Your MOST INFLUENTIAL Screen Characters

[Joescoundrel]

Both TV and the movies have had their fair share of unforgettable / iconic / legendary / generation-defining / influential characters.

These are the characters that made us feel the extremes of humanity and emotion, and they stuck with us long after they were retired, killed off or the movie simply ended.

Who for you guys are the most influential TV / Movie characters and why?

Let me start.

My generation grew up knowing only one movie certainty: Sci Fi = Star Wars. Any other film with robots, spaceships and ray guns would only be compared to Star Wars and forever come up short. While Luke Skywalker and Han Solo may be go down as two of the most adored good guys in cinema of all time, it was definitely the Sith Lord, Darth Vader, who was the most unforgettable character of that franchise.

Think about it: whenever people think of pure evil or badness whether in teachers, bosses, coworkers, school mates, neighbors and whatnot, they will most likely think of folks like those as "the Darth Vader of --- " The dark side apparently had no trouble crossing over into mainstream society.

That Darth eventually turned out to be Luke's daddy was also one of the most kick-ass twists in all filmdom. "Luke, I am your father!" Shit, that line still chills me to the bone. :-X

[Emon74]

On TV, David Hasselholf playing the role of Michael Knight in Knight Rider was so influential to me, he's like a hero on TV screen driving that Car, that I often hallucinate as a kid having that famous car with a turbo boost.

I would feel bad in those Goliath episodes were Kit got destroyed and turned turtle.

[Sam Miguel]

"Twilight Zone" spawned a whole generation of fanatics of the sci-fi genre who otherwise probably would not have given much thought to aliens, time travel, alternate histories, etc-etc. Truly the creator, writers and directors of the original "Twilight Zone" were people way ahead of their times. Not to mention that also gave a break to many famous celebrities such as Charles Bronson and William Shatner. Ironically Shatner would go on to immortalize another famous sci-fi icon in Capt James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise.

[MonL]

I was a very young kid then in 1968 when my elder brothers took me to Nation Cinerama Theatre in Cubao to watch the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was the height of the US-USSR Space Race (The Eagle won’t land yet on the moon until 1969), and anything that touched on the space travel genre then was red-hot. It was truly a work of cinematic art, with dazzling special effects that would be surpassed in quantity and innovation only by the next big sci-fi movie that would be shown a decade later, Star Wars. In fact, 2001 was the benchmark for cinematic special effects for the said genre.

Some of the scenes were intensely detailed and psychedelic and remained vivid in my memory for years. Yet the only dialogue that I remember was that of the supercomputer Hal9000 pleading to astronaut David Bowman who was lobotomizing him:

“Please stop, Dave. Stop, Dave. I’m…afraid.”

I would only be able to obtain the DVD copy of it in 2003.

However, events in the next 30-50 years would overtake this movie and render it as a futuristic prediction that was not fulfilled, with the supposed Jupiter Mission to have happened in 2001 and the return trip happening ten years later in the sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact, which was shown in the mid-1980s.

The other legacy this movie left was its theme song, which was adopted later in other diverse fields as radio, advertising, pop music(Eumir Deodato’s version comes to mind), TV and other cinema genre (comedy, etc.), and is still in use today.

[bchoter]

Mine would be Michael Corleone of the Godfather series. It helped that I was really really taken by the novel and the film adaptation was one of the best. There was a time when I fancied myself as more-cerebral-less-brawn kinda guy (less brawn yes. cerebral? I thought so... until I got my class cards). I thought all the well known guys are the Sonny Corleones of the world. I would snicker in the sidelines while they make their move. "Bah, sige mauna na kayo... pag tapos ng ti-par (para napapanahon :D) I'm sure she's gonna be all over me". I guess I waited too much in the sidelines hehehe... or was it huhuhu? And it just was natural for me to abandon my Godfather persona and moved on to being John Rambo... Yari silang lahat ng mga nangagaw sa mga dapat na akin! But I never developed enough beef in my scrawny frame. Instead, I developed a paunch while tryng to carbo-load. That's when I became Obelix :D

[LION]

Mine would be Michael Corleone of the Godfather series. It helped that I was really really taken by the novel and the film adaptation was one of the best. There was a time when I fancied myself as more-cerebral-less-brawn kinda guy (less brawn yes. cerebral? I thought so... until I got my class cards). I thought all the well known guys are the Sonny Corleones of the world. I would snicker in the sidelines while they make their move. "Bah, sige mauna na kayo... pag tapos ng ti-par (para napapanahon :D) I'm sure she's gonna be all over me". I guess I waited too much in the sidelines hehehe... or was it huhuhu? And it just was natural for me to abandon my Godfather persona and moved on to being John Rambo... Yari silang lahat ng mga nangagaw sa mga dapat na akin! But I never developed enough beef in my scrawny frame. Instead, I developed a paunch while tryng to carbo-load. That's when I became Obelix :D

Same here pare ko. Michael Corleone. Of all the Corleone sons, he wasn't expected to take over his father's throne. He proved to be the cunning and brave one. And to think that Michael even went to Darthmouth College to run away from the Corleone empire.

Everytime I have enough time to kill, I always watch the Godfather series, and until now, I can't help but be mesmerized by the life of Don Vito and Michael Corleone.

[Sam Miguel]

^^^ Bchoter, Lion, what did you guys think of "Good Fellas" or "Scarface"? Supposedly those were the films that made finally got the gangster/mafia movie genre full circle. Al Pacino did a wonderful job as Michael in the Godfather series. What did you think of him as Scarface? Or for that matter, how did the Michael character stack up to Ray Liotta's character in Good Fellas?

[Sam Miguel]

^^^ MonL, did you like any of the other TV sci fi shows like "Battlestar Galactica" and "Logan's Run"?

[LION]

^^^ Bchoter, Lion, what did you guys think of "Good Fellas" or "Scarface"? Supposedly those were the films that made finally got the gangster/mafia movie genre full circle. Al Pacino did a wonderful job as Michael in the Godfather series. What did you think of him as Scarface? Or for that matter, how did the Michael character stack up to Ray Liotta's character in Good Fellas?

Goodfellas is one heck of a violent movie. I loved Joe Pesci's character in that movie as Tommy DeVito. He'd shoot people at the slightest provocation. Joe Pesci won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. The story was narrated from the point of view of Ray Liotta's character as Henry Hill, a young lad who was charmed by the gangsters' way of life and eventually became one because of the money and the lifestyle. Three lines I remember in this movie:

1. Never rat on your friends.
2. Keep your mouth shut.
3. F _ _ k!


In the end, Henry ratted on his friends because they were also going to hit him.

Michael Corleone vs. Henry Hill? Michael was a dignified gangster. Smart, cunning, brave, a real don. Henry Hill was third rate. Never was a leader. Just a goffer for the mob bosses. His downfall started when he became a drug addict and eventually a drug dealer.

As for Scarface, it's typical Al Pacino. This film is really violent and full of gratuitous graphic language. It's the story of a Cuban (Pacino as Tony Montana) who rose from the ranks as a gangster. Tony Montana is just a gangster who never aimed for redemption. He did all the wrong things that led to his downfall. Like Henry Hill, Tony Montana became addicted to cocaine, which led to paranoia, and which further led to his death in the hands of his enemies.

With the holiday season just around the corner, I might just watch again Goodfellas, The Godfather series and Scarface. Guess it's time to buy that Samsung "46 LCD being sold at a discount now in Abensons. ;D

[MonL]

The Battlestar Galactica series in the new millenium is somewhat a darker version compared to the original TV series that was spun off the "Sensurround" movie. I haven't seen a lot of episodes of the new series, but I like them better due to the unpredictability of the plots and continuity i.e.: conflicts would continue over the course of several episodes, whereas in the old series, conflicts were solved by the end of an episode, and every one went away happy as they continued on their journey to a planet called.. (dramatic pause)....Earth. :D

I liked the Logan's Run movie which starred Michael York as it was one of those themed on futuristic societies that lived on a lie, and eventually broke down when the truth came out. The TV series, though was forgettable and IIRC was canned shortly.

I also liked "Westworld" a movie about a theme park full of androids where guests can live out their fantasies (Western, Roman, Medieval, etc) and they would always win gunfights, jousts, etc., against these robots until they mysteriously malfuctioned and turned against their human masters.
Like 2001, it was themed on advanced technology which went awry.

Sam, what's your take on the U.F.O. TV series by the British ITC?