What are they, and how often have you seen them ?
Surprisingly, mine are not especially my favorites, in fact I have no idea why I watch them so often. Go figure.
Groundhog Day -> 15 times approx. (most of them when I was between twelve and fourteen y.o)
Office Space ->15 times at least
BASEketball -> 10 times :roll: (what can I say...)
Royal Tenenbaums -> 5 times, maybe more
Mullholland Drive -> Rented it 4 times now, don't own it yet (I wonder why)
High Fidelity -> Maybe 10 times
Clerks -> A lot of times, but something like 5 times in the first two weeks cause I had all my friends watching it. I was 16, don't flame me :-)
The Postman -> Yes, the one with Costner. More than I should, like 10 times or so. Love this character :roll:
Can't think of others, but there probably are a lot ...
Steeeeeeeve Perry
I don't think I will ever watch a movie more times than I watched the Lion King with one of my friends when it first came out on video.
But besides that, it's got to be Requiem for a Dream.
bedazzled- around 10 times- all on cable (i swear hbo has a channel that only plays that movie)
last of the mohicans- probably 16 times
magnolia- around 10 times from beginning to end. many many other times watching chunks of the film. the magnolia diary at least 5 times from beginning to end, many other times watching chunks.
little mermaid- at least 20 times, beginning to end. still one of my favorite movies ever.
beetlejuice- sooo many times, numbers can't even assess the sheer quantity.
what about bob- a gazillion times.
that about sums it up. most are from my early childhood. not using that as an excuse, simply a statement of fact. i'm proud that i liked most of those movies. i was never into barney.
booth- groundhog day is awesome. "ned! ned nyserson!" i've seen that movie countless times too.
Man, too many to count.
Phantasm (the first one): Over 100 times.
Hollywood Knights: 50 times at least
Blazing Saddles: 40-50 times.
So many others, but those are the ones that I wore out back when VCR's first came out.
Magnolia. I saw it well over a dozen times when it was released, and it loves on in the DVD format...
Husbands and Wives. I'm not sure why. I just think it's a fucking great movie.
Mulholland Drive. Never ceases to entertain and enrapture.
Safe. The modern world. In a movie. Cuts so close to the heart of so many issues close to me, I can never resist its very considerable allure.
The Shining. For some reason, this is the Kubrick I watch the most. It's not my favorite, but it fits more varied moods, I suppose.
Those are the perennials that spring to mind right away... probably more later.
Wizard of Oz: i'm sure it is in the 100s
Dumb and Dumber: numerous times
Chasing Amy / Clerks / Mallrats: the 3 smith films I watch over and over
Stand by Me: I've never rented nor do I own it, but I have seen it every time it is on tv.
dazed and confused, ghostbusters, manhattan murder mystery, chasing amy, boogie nights and goodfellas, i also watch that moment alot
Ghostbusters -- well over 30, lost count a long time ago
Glengarry Glen Ross -- could watch everyday if had time
Boogie Nights -- if you count w/ commentary, many fucking times
Band Of Outsiders -- 8, and I bought it half a year ago
Major League -- fav cheesy sports movie
Taxi Driver -- yes, I am a disturbed fuck.... I've seen this so many times in the last two years, so many, I'm not kidding, it's scary...
magnolia
the shining
the witches
hook
dumb and dumber
beetlejuice
edward scissorhands
what about bob
groundhog's day
royal tenenbaums
hedwig and the angry inch
scream
orgazmo
rushmore
forrest gump
wet hot american summer
pulp fiction
wayne's world
halloween
a nightmare on elm street
the sword and the stone
that's all i can think of now. you guys reminded me of a few.
Donnie Darko - over 10
Blade - over 10
Leon - over 15
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - over 15
High Fidelity - over 20
Rocky Horror Picture Show - over 20
Chasing Amy - over 20
Army of Darkness - over 30
KITH: Brain Candy - over 30
MP & The Holy Grail - over 30
There's plenty more I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Boogie Nights
Requiem for a Dream
Toy Story 2
10+
Life of Brian
wayne's world
charlie's angels
ben hur, ten commandments
marty
half baked
shawshank redemption
breaking the waves
20+
batman
father of the bride
happy gilmore, billy madison
boogie nights
network
love and death
clockwork orange (first kubrick dvd owned)
30+
friday
the crow
Batman Returns
ridiculous number+
Lion King
every episode of the simpsons
i've wasted my life.
Once I get to 20, I start to lose track. I don't think I've seen anything more than 30 times. But here goes --
The 20+ Club:
MASH
Harold and Maude
The Sting
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
Annie Hall
All That Jazz
Star 80
Dazed and Confused
Boogie Nights
My most watched, and I’m talking minimum of 30 watches are:-
Pulp fiction
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Reservoir dogs
Snatch
Lock Stock
10 Things i Hate About you
Starwars - new hope
Cannonball Run 1&2
Friday
Bring it on
Smokey and the Bandit
Groundhog Day
Boogie Nights
Holy Grail
Blade
Scream
Ghostbusters
Dogma
Most DVD’s I buy I will watch 3-5 times (unless its real bad)
Ghostbusters-50+ (when I was just a wee lad)
Magnolia-20+
Boogie Nights-20+
Manhattan Murder Mystery-20+
Annie Hall-10+
Hard Eight-10+
Big Lebowski-10+
The Prophecy-10
Taxi Driver-10
Love and Death-9 or so
Alphaville-10
1.Waynes World 1-2.....maybe a 100 times
2. Big Lebowski....I've stopped counting!
3. Boogie Nights
4. Almost Famous
5. Fight Club
6. American comedies from the 80'es starring Chevy Chase or Steve Martin.....I've seen a million of those.
30+ Times
Aliens
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Boogie Nights
The Doors
Back to the Future
Jaws
Raiders of the Lost Ark
let's see here-
little cbrad used to watch these a lot;
goonies
back to da future
scream
beetle juice
the lion king/aladdin
toy story
the sandlot
jurassic park
die hard 3 wit a fuckin vengence, grrr....
when cbrad started going through puberty, he was watching these a lot;
wild things
cinemax porn
boogie nights
goodfellas/casino
and these are just the all time cbrad favorites
all of woody's stuff, recently deconstructing harry
do the right thing
any given sunday/jfk
raging bull
being j.m.
thelma and louise
my cousin vinny
crooklyn
raiders of the lost ark
jerry maguire
I'll list the ones I've seen enough that the dialogue becomes second nature:
Star Wars Trilogy
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Any John Hughes 80's flim (Ferris Bueller, Breakfast Club, etc.)
Fight Club
The Matrix
Boogie Nights
Batman
Jaws
Back To The Future
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Psycho
North By Northwest
GoodFellas
Taxi Driver
Blue Velvet
The Godfather
Terminator 2
Rocky
Misery
Stand By Me
The Buddy Holly Story
Heat
Big
Heathers
Grease
Saturday Night Fever
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
American Graffitti
Animal House
Blues Brothers
Caddyshack
Stripes
So many more I'm forgetting...
Quote from: MacGuffin
Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
Ahh, how could I forget. Thats definitely one I watched repeatedly. It still fucking blows my mind. 10 plus years later and the animation/live action integration still looks convincing.
Quote from: pookiethecatQuote from: MacGuffin
Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
Ahh, how could I forget. Thats definitely one I watched repeatedly. It still fucking blows my mind. 10 plus years later and the animation/live action integration still looks convincing.
Hehe...I was about to write the same thing! :-D
early years:
- pulp fiction
- the wall
- waynes world
- speed
- natural born killers
later on:
- boogie nights
- blue velvet
- big lebowski
- magnolia
- talented mr ripley
- mulholland drive
varies from 10 to 50 views i guess mostly in loads.
sweet...an stp fan AND a who framed roger rabbit fan.
batman.
when i was 8 and it first came to video (after seeing it 5 times in the theatre incl. opening night with my dad who is a huge batman fan), i watched it so many times that i had the opening credits memorized. i could recite whos name would come up before it did.
last summer i watched MAGNOLIA practically everyday and everyday i'd bother my friends about a new 82 i found in the picture or how brilliant PTA is. yeah my friends really hate MAGNOLIA because of me.
Quote from: rudieoblast summer i watched MAGNOLIA practically everyday and everyday i'd bother my friends about a new 82 i found in the picture or how brilliant PTA is. yeah my friends really hate MAGNOLIA because of me.
The day
Magnolia opened in Portland, in January 2000, I took the day off work, bought four consecutive tickets, and spent all day in the theater, watching it over and over and over.
Easy question for me. Only movie I have memorized every line and cut to, Die Hard, and I am not one bit ashamed of it either. Must have seen it a thousand times (not kidding or exagerrating). The viewing was intense when I was younger and drifted after through trying to find some art, I considered not worth my time but have rediscovered it again and love it still.
~rougerum
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetMust have seen it a thousand times (not kidding or exagerrating).
Yes you are :-)
i think ive seen robocop and scanners more than any other film. i would watch them once (and sometimes two or three times) a day for about six months back when i was a kid
i would always see scanners in the horror section of my blockbuster when i was younger and was always too afraid to get it (which is funny considering i was raised on the shining and the omen). i've decided to face my fear and put it near the top of my netflix queue.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetEasy question for me. Only movie I have memorized every line and cut to, Die Hard, and I am not one bit ashamed of it either. Must have seen it a thousand times (not kidding or exagerrating). The viewing was intense when I was younger and drifted after through trying to find some art, I considered not worth my time but have rediscovered it again and love it still.
~rougerum
everytime u talk about die hard i can't help but think of when a rich person visits the homeless shelter and can't stop talking about it for months like they just did the world a favour.
the key to not seeming snobbish is to not think any different when watchin a popular movie and an arty one.
Quote from: Peverytime u talk about die hard i can't help but think of when a rich person visits the homeless shelter and can't stop talking about it for months like they just did the world a favour.
the key to not seeming snobbish is to not think any different when watchin a popular movie and an arty one.
That is oh so very true.
P, are you still stuck on if I am snobbish or not? I've never seen anyone care as much about this issue as you do. I thought this was old months ago, and since then, I haven't cared at all whether or not someone thinks I am snobbish or not. I think its funny. But anyways, P, keep on pushing the lame issue.
And yes, Booth, I have watched Die Hard that many times. When three years of movie appreciation begins with one movie only, it does happen.
~rougerum
There's such a thing as an anti-art sort of reverse snobbery, too. I think that's much more of a rampant problem than art-film snobbery. I consider myself a film-snob, proudly so, but I won't dismiss a movie just because you can fit it into the "mainstream" category. All film is art, to me. It either works on its own terms, or it doesn't. I'll defend Down with Love and American Beauty from anyone who doesn't like them for any reason, just like I'll defend Mulholland Dr.. If I love the film, I've got its back; that's all the categories I need, fuck this "mainstream vs. art" shit. I have my own reasons for liking things, and I stick by them. Taste is not a popularity contest; it's an articulation, personalization, and refinement of your response to art and culture.
When someone uses the words "snobbish" or "pretentious" to dismiss my take on film, though, it always seems like they're suffering from an inferiority complex and trying to end the discussion without having to really engage in it. They're easy catchwords that need heavy qualification to really mean anything.
Yes, thank you. I've wanted to say that for weeks now, but you put it so much better than I could have.
FYI, Independent and/or Art films from last year I DID NOT like:
Adaptation
Talk to Her
Gangs of New York
Chicago
The Quiet American
The Good Girl
The 25th Hour
Full Frontal
One Hour Photo
Solaris
Far From Heaven
Road to Perdition
Insomnia
I remembered all these movies by looking on best of lists from everyone in the Now Showing forum. Whether you disagree with me on a movie or not, I don't fit any stereotypical mold of film snob.
~rougerum
GT, I respect your opinion... but please give GONW another chance. Really.
Quote from: SoNowThenGT, I respect your opinion... but please give GONW another chance. Really.
I'd say give almost any of those another chance. Most of what's on that list that I've seen ranges from very good to brilliant.
Quote from: godardianQuote from: SoNowThenGT, I respect your opinion... but please give GONW another chance. Really.
I'd say give almost any of those another chance. Most of what's on that list that I've seen ranges from very good to brilliant.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetRoad to Perdition
Insomnia
One Hour Photo
Exceptions.
c'mon dont say ROAD TO PERDITION doesnt even qualify as "good". just because it didnt meet your expectations i dont think makes it less than good.
Quote from: themodernage02c'mon dont say ROAD TO PERDITION doesnt even qualify as "good". just because it didnt meet your expectations i dont think makes it less than good.
I second this.
The other two, I'd agree with, though they're both watchable and not entirely without interest.
Quote from: godardianI'd say give almost any of those another chance. Most of what's on that list that I've seen ranges from very good to brilliant.
I completly agree ... especially the first 3 of the list.
Boogie Nights
J&SB (sorry, but this movie makes me laugh)
Bottle Rocket
Rushmore
The Royal Tenenbaums
Toy Story 1 & 2
Disney's Robin Hood
eh, can't think of anymore at the moment, and my roomate needs to restart the internet. :(
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetFYI, Independent and/or Art films from last year I DID NOT like:
Adaptation
Talk to Her
Gangs of New York
Chicago
The Quiet American
The Good Girl
The 25th Hour
Full Frontal
One Hour Photo
Solaris
Far From Heaven
Road to Perdition
Insomnia
I remembered all these movies by looking on best of lists from everyone in the Now Showing forum. Whether you disagree with me on a movie or not, I don't fit any stereotypical mold of film snob.
~rougerum
i dont see how any free-thinking, film appreciating, semi-intelligent, good-natured person could not LUV adaptation, talk to her, 25th hour, far from heaven- oh fuck it. u suck dude.
Quote from: ©bradQuote from: The Gold TrumpetFYI, Independent and/or Art films from last year I DID NOT like:
Adaptation
Talk to Her
Gangs of New York
Chicago
The Quiet American
The Good Girl
The 25th Hour
Full Frontal
One Hour Photo
Solaris
Far From Heaven
Road to Perdition
Insomnia
I remembered all these movies by looking on best of lists from everyone in the Now Showing forum. Whether you disagree with me on a movie or not, I don't fit any stereotypical mold of film snob.
~rougerum
i dont see how any free-thinking, film appreciating, semi-intelligent, good-natured person could not LUV adaptation, talk to her, 25th hour, far from heaven- oh fuck it. u suck dude.
I think the fact that many of us (myself included) cannot see how he dislikes those films makes his opinions all the more interesting. I disagree with GT alot, but I believe that his comments are well thought out and he provides valuable opinions on things.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetP, are you still stuck on if I am snobbish or not?
~rougerum
no. just u always refer to die hard. if u luvit a lot then that's great. i just thought that was the only "normal" film u'd enjoyed. also, godardian, thanks for defending urself when u weren't attacked. i hope to see u at the next anti-ppl-who-say-snobbish rally.
everyone else, keep on listin. sorry for starting a boring tangent.
I just name Die Hard in reference to the person who said in the thread if you like Die Hard, then you aren't a film snob. My naming of Die Hard a lot has somewhat due to the comedy of doing so. But, enough of this subject.
And in repliance to everyone's opinion on my taste. Well, I've always got these responces. Its really nothing new to me. I don't know if I can go back and watch all these films again or any others a lot of people disagreed with me on because it is a never ending thing. I at least try to back my opinion up, thats all. I don't know generally dislike anything. I do feel I should say why I dislike Road to Perdition again because last time I did was on the last board so it shows I just didn't like it. I don't know, maybe someone make a thread asking if it was underrated from last year or what. I'd respond to it and give a formal review of sorts. But other than that, I think my views on this board are represented in a good enough way to merit a disagreeance only instead of saying I completely missed something or what I said wasn't qualified to even be spoken as a review.
~rougerum
Quote from: mogwaiI've probably seen Back to the Future more than 50 times.
Amen brotha.
Wonder Boys- about 25 times
Bringing out the dead- about 25 times
Natural Born Killers- about 20 times
Vanilla Sky- about 15 times
Evil Dead II- about 15 times
Goodfellas- about 10 times
Talk Radio- about 10 times
About A Boy- about 10 times
Die Hard- about 10 times
:?
COULD be a tie between Reqiem for a Dream & Mulholland Drive
The easy pick for this one is Goonies. It is difficult to even realize how integrated the dialogue of that movie has become into my everyday dialogue, and I haven't seen the full film in nearly three or four years and cringe when someone breaks out one of the more popular lines ("HEY YOU GUYS!", "Do the Truffle Shuffle")...
I'd also pick Jaws if asked, though its another movie I make no efforts to see anymore (after seeing it to goddamned much). Its interesting to see how the movies I've picked seem to be ones my childhood had some relative parallels with, Jaws having a more direct correlation...
aw
The Movie I've Seen the Most
Films that Spike Lee, Peter Farrelly, and Paul Schrader watch obsessively.
Source: Slate
What movie have you seen the most? That's the question Slate asked a collection of filmmakers and critics, knowing that what's addictive is different than what's deemed the best. The answers vary from Ghostbusters to Dr. Zhivago, from Citizen Kane to Election.
Spike Lee, director, Inside Man
West Side Story.
Adam McKay, director, Anchorman
My movie would be Election: I think I've seen this movie 40 times. It's a perfect movie. Seamless, hilarious, social, political, and yet local and specific. It's intimidating it's so good. I think because it's funny and about a high school, people tend to treat it lightly, but I think it's a heavy hitter masterpiece.
Paul Schrader, writer, Taxi Driver
Pickpocket. It was the first film that made me feel there might be a place for me in the world of filmmaking. I return to it when I have doubts about whether I should continue. The Conformist. A textbook of film style. It never fails to provide fresh visual inspiration. Same is true of Performance.
Liev Schreiber, director, Everything Is Illuminated
Citizen Kane. I've seen it two or three times because of my mother—I watched it as a kid. Then I probably watched it five or six times while I was getting ready to do a story about Orson Welles for HBO called RKO-281. So, I've probably watched it somewhere between eight or nine times total. As I watched, I started looking at the film for different things. I was looking for the performances, looking for [cinematographer] Gregg Toland's work, looking with regard to [screenwriter] Herman Mankiewicz's work. Other times I was listening to the score. There's a lot in it.
Laura Ziskin, producer, Spider-Man
I am not much for re-watching movies I have already seen. But whenever All the President's Men is on TV, if I happen past it, I always stop and end up watching the whole thing and marveling at what a great movie it is. When the movie came out, I, like everyone else, knew the story and the outcome. Nonetheless, it played with such suspense and tension. I have probably seen it at least 10 times, and I am always on the edge of my seat.
Peter Farrelly, director, There's Something About Mary
I've seen Something Wild about 10 times. It's not my all-time favorite movie, but it's right up there. Something about the story and the people and the look of it comforts me. It's a place I know, and it's real, and it hasn't been captured in many movies. I love the music. It's the movie that inspired us to use Jeff Daniels in Dumb & Dumber. He's hysterical here, and Ray Liotta couldn't be cooler and more ominous—he just popped—and I think it's the most interesting thing Melanie Griffith has done, as well. It was written by E. Max Frye and directed by Jonathan Demme, and Demme's just hipper than shit. It's the road stuff that I love the most, but Demme and Tak Fujimoto (the director of photography) managed to make even New York City seem bright and welcoming.
I've talked to people who said Something Wild felt like two movies, which they considered a flaw, but that's what I loved about it. You're going along on this dreamy little trip, and suddenly there's a sharp tonal shift as reality kicks in and for the last 30 minutes, you're sucked into something that you never saw coming. Quick story: About 15 years ago I drove straight through from L.A. to Albuquerque to attend a friend's wedding. It's about a 16-hour drive, but I floored it and, despite getting a bunch of tickets, made it in 13 hours, which gave me about 20 minutes to get ready for the ceremony. I took a quick shower, and as I was getting dressed, I flipped on the tube, and Something Wild was on. Anyway, I never made it to the church, and I was about 20 minutes late to the reception.
Judd Apatow, director, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The movie I have seen the most is Bottle Rocket. I can't see it enough. It is odd and sweet and original and contains some of my favorite performances of all time. Especially Kumar's.
Phillip Lopate, editor, American Movie Critics: From the Silents Until Now
One of my favorite filmmakers is the Japanese director Mikio Naruse. I have watched his Flowing, for instance, four or five times, as I have his Late Chrysanthemums. I like the quiet, subtle, and engrossing quality of his small, intimate world, where I can never quite predict what is going to happen in a scene. I find that those movies I can watch again and again are not the most tragic or histrionic or even happily energetic, but the ones that fall into a middle emotional range: not La Strada but I Vitelloni, not Singin' in the Rain but Meet Me in St. Louis.
Albert Maysles, cinematographer, Gimme Shelter
Rocco and His Brothers. I've seen it three times and it still brings tears. Italian neo-realism at its best. I have a passion for trains and for what happens when people get off trains (the subject of my next film).
Tony Hendra, actor, This Is Spinal Tap
Dr. Strangelove. It's also one of the greatest satires of all time and pure satire, at that—never once dropping its mask of concerned sympathy for the military mind, however stark, raving mad it may be. Sterling Hayden's Jack D. Ripper—fall-down funny with his "precious bodily fluids"; George C. Scott's randy blowhard patriot Buck Turgidson, a hilarious preview of his "Patton" a couple of years later; Peter Sellers immortalized by the megalomaniacal Strangelove, but just as funny as the meek and waffly RAF officer Captain Mandrake upon whose ineffectual bravado the entire future of the human race depends. It may be set in the Cold War, but Dr. Strangelove reminds us, 40 years on, that for the military mind there's always a War Against Something that must be won at any cost.
Michael Sragow, critic, the Baltimore Sun
It was my luck to see the greatest movie ever made, The Wild Bunch, shortly after it opened in the summer of 1969. I saw it six times the first week and may have seen it 50 times since. No other film has such an inside-outside reach. Sam Peckinpah took an oft-told, basic story about outlaws on their last run, turned it into a Homeric epic, and, just along the way, through total commitment and overwhelming talent, managed to express all the divisions of his heart and soul.
The movie's size of spirit and vision as well as its physical scope made it a transcendent experience for a then-suburban kid like me.
Jake Kasdan, director, Orange County
Almost definitely, the movie I've seen the most is Ghostbusters. Don't know how many times—triple digits, counting partial viewings. I know that when it came out, I saw it at least six times in the theater. I remember lying in bed, at age 10, cataloging my favorite jokes from the movie, in order of greatness (the order would change slightly with multiple viewings—what had seemed to be the fourth-best joke in the movie after the third viewing, might, in fact, turn out to be the second-best joke, after the fifth viewing. You never could tell ... ). And now, as a director, I'm trying to work with the entire cast. Harold Ramis is in my last movie, Orange County. Sigourney Weaver is in my new movie, The TV Set. Next ... ? I don't know. Ernie Hudson, maybe.
Along totally different lines—and it's a little bit uncomfortable to admit this—for some reason, Footloose is just endlessly watchable for me, forever. Bacon's soooo cool (even with that skinny tie). Lori Singer's soooo hot. The dancing is insane but ... explosive! I can't explain it. It's a movie about the inalienable human right ... to dance! As if that right were actually under attack in the mid-'80s. And yet it's a message that carries incredible resonance, even today. Sort of ... late at night ... on cable ...
Jonathan Rosenbaum, critic, Chicago Reader
I'm very fortunate in being able to cite Jacques Tati's Playtime as both the film I've seen the greatest number of times and my favorite movie. I first saw it 38 years ago and suspect I've seen it somewhere between 30 and 40 times. I like to see it again and again because I find it inexhaustible, the way a favorite piece of music is, and something that never looks exactly the same when I see it again because I watch it differently; each time, my gaze dances in a somewhat different way to Tati's choreography.
Steven Kloves, writer, Harry Potter movies
I almost never see movies more than once. There is one, however, that I have sought out occasionally over the years and that I always pause over when I find it on television. Summer of '42. It was the first movie I saw as a kid that represented kids in a way I recognized. And there is that beautiful Francis Lai theme that plays throughout. And the final voice-over that stings every time I hear it.
Kathleen Kennedy, producer, Munich
I watched Doctor Zhivago more than 20 times. I actually went to the theater; there wasn't DVD or tape at that time. Since then, I haven't had the time or inclination to see a film that many times—only those I've seen parts of over and over with the kids.
Stacy Peralta, director, Dogtown and Z-Boys
Sexy Beast is the film I've seen the most. Maybe 50 times, maybe more. Rarely a month goes by without a viewing. Why? Because the script has dozens of classical lines, and the film is constructed in the most inventive way. The director's understanding of camera lenses and his inventive work in the editing room are unparalleled in my opinion. But the biggest reason I've watched it so many times is because I long for the lifestyle of the characters in the film; a house in sunny Spain, lying poolside daily, permanent suntan, dinner with friends in great restaurants every night ... without their gangster past, of course.
Paul Hirsch, editor, Star Wars
This question means something different to a film editor than to people in other professions. In the course of our work, we are required to watch a picture hundreds of times over, often to the point of near-insanity. The consequence for me is that I rarely watch any picture (other than the ones I work on) more than once. I remember being asked to host a screening of Steel Magnolias for Jack Valenti and a number of visiting D.C. lawmakers. I sat down with them in the screening room, and after a few minutes, I realized that I was just unable to watch the picture even once more. I got up and walked out.
When I was a child, living in Paris, I remember seeing An American in Paris more times than is probably healthy, probably because it is a love story between an American painter (like my father was) and a dancer (like my mother). In more recent memory, I guess I would have to say 2001, which struck me as a departure from all the films made before it.
Neil LaBute, writer and director, The Shape of Things
Outside of perennial holiday fare like The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, or Salo, I think I've watched Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon more times than any other movie I can remember. (Warren Beatty's Reds would give it a run for its money—I saw that 14 times in the theater!) For me, Barry Lyndon is the most distinctive and beautiful re-creation of period on film, bar none, and its leisurely pace and novelistic approaches to style—watch the way Kubrick slowly reverse zooms on the opening shot of many scenes, unveiling each new "chapter"—are pure cinematic pleasure. Plus, Ryan O'Neal kicks acting ass in this picture, swaggering through the proceedings with a brutish beauty, until he finally breaks your heart. Chilly and distancing? Sure. Long and filled with voluminous narration? Absolutely. It's also grandly handsome and furiously savage, and lit by John Alcott with lightning from the gods. It is not to be missed.
Dana Stevens, movie critic, Slate
Leaving out the movies everyone's seen countless times (The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, It's a Wonderful Life), my candidate would have to be Nagisa Oshima's erotic drama In the Realm of the Senses, which I've watched, in theaters and on home video, probably 10 times over a period of 15 years. In my early 20s I had an unfortunate habit of dragging prospective suitors to this movie, as some kind of litmus test of their cinematic stamina. Given that the film culminates (SPOILER ALERT) in a famously graphic scene of castration, it's no wonder so few of those guys called me back.
When it was first released in 1976, Oshima's movie provoked an international scandal and a pseudo-debate: art or pornography? Of course, the bright line between the two is not so easy to draw, and 30 years later this is still one of the few films I can think of that's truly about sex. The story, based on real events, tells of a brothel owner and his prostitute mistress in prewar Japan who, in essence, screw themselves to death. In this movie, the carnal act is neither a narrative flourish nor a prurient reward; it's the substance of the story, the only means we have to measure the lovers' increasing ardor, perversity, and utter disregard for everyone but each other. I was not only floored by the film's formal perfection and beauty, but fascinated (and, let's face it, turned on) by the way it captures the centripetal logic of obsession, spiraling toward an ending that's both squalid and deeply romantic. My apologies to all the guys I freaked out (I can think of at least one who's probably still cowering in the men's room of a movie theater in Paris), but I don't think I could love anyone who didn't love this movie.
I would say I've watched Safe, Magnolia, or Mulholland Dr.--as well as Persona and Vivre sa Vie-- the greatest number of times as an adult...
...but when I was about 12 or so, a very kind distant relation of my mother's had cable and generously agreed to tape movies for me, and I would comb the TV listings to see what movies I wanted to see. In addition to relatively forgettable stuff like Outrageous Fortune, I ended up watching The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hope and Glory, and Raising Arizona literally dozens of times each over one summer.
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 29, 2006, 11:56:43 AM
Albert Maysles, cinematographer, Gimme Shelter
Rocco and His Brothers. I've seen it three times and it still brings tears.
THREE times?!??!? Holy shit... I've seen movies that I've positively
hated more than three times.
yeah talk about ridiculous responses..
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 29, 2006, 11:56:43 AM
Spike Lee, director, Inside Man
West Side Story.
i guess that's self explanatory. :yabbse-huh:
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 29, 2006, 11:56:43 AM
Liev Schreiber, director, Everything Is Illuminated
Citizen Kane. ... As I watched, I started looking at the film for different things. I was looking for the performances, looking for [cinematographer] Gregg Toland's work, looking with regard to [screenwriter] Herman Mankiewicz's work. Other times I was listening to the score. There's a lot in it.
hahaha, yeah it had sets too! and costumes, and make up, and angles, and shadows, and cuts, and credits, oh man did it have credits! poor naomi.
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 29, 2006, 11:56:43 AM
Stacy Peralta, director, Dogtown and Z-Boys
Sexy Beast is the film I've seen the most. Maybe 50 times, maybe more. Rarely a month goes by without a viewing. Why? Because the script has dozens of classical lines, and the film is constructed in the most inventive way. The director's understanding of camera lenses and his inventive work in the editing room are unparalleled in my opinion. But the biggest reason I've watched it so many times is because I long for the lifestyle of the characters in the film; a house in sunny Spain, lying poolside daily, permanent suntan, dinner with friends in great restaurants every night ... without their gangster past, of course.
i didn't know a person could invalidate themselves so many times in such a short space, after such a promising start. she's seen it 50 times but all she can say is the "lenses" and the editing? oh but really she just likes it cos it's a nice holiday brochure..
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 29, 2006, 11:56:43 AM
Dana Stevens, movie critic, Slate
In the Realm of the Senses, ... I don't think I could love anyone who didn't love this movie.
you filthy old soomkette!
Stacy Peralta's a dude.
Quote from: polkablues on June 29, 2006, 11:45:52 PM
Stacy Peralta's a dude.
haha i should've checked. i even checked for dana stevens. well, it just adds to his/her invalidation.
The ones who really invalidate themselves are like Steve Kloves, with the "Oh, I rarely watch movies more than once" attitude. I hear them saying that in my head in the same tone of voice as someone who's telling you he doesn't even own a TV, haha...
Unless you have perfect photographic memory, the only excuse for not rewatching movies is that you hate them. Or you're a douchebag. Steve Kloves, I have concluded, is a douchebag. Steve, your entire job consists of reading Harry Potter books, figuring out which chapters can be removed, and retyping the whole thing into Final Draft. SHUT THE FUCK UP. Thank you.
When I was a kid, I watched Clue over and over one weekend. Man, I guess old people are dumb, because I've watched The Warriors three times in the past two weeks. I guess it's because I have a dvd player and they didn't/don't.
True Romance - the most rewatched film for me
others;
Taxi Driver
Punch Drunk Love
Bottle Rocket
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Lost in Translation
Man on Fire
Pulp Fiction
Pi