Giancarlo Esposito was written down, but the other participant would not pick him because Buggin' Out is meant to be bugging out, though sometimes he could chill. — Sean Fennessey
Ruby Dee is named instead, not for a bad performance but for Mother Sister's burn-it-down moment, which is still shocking. — Wesley Morris
Lee is not a good actor here but does not need to be; he gives a charismatic center, is not dead on screen, and this was essentially the last time he put himself at the center of one of his films. — Wesley Morris
Also listed: Danny Aiello's nominated powerhouse performance, Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie, Dickerson's color in the red wall and the rooms, Mr. Softee, and direct address to camera later borrowed by Wes Anderson. — Sean Fennessey
Two things one host believes Tarantino took from the film: the 'shoot me in a dream' line that reappears in Reservoir Dogs, and the Sicilians-and-Moors idea from True Romance echoing Mookie and Pino's talk; Lee has never said this. — Sean Fennessey
Asked what has aged best, the answer is the film's timelessness, perhaps the movie itself. — Wesley Morris
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who per one host never got fuller film careers for racism-related reasons, get a salty love letter here; asked whether they are the vote, the answer is the film instead. — Wesley Morris
Public Enemy is the other pick: the song never gets tiring, has perfect samples, and Chuck D's muscular, off-kilter voice cannot be mimicked, according to a participant who wrote rap criticism for almost 10 years. — Wesley Morris
The harmony with Flavor Flav is praised, while noting the history his image invokes and that he later complicated it as a reality star; the result is called 'your winner. Fight the Power.' — Wesley Morris
