Saturday, March 30, 2013

Weekend Weigh-in: What Movie Have You Seen More Times Than Any Other?

We've all got one.

It's not always our favorite movie. Hell, sometimes it isn't even something we like. But for some reason -- because it's a decent time waster, because we want to understand it, because it's ALWAYS ON, there's one movie that we've seen more times than we care to admit. What's yours?


42 comments:

  1. I feel like I've seen Forrest Gump and Fast Times at Ridgemont High a million times, they are always on TV.

    In high school I swear every weekend my sister's friends would watch Dazed and Confused and/or Pirates of the Caribbean when they would come over.

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  2. Which one I've seen more in my lifetime - The Wizard of Oz, It's A Wonderful Life, the original Star Wars trilogy, The Godfather movies, Head, Phantom of the Paradise, Fritz Lang's Metropolis? God knows.

    But a movie that I've "seen more times than (I) care to admit" - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Any time I came across it on AMC....

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    1. I really like Halloween 4! It's my favorite of all the sequels.

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    2. And I really like it, too. Always loved how Michael started out with a William Shatner mask and in this movie he looks like Commander Data.

      I'm just saying that at one point AMC was showing that and Halloween 5 (it seemed like) a hundred times a month...and if I knew about it I was probably watching it instead of something better that I owned. And I'd find myself thinking, "Why am I watching this AGAIN?" :-)

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    3. I'm stealing that line about Data. Now that you said that I'll never un-see it!

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    4. Or maybe it's his brother, Lore.... ;-)

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  3. I'd probably have to say the original Star Wars, given the "binge" viewing I engaged in when it was first in theaters, when it was re-released, when it first came out on VHS, when it first came out on Laserdisc (etc, etc, etc..).

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    1. What? You didn't go for RCA "Needlevision", too? lol

      I almost did when they were offering a free copy of Star Wars with purchase. Luckily the store had the movie playing and any time there was a blaster fired the disc skipped...

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    2. Believe me, if I had the money in 1981 I would have the full VideoDisc library. The cover artwork for the Dr. No disc is actually quite cool.

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    3. I think you can still get the player and the full library on eBay for the cost of a Blu-Ray disc...

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  5. I know this will make some people happy. The movies I've probably seen the most times are Back to the Future and The Wizard of Oz. I'm not sure which would win out, so I wont choose, but I could quote almost all of both movies, and have seen them each countless times, whether it be on TV or viewing them from my own collection. I'm okay with this because even if neither is my absolute favorite movie of all time, they're definitely both in the top 5 or 10.

    Other possible contenders because I've never really counted:
    Wayne's World
    To Kill a Mockingbird
    Psycho
    Dead Poets Society
    Elf

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    1. Oh, wait, Singin' in the Rain. I imagine Singin' in the Rain has to be on this list somewhere, too.

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  6. Fletch, Ghostbusters, Deathtrap, and Real Genius are probably the ones I go back to the most, though Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master deserves (dis)honorable mention. It's a movie I genuinely like despite the fact that my brain is fully operational, and I find myself putting it on while I'm doing other things fairly often.

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    1. Don't feel alone, JP. Even though I can appreciate the first "NOES" and "New Nightmare" as the better films in the franchise "NOES 4: The Dream Master" is my favorite and most rewatched flick in the franchise. So yep, we're special. :-)

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  7. My older brother and I shared a room growing up and he had a habit of watching the same movie, every night, for months on end, sometimes even higher. Some of them include: Blue Streak, TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze, The Replacements, and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.

    I cant still quote them word for word haha

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  8. I got a few like, the original Star Wars trilogy (not very original), Back to the Future and Inglourious Basterds, which was sort of my introduction to the world of film.

    I watched it twice online (illegally of course), got it on blu-ray and have seen it about 10 more times. Sure, 12 times isnt a ton for a film i claim to have seen "more than others" but...well, i'm sure the contributors to FThisMovie! have seen it. It's very "talky" (and i love every second of it). So i think to put that movie on continuously is "admirable" (well, not really but i've seen it a lot so GET OFF MY BACK!).

    Also, another movie i've seen a lot lately...Mall Rats. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith and enjoy (Jersey Girl, Zack and Miri - You can block me or whatever for liking those movies, i dont like that i enjoy them) / love (Clerks[2], Chasing Amy, Dogma) most of his movies (excluding Cop Out, even i know that's bad and i like Jersey Girl).

    I've seen Mall Rats before and really enjoyed it. Whatever London brother plays T.S is really bad and flat but i think Jason Lee is pretty great and sort of saves the movie from being a complete failure. But Mall Rats has been on Showtime for, what feels like, forever. So, adding up all my accumulated viewings, i've seen it about 4-6 times. Not a ton, by any means, but more than a genuinely great film like, Like Mike (I kid).

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    1. I think you'll find that a pretty common philosophy around here is that it's ok to like what you like. We play #movieshame or talk about the worst movies in our collections and such, but nobody is about to block anyone for liking something they don't.

      (Well, maybe Cop Out, because UGH)

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  9. Definitely Billy Madison, it's just so easy to watch and so quotable. Perhaps Happy Gilmore as well.

    I also feel like I've watched Jurassic Park at least 100 times. The VHS was on a constant loop in my house when I was a kid. And I've probably seen it just as many times as an adult.

    I'm also ashamed to say Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. I completely acknowledge that it's way worse than the first one but for some reason I find Jim Carrey in When Nature Calls to be far more batshit crazy and entertaining.

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  10. I would keep going back by watching Titanic and Showgirls the most. I own the former on DVD ever since I came across the film since I was young most particularly for the ship going to drown.

    The latter on the other hand, since I know it was bad, yet I can't help but watch it, most particularly for the acting of Elizabeth Berkley, her scenes with Gina Gershon, and the pool sex scene between her and Kyle MacLachlan. It's even among my guilty pleasures.

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  11. Difficult to say whether it is the original Star Wars or Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. We recorded both of them off of the television around 1985 and watched them in half hour segments between school and supper every day for years.

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  12. Replies
    1. JB, have you had a chance to check out Bates Motel, the new show on A&E that serves as a prequel of sorts to Psycho? I know this isnt F This TV show, but if you have seen it, I was curious as to your thoughts. Personally, I'm liking it more than I ever thought I would. It's only three episodes in, but I think it's well done so far.

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    2. Because of my love for the Hitchcock original, I have been a little scared of Bates Motel. Your recommendation makes we want to give it a try-- A & E are certainly showing it enough!

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    3. I apologize in advance if you dislike it, but at the very least, I think it's worth giving a try. It's tough to make a complete judgement after only three episodes (I usually try to give shows I'm interested in at least one full season), but as of right now, I'm intrigued to see where it goes and it seems like it will be sufficiently creepy. Furthermore, I think I like the kid who plays Norman as a teenage Anthony Perkins/Norman Bates facsimile.

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  13. That Thing You Do! Though I'm pretty sure if you exclude all Star Wars/Star Trek/LOTR movies from my most-watched list, the top 10 would be mostly Tom Hanks movies, and Twister.

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    1. I think That Thing You Do! would be on my list, too. I will never tire of that movie.

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    2. Marc in the over a year that I've known you I never knew you were so hardcore for Twister.

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    3. You never asked, Adam. You never asked.

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  14. Goodfellas, Revenge of the Nerds, original Star Wars trilogy, Halloween (1978), Jaws, Desperado, Pulp Fiction, and The Godfather.

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  15. The films I liked growing up, I rewatched A LOT. I do know I've seen "Blue Velvet" over 200 times.

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  17. I dont tend to do a lot of repeat viewing these days. When I was younger I watched the hell out of A Few Good Men. Ask me now, I couldnt tell you why. I just used to love it, the only "adult" film in my collection back then. It was in my pre-Tarrantino/90s indi explosion/exposure era.

    The Dark Knight is probably pretty close now a days though.

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  18. It seems like we all fall into very similar areas with the movies we've all seen a whole bunch. I am not going to be all that original listing mine that include Back to the Future Part II, Jaws, Shawshank Redemption, The Sandlot, Willy Wonka, A Christmas Story, T2 Judgment Day, Aliens, Naked Gun Trilogy, All things Pixar (except CARS of course).

    Without question though the movie I have watched more than any other is Empire Strikes Back. For a very long period in my youth up til about high school every weekend would involve a viewing of my spiffy brand new VHS copy of the original trilogy, with extra emphasis on Empire. There was a period back then where I could probably tell you the in depth issues that Lando was having with his labor difficulties on Bespin.

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  19. I'm slightly embarassed to say the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, all of the Harry Potter movies and all of the Raimi Spider-man movies... perhaps my age is showing.

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  20. Jurassic Park and Hocus Pocus (I think I've seen it at least once a year since the first time I saw it in 1997)

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  21. Wow, tough to narrow it down to one but I think I can name my short-list without embarrassment:

    Jaws Rented it SO many times and then it was my first "pirated" movie with the old 2-VCR dub trick, after which point I probably watched it weekly for a couple years.

    Back to the Future Taped from TV with commercials and missing the first 15 minutes, but that didn't stop me from watching it 50 times!

    Jurassic Park I PRE-ORDERED this movie from my video store because you got a free poster - I'm guessing that's a fairly early moment in the history of movie pre-ordering incentives?

    Most-watched movie in my adult life so far is probably Inception at about 4 times - don't quite obsess over movies as much as I used to!

    I really have to watch That Thing You Do! For some reason I always thought it looked silly but it's almost like I shouldn't have judged it by its cover or something.

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  22. In no particular order, and many of these because they come (in home video releases) with a cool commentary track that makes repeat viewings an appealing proposition.

    -Independence Day: between the summer it came out and subsequent viewings I must have seen this at least 50 times. No, I'm not proud.
    -Kentucky Fried Movie
    -Late Spring:
    my favorite Ozu.
    -Reservoir Dogs
    -Airplane!
    -The 400 Blows
    -The Thing (1982)
    -2001: A Space Odyssey
    -The Usual Suspects
    -The Fly (1986)
    -Raiders of the Lost Ark
    -Casablanca
    -Goldfinger
    -The Exorcist
    -Superman: The Movie
    -Dolls ('86)
    -Full Metal Jacket
    -Rushmore
    -Gremlins
    -The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
    -Re-Animator/Bride of Re-Animator
    -Apocalypse Now:
    theatrical mostly.
    -Dawn of the Dead ('78)
    -The Return of the Pink Panther/The Pink Panther Strikes Again
    -The Outlaw Josey Wales
    -Metropolis
    -The Living Daylights
    -The Towering Inferno
    -Sleepaway Camp
    -The Terminator/Terminator 2
    -Dr. Strangelove
    -Clerks


    My new-to-me movies from last week:

    3/26/13: Sean Penn tries every trick in the book to make us care about Emile Hisch as he takes us INTO THE WILD (2007) on HD-DVD.

    3/27/13:
    If only his 'wall of sound' had kept away the harpies. David Mamet's PHIL SPECTOR (2013) on HBO-HD.

    3/28/13: Mike Nichols
    proves that "The Graduate" was no fluke (and catchy pop-tune soundtracks are optional) with his adaptation of CATCH-22 (1970) on Amazon Prime-HD.

    3/29/13:
    Wait, where's Godzilla? I was told Godzilla... oh, whatever! Walt Disney's BAMBI (1942) on DVD.

    http://www.dvdverdict.com/juryroom/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6070&p=74730#p74730


    COMING IN APRIL: TRILOGIES MONTH! 10 unseen-by-yours-truly franchises, 30-new-to-me movies, a new installment every day of the month. The fun begins Wed. April 3 with my reviews of the new-to-me "Back to The Future" trilogy.

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  23. The Fugitive - which makes no sense considering I like other movies better. It's always on TV!

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  24. Predator & Team America World Police

    I must have seen Predator at least 20 times on DVD or whenever it pops on one of the movie channels. The perfect 80's action movie where I can remember every kill & one-liner.

    When I first saw Team America at the theater, there were three scenes that almost gave me a heart attack because I was laughing so much. (The puppets having sex, the puking scene,& Gary's speech that saved the world.) I must pop in the DVD at least once every other month. Due to my biases, I also like rewatching it so much because it bashes the hell out of those elite snobby Hollywood actors.

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  25. I have seen the Star Wars Trilogy more times than I care to even try to recount. If every little change of the BluRay hadn't been pointed out to me, I would have noticed. I noticed every change in every version of Star Wars from the Special Edition to each change made for each version of the DVD. I even notice the little changes in sound and color timing. And yet, I can still watch the DVDs and blu rays, I just notice every change.

    As I said last week, I have seen Young Einstein more times than is healthy for anyone.

    I've seen Seven Samurai so many times I can't be in the room with someone who has only just seen it because I fear steamrolling their enthusiastic talk with my own thoughts on the movie.

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  26. I'm surprised I didn't see Ferris Bueller's Day Off anywhere in here.

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