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Saturday, May 09, 2015

Ten Favorite Screen Characters Tag

Jamie over at Two Blue Eyes tagged me with this a few days ago.  I'm supposed to list off my 10 favorite characters from movies or TV, and then tag up to 10 bloggers to do the same.  I haven't done one of my lists of ten favorite something-or-others for a long time, so I thought this would be a good addition to that series :-)


These are characters I love on screen, though some of them I also love in the books or comics that inspired them.  But I am referring here to particular onscreen incarnations, okay?


1.  Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) from Combat! (1962-67).  I love so much about Saunders.  His courage, his stubbornness, his moral certainty, his compassion -- he's such a nuanced, layered, complex character, and I love him dearly.


2.  Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from the X-men movies.  Ahh, Wolvie.  What can I say?  I would love to be Wolvie, to have his swagger, his lack of caring about what other people think, his high level of snarkiness.  I'm going to be very sad when Hugh Jackman turns in his claws in a couple of years, as I can't imagine anyone else embodying this character nearly so well.  I kind of don't want to see anyone try.


3.  Angel (David Boreanaz) from Angel (1999-2004) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I have so much sympathy for Angel, with his load of guilt for his past misdeeds, and his burning desire to help people, to atone for all the misery he's caused, to find forgiveness.  And I admire him, too, the way he stands back up every time he stumbles.  Doesn't give up, this vampire of mine.


4.  Sawyer (Josh Holloway) from Lost (2004-2010).  I've never been particularly attracted to "bad boys," but I'm fascinated by con artists and Southerners, so I was interested in him from very early in the series.  I love how he reinvents himself over and over, but can never actually change who he is inside.


5.  Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) from the Granada Television productions (1984-1994).  I love Sherlock Holmes in the original stories, and Brett's performance most closely matches the Holmes in my imagination.  He's brilliant, brusque, and so impatient, but has a kind heart and a twisty sense of humor.


6.  Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) from the Hobbit movies.  I rhapsodized here last month about why I love Bard so much, so today I'll just say that I admire his devotion to his family and his determination to protect them.


7.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) from the Avengers movies.  I get so annoyed by people who write Thor off as brawny eye candy.  He's so much more than that!  He's intelligent, but somehow a bit guileless, and he overlooks the faults of people he loves, which is why Loki can trick him so easily.  He's loyal, protective, trustworthy, and unselfish.


8.  John Reid (Armie Hammer) from The Lone Ranger (2013).  John Reid is my doppelganger.  Seriously, he is like a male version of me -- I've never found another movie character I identified with quite so closely.  I love his blend of naivety, intelligence, bookishness, manliness, and loyalty.  He's not at all like the original Lone Ranger character, but I am totally cool with that.


9.  John Watson (Martin Freeman) from the BBC's Sherlock (2010--).  He's so unendingly nice, isn't he?  And he puts up with so much nonsense, not without a growl or two, but still, he's the best friend anyone could ask for.


10.  Heath Barkley (Lee Majors) from The Big Valley (1965-69).  Heath's one of those characters I want to hug and take care of.  He's had a rough life, growing up illegitimate and fatherless.  I love how he fits into the Barkley family when he finds them, and yet is always just a little bit "other," never quite feeling secure in his new role as brother and step-son.  Of all the characters I love, he's the one who needs the most emotional TLC, though don't get the idea that he's weak or helpless!  He can shoot, brawl, and ride with the best of 'em.

Now, I'm supposed to tag 10 bloggers, so here goes:

Carissa
DKoren
Emma
Eowyn
Eva
Heidi
Kara
Karis
Olivia
Sadie

Play if you want to!

25 comments:

  1. Cool! I don't know *ahem* any of these characters actually, but I'm sure they're all awesome. ;-)

    Thanks for tagging me! *rubs hands together* This oughta be good.

    ~Emma

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    1. Aww, really? None of them? Wow, and I thought I had such an across-the-board mix. Hee!

      Yes, this is a super fun tag :-D

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    2. BTW, Emma, you might really like The Big Valley. It makes me think of DQMW in some ways. All 4 seasons are out on DVD, but there were also lots of eps on YouTube last I checked.

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  2. I'm so looking forward to this tag!:D

    "John Reid is my doppelgänger." That made me smile:)

    YES. BARD. Bard's going to be on my list, too, I think.

    And Martin Freeman's Watson! I've only seen snippets, but he's epic:)

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    1. Well, he IS my doppelganger. It's kind of scarily true.

      Bard deserves to be on all the lists, doesn't he?

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  3. I do love that Saunders is on both of our lists. It really says something about the power and wonderfulness of Saunders (and Vic), doesn't it. And I have the other half of the Lone Ranger duo, of course! :-D

    This is a great list. Love the pictures too!

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    1. Of course Saunders is on both our lists! How could he not be? Impossible. He's just that wonderful.

      The pics are the funnest part :-)

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  4. Thanks for tagging me! Now I just have to narrow my list down to just ten... ;)

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    1. You're welcome! And yes, that's a pretty big task, isn't it?

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  5. Nice choices. :)

    You... like Bard? You HID IT SO WELL. ;)

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    1. Yeah, I know, I'm very reticent about mentioning him.

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  6. You put Heath in your choices! I used to think that I was the only one who watched Big Valley. :-)
    He is definitely the most sensitive out of the Barkley's, and I also love the way he balances Nick.

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    1. I love The Big Valley! It's one of my absolute favorite TV shows, and Heath is definitely my favorite Barkley. He does balance Nick nicely, doesn't he? And then Jarrod is like the super-level-headed middle ground between the two of them.

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  7. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is what holds together the X-Men movie in my opinion. Do you think they'll try to replace him once he leaves? That probably won't work too well...

    I love Bard so much. :D And Thor isn't my favorite Avenger, but I definitely don't see him as just some pretty muscles. I like how gentlemanly and kind he is. :)

    I didn't like the Lone Ranger movie very much at all, but I have to say I enjoyed Armie Hammer's John Reid too. Not as much as you, but he was very cool, and a three dimensional character, and saved the movie from awfulness I thought. :P

    And John Watson. John is the best and so is Martin Freeman, so that makes him twice as awesome. :D

    Awesome picks, Hamlette!!

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    1. I hope that they will not replace Hugh Jackman immediately, as I think that would be a huge mistake. I mean, he's played the character for 15+ years -- how are you going to replace him? There are so many X-men in the comics that I think they could do fine without him for a while, and then maybe in like 10 years, create a new version.

      Yes! Thor is gentlemanly and kind. Thank you.

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  8. Thor, Wolverine, and Watson!? What a splendid list, Hamlette! Well put together too. :)

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    1. Thanks, Rissi :-) I definitely enjoyed making this list!

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  9. Thanks for the tag. But how terrible that I've hardly met any of your favorites! Okay, so I have met Wolverine and Angel and kinda sorta John Watson (haven't actually watched an entire episode yet). But the others I haven't. Although I DO plan to meet Bard sometime soonish (all of your exclamations and pins on pinterest have interested me even further than I was already :), and I still want to watch the Avengers movies (including all the separate characters movies). Some day! Some day I shall. Looks like a fab list. :D

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    1. Well, at least you've met a few of them, Kara! And do hope you can meet Bard soonisher rather than latisher. (I do get a little carried away with the Bard pins sometimes, though, don't I?) And the Avengers movies are such fun! They're kind of piling up now, though -- better get into them before they start feeling like homework.

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    2. You're right. I should. But movies could never feel like homework! Could they? Please say no! :)

      (I say keep the Bard pins coming! Seeing his VERY nice looking face show up as I'm scrolling always makes me smile. :)

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    3. Well, sometimes a movie feels like homework if someone loans it to me and says, "You should see this!"

      (Mmm. Bard.)

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  10. What a wonderful list! The Lone Ranger in general is so underrated,in my opinion! And I really liked the new movie!

    ~Jamie

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    1. Thanks, Jamie! I've been a Lone Ranger fan since I was a little girl, and I really dug the new movie too.

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