When I was younger I watched movies over and over and over again. I would watch Jurassic Park, rewind the tape, and watch it again. The last movie I remember obsessively watching was Fight Club, which was usually a viewing followed by a viewing with a commentary track, rinse and repeat.
My old computer wallpaper.
Here are some other movies I was once obsessed with:
Mission: Impossible
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
The Brave Little Toaster
X2
Moulin Rouge
Girl, Interrupted
Jerry Maguire
Almost Famous
The Godfather II
Willy Wanka and the Chocolate Factory
A Few Good Men
NewsiesÂ
Patterns: lots of Tom Cruise movies. Lots of kids movies (when I didn’t know any better) and movies with catchy tunes. And lots of melodrama.
The most recent film I’ve watched twice in a row was David Cronenberg’s The Fly. You’ve seen it, right? It’s a masterpiece of B-schlock, operatic drama, grotesque horror, and romance. Jeff Goldblum is kind of irresistible as a scientist who accidentally splices himself with a common house fly and subsequently starts losing body parts and storing them in his medicine cabinet. I’ve seen it before and liked it, but the last time I watched it was just magical. Everything about the film clicked and I didn’t want the experience to end. So I stayed up way past my bedtime and watched it again with commentary.
What a babe.
Re-watching interesting movies is probably more important than your first viewing. It allows you to really pay attention to themes and theories and whatnot without the distraction of the plot. But I think it’s those movies with mind numbingly great plots that keep us obsessively watching.
So this editorial is more of an open forum. What are the benefits of watching movies hundreds of times? Are we really picking up on anything new the 25th time we watch a film in a row? Or does watching comfort movies become habit forming in harmful ways?
Which movies do you obsess over?
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steve (4)
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Sebastian (3)
Dan Heaton (2)
J.D. (2)
jess (2)
I have no comment on this subject matter.
What?! You’re totally a repeat offender. I think I’ve seen Easy A 10 times in the last year, and yes, I catch more dialogue and “under their breath” witticisms every time I see it. I’ll probably see it another 10 times in the next year.
Haha, I know. It was a joke for the “watch it again” crowd.
Twitter: smallmind
August 9, 2011 4:17 pm
Good topic Whitney. I think there are some films that still manage to surprise on the 36th time. Whether it be noticing an actor in a minor role who became a star years later or simply a facial quirk that did not show itself on previous viewings. Some of my obsessions in the past included:
Jurassic Park
Chasing Amy
Pulp Fiction
Shallow Grave
Donnie Darko
The Dark Knight
Flirting
Magnolia
The Usual Suspects
Dazed and Confused
Twitter: BeatsAvatar
August 9, 2011 4:33 pm
Good topic.
I do the same thing, though not as much anymore as when I was a teenager. Watching a movie one day, then watching it again the next night with the commentary, if possible.
I can’t remember the last movie I watched with the commentary on…
I haven’t really done it in a while, and probably will at some point, but after awhile I realized that I was skipping over tons of other movies just to watch Clerks again. I didn’t want to miss out on other movies and I’ve run out of the free time for repeat views. Though if I am sick, it’s the first thing I do.
Some of my favorite repeats:
Fight Club
Memento
Clerks
Joe Dirt
Pootie Tang
Reservoir Dogs
Back to the Future
I thought I was the only person who loved Pootie Tang.
Twitter: kaiderman
August 9, 2011 5:39 pm
You are!
Whapitah to the bammies!
Twitter: tzrSxNfh
November 17, 2011 2:21 am
So that\’s the case? Quite a rveaeltion that is.
As soon as I get sick I pop in all the old favorites, too. Or if I’m moving somewhere knew and I feel a little nervous about it. Comfort movies are so important to me.
Twitter: tom_clift
August 9, 2011 5:10 pm
Yeah this is definitely something I do:
FIGHT CLUB
THE MATRIX
PULP FICTION
T2
AMERICAN PSYCHO
INSIDE MAN
and probably a whole bunch of others I can’t think of right now
Twitter: kaiderman
August 9, 2011 5:38 pm
There was a time when I watched Pulp Fiction and The Mummy on repeat everyday for a year.
Fight Club is another one, of course.
Saw Kingpin 13 times in theaters (@ the dollar theater to be fair.
Unbreakable has been viewed 100 times easy.
The Matrix is an old one I still go to. Over and over again!
Twitter: kaiderman
August 9, 2011 5:40 pm
PS. Willy WAnka? haha
I always do that!!! Wanka. Every time. But I’m not going to change it because it’s too charming.
I rewatch a lot of movies, even the somewhat average ones. I would say about half of the movies I get through Netflix, I will watch a second time the next day. Some of my most rewatched:
- Saving Private Ryan
- LA Confidential
- Die Hard
- Jurassic Park
- Gladiator
On a more serious note, I do rewatch a lot of my favorites when I have the time. Oftentimes, especially with the 60/60 Project on my blog, as well as getting new release DVDs for here, I don’t have time to pop in and rewatch something I own. But I’d say the movies I’ve rewatched the most include…
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Any of the Harry Potters
Shaun of the Dead
Inside Man
MirrorMask
The Princess Bride
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Oh, and 28 Days/Weeks Later…
Twitter: kaiderman
August 10, 2011 9:03 am
Yeah those are great *cough**ZOMBIE!**cough* movies. Totally get that!
Twitter: kaiderman
August 10, 2011 9:03 am
PS. You knew this was coming!
OK! You’ve been making this joke for like 3-4 days straight! I get it!
(and they aren’t zombie movies)
Twitter: manilovefilms
August 10, 2011 1:49 pm
If watching anything repetitively is harmful, then I’m amongst the more harmed people out there. I love watching new movies, but I could have an internal debate about whether or not I enjoy rewatching beloved movies even more. I sometimes hear someone saying something about watching a film once or twice and never needing to see it again…I am not that person.
Aside from the usual suspects (like The Usual Suspects, har) that many have listed here (Fight Club, Pulp, Indy, Star Wars, etc.), I’m also just as guilty of watching the shitty movies over and over again. Gooch’s list is so representative of my own…a mixture of high quality, awesome flicks and Twinkies like Joe Dirt and Pootie Tang. TBS and Comedy Central are more than likely the true guilty parties here…we’re just too weak to say no. But it’s got Chris Walken in it!!! And Kickin’ Wing!
I am fine with my issues, though. I’d rather watch Fletch for the 1000th time than watch some drama from 1942. Deal with it.
I obsess over Aliens, Big, Blade Runner, The Empire Strikes Back, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Metropolis, and The Twilight Zone (1959-1964 TV series). Come to think of it, I obsess over TV shows more than films. Media is frosty.