1. The Shawshank Redemption
It's hard to believe The Shawshank Redemption wasn't an instant classic upon release. Though this movie garnered its fair share of critical praise while also racking up its fair share of award nominations, this movie really didn't gain popularity until it became a network television favorite. You can catch this awe-inspiring classic based on the Stephen King novel on channels like AMC, TNT, and more recently IFC. The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) as he spends two consecutive life sentences in Shawshank prison after being convicted of the murder of his wife and the man she was cheating with. We watch Andy adjust to life in prison while making some friends along the way. One friend in particular is Red, the typical "guy who can get anything in prison" character played by Morgan Freeman in what some would consider his best role to date. Throughout Andy's journey we witness the struggles of adjusting to life in prison, like constantly fighting off "The Sisters." We watch him associate with a colorful group of cons. We watch Andy use his smooth soft talking skills and knowledge to talk himself off a ledge, literally! We see those same skills go to work every tax season as the guards and guards of neighboring prisons trust Andy to do their taxes, and eventually we see Andy get "promoted" into doing the wardens dirty work as Shawshank prison falls deeper and deeper into corruption. We witness the heart breaking truth of what it means to spend life in prison and become what Red calls "institutionalized." And we eventually get to see just what Andy Dufresne did to keep sane for nearly twenty years. You watch The Shawshank Redemption because it is an incredible and surprisingly inspiring movie, (well, for a movie based in prison.) After a long day of work, school, house chores, bills, errands, and the feeling that the world just might be against you, you watch this movie because it sends you the most inspiring and important message of the day. In life we all have to crawl through what feels like miles and miles of sh*t, but eventually we will come out clean on the other side. Am I right? Am I wrong? What movies do you always find yourself watching when they are on TV? Let us know in the comments.