Favourite minor characters

This time we couldn't eliminate characters from this list to make it a top 10, so instead it's 12. But hey, we don't break rules, we make 'em. This time there's a tie as well, but it's only between the first two. Some of these characters have more to do with the story and some less. Nonetheless they're all awesome.

1. Father Barry from On the Waterfront. He's probably the most important minor character (with our shared number 1) to the story. What kind of a priest smokes and drinks? An awesome one. He has some great and inspiring dialogues and monologues. 

1. Linda from The Deer Hunter. No character's role in this film is to be unnecessary. She's a lot like Miss Kubelik apart from being a minor character. She brings out personality traits from both Nick and Michael that are vital to the story's development. Oh, and is it too obvious that we love everything about this movie? 

3. Dr. Dreyfuss from The Apartment. His role and awesomeness in the film is best summarized in this quote from him : "Why don't you become a mensch? You know? A human being?" We wish he was our doctor.

4. Stan from The Deer Hunter. He's a jerk, but an important one for the story. His character just functions perfectly as a measurement for how much Michael has changed in the war. Watch the bowling alley scene and you'll get it. Yeah, we REALLY love this film.

5. Major Henry West and his soldiers from 28 Days Later. We know it's more than one person, but you can't really separate them. This movie would not be so good without them. The way we see it, is that this particular group brings the theme of humans being the worst of monsters and not the infected. 

6. Dola and her pirate clan from Laputa - Castle in the Sky. They are great comedy to watch as their teamwork is very entertaining. Also, they're just heartwarming as Miyazaki's pirates should be.

7. Pepi from The Shop Around the Corner. The best comedic character ever. "Now doctor, did I call you a pill peddler?" 

He's on the right

8.  C-3PO and R2-D2 from The Star Wars-trilogy. The perfect team, entertainment-wise. R2's useful and smart & 3PO's almost as good of a comedic character as Pepi. 

9. Carter Burke from Aliens. He brings in necessary drama and tension. Also, without him we wouldn't have the lab scene!

10. Mrs. Elton from Emma. We're going with the 1996 movie as she's the most entertaining in that one. Probably so because she annoys you the most. Watching her is just great fun.

11. The asylum guy from Beauty and the Beast. As a child, I feared him more than anything (except Akira). He just brings much needed darkness to Gaston's character and to the story. He's definitely the creepiest Disney character.

12. George from The Wedding Singer. You crack up every time he's on screen. Just watch the video. 

Maleficent vs. Edge of Tomorrow

So in June we went to see both Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow and it only 

seemed appropriate that we would write reviews (of sort).

They tend to be from the feminist point of view as that is how a lot of

other people wrote about them so we paid a lot of attention to that subject matter.

Also, as we both are feminists, it comes rather naturally for us to watch

films from that aspect. Now as both films are not to be taken seriously 

(the other is fantasy and the other action), neither are we überpassionate in 

our reviews. We decided to just go with pro/con lists.

Maleficent

Pros

It passes the Bechdel test, which is not to say that passing it would 

make a film good or bad. It's just a fact, and since it doesn't

 happen very often we decided to make it a pro.

The movie was visually quite stunning and enjoyable.

It had a point, a storyline that was simple enough to follow.

It didn't have a clichéd man/woman true love (although even

if a movie does have that it can still be entertaining. Eg. Enchanted.)

Cons

In order for a film to be good, ALL the characters need to be interesting or 

at least entertaining. It doesn't really make a difference for us if it's all

male or all female (although granted you never really see that in Hollywood

unless it's one of those painstakingly awful chick flicks). 

In that light, this movie really butchered all the original story's

male characters. It only had one more developed "male" character

 (the bird), and even he wasn't given enough screen time. 

So, we heard that this film is great to see from the female empowerment 

viewpoint. What a load of crap as we will prove.

1. Maleficent's main motives for becoming "evil" was revenge

against actions forced upon her by a man. That doesn't ring the

stereotypical bell of a woman at all, now does it?

2. What some feminists would probably be most "horrified" by would be

the reasoning behind her change though. Mother's instinct. We actually 

don't object to that the same way some feminists seem to, because

it's pretty true in most cases (we love Aliens so duh). So actually

we didn't mind the reasoning, but it was rather her turning "evil" in the

first place. It was just too sudden and then it felt like they needed to

come up with a plausible motive for her to "turn back". 

3. And then probably our main beef: Aurora. She had the makings

of a good female character: she was a normal

character you could relate to, rather unconventional also for female

empowerment (teenage girl), which would've made her all the more interesting.

And then it was all ruined by that last scene. Why on earth did they need

to bring that prince back in for that??? He was a useless character to begin with.

Actually, he might've served as a comic relief and would've been a good

one to boot. Ugh, see what we mean by butchering male characters?

4. Also, we don't think it can be female empowerment because it didn't

really deal with any feminist issues. Rather it seemed to advocate that

women are better than men. We don't like that idea. It would be better

if the film industry was more into making equally interesting characters,

be they male or female (main or minor characters). Plus the music was so bland.

Edge of Tomorrow

Pros

Both main characters were developed, and the minor ones were solid.

And when there are good characters you're not that bothered by minor

 details. It takes a lot for you to dislike a film if it has enjoyable characters. 

Rita was pretty kickass. Even though the film has a male protagonist

she still plays an integral part in the story's development. Actually,

the movie reminded us a lot about Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,

but like an action version. Connection to Capra is always welcome.

And how this film would serve female empowerment WAY more

than Maleficent is how Rita makes all her own decisions. She doesn't

get affected by the sentiment of any man. We were pleasantly

surprised by that. Plus we really like Emily Blunt. 

The story was quite coherent and the script worked well, it

is an action film after all, so no Shakespeare here. 

The visuals were good too, you weren't bothered by the CGI

as you were invested in the story. Action was decent as well. 

The film was like Mr. Smith + Groundhog Day+ Action. So not too shabby.

Cons

Tom Cruise. Sorry y'all who like him, but we just don't care for

him as a protagonist. He is better than Keanu Reeves, but let's just 

say if the role had been played by....ummm...we don't know,

Michael Fassbender? Yeah, we would own this film in that case.

But since it's an action film it's not that big of a deal. 

There were a few minor plotholes, eg. the end...how did it all

suddenly go back to that specific moment? But once again,

it didn't really bother us that much, as it actually would've been

more uncharacteristic for the story that everyone had died.

Like almost every movie these days, the music was forgettable.

Summary

It's quite obvious we preferred the latter. Once again we're not saying that

it's a masterpiece (neither is Maleficent the worst film ever) but in

comparison Edge of Tomorrow was more enjoyable and worked better

as a film. Both films had equal stories we feel, but characters are

the most important factor for us. It's impossible for us to enjoy

a film, unless ALL the characters are developed (in their sphere). 

Also, Maleficent actually felt longer even though it's a full quarter

shorter. Watch for yourself and decide.

Top "classic" couples

This list is reserved for our classic couples as there will be a list of favourite strange couples later. First of all, we have a tie for the first place between three couples. We love all of them equally. What is similar in all the three is that every time you watch the films/series, you discover something new about their relationship, which is why we had to call it a tie. 

1. Lizzy and Mr. Darcy from Pride&Prejudice (you know which one). You probably don't want any couple to end up together more than these two. We love their dynamics - they bring out qualities in each other that no other character in the show can. 

1. Princess Leia and Han Solo from The Star Wars-trilogy. Two of our favourite #2's = #1 couple. The picture should tell you better than we ever could why we love them so much.

1. Miss Kubelik and Mr. Baxter from The Apartment. This has a rather different atmosphere from the energy of the previous two couples. It's not a verbal competition between them. We love the fact that there IS no conflict, but instead it focuses on the aspect of unconditional love and care you show for the other person.

4. Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing. This is the one that started the whole bickering couple - cliche. Except it's good. They both are bitter about their relationship having gone sour and they bicker because they are still in love with each other. But mainly why we love this one so much is the fact that the man actually listens to the woman he claims to love and believes her. There ain't no mansplaining or belittling her. And lest we forget, this was written by a man in the 1500's, so that in itself is already pretty irregular. Plus the two leads' witty wordplay is truly music to one's ears. 

 

5. Miss Novak and Mr. Kralik from The Shop Around the Corner. Let's just say we're really into quarreling. This couple came way before the lame modern day love/hate trend in rom-coms. Plus it's a million times better. Again, their personalities play each other off brilliantly. Mr. Kralik is a realist and a workaholic and Miss Novak is a complete romantic with some very unrealistic expectations. 

6. Michael and Linda from The Deer Hunter. This is a lot like Miss Kubelik and Mr. Baxter as it has the same aspect of always finding something new to analyse in their interaction (and since Linda is equally as sensitive as Miss K). The fact that we probably love the most about them is that although Linda is so vulnerable Michael never uses that to his advantage, even when he could. 

7. Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. This is the classic Disney couple. They're equals in every respect as they both are fully developed characters. And their disputes are simply golden.

8. Iris and Gilbert from The Lady Vanishes. They would probably produce the best teamwork out of all the others on this list. They're a classic Christie-like male/female detective team. Gilbert's cheekiness plays off perfectly with Iris' English decorum.

9. Susan and David from Bringing Up Baby. Where Iris and Gilbert make a fantastic team, the collaboration of Susan and David is the most catastrophic and dysfunctional one could imagine. They're absolutely the most hilarious couple to watch. As David is utterly clueless to anything happening in his vicinity and Susan does whatever pops into her head, it's not a surprise that their relationship is like an extended episode of Frasier. 

10. Angela and Rocky from Love with the Proper Stranger. This almost belongs to the strangest couples as the romance isn't exactly conventional. But it's just so real though. Their interaction is very realistic, you don't doubt what they have for a second. This couple's dynamics is something you wouldn't normally find from a regular romantic film.

Favourite villains

This time we had to give in to the rules and have 12 villains because we just could not decide! Of course we also explain why we think they make great villains. You can't have good villains without the other characters being interesting, that would simply be wasting a good villain (case in point The Dark Knight). 

1. Knives from Trigun. We're telling you, this show is not regular anime. He is the most hatefully despicable coward. Probably the best thing about him is that you do love to hate him but he's still somehow pitiful; such a great and complex person. Would he be as heinous though if the protagonist wasn't the kindest character ever? We don't know, but we love the fact that Knives is so contemptible.

2. Max Cady from Cape Fear. He's by far the scariest man ever. When people say that Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men is scary, they have clearly never seen the original Cape Fear. Robert Mitchum is the most unnerving actor ever. He made me almost wet my pants. I was 21, so yeah, he's freaking scary.

3. Owen Crawford from Taken. He's possibly the most interesting one on this list. Amazingly good at lying and cheating. He's very believable, we're certain there are leaders like him. He does not deter from his cause.

4. Mr. Skimpole from Bleak House. This man's a leech. He will suck you dry until there's nothing left. The most abhorrent thing about him is the facade he puts up, which is the pretense of idiocy. We hate this man with a passion.

5. Norman Bates from Psycho. We should make it clear that he's not on this list because of the famous last minutes of the film, but it's his mask of normalcy which freaks us out the most (if living with one's mom at that age can be called normal....) He's very unsettling. We couldn't sleep after watching this the first time.

6. Darth Vader from The Star Wars-trilogy. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." We rest our case. Dum-dum-dum-dum-du-dum-dum-du-dum. Ah, Darth Vader.

7. Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's the most developed and intriguing Disney villain. He's a disgusting old hypocrite, and we love every bit of him. Also, Frollo has hands down the best villain song in the history of villain songs.

8. Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. First of all, he has the most interesting superpower anyone could have. He's simultaneously so creepy/rapey yet charming - it's just wrong! Much like Knives, inside he is a child who never grew up. By far the best damn villain we've seen in any Western superhero outing. Also the character design is flawless. Plus, David Tennant.

 

9. Hans Gruber from Die Hard. He's such a delight. He's so likable and suave that you almost root for him. The interaction between him and John McClane is pretty legendary.

10. Mr. Sheldrake from The Apartment. He's the king of douchebags. He's the same as Knives: his actions hurt someone very vulnerable and he knows it and uses it to his advantage. Grrrrrrrr!

11. Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter. This is probably the most groundbreaking villain on this list. When you hear him whistling from afar or see him standing under that lamp post you shiver from terror. Two of the most horrifying scenes in film history.

12. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. He's a narcissistic jerk. His IQ must be lower than 70. The reason we think he's interesting is because he doesn't want Belle for physical reasons or pleasure (although we're sure that would be a perk for that misogynist) but to show her off as some kind of a hunting trophy.

  

  

Our favourite female characters

Since we're total feminists of course we needed to make this list as well. So, our favourite 11 female characters and some reasoning to why we love them so much.

1. Elizabeth Bennet from the 1995 Pride&Prejudice. She is the wittiest, smartest and the most whole female character ever created. We both want to be her (and no, not because she gets Mr. Darcy but because she's just so freaking awesome). Lizzy is such an independent character in all the possible aspects of that expression. And like Mr. Darcy the only true depiction of her on screen can be found from the -95 version. 

2. Princess Leia from The Star Wars-trilogy. She shows such initiative and has such spunk! We love her seriousness (probably that is why her verbal sparring with Han Solo is so fruitful) as well as her sense of duty to the society. She's courageous, outspoken, quick-witted and everything else admirable. She's just too awesome for words.

3. Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Determined, delightfully sarcastic and imaginative bookworm. She doesn't put much weight on outward appearances, though rudeness does tend to rub her the wrong way. Her flaws make her all the more likable (eg. doing the opposite of what she's been told) because they make her human. You can relate to her so easily (Jenni is the spitting image of her).

4. Angela Rossini from Love with the Proper Stranger. What can we even say about her? She is amazing. She's very relatable, we can't see anyone not getting her motives. Probably one of the most independent female characters in an "older" film. She has a temper but that only makes her more awesome. 

4. Ripley from Alien(s). We had to include the second film as it's the same character. She's the most kickass female character in film history. Incredibly resourceful; she's one who doesn't panic when all hell breaks loose. When the end of the world comes, we want her on our team. 

6. San from Princess Mononoke. Like all of Miyazaki's females she is strong and independent. She also kicks ass. We love her complexity; she has such hatred and bitterness towards humans but it still does not blind her to change her stand, even if she cannot forgive them. Once again, her flaws are what endear her character to us.

7. Susan Vance from Bringing Up Baby. She is by far the funniest female character of all time; such an airhead but so lovable. Completely unpredictable, you have no idea what to expect from her except the most inconceivable acts. If she wants something, she'll get it.

8. Miss Fran Kubelik from The Apartment. We absolutely love her vulnerability. Props to Wilder for creating someone so vulnerable but still keeping her a strong character. She's so likeable, you just hate Mr. Sheldrake for using her vulnerability to his advantage (wait for our villain list). Such a sympathetic character. 

9. Meryl from Trigun. Yes, this is the only anime series worth watching. She's such a workaholic. Probably the main reason we love her so much is that she's an actual ADULT in an anime series and not stereotypical or oversexualized as women tend to be in anime. She's so self-reliant and what is particularly awesome is her inability to express her feelings; she doesn't have a problem voicing her opinions though. She also can kick ass.

10.Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. We had to watch this movie again to truly appreciate Emma Thompson's genius. Beatrice was clearly an inspiration for Lizzy's character. You can quite easily notice that we have a type from this list. We like and admire women who have a strong will, are quick to respond and use their words expertly. Beatrice is a manifestation of all of these qualities and more. Also, Emma Thompson.

11. Clarissa from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. She's the quintessential Capra lady. From the outside you'd think she's a cynic but deep down she's an idealist. Great character as she plays an integral part in the film's development. We just love her.

Our favourite male characters

So, here goes the list of our top 10 favourite male characters and the reasoning behind the choices.

1. Michael Vronsky from The Deer Hunter. Not only does this movie share #1 place as our favourite film, but Michael is hands down our favourite male character ever on film. First of all, it is such an unconventional male role for a 70s film, not to mention for Robert De Niro to be playing. He's both compassionate and ruthless, two traits you'd not expect to see together. Plus his loyalty is something that really makes him the best character for us as that is the most important thing for us in a person. His compassion is probably summarized best in the scene he has with Angela; you'd expect him to at least get frustrated with her incapability to answer him, but instead he's unbelievably calm, patient and gentle. He's such a complex character; each time you watch the film you feel like you find out something new about his motives, maybe because he's so delightfully succinct.

1. Vash from Trigun. We know, we know, it's anime, but trust us, this one is actually good. Vash is simultaneously the funniest and the most tragic character ever. He's also the most compassionate and gentle character to roam any fictional world. He's really complex as well, when you start watching the show you immediately think that he's just a clown but holy cow is he not. He does not compromise his principles, which of course brings great conflict into the show. He's the kind of guy who would weep for stepping on a flower. And that is exactly why we love him. Don't make us choose between these first two, because we cannot. Also, who doesn't like doughnuts?

 

2. Robin Hood from the Adventures of Robin Hood. He has always been a favourite of ours, Jonna in particular, and after watching this movie again for the longest time the other one of us was also persuaded to place him on this list. He is the inspiration for every single cheeky male character. What we especially greatly appreciate in him is that he's a really good sport and has no ego to prove himself. Also, he's a class traitor, which is always a plus for us. And c'mon, the cheek of the man!

 

2. Han Solo from the Star Wars-trilogy. The classic cheeky hero. He probably has the best sense of humour out of anyone. He's wrongfully accused of being a womanizer, to which we adamantly object, as there is no proof of that in the films. In fact, we recently discovered that one of the reasons we enjoy his character so much is because he never comments on the looks of Princess Leia, he never once admits that to be the reason he's into her. Quite the contrary, his first observations of her are about her personality ('wonderful girl' and 'she's got a lot of spirit'). And seriously, who doesn't love Han Solo?

4. Mr. Darcy from the 1995 adaptation of Pride&Prejudice. The ultimate brooding hero. The verbal intelligence of this character is astounding (which makes it all the funnier how he keeps unintentionally insulting Lizzy). He's so human with all his failings and that is what makes you like him so much. No matter what anyone says, the 95 version has the authentic Mr. Darcy as it's the only version in which he actually changes like in the book. Best proposal scene ever can be discovered at the end of the third episode.

5. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. He's a visionary and a pioneering man. An idealist. We'd want him to be our father, or even better the father to our children. He has such admirable convictions and the way he stays true to them.... It's Gregory Peck, need we say more?

6. Mr. C.C. Baxter from The Apartment. Golly, is this character the most adorable male protagonist in a movie or what? With Chaplin's Tramp of course. Mr. Baxter is almost too considerate to be true. He's also very human though; he can get angry and even resentful. We really like how he starts out in the film seeing things in black&white but then learns to see in colour as the story progresses. 

7. Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He starts out probably the most immature and flawed out of all the others on this list. The amount of self-loathing he has for himself is just brilliant. He's hands down the best Disney male character; he's the only one with a more complex storyline. He can be funny and sad, but not at the same time like Vash (which is why he landed #7 here).

8. George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. Of course we had to have him, it's the other #1 movie for us! He's just the best everyday Joe. His faults and unwillingness make him so lovable. George is the reluctant hero you just have to love. He's played by James Stewart, our favourite actor of all time. He's such an underrated actor too.

9. John McClane from Die Hard. He's the epitome of an accidental hero. He really has no idea when to stop. He has a lot of common sense (maybe he should try applying it with his wife?) He's such a badass. 

 

                                                                         

10. Terry Malloy from On the Waterfront. He's the ultimate whistleblower. Once again, there's more to this character than first meets the eye; he's definitely not a stereotype. We like the boyish way Brando plays him; it makes all the things Terry does all the more impressive.