the few movies I've seen about 10 times
The movies we have obsessed over
June 10, 2026
by Jen Davies, nerd
Last week I hosted a Watch Party for the #TheHuntForBenSolo fan campaign, and I noted that I have now seen the featured film - 65 - 8 or 9 times now, and that's a lot for me. I rarely revisit movies or TV shows. Something has to really grip me to get me to rewatch.
And it got me wondering about the movies I have obsessed over. Which movies have YOU obsessed over? Do you think it says anything about us?
Childhood...
The Princess Bride
Willow
SW Ep456
things with puppets
I cannot remember a time when I did not know Star Wars (original trilogy). My father showed it to me as soon as he thought I could handle it, and I know I saw all three movies in the first home that I can remember. We moved from there when I was 7, so I know I had seen all three by that age.
Likely thanks to Frank Oz's Yoda, I loved rewatching The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock for years, which had a wicked soundtrack and the great music in that show probably influenced my preferences. And I still love puppets (see the Adulthood section). I enjoyed animated films as a kid too, though the ones I remember sticking to me now that I'm an adult were the ones that scared me (The Secret of Nimh, and An American Tail are standouts). The only animated movie I can remember rewatching a lot was a 1940s (or maybe even 1930s) musical version of Gulliver's Travels.
The other two films I watched a lot were Willow and The Princess Bride. What I loved about Willow were the social justice and psychological struggles. Obviously as a child I couldn't have framed it that way, but I would have told you that I was cheering for each character because of those things. The themes were very grown-up for a film that was somehow still kid-appropriate except for a couple of scary bits.
The Princess Bridge is iconic. I don't know if I have to say much about it - it's a fantastic fairy tale, love story, and buddy-cop movie. Maybe Rob Reiner's finest work. It became a favourite of my best friend growing up and we memorized it, and we would recite it start to finish (beginning with the musical notes of 'Take me out to the ballgame'). This is the film I have absolutely been exposed to the most.
Adolescence...
Dune
Tommy
The Matrix (first one)
Tommy and Dune are weirdo movies for a teenager. Tommy happened because I was very much into British rock music from the 1960s and 1970s, a The Who was a band I was very much into. When I found out they had made a movie version of their rock opera, I convinced my father to take me to Blockbuster Video to rent it. It is a very strange film, and I can't say I ever really enjoyed it, but I ended up owning a copy and watched it regularly for several years for what I can only describe as "the vibes". Because it did make me feel curious about what it was trying to say, and of course I liked seeing band members (mostly Roger Daltrey) trying to act.
Dune was discovered because I was a Trekker and I found out that Patrick Stewart had a part in it. (I've written about this here.) Much like with Tommy, I watched it for "the vibes" - something about that story and the way that David Lynch (and then the corporate editor) presented it tickled my brain. I had read the book before seeing the movie, so I knew some of what was in the film was presented incorrectly, but it didn't bother me because I was still intensely interested in the story.
The Matrix was a phenomenon that arrived just as I was becoming an adult, and in addition to nobody ever having seen anything like it before, I also loved "the vibes". I wasn't questioning the scientific accuracy or consistency, I just enjoyed the ride! I still try to enjoy movies this way: they're trying to create a mood, and if I ask fewer questions while the movie plays then I can enjoy it way more. Questions are for after the credits.
Adulthood...
65
Interstellar
Prediction: Project Hail Mary
Of course as an adult I have a lot less time to watch films, and I have the advantage that I can watch whatever I want without parental approval, so there's a much wider array of choices and therefore less time for rewatching. That said, there are a few films that I have found myself watching over again.
As I opened with, I have rewatched the movie 65 quite a few times. I discovered it on my Adam Driver deep dive last summer (as fate would have it, just before the bombshell interview in which he revealed The Hunt for Ben Solo project and cancellation - I've written about that here). But it's the only one of his that I have felt the need to keep coming back to - and a lot, like I'll throw it on just because. And it's not one you can listen to in the background because there's so little dialogue - it is mostly acted, so you do have to watch it with your eyeballs. I love the two protagonists' character arcs, and I love how it's a great big story that focuses on just those two as they deal with their grief (together but silently).
I'm also a sucker for a father-daughter story (see this post), so Interstellar is to date my favourite movie ever because it also brings in science, space travel, and characters (including robots, which are puppets) who feel real. I have the film, and the soundtrack, memorized. For all the same reasons I think there's a chance that Project Hail Mary may take the most-watched spot eventually (saw it twice in theatre and can't wait to own it).
Thinking about a it, something that all of these films have in common is characters who are determined: there are no wishy-washy, undecided, flip-floppy people in these stories. They have to adapt and flex to accomplish the goals they set, and that's what brings the tension and excitement.
#puppets
#interstellar #projecthailmary
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