Repeat Viewings

I see a lot of movies at the theatre, so I rarely have time to see a film more than once. But on occasion, I will go see a movie more than once, especially if I liked it and want to introduce someone to it. On the odd occasion, I've gone to see a movie three times in theatres!

I am writing this because I saw Avatar for the third time yesterday. My friend Dawn hadn't seen it, and I figured she would enjoy it, so we met up after she got off work, did some shopping, and went to the 5:00 pm show. What I like about seeing a movie over again, both in theatres, and on DVD, is that you tend to discover something new every time you watch it. Once, I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on DVD for the hundredth time, and noticed that in one of the scenes, Johnny Depp was holding a banana...for no apparent reason. Little things like that amuse me.

In a movie like Avatar, there is always something new to notice. For example, I never noticed that many of the creatures in Avatar have more than two eyes. I also noticed that they seemed to change the trailers that were shown before the film. That excited me, since it meant I didn't have to sit through another Clash of the Titans preview, or a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time preview. I will probably see Avatar at least once more before it leaves theatres, likely when it comes to Imax. The huge screen size, and the amazing sound will add to the experience, and I won't be able to pass up that opportunity when it presents itself. I can understand why it is now the highest grossing film of all time: it holds up very well to repeat viewings, and it is the type of film you want everyone you know to "experience". It may be long, but the time flies by, even when I know what is going to happen.

But alternatively, there are the occasions where watching a film again ruins it for you. Gladiator is my example of this. I saw it many years ago, and loved it. However, I watched it about a year later in school when I was about 13, and found it to be dull, and rather stupid. Since then, I've caught bits of it on TV, and always end up rolling my eyes and changing the channel. To me, Gladiator is one of those movies you can only watch, and enjoy once.

On that note, before Avatar they showed a trailer for Robin Hood, and is it just me, or does it look like a sequel to Gladiator? Here's the trailer. It doesn't help that I dislike Russell Crowe at the best of times.

One movie I have been meaning to watch again is Lost in Translation. I was 14 when I watched it, and did not think much of it, and I realize now that, that is because I could not relate to it. Now, years later, I think I could get a lot out of it. Have you ever watched a film, hated it, but loved it years later? Or watched one, loved it, then hated it years later?