Movies You Can Watch Over and Over Again
Dean
You know how you occasionally come across a movie you can just watch over and over and over again and not get tired of it? That seems to happen less and less as you get older... at least, it's sure seemed like it happens less and less as I get older. I figured I'd seen and read so much that just being captivated like that wouldn't come along again.
But then to my delight, and almost completely by accident, I stumbled upon Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's a humorous film noir parody with all the wit and sophistication of classic Hollywood movies like The Thin Man. The plot may be thin but the acting and dialogue and the humor are exceptional. Every time I watch it I catch a line or a moment I hadn't noticed the last time. I've probably watched it ten times in the last few weeks.
Michelle Monaghan as Harmony Faith Lane give as classic a performance as I can remember in a film like this--she reminds me of a foul-mouthed Myrna Loy. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are exceptional. Indeed, I developed a newfound respect for Kilmer in particular.
This is definitely not a "family" moving--lots of four-letter words and such--but it's urbane, witty, clever, gritty, violent, and hilarious.
Also, Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. And Blazing Saddles.
The Dude really is the big one, though. Every time I watch it, I feel a little better than when I started. I have it on my iPhone, and I just have it playing where I can listen (I don't have to actually watch it anymore.)
Fun variations: Watch Donny. Whenever he is on screen. Buschemi has almost no lines, but ends up doing tons of acting just through facial expressions.
Matching lines: Try to pick up where The Dude got his expressions from. I've counted about 12 incidents of circular vernacular.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain... Blade Runner
Strictly Ballroom
The Castle
The 39 Steps
Kelly's Heroes
'nuff said
Kill Bill, Vol. I (but not Vol. II)
A Scanner Darkly
Rocky
A Clockwork Orange
Waterworld (yep, know I'm gonna catch heat for that one ;-)
For my father, it's The Sting and My Cousin Vinny. In fact, we've watched My Cousin Vinny together so many times now that we end up doing the choice bits of dialogue with each other in daily life.
"Yer Honahhh!"
Can I watch with you and Dad and do the Mona Lisa parts? Please!
"Imagine you're a deah, you're prancing along. You're thirsty..........."
"You think I'm hostile now, wait until you see me tonight"
"Oh yeah - you blend"
"My biological clock is ticking like THIS and the way this case is going, I ain't never getting married".
Answer the question.
"No I hate him"
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
My Cousin Vinnie
The Incredibles
Toy Story
Serenity
The Fifth Element
Animal House
Young Frankenstein
Raising Arizona
The Shakiest Gun in the West
To Kill a Mockingbird
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Then there are the truly few that I have enjoyed more than twice:
Mary Poppins
Forbidden Planet
Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version)
McClintock ("... the hell I won't!")
The Sons of Katie Elder
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Good, The Bad, &The Ugly
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
And then, of course, there is:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail...
I'm sure there are dozens more I could name... But this is a start. Now I'll have to do the same thing on my own blog because I'm so derivative...
There are a few movies I have watched 2-3 times, just to try to figure out what they are all about. But when it comes to watching multiple times for pure enjoyment, comedies win hands down.
The Big Lebowski is my all time record, at probably 50 times. Oh Brother Where Art Thou is close. And Fargo. And Raising Arizona. All Coen Bro’s flicks there.
Closely followed by the Mel Brooks collection. Blazing Saddles. Young Frankenstein. The Producers. Space Balls. History of the World.
I have no doubt I’ll be watching those movies on a regular basis till the day I die.
And absolutely, Animal House and My Cousin Vinnie and It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
And a few of my guilty pleasures: Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Car Wash, CaddyShack, Stripes, Uncle Buck, Smokey and the Bandit, and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
And as guilty, guilty, guilty pleasures, anything by John Waters. Especially Pink Flamingos. And Pecker.
Comedies one and all.
Yes, I love the Star Wars, Lord Of the Rings, Jaws, Close Encounters, and so on. But I need 3-4 years between viewings of movies like that.
But for me, good comedies have no required waiting period. Nor statutes of limitation.
A friend of the family would always pull out The Wizard of Speed and Time (laser disc version; significantly different from the VHS version) for anyone who was feeling down and dare them to finish it without smiling. And I admit that is an impossible task.
The Court Jester
anything by Cirque du Soleil
Say Anything
Serenity (geek)
Almost Famous (Untitled cut)
Noises Off!
...perchance I need to watch a movie.
A Man for All Seasons
Zulu
Gallipoli
Breaker Morant
Fort Apache
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (original)
Flight of the Phoenix (original)
Ocean's Eleven (original)
I can, and have, watched these movies over and over again.
The Fifth Element
Super Troopers
Starship Troopers
I'm sure there's more... just can't think of any.
Seems a shame, but since most are already taken, I can only think of 2 or 3 more to add...
Da is a surprisingly good little film, mainly as it shows Martin Sheen getting his ass kicked, in an acting sense.
I'm surprised no one has listed Apocalypse Now and me, I love Repo Man still, after all these years.
There are so many movies I'll watch if they're on. Just to add a few that haven't been mentioned:
South Park
The Music Man
Dirty Dancing
The Breakfast Club
Jaws
Visitor Q
MST3K: The Movie
The Princess Bride
Quest for Fire
Mulholland Dr.
Blue Velvet
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
did you ever watch Apocalypse Now Redux? I saw it like literally the day after seeing the Robert Evans biopic "The Kid Stays in the Picture." In that movie Evans describes what a douche Coppola is, and how he had by that point surrounded himself with idiot yes-men who would greenlight whatever bad idea Coppola could come up with. And that it took a dedicated team of producers to reign Coppola in and turn Apocalypse Now into a watchable feature. Seeing Redux the next night I realized how true that all was. If the movie had been released originally how Coppola wanted it (the Redux version), I guarantee you it would not be the classic it is today.
Sure I've it, and actually liked it very much for the additional bits, but I do agree that it wouldn't have been as good at the time.
I don't know, I thought every additional scene detracted from the movie as a whole. I couldn't stand redux. Definitely very glad I was already a big Apocalypse Now fan prior to watching it, or else I might not have ever bothered seeing the original.
And for those of you who are wondering what the hell I'm on about, look him up on IMDb. And the trivia for WoSaT.
*Jittlov going over the fence.
Maybe a little stale, but Mike Jittlov will give anyone permission to dub the videotape, as it's a well-known story that he owns no rights to the videotape distribution. Sadly, so much of the shystering that Richard Kaye's character does in the movie also happened to the project in real life, with Kaye as the villain.
Jittlov 'owns' one film copy of the movie that he is free to show at his discretion. He brought it to UMD for our Film Committee presentation (and I spent a fun night hanging out with him). He did get a slight royalty from the laserdisc sales, but none from the videotape. He is, for all intents and purposes, shut out from the film now, except for having made it.
All in all, he's a very interesting person, and one of those guys you always wish the best for.
Try again, is all I can say.
It took me three viewings of The Big Lebowksi before I finally got it, and now I love it.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.