What happened to Movies You Could Watch Whenever They Came ON?

Cafe Society
1

…Not necessarily ones you watch from start to finish, but ones that, if you catch them on TV, you are compelled to watch a scene or two. Many of mine aren’t even good movies (Die Hard? Fletch? Superbad? Independence Day? Point Break?)

Some caveats: I started in 1990. The 80’s John Hughes films were the story of my life, so I just skipped anything from that era.

It’s US centric. So shoot me. I’m American.

This may reflect my own biases, as I have no interest in Comic Book films or robot/monster movies, which knocks out 50% of recent big budget films. That said, I go to/watch just as many films as I always did, no more, no less. I just don’t find almost any that I feel compelled to watch again a few years down the road.

Lastly, I realize that with DVD and Streaming, modern films make money longer than older ones before they go to TV. But not 5+ years!
I made some mental notes when this came to mind a few months ago, and here are a small few of my can’t miss films:

Drama: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Blow (2001)
Almost Famous (2000)
High Fidelity (1999)

Comedy:

Big Lebowski (1998)
Anchorman (2004)
Harold and Kumar…White Castle (2004…are you kidding me?)

Sports:

Miracle (2004)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Invictus (2009)
Dogtown and Z Boys (2001)
Point Break (1991)
A League of Their Own (1992)
The Sandlot (1993)
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Moneyball (2011)

Do they even make sports movies anymore? Moneyball is the latest on my list, but there used to be a couple a year. No more. And what happened to sports comedies? Caddyshack, Major League, etc. There used to be a genre of Skiing/Comedy/Teen Boy Boobie films.
So, fill me in. What are the can’t skip films since 2008? Things that remind you of a place and time. Classic kid/teen films. Dramas that capture a moment. Or just damn good films that are full of great scenes? I’m at a loss.

2

Movies I could watch infinite times:
Commando
Predator
Goodfellas
The Incredibles

Movies since 2008…I’m not sure. “21 Jump Street”, almost certainly. Maybe “Edge of Tomorrow”? “Hot Tub Time Machine”?

3

Since 2008? The Avengers. I like the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, and generally leave it on if I’m not seeking out something in particular.

4

Maybe the kids on your lawn threw a rock at your big antenna and knocked it askew?

5

Wow. Your taste in comedy is so so so different than mine.

My problem with this premise is those kinds of movies are the ones I own on DVD. I don’t even watch movies on TV anymore. In fact, right at the moment I don’t watch live TV at all, though I intend to get back in that groove as soon as I can.

Anyways, in the spirit you intended, movies I like to watch this way include:

Ever After (1998)
Aliens (1986)
Back to the Future (1985 - 1990)
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Borrowers (1997)
Notting Hill (1999)
Finding Nemo (2003)

Nothing very recent leaps to mind.

6

Oh, just thought of a new one: the National Treasure movies (2004-2007).

7

Also, Iron Man (1) and Zombieland for me.

8

Goodfellas is at the top of my “will watch it to the end regardless of when I started watching it” list. I suspect that and Shawshank are on most people’s lists.

Thinking about it, I wonder if the reason both of those movies work in that way is that they’re essentially collections of anecdotes. There is an overarching plot, but the movie works as a series of bite-size chunks. As a result, it’s very easy to drop in during the middle, because you’re only a few minutes away from the next story.