Posts Tagged ‘fictional heroes’

20
Jun

You ain’t so bad, you ain’t so bad, you ain’t nothin’. C’mon, champ, hit me in the face! My mom hits harder than you!

   Posted by: Fence   in Musing, TV

I pity the fool who didn’t turn on Sky Two last night, cause that classic movie was on, Rocky III and really, who doesn’t love Rocky.

Okay, so I actually only watched the last 30 minutes of it. And I was also internetting at the same time, so maybe watching isn’t really the most accurate description. Nevertheless it was on the telly, and I was in the room at the time. Therefore, I watched it.

It isn’t a good film. Not like the first Rocky, or the last one, but you know, there is still something that is just appealing about these films. I’m not sure what.The plucky underdog story maybe? But is that really accurate when Rocky is the world champion? Whatever it is, it makes watching these films enjoyable.

And speaking of Stallone, Rambo: first blood was also on the telly recently. I’d seen it years ago but decided, sure it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. I could always switch over. It wasn’t as good as Rocky, but still, it was watchable. Even with the madness inherent in the plotline.

J.L. was talking about films and how the average person just wants a good story that entertains. And while I agree with most of his post about politics being just another part of life, I think I’d have to disagree with that statement. Sure a good story goes a long way to making a good film. But the average cinema goer is just as capable of appreciating the cinematography or the good acting. And you know, without those other aspects working well I don’t ever think that even a very good story could make a great film.

I’m sorta reminded of one of the morals of Dogville, that not expecting the best from the general population is merely a superiority complex. I don’t mean that everyone has to be a genius, or has to like and enjoy the same things, but just that the whole line of assuming that people just want a “simple” good story means that film makers, or producers more likely, are going to try and cater to the widest audience they can. Which of course leads to the “lowest common denominator” approach to film making. Which I think is a bad thing. Not only does it result in bad films, but it also encourages the viewer to expect bad films. I’m not saying that there isn’t a place for the silly light-hearted fluff pieces that are made. There is, and I’m a fan of some of them, like Bring it on and Demolition Man, but that doesn’t have to be the only sort of film, it shouldn’t be the only sort of film out there. Presuming that a film should only be entertainment is presuming that the average individual can’t appreciate other aspects of a film.

Of course that title is a line from Rocky III

Tags: Bring It On, Demolition Man, Dogville, expectations, fictional heroes, lowest common denominator, myth, Rambo, Rocky, Rocky III, Sky Two, Sylvester Stallone, telly

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29
Mar

TT #10

   Posted by: Fence   in Weekly memes

Thirteen Things Fictional Characters I Love in no particular order, and I know I’ve left out loads. So think of this as a random selection out of all the ones I love.

  1. Image Hosted by ImageShack.usObviously The Man They Call Jayne. C’mon, you all knew that was coming, right?
    After all, who doesn’t love a mercenary-type who’d turn you in as soon as look at you? Plus everyone loves that bad guy with the good heart, and as we all know men who wear knitted hats their mammy sends them, and that send money home, are good guys. It’s just well hidden inside that slighty dumb exterior. And then there is the dialogue. If Joss was a fictional character he’d certainly make the list :)
  2. Burrich from Robin Hobb’s Six Duchies books. Okay so he is a moody, grumpy bastard. But he’s great too. Especially once you learn Show Spoilers ▼

    And yes he has huge gaping flaws, but still, great character.

  3. Ferdia, or Ferdiad from Irish mythology, especially On Raven’s Wing’s version of him. Not the hero of the legend, that’d be Cúchulainn, but I always preferred Ferdia. Plus he gets killed by his best friend, but it is okay, they stay friends[1] And while I’m here can I just say that this sounds horrendous. I mean, The Táin would make a great film, in the style of 300 but that description makes me shudder, and not in an anticipatory manner. Although this user comment is mildly amusing:
    This film is the quintessential, short-length, ancient-Celtic-Warriors-struggling-with-feelings- of-brotherhood, but-still-having-to-kill-each-other picture. Way better than “The Harp of Cooney-BoozeBain.” Kelby Akin’s performance has been called “unnervingly adequate,” by the Dublin Post Office Film Review. Dolph Paulsen has been hailed as “a pretty good Cuchullain, even though Dolph is actually a Norwegian poo-head.” Timothy O’Neill patented his now famous “more fog, damnit” approach to directing with this film project. Viewers across the globe have marveled at the special effects with comments such as “that was the greatest scene of a man in tartan pants jumping off the tips of flying spears in film history.”

  4. Mary Gentle’s Ash, from Ash: A secret history. Good book. Great character. And yet another mercenary type.
  5. Commissaire Adamsberg, from Fred Vargas’ novels. I first met him in Seeking Whom He May Devour and thought he was just fabtastic. A detective so very far away from the usual logical deducting Holmes types, but no less effective.

    ‘Dunno’ was among the frequent of Adamsberg utterances. He fell back on it neither from laziness nor from lack of wits, but because he really did not know the answer and was ready to admit it. The commissaire’s passive ignorance bemused and maddened his deputy, who could not conceive of the possibility of taking any appropriate steps in full ignorance of the facts. Wavering was Adamsberg’s most natural element, however, and his most productive by far.

  6. Life On Mars’s DCI Gene Hunt. Now he is a complete bastard and tosser. The most un-pc person on telly at the moment. But somehow, despite his homophobic, racist, misogynistic, generally unpleasant attitude people love him.

    Sam: If it was to do with football he’d have serious injuries!
    Gene: He’s dead. That’s quite serious.

  7. Vimes from the Discworld series of books by Terry Pratchett. And I’m totally starting to notice a pattern here, cause Vimes is another anti-everything sort of person. In his own lovable, justice-driven way of course. He is a total cynic, and yet strangely idealistic about how people[2] should behave. Plus, he is the law.
  8. Logan, from X-Men. I don’t really need to say any more do I?
  9. Chicken. If you’ve a memory you’ll remember that that is Titus Pullo from the BBC’s Rome. I could have picked Lamb either. They’re both great, but I think Pullo is slightly ahead, if only because he is more himself than Vorenus. Plus, Vorenus can be a bit of an arse sometimes, Pullo can be a violent bastard, but not really an arse :)
  10. Image Hosted by ImageShack.usBoromir from LOTR, the film version, in the books I prefer Faramir. But Sean Bean is just great. And yes, I am aware that that picture is not Boromir, but it is still nice, don’t you think.
  11. Darla from Buffy and Angel. Okay so she wasn’t in it all the time, but I loved her when she was. Plus she had some great story lines.
  12. Kaylee from Firefly and Serenity. Awww, she’s so cute and bubbly, and okay, so sometimes you wanna duct-tape her mouth, but most of the time you just adore her and her cheerful ways.
  13. Elena from Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. These are lite-horror books, but I’ve really enjoyed the ones narrated by Elena, especially the first one, Bitten.
      14. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

    1. Opinion Minions
    2. April Decheine
    3. Everybody lies
    4. The Flatland Almanack
    5. Too many ideas
    6. In the what?
    7. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Linknotes:
  1. Honour and duty can sometimes be hard ↩
  2. including trolls, werewolves, dwarfs etc in the word people ↩
Tags: fictional characters I love, fictional heroes, T13

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27
Jan

Rocky Balboa

   Posted by: Fence   in Moving Pictures, Sport

Writ & Dir: Sylvester Stallone

  • Sylvester Stallone - Rocky Balboa
  • Burt Young - Paulie
  • Milo Ventimiglia - Rocky Jr.
  • Geraldine Hughes - Marie
  • James Francis Kelly III - Steps
  • Antonio Tarver - Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon

Image Hosted by ImageShack.usIt isn’t often that you describe a boxing film as sweet. It isn’t often I describe a film as sweet and mean that in a positive light, but if I was asked for a one word review of Rocky Balboa, then sweet would be it. And that is sweet in an “awwww” sense of the word, not the Col. O’Neil from SG type sweet.

Honestly, I think this is my favourite film of the year so far.

I know, it is only January, and the films I’ve seen so far haven’t been great, but I really, really enjoyed this film. I’m not saying it a great piece of art or anything, it is what it is, a Rocky film.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who greeted the news that Stallone was making a new Rocky film with a snort of laughter. I enjoyed the first film, and have seen a few of the others, RTE had a Rocky season at some stage, but I never loved any of them. And I fully expected this to be a piece of drivel. But then I saw some of the trailers, and began to want to see it. And, lo, it was great.

You know the basic plot, Rocky, in his fifties starts to think about making a comeback in a small way. Fighting in local, small bouts, because a fighter is all he has ever been. But the current undisputed world heavyweight champ isn’t too popular. He wins all the time, and his opponents don’t offer much, so the public begins to turn away. His promoters are worried about the lack of revenue, so when a tv show uses a computer simulation to find out who would win, Mason “The Line” Dixon or Rocky “The Italian Stallion” Balboa in his prime, and Rocky wins, they get very interested.

Can I say again I really enjoyed this film. From the little flashbacks and echoes to the earlier films, that music, everything was just right.
Is it clichéd and full of cheese? Yes, but in a good way. In a way Rocky has pretty much the same message as The Pursuit of Happyness, but it lacks the selfishness that I think was at the heart of my problem with that film. Instead of trying to succeed at anything in particular Rocky is about being true to yourself. Taking all the knocks life has to offer and still moving on.

This’ll be one I add to the dvd collection, I may even buy the earlier films, even the ones I know are trash. No pain no gain afterall.

IMDb | First Showing | Cinematical | Flimsy.com | Word of Mouth (scroll down for Rocky)

Image source

Tags: 10 Stars, Antonio Tarver, awwww, boxing, Burt Young, clichéd, fictional characters I love, fictional heroes, flashbacks, Geraldine Hughes, James Francis Kelly III, Milo Ventimglia, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, sports film, sweet, Sylvester Stallone

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26
Jan

Celebrate!

   Posted by: Fence   in Ramblings

Went to see Rocky Balboa this evening and I totally loved it. It may just be nostalgia, or the way the audience reacted, but Rocky really is one of the greatest fictional characters in movie-land. Anyone catch that dragon film, what was it called, you know where dragons came back and decimated the world and the poster seemed to promise us fighter planes v dragons, but the film didn’t bother to deliver. Reign of Fire! That was it. Okay, if you’ve seen it, remember where they re-enact classic scenes from Star Wars as entertainment for the children? Well I bet they did Rocky too :)

Okay, so I missed Robbie Burns day, and St. Dwynwen’s Day but better late than never. And while I’m here, happy Australia Day, and Republic Day in India

Tags: fictional characters I love, fictional heroes, nostalgia, Rocky Balboa

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