Top 50 Heroes: 50-41

What makes one great? I think it's that lasting impression you get on the character, long after the movie is over... It's those characters you come to admire throughout the movie. Whether they are fighting an awful evil, saving others, fighting for a cause, or putting their life on the line, they are the definition of heroism... It is these qualities, that truly define one hero from another. So after some analyzing and comparing here are my top ten Movie Heroes...


50. Lt. John J Dunbar
Movie: Dances with Wolves
Year: 1990
Actor: Kevin Costner

Why: Abandons his life as a Confederate soldier to join a tribe of Native Americans. He helps them fight their enemies and shows them that not all white people are evil.

Key Line: "Nothing I have been told about these people is correct. They are not thieves or beggars. They are not the bogeymen they are made out to be. On the contrary, they are polite
people and I enjoy their humor."


49. Richard Rick O'Connell
Movie: The Mummy Series
Year: 1999
Actor: Brendan Fraser

Why: He's your typical Indiana-Jones-like hero,.. a soldier turned adventurer... Throughout the series, Rick O'Connell always saves the girl, and kills the evil mummy...

Key Line: "I only gamble with my life, never my money..."







48. Norma Rae
Movie: Norma Rae
Year: 1979
Actor: Sally Fields

Why: She risks her job at a factory, to help unite the workers and establish a union. Her commitment to this cause, is best displayed at the end when she stands on a table in defiance, to rally her fellow workers. She is the ultimate heroine for workers' rights.

Key Line: "Forget it! I'm staying right where I am. It's gonna take you, and the police department, and the National Guard to get me outta here!"




47. Amsterdam Vallon
Movie: Gangs of New York
Year: 2002
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

Why: He is able to unite the Irish and stand up against Bill the Butcher, the most powerful and twisted man in New York.

Key Line: "If you get all of us together, we aint got a gang, we've got an army."




46. Sgt. Elias Gordon
Movie: Platoon
Year: 1986
Actor: William Dafoe

Why: He's an easy-going, good hearted leader, that is an inspiration to many in the platoon. He says it like it is, and tries to make the best out of any situation. He's the one man who can stand up to Sgt. Barnes. Even after his death, he becomes a symbol of hope in such a horrid place.

Key Line: "I love this place at night... The stars... there's no right or wrong in them. They're just there."






45. El Mariachi
Movie: Desperado
Year: 1995
Actor: Antonio Banderas

Why: He's a deadly sharp shooter who goes on a vengeful killing rampage against a Drug lord in Mexico. He can also play a mean Spanish guitar.

Key Line: "You know, it's easier to pull the trigger than play guitar. Easier to destroy than to create."




44. Officer Jack Travern
Movie: Speed
Year: 1994
Actor: Keanu Reeves

Why: He risks his own life, to jump onto a bus with a bomb on it, that cannot go under 50 miles an hour. He is the quintessential action-thriller hero, who saves the passengers, defeats the villain, and gets the girl in the end.

Key Line: "Yeah? Well, I'm TALLER!"








43. The Boondock Saints
Movie: The Boondock Saints
Year: 2001
Actors: Sean Patrick Flanery & Norman Reedus

Why: They're a pair of Irish Catholic brothers, who unite to bring down underground crime in Boston. They are deadly vigilantes, riding the streets of evil, taking justice into their hands, all in the name of God.

Key Line: "And sheperds we shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow from a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be."


42. Rorschach
Movie: Watchmen
Year: 2009
Actor: Jackie Earle Haley

Why: He's a grumpy masked vigilante, who can kick some serious ass regardless of his small size. He is as tough as they come, and puts truth and justice above everything else.

Key Line: "You people don't understand. I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me!"

41. Benjamin Martin
Movie: The Patriot
Year: 2000
Actor: Mel Gibson

Why: Although he is hesitant at first, he knows he must leave his family to fight against the British. He believes that in doing this, he is protecting his family and fighting for the freedom of America.

Key Line: "Before this war is over, I'm going to kill you!"

Random Notes

Less than 2 weeks until I will be flying out to Costa Rica... I'm very excited yet honestly don't know what to expect... It's going to be something entirely new, unlike anything I've ever done before... I'll be there for 3 months, maybe more, depending how things go... No matter what happens, I am sure it will be an extremely memorable experience!

The past few weeks now, I have gone through a Classic Movie phase, watching all sorts of old films from the 30s, 40s, and 50s... I record them on the DVR, so that I can watch them at night and skip through the commercials... I've been able to check off many of these classics from my must-see-list;
Gone with the Wind, Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago, African Queen, Chinatown, On the Waterfront, All About Eve, North by Northwest, The Longest Day, Psycho, and many more...

I finally shaved today... i haven't had a clean bare face since way back in November... Feels weird and may take some time getting use to...

St. Patty's Day is in a few days... I'm hoping to spend the whole day at O'Sullivans, yet haven't really made any plans with anyone else yet... I know EJ is coming into town, yet I think Palms might be working the whole day... All I know is that there will be lots of Green Beer being drank!

Obama has been president for more than 50 days now, and thus far, he has brought about a very aggressive agenda! He has not only put forth big plans to fix the economy, yet has also put focus on health care, stem cell research, shutting down Guantanamo Bay, and sending more troops to Afghanistan... I have followed his presidency very closely, and I must honestly say, that there has hardly been a day that I have been disappointed with!

It still is a terrible recession we are experiencing, and may not get better till the end of the year, yet it will eventually get better! So for all those naysayers out there who are already questioning Obama's policies, let's not forget that he inherited this crisis from the previous 8 years of ignorant de-regulation and carelessness! I think it's about time we see these rich bankers tremble in their shoes... Good for you Obama!

I haven't ate meat since Ash Wednesday, and am still going strong! This is by far the biggest thing I have ever given up for Lent, yet I must say that it's not as hard as I thought it would be. I've gotten use to a life without meat, and have been eating a lot of fish as a substitute...

I'm going to see ATB in concert next Saturday with Gabriel, Philip, and Shawna... The concert will be at the Congress Theater in Chicago! It will be my first concert in almost 4 years, since I saw Coldplay! Pretty sad, I know, but I am sure that ATB will not disappoint!

I intend to continue blogging while in Costa Rica, so as to chronicle and share my experience with others...

Coming Soon; My Top 50 Movie Heroes!

Watchmen

I'd been looking forward to this one, ever since I first saw the preview at "Dark Knight"... It comes from the ground-breaking visionary direction of Zach Snyder, who also directed "300"... The special effects are incredible, with the same type of dark, graphic, and sexual style we saw in "Sin City" or "300"... The story is Sci-Fi for the most part, yet is also very believable since it takes place in an alternate history.

The movie has a lot of back-story to it, and consists of many flashbacks... It takes place in the 1980s, where the Cold War between Russia and the USA has reached its climax. The world is in pure chaos, everyone afraid of nuclear war... The Watchmen have reunited to stop the possible nuclear war and discover who is behind the assassination of one of their fellow heroes.

The Watchmen are not your typical superheroes and in no way resembles the "X-Men". They each have dark pasts, and different motives for protecting humans... The only one who actually possesses superpowers is Dr. Manhattan. The rest are deadly fighters and killers, who unite in an underground force to protect the interest of humanity. Each character is quite entertaining and has a unique story of their own... yet it's Rorschach and The Comedian that really steal the show...

The opening credits of the movie were one of my favorite parts, as it takes us on a journey through the past 30 years with Dylan's "Times are a Changing"... Starting with the end of WW2, we see many historical events unfolding, with the superheroes taking a part in... The most striking of these images is the extremely clear and graphic assassination of Kennedy...

The movie is a visual roller coaster! It has a great soundtrack with several classic-rock songs from, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and Jimi Hendrix... Be warned though, it has a lot of frontal nudity in it, mostly of Dr. Manhattan... It is extremely political, pointing out the corruption of the government... It's a movie that could be watched many times to pick up new things, and I can't wait to add it to my collection!

Costa Rica

So the next big thing in my life is finally set to go... I'll be flying out on March 23rd to spend some time in Costa Rica... I'll be doing mostly volunteer work at an art gallery, doing translations, computer work, tours, and maybe some English teaching... I'll be living downtown San Jose in a hostel very close to the museum... I think this will be quite an adventure and a great opportunity to take in some Latin culture... I have a cousin there, and have made contact with the people I'll be working with, but other than that, I really don't know what to expect... I'll be there for a good 3 months, maybe longer if things go well... who knows for now!! all I know is that I am definitely ready for something new!

Oh... Jimmy Fallon...

For Jimmy Fallon fans, you might not want to read this, but I just gotta get this off my chest...

The minute I heard that he would be taking the helms of a Tonight Show I knew he would fail! I honestly never thought he was funny to begin with... on SNL he was always quirky, a terrible actor, always cracking up in the middle of a skit, and extremely twitchy! I mean the guy just needs to settle down! I had to watch his first two opening shows this week, to see how bad it would be... and i gotta say i was not surprised...

-He started with an extremely awkward interview with the screen legend, Robert De Niro...
-Then came a ridiculous segment of audience members licking lawnmowers, and other obvious product placements...
-The Roots and Justin Timberlake pretty much saved the first show...
-and I gotta say I was disappointed to watch him humiliate not only himself, but more importantly Robert De Niro!

-On the second night, Tina Fey came to his rescue, yet other than that I think the show might have been worse than the first night...
-There was a funny segment on some dancing German soccer players...
-Jon Bon Jovi pretty much stole the spotlight from Fallon when he came out...
-Later there was the worse segment yet with a rejected chair, who had hit rock bottom, and was welcomed on the show... this segment was the ultimate low for Fallon, who hardly received a single laugh after it was done...

I understand that there is a lot of pressure, and it is normal for new shows to start off rough... but wow, what a terrible start! He can't count on The Roots to carry him through his first week... He needs to steal the show, be the spotlight, and make it all look easy! I mean, there's good talk show hosts like; Jay Leno, Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Conan, then there are bad ones like Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, and Carson Daly... I just don't think Fallon was cut out to be a talk-show host. He's doesn't have that natural funniness and he tries WAY to hard... Not to mention he's flat out terrible at interviews... I know this is harsh, especially after only 2 shows, but I just don't see it getting any better... I'm afraid NBC just got it wrong with Jimmy Fallon, and I wouldn't give him more than a month on prime-time television!