In regards to my parents and myself, whenever the following came on, everyone stopped what they were doing and watched together: Zulu Twelve o"Clock High Support Your Local Sheriff There were others as well, but these are the ones that came to mind first.
The only film I can be reasonably certain I’ll watch again is It’s A Wonderful Life. There’s a fair chance I’ll watch Withnail & I, and Let The Right One In at least once more but, beyond that, life’s too short to repeat oneself.
The Right Stuff Dances With Wolves (my 4 hour version) Notes on a Scandal Hairspray Woodstock Taking Woodstock Latter Days 2001: A Space Odyssey West Side Story (both) The Blue Lagoon (not a great film, but I like the idea) Lord of the Flies (newest) Freefall (German) Brokeback Mountain God's Own Country The Mudge Boy Gandhi Mala Noche These are just some of the films I've watched many times, just way too many to list. I don't watch fantasy, comedy, super hero, CGI action, or movies geared towards children or movies with children in it if I can help it. I will occasionally break my rules though. War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise would have been great if Fanning wasn't in it. I wanted to see "65" but read there was a child actor in it so I didn't. "Star Wars"? I was done after "The Empire Strikes Back" back in '80, and pretty much bored with all three originals upon repeat viewings. Give me good, well acted, dialog driven drama that explores the human condition in a historical context.
I know this is a strange one, but a few years back TMC showed Bridge on the River Kwai on a day between Xmas and New Years. I'd never seen it and loved it. So I bought the Blu Ray and now that's a tradition for me that time every year.
Some often-watched movies of mine: The Night Of The Hunter Of Mice And Men (1939) Les Miserables (1935) Cool Hand Luke The Red House Scarlet Street Inherit The Wind Roman Holiday Barfly The Elephant Man Escape From Alcatraz too many to remember all of them or list them. The last time I watched, or tried to watch The Night Of The Hunter, I simply knew the dialogue too well to watch all the way. When I was younger I used to prefer comedies and saw the movie Blazing Saddles SO much that to this day I know most of the dialogue for a good while into the movie - memorized. I love a lot of movies - I forgot To Kill A Mockingbird now, just one example. And I had to stop early on in The Big Heat last time I started watching it, as over-familiarity with the movie made it lose its greatness for me. I'll have to try again sometime....
...and it's funny, I have a brother, and a friend, both feel that watching a movie once is enough. I have movies that I know I've seen 20 times or more.