There’s Nothing Like Re-watching Old Movies
Who doesn’t like that warm glow of nostalgia
I like watching old movies. It’s comforting to know they are there. That they’ll do the trick and won’t be a disappointment.
It’s like meeting the same group of friends in the pub every week. That sense of familiarity and kinship. It might be a bit draining from time to time, as you know what’s coming next. But overall, it’s satisfying and pleasing. They won’t let you down, and sometimes that’s all you need.
I rarely, if ever, watch TV apart from the occasional football match, and neither does my wife. Which is why we always set Friday night aside for a movie. We’ve been doing it for so long, we call it Movie Night.
I make pizza (always) and drink beer. Then we settle down with one or two bottles of red wine to watch the film.
But which one?
We both grew up in the 1980s and 90s when there was no such thing as streaming. If you wanted to watch a film, you had to go to the video store or see what was on TV. Or dip into your minuscule VHS or DVD collection. Or borrow one from a friend.
These days, choosing a movie is a nightmare. A year ago, my brother-in-law connected my TV to a semi-legal app that gives me access to over 10,000 movies.
He did it as a favour. It was a curse.
It was bad enough choosing a movie from the regular channels, each of which had a ton of free-to-air movies. Sometimes choosing one would turn into a full-blown argument, and we wouldn’t even bother watching one. Just sulk in the corner like teenagers (again).
Now with an unlimited supply on offer, the task had become almost impossible, and our sacred Movie Night was in danger of being cancelled, permanently. So we developed a rule. We alternate. Each week, one of us chooses, and that’s the one we watch. No debate.
It mostly works. Luckily, our tastes are similar.
I dislike any movie with car chases. I find car chases insanely boring, and so does my wife. I like slapstick comedy (the more stupid the better), and so does she. I love sci-fi and horror. She doesn’t. She likes deep and serious dramas about people’s lives; I do, but less so.
When it’s my week to choose a movie, I play it safe. There’s nothing worse than watching a movie, or lending someone a book, or listening to a record, knowing they hate it.
I once had a ten-hour car journey with a friend who played Coldplay and Ed Sheeran back to back. I stupidly said I liked them, and it was possibly one of the biggest mistakes of my life. There’s nothing worse than being subjected to entertainment you hate.
This is the reason I now stick to movies I’ve seen before. It’s like going to eat at the same restaurant and ordering the same meal every time because you know it’s good.
It’s a game of percentages. Choose an experimental low-budget movie, and your precious movie night could be reduced to watching two people scream at each other in a room (both in the movie and in your living room).
I go for the safe bet. True, it might not live up to how you remembered it, and you may feel you’ve gained nothing from it. But at least you’ll know you’re not sitting through something the other person hates. And as my Coldplay/Ed Sheeran trip demonstrates, that’s important.
Last week we watched The Terminal (2004) starring Tom Hanks. I’ve seen it before, and so had my wife. In fact, we watched it together about ten years ago. But apart from the general idea (guy gets stuck in an airport terminal), I couldn’t remember the plot or the ending. It was like watching a new movie yet knowing all along it was a good one.
You may think this is a pretty sterile way of approaching movies. Aren’t movies to be explored? New genres, ideas, and stories. Absolutely, I agree. But sometimes you just want to switch off. Like completely. Life isn’t as relaxing as it used to be.
There’s too much noise in my head and around me. And if the only thing that cures it is a pizza, a load of red wine and a movie I’ve seen a hundred times before on a Friday night, so be it.
You can’t hang a guy for that!
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Ed Sheeran will be very sad to know you don't like his music.
I love rewatching series and movies that I enjoyed. It's a battle in my house, because my family doesn't like to rewatch things. So this sounds great to me. I recently started added periodic notes with nostalgic favorite tv, movies, books, and games I loved in my youth because so many of them are now forgotten.