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How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

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View Poll Results: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?
start with new releases
3.03%
start with older cult or classic movie
3.03%
start with comfort movie
3.03%
start with rental (Netflix, Red Box, etc.) movie
6.06%
start with something just got in mail (which may include above)
0
0%
whatever I'm in the mood for
63.64%
Other, please specify...
15.15%
What are you high?
6.06%
Voters: 33. You may not vote on this poll

How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Old 06-03-17, 10:30 AM
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How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

So lately, i have been so indecisive to what i want to watch. i put in one thing, don't get to it, feel like something else and pop it in. i don't know what it is. but, lacking focus and stuff doesn't help.

sometimes i want to see a new release, sometimes my Netflix, sometimes a comfort movie, but i just can't decide which and stick to it. it's very frustrating.

so how do you pick or choose which particular bluray you have in your collection to watch on weekends or in spare time?
Old 06-03-17, 11:27 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I have several lists of my Blu-rays on IMDb. One list I named "guest list (2010-2017)" and contains unwatched Blu-rays for guests, since I have friends and family over for movie watching once a week (we usually watch three movies).
My method might be odd but it works for me. I "let" IMDb decide what we watch, based on two factors.
In IMDb's "advanced title search" I click on the list "guest list (2010-2017)" and sort it by "number of votes descending." The three movies with the most number of votes will be watched in order based on User Rating, from lowest to highest.
Been doing this for years and it is kind of fun and somewhat interesting when adding new tiitles to the mix.

Last edited by hbilly; 06-03-17 at 02:32 PM.
Old 06-03-17, 11:32 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

wow, sounds complex and very unique. do you all usually enjoy the choices it spits out?
Old 06-03-17, 11:47 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Originally Posted by OldBoy
wow, sounds complex and very unique. do you all usually enjoy the choices it spits out?
Sure. Most people don't care about IMDb's user ratings but I must say I always notice a rising shift in quality after starting with the lowest rated film. Usually the last film, the highest rated one, turns out to be the best of the bunch. So our movie watching usually ends on a high note so to speak.
Old 06-03-17, 01:04 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I usually just pick something from the backlog
Old 06-03-17, 02:10 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Originally Posted by OldBoy
So lately, i have been so indecisive to what i want to watch. i put in one thing, don't get to it, feel like something else and pop it in. i don't know what it is. but, lacking focus and stuff doesn't help.

sometimes i want to see a new release, sometimes my Netflix, sometimes a comfort movie, but i just can't decide which and stick to it. it's very frustrating.

so how do you pick or choose which particular bluray you have in your collection to watch on weekends or in spare time?
I remember this kind of discussion came up on another board I used to frequent.
One of the suggestions that I and another poster tried with much success (for a while anyway) was scheduling.

The idea was to dedicate each day of the week to a certain genre or specific kind of content. For instance, Friday nights would be a Horror movie, Saturday sci-fi, Sunday a drama or classic, Mondays a foreign movie, Tuesdays episodes of a TV series, etc.

For a while it worked great as the whole point was to force yourself into a pattern to get through a backlog of content. Too much choice can be paralyzing (as many retail managers will tell you). Narrowing the parameters as much as possible can help a lot. It's also not as stultifying as it sounds either. Doesn't have to be every day of the week.

I've fallen out of that but think I may try to reinstate something for the summer. I have to go through my collection and see what I've been avoiding (musicals? Criterions?) and set aside at least one day of the week for them.
Old 06-03-17, 02:27 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Depends.
Old 06-03-17, 02:48 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I close my eyes and throw a dart at the spines lined up on the shelves.
Old 06-03-17, 02:48 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

If I'm participating in one of the monthly challenges here, it at least narrows down the genre. Then my decision is often based on time. Just sat down for the first time today with 45 minutes or so free, so I'm watching a TV show. Other times I may choose between a 90 minute film or one much longer. That usually happens late in the evening, so the choice is made based on how tired I might be.
Old 06-03-17, 03:14 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Originally Posted by Paul_SD
I remember this kind of discussion came up on another board I used to frequent.
One of the suggestions that I and another poster tried with much success (for a while anyway) was scheduling.

The idea was to dedicate each day of the week to a certain genre or specific kind of content. For instance, Friday nights would be a Horror movie, Saturday sci-fi, Sunday a drama or classic, Mondays a foreign movie, Tuesdays episodes of a TV series, etc.

For a while it worked great as the whole point was to force yourself into a pattern to get through a backlog of content. Too much choice can be paralyzing (as many retail managers will tell you). Narrowing the parameters as much as possible can help a lot. It's also not as stultifying as it sounds either. Doesn't have to be every day of the week.

I've fallen out of that but think I may try to reinstate something for the summer. I have to go through my collection and see what I've been avoiding (musicals? Criterions?) and set aside at least one day of the week for them.
you know i used to do something like this. i used to be able to watch a couple to 3 movies on weekend and would start with a light comedy or animated, then something new then horror or something. that fizzled long ago and you're right it is paralyzing. i just can't ever decide. mostly comfort movies lately, but i do have such a backlog that i would like to manage...
Old 06-03-17, 07:16 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

My choice is almost always narrowed based on our 12 monthly Challenges here, but then it's just whatever I'm in the mood for.
Old 06-03-17, 08:30 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Depends on the mood I'm in.
Old 06-03-17, 11:07 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Having a 5 month old and a toddler really limits my movie watching time. I usually only get time to watch a movie once or twice a week. When I'm with my wife we almost always go for new releases. I used to blind buy a lot but lately we'll just rent through Amazon. When I watch alone I usually go for older titles. Either an older "comfort" movie or something horror that I know my wife would have no interest in.
Old 06-04-17, 10:42 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

We have a Family Video nearby so I usually grab a couple titles for the weekend. Mostly newer releases. Then comes the stuff in my collection. If I have a new title I purchased I'll forgo the rental that week.
Old 06-04-17, 10:45 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Originally Posted by hbilly
Sure. Most people don't care about IMDb's user ratings but I must say I always notice a rising shift in quality after starting with the lowest rated film. Usually the last film, the highest rated one, turns out to be the best of the bunch. So our movie watching usually ends on a high note so to speak.
Even for a rental I've started checking ratings after several clunkers. There are too many I'm interested to waste even a few dollars and a couple hours on them. If I'm on the fence I'll check RT and our reviews threads.
Old 06-04-17, 11:30 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I usually pick whatever I'm in the mood for but try to watch newer discs I get first.
Old 06-04-17, 01:10 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I've been marking all the movies and TV shows as watched (in DVD Profiler) as we watch them, since 2010, so we usually just watch whatever comes up in the rotation, unless we have some craving to watch a particular movie (seldom), that way nothing remains unwatched, and we get to the movies/TV shows we haven't seen for the longest time. Normally, we'll choose from a grouping of 6 or 7 movies that come up in the rotation, whichever of those we're in the mood for.

Last edited by kd5; 06-04-17 at 05:07 PM.
Old 06-05-17, 11:25 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Originally Posted by Paul_SD
I remember this kind of discussion came up on another board I used to frequent.
One of the suggestions that I and another poster tried with much success (for a while anyway) was scheduling.

The idea was to dedicate each day of the week to a certain genre or specific kind of content. For instance, Friday nights would be a Horror movie, Saturday sci-fi, Sunday a drama or classic, Mondays a foreign movie, Tuesdays episodes of a TV series, etc.

For a while it worked great as the whole point was to force yourself into a pattern to get through a backlog of content. Too much choice can be paralyzing (as many retail managers will tell you). Narrowing the parameters as much as possible can help a lot. It's also not as stultifying as it sounds either. Doesn't have to be every day of the week.

I've fallen out of that but think I may try to reinstate something for the summer. I have to go through my collection and see what I've been avoiding (musicals? Criterions?) and set aside at least one day of the week for them.
I do that for TV shows that I have on DVD and Blu-Rays. Many years ago I noticed that I had a backlog of TV shows that I had bought that I was never watching. A big problem I had is that I'm not a binge watcher, I get burned out on a show pretty quickly if I do it that way.

Starting in January 2012, I started watching a different TV show every day, seven different shows at once. While it is a flexible pattern, each day does have loose genre type requirements. (e.g., Sci-Fi Sunday, TV of the '00s Monday, something foreign Thursday, old school Saturday, etc).

I often fall behind, but as of this writing I am current, and tomorrow I'll be watching an episode of Bosch (I've used this also to watch streaming shows I otherwise would never make time to watch).
Old 06-06-17, 01:53 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I watch my favorite movies as soon as I get them, because I'm eager to see them in hi-def. Other titles I will get to according to mood. I'm a lot more discriminating with my blu ray purchases than I was with the prior format, so I'm usually chomping at the bit to get the shrink wrap off when they arrive.
Old 06-06-17, 05:02 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I only watch media on weekends so the only time I am looking is when I've either watched my rentals or purchase or I didn't make any plans for that weekend. And yes, it is absolutely paralyzing when you're not sure what you want ot watch.
Old 06-06-17, 06:56 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Everybody has their own little idiosyncrasies. I never unwrap my discs until I decide to watch them (long story!). Friday night I make sure I watch one of my BDs in full (all the extra features, too). I pretty much have to decide a few days ahead or I'll just sit there for an hour or more going through my collection trying to make up my mind and getting nothing accomplished.
Old 06-06-17, 07:19 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

Ah! The paradox of life itself!!! Which to watch? What to pick? It is a tough life.
Old 06-06-17, 09:32 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

I spend about 15 minutes perusing my collection....eventually, I pick Big Lebowski....again.
Old 06-06-17, 11:34 AM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

If I've never seen a movie and I own it on Blu-ray, I have it sticking out so that when I go to pick a movie, I'll generally pick one I've never seen. Of course it's probably like a third of my collection, so it doesn't limit me that much. Although the other day, I decided I would watch the first horror movie that is sticking out (ie I never watched) and that worked out pretty well.

At one point I was watching my collection in alphabetical order but only got down to about H.

Occasionally I'll go through a 'theme', ie watching every movie by a certain director in order, or watch every movie in a franchise.

But when it all comes down to it, it's just what I'm in the mood for, which generally takes way too long to decide on.
Old 06-06-17, 12:20 PM
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Re: How do you decide which Bluray to watch?

As I get older, I find that I fall asleep a lot while watching movies. So, the length of the movie plays a lot into my decision. 90 min? OK. 2:40? Probably won't make it!

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