“We must admit that cinema has completely exhausted itself. New interesting stories have not appeared for a long time, and the technical level of films has reached its peak. And who would want to watch the same film several times?” You will probably laugh, but this phrase, said by one movie critic, is a little over a hundred years old.
Since then, cinema has reached a point, more than once or twice, from which it seemed there was only one way - down... but invariably entered a new round of popularity. But as for rewatching movies - well, the critic of the early 20th century simply didn't suspect that in the future there would be VHS, discs and streaming services. And that we'd rewatch our favorite films not even several, but dozens of times. And then share our impressions online - like, for example, in this viral thread.
More info: Reddit
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LOTR part 1,2 and 3 over 30 times combined.
I guess being twice on the list makes up for not being at the top. Best movies ever made. Especially the extended versions. So excited that the extended are in the theater next month.
Well, indeed, almost each of us has a couple of films in our hearts that we've watched a dozen times in our lives - and will watch the same number of times in the future. Moreover, these movies do not necessarily have to be Oscar winners or hit the box office. Often it’s even the other way around. For example, The Big Lebowski almost failed at the box office, grossing $17M in the U.S. with a budget of $15M - but the audience's reaction over time made it a cult classic.
The mummy .
I really hoping they mean the 1999 version with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz!
Back to the future.
It is probably symbolic that in the selection that we present to your attention today, only four movies were awarded the Oscar as the best film of the year (although The Lord of the Rings has enough statuettes en masse for nearly half the list, but these are all details...), so popular opinion often doesn't coincide with the viewpoints of the Academy members. The mechanism for the emergence of popular adoration is so unexpected and unpredictable that it's hardly possible to predict the iconic status of any particular movie.
Jurassic Park.
I was lucky enough to see a 3D, 30th anniversary rerelease of Jurassic Park last year, it was amazing to see it back on the big screen...it took me right back to 10yr old me watching it that first time. Second best part was the pretentious 20 something behind me trying to impress his date as the credits start rolling, saying "The effects just felt a little bit dated to me, honestly"...I had to fight not to turn and say "Oh? How dated? Like...something from the early 90s?"
"Why do we spend so much time with stories we already know?" Robert N. Kraft, Ph.D., writes in his dedicated article on Psychology Today. "The most obvious explanation for rewatching a movie, a series, or an episode is that we enjoy it. And the same reasons we enjoyed a show the first time are still there when we watch it again."
The researchers Cristel A. Russell and Sidney J. Levy in their study claim that “reconsuming can be an extraordinary experience, filled with the emotional luxury of delight, novel sensations, and intellectual insight.” Or maybe the reason is that most of the films presented in this collection belong precisely to that era when there was not so much varied content around us?
After all, the less content, the more unique it is. Perhaps the best example of this is football, with its seventeen regular season games, where each game is actually something special. Just agree, it’s hard to force yourself to re-watch a movie when there are thousands of films and shows available on Netflix or similar services!
Groundhog Day... again, and again, and again, and again.
May the never ever NEVER try to remake this movie. It is perfection.
Shaun of the Dead.
Aliens.
Be that as it may, many of us from time to time have a situation when we, for the umpteenth time, launch some old movie on TV, desktop, tablet or even phone, and with bated breath we follow the adventures of heroes familiar to us so we know every on-screen step of theirs, repeating lines and catchphrases that we know by heart.
Films that we'll warmly recommend to our kids, and will be incredibly happy if they share our preferences one day. Films that are so great to share with friends - by the way, why not share them here, in the comments to this post?
Iron Man. It’s literally the inspiration and reason why I went to college and got an engineering degree. It’s a very special movie for me. Saw it as a kid opening night with my dad back in 2008, and it left a lasting impression one me that you can build anything you want and help people.
Yupp. And all three, actually. I am that one person who truly likes the third one!
My family watched The Matrix so many times, we burned out three separate DVDs.
Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Saw it several times as the Midnight Movie at my local theater. Through a thick cloud of pot smoke, I might add.
Home Alone. Watch it every Christmas.
I'm not original - Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings.
Love the LotR films. My brothers and I used to do weekend long marathons with the extended editions.
Spirited Away.
Moana. I always get goosebumps, idk why.
When her grandmother appears and tells her, "there's nowhere you could go that I won't be with you"- I sob every time. I feel that love and grief. Moana is such a great, relatively underrated (relative to the kind of praise/promotion things like Frozen and Tangled get) film.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Every time around christmas over the last 20 years.
And I want to look him straight in the eye, and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-a*s, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey s**t he is! Hallelujah! Holy s**t! Where's the Tylenol?
Snatch.
Frozen. Finding Nemo. Toy Story.
Not necessarily because I wanted to. Parents will understand.
Unfortunately if you have a toddler or young child you end up watching those movies hundreds of times. :)
Idiocracy. I like money.
I can't watch it anymore. I feel like we're currently living this movie. Right down to people wearing Crocs.
Pride and prejudice 🥲.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. At first its about people taking d***s, than you slowly get the details and the depths of the story about excess, disillusionment, and the American Dream. And then d***s again.
Hunter S. Thompson was pretty wild man. Even rode with the Hells Angels just to write a story about them. This is the guy where modern gonzo writing came from.
Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Starship Troopers, and Super Troopers
Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Starship Troopers, and Super Troopers