"I am a hat. You are a shoe."- MY FAVOURITE HEROES AND VILLAINS OF 2014

   HEROES

    
           I have never made a Favourite Heroes list before but because of, well, my number 1 spot, I had decided very early in 2014 to make this list. The only problem was that I usually always prefer villains to heroes and I thought I wouldn't get enough characters to make a list out of. However, I was wrong and in fact, I had to leave out quite a few in my heroes list. There's just something about the kind of characters of 2014 films with their different types of heroism that is genuinely inspiring. 

10.

Father James in Calvary

He is the good priest who has to pay the price for a bad, bad world. James' heroism comes through not only because nearly everyone else around him is fucked up in their own way but also due to the fact that he too has a dark side within him and he has to come to terms with that. The name of the film alludes to Jesus Christ's sacrifice for the sins of the human race and Father James, in a much smaller yet significant way, also does that.

9.

LGSM and the Miners in Pride

Pride is the kind of movie that fills one with infinite hope because we see that there *are* really good, solid people in this world no matter from however small a place they come from. Both the LGSM and the miners fight for their right to be heard and accepted and their mutual love, respect and support for each other wins at the end. Also the fact that all of this actually happened makes it even better.

8.

Emmett in The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie, among many things, is a very clever deconstruction of the "chosen one" trope and so of course the "Special" had to be here. The Special is basically the most ordinary person one can find but the film shows how even someone as apparently unimaginative and unremarkable as Emmett can become the hero of the story and become special once he believes in himself.

7.

Rita Vratasky aka Full Metal Bitch in Edge of Tomorrow

She's a total fucking badass who outshines Tom Cruise in his own action movie. Need I say more?

6.

John Wick in John Wick

Oh he's just soooo cool! I love a good revenge flick, especially those with the Russian mafia and world class assassins. Also, as scared as I am of dogs, taking out a whole bunch of scary guys in retaliation for killing his puppy, all while wearing a well-tailored suit is like the height of chivalry and badassery.

5.

Rani in Queen

Queen is the story of an Indian woman's emancipation and how traveling opens up not just her world but her mind too. On purely realistic levels, Rani is the most inspirational person on this list for me because I get where she was coming from and I love where she and the film goes in her journey of self-discovery. I mean, the scene where she saves her bag from the thief was the moment she becomes this person for me because I never expected that but that is exactly what makes it so liberating and awesome.

4.

The Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy

These bunch of a-holes, consisting of a hot thief, a green assassin, a crazy muscle guy, a talking raccoon and a walking tree save the whole galaxy through the power of their camaraderie. As rude and sarcastic as they are, the fact their friendship saves the day is all kinds of adorable and heartwarming.

3.

Hiccup and Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon 2

While the first film was about the formation of this unlikely partnership, the second one shows the true heroes both Hiccup and Toothless are. They become the alphas of their own packs through their inherent goodness and courage and trust in one another.

2.

Sandra Bya in Two Days, One Night

I can't tell you how much Sandra's small victory meant to me when I watched the movie. It reminded me of something I had done myself a while back which mostly only pertained to me but it was something that changed my life. Compared to some of the other characters in this list, what Sandra does seems absurd and insignificant but there is a true heroism in it. I love stories about everyday heroes and Sandra, who does the frankly daunting task of convincing her fellow workers to give up their bonus for her job while she's battling depression, is definitely one such person.

1.

Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Curtis in Snowpiercer

I saw Winter Soldier and Snowpiercer within a short while of each other and I knew then that no other character last year can beat both these Chris Evans' roles. And no, I couldn't choose between the two. Both of them are different but very powerful heroes in their own way. Steve is like the best person ever and he has to face the corrupt world he has woken up to and figure out how to still stick with his ideals in it. Curtis, on the other hand, is a man with a dark past and he reminds me of a Greek hero because he is so brave and so tragic. 

VILLAINS

          And now we come to the villains. We've got some pretty memorable ones in 2014, proving yet again why it's such a brilliant film year (I'm just going to keep harping on about this, soz).

10.

Mercedes in 22 Jump Street

Life lesson: college girls can be evil masterminds. Plus, it was hilarious that even she couldn't escape the awkwardness of that age.

9.

Kim Jong-un in The Interview

Do I really have to explain this one? Props to Randall Park for having the balls to play this role. I liked that as funny and pathetic as he was, there were proper moments of despotic madness there.

8.

Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes set up the stage for the horrifying-looking Koba and he fully delivered in Dawn. Through him, we see how destructive greed, anger and jealousy are, in humans or in apes. He is manipulative and powerful and shows what a true tyrant can do.

7.

Michel in Stranger by the Lake

On one hand, he is a cold-blooded killer, and on the other, he's a sex god who looks glorious naked (he *just* missed out in my Sexiest Characters list that I'm going to post tomorrow). I'm as conflicted as poor Franck :(

6.

Louis Bloom in Nightcrawler

Like the coyote from which Jake Gyllenhaal drew inspiration for this role, Bloom is a brutal scavenger. He's also hilarious. The only reason he's not higher on the list is because I feel that in the movie, the society is as bad a villain as Bloom since we not only let people like him exist but also prosper.

5.

Minister Mason in Snowpiercer

The worst kind of bureaucrat, Tilda Swinton based this role on "a complete smash cut of all the monstrous, maniacal, political clowns." Of course, she *is* funny but she is also a symbol of oppression and intolerance.

4.

The Babadook in The Babadook

Speaking of symbols, the Babadook stands as much for the parental anxiety and guilt about sometimes hating your child as it does for all the unseen things that go bump in the night. Plus, I am never going to unhear its frightening voice.

3.

David in The Guest

I'm still not over what a total psycho he turned out to be. Like Emmett earlier, he completely upends our ideas about him. We seem to be okay with him hurting the "bad" guys but once we see his utter indifference towards killing however many people, we are shocked. The hot hero turns out to be the brainwashed villain and it's perfectly awesome.

2.

Terence Fletcher in Whiplash

In many ways, he's the scariest character on this list simply because people like him definitely exist. Yes, he has a philosophy behind his methods and whether you agree with it or not, there's no denying that he's terrifying motherfucker. I would never ever ever want to cross paths with someone like him.

1.

Amy Dunne in Gone Girl

It almost looks like she's praying in this picture but she's actually holding a boxcutter with which she is going to murder someone moments later. BOOM! THAT'S WHY SHE'S NUMBER 1, BITCHES!

Amy Dunne is a cinematic villain for the ages. She's gorgeous, psychotic, proud, bitchy, manipulative, deliberate and she gets what she wants, whether it is getting her cheating husband framed for her own murder or the adoration of all the silly people who play into her hands. She defies, gloriously I might add, all the societal expectations put on her gender and she makes them turn on their heads for her own benefit. I lurrrve, loave, luff her!

     Who were your top heroes and villains of last year?

See also:

My Favourite Shots of 2014

My Favourite Scenes of 2014

"I still believe in heroes."

Note: What shall now ensue is a highly excited, and most likely klutzy, energy-bubble-of-a-review. Just think that a happy Hulk wrote it :)           


             WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT?! As much I was looking forward to it, a little part of me was certain that The Avengers, with so many other generally entertaining films leading up to it, a plethora of "heroes" ready to outshine each other, a probably incompetent script, and possibly one too many Michael Bay-esque explosions, would be a bust. Even my more hopeful side was pretty convinced that it would fall prey to at least one of the dangerous missteps above. But WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT IT WILL BE *THIS* MINDBLOWINGLY BRILLIANT!!

                 Nick Fury, director of the secret agency S.H.I.E.L.D., has the Tesseract, a mysterious object that is the source of unknown energy, and with the help of physicist Dr. Erik Selvig, is trying to harness its power. When the Tesseract suddenly gets activated, it opens a portal through which the exiled god Loki steps through. Loki has made a pact with an evil alien race called the Chitauri, who will help him conquer Earth in exchange for the Tesseract. Loki, forever the god of mischief, starts to wreak havoc the moment he comes and soon Fury has to recruit a team of super soldiers, assasins, a demi god and a Hulk to fight these lethal enemies and save the earth.


                 I am not going into more detail than that. Prior to watching it, I carefully, and with rather difficulty, avoided all the reviews of this film, and I think everyone should do that (except this one of course *wink*). You may think that the one billion promotional photos and videos may be giving things away, but it really is not the case. The film was literally nothing like what I expected it to be. I mean I am no comic book nerd, and those who are may know details about the stories that I didn't. Still I am quite the lover of superhero movies, well-made action movies, smart movies, movies with great one-liners, movies that are outstanding ensemble pieces and movies with a superb supervillain for me to geek out on. The Avengers was all of this, and maybe even more.

               Let's break this down one by one. This might just become my favourite "superhero" superhero film ever, when compared to every other film of this genre except the Nolan Batman trilogy because those films are a number of other things too. Ever since Ironman in 2008, the big screen adaptations of Marvel comics have been a big marketing campaign with little clues and pointers spread out throughout them. One may even say that the whole of Captain America was more or less a trailer to The Avengers. It must have been a colossal task to put it all together in such a way that everything fits and that all the major characters that we have seen and loved in the previous films get enough spotlight, while also creating a unique and effective story. Joss Whedon of the Buffy fame, who also directed the film, co-wrote the story with Zak Penn and they were successful in completing this task. Sure there was some science-y jargon that no one got, but it is an intelligent script, and equally important, a really funny one. This film is packed with one-liners and humorous situations. Like in the case of Tintin, it is a whole another experience when a full house laughs and cheers at a joke or a scene, and The Avengers provided us with many such instances that made it really fun.


             Now since it is a superhero film, there are some expectations that we all go in with. We know that there will be a few blasts and and a couple of brawls and maybe some shooting etc. The special effects in The Avengers were very good. While I wouldn't call them groundbreaking, I will say that they were exactly the right amount. There wasn't the novelty of Ironman's suit, which is still incredibly cool, or the glittery world of Asgard, or an astoundingly tiny version of Chris Evans. But I liked the fact that the effects in The Avengers don't overwhelm you, which is what they usually seem to do. I did see this in 3D and too much CGI becomes painful, but the film used the technology skillfully. The overall look and feel of the film definitely was quite stunning. Even amongst the booms and bangs, we see characters fighting at street level and it just felt so normal when compared to say huge metal robots bashing down buildings like bowling pins. The action sequences were quite cleverly crafted so as to use the various powers of all these different superheroes perfectly. Also, this is the film where I feel Hulk has the most realistic look yet.

              Coming to the cast, this film truly wins for me in what it manages to do with such an assortment of extraordinary persons. Too many cooks can spoil the broth, and similarly too many superheroes probably can destroy the world, or worse a film. However, The Avengers finds itself in the company of those rare films where ensemble casts work immaculately well with each other. The story gives enough room for each character to grow and flesh out without focusing on any one individual. Even someone as relatively common as Agent Phil Coulson, played by the lovely Clark Gregg, has an excellent character arc and story. Talking about them separately, the returning and already established superheroes- Ironman, Thor and Captain America, are as fun and heroic as ever. Robert Downey Jr. who plays the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony Stark/Ironman is cocky and epic and has some of the best lines in the film. The ginormous Chris Hemsworth is Thor, who is now humble, but still has the airs of a god and a complimenting presence. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America is remains as the goody two-shoes, and adorably so. These three clash the most because they have each battled evil before, and they each think their own way is the right way.


             But I really appreciated the script when it came to the characters we didn't know as well. Jeremy Renner plays Clint Barton/Hawkeye, a character we knew nothing of, and he is given an interesting story. Another elusive character is that of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow played by Scarlett Johannson. This is definitely one of the best performances that she has ever given. She was cool and tough and though in no way Russian, pretty kickass nonetheless. Now Bruce Banner/Hulk has been portrayed twice before onscreen and though I like Edward Norton, I was never into the big green guy. However with Mark Ruffalo's nuanced meekness, the change becomes all the more amazing. While I still proclaim that all the characters were on an equal footing for me in this film, I have to give extra credit to Whedon for finally making me a fan of Hulk. I can now see what little boisterous boys see in him and I seriously admire that.

             Last but not the least, Tom Hiddleston as Loki was a fantastic supervillain. It is no mean feat for a relatively new comer like him to stand his own against so many more accomplished actors playing such juicy characters. But Hilddleston's Loki, with his eloquent and poisonous way of talking, chilly glare and snarly smile, and quite a commanding presence, is a serious antagonist for all our heroes. One scene where I especially liked him when he almost slithers down a flight of stairs in Germany before striking someone with his sceptre. It is quite an Alex DeLarge sort of moment. Also when he is ruthlessly insulting Natasha, I couldn't help but think about The Silence of the Lambs. These are some of my favourite negative characters, so you can understand how much I love Loki.


            All hats off to Whedon for what he has done with this film, against all odds. He has managed to make an impeccably entertaining film, with rich and memorable characters and some splendid action sequences. I had written in my review of Chronicle that it is the superhero film to beat this year. Well, the Avengers have just hauled its little telekinetic ass out of this world. This may just become the superhero film to beat ever. I hear people are already campaigning for The Avengers to get a SAG Best Ensemble nod, and I am totally joining the party. It is too early to say now, but this may also become my Harry Potter film of the year, which is the film I personally will dream about getting a Best Picture Oscar nomination in spite of well, reality.

            In conclusion I will just like to say that I threw a fit to watch The Avengers on the opening weekend, and I am a person whose aim in life is to get independence like a fully-functioning adult. However, I acted like a child to see this film, and that is just what some of us have to do sometimes. Of course it was completely worth it, but it is also fun to be a little kid for a while with the big explosions, the whole bunch of hilarity and the good old heroes beating the villains.  The Avengers let me be that little kid and it was marvelous (pun maybe intended).

"What are these people watching? People like me."- BEST VILLAINS OF 2011

             I think it is common knowledge that I love my villains like none other. 2011 brought with it some particularly nasty and memorable ones. These were the best (or the worst).


Honourable mentions: Rattlesnake Jake from Rango, Lea Seydoux in MI4, Yorick van Wagingen as a particularly icky Nils Bjurman in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Lindhagen in Crazy, Stupid, Love.

10.

Melancholia in Melancholia

Both the planet and Justine's problem. However beautiful this film was, it was filled with melancholy and it did leave you feeling depressed as hell. 

9.

Sakharine in The Adventures of Tintin

He is the perfect image of a creepy thin man who is up to no good. Even though Tintin was not quite the hero, Sakharine was a pretty spot-on villain. Daniel Craig did a good job of voicing him.

8.

The virus in Contagion

Yes the virus in itself is scary as hell, because it kills people really really fast. But what is scarier is what it brings out in people- fear, violence, anarchy, apathy.

7.

Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

He is the Dark Lord after all. He is most effective in this film. He goes madder than ever, and makes people really afraid of him. Oh and the way his hissing voice makes people scream...

6.

The bosses in Horrible Bosses

You can't choose one. They were all pretty awful. Never want a boss like any of them.

5.

Bernie Rose in Drive

The perfect mobster. Cruel and heartless, but tries to be the nice guy after all. Albert Brooks was so very good as Bernie.

4.

The 'big gorilla-wolf-motherfuckers' aliens in Attack the Block

No explanation required.

3.

Loki in Thor
I do love supervillains so. Loki is probably one of the best ever, and is the sole reason why Thor is quite good. He adds a dimension to the film that otherwise would have been about a big cocky guy with a hammer, with Natalie Portman of course.


2.

Kevin in We Need to Talk About Kevin

All the Kevins are included in this. He was so sinister. As much as his parents were wrong, Kevin was no angel. He was a disturbed child from the get-go, and when he finally does what he does, we should not be scared as we had been expecting it from the start, but it steals manages to shock and startle us.

1.

Robert Ledgard in The Skin I Live In

The top 2 were neck-in-neck for me as both are ideal representations of what is good in the world- a child and a doctor, but are not in these cases. They are very much the opposite. But I could not shake the feeling of just how wrong Antonio Banderas's character was in this. Doctors and surgeons are entrusted with lives, and his character, a true mad man, tries to play god with them. I won't say what he does, because that has to be experienced, but it is so very disturbing and reprehensible. Frankenstein could not have been this crazy and horrible.

Evil is as Evil does

Video- Cinematic Villains

NYTimes did the classic silent movie types last year, and this year they are back with Touch of Evil, showing the 13 actors who have given some of the best performances of 2011 as famous cinematic villain types. I love this! Seeing that one of the biggest films this year has ended up being The Artist, maybe unintentionally this will start some sort of trend. And this would be very cool because I adore villains (MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAA). So as my limited film knowledge is failing me yet again (I haven't even seen Touch of Evil), like last year, I will just give my thoughts on the actors and their little skits-

* The ones who I don't know.

1) Brad Pitt- Henry Spencer in Eraserhead (he sort of looks like Gollum in the end) .

2) Rooney Mara-Alex Delarge in A Clockwork Orange (gorgeousity).

3) Gary Oldman- Fats in Magic (He disturbingly resembles one very famous Indian actor-director Raj Kapoor in this. Good).

4) Mia Wasikowska*- The Homewrecker (plain love... kind of reminds me of Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity.)

5) Ryan Gosling- The Invisible Man (ugh, he should totally play this...).

6) George Clooney- Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty (I'm sorry, but bahaha for the eyebrows).

7) Viola Davis- Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (scary shit...no idea where the bugs came from).

8) Kirsten Dunst- Carol in Repulsion (there's a reason why she sort of invented the manic pixie girl ideal... so much allure, and then just stuff of nightmares).

9) Michael Shannon- Gordon Gekko from Wall Street (the papers were too distracting and unnatural).

10) Jessica Chastain*- The Firestarter (and this is why the whole world wants her- superb).

11) Jean Dujardin*- It's apparently from Green Street Hooligans (very energetic... not that malevolent).

12) Adepero Oduye- Bonnie Parker from Bonnie and Clyde (how is this villainous? It's sad, and melodramatic like Jennifer Lawrence last year).

13) Glenn Close*- The Vamp (sort of in the style of Norma Desmond... her icy cold eyes that have made her so famous help her immensely).

My favourites- women rule with Mara, Wasikowska, Dunst, Davis, Chastain and Close all being absolutely spot on. In the men, it's the Year of the Goz, so how can he not be bloody brilliant? I sort of liked the minimalistic monochrome of last year's better, but with ones like Gosling's, Mara's, Wasikowska's and Chastain's, it sort of makes sense why they went for the spectacular sets and effects. 

Enjoy :D

15 Movie Questions Meme

So there is a 15 Movie Questions Meme that has been started by Anna from Defiant Success. It's very interesting, and got me thinking. Here's what I came up with:

1) Movie you love with a passion.

The Harry Potter Series- Is it any surprise? I owe my life to these films... I would've never fallen in love with films if it wasn't for them. Not because they are the greatest films ever, but because they fill my life with magic and wonder.

2) Movie you vow to never watch.

The Last Song- It's a film based on a Nicholas Sparks book starring Miley Cyrus. Give me all the Twilights and all the Biebers, but save me from this worst kind of sapfest.

3) Movie that literally left you speechless.

Pan's Labyrinth- Maybe it's because I was crying, but I could not find words to describe the emotions going through me when this ended. It was happiness, and sadness, and amazement, and just the beauty of Long, Long Time Ago wafting over me. I understand what those folks at Cannes felt.

4) Movie you always recommend.

Fight Club- Just to see the change in the person, that is bound to come after seeing this.

5) Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

Johnny Depp- Light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. He has me quoting Humbert Humbert for crying out loud!

6) Actor/actress you don't get the appeal for.

Russell Crowe- I just can't stand him for some reason. I think he's my anti-Depp. Yes he's a good actor blah blah blah... but I sort of really hate him.

7) Actor/actress, living or dead, you'd love to meet.

Woody Allen- I cheated! Well most of the people I want to meet are directors, but Woody acts too! I think it would be just so intellectually stimulating to meet him, even though he may think of me as an ignorant fool.

On the flipside, I would never want to meet Ryan Gosling, because I'll embarrass myself silly around him. He is just so sexy and has a very weird grip on me, I'm telling you...

8) Sexiest actor/actress you've seen.

Ryan Gosling- See above.

9) Dream Cast.

Streep, Depp, Blanchett, Garfield, Dunst, Tucci, Ronan and Radcliffe- Okay I know it's rather big, but I have actually thought of a weird story with all of them. I mean we have royalty, under-appreciated actors and the up-and-coming ones.

Maybe Tarantino can do something...a girl can dream, right?

10) Favourite actor pairing.

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts- I really though Kate and Leo will take this, but I love them more off-screen. But the way Gere and Roberts electrify the screen, it's quite something else.

11) Favorite movie setting.

Paris, France- I guess this would be a common thing. Audrey Hepburn said it was always a good idea, and from the New Wave to Moulin Rouge!, An American to Pink Panther, we all love the city of love. And we'll always have it.

12) Favourite decade for movies.

Sixties- Without any doubt. 'Twas a magical time. I still wish I lived then.

13) Chick flick or action movie?

Action movie- The success rates of both nowadays is low, but with the improved special effects, most action movies deliver enough.

14) Hero, villain or anti-hero?

Anti-heroes- Yes I love them, I love them, I love them! How many times more? I FUCKING LOVE ANTI-HEORES!!

15) Black and white or color?

Black and White- It reminds me of a quote from a book, about a character reminiscing the past:

"In those days, thought Mr. Fisher, we dreamed in colour, though films were in black and white, good always triumphed in the end, and only Americans spoke American."

In other words, there is something very right about black and white (that rhymed!).

Hope it was fun reading it as much as I had fun answering them.