I spent many days as a kid at to the movies during the 1980s. I remember enjoying a whole bunch of blockbuster movies, but for some reason, I never revisited them after catching them once on the big screen. These movies include: Ghostbusters Gremlins Goonies Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom E.T. Ok I actually admit that I found E.T. totally overrated and even stupid (!), but still have fond memories. But I’ve never seen it since. What are your favorites that you’ve seen only once many years ago?
Of the five you listed , I've only seen ' Ghostbusters' more than once. Never seen ' Goonies'. I think I saw ' Gandhi'...but if I did I must have been dulled out of my mind because I can't remember a single thing about it.
In around 2015/2016 I was in the hospital recovering from major surgery. I was laying in a hospital bed feeling pretty down given the situation I was in and it being just prior to Christmas. In the evening the nurse that had been extremely nice and accommodating came in for rounds and saw that I was channel surfing on the portable tv. I stopped at Polar Express for a second and the nurse highly recommend it. I ended up watching and enjoying it that evening. I haven't watched it since, nor will I, as it has become a fond memory of that nurse's compassion through that difficult time.
What's interesting is FOUR out of those five films have the hand of Stevie Spielberg all over them. I have found that most, if not ALL of his films are "One and Done" with me. Don't know why - I would even say I "liked" most of them. Outside of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I feel ZERO need to revisit his films.
I would tend to agree with you on most of his films but there are several of his I have seen multiple times and will watch again sometime.
I find comedies, horror, sci-fi and some musicals more conducive to repeat viewings than say, dramas which are often quite good, superb even but require the right mindset for me to watch again let alone multiple times. The other genres I can generally re-watch at the drop of a hat. And the sadder the story, the less likely I'll want to revisit those emotions. For instance, I can enjoy a film like I Want To Live but never feel the need to watch it again.
Sling Blade. I saw it in the theater upon its release and haven't watched it sense then. It was a good movie, I just have never felt the call to revisit it. I think I even own a dvd copy, but still...
I'll go with "Shawshank Redemption". Saw it in a theatre opening weekend and have never seen it since. No idea why since I remember really liking it. One of these days...
I saw Quest for Fire at the theater when it came out, really enjoyed it, have never seen it again. I think now that I know all the twists, I might not enjoy it as much.
the ice storm. which i just watched for the 1st time. a good film. tho i have zero desire to watch it again.....
'Quest For Fire' contains one of my favourite movie scenes... The three cavemen are on a journey to find fire for their tribe. They have no idea of where it can be found but it is their quest to find it. Through a series of circumstances, one of them is captured by a more advanced tribe and he is sitting there when one of the tribe enters carrying some straw and sticks and proceeds to 'create ' a fire. The caveman is astonished. To say his mind was blown is understating it. It's a better scene than I am describing it.
I don't usually rewatch movies that I merely like. If I like something to a higher level than that, then yes. Like the OP's list the only one I wanted to see again was Ghostbusters. I only liked three of them though. I really liked Andrei Rublev, but somehow I've only seen it once. I'd love to see it again. I must have liked Stalker even more because I tracked down a DVD back when they were hard to find. I liked Revenant but I don't desire another view, maybe because I liked the previous Man in the Wilderness better and have watched it multiple times. I've still only seen the Man Who Killed Don Quixote and also Once Upon a Time in Hollywood once but I will see them again.
I took a date to see Ghandi in 1983 and I think the only thing I can remember about it now was that besides Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen and John Gielgud were in it.
Tightrope (1984) with Clint Eastwood. My girlfriend and I saw it during the summer of 1984, I haven't seen a frame of it since. Newman's Law (1974) with George Peppard. It was playing on a double bill with the re-release of Jaws in 1977. I recall liking it but have never seen it again. The End (1978) with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise. I can remember the basic plot and bits and pieces of it (I recall Myrna Loy and Pat O'Brien played Burt's parents) but I haven't seen it since June of 1978. Corvette Summer (1978). I saw it at the drive-in in 1979 and really enjoyed it. I remember quite a bit of it even though I haven't seen it for over 42 years. The Jerk (1979) I saw it on a double date around Christmas of 1979. I remember just bits of it now, but recall liking it at the time.
That IS a great little film! I was amazed it never got an English language remake, it seemed so ripe for it, although I imagine some of the ideas are out-dated now (videotaping folks).
Corvette Summer is just fine...for a TV "Movie of the Week". Which it wasn't. This just isn't the type of film people wanna pay money to see and then feel good about it afterwards. Annie Potts is simply DELIGHTFUL in it, though. She shoulda had a MUCH bigger film career.
Seven Samurai. I saw it on cable, thought it totally great, bought the Blu-ray set shortly after seeing it - three and a half years ago - and just can't seem to watch it again. You really have to be in a special mood for a 3 and a half hour movie in Japanese. (I've started to watch it a couple of times or more but just couldn't get very far)
I also saw Gremlins only once, during the summer of 1984. My girlfriend wanted to see it, I didn't have any interest in it. I thought it was okay, but I have never had the desire to see it again.
