I should probably save this for the July letter on my website — June is done, by the by, aren’t I the eternal grade-grubbind nerd — but it’s on my mind this dismal rainy afternoon. Plus, I’ve noticed that the folks who frequent these parts seem to like memes, no matter how ancient.
A few weeks back in the blogosphere (yes, this is equivalent to “A long time ago, in a galaxy far away . . . “) people started listing movies they could watch over and over. I first saw it on Victor Gischler’s excellent blog, its name not withstanding. And I thought: “That’s Adam Russell’s watchability scale.”
I’ve been talking about Adam’s watchability scale since at least May 2002 when, IIRC (official motto of The Memory Project), I introduced it to Steve Hamilton and Dennis Lehane at a conference. Watchability refers to films that suck you in, no matter whether it’s the first minute or the final. It should go without saying that you’ve seen the movie before, so perhaps the watchability scale is truly the rewatchability scale.
Some watchable films are great — “Citizen Kane” and “Groundhog’s Day,” the first two “Godfathers.” Some are so-so films whose discrete parts are greater than the whole, collections of set pieces that keep you hanging around. I’d put “Caddyshack” in this category. Actually, “Once Upon a Time in America,” too because, as much as I love it, only the early section, about the kids, is truly perfect. But I could watch Robert De Niro come and go through that bus station door every day for the rest of my life.
Meanwhile, some truly great movies have very low watchability scores — “Raging Bull,” “Schindler’s List.”
Watchability can be extremely idiosyncratic; I count Woody Allen’s “Celebrity” as one of the most watchable films of all time. Ditto, “The Wedding Singer” because there’s always a good smile a few seconds away — Adam Sandler’s breakdown, Billy Idol, Steve Buscemi.
But bear in mind, “watchability” is the concept of Adam Russell of Lawrence, NY. (Or maybe one of the other Five Towns, I get them all mixed up.) And it existed years before the meme. In fact, it’s why Adam is mentioned in the acknowledgments of my about-to-be-published book. Adam, you should have trademarked it.
From Chapter Five of TO THE POWER OF THREE
“Saving Private Ryan,” Colin said.
“The opening sequence is a nine or a ten,” Peter agreed after careful consideration. “But if you come in after they’ve stormed the beach, not so much.”
“Fight Club.”
“Eight.”
“Happy Gilmore.”
“Seven. No Caddyshack, but solid. ‘The price is wrong, bitch.’”
“Mystic River.”*
“A two.”
“But Mystic River is a good movie,” Simone objected.
(Simone just doesn’t get it. Do you? Feel free to nominate your own watchable films, using the Adam Russell 10-point scale. Negatives allowed.)
*This was intended as a shout-out to Lehane, who really got watchability and quickly came up with his own list. Of course Mystic River is a terrific film. And, as we recently established on Bryon Quertermous’s blog, Mystic River means that anyone who’s ever met Dennis Lehane has one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon. Just FYI.
For me rewatchability has to do with theme. My favorite is The Field, with Richard Harris. It’s the story of a father who just wants the best for his son, wants him to have the best of what he wanted. Which is flawed, really, parents forget that. And it all gets bolluxed in the end, in the same sad way of Willy Loman–totally out of his hands, though it should have been realized all along.
The Field:
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1800157041&cf=info&intl=us
Another rewatchable is Zentropa, a story about how you can get sucked in to things in life before you really know it. But told in a mesmerizing way.
Zentropa:
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1800179697
Immediate thoughts of my high degree of watchability fall into these categories:
- teen movies like “Ferris Buhler’s Day Off” or “Sixteen Candles”, which are what I call a manifestiation of the “TBS syndrome” – the watchability number equals the square root of the number of times Mr. Turner’s network can show those flicks in a year. I also am a HUGE “Bring It On” fan;
- chick flicks with Julia Roberts and/or Hugh Grant: “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, and of course, the ne plus ultra of this genre, “Notting Hill”;
- and my egomanical film pleasure of all time, “Rosemary’s Baby”, which is, the reference to my name aside, just a stunning piece of work. I swear I have seen it at least 25 times over the years, but I never realy saw it until I got the DVD of it – full, uncut, no editing the devil rape scene for the “Late, Late Show” on TV version. I see something significantly new in or about it each time I watch it, which maybe is another twist on watchability: discovering new things about the old chestnuts.
PS – informal poll of three people who have shown up in my office in the last five minutes on their watchable movies: “Shawshank Redemption”, “Top Gun”, and “Dazed and Confused”.
Ah watchability is like readability for folks who don’t get it about rereading books. Okay, I THINK I’ve got it.
Most of my high scorers verge on the “guilty pleasure” scale, I’m afraid often involving hankies or total satisfaction and little reality. Some I’d argue are probably GOOD but um, not TOO many.
We only recently got a DVD player and it’s a sign that we bought each other DVDs for the holidays that reflect some of our own watchability trends. I bought Stu “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” a film I knew he liked because he loved the graphic novels and could forgive more than most (the other dvd I bought him was the entire 2 seasons of “Greg the Bunny” – and now you know a fair amount about Stu.) (DVDs don’t count totally though, because ya buy ‘em for the extras) which is why he bought me/us “Blazing Saddles” or was it Young Frankenstein? Dunno, both rate WAY high for me.
Um let’s see, okay, “The American President”, “Bull Durham”, “Peter’s Friends” (probably a bit lower but eminently watchable on repeat) (whereas “Wilde” was brilliant but not more than once), “Philadelphia Story” ( I am so NOT a Hepburn fan but that movie rocks), “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” – the filibuster scene is a 10. Probably “Field of Dreams”. Probaby just about any John Sayles film but some probably are too heavy. “Butch Cassidy” rates high all the way through – snappy patter, great great dialogue and timing. Much of Altman rates between 7 and 10 – M*A*S*H is a 10; “Nashville”, “The Player” high up.
Not fair to go negative since I won’t WATCH any movies with certain people in them.
Opening scene 10s? The very first “Star Wars” – jaw dropping then and maybe now as that ship keeps coming…and coming….love the overhead bit.
Guilty pleasures for me, i can watch “Speed” over and over (I have this er, um, thing for Keanu) and “The Bodyguard” for all its huge faults. And Rosemary? YES to “Bring it On”. “I transfered from Los Angeles, your school has no gymnastics team, this is a last resort.” Eliza Dushku is So FABulous.
All time 10 – “The Return of the Secaucus 7″ which once I own, I might watch every week. “Bambicide…..”
Nashville and Boogie Nights, too. I recently surprised another player in a game of Botticelli — I’ll explain that game another day — by knowing that Thomas Jane played Mickey Mantel in 61*. “Of course, I know,” I said. “He’s one of the best things in Boogie Nights.”
And it’s my hunch, Rosemary, that someone at TBS corporate totally gets watchability. How else to explain the scheduling, in which they play the same film back-to-back?
Bug, I’ve never even heard of The Field, but a look at the link is all I need to persuade me.
So basically, it’s things I’ll stand in the middle of the living room and watch the rest of instead of putting my other sock on?
AMELIE: 10
THE SEVEN SAMURAI:10
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN: 8 (the opening sequence is too slow for my modern brain, and the love song in the empty sound stage drags)
THE BANDWAGON: 9
BLADE RUNNER: 10
BARTON FINK: 10
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL: 8 (woulda been a 10 before I memorized it)
THE INCREDIBLES: 10
Anything Bogie’s in: 5-10, depending
Any COLUMBO episode, even the one where William Shatner’s total reaction to getting caught is to snap his fingers: 10
PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE: 8
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: 8
Oh Keith you do that ANYway. We know you go out without both socks ALL the time.
Oh GODS THe Bandwagon. Cyd Charisse is God. “Dancing in the Dark” – Ginger who???? so WHAT if it doesn’t have a plot? It has great stuff.
And yeah, “Singin’ in the Rain” but I rank it a 9 because i so don’t remember the boring parts. And Miss Lamont is regularly quoted Chez Roscoe.
“I am a Shining Star in the Hollywood FirmaMENT.”
Andi
Keith, I can’t disagree about the song in Singin’ In the Rain.
The only deader musical interlude I can think of from any film is Neil Diamond’s appearance in The Last Waltz.
As for favorite Columbos — it’s a four-way tie, three of them involving publishing: Jack Cassidy as the murderous co-author; Jack Cassidy as the murderous publisher (killed Mickey Spillane, better yet); Ruth Gordon as the murderous author; and Trish Van Devere as the murderous Hollywood executive.
(I am so upset that Brave stopped airing Columbo at 1 p.m. weekdays. The perfect lunch break, ruined. Curse you, Bravo!)
But, to be truthful, Columbos aren’t exactly watchable for me, as I love the set-up the best. Although the interaction between Peter Falk and Ruth Gordon is particularly good.
Deader interlude: Olivia Newton-John, standing on a grid of neon against a boring black background, singing about who-cares-what in XANADU.
I’ll watch a Columbo even if I missed the setup and the first hour of cat and mouse. I just love watching Peter Falk–
Which reminds me. THE PRINCESS BRIDE: 8
Kids, if you are a Columbo fan, and you want a great way to blow a few minutes: go to http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/ and check out the cast lists of the old shows. Besides the “big stars” who were on the show- Robert Culp! Oskar Wenner! Anne Baxter! Bradford Dillman!- there is a galaxy of familiar supporting players/second bananas/people so obscure that my knowledge of their existence validates why I win alot at Trivial Pursuit: Val Avery, Gino Conforti, Mary Wickes, Sorrell Booke, Jack Riley, Joyce Van Patten. Thanks for the memories, folks.
Well thanks for the shoutout to my blog, though I have to confess I think the standard set over there is horribly flawed for Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. It should all be movie or TV show based in my opinion.
Now for watchability I agree with Keith’s criteria about failing to put on the other sock. Those movies ranking high in my watchability scale are any teen movies and any romantic comedies. Also most action movies but Die Hard, When Harry Met Sally, Can’t Hardly Wait, Hudson Hawk, and Ron White’s comedy special.
One that draws me in every time is Jumpin’ Jack Flash. There are so many wonderful scenes. And even tho the technology has changed, communicating by text message doesn’t seem dated.
Okay, I’ll play.
The World According to Garp: 8
Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter with Picard turning into a Borg: 10 (yeah, I know it’s not a movie. But my 12 year-old VHS tape from the original broadcast is a testament to this episode’s staying power. Really.)
The Poseidon Adventure: 10 (Gene Hackman is still the sexiest man of the cloth that this raised Catholic girl has ever seen)
Serial Mom: 8 (The first time I ever really like Kathleen Turner in a role)
Dangerous Liaisons: 10 (Glenn Close versus John Malkovich? Fuhgettaboutit.)
Hm. Glenn Close is in two of these. And I was considering adding The Big Chill too. What does it all mean?
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN rates a 9 for me….
And GROUNDHOG DAY may rank as my most watchable movie of all time.
Most of my most watchable are comedies, sf, or thrillers. I love IN THE LINE OF FIRE, for example, even though it’s a pretty silly film, because there’s always another John Malkovich scene coming up and I enjoy watching him chew the scenery more than anyone.
REAR WINDOW is among Hitchcock’s most-watchable for me. It’s just so beautiful to look at (not just Grace Kelly!)…I can pick it up at any moment and stay with it the rest of the way.
Both THE TERMINATOR and ALIENS go up to “11″ for me. The second TERMINATOR doesn’t rank, while I can admire the brilliance of ALIEN without needing to see it again.
Comedy most-watchables include Cary Grant with Rosalind Russell in HIS GIRL FRIDAY and with Irene Dunne in THE AWFUL TRUTH, but not with Hepburn in BRINGING UP BABY, because I don’t like the comedy of flustered humiliation as much as I do when the partners are more equal. For the same reason, I treasure Preston Sturges’s HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (because everyone’s silly) more than THE LADY EVE, because Henry Fonda’s such a dope.
I can also watch SAY ANYTHING again and again because it has such a good heart. That one ranks right at the top of the watchability index for me.
I’m enjoying seeing everyone’s list. Lots of movies I suddenly want to see again!
I’d respond, but GROUNDHOG DAY is on.
>>>>I’d respond, but GROUNDHOG DAY is on.<<<<
AGAIN?!
I don’t use a scale – I’m too fat.
My list is movies that – regardless of what point in the story it is, if I come across it, I will watch until the end… or if it’s on network, I will immediately go out and rent it or pull it out of my collection…
In no particular order:
Chinatown
Jerry Maguire
Roadhouse (forgive me)
Groundhog Day
The Wild Bunch
Top Gun (see Roadhouse)
St. Elmo’s Fire (see Top Gun)
The Breakfast Club
The Third Man
Searching for Bobby Fischer (my fav ever)
Star Wars (the original)
All About Eve
The Getaway (original only)
Junior Bonner
Le Mans
It’s a Mad, Mad, etc. World
Seven Samurai
Magnificent Seven
Yojimbo
Bull Durham
Field of Dreams
Goodfellas
Nobody’s Fool
Kramer vs. Kramer
Billy Jack
any pre-2000 Chow Yun-Fat or John Woo film
Caddyshack
The Driver
The Warriors
48 Hrs
To Live and Die in LA
those are literally off the top of my head
Oh, and applying the same query to my native vocation…
Any episode of:
Miami Vice
Starsky & Hutch
Seinfeld
Hill Street Blues
Homicide (first 2 seasons only)
Wiseguy
Peter Gunn
Your Show of Shows
Family Ties
WKRP in Cincinnati
Lou Grant
Bryon — yes, Keith’s sock detail nails the essence of watchability.
And I don’t think a woman has ever been more beautiful onscreen than Grace Kelly is in that first shot of her in REAR WINDOW.
DEAD AGAIN — wonderful. There’s a new detail to catch with every viewing.
As for that Columbo site, I think I’ve been there. How else to explain that I know who has played the villain on Columbo more often than any other actor. (Although, to get the record, he had to appear in the “modern” ones, for which I have no use.)
Never, ever apologize for Roadhouse. It is ridiculously watchable.
As are Patrick Dempsey movies from the 1980s. And EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY.
If Palm Beach Story is on TV (hardly ever is, alas) I’ll watch it to the end. same with HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, THE BANDWAGON, also SINGING IN THE RAIN though I echo the flaws mentioned.
For TV? Um….maybe that explains why I’ve seen too many SAVED BY THE BELL episodes.
Truth is, I’m having a bit of trouble narrowing my watchability list, but these are THE films that I cannot see too many times and each one rates a ten from me..
The Third Man
Casablanca
Gaslight
Some Like It Hot
Double Indemnity
The African Queen
Chinatown
Dr Strangelove
Lawrence of Arabia
Becket
Young Frankenstein
Groundhog Day
The President’s Analyst
Breakfast At Tiffany’s
Charade
The Ladykillers & Kind Hearts and Coronets
Chinatown
The Man Who Would Be King
Farenheit 451
Jules & Jim
Zorba the Greek
Two for the Road
The Pink Panther
Blow Up (the Antonioni original)
Georgy Girl
Strangers On A Train
Educating Rita
Wizard of Oz
Willie Wonka
The Producers
Sleeper (my fave Woody Allen flic)
The Lion in Winter (incredible dialogue)
Secrets & Lies
The Enchanted April
Separate Tables (w/David Niven)
Papillon (fave Steve McQueen)
Remains of the Day
Howard’s End
Dead Again
(.. ah, seems there are many oldies.. no surprise
apologies for the lengthy list..
When I was a teenager we subscribed to Channel 100, a precursor to HBO, and they showed Gone With the Wind over and over again. I watched it eight times. Within about a week. I had parts of it memorized. But it’s not one of my favorites anymore. Maybe I burned out on it, ya think?
It’s much easier to rack up the number of views since VCRs and DVDs, so I lose count more easily these days. A few perennial favorites:
Field of Dreams
Sleepless in Seattle
While You Were Sleeping (which I like to watch right after Sleepless, to give Bill Pullman a chance to get the girl)
Matchmaker
Star Trek (almost any Star Trek movie ever made)
Chocolat (a new favorite, only viewed twice so far)
Sliding Doors
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Practical Magic
Roxanne (I had this on VCR and went through a tough time years ago when I watched it once a week or so to cheer me up)
Dune (the 1984 version with Kyle MacLachlan)
Oh gosh, it’s late. I can’t think of more right now. Thanks for the memories.
I love LOVE ACTUALLY! It took a beating in whatever online circles I was in at the time because people thought there were too many storylines, but I love how each person’s reward is proportional to his/her risk–and also that the kid’s big problem isn’t that his mother died.
Laura,
I have every season on DVD… I’m loading that episode right now!
What scene are you in?
Anything with Cary Grant, just watching his gracefulness, ability with throw away lines and agility.
J
Hi, folks and welcome to St. E’s Anonymous, SEA for short. So, um, I was doing pretty well, 11 months sober, but then HBO started rerunning it a lot on one of the extra channels and I was going through with the remote and there were Judd Nelson’s nostrils staring at me. “What’s a young Democrat doing working for a Republican senator?” “Moving up, Kirbo. Moving up.”
So, um, I watched. Again. And I wish I had TiVo so I could freeze-frame it on the scene when Andrew McCartney pushes his page-one Washington Post story against the windshield. Pop Tarts? Does the lede really say something about Pop Tarts? I need to know.
But, hey, it’s now five days and I haven’t watched it once. “Love, Actually,” on the other hand . . .
P.S. — by limiting yourself to the first two seasons of Homicide, Paul, you risk not seeing me as an extra, in the episode with Joan Chen.
I’m in the background in the newsroom scene, waving my hands ineffectually. Longer, much darker hair.
Watchability:
The Palm Beach Story (or anything else by Preston Sturges)
The Full Monty
Any Cary Grant movie
Casablanca
Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid
Breakfast Club (although I just can’t watch St. Elmo)
Ferris Bueller
Flashdance (come on, one of the best bad movies, you have to admit it)
The Bill Murray trilogy: Ghostbusters/Stripes/Caddyshack
Bull Durham
Die Hard (only the first)
Star Wars
Any Pixar movie
Godfather I and II
I’m with Sarah on the Saved by the Bell Episodes.
The same for me with Mad About You. I simply adore that show, and could watch any episode, many, many times.
Agree with Keith who mentioned Amelie.
that movie is watchable because there are many interesting little snippets in each scene to catch, and that, to me, is the mark of an extremely watchable movie.
Then a sub-category for me is: those movies that I MUST watch whenever they are on, regardless of what I’m doing. It’s a short list, but here it is:
Shawshank Redemption
You’ve Got Mail
Sleepless in Seattle
Bring it On (yeah, I know)
Father of the Bride
I’m sure there are more but for some reason, these have been in the TV Schedule rotation lately.
I love LOVE ACTUALLY, too, but it’s about the most depressing film a woman over 30 can watch. Tally up the score — Emma Thompson is cheated on and frosty; Laura Linney can’t realize her romantic fantasies because she’s responsible for her brother. Colin Firth gets young Portuguese woman, language barrier aside; Hugh Grant gets young English woman, class barrier aside; Liam Neeson gets Claudia Schieffer as a Claudia Schieffer look-alike, and so on. The only broken-hearted man is the one who wants Keira Knightley.
I still love it. So I’ve made a deal with myself not to think about it too much.
Yeah, that’s all true.
On the other hand, how often does a well-upholstered female character get the dashing leading man?
Admittedly, she’s only well-upholstered by Hollywood standards, but it’s more than we usually get.
You’re right, Keith. She was an offbeat beauty. My hunch is she’s a U.S. size 8 — smaller than average, but it looks big next to the size 0′s and 2′s.
I could watch the end of LOVE, ACTUALLY over and over again. (Also the wonderful heroic dash through Heathrow.) Then again, I could also watch BOOGIE NIGHTS over and over again. Both use the same Beach Boys song, BTW.
I’ve never come out of lurkerdom before, but someone MUST mention “Married to the Mob.” It comes on, and I’m not leaving the TV set. Even though I own it in two formats. And early Steve Martin gets me, too — “The Jerk,” “Pennies from Heaven,” and always, always “L.A. Story.”
When I used to do a lot of business travel, USA Network seemed to show “The Deliberate Stranger” (Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy) at any hour of any day. Cost me more sleep than crack cocaine.
The only movie playing continuously and eternally in heaven is Groundhog Day. And John Goodman (as God) booms over the closing credits, “You just don’t listen.” (Barton Fink). Alas, the only movie playing continuously in Hell is Groundhog Day and John Goodman (as the Devil) booms over the closing credits, “You just don’t listen.”
Groundhog Day works in mysterious ways.
Thanks to Keith above for fingering what it is about Love Actually that is so compelling.
Hi, my name is Andi and I watched St. E more than once (pause for the “hi, Andi”).
And thanks for mentioning Dead Again – AWESOMELY done film. Not my usual but WOW. And the accent work was stunning from the Brits; almost as good as the brilliant Bob Hoskins’ work in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (which gets a special nod because it’s “our movie” – the first film Stu and went to, which is SO right for all sorts of silly reasons including that he’s a cartoonist and we saw a mutual friend while in line, Chip Delany.)
Ah, the talented John Goodman. The Big Easy, another highly watchable film.
Must remember to watch for L (wasn’t Lippman also one of the closed cases on the board in the last season?) in Homicide, which Stu watched religiously. I appear as an extra in an episode of “Streets of San Francisco”. Rah.
Andi
Great contributions everyone!
For myself, the most rewatchable films are, hands down:
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
And I have yet to reach any satiation point with ANY episodes of The Sopranos.
PAYBACK is on.
I’m getting nothing done.