# "Favorite" movies you've seen only once **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365 "2008-10-03T20:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/1 "2008-10-03T20:29:00Z")
Looking over my self-proclaimed “Favorite Movies” on my Facebook profile, I was struck by how many of my “favorites” I’ve seen only once. Usually when I have a favorite movie I watch it many times, as I suspect most people would. But the following movies, though they made a great impression on me at first viewing, I still haven’t gotten around to seeing a second time: [ul] [li]Pandora’s Box (starring Louise Brooks)[/li][li]Nashville (dir. Robert Altman)[/li][li]The Cameraman (starring Buster Keaton)[/li][li]The Sweet Hereafter (dir. Atom Egoyan)[/li][li]And Life Goes On (dir. Abbas Kiarostami)[/li][li]Homework (dir. Abbas Kiarostami)[/li][li]Ten (dir. Abbas Kiarostami)[/li][li]Vive L’Amour (dir. Ming-liang Tsai)[/li][/ul] I wonder what I’d think of them on the next go-round. What are some of your “favorites” you’ve seen only once? ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/2 "2008-10-03T20:33:11Z")
I’ve only seen **Donnie Darko** once and I loved it. I keep meaning to watch it again but I never get around to it. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/3 "2008-10-03T20:41:49Z")
I believe I’ve only seen **Fargo** once. It’s utterly brilliant, and I love it, but it’s just too freaking intense. The murders are completely real and believable. Taking that back a bit - if it’s on and it’s at one of the lighter Marge Gunderson parts, I’ll watch a few minutes before veering off. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/4 "2008-10-03T21:17:40Z")
Ikiru That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Constant\_Reader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Constant\_Reader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Constant_Reader)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/5 "2008-10-03T21:18:46Z")
**Pan’s Labyrinth** It was beautiful and terrible and I don’t know if I ever want to watch it again. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/6 "2008-10-03T21:30:25Z")
_Pan’s Labyrinth_ was the one I came in to mention. Now I have to think of another one. _Schindler’s List_ and _Cold Mountain_ ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/7 "2008-10-03T21:31:10Z")
**Life Is Beautiful** and **Schindler’s List**. Too emotionally intense for me to watch again. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/8 "2008-10-03T21:33:08Z")
> [@Constant\_Reader](#): > > **Pan’s Labyrinth** It was beautiful and terrible and I don’t know if I ever want to watch it again. Same. I’m not sure I could get through it again. Sixth Sense. I loved the movie and thought it was very well done but I’m not sure I would want to do a repeat viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/9 "2008-10-03T21:46:56Z")
Love, Actually It may take me awhile to see it again because I’m so jealous of some of the relationships that I can hardly bear it! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/10 "2008-10-03T21:48:57Z")
_The Sixth Sense, Dark City, Life Is Beautiful_ and _A.I.: Artificial Intelligence_ were all, to me, amazingly powerful and impressive movies, but not movies I’ve been eager to see again, either. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/11 "2008-10-03T21:52:19Z")
**House of Sand and Fog**. I found it spellbinding and unforgettable. I’ll never watch it again. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/12 "2008-10-03T22:04:12Z")
**Mulholland Drive** , which I keep meaning to re-watch but have just never gotten around to. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/13 "2008-10-04T01:10:45Z")
**American History X**. Loved it, but too intense to ever watch again. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/14 "2008-10-04T01:22:33Z")
**Crash** (the good one, not the one that won the Oscar), **American History X** , **AI: Artificial Intelligence** , **Reservoir Dogs** , **Deathproof** , and **Fargo**. All for different reasons. **Crash** , **American History X** and **Reservoir Dogs** were just too intense for me. I love them, but I didn’t enjoy sitting through them. I don’t think **AI** needs another viewing. I want to see **Fargo** and **Deathproof** again, but I have to be in the mood to watch them…I don’t want to just have them playing in the background. i want to sit down and really watch them. Except, I never sit down to watch movies. Ever. I’m always doing something else, too. ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/15 "2008-10-04T05:33:56Z")
**Pan’s Labyrinth** for me too. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/16 "2008-10-04T05:55:48Z")
Lost in Translation Saw it in the theater with my wife, and she got me the DVD, but I haven’t watched it yet. I wanted to wait a while so that I could hopefully enjoy it as much as I did the first time. I’ve been feeling strong urges to watch it, and I guess five years is long enough. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/17 "2008-10-04T06:12:22Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > **Schindler’s List**. > > Too emotionally intense for me to watch again. I think I can agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/18 "2008-10-04T06:41:07Z")
**They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?** It’s as though I got everything out of it that I possibly could on first viewing. I’d love to see it again, though, but I’m not going to seek it out. Which is weird, because I almost never promote a movie into “favorite” category unless I’ve seen it at least twice. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/19 "2008-10-04T07:42:40Z")
**Grave of the fireflies:** Excellent movie, but so sad it left me literally traumatized. I still mist up will just thinking of the ending. **Funny Games:** I watched the original (finnish?) version a few years back and it left me feeling like taking a shower for days. Haven’t watched the remake and I don’t intend to. And keeping in mind how much I love watching Naomi Watts in anything, that’s really saying something. **SFW:** Some crazy movie with Stephen Dorff I watched in my teens late at night. It rocked my world in a nineties teen angst sort of way. But I don’t really want to watch it again because I know it’s not going to be half as good as my memory of it. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365/20 "2008-10-04T08:28:18Z")
Schindler’s List: Even THINKING about that movie moves me to tears; I’m not sure how I would handle a repeat viewing. Especially the very last scene, where the descendants of the actual holocaust survivors place stones on the graves…wow, even now it makes me tear up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movies-youve-seen-only-once/466365.md?page=2)