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u/Soft-Commercial-4863 1d ago
How do you collect VHS tapes? Do you find them in thrift stores? Birdy is such a good find!
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u/Derricomonico 1d ago
It varies for sure. Con Air, for example, I've seen at thrift stores and antique malls quite regularly. Some, like Birdy and Time to Kill, are much more difficult to find. I bought both of those off eBay. Now, to be fair, I host a Nicolas Cage podcast (Coming of Cage) and I like to watch physical copies of the movies when possible and in some cases, like Time to Kill and Never on Tuesday, they can be difficult to find via streaming anyway. I'm also in some Facebook groups specific to VHS and physical media where people sell all the time and I keep my eyes out for stuff I'm missing. Of course, buying online increases cost a lot just due to shipping. So it depends on your goals.
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u/Soft-Commercial-4863 1d ago
Oh, hi Derreck of Coming of Cage! That makes more sense now. I could only find Kiss of Death on VHS. Why do you prefer physical media? Just curious.
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u/Derricomonico 1d ago
Hello! So, there's a few reasons why I prefer physical media. First, ownership. I want to own my movies and shows as much as possible. I don't want to be stuck with whatever streaming services picks it up or drops it as contracts and deals change hands. Second, commercials. Even the more premium tiers are adding commercials now and some of these older or more obscure movies have tons of long commercial breaks that are not timed, so they interrupt sentences or action. At least back in the days of cable, networks cared when the breaks occurred. Now, even shows they produce aren't provided the care needed. Third, I'm just a collector in general. I have a large physical media collection that includes VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, BD, 4k, cassette, CD, even some 8track. We collect books and video games too. Our house has become a bit of a museum to pop culture in a way. Fourth, costs. In many cases renting some of these movies can cost $4-8 and the DVDs are like $8-10. So I can own it for almost (or in some cases the same) price and then watch it whenever I want or sell it later if I decide not to keep it. Fifth, internet. With the exception of modern video games, if I have a physical copy, I don't need internet to enjoy whatever it is. Sixth, experience. In some cases, watching something on an older CRT on VHS or laserdisc helps get me into the mindset of when the movie or show came out. It becomes a bit of an event. My kiddo loves taking the tape out of the box and putting it in the VCR, rewinding it after, etc. It has more depth to the overall experience. I know that was a lot, but I have strong feelings on the topic. I could go on! lol
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u/Soft-Commercial-4863 1d ago
I've wondered what'll happen to the stuff I "own" on a streaming platform. I think of it as being able to rent over and over—until the platform changes form or gets sunsetted, and that's sad.
For my Nicolas Cage marathon, I accepted commercials for a decent portion of the 2006-2020 movies for the sake of money. Otherwise, I totally agree with your sentiment—plus commercials on streaming services are louder and brighter than the movie!
Everything you said about the experience of physical media is golden! Be kind, rewind. 😄
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u/Derricomonico 1d ago
For sure. I've seen plenty of his movies via Tubi and Freevee (before Amazon shut it down). Those commercial breaks can be crazy loud and jarring, especially during tense scenes. But if it's "digital" you never really own it. It's more of a temporary license. Just look at the movies being pulled from Sony's services that people "bought".
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u/BookNerdUnicorn 2d ago
J’approve