The problem is, to make time travel make sense, one either has to (a) set up an inevitable situation, or else (b) explain an alternate-futures concept sensically, or else (c) have alternate futures and live with the illogic. It is very hard to explain lots in movies due to their brevity; so it is A or C, and usually C.

12 Monkeys is one of the few time-travel movies I can think of that sees our present (the travelers' past) as set and complete and unchangeable -- Strategy A. It's a little hard to tell whether it is just the characters' perspective, or whether it might have been possible for the characters to break out of their assigned roles. Either way, they didn't.

The Terminator series is especially funny as time travel goes, because #1 is mostly A, but attempts to inject B; #2 seems to buy into B entirely; and then #3 goes back to A with a side of completely incomprehensible C. I didn't much care for #3 myself, although my dislike had more to do with "not another epic battle with exploding toilets!!" than with the logic.

I got the Europe earworm.

Oh, duh. Yeah, that was my earworm, not Triumph.

Which is the worst Europe song, "The Final Countdown", or "Nuclear Attack"?

Wait, this isn't music.

Um, what was that movie with Christopher Reeves where he could just think himself into the past?

Best playing-with-time-if-not-exactly-time-travel-as-such movie ever?

Groundhog Day. No question.

Oh bloody Christ. How could I forget? I adore that movie. It's my default "favorite movie."

Madeleine Stowe is also kickass.

I love Blink, which I think is a smart, competent thriller with good characterizations. Underrated, IMO. The first Stowe movie I saw was The Last of Mohicans. I don't think I was the right target audience for that flick, because whenever I heard DDL intoning, "Wherever you are, I WILL find you!", I guffawed instead of swooning as I was meant to.

Time-travel movies... you know, it feels like there should be more of them, but I can't think of any other than gooey romances (Somewhere In Time and Kate and Leopold.) I did see a kick-ass time-travel story on TV a while back, but that was on ST: Deep Space Nine.

Christopher Reeve + time travel = Somewhere in Time

here

eta: x-posty

Ooops -- I totally thought that "The Final Countdown" was Triumph. Wonder why?

The problem is, to make time travel make sense, one either has to (a) set up an inevitable situation, or else (b) explain an alternate-futures concept sensically, or else (c) have alternate futures and live with the illogic. It is very hard to explain lots in movies due to their brevity; so it is A or C, and usually C.

Yes, this. And far too many go for C. Me, I like A. Done well, inevitability may just be my favorite film mood of all.

I like B. Because then you get all sorts of alternate timelines, and who's to say which is the correct timeline, and all that. So the timeline you grew up in and live in is just one of many. Adds another layer of randomness to life.

I tried not to like Kate & Leopold now I own it.

Liev. Hugh. The wardrobe. The poop-scoop scene. Using the remote control on the shock collar. Mr. Fancy-pants

Can't help it. I'm a patsy.

Edit: When I was a kid, my dad didn't let me have comics. Mad Magazine was also banned for some reason.

Tommyrot, this was probably because William F. Gaines was a big subversive hippie, and Mad Magazine put wrong ideas in kids' heads.

Or possibly just because illutrated == comic in your parents' heads.

One or the other.

All these time travel circularity brain-teasers reminds me of Oedipus, what with the hero receiving a horrible prophecy, then taking action to avoid the prophecy which instead brings it about. So if he hadn't received the prophecy it wouldn't have come about.

That happened a lot with the Greeks. Also Shakespeare. Basically in plays, if someone gets a prophecy, count on it coming to pass. Probably through some action the person takes to try and avoid the prophecy.

Um, what was that movie with Christopher Reeves where he could just think himself into the past?

Somewhere in Time. Also? It's Reeve. The 50's TV Superman was George Reeves. Christopher has no 's'.

Aaaand apparently I'm only talking to tommyrot this morning.