[Note from Mark: I've only seen one film over ten times in my life: Star Wars. So it was with great surprise that I heard my girlfriend Miki, who is neither a filmmaker nor a film geek, declare that she had sat through the following disparate collection of movies so frequently. I'll let her take it from here.] These are my most obsessed-over movies. I can quote all of them practically in their entirety. I have watched all of them as recently as within the past 5 years. I would happily watch any of them again tonight.
- Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer, 1999). Year of First Viewing: 1999. Times I saw it in a theater: 7. Times I saw it on TV/video: 8. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 15. Why? It is a flawless movie that gets better with every viewing.... not to mention my fondness for girls with bright hair and big black shoes.
- Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968). Year of First Viewing: 1990. Times I saw it in a theater: 0. Times I saw it on TV/video: 17. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 17. Why? "This is no dream.... this is really happening!" became my life's philosophy for a good decade there.
- Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2000). Year of First Viewing: 2000. Times I saw it in a theater: 10. Times I saw it on TV/video: 8. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 18. Why? I relate both to Enid's fashion sense and to her bitter cynicism. Seymour reinforced that I've always been most charmed by the clueless geek types (no offense, Mark 😉 )
- Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972). Year of First Viewing: 1988. Times I saw it in a theater: 5. Times I saw it on TV/video: 20. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 25. Why? It's a strange combination of some of my key interests... the Holocaust, musical theater, gender bending, bisexuality, dorky guys and my sometime-doppelganger, Liza Minnelli.
- Annie (John Huston, 1982). Year of First Viewing: 1982. Times I saw it in a theater: 9. Times I saw it on TV/video: 18. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 27. Why? I was a 9 year old girl who loved musical theater... of course I became obsessed! It also introduced me to two of my future favs, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters.
- Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985). Year of First Viewing: 1985. Times I saw it in a theater: 1. Times I saw it on TV/video: 30. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 31. Why? It started because of my adolescent love of Michael J. Fox. It continues because of my appreciation for the work of Crispin Glover and Christopher Lloyd. An added attraction is that one of my current employers has a small role in it, which never ceases to amuse me.
- When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989). Year of First Viewing: 1989. Times I saw it in a theater: 1. Times I saw it on TV/video: 35. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 36. Why? I've certainly never liked anything else that involved Meg Ryan or Billy Crystal. I have no explanation for my continued fondness.
- Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1989). Year of First Viewing: 1990. Times I saw it in a theater: 0. Times I saw it on TV/video: 40. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 40. Why? It came out at the perfect time in my life to hold great appeal... I was a depressed teenage girl who had a secret crush on Winona Ryder and nothing much better to do for a few years than endlessly watch it on video. I actually wrote a college paper on Heathers once. I got an A.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975). Year of First Viewing: 1990. Times I saw it in a theater: 11. Times I saw it on TV/video: 30. TOTAL VIEWINGS: 41. Why? By now you know that I like musicals, gender bending, bisexuality, geeks and Tim Curry. Hence, this should come as no surprise.