“Movies are fun, but they’re not a cure for cancer.”
- Warren Beatty

Have you ever found yourself flipping through TV channels looking for something good and landing on a movie that you’ve seen many times before? It happened to me the other day with Apollo 13. I think I’ve seen this movie at least ten times, but I got hooked and watched it again.


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Then I started thinking about some of the other movies that I still enjoy no matter how many times I’ve seen them. These are not necessarily the “best” movies, just ones that I can watch over and over without getting sick of them :)

Here is my list…

10. Tremors - A fun action-adventure/horror/sci-fi/comedy about giant killer underground creatures eating the residents of a small isolated desert town one by one, until two of the unlikeliest heroes decide to save the day.

9. Bloodsport - A great martial arts film depicting the exploits of Frank Dux, a Ninjutsu master who supposedly set several world records in a martial arts tournament known as the Kumite. It has some great fight scenes that don’t look like the obvious fakes in many of the newer martial art films.

8. My Cousin Vinny - A very funny movie about a rookie New York lawyer who goes down into the south to defend his cousin accused of a murder he did not commit. The plot may not sound like a comedy, but it really is. Great performances all around and a very good script make this movie a real treat.

7. Deep Impact - My favorite of the “killer asteroid about to wipe out mankind” movies that came out a few years ago. Although I like the other one as well, this one seemed smarter, with more interesting characters, and with a better plot. Plus the special effects of the killer Tsunami are pretty spectacular.

6. Liar Liar - This and Bruce Almighty are my favorite Jim Carrey comedies. I like this one because of the great over-the-top performances in the court room.

5. The Matrix - A fast-paced action-adventure movie that introduced some new and very cool special effects to the movie world. Full of logical flaws, but a fun ride nevertheless.

4. Silence of the Lambs - “Hello Clarice…” Winner of multiple academy awards, this is a classic psychological thriller pitting a young FBI cadet against a manipulative serial killer. Great performances all around and a smart plot full of tension and suspense.

3. Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks seems perfectly cast to utter that famous phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.” This drama based on the real-life story of the doomed Apollo 13 mission to the moon is one of my favorite movies.

2. Shawshank Redemption - Based on a Stephen King short story, it is one of my favorite dramas. There’s a lot of interesting trivia about this movie. For example, Stephen King reportedly sold the rights to the movie for a very small sum to a filmmaker friend, and even though it only grossed modestly in theaters, it became one of the highest grossing videos of all time.

1. Contact - Based on the Carl Sagan novel, this movie deals with a very fascinating subject: the existence of extraterrestrial life. Great performances by Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey highlight the tension between faith and science. This is a movie that forces you to really consider whether we are all alone in the universe.

As Jodie Foster’s character says, “I’ll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It’s bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it’s just us… seems like an awful waste of space. Right?”

 

Honorable mention…

Lorenzo’s Oil - This inspirational movie is based on the real-life story of Lorenzo Odone, a young boy who developed a rare “orphan” disease. The disease was so rare, that no one was working on a cure, until the boy’s parents decide to learn everything they can about the disease and take on the problem on their own.

What are some of your favorite movies?

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