netflix specifically, and may write a future piece focusing on their influence on the industry.
Fuckin' hell can we not make every little contrarian thing I do into a movement. I'm gonna start picking my nose in public or something, try making a thing of that.
Seriously though didn't make it through the whole argument, but yes to it. Streaming sucks. Owning things is nice.
I’m not opposed to them! A few years ago I was really into building out a plex server with my physical collection. But I’ve come back around to enjoying and appreciating the intentionality of picking out a disc and putting it in the bluray player. Especially if I’m going to peruse the special features, etc. I still think it’s great in relation to tv shows—especially if you’re just looking to watch a single episode. What about you?
Strike a balance indeed. Getting most free through local library is a winner. You can order online and from their larger interlibrary loan network. Only requires patience (good practice). Then, what you like you can buy. We always check eBay first for used titles, usually $4 or so. You can’t beat that. Plus, have a movie night potluck with friends to swap.
Just to share our less known to others recommended movies we have enjoyed many times now are:
1. School of Rock (just in case they haven’t seen yet).
2. Mom’s Night Out (husband laughs so hard all 5 times we have seen so far).
3. Royal Night Out (who can resist a British princess’ real adventure).
4. Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (okay, maybe a chick flick, but guys: she will love you for recommending it, a modern day Cinderella story).
5. Where the Lillies Bloom (Appalachian orphans, family movie that sticks to the ribs, so many great lines, long unavailable but now out on DVD so find on eBay).
Yes there are many other classics like American Graffiti worth tens of viewings. These are just some less known ones.
And - the streaming version of Woody Allen's Love and Death, they removed the entire chasity belt scene. So, buy the original and hear Allen rhyme "latch" and "snatch" - priceless, you'll be glad you did.
I’ve really come back around to Blurays over the last year and a half. Judging by what I’ve seen around my city, particularly in trendier areas, I think we are at the very early stages of a film physical media revival. The Criterion Closet videos help, as well as everybody generally agreeing that streaming has gotten a lot worse. Unlike music, where most things are on whatever platform you want, film and tv are siloed and things shift around which gets tiresome. A standard Bluray will look better than Netflix, have special features, be an item to display on a shelf, and is something you can always have access to. I also think there is beginning to be some nostalgia for the DVD era. I just wish studio Bluray releases looked as nice as standard studio releases. The cheap semi-opaque blue plastic shell doesn’t look very cool.
Well said, Tyler! I have never been a fan of the blue cases. I think the Criterion clear cases are attractive. Several of the boutique labels have adopted them and it makes the films significantly more displayable.
This is a wonderful piece. I worked at a Suncoast Motion Picture CO. in the early and mid-90s. I have nearly 3,000 physical records and more than a hundred DVDs. Still, I spend most of my time streaming the music and films I digest.
By streaming the culture we love, we free ourselves from having to make an investment in it and make difficult choices of where to spend our time and money. Because we want convenience and instant access, we have built a world in which creators struggle to get paid even when they make work that resonates with an audience. If we want to save the future of film, TV, and music, we are going to have to begin paying a bit more for it.
I wrote a series of pieces about this a while back for my Substack on the dangers of Spotify and the culture we're creating. Here is a link if you're interested.
Great article! We really should at least own our favorite movies. Yesterday I saw an article on a website that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was coming to Peacock in a few weeks. These types of articles are pretty common in the age of streaming, but it occurred to me while reading it that streaming no longer feels like freedom to me. Anything can be removed or canceled at any time or held in front of us like a carrot on a stick. I don't have to wait for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to be available again, I can just pop it in the DVD player.
It is SO necessary to keep a collection of your favorite films on DVD or Blu-Ray. Often they're not streaming and if they are they can be dropped at any time. Great post!
Thanks, Dan! My collection has gotten unruly. I’m considering making 2025 a physical media only year and limiting what I watch to my own collection or what I check out from the library!
Indeed! There needs to be a balance, and I feel like we’re way out of balance with the hard push toward streaming (in the last 5 years especially). I love the Criterion Channel, of course, though I still try and buy their physical releases when they run sales. I also really dig the weird little gems I’ve discovered on Tubi. Tubi gets me.
The streamers are guilty of the same mindset that most of 21st Internet business has been based on: treating whatever they sell as a collective commodity and not individual items of value, and hiding the good things in among crap. Whereas with a DVD or Blu-Ray purchase you're only getting the movies and TV shows you WANT to see (plus additional related material in some cases), and you feel more satisfied with that (or I do).
And, yes, I know the film studios have always been guilty of mistreating what they make, but that's where the critics and fans exist to point out their mistakes.
Yes, I feel like by focusing on short term profits, the studios and streamers are not thinking of the long term health of the industry. They’re finally moving back toward somewhat healthier windows for theatrical, but the focus on streaming is troubling. I’ve got some beef with Netflix specifically, and may write a future piece focusing on their influence on the industry.
Yeah- the whole streaming thing is their fault; the others wouldn't exist without them.
Fuckin' hell can we not make every little contrarian thing I do into a movement. I'm gonna start picking my nose in public or something, try making a thing of that.
Seriously though didn't make it through the whole argument, but yes to it. Streaming sucks. Owning things is nice.
You’re ahead of the curve! Or maybe behind it. Either way, physical media forever.
when you're behind the curve and it turns out to be elliptical, not hyperbolic... It's all good, y'all can lap me.
What’s your thoughts on Plex servers?
I’m not opposed to them! A few years ago I was really into building out a plex server with my physical collection. But I’ve come back around to enjoying and appreciating the intentionality of picking out a disc and putting it in the bluray player. Especially if I’m going to peruse the special features, etc. I still think it’s great in relation to tv shows—especially if you’re just looking to watch a single episode. What about you?
Death to videodrome - long live the new flesh
Strike a balance indeed. Getting most free through local library is a winner. You can order online and from their larger interlibrary loan network. Only requires patience (good practice). Then, what you like you can buy. We always check eBay first for used titles, usually $4 or so. You can’t beat that. Plus, have a movie night potluck with friends to swap.
Just to share our less known to others recommended movies we have enjoyed many times now are:
1. School of Rock (just in case they haven’t seen yet).
2. Mom’s Night Out (husband laughs so hard all 5 times we have seen so far).
3. Royal Night Out (who can resist a British princess’ real adventure).
4. Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (okay, maybe a chick flick, but guys: she will love you for recommending it, a modern day Cinderella story).
5. Where the Lillies Bloom (Appalachian orphans, family movie that sticks to the ribs, so many great lines, long unavailable but now out on DVD so find on eBay).
Yes there are many other classics like American Graffiti worth tens of viewings. These are just some less known ones.
Great recommendations, thank you!
Can't stream Lynch's Wild at Heart.
And - the streaming version of Woody Allen's Love and Death, they removed the entire chasity belt scene. So, buy the original and hear Allen rhyme "latch" and "snatch" - priceless, you'll be glad you did.
I’ve been meaning to buy the Wild at Heart bluray from Shout Factory!
I live in Asia. Torrenting is still a thing. I use the same argument I used when all those years when I lived in Australia.
Hollywood Actors do not give enough to society to justify their pay packets. They have plenty of money. They do not need mine.
Local artists I pay with cash.
Forget the practicalities. I just like watching something and NOBODY knows about it.
That is a GREAT POINT! Tracking has become so commonplace that privacy is completely taken for granted.
I’ve really come back around to Blurays over the last year and a half. Judging by what I’ve seen around my city, particularly in trendier areas, I think we are at the very early stages of a film physical media revival. The Criterion Closet videos help, as well as everybody generally agreeing that streaming has gotten a lot worse. Unlike music, where most things are on whatever platform you want, film and tv are siloed and things shift around which gets tiresome. A standard Bluray will look better than Netflix, have special features, be an item to display on a shelf, and is something you can always have access to. I also think there is beginning to be some nostalgia for the DVD era. I just wish studio Bluray releases looked as nice as standard studio releases. The cheap semi-opaque blue plastic shell doesn’t look very cool.
Well said, Tyler! I have never been a fan of the blue cases. I think the Criterion clear cases are attractive. Several of the boutique labels have adopted them and it makes the films significantly more displayable.
This is a wonderful piece. I worked at a Suncoast Motion Picture CO. in the early and mid-90s. I have nearly 3,000 physical records and more than a hundred DVDs. Still, I spend most of my time streaming the music and films I digest.
By streaming the culture we love, we free ourselves from having to make an investment in it and make difficult choices of where to spend our time and money. Because we want convenience and instant access, we have built a world in which creators struggle to get paid even when they make work that resonates with an audience. If we want to save the future of film, TV, and music, we are going to have to begin paying a bit more for it.
I wrote a series of pieces about this a while back for my Substack on the dangers of Spotify and the culture we're creating. Here is a link if you're interested.
https://whatamimaking.substack.com/p/we-own-nothing?utm_source=publication-search
Thanks again for the great work.
Cheers,
Matty C
Matty, thank you for the kind words, and thanks for sharing! I look forward to reading your piece!
Great article! We really should at least own our favorite movies. Yesterday I saw an article on a website that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was coming to Peacock in a few weeks. These types of articles are pretty common in the age of streaming, but it occurred to me while reading it that streaming no longer feels like freedom to me. Anything can be removed or canceled at any time or held in front of us like a carrot on a stick. I don't have to wait for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to be available again, I can just pop it in the DVD player.
Exactly! And Eternal Sunshine is definitely a must-own!
It is SO necessary to keep a collection of your favorite films on DVD or Blu-Ray. Often they're not streaming and if they are they can be dropped at any time. Great post!
Thanks, Dan! My collection has gotten unruly. I’m considering making 2025 a physical media only year and limiting what I watch to my own collection or what I check out from the library!
Great idea! It would likely save a lot of money on streaming services!
Excellent work! Couldn't agree more with everything you said. Have already started rebuilding my collection.
Good on you! Collecting physical media has become counter-cultural.
Nice!!! i hyperlinked you in my gift guide: https://open.substack.com/pub/emersonrosenthal/p/a-holiday-gift-guide-for-screenwriters
You’re living the dream, N.J. Could you bequeath the movies to me in your will?
Yeah, throw those in, too! You’ll need to include the console, as my current one is an N64. Thanks!
Indeed! There needs to be a balance, and I feel like we’re way out of balance with the hard push toward streaming (in the last 5 years especially). I love the Criterion Channel, of course, though I still try and buy their physical releases when they run sales. I also really dig the weird little gems I’ve discovered on Tubi. Tubi gets me.
Like Eerie, Indiana! Would kill for an updated physical release.