memes

So today is the last day of the 10 Favorite Characters meme that Culture Snob tagged me in. I can honestly say that this has been a ton of fun. In fact, I’ve been enjoying it so much, that I think I’m going to do another 10 Favorite series next week. Check back to see what it is.

So now I’m charged with tagging 5 people. I tag the following:

Movie Moxie
do you have a flag?
Toronto Screen Shots (James McNally specifically)
Napier’s News
Film Crack

The prompt and the rules, taken from the original post:

“What are your favorite 10 characters in film?”

1) Name 10 film characters that are your favorite and explain why. We aren’t talking about the actor who played them. Hamlet, Sherlock Holmes, or Bond may be your favorite filmic sight on screen but you may hate the Mel Gibsons, Basil Rathbones, or George Lazenbys who’ve played them. Of course, no one’s stopping you from mentioning your favorite players if you like.

1a) I capped myself at 10, but don’t let that number stop you.

2) Tag five more film bloggers when you’re done, e-mail them, let ‘em in on it, link back.

3) Read their posts and enjoy!

Hop to it you guys! Looking forward to your choices! Full list of my choices after the jump.

Sam from Benny and Joon
Sarah Connor from Terminator, Terminator 2
Jay Adams from Dogtown and Z-Boys
Mister Miyagi from The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II
R2D2 from the Star Wars Trilogy (Yes. TRILOGY.)
Teddy from Artificial Intelligence
Police Chief Marge Gunderson from Fargo
The Bowler from Mystery Men
Sam from Garden State
The Joker from The Dark Knight

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It wouldn’t be fair to say that these are my two very favorite characters in film, but it would be fair to say that they’re close. One is new, one is old, but they’re both very close to my heart. And here… we… go…

Sam from Garden State
“Ooh, great job man! I really thought you were retarded. I mean, you’re better than that Corky kid and he’s actually retarded. If there was a retarded Oscar you would win, hands down, kick his ass!”
Sam is a riddle. She’s not what you expect when you see those angelic eyes and perfect smile, but to me she’s one of the most honest characters to have ever come from Hollywood, which is funny, since she’s basically a pathological liar. The one thing that she’s always honest about is who she is. Everything from Tickle (her security blanket) to how funny she thinks it is that she has to wear a helmet to work, she’s just who she is and she doesn’t apologize for it. All of that is true, but the thing that struck me most about this character from the moment she cam on screen was that she was a whole person, you just didn’t know her that well yet. You knew from the first conversation with Large that she was fascinating, beautiful and deep and you just couldn’t wait to find out more. Sam’s like an old friend for me. She’s like coming home. Which, of course, is the point of the character. Right?

The Joker from The Dark Knight
“You have all these rules, and you think they’ll save you.”
I know. I just heard you all collectively groan. This is true. I loved The Joker in 1989 when he first hit the big screen in my lifetime, but when i saw this new, strange creature that was also The Joker, I new I’d found him: My Joker. Not unlike my other choice today, he’s a whole character that you’re just sitting on the edge of your seat waiting and wondering – terrified – what he’s going to do. He’s not insane, he just has no scruples. He’s smart, he’s cunning and, most of all, he’s dangerous. He’s terror in a capsule. And I love him. Often I will sit down to watch The Dark Knight and find myself skipping through to only watch his scenes. To me, this was the height of movie magic. I’m captivated when he’s on the screen and I just can’t help myself.

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As I was making up this list, I realized that there were precious few women on it. I’m not sure if this is a personal thing (I respond well to male characters since I’m such a tomboy,have more male friends than females and have hobbies that people would generally consider to be ‘guy’ things) or if this is a Hollywood thing (you know how actresses complain that there’s no good roles for them). Regardless, this realization made me focus in on the women in film who I enjoy watching every time. The mental list I made was WAY too long for to be included in this one, but these were my two favorites. Smart and sexy in their own unique ways, they make me laugh and proud to be a girl… er, woman.

The Bowler from Mystery Men
“Cadre.”
I’ve loved The Bowler since she and her ball, in which the guy at the pro shop inserted her father’s skull, stepped into the frame. She’s witty, she’s smart, she’s sexy and most of all, she’s got balls. Hee. She holds her won everywhere she goes and she’s got a brilliant “super power”. I love that she’s out for revenge but she doesn’t let it consume her. I nearly wet myself when I realized she was arguing with her father for the first time. Any woman who can live that kind of life and still smack talk with the best of them is my kind of lady. Plus she wears shirts with detached sleeves and she’s got green hair. Need I say more?

Police Chief Marge Gunderson from Fargo
“So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’tcha know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day. Well. I just don’t understand it.”
Marge is the ballsiest woman I know. First of all, she’s out there hunting kidnappers and murders and she’s 7 months pregnant, but has the command of the entire local police force, simply because she’s smarter than everyone else. She may not look it, but in a pinch I’d rather have Marge than Dirty Harry any way (less mess too). Marge is beautiful and holds it together very well, even in the face of things she just plain doesn’t understand. She’s extremely supportive and loving, even when talking to her subordinates, but especially with her husband. In three short words: I love her. I often watch Fargo just for her. I saw this movie when I was 16 and she was a character I connected to immediately (which was a necessary thing for this movie and me), so she’s been with me a long time…

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This meme is interesting because it’s asks that I recognize the character and not the characterization. In so many cases this is almost the same thing. Often an actor will be continually overlooked at casting calls until they come up for a part that is very much who they are. Then, Bingo! They’re a hit! People are looking for honesty, so when an actor ‘plays themselves’ they’re being honest and people connect to that. So today, I looked for two characterizations in which I could not rely on the person playing the character for my instant like/dislike of them.

R2-D2 (Artoo Detoo)
(No quote for obvious reasons. Just make some beeping noises in your head.)
Come now. You know it had to happen. There had to be at LEAST one Star Wars character on this list. In this case, this could be the only one, for me at least. Artoo is an incredible character if for no other reason than he is completely non-verbal and yet is capable of communicating everything you need to know in a few short beeps. He’s useful, loyal, cunning and inventive and, and the end (or the beginning, depending on how you look at it), he’s the only one who knows anything! If you say he’s not a favorite of yours, you’re a liar!

Teddy from Artificial Intelligence
“Do you know David? Where’s David? Can you help me find David? I have to find David. Are you taking me to David?”
Other than the simple fact that I believe that I am the only person who loved this movie, this character is one that has always stuck with me. First of all, he’s a teddy bear that moves and talks – *on its own*. What kid wouldn’t want that? Second, he’s the smartest and kindest character in the movie. He’s really the only one looking out for David, which is really what I would expect from an AI teddy bear. Third, he’s got soul. For something that is only operating based on its programming, he’s remarkably sage. To David’s Pinocchio, he’s Jiminy Cricket and he does a wonderful, loving job of it. I adore watching this character and in this movie’s darker moments, he was the only mental lifeline I had. Which was, of course, his job.(NB. Incidentally, AI is not a movie about the retelling of Pinocchio, even though that *is* how it’s structured. It’s a movie about faith. And a brilliant one too.)

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