Because everyone loves countdowns

We're going in a little bit of a different direction on the Big Cat's Blog...Tired of sifting through playoff matchups and getting ready to gear up for some great draft info I decided to go with the Top 10 list. Everyone loves a countdown and I'm no different, my roomate and I often discuss the fact that if there was a channel that did nothing but countdowns we would totally watch it. We've watched them all, from the top 10 draft busts to the top 10 celebrity feuds. So with that in mind here is my top 10 list of my favorite movie characters.

10. Gust Avrakotos (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) in Charlie Wilson's War

Phillip Seymour Hoffman has played so many great characters and is one of my favorite actors of all time. My favorite though hands down would be Gust Avrakotos the surly, cynical, loose cannon CIA agent who aides Congressman Charles Wilson in ending the conflict between Russia and Afghanistan. Hoffman plays the role very smart and quick witted and really steals the show from Tom Hanks. Every time I see a movie with Hoffman in it, I find myself really liking his character whether it be Sandy Lyle in Along Came Polly or Truman Capote in Capote, he's really a joy to watch on the screen.


9. Rod Farva (played by Kevin Heffernen) in Super Troopers

In one of the most quoteable movies of all time, the character that ties it all together is Rod Farva. The short tempered, gung ho, screw up, who's "not a pro union guy" provides so much comedy. When watching "Broken Lizard" movies Super Troopers and Beerfest, it was tough to pick the greater of "Landfill" and "Rod Farva", but Farva edges it out by his over the top attitude and keystone cop like comedy. "Sing it again rookie biatch."

8. Frank "The Tank" Ricard (played by Will Ferrell) in Old School

Probably one of the most memorable movie characters of all time, Ferrell portrays the completely wheels off Frank The Tank. He's the quintessential party guy who settled down and got married, but lost it all when he relapsed one fateful night. Ferrell is so full unintentional comedy and wheels off behavior he portrays the perfect human train wreck. Everyone has that friend, so he's very easy to relate to. How many times have you watched that movie and thought about one of your friends and said that is Frank The Tank.


7. Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) in all of the Vacation movies

It's been a while since I've seen the original Vacation movie, and I've never seen European Vacation, but Randy Quaid's portrayal of the crude, white trash, cousin that no one wants around, but always brings a laugh to the scene in Vegas Vacation, and Christmas Vacation, also falls into the category of memorable movie characters. Eddie, who always finds the simple pleasures in life and annoys Clark is one of my favorites.


6. Steve Stiffler (played by Sean William Scott) in the American Pie Trilogy

In my younger days I called Steve Stiffler a top 3 movie character of all time, but as I've grown and seen more movies he's dropped down the list. Still, the abrasive and over the top high school party guy who never quite grows up is full of laughs. He always has a quick remark, but is always loyal and comes through for his friends. He's the typ eof guy no one wants around sometimes, but what would it be like without him?


5. Mickey "The Pikey" O'Neil (played by Brad Pitt) in Snatch

I was a big Brad Pitt hater early in life, maybe because I was jealous of all the chicks who loved him, but also because I felt like he played the same roles all the time. For me his performance in Snatch as the Pikey Irish Gypsy prize fighter Mickey was a step outside of his pretty boy roles. I had to watch the movie a couple of times to understand what he was really saying, but hearing that he likes "Dags" won me over. If you own the movie, try going to the special features and watching with the Pikey subtitles on.


4. Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) in Goodfellas

When I was young and before I saw Goodfellas or Casino, I thought of Joe Pesci as the guy from Home Alone or My Cousin Vinny, which were funny characters. When I first saw Goodfellas, I saw Ray Liotta as a really believable character, Robert DeNiro as the cool suave gangster who always has everything under control. I loved both of those characters and theres no doubt Scorcese put together a great cast, but Pesci playing Tommy DeVito jumped off the screen at me. DeVito was the badass with a Napoleonic complex who didn't take any guff from anyone. For me one of the best lines of the movie and the quintessential DeVito moment is when he shoots Spider and Jimmy Conway (DeNiro) asks what is the matter with him and Pesci says "I'm a good shot, what do you want from me."


3. Carl Spackler (played by Bill Murray) in Caddyshack

Hands down the best role in the brilliant career of Bill Murray is the greenskeeper at Bushwood Carl Spackler. He plays the absent minded, paranoid, greenskeeper, who has a few screws loose and really ties a talented cast together. The monologue in which he tells the tale of caddying for the Dalai Lama is one of the best moments of any movie for me. I think Carl is one that many can agree is a popular pick for the top movie characters of all time.


2. Kip Dynamite and Uncle Rico (played by Aaron Ruell and Jon Gries) in Napoleon Dynamite

This was really tough for me when I tried to decide between Kiplyn Ronald Dynamite and Uncle Rico, so I figured, why not make it a package deal? Kip plays the dorky cyber nerd older brother who finds true love on the internet, but has the best lines put together in a movie. Uncle Rico plays the overbearing, scheming, uncle who harkens way back to his high school days who could throw the ball "over them mountains" and just knows they would have won state if the coach would have put him in back in '85. For me this movie is great because of the characters written into it and the actors they chose to play those roles. While Napoleon is the focal point, this movie is carried by Uncle Rico and Kip.


1. Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) in The Big Lebowski

After prodding from my brother I finally sat down and watched The Big Lebowski. My father always detracted me from it saying it was dumb, and I gotta admit at this point I'm trying to decide if the movie is great or stupid. I can't say definitively if it is good or bad and I really feel indifferent about it, but I did love the character of Walter Sobchak. John Goodman plays Sobchack the scheming, short tempered, gun toting, jewish convert who "doesn't roll on Shabbos." Always citing stories from Vietnam and protecting the American beliefs and the sacred rules of bowling, Sobchak has jumped into the driver seat as my favorite movie character of all time.



Honorable Mention: When putting this list together here are other people that almost made the list. McLovin (Superbad), Andy Dufrense (Shawhank Redemption), Handsome Rob (The Italian Job)