Cinecast Mailbag (8/1)

Look for Cinecast #25 with our review of Gus Van Sant's "Last Days" Tuesday morning.

Great show guys, it reminds me of how my friends and I talk about movies, its very comforting to listen to. Anyways Just wondering if you guys got the idea for "top 5 picks" from the movie High Fidelity? Where John Cusack's character makes top 5 lists of random subjects, yet is relative to what's going on in the movie at that time. --Ryan

Ryan, the top 5 list idea was definitely inspired by "High Fidelity," a film Sam and I both love. Even more than the film, however, I was inspired by Nick Hornby's book, which I read (and adored) before the film came out. As is usually the case, the book is better than the movie.

Hi, Adam & Sam. I wanna say that I love your show. It's too good. I wanted to listen to more podcasts about films, but they all suck compared to yours ... Here's my top 5 Antiheroes, excluding the obvious choice of Michael Corleone.

5. Sean Penn as Samuel Bicke in THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON
An overlooked film from 2004. Sean Penn gives a haunting protrayal as a man obsessed with composer Leonard Bernstein. The final scene is so haunting.

4. Josh Cusack, Anjelica Huston, & Annette Bening in THE GRIFTERS
You just can't help but love this sly con artists.

3. Julia Roberts as Jules in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING
An overlooked gem of a film. Julia Roberts tries to break up her best friend's wedding so she can marry the groom herself. Roberts is so charming that you forget she's a villian.

2. Tim Robbins as Griffin in THE PLAYER
Robbins is a sleazy hollywood producer who is also a murder. You don't hate him, but you can understand what his character goes through.

1. Al Pacino as Sonny in DOG DAY AFTERNOON
He's a bank robber holding innocent people hostage, yet you still want him to be successful. -- Matt from Michigan

Thanks for the kind words, Matt. This is a fantastic list. I love "The Player" and "Dog Day Aftenoon," and Robbins and Pacino both almost cracked my top 10. I also like your Sean Penn pick. I thought Penn was brilliant in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," a film that totally redeemed my admiration for him as an actor after watching his downright awful performance in the downright awful "The Interpreter." Alas, I've still never seen "The Grifters" -- Sam, have you? -- nor have I seen "My Best Friend's Wedding." With my snob mentality, I just couldn't get excited about another Julia Roberts romantic comedy. Although I've always been intrigued by it since seeing Quentin Tarantino on "Charlie Rose" several years ago explain that it was one of the best films of the year (1997). Who knew QT was such a softie?