Having spent so damn much money on all my computer/audio/video equipment, I've decided to give up buying movies, choosing instead to rent or borrow them. The libraries in St. Charles had over 2000 DVDs when last I was there in March. When I returned to Montgomery Village, I hoped to find an equal (or better) collection in our local library system. I found none.
But then, about a month or so ago, a new rack displayed two titles. Some Yves Montand movie from the middle sixties, and, I think, "The Godfather." The next few times I stopped by the library, this rack was completely empty. Not surprising, considering the library doesn't charge anything to borrow movies (a buck a day for DVD late fees, but that's reasonable).
Now that it's been up a while, and not quite as popular, I find more and more DVDs each time I visit. Usually, they're movies I already have or don't want to watch (is anyone out there a big Yves Montand fan?). But then, last night, I found two movies I've wanted to see for some time.
One is the DVD collection of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I've heard this sucks, yes, but I'd still like to see it. I almost bought it many times, but who wants to pay thirty bucks for a movie (series) everyone says is terrible? Besides, you can find the episodes on-line. All I really wanted to see were the bonus features, like the documentary about Douglas Adams (alas).
(From this same library, I borrowed the CD of "The Salmon of Doubt." If you like Adams' writing, I highly recommend it.)
The "Hitchhiker" DVD was in perfect shape, and included the paper insert. People usually lose those. Stupid bastards. But I've already gone off on people who lose CDs out of books.
The other DVD is "A Man For All Seasons." Best movie of '66. I've never seen it. The DVD has both versions, widescreen on one side, pan and scan on the other. A fine way to put out a movie. The real version, for people who care about film, and the shitty, chopped up version, for people who don't.
The real point of this post: When I went to play the widescreen version of the movie, I couldn't, because some moron had written, in big, permanent marker numbers, some catalog code on the disk itself!
This was not vandalism by a library borrower. This is some code put there by a person who works in the library. I've never worked in a library. I don't know who does the purchasing and cataloguing. One would think that this would be an experienced person, familiar with all types of media, and what not to do with them. Did this person, years ago, use a razor blade to etch numbers into the A side of a record? Or recently use white out to put a code on the magnetic tape of a video cassette?
I saw about two minutes of this movie before the disk could no longer be read. At least I got to see enough of it to know there's not that much lost in the pan and scan version.
And if I really cared that much, I'd go and buy the movie myself. It's only about sixteen bucks.
So this is just another thing to bitch about, like most blogs in the world.
_____________________________
Say, I was rereading parts of "Braindroppings," because I still think George Carlin is one of the funniest angry people around. Besides that, I rant about similar kinds of stupid language usage (like in my last post). Always good to revisit a master. Then I read this part:
"And let's lose these guys who think it's cute to say, "Ouch!" when someone delivers a small put-down."
Shot down by the master!
I've decided to retract my reply. Instead, I offer this: "Anytime I say what I think is meant by 'There you go' (as in the last post) someone listening says, at the end and after a movie-perfect pause, 'There you go,' as if no one has thought of using that clever response already. Some people give the also popular 'Someone has WAAAAY too much time on his hands…' I'd add, 'You need to get a life,' as a response, but I hear that anytime I talk about anything other than reality television and pop music. I'm waiting for someone to say something totally original, like 'I think I'm going to kill you, mother fucker, for making me feel small and stupid, especially when I say such standard staples of stupidity like Nuklear, Jewlary, and Relator. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having someone else do my thinking for me!'"
I like words. They're fun to think about. And I don't drink much and I stay away from video games. Frees up lots of mental processing time. I can even multitask in my own head.
Now, to piss off somebody somewhere, the anti-woman joke of the day: "What's the first thing a woman does when she gets out of the battered wives shelter?" "The fucking dishes if she knows what's good for her."
But then, about a month or so ago, a new rack displayed two titles. Some Yves Montand movie from the middle sixties, and, I think, "The Godfather." The next few times I stopped by the library, this rack was completely empty. Not surprising, considering the library doesn't charge anything to borrow movies (a buck a day for DVD late fees, but that's reasonable).
Now that it's been up a while, and not quite as popular, I find more and more DVDs each time I visit. Usually, they're movies I already have or don't want to watch (is anyone out there a big Yves Montand fan?). But then, last night, I found two movies I've wanted to see for some time.
One is the DVD collection of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I've heard this sucks, yes, but I'd still like to see it. I almost bought it many times, but who wants to pay thirty bucks for a movie (series) everyone says is terrible? Besides, you can find the episodes on-line. All I really wanted to see were the bonus features, like the documentary about Douglas Adams (alas).
(From this same library, I borrowed the CD of "The Salmon of Doubt." If you like Adams' writing, I highly recommend it.)
The "Hitchhiker" DVD was in perfect shape, and included the paper insert. People usually lose those. Stupid bastards. But I've already gone off on people who lose CDs out of books.
The other DVD is "A Man For All Seasons." Best movie of '66. I've never seen it. The DVD has both versions, widescreen on one side, pan and scan on the other. A fine way to put out a movie. The real version, for people who care about film, and the shitty, chopped up version, for people who don't.
The real point of this post: When I went to play the widescreen version of the movie, I couldn't, because some moron had written, in big, permanent marker numbers, some catalog code on the disk itself!
This was not vandalism by a library borrower. This is some code put there by a person who works in the library. I've never worked in a library. I don't know who does the purchasing and cataloguing. One would think that this would be an experienced person, familiar with all types of media, and what not to do with them. Did this person, years ago, use a razor blade to etch numbers into the A side of a record? Or recently use white out to put a code on the magnetic tape of a video cassette?
I saw about two minutes of this movie before the disk could no longer be read. At least I got to see enough of it to know there's not that much lost in the pan and scan version.
And if I really cared that much, I'd go and buy the movie myself. It's only about sixteen bucks.
So this is just another thing to bitch about, like most blogs in the world.
_____________________________
Say, I was rereading parts of "Braindroppings," because I still think George Carlin is one of the funniest angry people around. Besides that, I rant about similar kinds of stupid language usage (like in my last post). Always good to revisit a master. Then I read this part:
"And let's lose these guys who think it's cute to say, "Ouch!" when someone delivers a small put-down."
Shot down by the master!
I've decided to retract my reply. Instead, I offer this: "Anytime I say what I think is meant by 'There you go' (as in the last post) someone listening says, at the end and after a movie-perfect pause, 'There you go,' as if no one has thought of using that clever response already. Some people give the also popular 'Someone has WAAAAY too much time on his hands…' I'd add, 'You need to get a life,' as a response, but I hear that anytime I talk about anything other than reality television and pop music. I'm waiting for someone to say something totally original, like 'I think I'm going to kill you, mother fucker, for making me feel small and stupid, especially when I say such standard staples of stupidity like Nuklear, Jewlary, and Relator. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having someone else do my thinking for me!'"
I like words. They're fun to think about. And I don't drink much and I stay away from video games. Frees up lots of mental processing time. I can even multitask in my own head.
Now, to piss off somebody somewhere, the anti-woman joke of the day: "What's the first thing a woman does when she gets out of the battered wives shelter?" "The fucking dishes if she knows what's good for her."
posted by Dan @ 3:19 PM
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