You’re going to live on an island for a year. You’re allowed to take 5 movies with you, what do you take?
Note: this article originally appeared here @ SGA
The scenario is this: you’re going to get stranded on a Desert Island. It has a bunker, a generator, a TV, a DVD/Blu-Ray player AND all the supplies you’re ever going to need.
You’ll be there for an entire year.
You’re allowed to take 5 movies to keep you entertained during that time.
No, I don’t know why it’s only 5 movies you’re allowed to take, maybe weight restrictions or something. Just 5 movies and no arguing, okay?
Which movies would you choose?
Here’s my list.
What’s the Criteria?
The criteria for this is really simple: what movies do you like so much you can watch them over and over again?
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t apply your own restrictions to your list. With mine, I’ve tried to get a good mix of different genre’s in there, because my mood could very well change during those long months stranded alone.
I’d also point out that, for me, this doesn’t necessarily mean I consider the movies on my list my favourite movies of all time — these are just 5 of the most rewatchable movies of all time.
If you’re wondering whether all of the movies on my list are geek movie, then I can tell you right now: they’re not. In fact, there isn’t a single comic book movie on my final 5.
There’s only 1 which you’d class as a geek movie and it’s sci-fi.
Honourable Mentions.
Choosing just 5 movies to put on this list was really hard — far more difficult than I thought it was going to be.
Before I get into the list, I thought I’d mention all of the movies that I love but narrowly missed the final 5.
- Shawshank Redemption
- The Dark Knight
- Any Given Sunday
- Goodfellas
- Dumb and Dumber
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers
- Die Hard
- The Big Lebowski
- The Man From Earth
5 Rewatchable Movies of All Time: The List
Now it’s time to get to my actual list. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a little unexpected.
5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
What’s not to love about this movie?
A family man tries to get home for the holiday’s amidst bad weather and a REALLY bad choice of travelling companion.
You feel the jeopardy. You feel the hate. You feel the love. You feel the feels. This movies just makes you FEEL dammit and I think that’s why I love it the most.
I’m a sucker for movies that can make you laugh or make you cry at the flick of a switch and this movie has that ability in spades.
Film Facts
This was John Candy’s favourite of his own movies.
Del Griffith’s large trunk/footlocker contains a pillow and a picture of his wife.
4. The Usual Suspects
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
I want to go back in time.
I want to go back in time and make it so I can experience the ending to this movie again.
The shock value of the epic twist was breathtaking the first time I ever saw this movie, but that memory is slowly fading away now.
But it doesn’t matter.
I can watch this movie over and over again and despite already experiencing the awesome ending, I appreciate the movie more every time I watch it.
Okay, the ending was the hook and it’s what everybody talks about, but the more I watch it, the more I appreciate the story telling, the acting, just the crafting the movie. It is absolutely fantastic.
Film Facts
All the actors worked for less than their usual fees just so they could be a part of the movie.
The idea for this movie started only with the concept of a movie poster of five men in a lineup.
3. The Fifth Element
IMDB Rating: 7.7
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 71%
This might come as a swerve ball to a lot of readers. Hell, most of you probably have never seen the movie or at the very least remembered it exists.
Well, it does and it’s epic.
The story is far out, but the pace of the movie is fast enough to forget any potential plot failings and keep you drawn in for the entirety of the run time.
I also love it because it’s the first time in a good long while in which the main hero of the piece never means the main villain.
Try and get your heads around that for just a second.
It has action, romance, comedy and everything else you can possibly want in a movie.
Film Facts
The hero and villain never meet throughout this movie.
Director Luc Besson and Milla Jovovich created and refined “The Devine Language” spoken in the movie.
2. The Blues Brothers
IMDB Rating: 7.9
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%
Who doesn’t love The Blues Brothers? I mean, it’s an epic movie that has two of the most iconic characters in movie history.
It has a great story, great music, a great car chase and all the fantastic cameo appearances you could possibly hope for.
Hell, this movie is so cool it has the late, great Carrie Fisher in it. Now THAT is pretty fucking cool, am I right?
Every time I watch it, I smile, I dance, I sing and I laugh my ass off.
And I can watch it again and again too.
Film Facts
A world record — at that time — 103 cars were wrecked during filming.
During the filming of the opening scene, guards at the prison fired at the helicopter filming the overhead shots, thinking that it was attempting to spy on the structure.
Carrie Fisher became engaged to co-star Dan Aykroyd during this shoot shortly after he saved her from choking by applying the Heimlich maneuver.
1. My Cousin Vinny
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
My Cousin Vinny might just about be my favourite movie of all time. No joke.
I can watch this movie over and over again and not get bored.
It has humour, jeopardy and a wise-cracking lawyer who primarily got into the business because he was good at arguing. It also has the magnificent Marisa Tomei in it, who plays a strong, yet captivating character that often brings Joe Pesci’s Vinny down to Earth.
I could watch this every day for the next year and not get bored, which is precisely why it’s number 1 on my list.
Film Facts
The director of the movie, Jonathan Lynn, has a law degree and insisted on all of the legal proceedings to be as realistic as possible.
Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for best supporting actress for the movie. In 2002, she briefly lost the award.
