Heh. Reminds me of the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon where Calvin has to read a book for a homework assignment. He quickly riffles the pages and declares “Done!” as he runs off to play. Hobbes rolls his eyes and says, “Reading is a snap if you don’t sweat the comprehension.”
I don’t think I’ve ever read any book, or seen any movie, more than ten times. Even though I have passionate favorites, there are so many other unseen books and movies I still want to enjoy that I just don’t go back to the same ones that often.
My most-reread books are Aztec by Gary Jennings, Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and First Among Equals by Jeffrey Archer. My most-reseen movies are The Fellowship of the Ring, Groundhog Day, Buckaroo Banzai, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Excalibur and Star Wars.
I’ve seen The Fifth Element at least 50 times. I haven’t been keeping track, but that number might be approaching 100. It’s easily my favorite movie and I love it more every time I see it. My family and I quote lines from it to each other all the time, especially “you want some more (in a robotic voice),” “chicken good,” “super green,” and “gimme da cash!”
Probably not. I’ve read the Gospel of Matthew and the First Epistle to the Corinthians many, many times, but I doubt that it’s in the hundreds. Outside of the Bible by most read full-length books would be The Phantom Tollbooth, The Hobbit, and Orthodoxy, all of which I’ve probably read 10-20 times.
Well, if we ever do meet in real life, feel free to try your little experiment. You could try it on other people too, if you wanted, because I am not some sort of Speedy Gonzales of the reading world. However, any such experiment wouldn’t exactly turn out how you expect - not least that, even if anyone did actually stumble through an explanation of the book, it would make an incredibly dull video.
You have my further permission to sit there chuckling to yourself, certain that you’re right - doesn’t seem any point in trying to argue with you further about my own reading ability.
She, and yeah, I can - most people can! You guys are seriously overestimating how long a few seconds lasts. Obviously, if the work is serious, then you also take some time to think about it, but reading things like lengthy posts on here? Yes, it takes a few seconds.
Two minutes isn’t that short, though. I mean, if I’m reading something because I have to know it or memorize it, I’ll spend more time on it. But if I’m enjoying myself, I’ll go really fast because I want to know what happens. Sometimes I’ll skim in the process of getting there, but I don’t consider that “not reading.”
I’ve seen the Transformers movie (1986) well over a hundred times. Saw it twice in the theater back in 1986, bought it on videotape as soon as it hit Suncoast Video, replaced that videotape with a better edit, then bought it on DVD when they released it on that medium. There was a period of time when I was watching parts of it DAILY.
The only thing that I’ve watched or read that approaches 100 times is Silverado it is my favorite movie and I’ve been watching it abou 4 times a year since I was 5 so. For me rereading or rewatching is like hanging out with old friends. I know what they aregoing to do or how they think and being around those patterns comforts me.
Right now I’ve been jonsing to hang around my friends in the Belgariad for a couple of months and I’m waiting to get through my new reads before I start that series over. It’s been about two years since we hung out and I’m not looking for deeper meaning, god knows there is none but I like the characters and enjoy spending time with them.
There aren’t any books that I read more then once a year or every other year. The Hobbit probably is tops in total number of reads since I had it read to me the first time at 3 years old and started reading it on my own at about 7 but even then I’m probably only at about 10 or so. I’ve read The Eye of the World about 7-8 times and that is probably a close number two.
Movies are easier because they take less time and I cano other thugs while I’m ‘watching’ them. There are 30-40 that I’ve watched over 20 times and probably more then 20 tha are in the 50-75 range. A lot of them are either brainless, I enjoy the Bad Boys movies, comforting, the Music Man or Singing in the Rain, and like a lot of the other rewatchers I don’t understand why someone should limit themselves to a single time being with something they enjoy.
The only commercial videotape my family had in the mid 80’s was Star Trek II. And only then because a cousin gave it to us. As far as my dad was concerned, it was inconceivable that one would BUY a movie. I mean, you’re only gonna watch it once, right?
The result is that I watched it two times a week at least for probably a few years. I can quote along with that movie forwards and back. Good thing it’s a good movie.
I’ve read good/favorite books a half dozen times, maybe. I’ve probably seen a movie like Mary Poppins 15 or 20 times all the way through while babysitting or the like.
I must’ve seen Rocky Horror Picture Show over 40 times in the theater. Once friends and coworkers knew I had gone, they would beg me to take them because they didn’t want to be obvious virgin visitors to the event. My brother and his partner insisted I take them - when I did they found several of their gay friends in the crowd, dressed to kill, and they almost forgot I was their host.
I’ve easily seen “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” well over 50 times. We were the first family in the neighborhood to get a VCR and my dad and I recorded the movie the last time it was shown on local public television. (Movies were all being pulled off the air due to the new video industry.) Needless to say, that movie made our house a very, very popular place for hanging out but we restrained ourselves and never showed the movie more than once a week.
There are a few books that I’ve read more than ten times. “Hawaii” by James Michener comes to mind, but I haven’t read it in years now. I am an avid reader and often get the urge to re-read favorites. I usually find some new aspect to think about every time I do a re-read.
When I was a kid we had a just a handful of movies recorded on VHS, so I watched those movies dozens of times. For whatever reason, Zorro, the Gay Blade was one of them, and I can still recite that movie by heart. (“And this hat, which needs re-blocking.”) Star Trek II was another we had on tape, and Fiddler on the Roof.
But other than those, there’s no movie I’ve seen in its entirety more than a dozen times or so.
I do re-read books sometimes, but nowhere near 100 times for any book. There are several childhood and teenage favorites I’ve read a dozen times, and there are some other favorite books I’ve read 4-5 times.