I thought I should share a bit about my video viewing situation so you understand some of my comments about the movies and TV shows I’ll talk about from time to time…

I’m a fan of both movies and TV and a collector of both, but like most people I have my preferences and idiosyncrasies.

Most things I like (enough to re-watch) and a lot I just think I may like I buy on DVD or Blu-ray (often both) and add to my video server, which catalogs them and lets me find them easily in the future. I also subscribe to Netflix and occasionally use other streaming services (Amazon, Hulu, YouTube) as well as cable (Verizon FiOS) which includes assorted premium channels.

I’m a huge anime fan. My introduction was Speed Racer as a child. I grew up on things like Robotech and as an adult was fortunate enough to see Ghost in the Shell’s initial theatrical release (I still remember it to this day). The relative scarcity of anime throughout most of that time lead me to start buying (collecting) it just to be able to watch it. My first DVD purchase was Noir. I think at this point I probably have 500 to 1000 titles in my collection. It’s a bit hard to say since only about half of my collection is in my database, and some of it collapses… for example, all the Slayers movies fall to a single “series”.

But I’m not just an anime fan… I also love older movies… let’s call them the “classics”. Everything from North by Northwest and Three Days of the Condor to assorted Abbott and Costello and Charlie Chan movies. I enjoy old horror as well… (Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, for example). I like thought provoking TV as well… The moment The Prisoner was available on DVD, I snapped that up. Same with The Avengers (the original TV series).

I like newer movies as well, but while I watch current Hollywood productions, I rarely buy them, since they are abundantly available on multiple media outlets. I usually buy things that are more obscure (Suck, for example) or older (Silent Hill) as they become harder to locate. My primary reason for collecting is to retain access to the things I loved enough to be interested in re-watching in the future at my pleasure and convenience, rather that at the mercy of some service.

Anyway, I hope that’ll give you some small insight into why I may say some of the things I say about movies and TV shows.