100 Beloved Characters and 100 Other People
April 18, 2004 5:45 PM Subscribe
What do you mean Matt Haughey isn't on this list?
Time Magazine does a sequel to the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century with a list of the current Hot 100... Have fun raging at the inevitable bad choices and obvious omissions. For a more entertaining list, here's Parade Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters.
Preemptive strike: Yeah, all "Top 100" Lists are lame, but critiquing them can be an entertaining way to finish off a boring weekend
Time Magazine does a sequel to the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century with a list of the current Hot 100... Have fun raging at the inevitable bad choices and obvious omissions. For a more entertaining list, here's Parade Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters.
Preemptive strike: Yeah, all "Top 100" Lists are lame, but critiquing them can be an entertaining way to finish off a boring weekend
How have I survived this far without ever having heard of Simon Cowell? Boy, is my life vacant! ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:58 PM on April 18, 2004
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:58 PM on April 18, 2004
I just remembered something else -
none of my relatives made that damn list either!
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:02 PM on April 18, 2004
none of my relatives made that damn list either!
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:02 PM on April 18, 2004
HAL from 2001 should be on the second list. In fact, he should be in the top 10.
posted by boltman at 9:50 PM on April 18, 2004
posted by boltman at 9:50 PM on April 18, 2004
Posted: 4/19/2004 12:57:17 AM
Name: Shano
Message: man, u said it, whoever made this list is a shitfaced cockmaster and he needs to watch more damn movies, damn
posted by iamck at 9:56 PM on April 18, 2004
Name: Shano
Message: man, u said it, whoever made this list is a shitfaced cockmaster and he needs to watch more damn movies, damn
posted by iamck at 9:56 PM on April 18, 2004
While I am very glad she was included (twice even), I didn't agree with the analysis of the Katherine Hepburn characters. Rose Sayer from The African Queen is far more memorable than Susan Vance from Bringing up Baby, which was a great character, but not yet as memorable. It would be a hard choice between Rose and Eleanor of Aquitaine, of course.
Generally a good list - I think it is much easier to rate characters than actors or films. Definately some stuff I want to watch in the future (I really have to see Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly - I feel ashamed that I haven't).
posted by jb at 10:47 PM on April 18, 2004
Generally a good list - I think it is much easier to rate characters than actors or films. Definately some stuff I want to watch in the future (I really have to see Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly - I feel ashamed that I haven't).
posted by jb at 10:47 PM on April 18, 2004
jb. don't feel ashamed. Holly Golightly is a shallow, hollow character. And if you haven't seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's", you've been spared the horrible, racist performance by Mickey Rooney as an Asian man. It's really not worth seeing, and I wish I'd never seen it.
posted by interrobang at 11:17 PM on April 18, 2004
posted by interrobang at 11:17 PM on April 18, 2004
you've been spared the horrible, racist performance by Mickey Rooney as an Asian man. It's really not worth seeing, and I wish I'd never seen it.
It's stereotypical, not racist, a distinction so many seem incapable of making.
posted by The God Complex at 11:52 PM on April 18, 2004
It's stereotypical, not racist, a distinction so many seem incapable of making.
posted by The God Complex at 11:52 PM on April 18, 2004
It's stereotypical, not racist, a distinction so many seem incapable of making.
It is a racist stereotype, so making the distinction was redundant.
posted by ChasFile at 1:17 AM on April 19, 2004
It is a racist stereotype, so making the distinction was redundant.
posted by ChasFile at 1:17 AM on April 19, 2004
From the article: Mr Elliott said there was a contrast to be made between power and influence within the 100. "The distinction is a clear one," he said. "George Bush, Kim Jong Il and Jerry Bruckheimer all have power, whereas people like John Galliano and Simon Cowell have influence."
Elliott's second sentence would have made 517% more sense without the name Jerry Bruckheimer in it, at least in juxtaposition with Bush and Kim. And I suppose Galliano and Cowell aren't meant to influence people like me, except indirectly, because I have no idea whatsoever who they are.
posted by jkilg at 2:30 AM on April 19, 2004
Elliott's second sentence would have made 517% more sense without the name Jerry Bruckheimer in it, at least in juxtaposition with Bush and Kim. And I suppose Galliano and Cowell aren't meant to influence people like me, except indirectly, because I have no idea whatsoever who they are.
posted by jkilg at 2:30 AM on April 19, 2004
Names that don't belong on the Parade Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters list... in my opinion:
* John McClane of Die Hard - C'mon. And at #46 even. I'd rather have the bad guy that said, "Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho."
* Lloyd Dobler of Say Anything - Are they serious? I'll take Ferris Bueller, loooong before anything Cusack has ever played.
* Oda Mae Brown of Ghost - I'm tempted to let this one go. But it's still hard to believe that she's a top 100 character of all-time. Gimme the little short creepy woman from Poltergeist.
posted by Witty at 6:10 AM on April 19, 2004
* John McClane of Die Hard - C'mon. And at #46 even. I'd rather have the bad guy that said, "Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho."
* Lloyd Dobler of Say Anything - Are they serious? I'll take Ferris Bueller, loooong before anything Cusack has ever played.
* Oda Mae Brown of Ghost - I'm tempted to let this one go. But it's still hard to believe that she's a top 100 character of all-time. Gimme the little short creepy woman from Poltergeist.
posted by Witty at 6:10 AM on April 19, 2004
To Kill a Mockingbird is the most overrated book/movie EVER. Can anyone actually say there's any real character in Atticus Finch, fer chrissakes? The man is made to be *perfect* and that's really all there is to it. And the plot really failed to hold together for me.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:48 AM on April 19, 2004
posted by dagnyscott at 6:48 AM on April 19, 2004
John Cleese deserves a spot on the Premiere list...probably for "A Fish Called Wanda"...but my favorite would be the french taunter in "The Holy Grail."
Ferris Bueller absolutely deserves to be there...inane but hilarious.
Josey Wales and William Munny from "Unforgiven" were way better characters than Clint's character from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
From the "you gotta be kidding me" category...
-Sandy Olsson
-Judy Benjamin
-George Bailey
-Oda Mae Brown
-Ace Ventura
posted by cyclopz at 6:52 AM on April 19, 2004
Ferris Bueller absolutely deserves to be there...inane but hilarious.
Josey Wales and William Munny from "Unforgiven" were way better characters than Clint's character from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
From the "you gotta be kidding me" category...
-Sandy Olsson
-Judy Benjamin
-George Bailey
-Oda Mae Brown
-Ace Ventura
posted by cyclopz at 6:52 AM on April 19, 2004
John Cleese deserves a spot on the Premiere list...
Don't start that shit. It only encourages the evil, whoreing, unfunny alien replicant that kidnapped John Cleese and took over for him in the very late 80's.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:11 AM on April 19, 2004
Don't start that shit. It only encourages the evil, whoreing, unfunny alien replicant that kidnapped John Cleese and took over for him in the very late 80's.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:11 AM on April 19, 2004
The character list is waaaaaaaaaaaaay to american-centric. I wouldn't even put an american character in my top 20.
posted by corpse at 9:13 AM on April 19, 2004
posted by corpse at 9:13 AM on April 19, 2004
I like the list, the only absence I see is Alec Baldwin's Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross.
posted by vito90 at 9:52 AM on April 19, 2004
posted by vito90 at 9:52 AM on April 19, 2004
Actually, looking at this list, it's interesting to note that all the best ones (Vito Corleone, Randle McMurphy, Travis Bickle, Ratso Rizzo, Dirty Harry, Rocky Balboa, Norma Rae [but where the hell is John Shaft]) were all from '70's movies.
I read somewhere, that because of the time and expense involved in making them, films are always the last popular art form to absorb the cultural changes of the time. The great flicks of the seventies were finally reflecting the turmoil of the 60's in cinematic form, I guess.
posted by jonmc at 10:06 AM on April 19, 2004
I read somewhere, that because of the time and expense involved in making them, films are always the last popular art form to absorb the cultural changes of the time. The great flicks of the seventies were finally reflecting the turmoil of the 60's in cinematic form, I guess.
posted by jonmc at 10:06 AM on April 19, 2004
It is a racist stereotype, so making the distinction was redundant.
Yeah, see, not so much. For something to be racist it has to intimate that one race is superior to another based on the colour of their skin, not overblown stereotypes of ethnic characterizations.
I make this point only because racism is a word that gets bandied about on Metafilter with almost frightening ease, even when it's hardly called for.
posted by The God Complex at 1:03 PM on April 19, 2004
Yeah, see, not so much. For something to be racist it has to intimate that one race is superior to another based on the colour of their skin, not overblown stereotypes of ethnic characterizations.
I make this point only because racism is a word that gets bandied about on Metafilter with almost frightening ease, even when it's hardly called for.
posted by The God Complex at 1:03 PM on April 19, 2004
screw it, here's my top 100:
100.) Leggy McLegs
99.) Donald The Don
98.) bedtime
97.) "Hey, wha' happened?"
96.) Terry Everywhere
95.) hip hop
94.) KRS ONE
93.) Sven Esteban
92.) Alicia Ringgold
91.) USB ports
90.) digital photography
89.) "Phony" Tony McNotreal
88.) the internet (AGAIN)
87.) Edwin Dulcimer
86.) acne remedies that don't work
85.) Rose Hurley
84.) Tiffany Lamp
83.) Georgio Derferberder
82.) sleeveless t-shirt
81.) The Cramps
80.) sticky notes
79.) Elven Vertigo
78.) sweet iced tea
77.) Donald Cellphone
76.) Larry Larabie
75.) chatroom shorthand
74.) George Forgey
73.) Robert Parker
72.) Sony
71.) toilet paper
70.) vacuum tubes
more later.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:43 PM on April 19, 2004
100.) Leggy McLegs
99.) Donald The Don
98.) bedtime
97.) "Hey, wha' happened?"
96.) Terry Everywhere
95.) hip hop
94.) KRS ONE
93.) Sven Esteban
92.) Alicia Ringgold
91.) USB ports
90.) digital photography
89.) "Phony" Tony McNotreal
88.) the internet (AGAIN)
87.) Edwin Dulcimer
86.) acne remedies that don't work
85.) Rose Hurley
84.) Tiffany Lamp
83.) Georgio Derferberder
82.) sleeveless t-shirt
81.) The Cramps
80.) sticky notes
79.) Elven Vertigo
78.) sweet iced tea
77.) Donald Cellphone
76.) Larry Larabie
75.) chatroom shorthand
74.) George Forgey
73.) Robert Parker
72.) Sony
71.) toilet paper
70.) vacuum tubes
more later.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:43 PM on April 19, 2004
I'm not on the list either. Damn. : )
posted by SisterHavana at 10:06 PM on April 19, 2004
posted by SisterHavana at 10:06 PM on April 19, 2004
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posted by wendell at 5:48 PM on April 18, 2004