Movies you watch once...and only once
There are movies you want to watch over and over. And then there are ones you watch just once. Sometimes it is because they, in a word, suck. While others are good, the way they end leaves you feeling unsatisfied. Here are a few of them.
1. The Last King of Scotland (2006.)
Forrest Whitaker excels in his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. But the film is hampered by a lack of sympathetic characters you can root for. Even James McAvoy's ficticious personal aide to Amin does not win any sympathy. One almost wishes he dies at the end. This means its re-watch value is limited unless you are a Forrest Whitaker fan. It will, however, leave you quoting the “Who is it? … It’s Idi Amin!” lines from the military comedy Stripes even if you just see it one time.
Worth watching once just to see something that never has happened in real-life: A TV demo gauge blown away while broadcast live on the air. And by terrorists hired by the TV network no less! That sure would cause a national scandal involving Homeland Security if the movie had been set in the world of today. It also is the sole plot element behind the poster blurb about it being an “outrageous motion picture.” Otherwise, apart from Peter Finch’s maniacal performance as an insane newscaster –turned ratings sensation, the film is flat, contrived and boring. To be sure, the flick did kind of predict reality TV.
Image courtesy Wikimedia.
This lame action/comedy makes Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull look like a wise move on Harrison Ford’s part. It is so disjointed and sluggish plot-wise that it is boring as heck. This wannabe cop-buddy flick also lacks the zest and fun of the likes of Running Scared, the Lethal Weapon series and the Bad Boys movies. I myself watched it once just to see Josh Hartnett without having to endure a film even worse: A blood-drenched 2001 WWII movie/chick flick better entitled Pathetic Harbor than that of the naval base Japan attacked in 1941.
This is the movie that gave us that awesome song that plays as the Griswolds rush toward Wally World in Vacation. Harold Ramis & Co. were able to use that piece of music because Warner Brothers produced Chariots of Fire as well as Vacation. But what about the film the music comes from? Focusing on the story of two runners at the 1924 Olympics, the film is elegant and excellent. Unfortunately, unless you are a sports fan, it is a film you watch once, are glad you did, but don't return to because once was enough. The song, on the other hand...
The mother of all chick flicks, this adaptation of Grace Metalious' best seller lays it on thick melodrama-wise. Also, the courtroom scenes start off on such a stereotypical “clown in court” note that one wishes Breaker Morant (well, Edward Woodward’s Breaker Morant) would strut in and blow Lorne Greene’s prosecutor away in the name of “Rule .303” just for being annoying. The artsy-fartsy panoramas of New England farm country as Turner narrates are just plain boring, too. To Kill a Mockingbird this movie isn't. Nevertheless, the performances by Lana Turner, Lloyd Nolan and the other cast members make it watchable, albeit just once. Unless, that is, you are a chick-flick afficionado.
Not a bad Christmas flick per se, but it does lay things on a bit thick, especially with the musical numbers. Worth one look if only to see why Clark Griswold made the comment about Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in another Christmas film whose re-watch value is, well, as bright as hundreds of imported twinkle lights from Italy.
7. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968.)
This is a very good caper flick starring Steve McQueen in an against-type performance as a charming millionaire playboy who stages a bank heist for fun. It also stars Faye Dunaway as a beautiful insurance agent out to catch him. But (spoiler alert!) the film ends with McQueen escaping rather than being caught. This leaves an anti-climactic taste that dampens re-watch enthusiasm. Unless, that is, you dig Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.
Only monster movie buffs will watch this one more than once. Alas, the Tremors franchise it isn't.
And that is the list. Anybody else know of movies you just watch once?
Main image courtesy Wikimedia.
3 comments