Top 10 Least Favorite Movie CHARACTERS: Part I

Love to Hate

      Let's face it. We are wired to dislike certain people. Human nature assures us there's a line to be crossed between that which we deem admirable and that which we deride gleefully. Movies are no different. The characters who inhabit these tantalizing worlds solidify our diametric ideological curiosities. And I'm most curious about the disreputable. Therefore, in this post, I will identify my "Top 10 Least Favorite Movie Characters." 
      Common themes you may discover are the false representation of power, the willful subjugation of powerless figures, betrayal, cowardice, fraudulent ethics, deception, malfeasance, and of no less importance, obnoxious personalities. 

      These characters are despicable. The actors are not. In no way is it my objective to denigrate the work of these performers. In fact only great performances qualify for my list. It's not the performances or the actors I'm begrudging, but the detestable characters they portray so effectively. Their inclusion is actually an endorsement of the quality of their work. An actor's placement on this list is a celebration of their trenchant embrace of villainy, or in some cases their insufferable expression (think obnoxious voices, folks). 
      Some choices will be obvious, some more surprising. I made a concerted effort to avoid selecting only familiar "villains." A task too easy is little fun. Did I succeed? 
      One final caveat: I refused to select loathsome characters from godawful movies. Logic being that movies that are awful do not deserve publicity. Additionally, if the movie is bad, it is likely the characters are, too. No need to dwell in the vapid sewers of mediocrity, right? Thus, only movies I deem worthy of praise are to be culled. Let's begin shall we...

My 100 Favorite Directors

Because 99 Is Too Few and 101 Is Too Many

       I'm jubilant. The idea that I can even cultivate a list of 100 directors, stretching from the silent era to present-day, from pioneers to pop-culture pragmatists, brings me great elation. These are directors whose work nourishes my cinematic education, whose talents I've increasingly come to admire. 
      I'm a fairly disciplined and autonomous thinker. I've been told routinely that I'm a champion of vim and vigor, of which my ethic is tethered inextricably. The reason, I suppose, is that I tend to excel only in areas where my interests lie aggressively and most authentically; a rather simple principle to guide one's ambitions, correct? Well, film is my cornerstone passion. It has been for as long as I can remember. In the last two-to-three years, coinciding with the genesis of this very blog, my indoctrination has grown even more radically—an inexorable pursuit that is nothing less than obsessive. This impending list is definitive proof. 

Ten Best Actors of All-Time Relay Race

Ain't No Monty High Enough

      "The Ten Best Actors of All-Time Relay Race" rivals the Summer Olympics, exceeds the popularity of the NBA Finals, and portends this year's Presidential Election results. Where else could man venture to achieve such prestige? What institution has a greater collection of talent? The answer is nowhere unless nowhere is code for My Film Views, the mastermind of said blog-a-thon. Or the lovely Melissa Bradley, whose willingness to enlist the tenuous wisdom of yours truly is responsible for my participation.

Top Five Things I Learned From The Movies

The Intersection of Film and Life: Part II

      This is Part II of my "Top Five Things I Learned From The Movies." Part I can be found here. 

Top Five Things I Learned From The Movies

The Intersection of Film and Life: Part I

      Any Top Five that invokes the "Things I Learned" refrain has to at least mention Stanley Kubrick. Without Mr. K, future generations of Americans would never know how to cease worrying about the "bomb." In all seriousness though, "The Top Five Things I Learned From The Movies" is one of my more intimate ruminations, focusing squarely on the cinematic landscape...of course!

AFI Part IV of IV (25-1)

The Apex of AFI

      The time to anoint the twenty-five best films in MY AFI 100 has finally arrived. So anticipated was this final unveil that the Silent Chorus of Expectations can now rejoice. This, the culmination of extensive Amazon purchases, was not ill-advised. With one-hundred and twenty-three titles vying for inclusion, there was no shortage of deliberation.

      Keen readers will observe some audacious reshuffling. But this is a personal list, one that reflects the depths of my idiosyncratic tastes. I am if nothing else an eclectic purveyor of film and these twenty-five films fiercely reflect that sentiment.
      I will not hesitate to summon the Hulk if disagreements emerge. I'm being cheeky of course. I encourage debate. Now, please enjoy!     

*P.S. I expect to revisit these posts in the future, intermittently I presume, with the intention of contributing some minutia of wisdom for ALL of my selections. Yes, there is a lot left unsaid.

AFI Part III of IV (48-26)

A Network of Classics

      Keep on, Keepin' on!~ And just as a brief reminder, I'm planning to update these posts intermittently as I expand my blog. Please do not be alarmed by the lack of written content for the majority of my selections. My only real intention at this point is to display without illustration or demonstration which films in the two-AFI 100 editions comprise my own. Eventually, and perhaps sporadically, I'll elucidate on why I chose this film and why said film is ranked where it is. Remember, twenty-three films missed the cut and I've undergone quite extensive revisionism to produce my list.