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Groundhog Day movies What are the best movies to watch over and over again? by Bob Grimm bgrimm@newsreview.com
S
o my editor calls me up and asks me to do an article for Groundhog Day. He says some crap along the lines of, “Hey, why don’t you pick your favorite movies to watch over and over again, just like how Bill Murray repeats the same day over and over in the movie Groundhog Day?” To this I responded, “Oh, let’s not go down this road again! We’ve been down this road before!” and I hung up the phone. Then it rang again, and it was my editor asking me if I wanted to make up a list of films I like to watch over and over again just like how Bill Murray repeats the same day over and over in the movie Groundhog Day. This gave me a dangerous feeling of déjà vu. I wept just a little, and I relented. So, here you go, just as the groundhog comes up every year like clockwork to look at his shadow, here are the movies I like to watch again and again, some of them at least once a year. So, here you go, just as the groundhog comes up every year like … oh, bloody hell.
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FEBRUARY 2, 2012
From top, Apollo 13, Wet Hot American Summer, Rushmore, and Groundhog Day. Left, Daniel Day Lewis inThere Will Be Blood.
Jaws: Yes, it’s my favorite
movie of all time, topping yet another list. There are many reasons why I feel this one is eternally watchable. Reason number one: Super kick-ass shark action, my friends. Super kick- ass shark action is so choice. Which reminds me … I like to watch Ferris Beuller a lot too. I know that is off the subject, but who cares. There’s no real science at work in this column. Rushmore: Of all of Wes Anderson’s films, this is the one I just keep watching. There are little quirky comedy moments that make me laugh every time, and Anderson’s use of music is always perfect. It’s a close one between this and The Royal Tenenbaums, but I’m going with the saga of Max Fischer. Life of Brian: I vacillate back and forth between this one and Holy Grail when it comes to Monty Python. The scene I love the most: Graham Chapman’s Brian trying to sell snacks to terrorists inside a Roman Coliseum and facing off against a foul-mouthed John Cleese.
Apollo 13: Shit, I knew the ending
before the first time I watched it, and yet it pulls me in and I get emotionally invested each time Forrest Gump, Ren and Pvt. Hudson go around the dark side of the moon. Mulholland Drive: One of the great puzzler movies, it simply demands to be watched again and again and again. Still not quite sure what David Lynch was trying to do with this, but I think I get a little closer to figuring it out each time I watch it.
The Odd Couple: And with this, I get my Matthau fix again. This is comfort food. Is there a more comforting movie star than Walter Matthau? Hmm … I dunno, maybe Jack Lemmon? Oh my god, he’s in this one, too! The Poseidon Adventure: If this is
on TV when I’m surfing, I will not—CANNOT—go past it. Gene Hackman’s final speech where he basically tells off god is EPIC! First Blood: I’m a sucker for old-
Fargo: I religiously re-watch all of
the Coen Brothers movies, but this one is probably winning the viewing race. Every time that music rises as William H. Macy’s burnt umbra Ciera comes over the snowy road, I get chills. The Bad News Bears: I repeat view this one a lot because it reminds me of my childhood. Then I am reminded that my childhood kind of sucked, so I drink heavily until I vomit. Then I watch The Bad News Bears sequels. But those don’t have Matthau in them, which makes me miss him, which drives me to drink and vomit more.
school Stallone, and it doesn’t get any better than this. When Sly slurs through that final speech—“I can’t even get a job … PARKING CARS!”—I often rewind and start that speech over. I find it strangely invigorating. He’s the greatest slob actor of all time. Strange Brew: “My brother and I used
to say that drownin’ in beer was like heaven, eh? Now he’s not here, and I’ve got two soakers … this isn’t heaven. This sucks!” This line, said by Rick Moranis in a large beer tank filling up with beer, is one of many that I can quote verbatim. I have seen this movie at least 20 times.