I’m such a predictable person.  As much as I’d love to think I play life off the cuff, I am a creature of habit.  This morning I was changing channels as I’m prone to do on Sunday morning.  I was looking for a good movie to watch..but truthfully I was looking for one of the same old movies I have to watch when I see it on tv.  We all have them…those movies you’ve seen a million times but for some reason when you see them on tv or find them on Netflix, you just HAVE to stop and watch.  It’s a strange phenomena.

Here’s my top list of movies I have to watch when I see they are on TV:

1.  White Chicks

I consider myself to be a smart man and have some good taste.  But this movie is my ultimate guilty pleasure.  Two heterosexual men have to go undercover as two bitchy, snarky white chicks who are spoiled and rich.  The lines in this movie are PRICELESS.  I seriously laugh out loud to every one of them…even though I’ve heard them so many times!  You can read some of the best lines here.

#2 The Matrix

I love this movie so much I can barely stand it when I see it on TV.  It’s usually on one of those channels that broadcasts it as a 5 hour movie, with 3 of those hours being commercials…seriously hate that.  But I’ll watch it anyway because I love it so much.  It’s hard to believe it’s been out for so long…over 10 years ago.  But this movie literally changed my life.  It made me question if the reality I lived in was really real.  Did I have a choice in who I was going to be in life…or was I just acting out some predetermined hallucination?  Very powerful stuff.  I can quote all the lines from The Oracle and it usually drives everyone crazy who happens to be sitting in the same room with me while it’s on.  Seeing Neo become who he really is is simply the most moving experience I’ve ever had at the movies.  I loved it so much, it helped redefine who I think I am for myself and others.  I’m very grateful for this movie and it’s subsequent sequels.  But this one started it all.

3. Planet of The Apes

I was born in 1968, when this movie came out.  By the time I was old enough to see the movie there had been a few sequels to it like Beneath the Planet of The Apes and Rise of The Planet of The Apes.  Anything that involved time travel, apes, space and cute guys garnered my attention immediately.  The first time I watched Planet of The Apes was on a late night movie broadcast on a local channel in Houston.  I couldn’t sleep…I was so thrilled that I literally could not sleep.  I thought about the movie over and over again.  And since this was so long ago and there were not rebroadcasts of the movie or even VCR’s nor DVD’s, I couldn’t watch it again until many years later.  This movie opened up a level of creativity and critical thinking in me that I had not experience before.  I actually felt different as a kid, being gay and all but not knowing that’s what it was.  I identified with every character in the movie at some point in my life.  I appreciate the forward thinking this movie provided.

#4 Logan’s Run

Wow…how do I explain my love of Logan’s Run?  It was made in 1976.  I was 8 years old but I’m not sure when I first saw it or where I was.  I only remember the profound impact it had on me.  I would often joke that I don’t know what my life would be like after 30…but it didn’t matter because I wouldn’t live that long anyway.  Before I got sober nearly 15 years ago this year, I remember thinking to myself how fast and hard I lived my life believing that I wouldn’t be alive past 30 anyway…just like the characters in the movie…so I decided to live life full-on!  The only problem with that was that the drugs I used didn’t really allow me to live life full-on…it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it would seem…lol.  Logan’s Run inspired me in art class one year as I remember drawing transport tubes for people to travel inside from city to city.  Science Fiction made such a huge difference for me while growing up.  This movie was an important part of my development as a young man and I’m forever grateful for it.  There was a version of the movie called The Island (with Ewan McGregor) that I loved also.  It’s a little different premise than Logan…but just as exciting!

#5 Girls Will Be Girls

OK…how do I explain this movie.  Three actresses at various places on the Hollywood food chain navigate the minefield of love, aging, and ambition. Oh, and they’re all played by men!  This movie is hilarious.  The lines are incredible.  The humor is amazing and so sharp.  The characters, all played by men, are so well written and thought out.  This started out as a little internet skit video and turned into this little masterpiece that isn’t broadcast too often on television.  But it is on Netflix and that is dangerous because I have to watch it every freakin time I see the movie poster.  I see something different in the movie every time I watch it and laugh louder and think how did I miss that?  This isn’t a gay movie…the characters aren’t gay men…they are actually playing women in the movie…actually there are no women in the movie at all (a little bit of trivia).  It helps to have the subtitles on so you don’t miss anything.  This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I find it intoxicating and amazing.  The sequel is on it’s way soon and I’ll be there watching it for sure!

There are many more movies I could tell you about…but these are my absolute favorites.  They continue to delight and inspire me on so many levels.  They make me think.  They make me believe that life is going to work out after all.  And they remind me that there is a future and it is bright and love works out all in the end.  Thanks for reading.  I’d love to know what your favorite movies to catch on television or Netflix and why.  So how about it?  What’s your movie??

UPDATE:  I just found this incredible Advanced Screening Preview that was made for theater owners to hopefully select Logan’s Run to play in their theaters.  It’s got some pretty amazing unseen before scenes.  Check it out for a blast from the past and super treat!