Outgrowing and Rewatching Movies

[@chevon5707]

I think it’s so important to give yourself permission to accept that you used to like something, but now you need to move on from there. I think so many people get stuck in their lives, because they feel like it would be a betrayal of their former self to say that they no longer like the music or the movies, or the people that they used to like in the past.

[@cosmofuckingbrown]

fr!

[@dopaminecloud]

I think ignoring this outgrowing side of art is probably part of what leads to the disparaging of what starts to feel like simpler or cruder works. There's stuff I saw as a kid that made me jump out of my seat it was so exciting but it'd probably be an endurance-watch today. It can be difficult to remember or perhaps let go of the fact that art isn't really made with you in mind. It's very attractive to think there's a universality to beauty somewhere. Something that ties all of us together. But it gets sad if the desire to think so leads to hierarchy. Anyway I didn't grow up watching much so there's not much of a growth feeling, most of my rewatches are movies I saw less than 5 years ago. I came to the game a little late so they were all watched with that similar early 20s mindset that I'm only barely moving out of. It'll be fun to discover what lasts another 5 years down the line. I hope I never lose love for It's Such A Beautiful Day though.

[@YP-pillow]

I had a really similar experience recently rewatching Brooklyn (2015). I first watched it five-ish years ago, when I was living a continent away from home and deeply homesick. There's a scene where the lead character - an Irish girl who has emigrated to Brooklyn - cries while reading a letter from her family. I had never experienced homesickness to such a degree until that year, and the film's theme of longing for home really touched me. When I re-watched it a couple of weeks ago with my mom, suddenly the theme that jumped out to me was that of familial responsibility: growing up and going through the joint pain and liberation that come from separating your life from that of your parent(s), watching them get older and feeling the shifting roles between you. While the movie is good, it's no masterpiece; but both times it spoke to me in such a personal yet distinct way. Really special when a film seems to grow with you as you go through more life experiences.

[@jenniferbauman]

I'll have to watch Brooklyn 🙂

[@YP-pillow]

@@jenniferbauman it's worth a watch for sure! :)

[@Kilborns]

I've been secretly fearful of re-watching synecdoche nowadays. I watched it a lot when I was in highschool and enjoyed it but I've been through a lot since then so I know I would probably be dehydrated from crying by the end of the movie

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

It certainly is a movie that takes on lots of new meanings with life experience, but I always find it rewarding!

[@houston-coley]

I had this experience recently with SING STREET. When I saw that movie at age 16, it hit me in my teen romantic angst in a way that felt like it had been made for my situation. Crazily, just like the main character, I was also in love with a girl I was making music videos with. I went back and rewatched it recently, and it was still an absolutely wonderful blast - but it also felt more like a time-capsule of what I was like when I was 16 than something that was resonating with me in the present day. In a weird way, I felt like I'd outgrown it. But I still loved it as a reminder of my teen years. Movies are cool that way.

[@abstractdaddy]

Fargo is my personal favourite that stands the test of time. I've been re-watching that since my teens.

[@threelargefrogs]

love you joel

[@wes2512]

Great video Joel. Roger Ebert talked about revisiting La Dolce Vita at different points in his life, and the last line of the review always sticks in my mind: “By its eternity I measure my time.” It’s lovely (and a little intimidating) to think that your experience with any movie can be entirely different based on where you are when you watch it, even without the movie having changed at all.

[@debrachambers1304]

I'm glad to find a fellow Synecdoche, New York enjoyer. I try to get basically everyone I know to watch it.

[@robertholland3895]

Years ago I was agoraphobic and didn’t leave my house for 2 years. Used letterboxd extensively and watched at least 2 movies a day. No longer watch movies for the most part, it just reminds me of that time. but when I discovered Joel Haver I’m reminded why I loved film in the first place.

[@thedrunkensquirell]

I whole heatedly concur with the naked gun being in there. Leslie Nielsen brought something to those movies that no one else has paralleled.

[@betfoyet]

As a kid i watched an Italian movie called "Respiro" My mom loved it and used to play it a lot.

[@JonCheadle]

growing with the movies you watch is something i think is so important. you can still love a movie to bits while also realizing that it may not hold as much weight as when you where 16 and watched it for the first time. i think the trick is finding new movies you love, but appreciating those you used to. they represent your past self and hopefully can show you your growth as a person and how you've changed. a lot of people cling on to one movie their entire lives not allowing themselves to expand their taste. while other's are so quick to throw them to the wayside immediately after finding the new "best movie ever". i thought Mr. Nobody was like the greatest movie of all time, and while it may not be quite that good, to 15 year old me it really was. it's like a little view into the mind of my younger self, and that makes it a pretty great movie in its own right. i find the journey someone took to get to appreciate something is just as interesting as why they like it in the first place. what you like is not just what you like, but also what you used to like and what led you to discover this new thing. it's a culmination that hopefully lets you enjoy new and interesting things your entire life.

[@KenjiMcGuire]

I’ve thought the same thing before. If I were to do my “top 100 of all time” now, it would change and become outdated so soon because my taste is always changing and I keep seeing movies that become my favorites. I was thinking I’d instead do a top 100 every year, and it would be like a time capsule of my changing taste and what movies stay Year-to-year and which ones go.

[@jenniferbauman]

Ooo! I like this idea. It'd be terribly hard for me when Joel's Oscars movies come out every year though. 😅 More and more are showing up on Letterboxd now.

[@TheBrilliantBrick]

I do a similar thing with my Spotify playlists for every month.

[@cybernictec]

synecdoche new york is one of my favourites movies all time so glad you're giving it some light here!

[@Per_Sun]

Grandkids do, in point of fact, necessitate kids. It's a good thought Mr. Joel Haver.

[@ElazarY]

You may enjoy the 3 Colors trilogy, if you haven’t already. Try them out in order though! (Blue thru red)

[@jadegecko]

the second you brought up the emotional core I was like 'yeah' in college i was after the most cerebral, sophisticated stuff i could find. now, a decade or two later, i still like mind-bending sci fi, but really i just want to get gutpunched with emotion

[@amazingfincher]

I got Shaun of the Dead on DVD and watched it for 7 dayd straight and just loved it. Also there are commentarys from Edgar Wright and basically all the actors, two at a time, which I found fascinating

[@ryanrockers]

Spinal Tap always hits

[@spunkmire2664]

Always hits 11!

[@archmageguidla]

More cowbell.

[@marissalosoya]

Good video, I like the idea of maintaining the list and letting it change. One of my Forrest Gump movies was the movie Contact, I had the best memories of this movie and most of the magic was destroyed in revisiting it as an adult last year. But the machine they make to get to space still holds up as very c o o l.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

And as we all know! As long as there’s one cool machine, it’s a goated movie no less!

[@michaellouis9120]

The book is AMAZING. There is so much in there that couldn’t be fit into the film. HAIL SAGAN!

[@qabandiman]

check out the wailing when you feel ready, its not just a horror its everything

[@steadyhum720]

Over a decade since my first viewing and Tarkovsky’s Stalker is still my #1 I want to find a film I love more. Sometimes I think I have, but revisiting it recently it was clear I haven’t

[@megamungis]

Fricking singing horse in Top Secret is gold.

[@gnalkhere]

It's been 8 years and I still think Close-up is a masterpiece 3 years prior it was The Comedy but then this little movie just blew me away

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

When the movie something about Mary came out. I thought it was hilarious and actually got other people to go see it. I watched it again some years later I didn't enjoy it as much. On the other hand, I have seen Dr. Strangelove and Brazil, and Monty Python search for the Holy Grail repeatedly and still find them refreshing and new. There is an old movie called Ryan's daughter with Gregory Peck. I still watch it every couple of years and enjoy it and my guilty pleasure is an old movie called The Yearling. I've seen it five or six times and it still makes me cry. Also, the beautiful Florida scenery and landscape that has been erased and no longer exists always makes me sad. But I keep watching it. I hope I never get tired of Forrest Gump.

[@Catsnnovels]

I feel like I relate to this in a way in that over the past few years as I've gone from a rather young adult to a guy in his late 20s, my movie tastes have seriously changed. I don't really know what my favorite movies/genres are anymore, I guess I just know that what I used to love in movies is different than what I love now. There's a select few movies that stand out as current favorites/all time favorites, but I guess I'm sort of in the process of rediscovering what I love about movies. Thanks for making these awesome videos!

[@marina-jf4og]

I watched Ghost World when I was 13 because I read it was a comic adaptation . Thought it was super boring and got nothing out of it. Now it's for sure one of my faves . Hilarious and sad. I recommend

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I might need to revisit, I also saw it when I was young and didn’t connect much! Could surprise me!

[@marina-jf4og]

@Joel Talks About Movies eff yeah! It is a lot funnier than how I remembered it 🙂

[@Sludge_Inc]

The comic is very good too in my opinion

[@fridaypietech]

headspace is a important factor

[@therealjohngalaxy]

Rewatching movies can be so rewarding. And yes some movies don't hold up. But some are way better than they were before. And I believe I am now at a point where I can enjoy more movies than ever before.

[@MichaelMikeyMike]

As always, you bring up a lot of interesting/thoughtful points! I guess it just goes to show how subjective art is and how it can affect people differently depending on their state of mind. Years from now I look forward to showing my non-existent grandkids this video (we will probably enjoy it and have a laugh, but then again I have no idea)

[@pinkgoth6]

i always loved usual suspects and prestige. something about big fun dramatic twists feels nostalgic to me

[@a.KniteOwl]

6:03 yes! Top Secret is actually more of my favorite than Airplane because I will accidentally forget it WASN'T made in the 50's. Val Kilmer does such a PERFECT job in that role and the music and stuff. I like some new comedies, but people kinda mix up what "silly" comedy can be. There's different styles. for instance in the new Weird Al movie people said it was "just fun and silly like movies used to be", but it wasn't really the same. this was modern hipsters somewhat smugly acting weird. and I enjoyed it, but there's an abundance of that flavor, similar to like The Disaster Artist. it can be funny in its own way, but I really think Top Secret sets a great example of playing comedy in a recognizable way that doesn't feel the need to point itself out all the time. just rewatched it last week lol so I'm all revitalized

[@skylerdickson2939]

Thank you so much for sharing this list because its a vulnerable part of yourself. That being said, im going to watch upward through everything here, starting at number 78, Spiderman 2.

[@timohagmaier2122]

Thanks for these genuine one-takes It’s a great change of pace

[@holdonC]

Hear me out….. “The Burbs” starring Tom Hanks. Amazing dark comedy.

[@origins8978]

We love you too, you beautiful man.

[@DoctorXander]

I used to rewatch the same movies a lot as a kid but for the past few years I've been much more focused on watching stuff I haven't seen, according to my Letterboxd stats for the last few years I only about 15% of the movies I watch in a calendar year are rewatches. For me I know there's so much out there that I'll never get around to seeing so I want that list to be as small as possible. There are quite a few movies in my top 100 that I have only seen once, should go through and work out which ones deserve to stay there after rewatching. Edit: There's 40 films in my top 100 that I've only seen once, madness

[@DoctorWhomThe1st]

If you haven't seen it I'd suggest checking out Under The Skin (2013). It's hard to describe without giving the plot away but it's worth watching if you're looking to scratch the Kubrick itch.

[@Ung97]

I've been rewatching The Boondocks series, first and only time was probably in middle school. I've been through and changed a lot in those 12 years, and it seems that I've changed circularly and looped right back to the headspace I was in at 14, only now I can say that I AM who I am rather than I WANT to be who I am now. I thought Boondocks was hilarious then, but now it also makes me sentimental at times. A show as socially critical as that will always be relevant, but the actual commentary in the show becomes more urgent the longer the world stays the same. It's not always our own growth that changes what a movie means to us, but it could be the world around us.

[@jenniferbauman]

I grew up loving Forrest Gump, until the 4th grade when everyone used the quotes on me from then on when I used to go by Jenny. I still love it, but I love a lot of movies. 😊 I don't know if I could keep up with a top 100 list. But now I watch mostly KZbin creator films and no one else I know will watch them with me so I can't really discuss them with anyone... Idk, I just love movies. Thank you Joel! ❤

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

There’ll always be room to discuss KZbin filmmaking here!!

[@jenniferbauman]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies Yeah, Film Discords are where it's at really, can get a bit toxic though. 😅 But I've been learning a lot.

[@MrArmour]

Thank you, Joel. You reminded me of a few things about myself with that. Change is inevitable. I recall the two occasions when I watched the original Ladykillers: the first time it did nothing for me. The second time, a few months later, it was brilliant. Again, when I was a little boy I loved The Hobbit. I nervously reintroduced myself to it when the filming of it was in pre-production and...well, they say you never cross the same river twice, and it's never the same person crossing. I greatly empathise about those old classics.

[@kennethhondl1589]

lol from Forrest Gump straight into Enter the Void, that's insane!

[@bongokevinson2161]

Man I love you so much.

[@MrGrimlocke]

Lately, I've been thinking about how my favorite movie has been Scott Pilgrim vs The World since I first saw it in 2011 and wondering why that hasn't changed. I've watched a lot of great movies since then but it's still remained my favorite even though it isn't particularly deep or anything. Maybe I need to push myself to watch more experimental and weird stuff

[@BowTieTVOfficial]

There is absolutely nothing stopping Scott Pilgrim from being a more enjoyable and lovely movie than any arthouse or experimental film purely on the basis of it being deep or 'more artistic'. Entertainment is art.

[@Selrisitai]

If you haven't seen Mission: Impossible III (specifically 3) I highly recommend it. Obviously it isn't experimental, but it's basically Action Movie: Perfected. Everything is pin-point perfect. The romance, the action, the characters, the humor, the stunts, the tension, the infiltration sequences, the pacing. I highly recommend Deepwater Horizon. If you slept on it, you're in for a treat. Acting, directing, pacing. The build-up to the blow-out has such raw tension you'll be gripping your seat, mouth agape. Do not bother if you don't have a proper sound system, because you'll be missing such a massive part of it. It's also very damning toward the BP oil executives, but keeps the story very human, so there's no grand, sweeping, story-breaking, "HOW DARE YOU." It's good and tasteful. If you haven't seen Oscar with Sylvester Stallone, DO NOT BELIEVE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS. It is a fun, funny, well-paced, well-acted romp with solid comedic timing and great situational comedy. It does things right on a micro level, like the musical accompaniment to various parts of the movie.

[@MrGrimlocke]

@@BowTieTVOfficial Good point. I love the editing, cinematography, and memorable dialogue. I just wonder what else is out there that I've been missing

[@MrGrimlocke]

@@Selrisitai Thanks for the recommendations. I've seen all of the Mission Impossible movies and I think that 6 is one of the best action movies ever made. Deepwater Horizon has been on my list of movies to watch for a while, so I'll definitely get around to it at some point. I've never heard of Oscar before, but I'll check it out

[@durwoodmaccool890]

Neat video. It would be kind of weird to see Synecdoche, New York as a kid, I think. I was a lot older when I saw it and it just felt kind of weird and a little disappointing from liking other Charlie Kaufman movies. I suppose the most equivalent thing for me would be maybe seeing 2001 in grade school, it really stuck with me and I got more out of it as I got older. Silent Running was another one I saw young and it affected me still has a strong impact.

[@heronoverdose]

The person I'm gonna be the for the rest of my life aye? Hmm that kinda hits different: maybe it's time to revisit a few classics as I tend to be not much of a rewatcher

[@KlemensasKozlovas]

dude I watched Transformers when I was 8 and now at the age of 23 I still weirdly really enjoy it

[@AccipiterPictures]

Sirk is totally golden age! Don't second-guess yourself Joel 😉😎

[@matklacar]

god i love it here

[@osidiusemphatic]

I get where you're coming from, though it's music that has this effect on me more than movies, simply because genre is so much more definitive in the former when it comes to aspects like style, maturity, and audience. Still, while opinion changes, the impact the movie has, or has had, stays the same, because it's enshrined in your past. I like to ask people to name all the films they have considered their #1, or near to it, throughout their life. You can really get a sense of some people, and how they've grown, from their response. Perhaps you could share with us some of the other films, like Forrest Gump and Enter the Void, that you considered the most important film in your life at some point or other. Anyone who's reading this, feel free to reply and share yours. For me, the list would probably be Troy (started me on my journey as a screenwriter), Seven Samurai, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pan's Labyrinth, and what I still consider my favourite film well over a decade later, Hero.

[@locksmith6096]

Hey Joel, I wonder if you know someone who makes a curated list or something like that of these independent movies posted on youtube. I already watched your movies and a few of the oscars contest ones and I found them to be much more engaging than what I usually watch. That one movie about a boy that gets trapped in a school bus that never arrives was so much fun and it was made in three hours by a teenager lol I don't have time to search youtube for good movies and I'm not a filmaker so I don't know where I can find them

[@PatrickTouma]

Making a list of favorites will drive anyone insane!! We still do it though... 🙃

[@teamakesgames]

Enter The Void isn't too rewatchable I think. It's unique and weird the first time. One of my favorites too but I don't want to revisit those 3 hours again...

[@space_1073]

Synecdoche New York might be the only movie that inherently is always relevant no matter when you watch it in your life, and is especially relevant if you watch it multiple times throughout your life. I'm only in my twenties but I plan on watching it at least once every 5 or so years and I know I'll get more out of it every time I do.

[@steeliewheelies]

Just rewatched The Aviator for the first time since I saw it in 2004/5…don’t get me wrong they did a great job in that movie but it was kind of a hard watch for me. Some of the characters were a little hard to believe, like I doubt some of them behaved that way in reality when those events actually went down in the 30s/40s. The acting was great but a few characters stuck out as a little cliche. I love really long movies based on real people and events though so I’m glad they did at least that well with that movie. On the other end of the spectrum I can watch A Night at The Roxbury multiple times a day. Been able to do that since I first saw it 10/15 years ago

[@steeliewheelies]

@Joel Haver since I wrote this comment I’ve gone back and watched The Aviator a couple dozen times because I love where it takes me. I wish I were alive & well through the 20s/30s/40s

[@michaellouis9120]

You will grow and change. In my teens and 20s I LOVED horror: Night of the Living Dead, Jaws, and Alien were what I considered favorites. I’m 35 now and can’t handle the genre anymore! I still think they are excellent and appreciate the tone and style of films like The VVitch or The Wailing but don’t enjoy the content. Life is too precious.

[@yergi69]

hey joel, recently i have gotten into watching my now favourite director of all time lars von trier, most recently i watched dancer in the dark and believe with a passion that it is my favourite film of all time, the acting, camera work, writing and everything about it is just astonishing. if you have seen it, i would love to hear your opinion on it, and if you havent, WATCH IT

[@CrackedPropane]

Monty Python is my Top Secret Edit: Holy Grail

[@PauLtus_B]

There's a certain sadness in finding out that you don't feel that strongly anymore about a movie you considered to be one of your favourites. It can almost feel like you're betraying it. I do however think it's a good thing, ultimately. It is a good thing to be developing your taste and I find it a lot more tragic to let it become stagnant. I do really believe that becoming familiar with both the wide spectrum and intricacies of any kind of art can actually give you a deeper connection to art. For that matter, it's not even that a lot of art that used to be among my favourites are even lesser to me, I now simply recognise there is art that is better. In some situations I have found deeper appreciation for favourites along the way. I often see people crave those feelings that you get when you find a new piece of art that really resonates with you, and struggle to find that sense back. They seem to try to recapture that by looking for art that is similar, almost looking for a placebo of that initial experience. What they generally don't realise is that these feelings were caused by art that were formative for them, during a time when they were more open minded. The best thing you can do is trying to expand your horizon and open yourself up to let art be formative again.

[@ilikemovies22]

This is the reason I’m fearful to go bath and rewatch a handful of tv shows from my teen years. I know they mean a lot to me and made me who I am, but I know if I rewatch them I might feel I’ve moved on so much from that time. Still, if it meant a lot to me in the past then I supposed that’s all that matters to me.

[@markus---herrmann]

hey Joel, i recently moved to a country where my tried and tested method of watching movies is not possible anymore. i was wondering what do you use to watch such a wide variety of movies? streaming or dvds or sthing else? (others can pitch in with tips as well, i am in the USA.. and on a budget). thanks!!

[@hasanabir115]

You just made me feel old at age 23 for connecting with Ingmar Bergman films >:(

[@disasteriz3766]

Im simple man I see enter the void i enter

[@katefowler]

Gump will always be a top 100 because what other movie can claim a successful crustacean restaurant chain that has stood the test of time? Not Citizen Kane!

[@team8-c]

Oh

[@BLAZINFAST]

Who the hell is that on your shirt?

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

It’s merch from the youtuber Nokeric!

[@Stahlvanten]

I admit that as a 15yo I really enjoyed Limp Bizkit; lets just say it isnt like that anymore! ^^

[@jestagoon8408]

My favourite passtime is seeing my favourite movies and feeling like garbage!

[@rohanimations]

this guy looks like he loves movies and hates the metaverse

[@freakstorm177]

Why don't you go to the beach that makes you old? Surely that's better than waiting 20 years. What if you forget to watch Persona again? Because you're old.

[@thelastdictator482]

If your opinion of movies didn't change over time then what sort of mental stasis would you be in? Oh sure some will always be great, that just speaks to how it speaks to you, but if you never developed and changed opinions then the world would be all the more dreary.

[@sstteev]

The presence of Spider-Man 3 in the hundo boggles the mind.

[@BowTieTVOfficial]

Enter the Void made me so angry that I wished I had no reaction to it all so I couldn't give the director the satisfaction of having evoked a reaction from me. It's baseless filth.

[@xRhychux]

A glowing review

[@BrandonCourt]

I watched the new John Wick. It made me really happy seeing a high budget action movie that really cared about just making a cool action movie more than having some finger waging moral message. But that's just me

[@dopaminecloud]

What are some moral messages you've come across in action movies recently?

[@Ficojepet]

Joel you have to let go that hairline is gone

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

What are you talking about? My hairline hasn’t changed since I was a baby you doof. I just have a big forehead and bangs.

[@abstractdaddy]

I tried re-watching Constantine a year ago, last time it was in theatres when I was like 15. Thought it was a great movie at the time but on man, is it so painfully edgy, including the camerawork. I couldn't finish it. This is going to be controversial but same applies to the Dark Night. Don't get me wrong there are some great scenes, but I didn't remember the unending, overbearing, soundtrack when I watched it the first few times.