★ 6 / 10
Review for Physical Media Lives
Journey_with_a_Cinephile
This was a documentary that I sought out while working, treating it like a podcast. Director Tony Newton, who also appears in this, has done a few of these…
This was a documentary that I sought out while working, treating it like a podcast. Director Tony Newton, who also appears in this, has done a few of these documentaries that I've seen. To date, this is the third of his that I've seen with the other two being VHS Nasty and VHS Lives: A Schlockumentary. These are easy to watch, to just put on and look down when something interesting comes up.What I'll say is that this has an interesting premise. I'm a movie collector. It was easier to do when you're illegally downloading movies, but much like my buddy Dave Parker, who appears in this, I've started to collect my favorites with the upgraded releases. Regardless of my nefarious ways in the past, I do agree with the basic premise here. Streaming is great, until you can't find a specific movie or it used to be, but rights are gone. You never truly own it if you buy it digitally.Something I'll say with this is that I don't know if it needs to be two hours. There are too many people saying the same exact things over again. Part of what drew me to this one is that Michael Fischer, Emma Wolfe aka Spooky Astronaut and Parker are people that are featured. These are people that I know through the online community, even joining Mr. Parka on his podcast.What I'll say is that this is made well enough. The cinematography and framing are fine. It doesn't necessarily stand out. I do love seeing all these people's collections. It makes me wish I had more room to grow mine. Even though it does get repetitive and many of their stories as to what got them into doing this are similar, everyone is distinct so credit to Newton for letting everyone tell their story as well as show off their collection.In conclusion, while this sometimes feels overlong due to its repetitive thematic points, it is a compelling watch for anyone invested in the culture of physical media collection. The documentary successfully argues for the enduring value of owning films in an increasingly volatile digital landscape, showcasing the dedication and passion of collectors. Director Newton deserves credit for providing a platform that allows each unique personality to proudly display their cinematic treasures and articulate the importance of physical ownership. Ultimately, this film serves as a pleasant, if slightly protracted, affirmation for those who believe that true movie love means holding the artifact in your hands.My Rating: 6 out of 10.
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★ 4 / 10
I almost bought this dreck
dlmiley
Since I am avid movie collector, I almost purchased this movie for my collection. But after reading the reviews, I decided to just rent it to see if it was…
Since I am avid movie collector, I almost purchased this movie for my collection. But after reading the reviews, I decided to just rent it to see if it was worth collecting it. It is not worth adding to my collection or anyone else's. I expected that there would be interviews with other collectors and there would be views of their collection and clips of their favorite movies. There are interviews, but each collector just blathers on and on about how much better it is to own the physical copy. OK, we know that! That is why you bought the movie on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, Laserdisc, or even D-VHS (that's digital VHS for the uninitiated, I have about a dozen of those!). As I said, I wanted to see them watch at least a clip or two of their favorite movies and comment on them. And it would have been nice to see some actors or directors of consequence, rather than a bunch of obscure nobodies. Avoid unless you need something to fall asleep to.
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★ 3 / 10
Misleading title (on my DVD copy, at least)
selfdestructo
This was a long 2 hours and 10 minutes. It gets real redundant. Really, only a handful of subjects are discussed. AND I don't think there's a conflicting…
This was a long 2 hours and 10 minutes. It gets real redundant. Really, only a handful of subjects are discussed. AND I don't think there's a conflicting opinion in this entire thing. Some people are interesting, some not. Some people are clearly not hoarders. It appeared Cinema Sickness had the largest collection, then again, he was the one guy walking around. Most people were sitting in front of a case or two.
I was really hoping people would get to showcase their collections more. Lots of horror collectors. I would be curious to see what kind of stuff they collect (a couple people get to pull out a few things). There was one guy who had a large horror collection, and had them divided by subject matter! That was fun to see. This movie needed more of that kind of stuff.
Way too much focus on VHS, they spent what seemed like 45 minutes on "nostalgia" (today's buzzword that I detest), another 45 on how much streaming sucks, the good old days of Blockbuster, how you have to be able to physically hold a movie in your hands, and that boutique labels are keeping media alive. I think that about covers it.
The people appearing in this movie were obviously given only a handful of subjects to discuss. Collecting a large number of movies was not one of them. Movie Hoarders was formerly titled Physical Media Lives (as it's listed on imdb), which is more accurate.
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4.9/10
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So funny that people in the comments try to out-shine each other with TB of movies downloaded. Like that's a challenge. It's just stupid, saving anything that you don't want to watch again is for losers who need to 'own' content they stole in the first place.