• Registered: 2012-01-22
  • Posts: 18

Topic: All you need...?

I finally got around to watching John Carter and listened to your commentary. Something that is getting me comes from early in it, talking about Taylor's horrible voice choise, and going on until the thought of "All you need is angst."

My problem with that is, if that is all you need, a raspy type of voice and an angsty character, then why the heck isn't Clint Eastwood starring in every thing?

I agree you need to have angsty characters in some parts, but that can't be the only thing. Lets look to LOTR (I know you did that alot in the commentary so I am doing it) Frodo, and the rest of the Fellowship don't exactly have a lot of angst. They do have moments of it, but it isn't really that big of a thing.

Now, I am not a movie maker, I work at a gas station over nights so I am not the guy to figure this all out. So I want to ask the question, to everyone, what at the central things you need in a character to have that character be loved?

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  • From: Norway
  • Registered: 2009-11-30
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Re: All you need...?

I think you'll have a better shot by posting this in the episode thread.

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  • Teague
  • Teague
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Re: All you need...?

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  • From: Gardena, California
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Re: All you need...?

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5 Reply by Dorkman (edited by Dorkman 2013-02-03 13:59:12)

  • From: Gardena, California
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Re: All you need...?

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  • From: Farmington, CT
  • Registered: 2010-05-08
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Re: All you need...?

That's a really good point, Squiggly. Maybe screenwriters today become so invested in their heroes that making a character who's the opposite of him/her is too difficult. Can we think of any examples of foils in recent action movies?

"The Doctor is Submarining through our brains." --Teague

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  • From: Gardena, California
  • Registered: 2009-11-26
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Re: All you need...?

DREDD. big_smile

Also AVENGERS. I think people responded to it because the characters had legitimately different points of view, rather than having the same point of view and just arguing about who's in charge.

The original MEN IN BLACK did this wonderfully and perhaps the latest one failed to have the same energy because it lacked the interplay.

I think this was probably part of the appeal of LOOPER, too, although like a number of other things I think the film failed to leverage the guy-as-his-own-foil as much as it might have.

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  • From: State of Idaho
  • Registered: 2010-12-08
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Re: All you need...?

Two questions I have, after reading this is:
1. The new Lone Ranger movie? Does that work for the foil between Tanto and the Lone Ranger? Obviously we can't judge the movie yet but I am referring to the overall idea of a sidekick, in essence.
2. Is the lack of foils due in part to pressure of having one big name star rather than an ensemble?

God loves you!

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  • From: Indiana, USA
  • Registered: 2009-11-23
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Re: All you need...?

Zarban's Website

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  • From: State of Idaho
  • Registered: 2010-12-08
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Re: All you need...?

God loves you!

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