Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Favorite Movie Characters, Part 2

If Hollywood can get away with lack of creativity by resorting to sequels, so can I. Here are a few more of my favorite movie characters...

Major Reisman, played by Lee Marvin in The Dirty Dozen. Only a really tough SOB could take a dozen condemned criminals and turn them into the ultimate hit team to wipe out a conference-load of Nazi generals. Every one of the "Dirty Dozen" was a great character, but Marvin's Major Reisman was the unquestioned alpha bastard...

Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. No, he never said, "Play it again, Sam!" What he said was, "Play it, Sam...play 'As Time Goes By.'" (See the Eminence Griese's comment to yesterday's post for his reminder of the very best "go to hell" quote of all time, also from Bogart in this film). Cynical, world-weary, and yet willing to stick his neck out for the woman he once loved, Rick Blaine is a man I'd like to have a drink with.

Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino in The Godfather and its sequels. The good boy who wanted to stay out of his family's dirty business learns that blood is important in more ways than one...

Eowyn, played by Melinda Otto in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Beautiful, tragic, and - in the end - heroic. When the terrifying Witch King hissed, "No man can kill me!", she looked him in the eye and shouted "I am no man!" as she stabbed him in the face. Remind me not to piss off this lady...

This is fun. I could go on forever. But I won't. Tomorrow, we'll look at why people who are civil can have a civil war. Inquiring minds want to know.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

6 comments:

Bandit said...

George C. Scott in Patton

Newman and Redford in The Sting and Butch Cassidy

Stanley Holloway who played Alfred P. Doolittle (Liza's dad) in My Fair Lady..he stole every scene he was in

Tommy Lee Jones in the Fugitive..he also stole every scene

On and on.

Bandit said...

My wheels were turning and i have to mention a couple more.

Burgess Meredith in the Grumpy Old Men movies...out ice fishing "you kids stop fighting" and they did.
He stole the scene being dead on the couch by the lake.

Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke

Sean Connery as James Bond

Mike said...

About Bandit - This is why he knows all the answer for trivia at buffalo wild wings.

Wv: ealestor - The store where you buy elevators.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

A great set of defining characters.

allenwoodhaven said...

Not quite the movies, but Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series. It was on PBS for awhile. It's available on dvd. If you haven't seen it, it's a must see. He is THE definitive Sherlock!

The Mistress of the Dark said...

Nope..I don't think I've seen any of those...