Everyone Does It

I was up last night far later than I intended. Hubby wandered off to bed around 11ish and I was all set to follow as soon as “Law and Order” ended. That’s when my bad habits got the better of me – I started channel surfing. Criminal Intent was a repeat from the first season and I already knew who the guilty party was. I pressed buttons, randomly flicking through an array of cable channels as if to prove to myself that among our 100 channel options, at least one had to mine viewing gold.

That’s when I saw it: “Armageddon” was on one of our movie channels. “No!! Turn away,” the sleepy part of my brain called out, desperately trying to make the rest of me switch back to Vincent D'Onofrio. But it was too late and the Law of Crappy Movies had to be obeyed.

For those of you who may be unaware, it is constitutionally required that should you flip through the channels on your television and come across certain movies, even though you may not actually like the movie in question, you must watch them. Movies that fall under this law include “Armageddon,” “Shawshank Redemption,” any romantic comedy with Julia Roberts, and “The Breakfast Club.” There is also no need to own these movies on DVD since it is practically guaranteed to be on television at least once a month thanks to the programmers at TBS and the USA Network.

Obviously, not all of the required movies are terrible. Some bring back happy memories of youth, and watching them usually end in your day being far better than previously anticipated. Most, like “Armageddon,” are dreadful and much like a traffic accident that you can’t tear your eyes away from, you watch for the sheer joy of knowing how crap-tacular it is.

I happen to love watching bad movies and bad television shows. Hubby has been known to mock this predilection of mine mercilessly, all the while ignoring the fact that he’s snuggled next to me on the couch urging Andy Dufresne to dig more quickly and escape the doldrums of the worst prison in movie history.

What are your guilty pleasure movies that you can’t tear yourself away from? I can’t be the only person awake at two o’clock in the morning watching Julia Roberts tell Hugh Grant that she’s “just a girl.” Can I?!