It’s been mighty difficult to choose 10, but it’s been an excellent exercise to dig back through my memory and find characters that touched me, spoke to me, changed me, and entertained me. Today we have two that I enjoy every time I watch them.
Jay Adams from Dogtown and Z-Boys:
“I missed a lot of good times, doing things that I shouldn’t have been doing. There are certain mistakes I’d like to change, but I’m not going to trip on it too hard.”
I know he’s a real person, but he was in a movie and his story touched me. Jay was considered to be the best and the brightest of all the kids involved in the Z-Boys and, for a while, he was. He came from some less than ideal circumstances and he ended up in some even more unpleasant circumstances, but his interviews in this film go a long way to showing you who he is. It’s a documented fact that he wasn’t able to attain or maintain the kind of fame achieved by Stacy Peralta or Tony Alva. We feel his loss and his acceptance very strongly and it makes him an extremely loveable and memorable “character” in this fantastic story. (Which you should all run out and see by the way, which is why it’s on my 10.)
Mister Miyagi from The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part II
“In Okinawa, all Miyagi know two things: fish and karate.”
Mister Miyagi was another one of those characters who was quoted a lot around my house. His wisdom from a man living in a little house with a canvas belt for $3.98 at JC Penny was astounding. A sad man searching, in his own way, for a friend and for some lasting meaning in his life, he takes Daniel under his wing, not for Daniel, but for himself. Better yet, he’s hilarious! The mix of Daniel’s almost stupid, childlike innocence and Mr. Miyagi’s sage humorous teaching makes this movie one of my favorites and Mr. Miyagi an excellent character and, obviously, one of my favorites. Beyond what I’ve just said, Mr. Miyagi became the benchmark for wise teachers in film from this point on. Often imitated and never duplicated, Mr. Miyagi stands tall, gets drunk and yells ‘BONSAI’ better than all the rest of them.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I’m am really enjoying reading these Trista!
I’m not sure I’ve seen Dogtown and Z Boys (runs away) but I’m with you on the awesomeness of Mr. Miyagi. The one with the wisdom, patience and heart – gotta love him.
It hard to confine so many wonderful movies to just 10. Here’s the top of my list.
Spaceballs the ultimate spoof. “What do we have on this ship- a Quesenart?”
Blazing Saddles- “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”
Young Frankenstein “Frau Bleuher” (Horse Whine)
I Love You To Death- “Ladies! Mon-nop-po-lee!”
The Gardner- (Peter Sellers)
Overboard- “How do you spell Porsch?”
Trading Places- “Hey that looks like the MF dude who had me busted!”
The Thing (John Carpenter)
Inteview with a Vampire- “Give her to me Louie!”
Thanks Shannon! It’s really quite a lot of fun figuring them out. There’s just so many great characters to choose from!
Thanks for the list Doc Whitney. I’ll post it up on its own tomorrow.