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I recently decided to watch one of my favorite childhood
movies again and see if I still enjoyed it. I can remember watching Jurassic Park repeatedly circa age seven,
and gobbling up any toys and picture books associated with the franchise. I
memorized all the dinosaurs and their various abilities. It was very serious
business for me at the time.
When I sat down to watch it a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised
by how great the movie still is to me. The dinosaurs are incredibly realistic
and frightening 19 years after its initial release. At the same time, beyond the
universally appealing drama and adventure, as an adult I can appreciate and
understand more aspects of the plot.
We all have favorite movies and books that seem to withstand
the test of time. My other repeat favorites include Wes Craven’s Scream, one of my perennial Halloween-time picks. The blend of wit and horror always seems fresh and entertaining. Mean Girls still ranks as one of my
favorite comedies and always makes me laugh out loud thanks to Tina Fey’s
hysterical screenplay.
Although I typically never reread books even if I really
loved them due to the never ending list of books I want to read , I do revisit
Stephen King’s The Stand every once
and a while. There are always portions of the novel that resonate with me
differently over the years. Moreover, the favorites I do tend to revisit always
provide a comforting nostalgic appeal with every viewing.
Are there any books, movies, or albums you find yourself revisiting
every few years? If so what draws you to look at an old favorite time and time
again?
7 comments:
I watch Arsenic and Old Lace and I Was a Male War Bride every few years. I love the way Cary Grant does physical comedy. And the album Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl is one I go back to regularly. I think some music seems to weave together the different times in your life into a unified pattern. Great post, Tracy G!
I make it a point to listen to one or two songs on repeat every time I visit a new place so that when I come home I will be able to mentally revisit that place forever. Every time I listen to the Shakira song "Te Dejo Madrid" I'm brought immediately back to the train ride I took from Madrid to Granada. It's amazing how strong memories can be when you link them with a favorite song, film, or book.
I never tire of Cary Grant movies. My favorites are Father Goose, Philadelphia Story and Holiday. We also revisit Independence Day every July 4th and love Will Smith keeping that cigar for "when the fat lady sings."
In my head, The Joshua Tree album = The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I listened to the one constantly while reading the other the first time. Both of them are simply excellent, warranting frequent re-visits.
One of the best things about rereading childhood favorites is recapturing the way you felt when you read them. Especially when you feel stressed out by being an adult! I have Lucy Boston's The Yew Castle on hold, which I read, I guess, in grade school, just to have that out of time experience. I was a little startled to see that the book is only about 80 pages!
Great post! I like to revisit the movies Cinema Paradiso and Baby, It's You. Cinema Paradiso is comfort viewing. Baby, It's You I return to because it strikes me as one of the most truthful coming of age films and because of its unflinching exploration of class, a specialty of filmmaker John Sayles.
I'm reading The Meryl Streep Movie Club and it reminded me what a terrific and versatile actress Meryl Streep is. Mamma Mia (watched it at least 3 times so far)is not only fun to watch but it brings back all those great songs by Abba. (Revisiting the 70's and 80's)
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