Top 7 - My Most Rewatchable Films
EDIT: Before we get started, I want to address the protests and injustice going on in America right now. I know that feels strange because I talk about light stuff like films and have an audience based primarily in the UK, but seeing America tear itself apart has been weighing on me for the last week. I support the protesters in their actions and encourage anyone who believes that they're taking it too far to research how the police have been escalating protests intended to be peaceful. If you can, please donate to these funds which provide bail for protesters (again, those protesting that Black Lives Matter, these people are not in the wrong), either through this link that will split your donation across multiple US states or this link which will support protesters in the UK. Plenty of people have already shared it but this website is important too, as it will share other places you can donate, but also directs you to petitions you can sign and ways you can educate yourself about how racism is inbuilt into pretty much all western nations. These protests are in response to American police murdering an innocent black man, but it reflects an issue that is global and we cannot afford to look away or pretend that our own government isn't just as complicit in racist practices. Black Lives Matter every day, but at the moment, it feels much more important to highlight that, educate ourselves and listen to those whose voices go unheard. It'll now be a weird transition into the rest of the post, but I wanted to say something on the matter and the flow of a blog post is a small sacrifice to make for it.
You are probably experiencing a similar thing to me right now, which is a Waiting for Godot-esque lack of any meaning. Each day is pretty much the same, with the only difference really being how drunk you end up getting in the evening. With that in mind (and with a lack of releases once again requiring me to think on my toes about what to cover), now seems like the time to dig into the films I can keep returning to. These are comfort films I can return to, things that, even in a time of huge uncertainty, I can be certain will delight me. The films aren't all necessarily favourite films of mine, as we'll discuss, but a good quality of a film is how re-watchable it is, so there's going to be crossover. With that all said, let's get to the honourable mentions!
Technically trash but also rather great. When you combine the music of ABBA with Grecian islands and this much joy, it is almost impossible to resist. I know I'm yet to even try.
Keanu Reeves. Dennis Hopper. A bus that will explode if it doesn't go at top speed. These three elements combine to make a basically perfect action film that is worth showing to all your friends at all future gatherings.
You'll mainly want to watch Mulholland Drive on repeat in an attempt to unravel the baffling plot of the film, but it is so fantastic that I lose myself in this tale with pleasure, time after time.
Current record holder for the film I've seen most at the cinema (4 times, for those counting), La La Land isn't a film entirely made of joy, but the joy is so overwhelming that it nothing else matters.
I've said it before, I'll say it again, Paddington 2 is the only perfect film. It is superbly crafted, really rather funny and of course, full of enough heart to fix whatever wound you hoped the film would heal.
Everyone has their Christmas film and mine is Die Hard. It is immaculately constructed and flies by like a dream. Few other action films are as enjoyable first time around as Die Hard is the fourth time.
Parasite is so new and yet I have already seen it three times. Once you know where the plot is taking you, the joy becomes seeing the mechanisms of the film at work. It's only gotten better each time I've seen it.
Seven down, seven more to go, these ones even more rewatchable than those that have come before!
I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is currently my favourite film, so it makes sense that it's here. Eternal Sunshine isn't just going to make the list because it is funny or sad or achingly melancholic, though it nails all of those things. No, it makes the list because it is a film that changes every single time I watch it. Seriously, I know that sounds pretentious, but I have never read the ending the same way any of the many times I've seen the film. In part, that's because my understanding of film has grown, so I actually have a better idea of what's going on, but it's also because I have changed and experienced new things along the way. Watching a film about the aches of romance at the age of 14 is one thing, watching it once you've had your own broken relationship is an entirely other thing. If you need proof of that, let me regale you with an anecdote. On Valentines Day this year, I spent it alone (as always) watching this film and despite it being my fourth or fifth viewing, it marked the first time I cried at it. As I grow, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film that grows right alongside me. It truly feels like a film that will always be there for me.
Many may be shocked to see Uncut Gems on the list, seeing as it is already referred to as one of the most relentlessly stressful films ever made and I can't argue with that. What I also can't argue with is that Uncut Gems has been out for about six months and I have seen it four times. If you've seen the film, you're probably trying to work out how anyone could possibly subject themselves to two plus hours of this stress a second time, but it's less insane than it sounds. There's something about repeat viewings that mellow out the stress and turn it into an awe. You can sit back, aware of what's ahead and appreciate the craft on display. You can lean into the memes, spot little breadcrumbs for the finale and just enjoy chilling with Howie, the despicable bastard it's impossible not to love at least a little bit. Speaking of, Sandler is a great deal of what makes this film so watchable. On first glance, his performance may largely seem to be screaming at stuff, but it does so much more. He is the beating heart of Uncut Gems and that becomes clear when you're watching the film again. The more I write, the more I realise that my love is incredibly hard to describe. This is a film that clicks perfectly with me and if you want a better write-up of how this film gets in peoples' heads, I recommend this article by Brianna Zigler. It nails the feeling of the highs and lows that repeat viewings afford you and if neither I nor she are able to convince you, then you're beyond saving. Not that it matters, because I think you're missing out on a masterpiece.
Most people don't want to watch a bad film once, but I am one of the rare breed who take exquisite pleasure not just in watching bad films, but rewatching and sharing the most awful. One of my most treasured discoveries is Miami Connection. It is an action movie from the 80s in which a rock band called Dragon Sound must defeat a rival rock band, drug dealers and a group of ninjas from ruining Orlando because no, this film can't even get the title right. What it does get right is pure joy. Much of the film is firmly in the camp of "poorly made", especially the dialogue, acting and story, but this is where I have wonderful news. The things in this film that are bad are all so bad they're good and there are some truly great things in this film too, like many of the martial arts scenes. That combines for my go-to bad movie recommendation film, a film that with a couple of intoxicants and a gang of friends is impossible not to adore. Despite all the badness, Miami Connection is a film I always have to introduce to new groups of people, be it in student halls, over the internet or in an actual cinema. Few films can get badness as right as Miami Connection can and that is why I will never leave it.
As I mentioned earlier with Die Hard, people often have movies that they frequently return to around holidays or other annual events. For me, watching Before Sunrise is its own annual event. Every year in mind-June (the time when this film is set), I sit down and lose myself in the world of Jesse and Celine, two young people who have a chance encounter on a train and fall helplessly in love. That watch is always followed up by the sequels Before Sunset and Before Midnight, but in the spirit of fairness, I'm trying to focus on just one film for each entry and Sunrise is my favourite of the bunch. Regardless, there is an openness to this film that, as a slightly lost literature student in his twenties, resonates with me. This rawness in the film blows me away every time and each time I've seen the film, I attempt to try and pick it apart and understand how it works but instead, find myself too busy falling in love to do that. What makes this entry so strange is that Before Sunrise is a very dialogue heavy film, something that should mean repeat viewings diminish the pleasure. Conversely, I always find new joys in the way Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver the dialogue, carry themselves, attempt to look without being seen. There are layers to these performances that I don't think they were even aware of , but rewatching the film helps peel them back a bit. This year, the rewatch is going to be particularly poignant, as we're in a time where travel and human contact are restricted, but regardless, I cannot wait to have my heart broken again.
I tried to steer clear of talking about films I've studied because that would muddy the list with films I've rewatched purely for academic pursuits, but Vertigo is more than that to me. In fact, of all the films on the list, Vertigo is always the film I most recommend rewatching. The first time I saw it at the age of 15, I liked it fair enough, but didn't understand the hype. A couple of years later, I studied the film on a film studies course and as such, had to rewatch the film multiple times. It was only at that point when I finally understood and genuinely loved the film (though you are welcome to argue it as Stockholm Syndrome). The reason I know the film is so rewatchable though is that I have managed to return to the film with great rewards since, two screenings in particular standing out. First, there was the time I saw the film in an actual cinema. Vertigo is about as cinematic a film as you are ever likely to see and having James Stewart's face projected on such a large screen was a really powerful experience for me, one I was able to have because the groundwork on the film had already been laid. Just as seminal was the most recent time I saw it, ironically in another film class. The reason this was so powerful for me was because it came weeks after I had been to San Francisco. It's a story for another time but when I went to San Francisco in December, one of the reasons I wanted to was because of Vertigo. Because I knew the film so well, I could pretty much take myself on a tour around the landmarks of the city. In a reflexive sense, the film had influenced my love for the city and the city then influenced my love for the film. Like the romance at the core of the film, Vertigo is a film I have become more and more obsessed with as time has gone on and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
Hot Fuzz pretty much makes it onto this list for being the first film I ever loved, though let's not let that discount the quality of the film at hand. Sure, it has a special place in my heart for being a film that, at age 10, I certainly saw far too young, but there's an inherent delight in returning to the anarchic action excellence Edgar Wright depicts. Action films have come up on this list before, it's clear they do something to me that makes them irresistible, but Hot Fuzz excels because it also has comedic elements. It starts as a sort of parody of action films like Point Break and Bad Boys 2, but outpaces them and becomes a better action film than Point Break or Bad Boys 2. I would also say that part of the joy of returning to the film over the years is similar to the joy I get in returning to Community, in that I appreciate the references now much better than ever before. The first time I saw Hot Fuzz, I had never seen Point Break or Bad Boys 2, but now that I have, it allows me to see the film fully for all the references it explicitly draws on. Also, the fictional town where Hot Fuzz is set is now the real life home of my grandparents, which like the San Francisco connection, makes visiting them and watching the film very odd experiences indeed.
So... I can explain. The Room kind of has to be the number one pick because it is genuinely the film I have seen the most over the years (eight times, for those willing to be disappointed), but it is also the kind of film that, any time of day, any level on inebriated, I will happily sit down and watch. It is the ultimate "so bad it's good" film, fundamentally broken on more levels than most even realise cinema has. Watching The Room is like an illusion painting of bad, you spot something new every time you see it and believe me, I've seen it a lot and I keep seeing new things. For example, you know that scene where two characters have sex behind a rainy window? In the scene immediately following, you can see that window, free standing, in the middle of the set. It. Is. Glorious. It's also one of the few films I actively observe a drinking game for, which builds a familiar and genuinely kind of wholesome atmosphere around the film. I have such fond memories of sitting with friends as we immitate Johnny, scream "SPOONS" and down our drinks while the Golden Gate Bridge is on screen. Oh yeah, that reminds me, this film is also one of the reasons I went to San Francisco. Genuinely. I took detours to landmarks like "that scene with the stairs" or "outside that bit where they have coffee that one time", that's how much I love The Room. There really is no film that I've seen that is anything like it and until I can work out what it even is, I refuse to stop watching it. I fancy another watch now after writing this, anyone interested?
You are probably experiencing a similar thing to me right now, which is a Waiting for Godot-esque lack of any meaning. Each day is pretty much the same, with the only difference really being how drunk you end up getting in the evening. With that in mind (and with a lack of releases once again requiring me to think on my toes about what to cover), now seems like the time to dig into the films I can keep returning to. These are comfort films I can return to, things that, even in a time of huge uncertainty, I can be certain will delight me. The films aren't all necessarily favourite films of mine, as we'll discuss, but a good quality of a film is how re-watchable it is, so there's going to be crossover. With that all said, let's get to the honourable mentions!
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Technically trash but also rather great. When you combine the music of ABBA with Grecian islands and this much joy, it is almost impossible to resist. I know I'm yet to even try.
Speed
Keanu Reeves. Dennis Hopper. A bus that will explode if it doesn't go at top speed. These three elements combine to make a basically perfect action film that is worth showing to all your friends at all future gatherings.
Mulholland Drive
You'll mainly want to watch Mulholland Drive on repeat in an attempt to unravel the baffling plot of the film, but it is so fantastic that I lose myself in this tale with pleasure, time after time.
La La Land
Current record holder for the film I've seen most at the cinema (4 times, for those counting), La La Land isn't a film entirely made of joy, but the joy is so overwhelming that it nothing else matters.
Paddington 2
I've said it before, I'll say it again, Paddington 2 is the only perfect film. It is superbly crafted, really rather funny and of course, full of enough heart to fix whatever wound you hoped the film would heal.
Die Hard
Everyone has their Christmas film and mine is Die Hard. It is immaculately constructed and flies by like a dream. Few other action films are as enjoyable first time around as Die Hard is the fourth time.
Parasite
Parasite is so new and yet I have already seen it three times. Once you know where the plot is taking you, the joy becomes seeing the mechanisms of the film at work. It's only gotten better each time I've seen it.
Seven down, seven more to go, these ones even more rewatchable than those that have come before!
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is currently my favourite film, so it makes sense that it's here. Eternal Sunshine isn't just going to make the list because it is funny or sad or achingly melancholic, though it nails all of those things. No, it makes the list because it is a film that changes every single time I watch it. Seriously, I know that sounds pretentious, but I have never read the ending the same way any of the many times I've seen the film. In part, that's because my understanding of film has grown, so I actually have a better idea of what's going on, but it's also because I have changed and experienced new things along the way. Watching a film about the aches of romance at the age of 14 is one thing, watching it once you've had your own broken relationship is an entirely other thing. If you need proof of that, let me regale you with an anecdote. On Valentines Day this year, I spent it alone (as always) watching this film and despite it being my fourth or fifth viewing, it marked the first time I cried at it. As I grow, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film that grows right alongside me. It truly feels like a film that will always be there for me.
6. Uncut Gems
Many may be shocked to see Uncut Gems on the list, seeing as it is already referred to as one of the most relentlessly stressful films ever made and I can't argue with that. What I also can't argue with is that Uncut Gems has been out for about six months and I have seen it four times. If you've seen the film, you're probably trying to work out how anyone could possibly subject themselves to two plus hours of this stress a second time, but it's less insane than it sounds. There's something about repeat viewings that mellow out the stress and turn it into an awe. You can sit back, aware of what's ahead and appreciate the craft on display. You can lean into the memes, spot little breadcrumbs for the finale and just enjoy chilling with Howie, the despicable bastard it's impossible not to love at least a little bit. Speaking of, Sandler is a great deal of what makes this film so watchable. On first glance, his performance may largely seem to be screaming at stuff, but it does so much more. He is the beating heart of Uncut Gems and that becomes clear when you're watching the film again. The more I write, the more I realise that my love is incredibly hard to describe. This is a film that clicks perfectly with me and if you want a better write-up of how this film gets in peoples' heads, I recommend this article by Brianna Zigler. It nails the feeling of the highs and lows that repeat viewings afford you and if neither I nor she are able to convince you, then you're beyond saving. Not that it matters, because I think you're missing out on a masterpiece.
5. Miami Connection
Most people don't want to watch a bad film once, but I am one of the rare breed who take exquisite pleasure not just in watching bad films, but rewatching and sharing the most awful. One of my most treasured discoveries is Miami Connection. It is an action movie from the 80s in which a rock band called Dragon Sound must defeat a rival rock band, drug dealers and a group of ninjas from ruining Orlando because no, this film can't even get the title right. What it does get right is pure joy. Much of the film is firmly in the camp of "poorly made", especially the dialogue, acting and story, but this is where I have wonderful news. The things in this film that are bad are all so bad they're good and there are some truly great things in this film too, like many of the martial arts scenes. That combines for my go-to bad movie recommendation film, a film that with a couple of intoxicants and a gang of friends is impossible not to adore. Despite all the badness, Miami Connection is a film I always have to introduce to new groups of people, be it in student halls, over the internet or in an actual cinema. Few films can get badness as right as Miami Connection can and that is why I will never leave it.
4. Before Sunrise
As I mentioned earlier with Die Hard, people often have movies that they frequently return to around holidays or other annual events. For me, watching Before Sunrise is its own annual event. Every year in mind-June (the time when this film is set), I sit down and lose myself in the world of Jesse and Celine, two young people who have a chance encounter on a train and fall helplessly in love. That watch is always followed up by the sequels Before Sunset and Before Midnight, but in the spirit of fairness, I'm trying to focus on just one film for each entry and Sunrise is my favourite of the bunch. Regardless, there is an openness to this film that, as a slightly lost literature student in his twenties, resonates with me. This rawness in the film blows me away every time and each time I've seen the film, I attempt to try and pick it apart and understand how it works but instead, find myself too busy falling in love to do that. What makes this entry so strange is that Before Sunrise is a very dialogue heavy film, something that should mean repeat viewings diminish the pleasure. Conversely, I always find new joys in the way Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver the dialogue, carry themselves, attempt to look without being seen. There are layers to these performances that I don't think they were even aware of , but rewatching the film helps peel them back a bit. This year, the rewatch is going to be particularly poignant, as we're in a time where travel and human contact are restricted, but regardless, I cannot wait to have my heart broken again.
3. Vertigo
I tried to steer clear of talking about films I've studied because that would muddy the list with films I've rewatched purely for academic pursuits, but Vertigo is more than that to me. In fact, of all the films on the list, Vertigo is always the film I most recommend rewatching. The first time I saw it at the age of 15, I liked it fair enough, but didn't understand the hype. A couple of years later, I studied the film on a film studies course and as such, had to rewatch the film multiple times. It was only at that point when I finally understood and genuinely loved the film (though you are welcome to argue it as Stockholm Syndrome). The reason I know the film is so rewatchable though is that I have managed to return to the film with great rewards since, two screenings in particular standing out. First, there was the time I saw the film in an actual cinema. Vertigo is about as cinematic a film as you are ever likely to see and having James Stewart's face projected on such a large screen was a really powerful experience for me, one I was able to have because the groundwork on the film had already been laid. Just as seminal was the most recent time I saw it, ironically in another film class. The reason this was so powerful for me was because it came weeks after I had been to San Francisco. It's a story for another time but when I went to San Francisco in December, one of the reasons I wanted to was because of Vertigo. Because I knew the film so well, I could pretty much take myself on a tour around the landmarks of the city. In a reflexive sense, the film had influenced my love for the city and the city then influenced my love for the film. Like the romance at the core of the film, Vertigo is a film I have become more and more obsessed with as time has gone on and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
2. Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz pretty much makes it onto this list for being the first film I ever loved, though let's not let that discount the quality of the film at hand. Sure, it has a special place in my heart for being a film that, at age 10, I certainly saw far too young, but there's an inherent delight in returning to the anarchic action excellence Edgar Wright depicts. Action films have come up on this list before, it's clear they do something to me that makes them irresistible, but Hot Fuzz excels because it also has comedic elements. It starts as a sort of parody of action films like Point Break and Bad Boys 2, but outpaces them and becomes a better action film than Point Break or Bad Boys 2. I would also say that part of the joy of returning to the film over the years is similar to the joy I get in returning to Community, in that I appreciate the references now much better than ever before. The first time I saw Hot Fuzz, I had never seen Point Break or Bad Boys 2, but now that I have, it allows me to see the film fully for all the references it explicitly draws on. Also, the fictional town where Hot Fuzz is set is now the real life home of my grandparents, which like the San Francisco connection, makes visiting them and watching the film very odd experiences indeed.
1. The Room
So... I can explain. The Room kind of has to be the number one pick because it is genuinely the film I have seen the most over the years (eight times, for those willing to be disappointed), but it is also the kind of film that, any time of day, any level on inebriated, I will happily sit down and watch. It is the ultimate "so bad it's good" film, fundamentally broken on more levels than most even realise cinema has. Watching The Room is like an illusion painting of bad, you spot something new every time you see it and believe me, I've seen it a lot and I keep seeing new things. For example, you know that scene where two characters have sex behind a rainy window? In the scene immediately following, you can see that window, free standing, in the middle of the set. It. Is. Glorious. It's also one of the few films I actively observe a drinking game for, which builds a familiar and genuinely kind of wholesome atmosphere around the film. I have such fond memories of sitting with friends as we immitate Johnny, scream "SPOONS" and down our drinks while the Golden Gate Bridge is on screen. Oh yeah, that reminds me, this film is also one of the reasons I went to San Francisco. Genuinely. I took detours to landmarks like "that scene with the stairs" or "outside that bit where they have coffee that one time", that's how much I love The Room. There really is no film that I've seen that is anything like it and until I can work out what it even is, I refuse to stop watching it. I fancy another watch now after writing this, anyone interested?
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