The PopWatch Confessional (Vol. 49: The impulse purchases you regret edition)

Myst Thu, Feb 7, 2008 at 01:16 PM EST

Oh yeah, I have many a DVD I regret buying that is the result of a sudden celeb crush. Thankfully, they will pass. Or did - until I got a crush on Boreanaz. Be warned Mandi! I thought "Mr Fix It" was a rather sweet little thing, despite the obvious flaws in the script. It had charm, and Mr B in every scene. What more can you ask for?:) Watch it again, but stay away from Crow: The Wicked Prayer. Nothing can save that film.

Oh by the way - just add the whole set of Angel the series to your expense account, because you will want it after watching it. Just saying...

Wed, Feb 6, 2008 at 02:19 PM EST

it's really good.

Nick Mon, Feb 4, 2008 at 02:08 PM EST

Mandi......go purchase Buffy Seasons 1-3, and the entire Angel series. Have you seen those before? I mean, you work for EW...so probably. DOOOIT

Jessica Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 03:01 PM EST

Oh - it's so nice to know other people do this too! I own the truly terrible True Vinyl, just for Eric Szmanda's charming smile.

Stephanie Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 09:58 AM EST

Mandi,

Go out right now and buy Buffy Season 2. Words cannot express the hotness that is David Boreanaz playing Angel/Angelus.

Ceci Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 09:25 AM EST

I saw Velvet Goldmine solely for the perfect trifecta of Christian Bale/Ewan McGregor/Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Thank Goodness I just rented it! But I do own Mistery Date from my Ethan Hawke phase... ugh!

Kent Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 01:17 AM EST

I bought "Blade" at Blockbuster in the previously viewed section on sale for $10. This was years ago and I still think about that $10. Sad.

katie Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 12:28 AM EST

I bought Ocean's 12 because of Matt Damon. Whoops. Mandi, I heart your obsession with the fabulous DB. He's yummy. And funny--he needs to be more fun in Bones, somehow.

Side note: My family and I were playing the "what 3 things would you bring to deserted island" game. When it came time for my sister to answer, her one and only answer, and I'm dead serious, was "Paul Walker." (He's got too many to choose from, poor guy. Make a good movie, Paul!! Or, host some sort of outdoor adventure show.)

Kristen Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 11:28 PM EST

My friends know of my adoration of Paul Walker, Matthew McConnahot, and Josh Lucas. So for Christmas, one of them usually buys me crappy movies that star them (I own Stealth, Into the Blue, and Sahara, for example.) I have yet to watch any of them- so I'm keeping any further crushes to myself- I love Terrance Howard, but I'm terrified of being bought Awake or August Rush.

Megan Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 10:20 PM EST

Two of my awkward impulse buys immediately spring to mind.
One: during my phase of passion for Ioan Gruffudd, I absolutely had to buy the Fantastic Four movie on the day it came out on DVD - so yeah, I spent about $20 on that stinker. Wish I'd thought twice about that one.
Two: I needed more Josh Charles badly after downing all the episodes of Sports Night, so I bought the colossally terrible movie he starred in with Stephen Baldwin. The title? "Threesome." I get a lot of questions about that one.

Jusa Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 09:15 PM EST

Sorry for the messed up post. This is what should've been:

Deuces Wild. Anyone remember it? Most people don't. It was in the bargain bin at Best Buy. I figured it would be bad, but I was nursing a bit of a crush on Stephen Dorff. I gave it a shot. It was way worse than I thought it could ever be. Sooo bad. It still shames me to this day that I bought it. Discounted or not, some things are better left alone.

Jusa Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 09:01 PM EST

Deuces Wild. Anyone remember it? Most people don't. It was in the bargain bin at Best Buy. I thought it wouldn't matter if it was bad because I figured it would be bad, bu I was nursing a bit of a crus on Stephen Dorff. Wrong!!! Sooo bad. It still shames me to this day that I bought it. Discounted or not, some things are better left alone.

Sarah H. Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 08:08 PM EST

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. At the time, it didn't matter that I avoided it in the theater because I heard it wasn't as good as its predecessor. The fact that it had Colin Firth reprising Mark Darcy was more than enough justification for me to buy it. I should have known better.

MissM Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 07:56 PM EST

I totally succumbed to a similar fate as of late with Alec Baldwin. I watched way too much 30 Rock and became obsessed with his blue eyes and devious, self-abosrbed smirk. I bought a movie called, "Suburban Girl" yesterday because it....

Willowbear Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 07:34 PM EST

Mine have lead me to season 1 through 3 of CSI Miami (Rory Cochrane) and Empire Records and Dinner for 5 on youtube and way to much Jackass (Johnny Knoxville), Grand Theft Parsons and repeated viewings of Walking Tall. But I can still hold my head high, my husband is smitten with all things Blink 182 ( especially Mark Hoppus! )

krikky Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 07:01 PM EST

You're the best, Mandi, you make me feel normal again. I know EXACTLY what you mean about the "discovery" phase: I am currently going through the same thing with Daniel Day-Lewis. I've seen There Will Be Blood in the theaters too many times to count and I've rented/bought all of his movies. Luckily for me, they're all pretty good. And all available at my local library as a $1 rental. Wahoo!

That said, I have some shameful secrets: I was once obsessed with Jaye Davidson (yes, the cross-dresser from Crying Game. I was 13, what can I say?) and I saw Stargate 9 times in the theater. I'll repeat that: 9 times. And even though movie tickets were only $6 back then, I'd say $54 donated to that film is pretty bad.

Lisa M Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 06:48 PM EST

I bought The Descent. I heard it was good. It was scary, but the characters were totally boring. And a horror movie needs good characters.

kelsey Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 06:46 PM EST

I have the same rule as Ruby does. That isn't to say I don't have impulses, though. I have wasted money on a couple of sub-par pop albums by no-name singers, but I've learned from those mistakes. I am always cautious as to what I buy, and unless it's an adaptation of a Jane Austen book, I hardly ever get the impulse.

I will purchase, however, any volume of Mystery Science Theater 3000 I can find. And probably the 1st season of 30 Rock ... even though I haven't seen it.

HIding My Head in a Paper Sack Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 06:43 PM EST

The Prince and Me...2. Enough said.

C Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 06:27 PM EST

Went to Best Buy and saw they had a Matthew Fox dvd on sale for 6 bucks. I bought it because... duh... it's Matthew Fox and He looked hot on the cover. I took it over to my friends house to watch and oogle over only to find that Foxy plays a mentally challenged homeless janitor with a scraggly neanderthal wig/beard and scary prosthetic teeth. I tried to return the DVD for false advertising but Best Buy refused. Go figure.

Ryan Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:44 PM EST

I once had an odd obsession with Lara Flynn Boyle due to my then-favorite show The Practice. I bought Happiness, Men In Black II, and The Temp just because she was in them. I've watched them all exactly once. I should add that Happiness was pretty expensive too.

Gigi Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:37 PM EST

Had it bad for French actress Miou-Miou, after seeing Entre Nous. I actually had a hard time finding more stuff to feed my crush, or I'm sure I would've bought it. (I do have Entre Nous in VHS.) I even searched for biographical info at the library, much to the amusement of the staff person I had help me.

Sarah A Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:37 PM EST

I was obsessed with Brad Pitt throughout the majority of high school, and I am now the unfortunate owner of Troy, Seven Years in Tibet, and Meet Joe Black.

I ask myself "Why" every day . . .

Laura S Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:33 PM EST

I bought Eragon for the ten minutes of screen time that Garrett Hedlund is in it. He's also the reason I own Troy (never watched past his death), Georgia Rule (actually not bad), and Death Sentence (pretty bad but he's good in it).

Miss Dahlia Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:33 PM EST

After seeing Pump up the Volume, my Christian Slater obsession lead me to purchase many fine films of his including Gleaming the Cube, Mobsters and Kuffs on VHS. I also purchased his "action figure" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. To this day, I still get Christian Slater DVD’s as joke gifts from my family for Christmas. They just won't let me forget...

Silv Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:18 PM EST

I've done this with books, actually, by an author I like. Now these are what I like to refer to as my "trashy romance novels" which means the quality of the writing is dubious at best. If I like a book I will re-read it a hundred times, and I've got boxes of books written by the same author, though some have been bad enough to throw across a room before I'm done - or throw out. Everyone has a few "misses" in their careers!

Sarah Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:16 PM EST

Oh, I've gone through my phases... My Daniel Craig and Adrien Brody collections nearly took over my DVD collection.

Cleo Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:13 PM EST

Conspicuous consumption at its best.
I never buy any movie unless I've seen it, either, and as for music- White Elephant all the way! Pop music is proof that most people listen to crap anyhoo.

monica Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 05:04 PM EST

after watching stomp the yard and loving Columbus Short, I bought Save the Last Dance 2, watched it, and never saw it again. I still love him though. Oh and if I had money back when I was a poor teenager I probably would've bought The Big Hit--that ridiculous movie with Mark Wahlberg. I also love Excess Baggage purely because of Benicio del Toro.

Ruby Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:49 PM EST

I am thankful I never buy a movie unless I've already seen it as a rule. Every movie I've ever bought I can watch over and over again till this day. I save pretty faces and celebrity obsessions for rentals.

Lauren Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:19 PM EST

Over the years, my obsession with Hank Azaria (whom I finally got to meet in 2004, yum yum) has led to the renting of such cinematic gems as Homegrown. Or as it should be called, HORRIBLE.

As if I hadn't learned my lesson, after seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's incredible performance in Brick, I proceeded to do the same thing (rent everything he's ever been in). While he's appeared in many an excellent little indie movie, he also did...Havoc. *shudder*

Don't get me wrong--I don't begrudge any actor for trying to make a living. It's my fault for making the impulse renting mistake with two different actors.

MKS Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:10 PM EST

Once in a while, I'll go through a period when I have to see as many movies of a certain actor, so it was Romain Duris over winter break, and I rented all Blockbuster had of him. Fortunately, they were The Spanish Apartment and Russian Dolls, so I was completely satisfied.

p.s. Thanks for the shout-out to Caroline Dhavernas! Hollywood is missing out on this incredible actress.

Cara Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:09 PM EST

Oh boy. I have a long history of this, and by "this" I mean "being so beguiled by a pretty face that I run out and purchase everything that contains that face".

Some prime examples of this bad habit:

Christian Bale--"Prince of Jutland" and "Reign of Fire"...both very bad despite him.

The cast of "Firefly" seems to have a similar sort of effect on me. Anything they show up in instantly has to be watched, no matter how many warning bells are going off in my head. "Chuck"? Watched it. "Desperate Housewives?" Only the ones with Nathan Fillion. I even watched "I Think I Love My Wife" solely to see the fabulous Gina Torres.

Verity Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:08 PM EST

This is embarrassing but when I was a teenager I went through this phase where I simply adored Brendan Fraser. So silly me, I purchased "George of the Jungle" and "Encino Man" without ever having seen them. Then, after watching them both, I proceeded to try to convince myself that I really liked the movies and they were worth keeping in my collection. Thankfully, I got over that celebrity crush and finally restored my dignity by pitching the videos without feeling an ounce of guilt or betrayal.

mary Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 04:06 PM EST

During my Hugh Grant and American Idol obsession, I wanted to see "American Dreamz". A used copy was on sale at Blockbuster for $9.99 so I bought it. I thought I'd love it, but I actually hated it. Now it's sitting in my movie collection, never to be watched again. Anyone want it? I'll give it to a loving home!

Raven_Moon Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 03:51 PM EST

I regret letting my love of Colin Firth convince me to buy "Hope Springs" & my love for Topher Grace convince me to buy "P.S." (Although, I did think he was good in it) and for believing that "See this Movie" might actually be good. On the other hand they were "clearance" clearance rentals from Blockbuster, so it cost about the same to buy them, as it would have to rent. Also, I suppose it’s too late now, but when it comes to David Boreanaz, it’s best to stick to his television credits.

And to a previous poster, I loved "The Last Kiss." I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.

Auriana Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 03:14 PM EST

I've had an obsession with Sean Patrick Flannery ever since he played Indy in the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. I happened to stumble across a movie called "Guenivere" one day that not only starred him, but fed into my obsession with Arthurian legend. Words can't describe how horrible it was. And many an impulse buy has been a result of Ebay. Did I really need the limited edition print of Padme Amidala by some artist? No. Or the plethora of Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon posters I have, especially now that I've graduated to cell collecting.

Shirley Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 03:11 PM EST

Right after "The Matrix", I got into a Keanu Reeves craze, so I purchased "The Replacements", "Chain Reaction" & "Sweet November". What a Mistake!!

daisyj Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 03:01 PM EST

Many years ago, when my local Werehouse (sp? I know it wasn't conventional spelling) was dumping all their VCR tapes, I purchased the remake of "The Island of Doctor Moreau". Never watched it, still not sure why I bought it.

Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:50 PM EST

The Last Kiss... it was so horrible.

T Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:50 PM EST

During my short obsession period with Eddie Izzard, I ordered all of his DVDs off of Amazon and even paid over $65 for a used copy of his autobiography.

ML Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:46 PM EST

My love of Jensen Ackles made me buy Devour. Thankfully I sold it on Amazon for an incredible $2.50 to some sap who probably tried to sell it, too.

Mary Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:44 PM EST

Ok, here goes...

after wathching Cribs on MTV, a bunch of rappers/actors were showing off their Scarface memorabilia, I decided that I needed to see. I bought it at Walmart on vhs for $10. What proceeded was total shock. I really should have known better. I know it's a cult classic but nothing would tempt to watch this again. Once was more than enough, though Michelle Pfeifer was really pretty in it =)

I also bought the Funeral because it had so many great actors in it, Christopher Walken, Benicio del Toro, Isabella Rossellini, etc. How could it go wrong? Well, it did, terribly wrong. All I really remember was that I wanted to get rid of it but not throw it away. I did spend my hard earned money on it afterall. I tried to pawn it off my older brother but he was not interested, so, it's still on the shelf, collecting dust.

From now on, I'll just stick to the Godfather movies for my gangster fix.

step Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:31 PM EST

I actually rented These Girls for Caroline Dhavernas - and Netflixed a bunch of her other movies. Some are just not very good, but she's amazing in all of them.

QueenC Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:23 PM EST

I can't recall any such purchases, but I take comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one who adopts embarrassingly stalker-like behavior during short-lived celeb obsessions.

Snarf Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:19 PM EST

Angel Season 6 and Buffy season 8 in comic book form no less.

Nataloons Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:16 PM EST

Steven Strait has caused embarassing additions to my DVD collection (Sky High, Undiscovered and The Convenant). I will admit that I do sometimes watch The Convenant just for the eye-candy factor. And I will probably pay $12 just to see him run around shirtless in 10,000 B.C.

Also, at one time I owned every movie Gerard Butler had been in. Over time, I got rid of a few because I simply didn't re-watch them (Sorry Timeline, Cradle of Life, The Game of Their Lives). Now, he's still my #1 man and I loooove him just as much as I always have, since the year 2000.

I guess every actor has some misses in their career. Sometimes you just gotta get paid. Nothing to be embarassed about.

Danna Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:16 PM EST

Thank god for modern technology to feed my stalker-ish needs. I went through a Mark Ruffalo spell a couple of years ago (googling, you-tubing, imdbing, ect) and found that I hadn't seen In the Cut. So what do I do? Buy it new for $20. It currently resides broken in a landfill somewhere.

Sarah Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:15 PM EST

Another DB movie...Valentine. I shudder just thinking about it. So bad, and yet,so goo...No it's pretty bad.

SJ Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:08 PM EST

I have found these kinds of things make excellent white elephant gifts.

Anyway, my purchase-of-shame was "Failure to Launch" because it was in a two-pack with "Sliding Doors" and, hey, it can't be bad if it has Zooey Deschenal in it, right?

S Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 02:05 PM EST

You're not alone, Mandi. I once bought a British singer's album based on his cuteness and one unusual hit - David Essex and "Rock On." The whole album was a waste of allowance. I've bought cds just based on one song and never played them - still have some in the original wrapping, as well as at least 3 different movies still in cellophane.

donner Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 01:55 PM EST

I got into a bidding war on eBay once and spent $20 on a Nightmare Before Christmas Keychain that was worth $2 at best...I love the movie, but good lord, I didn't need the keychain...I stay far far away from eBay now a days...

CHoward Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 01:54 PM EST

A friend and I were dying to rent The Prince and Me -- don't ask -- but every rental shop in town was out. I put down $20 to buy it and spent the next year and half trying to convince people I had really enjoyed it and not wasted my money.

It now sits shamefully in my collection.

Stephanie T. Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 01:50 PM EST

I once bought two cd's by this Dutch EBM band because I was curious. I made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake.