# Not-the-greatest movies you watch over and over **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654 "2011-12-18T18:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/81 "2011-12-20T09:54:48Z")
The Money Pit, if for no other reason than Hanks’ losing it on the landing after the staircase dies. Roxanne with Steve Martin (since L.A. Story was already mentioned). This thread has reminded me of sooo many movies I need to re-watch. ---
**Author:** ![PalJuicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@PalJuicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PalJuicy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/82 "2011-12-20T11:17:44Z")
In keeping with the season, \*\*A Christmas Carol \*\*-- _the George C. Scott version!_ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/83 "2011-12-20T11:40:11Z")
**Undercover Blues** You’ve got Dennis Quaid and pre-blimped Kathleen Turner as a spy couple with a toddler, never breaking a sweat at any point. You’ve got two of the finest character actors alive, Stanley Tucci and Fiona Shaw, in outrageously over-the-top performances, chewing the scenery like it was made of meat and they were piranhas. What’s not to like about it (okay, apart from Tom Arnold but we don’t see much of him)? Jane: You took our child into a knife fight? Jeff: It was a fair fight. Two of them, two of us… Lt. Theodore ‘Ted’ Sawyer: What just happened here? Jeff Blue: I’d say it was a domestic disturbance. Lt. Theodore ‘Ted’ Sawyer: A domestic disturbance? Jeff Blue: Yeah like on the Honeymooners. You remember how Ralph used to fight with Alice. Det. Sgt. Halsey: I don’t recollect Ralph using semi-automatic weapons. Jane Blue: But Norton sometimes did. And Mrs. Manacotti on the third floor, wow what a temper. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/84 "2011-12-20T12:05:49Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Roadhouse. I don’t know why I like it so much; but dang it; I do. Well, there is that great shot of naked Patrick Swayze from the back. Also, he has one of the greatest places to live in all of filmdom. Sturdy walls, too. I thought of starting a thread on characters’ residences in movies. Not mansions or anything, but those choice, impossibly perfect apartments on the water, rustic cabins, and arty little flats in funky neighborhoods… It was Swayze’s place in this movie that got me thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/85 "2011-12-20T13:34:40Z")
The Long Kiss Goodnight-- An action movie where a woman gets to be the hero. She’s more action hero than Samuel L. Jackson, her sidekick, that’s how kick ass she is. Fools Rush In-- a romcom with Selma Hayek and Matthew Perry. What’s not to love about this movie? Romance, comedy, racial insensitivity. . . what’s not to love? “Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!” and “The white people are _melting_!” With lines like that, how can I pass it up? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/86 "2011-12-20T14:21:53Z")
I agree, Tremors IS too good for this thread. So I will take it off the table and offer up: ‘With Six You Get Eggroll’, starring Doris Day and Brian Keith. Or even better, ‘Yours, Mine, and Ours’ starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. Both are rather dated, about big-blended-families, somewhat cringeworthy, with happy endings. But I always watch when they’re on. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/87 "2011-12-20T14:27:28Z")
Another vote for _Twister_ - the music, the great quotes “Roll the maps - don’t fold the maps - roll the maps”, “Rabbit is good, rabbit is wise”, “Did you see my cows?” So hammy, terrible great special effects, but great great music. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/88 "2011-12-20T14:31:50Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Another vote for _Twister_ - the music, the great quotes “Roll the maps - don’t fold the maps - roll the maps”, “Rabbit is good, rabbit is wise”, “Did you see my cows?” So hammy, terrible great special effects, but great great music. “You’re in… the _suck zone_.” Edit: And yeah, I own the soundtrack on CD. (Well, it’s ripped into iTunes now, but still.) ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/89 "2011-12-20T14:47:02Z")
_Labyrinth!_ David Bowie. In tight. Plus muppets and goblins. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/90 "2011-12-20T15:51:32Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > This thread is not complete unless someone mentions: Tremors. (One summer it was on TV, once a week, for what seemed months.) Rita McIntyre is in it, and Kevin Bacon was at the height of cuteness - plus hideous giant sandworms! That fact that you haven’t mentioned one of the greatest acting giants of all time who happened to me in this movie…disturbs me greatly. Forgive him Mr. Ward. He is ignorant. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/91 "2011-12-20T18:29:09Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [Excalibur](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082348/) > > The acting is all over the place and it drags badly in spots but I love this movie for some reason. Many great scenes and great scenery. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! First saw it in high school when I was totally into D&D, and it enthralled me. Sex, swords, chivalry, shiny armor, beautiful lush scenery… wow. Saw it again a few years ago and it actually held up quite well. Nicol Williamson as Merlin is just terrific (“A dream… to some. A nightmare to others!”). Watch for Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson and Ciaran Hinds in early roles. Maybe some of these movies are too good to be mentioned in this thread, but I’ll take that chance: _Buckaroo Banzai_ is sheer zany sf goodness. Watch out for the watermelon in the lab. _The Hidden_ is a great sf B-movie about a murderous alien fugitive hiding in L.A. The first reveal of the alien in the hospital room stuck with me for a long, long time. _True Lies_ is IMHO Ahnuld’s greatest film. “Did you… kill people, honey?” “Yes, but they were _all bad_.” _The Mummy_ is goofy and scary by turns. Loved it. _Dumb and Dumber_ is a riot. I practically wet my pants when I first saw them trying to tame the hot peppers in their mouths by drinking from the vertical streams of the restaurant ketchup and mustard bottles. The Rock and Christopher Walken together made _The Rundown_ a surprisingly good action flick. Shoulda done better in the theatres. _Deep Impact_ really worked for me. Morgan Freeman and Tea Leoni esp. rose to the occasion. Couldn’t they have come up with a better name for Robert Duvall’s character than “Spurgeon Tanner,” though? C’mon, guys - you’re not even trying! _Men in Black_ really hit my sweet spot. The interplay between Messrs. Jones and Smith is hilarious. _Pirates of the Caribbean_ (the first one) was just great - cast, dialogue, action sequences, sets, costumes, etc. A movie about a Disney ride can be good? Who knew? _Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid_ was Steve Martin’s wonderful spoof of noir films. Too bad he kept getting shot in the same spot. Rachel Ward has never been lovelier. I got hooked on _Time After Time_ when it was in heavy rotation in the early days of HBO. H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) goes into the future to catch Jack the Ripper (David Warner). Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/92 "2011-12-20T18:44:43Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m not sure if this counts, because I think it’s wonderful, but _Matilda_, the Roald Dahl story directed by Danny DeVito. Big fat ditto. Same with the _Nanny McPhee_ movies. Dittoes also for much of **Elendil Heir** ’s list, especially _Rundown_, which we just saw last week. The Rock’s movies are surprisingly entertaining. I’ve seen him on talk shows – he’s smart and witty and doesn’t have a big head. Forgot all about _Men in Black, Tremors, The Mummy_ and _The Hidden_. I had that on VHS years ago – need to get the DVD. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/93 "2011-12-20T19:07:51Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > That fact that you haven’t mentioned one of the greatest acting giants of all time who happened to me in this movie…disturbs me greatly. > > Forgive him Mr. Ward. He is ignorant. Ward is terrific in Tremors. And _very_ funny. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid_ was Steve Martin’s wonderful spoof of noir films. I was watching this (for what must have been the fourth time) one evening. San Diego, local station. They “trimmed” the movie “for time considerations” by shortening the coffee-pouring sequence down to about one second. Martin finished pouring the coffee almost as soon as he starts. I howled in outrage. . ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/94 "2011-12-20T19:11:45Z")
I’ve rewatched Deep Impact a few times, too. Despite its many flaws it somehow works for me. Tea Leoni is excellent in it - her character could so easily have been shallow. I’ve seen Eagle Eye maybe five times now. No idea why. Perhaps it’s because all the characters’ actions are so believable - they don’t suddenly turn into superheroes. Shia LaBlah is perfectly cast, for a change. > [@WhyNot](#): > > [Bring It On](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204946/) > > Gods help me, I don’t know why. It’s got everything I usually hate in tween movies - objectification of women, stereotyped “sassy black girl” character, stunningly predictable plotting and 30somethings playing teenagers erudite beyond their years…but it has Eliza Dushku at her very hottest. And darnit if it didn’t convince me that modern cheerleading is at least as athletic as the games they’re cheering at. > > I watch it whenever I can. 😃 Isn’t it only objectifitying women properly if they appear only as sex objects? They all had proper personalities and were not obsessed with boys. It’s one of the few teen movies where one of the main characters (Dushku) is still single at the end and it’s not an issue at all. How anyone could dislike a film with that opening cheer is beyond me, anyway. 😃 I don’t think this is regarded as a bad movie, it’s just that it’s in a genre that some people look down on. > [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > _Labyrinth!_ > > David Bowie. In tight. Plus muppets and goblins. It’s widely regarded as a brilliant kids’ film though. Ditto the Goonies. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/95 "2011-12-20T19:11:55Z")
> [@tripthicket](#): > > _Quigley Down Under_. Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, and Alan Rickman. Another one that makes the remote stop working whenever I stumble upon it. Love the characters, and I’ve always had a soft spot for LSG anyway. Came in to mention this one…if it’s not considered too good for the thread. Two of the small pleasures of the movie are that it’s just a little bit outside-the-box for a western, and the action isn’t (always) telegraphed – some of the transitions introduce unexpected elements. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/96 "2011-12-20T22:16:13Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > The Long Kiss Goodnight-- An action movie where a woman gets to be the hero. She’s more action hero than Samuel L. Jackson, her sidekick, that’s how kick ass she is. One of my favorite Christmas movie. “Chefs do that” Also from the same director and actress : _Cutthroat Island_ “Bad dog !” ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/97 "2011-12-21T01:41:57Z")
[Adventures in Babysitting](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rnTpR4M1ZI) [Real Genius](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORRxg-L9YE) ---
**Author:** ![Horseface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4af34b/32.png) [@Horseface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseface)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/98 "2011-12-21T01:42:50Z")
The Sandlot for me. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-the-greatest-movies-you-watch-over-and-over/606654/99 "2011-12-21T03:28:09Z")
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