Pop Blotter: The Sublime Familiarity Of Our Favorite Films

On The Movie Critics' Blog on EntertainmentWeekly.com, Lisa Schwarzbaum, my favorite EW movie critic, posted an article titled "The Godfather 2: Movies I watch and watch again." In the article, Schwarzbaum writes, "There's a profound comfort in re-watching a movie you love, even though (or maybe because) the scenes have worn grooves in your consciousness."

This got me thinking about why I watch certain movies again and again. One reason is that I possess a great love for an actor who drives me to his or her films. For me, that one actor is Sandra Bullock. She is beautiful to watch and has a commanding presence on camera. When it comes down to it, she is impossible not to love. Bullock often plays the same type of character - the misfit neurotic who just wants to find her place in the world. And I identify with that. The Miss Congeniality series are perhaps the two most-watched DVDs in my extensive library.

Even when Bullock is not doing one of her signature rom-coms, she can never cease to move me. She is an underrated actor. I will, for example, watch Bullock in Premonition again and again, even though its artistic merit is questionable. That's because she's so talented.

I would also add to this list Maggie Smith and Reese Witherspoon. Watching each of Smith's performances is like watching a master class in acting. Witherspoon has that America's sweetheart appeal that I just can't resist, and she's an Academy Award-winning actress.

Schwarzbaum also speaks of the "familiarity" of movies. Two of my favorite movies are the two titles in the Sister Act series. They remind me so much of my childhood every time that I watch them. Having been in Catholic school all my life, they allow me to delve comfortably back into my past and to relive memories of my days in class and my glory days in community theater. They comfort me, and I like that.

Hand-in-hand with this comes the issue of genre. My favorite is the thriller genre, of which the subcategory of Ashley Judd-in-peril movies is my favorite.

There are some movies that I watch, as Schwarzbaum says, because the scenes have worn grooves in my conscious. I watch First Wives' Club over and over because I know how I will react every time that I watch it. It helped me cope with my parents' divorce in high school. And still, every time that I have a relationship problem, whether it be with a family member, friend, or a significant other, I know that this movie will supply me doses of revenge and justice.

I also watch movies even though the scenes have worn grooves in my conscious. I consider Y tú mama también to be my favorite movie. I know each time that I watch it, though, that I'm going to hate the ending. But, I watch it anyway because it is so honest in its portrayal of life. Mama admits that things aren't perfect and that this world really sucks sometimes. In it, though, I find hope. And, every time that I watch it, I take a different lesson away from it.

And last but not least, I watch some movies because they are artistic masterpieces, flawless as flawless can be. Watching them teaches me about everything that cinema should be. I love them for their profound achievements. In this category, I would place Singin' In the Rain. It's the best musical ever made without question. But it also tells the tale of the great revolution of the film industry. It's timeless, so I can never tire of watching it.

And so I leave you to ask yourself, what movies do you watch over and over again, and why?