The Estrogen Collector
Joelle said at some point on January 21, 2008
I recently took a look at my rapidly growing DVD collection and realized that if I had to break it down, it might look something like that. Granted, that’s probably not the most precise or expertly rendered pie chart in the world, but it’s fairly accurate at-a-glance.
Now, of course, some of those might overlap into other categories. I’m sure I have plenty of Girl Movies that qualify as Total Rubbish. In fact, I know I do. Some Chick Flicks might fall under Objective Good Movies… it just depends.
Girl Movies and/or Chick Flicks:
Pretty much any stupid teen comedy/romance made in the last 3 decades. Most films with Mandy Moore, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon or Hugh Grant. The Notebook. I’m losing street cred here, but I don’t care. They’re my guilty pleasure and much like religion, I believe estrogen should be not forced on people.
Important or Otherwise Good Films, Objectively
This is usually the critically acclaimed stuff, award-winners, things like that. You know, Amelie ($5.00 at Target, can you pass that up?), American Beauty, The Queen, Waitress (one that might fall under Girl Movies!), Blood Diamond (which I’ve not seen yet), etc. etc.
TV series
Right now, it’s mostly Ghost Hunters, Penn & Teller’s Bullsh*t! and Dead Like Me.
Dusty Exercise DVDs
I don’t think this requires any explanation. 
Stand-up
I have mostly Eddie Izzard… every DVD I can get my hands on in the States, anyway. Then I’ve got a smattering of others, like Ellen DeGeneres and Margaret Cho (who in recent years, doesn’t really make me laugh as much, unfortunately).
Total Rubbish
Showgirls. There’s more, but that’s the one I think of off the top of my head and really, that sums up the whole category quite nicely.
Supposed Street Cred
Now, I didn’t make a pie piece for this because I just thought of it and really, there aren’t enough to warrant a whole slice. Again, some of these might fall under Important or Otherwise Good Films or Total Rubbish… I think it depends on who is doing the critiquing. These would be things like Napoleon Dynamite, Secretary, Swimming with Sharks, etc… though I am so grateful for the Napoleon Dynamite die-down, I couldn’t possibly express it. If I had to hear “Vote for Pedro” one more time…
So… riddle me this, Internets. If you had to break down your DVD collection into a pie chart or some kind of graph, what would that look like? If you feel like getting creative with a graph, go for it, but percentages should do just fine. 
Moxie Design Studios™
from LA
I think my chart just might look a lot like your chart. Only we’d have to add music videos, concerts and documentaries (his) and action flicks (mine) to the chart. That said, check out Blood Diamond, it really was a great movie.
from Northern NY • Cocktail: Harvey Wallbanger
I’m no good with the pie charts but here’s a good break down in percentage…
-TV Series - 25% ("I Love Lucy” & Battlestar Galactica mostly but some Star Trek)
-Chick Flicks - 20%
-Comedy - 20%
-Action/Science Fiction - 20%
-Drama & Strange Movies - 10% (by “strange” I mean “Cold Comfort Farm” or “Unconditional Love” that don’t make you laugh out loud but, instead leave you scratching your head in complete confusion)
-Documentary - 3%
-Stand Up - 2% (mostly Eddie Izzard)
If I made a pie chart it would be:
99% movies my husband bought
1% movies I bought / had given to me
I love watching movies, but almost never buy them. As a result, our movie collection is mostly sci-fi and action flicks, with the occasional chick flick (mine) thrown in. Good thing I like sci-fi and action movies! Seriously, we have one whole shelf devoted to Star Wars / Star Trek - not mine. But that 4-DVD collection of Die Hard movies? That one is allll MINE
from Vancouver, Canadia
I have a rather non-typical girl collection - I’m weird that way.
40% scifi/fantasy - Dark City, Hellboy, Mystery Men - lots of comic book based flicks
20% chick - Truth About Cats & Dogs, Down With Love, Truly-Madly-Deeply, etc
20% artsy/film fest type films - Waking Life, bunches o’ Tony Gatlif films, a Hal Hartley film or two, Amelie, etc
10% b&w;oldies - Sherlock Holmes, anything with Richard Powell, Dragnet (yes - apparently I’m actually an 80 year old man in disguise)
10% things I got on sale and thought What the heck - it’s $3 - “that film with Kevin Kline”, “that film with Nicole Kidman when she was 17”, “that film with Eddie Izzard & Matt LeBlanc where they dress as women during WWII”, etc.
Dude, you got Blood Diamond? Yessssss
from San Diego, CA • Cocktail: slightly dirty Grey Goose martini
@Chandra: haha! I have some like that, too. I forgot about the oldies… I’m working on growing that section.
@GFI: I do, but I can’t *find* it for some reason… it’s not in my bag from Target and I’m wondering if I left it or she forgot to put it in. It was on the $7.50 rack, though if you are interested.
from Dallas
i love eddie izzard
from under a fresh blanket of snow.
Our movie collection is limited… but it does tell a lot about the ages of the major viewing group of the house. Looks something like this:
69% - animated kid movies (Jungle Book, Surf’s Up, Charlotte’s Web, Homeward Bound, The Snowman, Bark George!, Cars, Ratatouille, Curious George, Over the Hedge, Shark Tale - and this doesn’t include the School House Rock or the Peanuts Holiday pack I just bought)
25% - other movies (from the 80’s - The Karate Kid & Ladyhawke; more recently - A Knight’s Tale, Batman Begins)
6% - workout videos (Lance Armstrong Training Video)
Movies I’d like to own? The Holiday, August Rush
If you’d like to see a good movie, I’d recommend Ladyhawke. This was before the age of special effects and they pulled off some pretty good stunts. Can’t tell you much about it without giving away the story. Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and John Wood are some of the major players in this one - names you might recognize.
Oh… and I wouldn’t mind owning Fried Green Tomatoes, either.
Ok… never mind… I forgot we also own the Lord of the Rings movies, so adding those into the mix along with the Peanuts Holiday collection I just bought the percentages are now:
64% - kids animated movies
32% - other movies
4% - workout videos
I know you wanted to know.
I’ll quit now.
from SD CA (this week) • Cocktail: Red Headed Slut
I think mine would go something like this:
50% tv on dvd (gilmore girls, alias, veronica mars, entourage, SATC)
20% artsy/serious films (scorcese, david lynch, wes anderson)
10% chick flicks
10% music dvds
from Long Island, NY
99% Crap
1% Other
100% purchased from the guy on the corner who carries his inventory on a blanket for quick and easy get aways when needed…
Hm. My pie chart would probably be a little like…
40% - general killing/fighting/martial arts movies (Ong-Bak, Troy, Gladiator, Enter the Dragon)
30% - sci fi movies (Star Wars, Star Trek, DUH)
15% - comedies (Zoolander, Office Space, Strange Brew)
10% - TV (Battlestar Galactica, Las Vegas. what a combination, right?)
5% - other crap
from the frozen north
i haven’t been watching my movies lately, but we’ll give it a go…
20% - tv (seinfeld, everwood [insane guilty pleasure], newsradio, simpsons, the office [uk version])
20% - chick flicks (every meg ryan movie ever made, love actually, one fine day, 50 first dates)
30% - heaving bosom costume dramas (i have a weakness for these - pride and prejudice, and every merchant/ivory you can think of, mansfield park, jane eyre)
12% - clive owen (these merit their own category)
18% - geek movies/classics/artsy (lord of the rings, star wars, wes anderson, singin’ in the rain, funny face)
doing this made me realize something: holy shit! i have a lot of movies!
I have this belief that “Mandy Moore fixes everything.” Please don’t spread the word though. I don’t want to put a dent in my gangsta reputation…
from San Diego, CA • Cocktail: slightly dirty Grey Goose martini
@Marie: Your secret is safe with me. Come over and we’ll watch Chasing Liberty.