Flicks tell us about us
DVD sales, rentals speak volumes about our personalities, book says
The No. 3 most-rented Netflix movie in one U.S. city on Nov. 17 was "Colma," a rock musical about a city just outside San Francisco where residents bury their dead.
Seventeen of the top 25 Netflix rentals in another city were political films, foreign films and TV shows.
One city's No. 1 pick was "Emma Smith: My Story," a movie about the wife of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church.
And, finally, "Flubber" was the most-rented movie in another city. The remake stars Robin Williams. In that city, two of the top five, and three of the top 10 most-rented films were children's movies.
The cities represented: Washington, D.C.; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; and Fort Wayne. Here's a little trivia for you: Try to guess which rentals were most popular in which cities. (The answers are on Page 3D.)
It seems you can tell a lot about a city based on its most-rented films. Hopeless romantics might be more prone to favor "The Princess Bride" while thrill-seekers might feel more akin to "Gladiator."
The book "Cinescopes: What Your Favorite Movies Reveal About You" takes that idea and runs with it, attributing one of 16 personality traits - like Magical Creator, Chosen Adventurer and Youthful Sage - based on favorite movies.
Fort Wayne's most-rented Netflix movies indicate that the city is a Loyal Warrior: kind, noble and compassionate. Loyal Warriors "value friendship and family (and) derive power from an unyielding dedication to others with a common cause."
Other Loyal Warriors include Princess Leia and King Arthur.
There is some truth to this concept, says Jules Rosskam, who teaches classes in the film and media studies minor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The major problem with the concept, however, is movie availability. He tells of a recent outing to Blockbuster, where he hoped to rent "Badlands" to show one of his classes. The store didn't have the movie, which Rosskam calls one of the most famous modern American films.
He's not sure whether that's indicative that people in Fort Wayne don't want to rent certain movies - like independent or foreign films - so Blockbuster doesn't carry them, or if it's that people in Fort Wayne don't rent those movies because they're not available.
Cinescopes labeled Rosskam, by the way, as a Charismatic Performer, a charmer who is creative, talented and alluring. However, Rosskam is quick to point out that his 10 favorite flicks could change on any given day - or hour.
The following DVDs are the 10 best-sellers from August through mid-November at Borders Books, Music & Cafe in Fort Wayne:
1. "Planet Earth," a Discovery Channel series that sales manager Karen Horner calls the likely best-seller for the whole year.
2. "Iron Man"
3. "Fireplace Impressions," which shows a crackling fireplace on the screen as classical music plays, Horner says.
"That's No. 3. I can't believe it. We haven't had it that long," says Horner, adding that it's only $4.99.
4. "The Office: Season 4," the NBC comedy
5. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
6. "John Adams," an HBO special now on DVD, Horner says.
7. "Heroes: Season 2," the TV drama on NBC
8. "Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Edition"
9. "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
10. "When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions," a documentary about space
The "Cinescopes" book calls those who favor Indiana Jones movies "Chosen Adventurers," prone to suffer from boredom and possible paralyzation when faced with a tough decision. The Chosen Adventurer is curious, open-minded and bold, like Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones.
Some of those DVDs cross over into the best-sellers list at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Jefferson Pointe, too. Susan Derr, the store's community relations manager, lists these DVDs as the best-sellers from Oct. 25 to Nov. 20:
1. "John Adams," the HBO mini-series
2. "Sleeping Beauty"
3. "Jon & Kate Plus 8," a reality series on TLC
4. "Get Smart: Season 1," a TV series
5. "Pollock"
6. "My Fair Lady"
7. "Heima: A Film by Sigur Ros"
8. "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"
9. "WALL-E"
10. "Hogan's Heroes: Season 6," a TV series
"Sleeping Beauty" and "My Fair Lady" lovers are "Vivacious Romantics," with big, warm hearts and on a mission to find "The One," like Harry in "When Harry Met Sally … " and Robbie Hart in "The Wedding Singer." These folks are charming heroes with many friends and valued relationships.
The most-checked-out flicks at the Allen County Public Library, meanwhile, include more older movies than those bought at Barnes & Noble or Borders, with "Forces of Nature" at No. 1, "Chocolat" at No. 2 and "Jakob the Liar" at No. 3.
The first children's flick comes in at No. 16, with "Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina." The second is "Babe," at No. 39.
The list, like some of the favored movies at Barnes & Noble, makes Fort Wayne a "Vivacious Romantic."
As a disclaimer, the library's list may be a tad misleading; a film like "The Lord of the Rings" likely has been checked out more often than the list indicates. But the discs get lost or damaged, so the current DVD might have been taken out only 87 times even though the movie is more popular than that, librarian Steve Miller said.
The Best Buy at Northcrest Shopping Center doesn't keep track of its most-purchased DVDs, says Kim Redmond, a sales operator, but she says "Kung Fu Panda" and "WALL-E" are popular - both are children's movies. "Tropic Thunder," too, has sold well recently.
What she finds most surprising, though, is the off-the-wall movies people call and request - movies Redmond says she's never heard of, like " 'Night of the Demon,' something about some Dracula something," she says.
"I swear I get the weirdest calls. When (a movie like 'Night of the Demon' pops up (on the computer), I'm surprised we have it."
jyouhana@jg.net
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