Why Rent When You Can Own?

My millennial and younger friends can’t believe I own shelves full of DVDs (and a few Blu Rays). “Everything you’ll ever want to watch is on streaming,” they tell me, “why waste all that space?”

They’re wrong.

If I shared their tastes – that is to say, if was only interested in blockbuster movies that everyone has heard of, they’d generally be right. Although access to even some of those requires expensive monthly memberships to streaming services I would otherwise not subscribe to. Or $2-6 fees every time I want to watch.

But I enjoy movies that most other folks have never heard of. My collection includes quite a number of titles you just plain can’t find online or on the services. Many movies I like and enjoy rewatching or sharing with friends who have never seen them are virtually unavailable, even on disc, and when one pops up, I snag it.

Plus, for shows that bear watching more than once – like both the 2009 and 2020 adaptations of Emma (with Romola Garai and Anya Taylor-Joy, respectively), it is inconvenient to have to track them down again on some service every time you want to watch them with a friend. Not to mention that renting a movie online three or four times can quickly make $10 or so for a disc look like a more sensible investment.

Every year we spend at least one week at the beach, usually with friends or family. During “down times,” such as rainy days, we enjoy sharing thought-provoking videos. Yes, some of those are available through streaming, and we pack a Roku. But an extra bag packed with six or seven DVDs or Blu Rays we’d like to share is hardly an inconvenience. Especially when the wireless connection can be less than reliable.

As I sit here typing this on a desktop that started out with Windows 7, I’m sure that I will be earning the scorn of folks who have the latest and greatest of everything, but I was in the computer industry for some 40 years, forced to be on “the bleeding edge” year after year, so I think I’ve earned the right to sit back and enjoy tools and media that still serve my purpose.

And when you want to watch a rare adaptation that you haven’t been able to track down “for love or money,” let me know. I’ll be all to happy to pop in a disc and pop up some popcorn for you.