How do you access your films?

Streaming services predominate with me. I often find films at my library to watch, eg Elmer Gantry and Wadjda.

DVD/Blu-ray and Streaming

Dvd

file (from the depths of the internet and youtube)

Are DVDs still rented out?  The last store here on Devil's Island closed 5 years ago, and as this island is about fifty years behind the civilized world, I would be surprized if it goes on elsewhere. I read an article that there is only one Blockbuster store still operating in the US and that it only survives on a nostalgic, rather than commercial, basis.

You start some good threads, Lune 7000. I don't think we did your "unanswered question" thread justice, but I hope to return to it from time to time as I stumble on examples.

This thread got me aware that 2020 was the first time as I remember that I did not go to the cinema the whole year to watch a movie.

Cinema is where I would go for the new movie. I used to collect DVDs, but stopped and now I get the new movies on DVD from Netflix though they are a bit slow in releasing them. In the older days, you can buy a bootleg copy on the street if you don't mind the quality. I haven't seen these vendors for a long time. I also have Amazon Prime which often have new movies for streaming.

There are many good old classic available on YouTube for free. Many are also available for a fee. IMDb even have movie streaming for free. You can also join Mubi.com for more selection.

There are ways to get a movie if you want it bad enough and willing to pay for it. If I can't find it and wanted bad enough and that the DVD is available through online store, I'll buy it. The Warner Archive store has a great selection, and I have bought DVDs from them before. TCM store also has a good selection.

Of course, there is the regular TV station, but very limited. I have caught movies I haven't seen on TV now and then, especially on TCM channel.

I have a large (and still growing) collection of DVDs and Blu-rays that spans over 100 years (1916-2019, 2020 if you include TV shows). I also rent DVDs through Netflix, and have signed onto a number of streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Disney+. Though I might give up Disney+, at least until my financial situation becomes a little more stable.

I got curious and checked that I bought the Jude DVD used in 2006 for $25. I think it was sold for over $100 not long after (or for new at that time, I don't remember). Now you can get it for $12.44.

You cannot always. I have plenty of dross in my collection. And one person's dross is another person's masterpiece. 

I can only tell you what I do. Others will have their own systems or no system at all. 

I keep a list in Excel, with title (sometimes in English, sometimes in the original language if different), date of release, and director.

I delete titles as I acquire them (cutting and pasting them to a stock list). I add titles on which I am prepared to speculate the massive sum of US$5. I give the list on a memory stick to my shoeshine friend. He can always find 12 titles a month from the list on torrents, even some quite obscure ones. I cannot afford more than 12 a month and indeed I do not have time to watch more than 12, given that I also have some 1300 in stock to re-watch.

Before that, I first check on Amazon US to see if the title is available at an affordable price for me. I only buy DVDs described as in 'good' or 'very good' condition. It is very rare that I have to return them on account of condition.

I guess your real question is: 'How do I know which titles to buy?' I read reviews on BBC Online and The Guardian Online. I follow recommendations from certain members here. I rarely follow actors but I do follow directors. If I have liked a film by a certain director I will try another of his or hers. (By no means infallible). I read reviews on IMDb, though with much scepticism. I look at lists like (for example) The Best 100 French Films or 20 Movies with Great Twist Endings. There are great swathes of movies I wont bother with, as a rule: silents and BMF movies, westerns, musicals, comedies other than black, family films, horror, sci-fi, sports, love stories, and I have an aversion to anything medical. Of course there are exceptions and some of my favourite movies can be found in each of those categories. On the other hand I will always give Film Noir, spy stories, political stories, or tales of revolution, resistance and class warfare, a chance. I am particularly fond of stories of personal redemption so long as they keep religion right out of it. (So I like The Searchers although it is a western).