TV vs Film

[Jonny_Darko]

Over the last year I've noticed a really weird thing happening to my buying / viewing habits, and was just wondering if it is unique to me or if it's happened to others.

I've really gone off films. In general. It's weird, all I want to buy on DVD is TV stuff.

Currently I have all the DVDs of the following TV shows: Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Angel / The Simpsons / South Park / Red Dwarf / The Office / The League Of Gentlemen / Phoenix Nights / Futurama / Alan Partridge / Band Of Brothers / Black Books / Brass Eye / Spaced / V / Blackadder...and more I can't remember.

While my future shopping list is all TV stuff as well! The Sopranos / NYPD Blue / Frasier / Six Feet Under / 24 / Babylon 5 / Friends / Twin Peaks / Smallville / Alias / Sapphire and Steel / The Prisoner / Firefly / Sharpe / The West Wing / Family Guy etc etc.

When I go to watch a DVD, 99% of the time I'll choose an episode or three from the above shows, over a film any day of the week. I have a huge collection of films but I tend to find this TV better written, directed and performed, and funnier / more dramatic / more impactful (depending on the show). The only films I tend to go back to nowadays are ones that are so full of stunning dialogue that you can watch them over and over, like This is Spinal Tap or Withnail and I.

I've got stuff like Terminator 2 (a decent enough film) on DVD, watched it once, and I know damn well I'm not going to watch it again for at least a decade so what's the point in having it? TV stuff is much more re-watchable, so much better value imho.

The only other films I tend to enjoy re-watching are animated ones - Lilo & Stitch (which is awesome by the way, don't judge 'til you've seen), Titan AE, The Iron Giant, Beavis and Butthead Do America, South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut and even Transformers The Movie tend to get repeated viewings and I'm not really sure why. I just love cartoons

I dunno, with a film, you watch it once, and it's over. And it's usually not going to entertain me again. Unless there's sequels there's no more character development or whatever, and even with sequels there's not room for much more.

Is it just me? Or is TV just better than films?

 

[adams901]

TV is better than film in many areas, A film on average lasts 2-6 hours (if it has sequals), a decent scripted TV series can last days so it has longer to tell the story, as a result most "decent" series are more involved and have a better more detailed storyline (babylon 5, Odessey 5, Stargate).

Most films leave you wanting more and often leave many questions unanswered, TV series give you more and although they still leave unanswered questions there are not as many.

Films have a bigger budget and look great on the big screen, if certain TV episodes had this then they would be unbeatable.

While I own many Films I find that I only watch them once or twice, my TV episodes (mostly Sci-Fi) are watched numerous times.

 

[whipped]

I don't think you can really compare the two. TV shows tend to have a story arc that plays out over a number of episodes, giving you a small taste in each one that keeps you coming back.

Films, on the otherhand, do everything that TV shows do in betweem 80 and 300 mins.

I find that if it's the end of the evening I'll watch a film for instant gratfication. If I've got a saturday afternoon with nothing to do though, I'll glady watch a few more episodes of the 2nd series of B5.

I have to admit that my TV show DVD buying is coming close to my film buying. The film buying stays ahead mainly because of all the 2 for £20 or buy one get one free deals in most mainline shops.

 

[dysfunction]

Id much rathre watch a Film made for the cinema than watch a film made for TV!!

You can compare those two.

But a TV series vs a Film isnt comparing the same thing at all....but if I had to I would still prefer a film as the budgets are usually bigger and the actors are usually better too

 

[Damini]

Lilo and Stitch is awesome. I never bothered watching it, because it never seemed anything special and I'm not really a cartoon fan, but when I went home my mum made me watch it, and it had me in stitches

Also, Sharpe = shnarf.

 

[Jonny_Darko]

Originally posted by dysfunction
the actors are usually better too

There's very little truth in that

Just out of interest...all the TV shows I mentioned are rewatchable time and time again...but I'm just wondering if the same is true of 24? I've never seen it, want to get it on DVD but get the impression that because each episode (I imagine) doesn't resolve its main thrust (unlike for example, Angel, which has a season arc, and usually single-episode closure too) that it'll be unwatchable in small doses.

First time through I'd no doubt love it, but afterwards am I likely to enjoy just picking a single episode out of the middle for rewatching? I'd guess no but could be wrong.

 

[dysfunction]

Well I'm very unlikely to watch a TV episode of any of the programs you mentioned in your first post more than once

I do however enjoy watching films again.

Again its all down to a matter of opinion.

And yes I think there is a fair amount of truth that film actors generally are better than TV ones....

 

[nath]

Jonny, you'll probably be able to answer this: despite myself I've grown to quite enjoy Smallville. I'm well aware that it's pants, but I like it none the less. Do you know when s3 is out in the states? Once again they've ended on a cliffhanger (laem tbh), but I wanna see how it continues :|








I hate myself :/

 

[Jonny_Darko]

American TV works in a set way. Full seasons are 22 episodes long, and air between October and May...then in the summer they show reruns...

I've not followed Smallville (yet, though I do mean to try it out) but I imagine S3 will start in September / October, about the same time as Angel S5 (which I'm wetting myself at the prospect of...)

It's weird...we now have 4 months before any more decent US TV...but then it all comes at once!

 

[nath]

If you wanna call Smallville decent.

I don't, really :/

 

[dysfunction]

If you enjoy it it cant be bad can it?

 

[nath]

It very much can be.

 

[Xtro]

my TV is for viewing films in widescreen.

TV is total shite apart from the very very rare little gems that I just buy on DVD like Phoenix Nights.

 

[Jonny_Darko]

Xtro that's not what I mean though - I rarely actually watch TV, 'cos most of it is shite - I just tend to enjoy buying a season boxset of a good show and watching through it all, rather than the five films you'd get for the same price...

 

[dysfunction]

And I would rather watch the 5 films...


Although Band of Brothers was superb!! I watched the box set almost from Start to Finish in one sitting!


I can watch the Star Wars films over and over again

 

[Yaka]

Originally posted by Damini
Lilo and Stitch is awesome.

Also, Sharpe = shnarf.

i used to think that, now i hate many a disney animated film simply coz our little one does nothing but watch all my collection 1 by one its not good when its on 24/7

 

[Tom]

Last Disney film I watched on DVD forced me to sit through a load of trailers. Therefore I won't be buying any more Disney films!

TV shouldn't really be seen as an understudy to film - the values in producing shows like 24 and Sopranos are equally as high as films like the Godfather. The only real differences are that TV shows are usually produced on a much tighter deadline, and usually scripted by different people on each episode (hundreds of people will send in scripts for a popular series).

I really wish the price of DVD box sets would come down a bit, they don't really represent the true cost when compared to a film.

 

[nath]

60 quid is a bit much. 24 got it right. Its box set is 30.

 

[leggy]

Aye this is the only thing that pisses me off about TV box sets.

I seriously considered buying the last two seasons of the sopranos recently but they were 50 clams a pop.

This made me resort to stealing them from sharereactor. The quality is below average imho but at least I got to see them without spending a hundred quid.

 

[old.Fweddy]

Friends - Series 7 Box Set
In stock.
Usually dispatched within 24 hours.
our price: £73.99 Delivered
RRP: £89.99 You save: £16.00 (17%)

Any takers?

 

[Xtro]

Originally posted by Jonny_Darko
Xtro that's not what I mean though - I rarely actually watch TV, 'cos most of it is shite - I just tend to enjoy buying a season boxset of a good show and watching through it all, rather than the five films you'd get for the same price...

Aha.

Then I concur with your musings.

I just bought 24 rather than watch it eke out on TV.

Oh and dys, Band of Brothers is indeed excellent. Sadly I've slathered over it so much I've bought the R2, R1 and R3 boxsets of it.

Carry on old bean.

 

[nath]

Originally posted by Xtro
Oh and dys, Band of Brothers is indeed excellent. Sadly I've slathered over it so much I've bought the R2, R1 and R3 boxsets of it.

Money>Sense















(ok, not entirely the right mathematical formula to use, but it's the closest I could think of :\)

 

[whipped]

If (Money > Sense)
{
      Waste(Money);
}

 

[nath]

Well yes, of course I would have done that If I was doing it in C++, but I wasn't.


So there.

 

[Xtro]

Aha.

But I didn't intend for it to end up like that

Bought R2 - 5.1 sound, upgraded amp to DTS, so bought R1. Saw R3 has a massive special edition with all kinds of funky daft extras so got that. Am selling R2 and R1.

So..ner...or something

 

[whipped]

How much you selling the region 2 for?

 

[leggy]

I'll buy one of them off you xtro


/edit

empty your inbox/sent items ffs

 

[whipped]

I'm lucky, noone every sends me PMs

 

[dysfunction]

Originally posted by whipped
How much you selling the region 2 for?

£39.99 from CDWOW...

 

[Xtro]

Ello

dys - mine is the R2 TIN not the shite card box which is why its up on the DVDforums atm for sale. AFAIK you can't buy the tin in the shops (in UK) anymore.

Btw seen you on the dvdforums too dys, Ono tipped me off about them a few months ago and I've never looked back

legs and whipped - my inbox is now a bit tidier, sorry I get loads of PM's each day.

Ask me via PM about selling, I'd be more than happy to sell to a BW oldschool fella who I actually trust rather than amazon marketplace llamas (it can go for £50+ on there). I'm only bothered about *shifting* it, not making money on it.

ttfn