+1 Lists – Ep. 6-12

Before I start listing, I’ll point to another list of potential movies, courtesy of the Onion A/V Club. It’s their list of film adaptations that need to be made of well-renowned books. I definitely agree with them about Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex. Casting could be tricky, but not impossible. And the story could certainly be condensed and still maintain the novel’s impact. Gosh, if I’m so sure, maybe I should give it a treatment.

More Plus One Lists for the Filmspotting Top 5 Lists… See the previous entry for details.

One more additional rule I’m going to add to make it a bit more challenging – I vow not to repeat myself. That’ll avoid me continuing to use the same obscure choices in many lists, and will also make me reconsider before throwing a title out there that has crossover possibilities. I’ve kicking myself for already wasting Evil Dead 2. It’ll also save me from dipping into the same well time and again for a personal fave. By contrast, check out how many times Field of Dreams and His Girl Friday hit the hosts’ lists. Sorry, guys – all in fun! Please, don’t beat me.

Even though these lists span seven episodes, there were only five Top 5s produced. Adam and Sam began to “tease” their lists by including films that just missed their upcoming Top 5s featured on the following episode. I think they were also doing 2 podcasts a week, and the Top 5s can be difficult to narrow down, so perhaps they were also just buying time. Completely understandable, considering how much time I’m wasting by just adding a single extra flick.

Anyway…

Cinecast #6: Sports Movies

Adam	Sam
1. Field of Dreams	Hoosiers
2. Bull Durham	Rocky
3. The Natural	Field of Dreams
4. Vision Quest	Friday Night Lights
5. Eight Men Out	Bull Durham

Me: See, right out of the gate that new self-imposed rule of not using the same movie twice is giving me pause. For that reason, I’ll skip over Hoop Dreams and plug in The Bad News Bears (1976) as my choice. Did I really need to mention it was the original instead of the much-maligned Linklater remake? The original Bears is a perfect comedy, simply because it features swearing 8-year-olds.

Cinecast #7: Relationship Movies (combined Top 5)

1. Say Anything (AK)/Harold and Maude (SH)

2. High Fidelity

3. Punch-Drunk Love

4. Annie Hall (AK)/His Girl Friday (SH)

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Me: When Harry Met Sally. It’s funny, poignant, quotable, and features one of very few nuanced Billy Crystal performances. It’s also the first movie I saw with my future wife, so perhaps I’m biased.

Cinecasts #8/9: Overlooked Movies

Adam	Sam
1. Rodger Dodger	Croupier
2. Cradle Will Rock	The Emperor’s New Groove
3. All That Jazz	U-Turn
4. One False Move	The Butcher Boy
5. Bob Roberts	Raising Victor Vargas

Me: Hey, I get to plug a movie just released on DVD – 1991’s Highway 61. This road trip down North America’s musical highway (from Bob Dylan’s Minnesota hometown down to New Orleans) is quirky, sexy, funny and clever. I have a tape from its original release that I haven’t watched in years, but I think it deserves to be revisited soon.

Cinecasts #10/11: ‘One-Timers’ (combined Top 5)

1. Requiem For a Dream

2. Happiness

3. Capturing the Friedmans

4. Kids/Julien Donkey-Boy

5. Schindler’s List/The Pianist

Me: This category pertains to a movie that you appreciate for its artistry, yet you find so disturbing that you’re not likely to revisit. After much consideration, I’ll say The Deer Hunter. It’s tough to watch three friends from that dingy Pennsylvania mining town get completely ripped apart by their experiences in the Vietnam War. The Russian roulette scene with DeNiro and Walken is not only shocking, but so so sad.

Cinecast #12: Movies with Swords (combined Top 5)

1. Ran

2. The Princess Bride

3. Henry V

4. Kill Bill Vol. 1

5. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

Me: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn. An original swashbuckler which makes you believe in heroes for the first time since you were a kid.

More to come.