Movies you watch over and over for no rational reason.

Johnny Mnemonic was on last night. I had to keep switching back to it in between commercials during Aliens.

Empire Records. I have no clue why I love that move like I do.

I watch BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA all the time. Because it's fucking great.

I'll always watch "Tremors" if I come across it on cable, which is funny considering I own the DVD (and watch it relatively frequently).

Airplane was on TV last night. I just watched the DVD last week, but I still sat down and watched it. Can't go wrong with Airplane.

Zardoz

I bought the DVD and everything, and whenever I can't find anything else I want to watch, I pop that in. I have no idea why. I know it's trash, but I'm just compelled to watch it.

Any time LOTR is on TV, I usually have to watch it even though I have both the theatrical and extended cuts.

Batman '89 too. I know it's not a great film and that it's style over substance, but I keep finding myself popping it in the DVD player.

Outbreak. I have no clue why, but if that movie is on I know what's happening for the next two hours of my life. I don't even like it that much, but for some reason I am compelled to watch it everytime its on. I think its why I'm afraid to see what's on HBO sometimes.

Goodfellas definitely.
The Thing
Big Trouble In Little China
Delta Force

During 1997 and 1998 I watched Face/Off religiously. Nearly everyday I returned home from college to pop my special edition (fancy cover that changes their faces or something) in the VCR. I even taped it onto a cassette and listened to it in my walkmans on my bus journeys. I memorised every line, every facial tic, every maniacal laugh from Travolta, I practiced the bum squeeze move of Castor Troy at college, I practiced crashing jets into warehouses, slid down my stair banisters holding two fake guns at my bewildered mom, I lost count of the amount of times I watched this fateful movie, but I can be sure of one thing during my time in that hazey hynopsis, and that was that there was no discernable rational reason for my actions.

God forgive me.

Detroit Rock City, it's a great film!

There's nothing wrong with half the flicks in your list as far as I'm concerned...

I have been glued to the TV since the beginning of this month watching James Bond on AMC - especially the restored widescreen editions. I always watch them ("Seven Days of 007" and/or the always popular Thanksgiving and Christmas marathons).

Also whenever Escape From New York, Independence Day and Twister are on TV.

Joe Dirt. Comedy Central always seems to be playing it and for some strange reason I always end up watching it.

The movie I've seen more than any other? BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III. I ask myself why and always draw blanks.

If I ever see T2, Unforgiven or Heat on TV, I tend to stop and watch them.

Big

waynes world - because, for a short time in my life i actually thought mike myers was funny. waaaay. or perhaps because its possibly the most quotable movie in the world. either way, who doesn't enjoy a good 'bohemian rhapsody' sing-a-long now and again?

ferris buellers day off - because....its ferris.

pretty woman - because what little girl doesn't dream of growing up to be a hooker swept away by richard gere?

One that has taste? Sanity? Her panties still on? I dont know, tell me!!!

Anytime I see the Rock on TV, I end up watching way too much of it.

Also, I tend to watch Shakespearre in Love every few months. Why? I dont know.
-The show must... you know -Go on.

Animal House and Die Hard. I own both and rarely watch the dvds, but something about flipping by FX and seeing some random scene just causes me to stop what I'm doing to watch.

My current favorite right now is TRAINING DAY. USA airs it like very other day and I get sucked in every single time. It's not even that spectacular, it's just insanely rewatchable. I especially like the part when Washington browbeats Hawke about something.

All-timers:

HEAT (Even though when it's on TV it's on for 4 hours. I don't care.)
ROUNDERS
ZOOLANDER
BLOODSPORT/KICKBOXER

It's like a good song coming on the radio. Even if you've heard it a thousand times it's somehow better because you didn't know it was coming.

mmmm....yes.

debatable.

fuck, and i was doing so well.

Ghosts of Mars, is my inexplicable "must watch whenever it comes on" movie.

I love me some John Carpenter, but this movie is "undefendably" (not really a word?) bad. Yet I must watch it in it's entirity every time I "catch" it somewhere. I should just buy it for $6.99 at Circuit City and get it over with, but then I bet I would never watch it.

This thread's "syndrome" is much like the syndrome I refer to above. When something you own on dvd comes on cable (unedited, like HBO) and you watch it all the way through, but the whole time your saying 'I have this on dvd, I can watch it later. Why don't I ever watch this on dvd though? I guess I'll just finish it, the laundry can wait'

Other movies like The Hustler, Mean Girls, Starship Troopers, The Way of the Gun, Hard Target, Hard Boiled, Hard Eight, The Killer, etc etc, that I watch all the time I can explain, because they are good or have great parts in them.

But I would never attempt to defend Ghosts of Mars.

p.s. on a totally unrelated note, I just played the demo for Genji Dawn of the Samurai (available at Gamestop with a reserve) and it's amazing. It's a cross between Dynasty Warriors/Onimusha/and it's own thing. It's beautiful, you can perform a special where you go into a The Last Samurai like mode where people come at you and you press the square button to just tear them a new one. It's PS2 exclusive though so, sorry Xbox or Nintendo only people.

Lately it's been DELTA FORCE 2. Billy Drago, you son of a bitch!

-Commando
-Predator
-Total Recall

actually, all of the 'Arnold Movie Of The Week' flicks that they constantly do every weekend on FOX in the afternoon.

-The 13th Warrior (I've probably logged more time watching this movie than any other outside of Star Wars or LOTR).
-Rambo III
-The Great Muppet Caper
-The Hobbit

The standard repeated viewings include such films as:

High Fidelity
Pink Flamingos
Blood Simple
The Iron Giant
Heathers

I've recently inducted the following into the too many viewings club:

Anchorman
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Is this the movie where in the beginning Chuck does a training action sequence in a sand circle with a bunch of other military guys? I ask because I saw one version with this scene included, and it was great, and then everytime I saw it after that, the scene wasn't in the movie, it drove me crazy, I thought I was losing my mind...more than usual.

"Kindergarten Cop."

Damn you Penelope Ann Miller!

Groundhog Day
When Harry Met Sally
City Slickers
Roadhouse
Stone Cold
Casino
Goodfellas
Army of Darkness
Any Arnold movie, even if it sucks
The Omen
Tremors and the sequels
Pumkinhead (I think I've seen this 10 times this year)
Most Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee movies
All Jet Li movies
Anything with Madchen Amick, not because she's hot (even though she is), but because they're all fun. I even like the Fantasy Island remake.
Pet Semetary

Fight Club
Evil Dead 2
That Thing You Do!
American Werewolf in London
Rushmore
Super Troopers
Monty Pyhton and the Holy Grail
Garden State
Primer

"We've gone on holiday by mistake..."

I've probably watched "Withnail & I" more times than is strictly healthy for ANY carbon-based lifeform (sometimes twice a day!), but in my defence, all I can say is, 'You can stuff it up your arse for nothing and fuck off while you're doing it.'

For no rational reason? I don't need a rational reason to watch movies I like, whether they're craptacular or actually good.

To name just a few

Airplane
Escape from New York. (The opening theme can pull me in from miles away)
Weird Science- can't help it.
As someone else mentioned, the Thing, It's been on the Encore channels lately and I watch it every time, sometimes twice a night if possible.
Die Hard. Even on FX.

I like to use the following as ambient noise when I'm writing.

Trainspotting
New York Ripper
Excalibur
The Long Good Friday
Death Walks At Midnight
Night of the Living Dead
Road Games
Alphaville
The Old Dark House
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The 4th Man
What Have You Done To Solange?

Well, I think the point of this thread is not about the movies you watch most often because they are your favorites. It's more regarding movies that you watch when they come on, yet you aren't really sure why becuse they aren't necessarily films you like.

Personally, anyone listing movies like Fight Club,Garden State, Eternal Sunshine or films of that ilk are missing the point. There is a very rational reason for watching them -- they are great movies. Duh!

-Heat (Even though I have the DVD)
-The Road Warrior
-Bad Boys II
-A Man Apart (Just for the shootout that happens about an hour into it)

Once when I was a kid I watched Grease 3 times in one afternoon. I was a strange child.

Road House. I don't own it in any format, but every time I stumble upon it on TV,
I watch it. God help me.

On cable I always end up watching:

Real Genius
Ocean's 11 (Clooney)
Shawshank
The Thing
A River Runs Through It
Any Eastwood western

Megaforce, though it doesn't come on tv very often. Bad bad movie with even worse acting, and I end up watching it even if it comes on in the wee hours of the mornings and go to school/work wasted.

And there was a Grease 3?? Damn....

Flash Gordon
The American Astronaut
Forbidden Zone
Eurotrip
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Anchorman (and Wake Up Ron Burgandy)
Bubba Ho-Tep
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Blazing Saddles
Big Lebowski

Past "Constant Rotation" fixtures I don't watch as often anymore:
Man on the Moon
Orgazmo
Baseketball
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut
Clerks
Mallrats (Commentary Track)

To name a few:

TOOTSIE
THE LOST WORLD
Any of the FRIDAY THE 13th films
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
DON'T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER'S DEAD

Quickfix - Cardio Hip-Hop Workout
Billy Blanks' Tae Bo: Fat Blasting Cardio


These are really great movies. I can't stop watching them.

Oh wait, I have some more:

Crunch - Cardio Salsa
Shrink Your Female Fat Zones
Stretchin' To The Classics (Richard Simmons!)
Pilates Complete For Weight Loss
Once Upon A Time in the West
Yoga Shakti
In the Army Now
Ernest in the Army
Army of One

And the best one yet:

Elite Forces: Rapid Readiness Workout

Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Signs
The Odd Couple
Jingle All the Way
Home Alone

If you gaze upon my movie journal you can plainly see I can't stop watching Sin City...

in the VHS days i'd just let the tape rewind and play most times, that and movie central channels loop movies daily so I take a quick viewing here and there...

The first time I saw this, I misread it and thought, "Damn, I had no idea that a third Grease even existed"!

My choices are:
Shawshank Redemption
Die Hard
The Empire Strikes Back
Fellowship of the Ring
Shaun of the Dead

I guess that I know why I favor these movies, as most of them are damn good. But I do find myself watching them sometimes purely out of habit, like some type of bizarre ritual. And I own every single one of them on DVD, yet if I run across it on cable-- will be unable to turn away, edited or not.

Some years back, I recall going to bed nearly every night for months on end while playing my VHS copy of Empire Strikes Back as ambience. Lots of times I would be zonked out before Luke even gets attacked, but I "had" to have the tape running.

I don't have cable so I guess I can only watch movies I put in the DVD player.

I watch Shaun of the Dead and Jaws purely out of habit now. And I get something new out of them every single time. I've also been putting in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind quite a bit, as of late. And if my friend would finally give me back Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, that would probably also be in heavy rotation.

I will never be able to stop watching Episode I

Late-90's Star Wars hype, still going strong.

I should never admit that, but I often do.

[shame]


I also will watch The Private Eyes, Rocky IV, Another Stakeout, Christmas Vacation, Fellowship of the Ring, and Conan the Barbarian at any moment.

I haven't done it in a while but Army of Darkness, it's just 80 or so minutes long and I think that includes the end credits.....so it's a nice brisk Necronomicon film.