What are your most-watched movies?

[Greybird]

I saw this topic in another forum and was very glad to have an excuse to compile this, as I've never done it before — unlike my Fifty Favorite Movies list, which I've kept up for over 30 years.

Yes, coming back to the well of such entertainment again and again can be quite satisfying. And I could re-watch any of these right now:

Movies, at least 10 times for each — All About Eve, All Night Long, An American in Paris, Arsenic and Old Lace, Back to the Future (1985), The Blues Brothers, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bringing Up Baby, Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke, Contact, Continental Divide, Demolition Man, Destry Rides Again, Diamonds Are Forever, Die Hard, Dr. No, Dr. Strangelove, Duck Soup, Evil Under the Sun, Fiddler on the Roof, Funny Face, Funny Girl, Galaxy Quest, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Goodbye Girl, The Graduate, The Grapes of Wrath, Grosse Pointe Blank, Groundhog Day, Hail the Conquering Hero, Hannah and Her Sisters, High Road to China, In the Heat of the Night, L.A. Story, The Late Show, Little Miss Sunshine, Macaroni, Mamma Mia!, Meet John Doe, Mr. Holland's Opus, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Moonstruck, My Best Friend's Wedding, My Fair Lady, A Night at the Opera, 1941, Ninotchka, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Owl and the Pussycat, Paint Your Wagon, The Prince of Tides, The Producers (1968), Radio Days, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Random Harvest, Real Genius, The Right Stuff, The Rocketeer, A Room with a View, Runaway Bride, Ruthless People, Shakespeare in Love, Silver Streak, Sleeper, Sleepless in Seattle, Smokey and the Bandit, The Sting, Sunset Boulevard, S.O.B., Sullivan's Travels, The Thin Man, Threesome, 'Til There Was You, To Be or Not to Be, To Have and Have Not, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Truman Show, 2001: A Space Odyssey, V for Vendetta, Victor/Victoria, WarGames, The Way We Were, While You Were Sleeping

Movies, at least 20 times for each — The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The African Queen, The Americanization of Emily, Ben-Hur (1959), Bull Durham, Cabaret, Citizen Kane, A Fish Called Wanda, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gone with the Wind, The Holiday (2006), Inherit the Wind, It Happened One Night, The Lemon Drop Kid, Little Women (1994), The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Man Who Came to Dinner, Miracle on 34th Street, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Notting Hill, Singin' in the Rain, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Star Wars (IV): A New Hope, Star Wars (V): The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars (VI): Return of the Jedi, Time After Time, Unfaithfully Yours (1948), The Wizard of Oz

Movies, at least 30 times for each — The Apartment, The Fountainhead, Holiday (1938), It's a Wonderful Life, Manhattan, Moulin Rouge!, National Lampoon's Animal House, North by Northwest, The Philadelphia Story, Some Like It Hot, Stardust, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), A Thousand Clowns

Movies, at least 40 times for each — Casablanca, Yentl

TV series, at least 10 times for every episode — Daria, My So-Called Life, Star Trek (The Original Series)

... This obsessive hopes his list sparks some possibilities for pleasurable re-viewing. Or re-[x40]-viewing!

Please note your list — ten titles are certainly enough! — and your suggestions.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Greybird

[dan2100]

I haven't counted how many times I've watched films I will watch over and over, but here's a list of films I've seen more than once -- probably a lot more than once:

Accident

Alien

Aliens

Andrei Rublev

The Birds

Blowup

Chinatown

Citizen Kane

Come and See

Dawn of the Dead (both versions)

Day of Wrath

Dollars Trilogy

The Exorcist

Fahrenheit 451

Forbidden Games

The Grand Illusion

Grizzly Man

Hara-Kiri

Hiroshima Mon Amor

Hour of the Wolf (The Bergman one)

Images

Ivan's Childhood

Key Largo

The Killers

Koyaanisqatsi

L'Avventura

L'Eclisse

Lone Star

Macbeth (Roman Polanski version)

Midnight Cowboy

My Best Fiend

The Mirror

Night of the Hunter

Night of the Living Dead

Nosferatu (The silent version)

Once Upon a Time in the West

Paper Moon

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Persona

Ran

Rivers and Tides

Rosemary's Baby

Sansho the Bailiff

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

The Servant

The Seventh Seal

The Shining

The Silence

Solaris (Tarkovsky version)

The Star Wars Trilogy

Sword of Doom

Sunset Blvd.

Targets

The Thing (John Carpenter version)

The Third Man

Three Women

Through a Glass Darkly

Touch of Evil

The Treasures of the Sierra Madre

The Trial

28 Days Later

2001: A Space Odyssey

Village of the Damned (Wolf Rilla version)

The Virgin Spring

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

The Wicker Man

Winter Light

Zardoz

A handful of these were "osmosis viewing" -- that is, my former roommates would be watching them and, of course, used mind control techniques to force me to watch them. At least, that's the excuse I'll use until I can think of a better one.

[sbeaulieu]

I'll keep this list short. But in Dan's list, I remember watching The Thing (Kurt Russel) and being scared shitless (I saw that when I was 8...babysitter took me to see it not knowing how graphic it would be!)

1. Conan the Barbarian - great story with an even greater score! Sequel sucked.

2. Star Wars (all of them)

3. Star Trek

4. Equilibrium

5. Batman (Christian Bale)

6. Braveheart

7. Gladiator

8. Saving Private Ryan

9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

10. Matrix Trilogy

I could add dozens more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. You should see how many movies I've rated on NetFlix! Haha!

~ Shane

[anonrobt]

Secondhand Lions

Ratatoulle

Don Juan deMarco

Cast Away

The Name of the Rose

Creator

The Family Man

and yes -

Once Upon a Time in the West

Sleepless In Seattle

Some Like It Hot

Inherit the Wind

and

Groundhog Day

[jriggenbach]

Blade Runner

Brazil

Dr. Zhivago (David Lean)

Twelve Monkeys

The Godfather

Citizen Kane

The Night of the Hunter

The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann)

The Magnificent Ambersons

Falling Down (1993)

A Thousand Clowns

Reds

The Terminator

Last Year at Marienbad

Edited May 27, 2010 by Jeff Riggenbach

[Brant Gaede]

My favorite films are to precious to share with the world. My profile mentions a few but you'll get no more from me. The first three Star Wars, for instance--or The Unforgiven. I see someone listed The Wild Bunch, but no Day of the Jackal (1973). Some others I'll never mention here or anywhere else are The Graduate, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Fountainhead, Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace, Ziegfried, Things to Come, King Kong, The Black Cat (I now own one too), Apollo 13 and I could go on but I told you I wouldn't. Eat you hearts out.

--bitter Brant

in a bad mood

edit: I forgot not to mention anything with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and a couple of Garbos.

Edited May 27, 2010 by Brant Gaede

[tjohnson]

Haven't watched many movies more than a couple times, here are some of my favorites;

Ordinary People

Terminator 1 and 2

Blade Runner

Monsters Inc.

Toy Story 1 and 2

Austin Powers 1,2 and 3

Blazing Saddles

Every episode of Seinfeld at least twice, some many more.

[9thdoctor]

I think it would be interesting to look into films recommended by Objectivists that you don’t like, and the inverse, films panned by Objectivists that you do like, with reasons why. I used a clip from Midnight Cowboy recently, and GHS pointed out that it was condemned in The Objectivist, I don’t recall the article but I’m sure his memory is sound. I know 2001: A Space Odyssey was also criticized harshly. More recently, I remember Pulp Fiction getting slammed, I think by Binswanger. Peikoff damned Titanic and highly praised Chocolat, I like them but don’t get too excited about either. Kelley wrote a piece praising The Incredibles, and Hudgins is quite the Star Wars buff.

These big lists raise questions of omission, for example Dan lists Koyaanisqatsi but not Baraka, which I feel is superior (BTW, a sequel is in the works called Samsara). Zardoz but not Excalibur. My Best Fiend but none of the actual Kinski/Herzog films (now that is strange).

I’m just going to list 10 favourite British TV series, I don’t want to put so much mileage on the fingers:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Blackadder

Dr. Who (esp.2005 season, duh!)

Fawlty Towers

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I, Claudius

Jeeves and Wooster

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett)

The Office (Ricky Gervais)

Yes, Minister

D’Oh! Oh well, call it a baker’s ten.

[Backlighting]

A Bronx Tale

Aliens

Apocalypse Now

Cool Hand Luke

Deliverance

Die Hard 1-2

Godfather 1-2

Goodfellows

Midway

Patton

Scarface

Star Trek

T-1

T-2

Tombstone

Tora Tora Tora

The Dirty Dozen

The Hustler

Titanic

Edited May 27, 2010 by Las Vegas

[sbeaulieu]

I think it would be interesting to look into films recommended by Objectivists that you don’t like, and the inverse, films panned by Objectivists that you do like, with reasons why. I used a clip from Midnight Cowboy recently, and GHS pointed out that it was condemned in The Objectivist, I don’t recall the article but I’m sure his memory is sound. I know 2001: A Space Odyssey was also criticized harshly. More recently, I remember Pulp Fiction getting slammed, I think by Binswanger. Peikoff damned Titanic and highly praised Chocolat, I like them but don’t get too excited about either. Kelley wrote a piece praising The Incredibles, and Hudgins is quite the Star Wars buff.

These big lists raise questions of omission, for example Dan lists Koyaanisqatsi but not Baraka, which I feel is superior (BTW, a sequel is in the works called Samsara). Zardoz but not Excalibur. My Best Fiend but none of the actual Kinski/Herzog films (now that is strange).

I’m just going to list 10 favourite British TV series, I don’t want to put so much mileage on the fingers:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Blackadder

Dr. Who (esp.2005 season, duh!)

Fawlty Towers

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I, Claudius

Jeeves and Wooster

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett)

The Office (Ricky Gervais)

Yes, Minister

D’Oh! Oh well, call it a baker’s ten.

Ok, Monty Python absolutely rules! When I grew up in Spain, my first intro to British comedy was Benny Hill. I miss that man like crazy! That shit-eating grin of his always put me in a great mood...it was infectious!

~ Shane

[Judith]

Off the top of my head (I'm sure I'm missing quite a few here):

Spartacus

Ben-Hur (1959)

Balto

Contact

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Apollo 13

The Heart of Me

Ladyhawke

JFK

Das Boot

Original Star Wars trilogy

Braveheart

Star Trek I and II

Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated)

Now, Voyager

Rocky I, II, IV

Batman Begins (2005)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns (1992)

Ordinary People

Judith

Edited May 27, 2010 by Judith

[Xray]

The Black Cat (I now own one too)

How does your labrador Saga get along with the cat?

---------------------------

My list of most-watched movies:

All about Eve (Mankiewicz)

American Graffiti (Lucas)

Annie Hall (Allen)

Arsenic and Old Lace (Capra)

Blow Up (Antonioni)

Citizen Kane (Welles )

Day for Night (Truffaut)

Dial M for Murder (Hitchcock)

Dinner at Eight (Cukor)

Dr. Zhivago (Lean)

Gone With the Wind (Fleming)

Hannah and her Sisters (Allen)

Love and Death (Allen)

Manhattan (Allen)

North by Northwest (Hitchcock)

Play it Again, Sam (Allen)

Rashomon (Kurosawa)

Rear Window (Hitchcock)

Rocco and His Brothers (Visconti)

Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock)

Some Like it Hot (Wilder)

Sunset Boulevard (Wilder)

The Apartment (Wilder)

The Graduate (Nichols)

The Grapes of Wrath (Ford)

The Shop Around The Corner (Lubitsch)

The Third Man (Reed)

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (Aldrich)

Wild Strawberries (Bergman)

Witness for the Prosecution (Wilder)

Edited May 27, 2010 by Xray

[BaalChatzaf]

I'll keep this list short. But in Dan's list, I remember watching The Thing (Kurt Russel) and being scared shitless (I saw that when I was 8...babysitter took me to see it not knowing how graphic it would be!)

1. Conan the Barbarian - great story with an even greater score! Sequel sucked.

2. Star Wars (all of them)

3. Star Trek

4. Equilibrium

5. Batman (Christian Bale)

6. Braveheart

7. Gladiator

8. Saving Private Ryan

9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

10. Matrix Trilogy

I could add dozens more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. You should see how many movies I've rated on NetFlix! Haha!

~ Shane

I really liked -Gladiator-. My favorite line from that movie:

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

Just and condign revenge is my favorite theme. There is something about Getting Even that I find satisfying.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Philip Coates]

Subject: persuasion, explanation, detail?...if you have time...

Some fascinating choices here!

Unfortunately, though, I'm not finding "laundry lists" to be all that helpful. Many of us haven't seen the movies that are the bulk of most lists and can't assess them other than as just names of something somebody who posts a lot liked at one time or another. I realize it's more work and couldn't be done for -every choice, but does anyone want to take, say, their top three or their three best remembered favorites and try to explain -why- they loved them?

Even a sentence or two would help (as long as it's less vague than only saying 'good acting' and not concretizing those abstract two words). I'll give an example:

1. Laundry list style: Holiday, Casablanca, Patton.

2. Explanatory/selective style (pick one choice, non-compulsively, and do it justice): I love the movie "Holiday" because it has Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in two of their better roles. And because it's a story about independence, breaking free of social and family expectations, And mostly, for me, because Katharine Hepburn has her most feminine role, as a complement to her great strength. George Cukor is the director and this is the kind of film he is best at - a combination of serious moments and clever, witty repartee.

Edited May 27, 2010 by Philip Coates

[anonrobt]

Secondhand Lions... one of the best 'kid growing up' films ever - my Uncle Homer was like those guys, an inspiration to living life to its fullest while you can - and going out in style... Robert Duval's character was, am sure, an alter ego to many viewers - full of independence, willfulness, and self assurance... so many good lines, too...

Edited May 27, 2010 by anonrobt

[dan2100]

I wouldn't equate "most-watched" with "favorite." In my favorite hundred films, I'd include "The Human Condition" and "The 47 Ronin," but I've only seen each of these once.

Edited May 27, 2010 by Dan Ust

[syrakusos]

I wouldn't equate "most-watched" with "favorite."

Agreed.

Most Watched

Love Actually

You've Got Mail

The Right Stuff

The Watchmen

Favorite

Casablanca

Sleeper

The Right Stuff

The Watchmen

To me, baving 50 favorite movies is like having 50 best friends: I just don't get it.

[John Day]

In The Line of Fire: John Malkovich is fantastic as an ex-CIA assassin who has taken a nihilistic turn and wants to assassinate the President. Clint Eastwood is a Secret Service agent trying to get redemption for failing to stop Kennedy assassination. The psychology and tension between the two makes this my favorite movie and extremely rewatchable.

Silence of the Lambs: Again, a great psychological thriller. Anthony Hopkins is the charming but horrifying Dr. Hannibal Lector. Jodie Foster's performance and the development of her character in this film is what caused her to be the image the Dagny Taggart in my mind.

Back To The Future: A very sharp script and a great ensemble cast. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson in particular playing both the middle-aged and teenaged versions of Marty's parents.

Scarface: Very much a guilty pleasure. Totally over-the-top 1980s.

Goodfellas: The soundtrack is brilliant and I love the passing of the years the film goes through. Another great ensemble cast.

The Big Lebowski: A fantastically silly film that points at philosophic themes.

Caddyshack: My favorite comedy, holds up even after many viewings.

And two of my Christmas favorites: Bad Santa and A Christmas Story.

[sbeaulieu]

And two of my Christmas favorites: Bad Santa and A Christmas Story.

My favorite scene in Bad Santa - "Can't you see I'm trying to eat?!" Mouthful of salad. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious!

Christmas story is win from beginning to end.

~ Shane

[George H. Smith]

A movie that I find very watchable (even though it was written and directed by Michael Moore) is "Canadian Bacon."

One of my all-time favorite lines comes from this movie. When Sheriff Bud Boomer (played by John Candy) is in a bar deliberating whether he should join a war against Canada, he says: "There's a time to think, and a time to act. And this, gentlemen, is no time to think."

Another good line by R.J. Hacker, President of Hacker Dynamics: "The American public's attention span is about as long as your dick."

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

Unless I missed something, no one has yet mentioned "L.A. Confidential."

How is that possible?

Ghs

[anonrobt]

Unless I missed something, no one has yet mentioned "L.A. Confidential."

How is that possible?

Ghs

Perhaps over-rated?

[jriggenbach]

Unless I missed something, no one has yet mentioned "L.A. Confidential."

How is that possible?

Ghs

In my case, I overlooked it. I should have included it in my list.

JR

[George H. Smith]

A list of my most-watched movies (in no particular order) would include the following:

Lawrence of Arabia

Bridge on the River Kwai

Die Hard (the original)

Inherit the Wind

West Side Story

Dr. Strangelove

L.A. Confidential

Galaxy Quest

Life of Brian

The Meaning of Life

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Unforgiven (Eastwood)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Harvey (Jimmy Stewart)

A Fish Called Wanda

The Changeling

The Good, Bad and the Ugly

The Shootist

The Music Man

Red River

Silverado

The Producers

Blazing Saddles

Young Frankenstein

Mister Roberts

Missing (Jack Lemmon)

The Caine Mutiny

Some Like It Hot

The Big Chill

Bringing Up Baby (Cary Grant)

A Bridge Too Far

The Longest Day

The Ox Bow Incident

The Man Who Never Was

A Shot in the Dark (Peter Sellers)

Cheaper By the Dozen (Clifton Webb)

Das Boot

Gallipoli

Bad Day at Black Rock

Annie Hall

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

Oh yeah, and "Ruthless People" -- one of the funniest movies ever made.

Ghs