Play it again: Jungle Red Writers PLAYLIST

 

HALLIE EPHRON: On Monday we talked about the movies we can watch over and over again. The response was outstanding (sustained applause!!) Such a great list, and I realized it was one we'd all like to have.

So today I present to you the playlist - I hope I caught them all - listed in alphabetical order for you to have handy when you're deciding what to watch next.

As I was sorting ths list, I imagined Leeloo of THE FIFTH ELEMENT (the alien who is a supreme being and needs a crash course in US culture) fast-forwarding through ALL of these and absorbing everything essential about our world.

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY
ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
ANNA AND THE KING
2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY
ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
ANNA AND THE KING
AWAY FROM HER
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (DISNEY)
BEETLEJUICE
BIG FISH
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
BLAST FROM THE PAST
BLAZE OF GLORY
BLAZING SADDLES
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
BRINGING UP BABY
BROADCAST NEWS
BULL DURHAM
CASABLANCA
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
CHRISTMAS VACATION
CINEMA PARADISO
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
CLUE
CRAZY FROM THE HEART
CRAZY STUPID LOVE
DANCES WITH WOLVES
DIE HARD
DIRTY DANCING
DOWN WITH LOVE
DRACULA (1931)
ENCHANTED APRIL
ET THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
FARGO
FIELD OF DREAMS
FLETCH
FORGET PARIS
FORREST GUMP
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
GALAXY QUEST
HARRY POTTER
HELLO DOLLY
HOLIDAY
HOME ALONE AT CHRISTMAS
HOOK
HOOSIERS
HOT FUZZ
IF A MAN ANSWERS
INDEPENDENCE DAY
INDIANA JONES
INDISCREET
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
IQ
JAWS
JUMANJI
JURASSIC PARK
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
LETTERS TO JULIET
LOVE ACTUALLY
MAMA MIA
MEN IN BLACK
MIDNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MISS CONGENIALITY
MOON OVER PARADOR
MOONSTRUCK
MOUSE HUNT
MUSIC AND LYRICS
MY COUSIN VINNY
MY FAIR LADY
NOTTING HILL
OUT OF AFRICA
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
PINK PANTHER
PIRATE RADIO
PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER
REDS
ROBIN HOOD (1939)
ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS
ROMAN HOLIDAY
ROMANCING THE STONE
SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN
SERENITY
SHIRLEY VALENTINE
SINGING IN THE RAIN
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
SNOW CAKE
SOUTH PACIFIC
SPEED
SPY
STAR WARS (ORIGINAL 3)
STEEL MAGNOLIAS
TEA WITH MUSSOLINI
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
THE COURT JESTER
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
THE DESK SET
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
THE FIFTH ELEMENT
THE GODFATHER
THE HOLIDAY
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE LAST STARFIGHTER
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT
THE MALTESE FALCON
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
THE REPLACEMENTS
THE SHINING
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN
THUNDERHEART
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
TOMBSTONE
TREMORS
TRUE GRIT
TRULY MADLY DEEPLY
TWO FOR THE ROAD
UNDERCOVER BLUES
WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
WILLOW
WORKING GIRL
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Pressing REPLAY

HALLIE EPHRON: I was saddened to see the recent obituary for Olympia Dukakis. I’m a huge fan and it got me thinking about one of my favorite movies: MOONSTRUCK. She plays Cher’s mother, worldly wise when she tells her husband that she knows he’s cheating on her, she wants him to stop, and “I just want you to know no matter what you do, you're gonna die, just like everybody else.” It’s a classic moment.

I watched the movie again the other night (it’s on Amazon Prime) and once again marveled at Dukakis’s performance. And Cher’s. And Vincent Gardenia as the father and Nicholas Cage as the wounded raging hot-as-hell Ronny Cammareri. It’s SO good. Even viewed for the umpteenth time. The opening scenes are full of little “Easter eggs” hinting at scenes that will take place later (a shot that establishes the neighborhood shows us a busy street with a moving van with METROPOLITAN OPERA emblazoned on its side).

I have the same experience when I watch THE WIZARD OF OZ again. And again. So much is seeded in those opening scenes on the farm (Dorothy falls into the pig pen and gets rescued by a terrified farmhand who will later be the cowardly lion). And it’s great fun anticipating the delivery of a great line. (“I’m a very good man - I’m just a very bad wizard.” “What a world, what a world.” )

Is there a movie that’s so good that you can watch it over and over again?

LUCY BURDETTE: Hallie, did you know that Frank Bruni recommended that everyone watch MOONSTRUCK again during the pandemic? So John and I did--it’s so fabulous! Every actor is amazing and the story, so romantic.

Another one that I love is LOVE ACTUALLY, but once a year for that is enough. And SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE--I can’t say how many times I have watched that one. I especially love Tom Hanks.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Such a good question. You know--WORKING GIRL, with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford. She’s from the wrong side of the river, but she’s smart and ambitious and willing to do the work.

I am a big fan of ugly duckling stories, especially when the ugly duckling is smart, and this is one of those. And that fantastic anthem “Let the River Run” sung by Carly Simon. And in the end, (spoiler) she is SO HAPPY, and then the camera pulls out to show she is just one little little person. Ahhh.

In that same smart duckling vein, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Oh, when Andi comes out in the Chanel boots? When Miranda lectures her about turquoise? It’s touching, and wonderful, and SO funny.

And I would always watch The Godfather, and Casablanca, and Lawrence of Arabia. To Kill A Mockingbird, too, we watched that the other night, in fact. OH! And MY COUSIN VINNY. CLASSIC. Hilarious. Every. Time. I’ll stop now.

HALLIE: POSITRACTION!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hank, I love WORKING GIRL, and you’ve inspired me to re-watch it again. It’s SO eighties, and yes, the Carly Simon song stands as one of the greatest movie themes ever. Every second-rate film gets an updated version; why hasn’t anyone done a remake of WORKING GIRL?

I’ve talked before about how my family has seasonal movie rewinds: THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW during the first big storm of winter, DIE HARD on Christmas Eve, and INDEPENDENCE DAY (the original, not the terrible, terrible sequel) on, well, you can guess when we watch that.

But if we’re talking about movies I will sit down again and again for, I have two comedies that never stop amusing me: SPY, starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Jason Statham (who is great at playing an over-the-top version of his usual tough-guy role) and DOWN WITH LOVE, a somewhat-obscure, wonderfully stylish homage to all those Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies of the early 60s, with Renee Zellweger in the Doris Day role, Ewan McGregor “as” Rock Hudson/Cary Grant/James Garner, and David Hyde Pierce, who is almost more Tony Randall than Tony Randall was!

JENN McKINLAY: Julia, I loved, SPY, and now I must see DOWN WITH LOVE. I was such an old movie buff as a teen that I consumed all the Doris Day/Rock Hudson or James Garner movies, fell in love with Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin in IF A MAN ANSWERS (so great!), and decided to become a writer of rom-coms because of ROMANCING THE STONE. Also, I will stop whatever I’m doing and watch any movie Elvis is in if one comes on. The movie that I always double back to, however, is FIELD OF DREAMS. A multi-layered, poignant, family centric movie with loads of magical realism -- it ticks all of my boxes. Plus, I’ve been in love with James Earl Jones forever, so there’s that.

RHYS BOWEN:; The movies I watch over and over depend on my mood. Like Hank I can rewatch THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. I adore OUT OF AFRICA but only when I’m prepared for a good weep. I have the DVD of ENCHANTED APRIL which is the perfect escape movie for me, also MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, ROMAN HOLIDAY and even LETTERS TO JULIET. I suppose I rewatch sweet, sappy movies when I need calming down or cheering up. My recent go-to was MAMA MIA. Who couldn’t feel cheerful when singing along?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Love love love MIDNIGHT IN PARIS. So many good suggestions here, but I haven’t seen SPY or DOWN WITH LOVE. I’m a huge Ewan McGregor fan so that one is going on my list asap.

I have my perennial faves, like LOVE ACTUALLY and THE HOLIDAY, oh, and NOTTING HILL, of course, but I would love to see ROMANCING THE STONE again. FIELD OF DREAMS is my daughter’s favorite movie ever, and I love BULL DURHAM. It’s summer and baseball season, time to get those out again!

But you know what I’m thinking I’d like to rewatch? SPEED. Such a great action movie. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock were adorable, the supporting cast was terrific, and the stunts were amazing.

HALLIE: I’ve never seen SPEED. Or DOWN WITH LOVE. Or MIDNIGHT IN PARIS. What about you, what’s going on your to-watch list and what would you recommend for over-and-over watching?

RHYS CHOOSES MOVIES

RHYS BOWEN:
I heard an interesting piece on the radio when I was driving home this week. It was about former US presidents and their favorite movies.
The ones that stood out to me were:
Nixon liked Patton
JF
K chose the Bond movies
Ronald Reagan picked It's a Wonderful Life
and
Donald Trump selected Citizen Kane.

What was interesting to me is that each of these men chose a movie that mirrored themselves, or at least as they saw themselves.
Nixon liked Patton, stern leader of men.
JFK saw himself as the playboy daring undercover agent
Ronald Reagan as the humble everyman, wanting to help everybody
and
Trump identified with the ruthless empire builder. (I wonder if he ever murmurs Rosebud?)

Which got to thinking about my own favorite movies:
The ones that came instantly to mind are
Out of Africa
Casablanca
The Dead Poet's Society
Quartet
Roman Holiday
Enchanted April



Then I wondered if these mirror who I am? I'd like to be Meryl Streep, having her hair washed by Robert Redford.
Or Maggie Smith, performing the quartet from Rigoletto
One thing they do all have in common is that they are hopelessly romantic. Am I a hopeless romantic? Maybe, but with a touch of cynicism.

Then I wondered which was my favorite. If I could take only one movie with me to a desert island, of course assuming that there was a DVD player with solar battery charger!
I couldn't decide on one until it hit me: THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
That would be my perfect movie for a desert island. I could sing along to the songs. I could dream about those Austrian Alps. I could cry a little.
Okay, yes, so I am a hopeless romantic!
How about you? Do you have a favorite movie? Would it say who you are?