"'The Big Lebowski' is like a bowl of noodles I could eat every single day"
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Searching star John Cho revealed his top 5 movies of all time.
Although Cho stated there were “25 I could have picked from”, the Korean American actor narrowed down his top films to just five.
First on the list is 2004’s Sideways starring Paul Giamatti and Sandra Oh.
“That movie also swings big, and that’s another thing that I like about it,” Cho said of the film. “That monologue, Virginia Madsen’s monologue… it’s just achingly romantic.”
“[Sandra Oh] was another inspired bit of casting. Her mother, and the kid, and she’s amazing, and the motorcycle helmet rage was one of the most terrifying things I’ve seen on film – and a flopping penis, that’s always good.”
Next on Cho’s list is The Big Lebowski from 1998. Cho described the film as being “like a bowl of noodles I could eat every single day.”
Although Cho admittedly did not understand the film entirely, the Coen brothers movie still remains one of his favourites.
“There are no scenes that aren’t fun,” Cho said. “Also, I don’t understand the movie, which is kind of a great feeling to have. I don’t fully understand the plot, and I’ve seen it 100 times.”
Cho’s next favourite film is Martin Scorcesse’s Goodfellas from 1990. The oldest film on his list, Cho described the gangster epic as a “a movie from my youth that I still can’t get enough of.”
The 48-year-old actor in particular commended Joe Pesci for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito. “Obviously, [there’s] such a performance from Pesci. I am deathly afraid of this small man.”
He also praised Lorraine Bracco for playing Henry Hill’s wife. “That to me is another thing – I love portrayals of weird marriages. I feel like Husbands and Wives is my favorite Woody Allen movie. [Goodfellas] is a perverse love story at the end of the day, and I love it”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E84VqqCPI7w
Next up is Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic Pulp Fiction, which Cho described as “such an important part of my youth. I think more than any other movie, it changed my idea of what movies were.”
“For me, it was Travolta [who stood out]. I don’t know why. When I think of Pulp Fiction, the image I think about most is him getting blown away while reading Modesty Blaise on the can.”
Cho’s final film on his list is Lost In Translation from 2003 starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johnasson.
“I was secretly thrilled that Sofia Coppola, who was panned for Godfather III, made such a triumphant movie so – it was so cool,” Cho said of the film. “I think it’s the single coolest movie I’ve ever seen.”
For Cho, the film reserves a special place with him for being relatable as an Asian American.
“Perhaps it really is psychologically a commentary on me feeling Asian in white America, but I identified with that situation in a very personal way,” Cho said.
“It always meant more to me than I think the film should have, but I really have a lot of affection for it. I should revisit it, and I wonder if it’ll remain on my list, but I suspect it would.”
In other news, Cho recently revealed that his upcoming animated film Over The Moon “an Asian family rooted in love.”is about