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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 13, 2008 21:34:05 GMT -5
This place could use some more threads. So, I'll just bring my current countdown here. It's summertime, and I've decided to do another list or two. This one will rank the 100 Greatest Villains in Pop Culture. Let's start with 100: 100. Walter Peck Who is he: An overzealous EPA representative/asshole. What is he from: “Ghostbusters” What has he done: Unleashed a horde of evil spirits onto New York City; though in his defense, he didn’t know what he was doing. Intelligence: Looks like a lawyer, so he’s most likely pretty smart. Power: Mainly through intimidation, meanness, and confusing people with legal jargon. Vileness: He truly does have the best interests of New York in mind; he just doesn’t know what he’s doing and gets upset too easily when insulted. Sway: Has a position of power in the EPA gets him results. Purity: Determined to get on the Ghostbusters' case, either to shut them down or get some political glory. Physical Prowess: Plain and simple; he's a stiff in a suit. Name Coolness: "Walter Peck" isn't that cool, and adding an "-er" to the end of it makes it a synonym for penis. Created by: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Portrayed by: William Atherton, who probably doesn’t like the role that pretty much made him famous. Atherton was also almost injured on the set when 200 pounds of shaving cream were dumped on him from a crane to simulate a torrent of molten marshmallow engulfing him, almost knocking him off his feet. And, after the big success of “Ghostbusters,” Atherton has said that people have yelled "Dickless" at him when they see him in public (Peck is called "Dickless" by Dan Aykroyd's character in the movie). A group of supernatural spirit hunters, the Ghostbusters, become real popular in New York City. However, there’s one guy who doesn’t believe they are actually busting ghosts and has some legitimate concerns about some hazardous chemicals the group is using: Walter Peck. When he goes down to investigate, in a very curt and unpleasant way, he is met with nothing but sarcasm and patronizing from Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray). So, Peck comes back with a court order, the cops, and A ConEd electrician to shut the Ghostbusters down. He orders the electrician to turn off the Ghostbusters’ grid holding the ghosts they have captured. The grid explodes and evil spirits are unleashed on the City That Never Sleeps. A massive number of supernatural events spark chaos throughout the city as long-dead spirits run wild terrorizing the populace. Peck accuses the Ghostbusters of causing the explosion due to their own negligence and has them arrested. And, he has perfect timing as all this goes down while the minions of Gozer, Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster, have come to the living world, taken possession of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) respectively, and are about to bring Gozer forth to start the Apocalypse. Eventually, the mayor of New York (David Margulies) summons the Ghostbusters from jail in hopes that they can explain the various supernatural phenomena. Walter Peck makes a series of baseless accusations that the Ghostbusters are con artists. However, none of the department heads at the meeting are able to support Peck's claims, and with Venkman persuading the politicians, the Ghostbusters convince the mayor to let them deal with the crisis. As for Peck, he ends up with a bunch marshmallow goop from the exploded Stay Puff Marshmallow man falling onto him. When it comes to being a good villain, there's one thing that mere mortals can do well that most all-powerful, god-like supervillains cannot: simply annoy the hell out of you. And, Walter Peck is such an annoying dick, which is ironic because apparently he’s dickless.[/reference to the best joke in the movie] Now, Peck isn’t that evil. Walter Peck, legal representative of the Environmental Protection Agency, has a legitimate beef with the Ghostbusters as no one wants "noxious, possibly hazardous" chemicals in their neighborhood, and that's the EPA's business. And Dr. Peter Venkman certainly did patronize “Mr. Pecker” to the point of producing court orders against the boys. However, this man is a piece of crap. He isn’t a terror of “biblical proportions,” but he is a constant thorn in the Ghostbusters' side. Also, it is his fault that all the ghosts the guys caught were released into New York from the already-unstable containment grid. Though he may not have known what he was doing, he still unleashed all those evil spirits onto New York City. Not only that but he continued to attack and irritate the Ghostbusters, even while the Big Apple was facing doom for Gozer, a Sumerian God that sought to bring the end of the world. Luckily the Mayor of New York was able to see how much of a dick Peck was and allowed the Ghostbusters to save the day. It is poetic justice that this slippery, slimy operator was doused by an embarrassingly enormous glob of sticky Stay-Puft Marshmallow. As tough as this man's exterior was, perhaps that was the only way in this world to make him any sweeter.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 13, 2008 21:34:40 GMT -5
99. Sideshow Bob Who is he: A culturally sophisticated criminal known to attempt to murder someone every once in a while. What is he from: The Simpsons What has he done: Tried to kill Bart Simpson, his family, his aunt Selma, and his hero Krusty The Clown. Also framed Krusty for robbery to take over his show, stole an atomic bomb to rid the world of television, and rigged the Springfield Mayoral election. Intelligence: Yale educated and knowledgeable in the ways of high culture. Power: Can easily be beaten in a fist fight, but has a power of persuasion that has allowed him to get his entire family to go along with his schemes. Vileness: Willing to kill a child. Sway: Was able to frame a celebrity and rig an election; also that power of persuasion. Purity: Will do anything to succeed, but he hasn’t had much luck in the succeeding part. Physical Prowess: Like a said, he can easily be beaten in a fist fight. Name Coolness: “Bob” isn’t that cool, but adding “Sideshow” to it makes it a little cooler. Created by: Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, and Matt Groening. They wrote the first episode Bob appeared in, “The Telltale Head.” Portrayed by: Kelsey Grammer, though, the role was almost given to James Earl Jones. Grammer used his impression of Ellis Rabb, a man for whom Grammer had once worked, for Bob's voice. Grammer initially thought that Bob would be a one-time character, but the writers liked Grammer’s voice and love writing Bob episodes. Grammer calls him “the most popular character I've ever played.” Bob began his career as Krusty the Clown's non-speaking sidekick. He had only won the job because he proved to be more of a comic foil than his younger brother Cecil, who had actually auditioned for the part. As the years went on, the Yale-educated Bob became increasingly angered at being overshadowed by Krusty's “dilapidated vaudeville antics” and continual abuse. Finally, he snapped and framed Krusty for armed robbery at the Kwik-E-Mart. He took over his show, making it more sophisticated by introducing culture and reading Man in the Iron Mask. Although the show was critically acclaimed, his reign was short-lived, as Bart Simpson exposed his plan and landed him in jail. Once his true character is revealed, Bob takes the position of evil genius in the series. Typical Sideshow Bob centered episodes involve Bob being released from prison and acting out a cunning revenge plan, which is foiled by Bart and Lisa. Frequently such plans involve attempting to kill someone, mainly Bart or, to a lesser extent, Krusty. In Bob's first scheme after his failed framing of Krusty, he married Selma Bouvier, Bart's aunt, in an attempt to gain money from her stock shares and then tried to blow her up on their honeymoon. He was foiled by Bart once again. After his second release he went after Bart, threatening him repeatedly and forcing the Simpsons to move to Terror Lake through the Witness Relocation Program. Bob follows, and after he apprehends the rest of the family, attempts to kill Bart. As Bart's final request, he sings him the entire score of H.M.S. Pinafore. The distraction leads to Bob's arrest. He then rigged the Springfield Mayoral election, and planned to blow Springfield up with a nuclear bomb unless the city stopped broadcasting television. After this, Bob genuinely becomes redeemed, and instead his brother Cecil attempts to commit a crime. Cecil harbored resentment for Bob becoming Krusty's sidekick instead of him, and tried to frame him for embezzlement by sabotaging the Springfield Dam. Bob and Bart together foiled his plan and saved the town, but both brothers ended up in prison due to Chief Wiggum's stupidity. Bob is again released, and plots to kill Krusty using Bart as a suicide bomber, but later helps Homer discover who is trying to kill him. After the mystery is solved, however, he comes back to murder Bart. He finds he cannot do it. Bob moves to Italy, looking for a fresh start. There, he becomes mayor of a village in Tuscany and marries a local woman named Francesca, with whom he has a son named Gino, who resembles him. The Simpsons visit and Bob welcomes them with hospitality, on the condition that they not reveal his felonious past. However a drunken Lisa does just that, alienating him from his citizens. His wife and son do not abandon him though, and the three swear a vendetta on the Simpsons. The family later returns, and Bob fakes his own death and attempts to burn Bart alive at his funeral. However, he and his entire family are foiled and thrown in jail. He may not be the most successful criminal in the world, but he is determined to get revenge on Bart Simpson. He has tried to kill the boy on numerous occasions and once brainwashed Bart into assassinating Krusty The Clown. However, like always, he failed. But, that has not stopped Bob. The man will stop at nothing and do anything to get Bart Simpson. He even faked his own death so that he could kill Bart. The man is the very definition of determination. However, Bob wasn’t always after Bart. His first two schemes, framing Krusty of robbing the Kwik-E-Mart in order to take over his show and marrying Selma so he could kill her and inherit some stock shares from her, were foiled by Bart. Since then, Bob has felt the Simpson boy has to die. Bob also has a desire to make Springfield go by his lifestyle. He took over Krusty’s shows to make it more culturally appealing, he rigged an election to become Mayor of Springfield, and he threatened to blow up Springfield with a nuclear bomb in order to rid the town of television. He is an evil genius who wants people to live like him and wants to rid the world of Bart Simpson. However, it seems unlikely he’ll ever succeed.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 13, 2008 21:35:04 GMT -5
98. Dean Vernon Wormer Who is he: Dean of Faber College. What is he from: “Animal House.” What has he done: Put the Deltas on “Double Secret Probation.” Intelligence: He’s the dean of a university; you got to be pretty smart to be one of those. Power: Need I remind you about “Double Secret Probation.” Vileness: Hates partying, so he’s a buzzkill. Sway: Can suspend and expel people from college, and partakes in a little blackmail with the town mayor. Purity: Wants his college to run smoothly and will get rid of any trouble makers. Physical Prowess: He’s a little old, but he could get pretty strong when he gets angry. Name Coolness: “Wormer” is such a slimy name, great for a villain. Created by: Douglas Kenney, Christopher Miller and Harold Ramis. Portrayed by: John Vernon, but the role almost went to Jack Webb. However, Webb backed out because he was afraid the film would hurt his clean-cut image; and Vernon got the role. The Delta house is the coolest fraternity on the campus of Faber College. However, their hard partying ways are pissing of the head of Faber College: Dean Vernon Wormer. He wants to kick the Deltas off campus. Since they are already on probation, he puts the Deltas on "Double Secret Probation" and orders Omega president Gregg Marmalard (James Daughton) to assign Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf) the job of finding a way to get rid of the Deltas once and for all. The Deltas get under Wormer’s skin with many pranks, including Bluto, D-Day, and Flounder into sneaking Neidermeyer’s horse into Dean Wormer's office and giving him a gun and telling him to shoot it. Unbeknownst to Flounder, the gun is loaded with blanks. He can't bring himself to kill the horse and fires into the ceiling, but the noise causes the horse to have a heart attack and die. The next day, a chainsaw is required to remove the carcass, in rigor mortis, from the office. Luckily for Wormer, the Deltas grade point average drops incredibly low after Bluto and D-Day steal the answers to an upcoming psychology test stencil that has been planted by the Omegas, causing the Deltas to get every answer wrong. Wormer visits the Delta House to gloat as he tells them he only needs one more incident in order to kick them off the campus. Undaunted, the Deltas organize a toga party. Pinto (Thomas Hulce) invites Clorette (Sarah Holcomb), the cashier at the local supermarket; she turns out to be the underage daughter of shady Mayor Carmine DePasto (Cesare Danova). When she gets drunk and passes out, Pinto is tempted to take advantage of her (an angel and a devil appear over his shoulders and have a frank discussion of his choices); in the end, he takes her home in a shopping cart, where DePasto finds her and calls Wormer to complain. Wormer has his own problems as a drunken Mrs. Wormer (Verna Bloom) crashes the party (both figuratively and literally) and has sex with Otter (Tim Matheson). That turns out to be the last straw. Wormer calls for a trial to have their fraternity's charter revoked, which he uses his power to pretty have the Deltas lose. Their charter is revoked, and everything is confiscated. Bluto is horrified when they take “the bar, the whole fuckin' bar!” Then, Wormer gets another win over the Deltas when he has them all expelled because their grades are so low and notifies the draft board that they are all eligible for military service. However, it’s a hollow victory as Flounder pukes on him. And, later, the Deltas ruin the Homecoming parade. Years later, Wormer spends the rest of his days in a retirement home living senile bliss until some mentions the Deltas. There have been many imitators to “Animal House,” which means there are many imitators to Dean Wormer. But, the original is still the best. He is such a stone-faced hard ass. This unscrupulous buzzkiller hates anyone who likes to party or get laid or have a few drinks. He wants college to be about learning and getting an education and to be prepared for the real world. Well, guess what pal!? The reason college was invented was so that kids could drink and party for four years without any consequences!!!! Your little “Double Secret Probation” can’t change that fact! And, yeah, you did sort of win. I mean, the Deltas got their fraternity charter revoked, and they were all expelled. But, that was only the battle! The war was won when the Deltas crashed that little parade of yours! Plus, Wormer ended up in a retirement home. John Blutarsky ended up as President of the United States of America. So, where’s your “Double Secret Probation” now, Mr. Wormer!?
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 13, 2008 21:35:27 GMT -5
97. Bill Lumbergh Who is he: The division Vice-President at Initech. What is he from: “Office Space.” What has he done: Emotionlessly micromanages his employees while engaging them with superficial small talk, and stole Milton’s stapler, the first of many things he did to make Milton’s life a living hell. Intelligence: According to his information sheet when viewed by Bob Slydell, he has BS and MS degrees in physics from MIT. Power: As the division Vice-President, he pretty much runs the place. Vileness: Isn’t afraid to make people work on the weekends, steal items they hold near and dear, and basically make your work place a crappy place to be. Sway: He can hire and fire people. Purity: Will use passive-aggressive techniques to get people to follow the “Initech way.” Physical Prowess: He looks like he’s in good shape, but if you were to challenge him to a fight, you could probably win; if he didn’t run away like a chicken. Name Coolness: “Bill Lumbergh” = not cool. Created by: Mike Judge. Portrayed by: Gary Cole. He reprised the role in a Lumbergh cameo appearance on the animated series Family Guy episode “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz.” Bill Lumbergh is the Division Vice-President at Initech. He callously tells Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) to work on the weekend, who doesn’t come in because a psychiatrist put him in a hypnotic state of relaxation and didn’t snap him out before he died of a heart attack. Lumbergh even torments Peter with things he hasn’t even done. When Drew (Greg Pitts) learns that Peter is dating Joanna (Jennifer Aniston), Drew warns him to wear a condom because she has been “around.” Peter inquires who all Joanna has had sex with, and Drew answers “Hell, Lumbergh fucked her!” He is talking about a different Lumbergh, but the very thought that Joanna could have had sex with Bill Lumbergh gives Peter nightmares. Peter isn’t the only one Lumbergh torments. In fact, the main receiver of Lumbergh’s torment is Milton Waddams (Stephen Root), a soft-spoken, fixated collator who mumbles to himself incessantly (most notably about his co-workers borrowing his stapler) and is repeatedly harassed by management. First, Lumbergh takes away Milton's beloved red Swingline stapler. Then, he keeps having boxes put into Milton’s cubicle. Next, he refuses to answer Milton’s questions about his paycheck; The Bobs, two consultants brought in to bring down expenses by downsizing and outsourcing, stopped sending his paychecks, fixing an accounting glitch wherein Milton had, unknown to him, been laid off years earlier but continued to come to work and be paid. And, finally, he moved Milton’s desk to a cockroach-infested storage room in the basement. However, Milton snaps and sets the Initech office building on fire, having warned several times that he would "set the building on fire" throughout the film, destroying all the computers and the virus code that Peter, Michael Bolton (David Herman), and Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu) put into the Initech computers to embezzle money from the company. In a deleted scene on the “Office Space” DVD, Peter asks Michael and Samir at the end of the movie “Did any of you attend Lumbergh's funeral?” they all shake their heads. It is implied that he perished as a result of the fire. Bill Lumbergh is a stereotypical corporate middle-manager who spends most of his time wandering the office with coffee mug in hand, wears white-collared shirts, suspenders and a belt (a fashion faux pas). He isn’t an angry boss who yells at his employees about his disappointment. He’s much worse. Lumbergh uses passive-aggressiveness to express his anger and disappointment. He comes off as cold and emotionless. He micromanages and often asks his employees, such as Peter Gibbons, to come in to work on Saturdays. He is obsessed with making sure all the office's paperwork, such as TPS reports, is done perfectly, no matter how pointless it may be. He will point out every single mistake that they make, making them feel worthless. He sounds like a prick with his unholy drawl, saying “What's happening?” as a greeting, and telling an employee they're going to have to do something undesirable by starting his sentences with, “m' yeah, I'm gonna need you to” or “if you could just go ahead and,” as well as ending these requests with “That'd be great.” His speech patterns are the essential of the emptiness of linguistic conventions at work. He represents the impersonal and oppressive business practices that Peter despises so much. Peter refers to Bill as “all that is soulless and wrong.” However, the worst thing that Lumbergh has done isn’t in the movie. The irony of the character's popularity is noted in GQ/Details Men. Style.com, “[T]he guy who stops by your desk and says, “Mmm, yeah, I'm going to have to go ahead and ask you to come in on Sunday,” is now an integral part of the soul-crushing corporate culture Lumbergh was created to satirize in the first place.” Lumbergh’s evil is spreading out into the REAL WORLD!!!! In short, Bill Lumberg is a slimy white collar overlord. He crushes people’s spirits by pointing every mistake they make, uses psychological techniques to show disappoint and get people to do what he wants, and makes people hate their jobs. And, now, he’s has created an entire generation of middle-managers that will do the same thing.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 13, 2008 21:35:48 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 95 and 96. Here are the hints:
One hurls insults at people from his comfy tower, and one has gone crazy thanks to the war in Vietnam.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 14, 2008 20:22:36 GMT -5
Countdown time. Here's 96: 96. The French Taunter Who is he: A French knight. What is he from: “Monty Python And The Holy Grail.” What has he done: Endlessly hurls insults and a cow at King Arthur and his knights. Intelligence: Quick witted. Power: He’s a knight. Vileness: Will cruelly insult people. Sway: He’s a subordinate; he has a master. Purity: Likes to insult people. Physical Prowess: He’s a knight, but he’s also French. Name Coolness: Sounds like a lame pro-wrestler. Created by: Monty Python. Portrayed by: John Cleese, who also played Sir Lancelot Second soldier in opening scene, Man in plague scene with body, the Black Knight, Villager in Witch Scene, and Tim the Enchanter in the movie King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights (John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle) are on a quest to find the Holy Grail. They come across a castle and call out for someone. They are met by the French Taunter. Arthur request shelter for the night and even agrees to let the lord of the castle to join them on their quest for the Holy Grail if he gives them shelter. However, the Taunter lies to Arthur, saying that his master already has a Holy Grail. When Arthur asks to if he and his knights can have a look at it, he denies them. And then, the insults rain down on Arthur and his knights. Arthur gets mad and threatens to storm the castle. So, the Taunter has a cow thrown from a catapult at them. Arthur leads his men on an impromptu siege, and the Taunter has more farm animals thrown at them. This proves too much for Arthur, and he has his knights split up to search for the Grail. Later, Arthur and Sir Bedevere (Jones) come across Castle Aaargh. As they genuflect to pray to God, a sheep lands on them. It’s the French Taunter, again! Arthur commands the Frenchman to let them into the tower, but he refuses. Arthur tries to break the door down, but the Taunter drops some brown on them. Arthur and Bedevere walk off defeated. There are many villains in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” However, the French Taunter stands out for many reasons. For one, his insults are hilarious. They are endless, unnerving, and just bring out the hate in people. Another reason is that he’ll insult people from his comfy tower and throw things down onto his enemies, but he won’t come down to fight them face to face. He’s a coward, and his cowardly piss Arthur off because he wants to get his hands on him, but the French Taunter won’t come down from that d**n tower. We’ve all been there. We wanted to get our hands on someone or something, but we couldn’t; and it just pissed us off even more. Finally, of all the villains in the movie, the French Taunter actually gets the best of Arthur. The Killer Rabbit is killed. The Black Knight gets all his limbs chopped off. But, the French Taunter gets away with taunting the Knights, throwing farm animals at them, and dumping that brown crap on Arthur. Sure, the Knights Who Say Ni sort of, but they weren’t as bad as this guy. The French Taunter is an annoying man who can easily piss and get away with it.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 14, 2008 21:10:41 GMT -5
95. Col. Kurtz Who is he: An Army Colonel who went insane fighting in Vietnam. What is he from: “Apocalypse Now.” What has he done: Command a legion of Montagnard troops in Cambodia; betrayed his country and killed fellow American soldiers. Intelligence: Military strategy and some philosophical knowledge, but his insanity could affect his intelligence. Power: Can persuade people to do his bidding much like a cult leader. Vileness: Will kill people or have them kill easily. Sway: Can get any of his followers to do what he says. Purity: He seems contempt to live in Cambodia but will do anything to say free in the jungle. Physical Prowess: Kind of fat. Name Coolness: He falls under Military Default Syndrome, i.e. if you have a military rank, then it automatically makes your name cool. The only exception is “Weiner.” Created by: Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, with some influence from Joseph Conrad. Portrayed by: Marlon Brando, who appeared on set massively overweight, despite his character's description as sick and emaciated. The majority of Brando's dialogue had to be improvised, despite the short time during which the actor was available. U.S. Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen) has returned to Saigon; a seasoned veteran, he is deeply troubled and apparently no longer fit for civilian life. A group of intelligence officers approach him with a special mission: go up-river into the remote Cambodian jungle to find Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, a former member of the United States Army Special Forces. They state that Kurtz, once considered a model officer and future general, has allegedly gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own Montagnard troops deep inside the forest in neutral Cambodia. Their claims are supported by very disturbing radio broadcasts and/or recordings made by Kurtz himself. Willard is ordered to undertake a mission to find Kurtz and “terminate... with extreme prejudice.” Willard studies the intelligence files during the boat ride to the river entrance and learns that Kurtz, isolated in his compound, has assumed the role of a warlord and is worshipped by the natives and his own loyal men. Another officer, Colby (Scott Glenn), sent earlier to kill Kurtz, may have become one of his lieutenants. Willard begins his trip up the Mekong River on a PBR (Patrol Boat, Riverine), with an eclectic crew composed of obstinate and formal Chief Phillips (Albert Hall), a Navy boat commander; GM3 Lance B. Johnson (Sam Buttons), a tanned all-American California surfer; GM3 Tyrone, a.k.a. “Mr. Clean” (Laurence Fishburne), a black 17-year-old from “some South Bronx nuts-hole”; and the New Orleanian Engineman, Jay “Chef” Hicks (Frederic Forrest), who Willard describes as “wrapped too tight for Vietnam... probably wrapped too tight for New Orleans. The lighting and mood darken as the boat navigates upstream and Willard's silent obsession with Kurtz deepens. Along the way they encounter many dangers, and Clean gets killed. They eventually find Kurtz’s camp. As they approach the outskirts of Kurtz' camp, Montagnard villagers begin firing toy arrows at them. The crew opens fire until Chief gets hit by a real spear and dies, but not before trying to force Willard onto the spear as well. After arriving at Kurtz' outpost, Willard leaves Chef behind with orders to call in an air strike on the village if he does not return. They are met by a borderline-psychotic freelance photographer (Denis Hopper) who explains Kurtz's greatness and philosophical skills to provoke his people into following him. Brought before Kurtz and held in captivity in a darkened temple, Willard’s constitution appears to weaken as Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war, humanity, and civilization. Kurtz explains his motives and philosophy in a famous and haunting monologue in which he praises the ruthlessness of the Viet Minh: “If I had ten divisions of those men our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral... and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling... without passion... without judgment... without judgment. Because it's judgment that defeats us.” While bound outside in the pouring rain, Willard is approached by Kurtz, who places the severed head of Chef in his lap. Coppola makes little explicit, but we come to believe that Willard and Kurtz develop an understanding nonetheless; Kurtz wishes to die at Willard’s hands, and Willard, having subsequently granted Kurtz his wish, is offered the chance to succeed him in his warlord-demigod role. Juxtaposed with a ceremonial slaughtering of a water buffalo, Willard enters Kurtz’s chamber during one of his message recordings, and kills him with a machete. This entire sequence is set to “The End” by The Doors, as is the sequence at the very beginning of the film. Lying bloody and dying on the ground, Kurtz whispers “The horror... the horror,” a line taken directly from Conrad's novella. Willard walks through the now-silent crowd of natives and takes Johnson, who is now fully integrated into the native society, by the hand. He leads Johnson to the PBR, and floats away as Kurtz’s final words echo in the wind as the screen fades to black. Col. Kurtz is f**ked up. War has driven him crazy, and he has responded by becoming a warlord in the jungles of Cambodia. He has also taken some other soldiers with him. He is sort of like a cult-leader, spouting out philosophical beliefs to these men and persuaded them abandon their country and duty to it to join him. The interesting thing about Kurtz is that he has no evil motives or intentions. Basically, he just wants to live on his patch of jungle with his men. But, he will kill anyone who dares to take him away and put an end to his warlord ways. But still, he just wants to be left alone. What makes Kurtz such a great villain is how haunting he is. The man’s madness is contagious. It is a disease that is spreading among other people. He is a Typhoid Mary of insanity that can infect anyone who gets near him. Just look at Willard. He becomes obsessed with Kurtz soon after getting the assignment to kill Kurtz. He will do anything to complete his mission. There is a scene where Chief spots a sampan and against Willard's advice they make the boat stop and inspect it. While Chef searches the sampan, one of the civilians makes a sudden movement causing Clean to open fire on the wooden boat killing almost all the civilians, save for one badly wounded survivor. An argument breaks out between Willard and Phillips over whether to take the survivor to someplace where she can receive medical attention. Willard ends the argument by shooting her, then calmly stating “I told you not to stop.” He killed an injured civilian so that he could continue on his journey to find Kurtz. Kurtz’s mystique is so enchanting that it has affected a man he has yet to meet. Hell, it becomes too much for Kurtz himself, who basically wishes to die. Willard does kill him and leaves, but Kurtz is not dead. His memory will live on, haunting Willard for the rest of his life.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 14, 2008 21:13:06 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 94 and 93. Here are the hints:
A child star gone crazy, and a man with appendages of precious metals.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 15, 2008 20:25:26 GMT -5
It's time for more villains. Here's 94: 94. Baby Jane Hudson Who is she: A former child start. What is she from: Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? (book (1960), movie (1962), and TV movie (1991)) What has she done: Crashed her car while driving drunk, which paralyzed her sister Blanche and ended her promising film career in the novel. In the movie, she serves her sister dead rats and parakeets for meals, kills Elvira with a hammer Intelligence: Well, she’s an actress and didn't have to do much to keep Blanche hidden away in the upstairs bedroom. Power: Her sister depends on her. Vileness: It wasn't just the rats for lunch. It was a lot more, and between sisters, it cut deep. Sway: Is an absolute terror at times, but kept a piece of her Baby Jane sweetness and innocence around just in case. Purity: So jealous and bitter, Jane did everything she could to make her sister suffer. She just couldn't let go of the spotlight either. Physical Prowess: Her moral ugliness manifested in a physical and frightening way in her later years. And, she is older and therefore weaker physically, but easily able to overpower her invalid sister. Name Coolness: “Baby Jane” sounds a little cool. Created by: Henry Farrell. Portrayed by: Bette Davis in the 1960 film, who had real life tension with Joan Crawford. The stars reportedly bickered over salaries and who would receive top billing. A great deal of friction was apparently also generated mid-production by Joan and Bette's very different acting styles -- Davis played Baby Jane to the excessive, hysterical hilt, while Crawford tended to cower and remain passive and understated. Lynn Redgrave in the 1991 TV movie, which had her real-life sister Vanessa Redgrave as Blanche. Novel: The novel deals with two aging sisters, Jane and Blanche Hudson, who are living alone together in a Hollywood mansion. Jane, a former fair haired child star of early vaudeville known as "Baby Jane," was spoiled, pampered, and given all the attention of her father, while her older sister, Blanche, was practically ignored as she lived in Jane's shadow. Their roles reversed, however, after the death of their parents due to influenza, when both children moved to Los Angeles to live with an aunt. Blanche was favored for her dark haired goddess looks and was even encouraged to pursue a film career. Blanche became a star while Jane, who also worked in films, was not successful. Blanche had a clause in her contract stipulating her studio make a picture with Jane for every picture that they make with Blanche. At the height of her success, Blanche was paralyzed when her car crashed into the big iron gates in front of the mansion where she and her sister lived. They were returning from a party that night and Jane was drunk. When the police found her, Jane could not remember what happened. She was held responsible and accused of the attempted murder of her sister. Nothing came of the charge, but Jane's film career ended with Blanche's career. Now, years later in 1959, Jane, a slatternly and alcoholic former child star, and Blanche, a disabled former reigning screen goddess, continue to live together in the same mansion in a neighborhood that is no longer fashionable. Jane resents having to live in the shadow of her sister, who became more famous than she ever was, and who is now being remembered because of a revival of her films on television. Jane hates having to cook, clean and care for Blanche, an invalid who is stuck upstairs in her bedroom, but has nevertheless managed to keep her good looks. Blanche, whose only other contact with the outside world is Elvira Stitt, a weekly cleaning woman, and her telephone conversations with her doctor and attorney, finds she is growing old in the shadow of her mentally ill sister. She decides to sell her mansion and move them to something nicer and easier to take care of. She then calls her lawyer and tells him she is planning to sell. She hears the extension downstairs click. Jane, who eavesdrops on her sister's calls, believes that Blanche wants to sell the house and put her away in a mental hospital. Blanche, who sees Jane's sinister, brooding mood swing beginning, tries to talk to her sister about her decision. Jane will not listen, however. In a drunken daze, Jane decides to revive her childhood singing and dancing act of Baby Jane, reasoning that Fanny Brice had success with Baby Snooks. She then hires a musical accompanist, Edwin Flagg. As reality topples crazily into eerie fantasy, Jane abuses her sister with monstrous cruelty while embezzling her money to buy liquor and revive her childhood act. Movie: As the film opens in 1910, six-year-old Baby Jane Hudson becomes an enormously successful child star in vaudeville while her older sister, Blanche, is forced to remain quietly in the background. As the two reach maturity in the 20's and early 30's, however, Jane loses both her appeal and her talent, and Blanche develops into a beautiful and renowned film actress. Then, at the height of her career, Blanche is crippled in an automobile accident for which the alcoholic Jane is held responsible. As the years pass, the two sisters become virtual recluses in an old mansion, where the slatternly and guilt-ridden Jane (Bette Davis) cares for the helpless Blanche (Joan Crawford). When she learns Blanche is planning to sell the house and perhaps place her in a home, Jane plots a diabolical revenge. She serves her sister trays of dead rats and parakeets, tears out her phone, and keeps her a prisoner in her bedroom. She even resorts to killing their black maid, Elvira (Maidie Norman), with a hammer when the woman becomes suspicious and threatens to go to the police. Jane is also planning to make a comeback and has hired the obese pianist Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono) to accompany her. But when Edwin discovers Blanche gagged and bound to her bed, he runs hysterically from the house. Realizing he will go to the police, Jane drags Blanche into a car and drives to a nearby beach. There Blanche confesses that she had arranged the automobile accident and had intended to kill her sister to avenge herself for the years of humiliation she had spent in the shadow of Baby Jane. As the police arrive upon the scene, the now totally deranged Jane goes into her song-and-dance routine of long ago. Baby Jane is one crazy pregnant dog! The former child star saw her fame disappear as she got older and while her sister began to enjoy a fabulous career as a glamourous Hollywood star. And then, a car accident forced her to be her sister’s guardian. Her jealousy and bitterness over losing her own fame and having to take care of the sister she despised transformed Baby Jane into a very ugly person, physically and mentally. Jane enjoys terrorizing Blanche, from preventing all outside contact and serving her rats for lunch. However, Jane is very lonely; but the only person can turn to for love is the very person she despises. Unwilling to turn to her sister for love, she turned back to the public in the hopes that she could recapture her childhood glory. Like I said, this woman is just plain crazy, whipping back and forth between jubilation, rage, and misery. She just can’t stand the fact that her sister was more popular and successful than her. So, she takes it out on her. And, she so desperately crazes that popularity and fame. Baby Jane is just so down right bitter and angry about her lot in life that she descends into madness and evil!
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 15, 2008 20:57:18 GMT -5
93. Auric Goldfinger Who is he: The treasurer of SMERSH (novel), gold smuggler (movie) What is he from: Goldfinger (book and movie) What has he done: Tried to blow up Fort Knox in order to increase the value of his own gold. Intelligence: Criminal genius and very economically smart. Power: Runs a criminal empire with many henchmen. Vileness: Tried to kill James Bond with a laser beam that would slice him in half starting at his crotch. You have to be an evil son of a pregnant dog to that. I mean, even if Bond had some how survive, his genitals would be destroyed. That’s just cold. Sway: Can have anyone killed. Purity: Wants to make himself very rich, so he’s greedy as hell. Physical Prowess: He’s fat. Name Coolness: It’s pretty cool. Created by: Ian Fleming. Portrayed by: Gert Fröbe, who did not speak English well, was dubbed in the film by Michael Collins, an English actor. In the German version Fröbe dubbed himself back again. Novel: In the novel, Auric Goldfinger is a 42-year-old expatriate who emigrated at age 20 in 1937 from Riga, Latvia. He is 5 feet tall, has blue eyes, red hair, and has a passion for his tan. Goldfinger is typically a German-Jewish name, and the protagonists of the novel know this, but neither Bond nor Mr. Du Pont think Goldfinger is Jewish. Instead, Bond pegs the red-haired, blue-eyed man as a Balt, and, indeed, Goldfinger proves an expatriate Latvian. Now a UK commonwealth citizen naturalized to Nassau, he has become the richest man in England, though his wealth is not in English banks and he hasn't paid taxes on it. Rather, it is spread as bullion in many countries. Goldfinger is the treasurer of SMERSH, Bond's nemesis. Goldfinger is obsessed with gold, going so far as to have yellow-bound erotic photographs, and have his women painted head to toe in gold so that he can make love to gold. (He leaves an area near the spine unpainted, but painting this area also is what kills Jill Masterton, as in the film). He is also a jeweler, a metallurgist, and a smuggler. When Goldfinger first meets Bond in Miami, he claims that he is agoraphobic; a ploy to allow him to cheat a previous acquaintance of Bond's at a game of two-handed Canasta. Bond figures out how Goldfinger is managing this, and blackmails him by forcing him to admit his deception. Goldfinger is also an avid golfer, but is known at his club for being a smooth cheater there, also. When Bond contrives to play a match with Goldfinger, he again cheats the cheater by switching Goldfinger's Dunlop 1 golf ball with a Dunlop 7 he had found while playing. Goldfinger is the owner of "Enterprises Auric A.G." in Switzerland, maker of metal furniture, which is purchased by many airlines including Air India. Twice a year, Goldfinger drives his vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost car from England to Enterprises Auric. Bond learns that Goldfinger makes dead drops of gold bars for SMERSH along the way, and that his car's bodywork is 18 carat (75%), solid white gold under the ploy that the added weight is armour plating. Once at Enterprises Auric, his car is stripped down, melted and made into seating for an airline company that Enterprises Auric is heavily invested in. The planes are then flown to India where the seats are melted down again into gold bars and sold for a much higher premium rate; 100 to 200% profit. “Operation Grand Slam” is Goldfinger's codename for his scheme that involves “knocking off” the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Through the use of a nerve agent (GB, also known as Sarin), Goldfinger plans to poison the water supply at Fort Knox, killing everyone at the base. From there, Goldfinger would use an atomic warhead designed for a Corporal Intermediate Range Guided Missile that he had purchased for one million USD in Germany, to blow open Fort Knox's impregnable vault. With the help of American gangsters, Goldfinger would then remove roughly 15 billion dollars in gold bullion by truck and train, and escape to the Soviet Union on a cargo boat. Bond foils Goldfinger’s plan by getting word to Felix Leiter of the impending operation, by means of a message taped inside an airliner toilet. With the help of The Pentagon, Leiter is able to stop Goldfinger and foil the operation. But Goldfinger escapes. Later, Goldfinger and his henchman learn from SMERSH who Bond is, and determine to take him with them in defecting to the Soviet Union. They pose as doctors to incapacitate crew and passengers (including Bond) with drugged inoculations. Then they hijack the BOAC Stratocruiser, carrying Goldfinger's total savings of gold. The hijacked plane is headed for Soviet Union airspace. In the novel, Goldfinger's henchman Oddjob meets his end by being sucked through an airliner window after Bond pierces it with a knife. Goldfinger then attacks James Bond by kicking him. Bond and Goldfinger have a brief struggle, which Bond ends, after being described as "going berserk" for the first time in his life, by strangling Goldfinger to death by hand. Bond then turns to the pilots and forces the airplane to turn back from its intended flight path, and this causes it to ditch in the ocean after running out of fuel. The airplane sinks rapidly due to its payload of gold, and Bond and girl thingy Galore are the only survivors. Movie: Goldfinger is a gold smuggler, accomplishing this feat by having a car built with gold body castings and transporting it via airplane. Once the car arrives at its destination, Goldfinger has the body-work re-smelted. Goldfinger is also an avid golfer who plays with a Slazenger 1 golf ball (changed from a Dunlop in the novel presumably for legal reasons). He is defeated, however, when he is tricked by Bond after attempting to cheat. Auric Goldfinger owns many properties throughout the world including “Auric Enterprises, AG,” which is the headquarters for most of his smuggling operations. Located in Switzerland, it is where Bond nearly gets cut in half by an industrial laser when Goldfinger has him bound to a table; but he lets Bond live and takes him to a stud-farm in Kentucky called “Auric Stud.” Goldfinger plans to detonate a bomb in Fort Knox. The destruction and contamination of the gold is the objective, so that the value of Goldfinger's own gold would increase tenfold. However, Bond foils his plans. After his plan to contaminate the gold is thwarted, Goldfinger kidnaps Bond and plans to take his vengeance before fleeing to Cuba. During a struggle aboard an airplane, his golden pistol goes off and shatters a window. In the fate suffered by his henchman Oddjob in the novel, he is sucked out to his death. Goldfinger is arguably the most famous Bond villain. He pretty much set the standard for Bond villains. He has a very complicated plot in order to achieve his goal. He has a henchmen with a certain quirk to kill people (Oddjob and his razor-tipped bowler that he throws at people). In fact, the movie he appears in pretty much set the standard for the set-up of the other Bond movies: Bond is put in some elaborate that he somehow escapes, the villain has Bond at the place where his scheme will take place, and Bond foils it. However, that’s not the only reason Goldfinger such a great villain. He is greedy, which is a good requirement. He is ruthless, willing to kill any to achieve his goal. And, he has this aura around him. It gives off bad vibes. You can just tell by looking at him that Goldfinger is a bad guy. And, he thinks big. He just doesn’t want gold; he wants to monopolize the gold market. And, he’s willing to set off a nuclear bomb in order to do it. He is ruthless, cunning, and willing to do anything to achieve his goals. And, he loves only gold.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 15, 2008 21:02:12 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 92 and 91. Here are the hints:
Some bloodsuckers, and a villain who likes to fight in the streets.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 17, 2008 11:52:23 GMT -5
Sorry fo the delay. My brother graduated last night, I got home late, and I was tired after having worked as well. On the brightside you get 6 villains today. Let's start with 92: 92. The Nosferatu Who are they: Vampires. What are they from: 30 Days Of Night (graphic novels and film). What have they done: Suck people’s blood. Intelligence: They’re quite smart, choosing a town in Alaska that won’t see the sun for a long while and cutting off all of its contact to the outside world so that they can feed. Power: Usually travel in packs, so the numbers are on their side. Vileness: Kill and eat without mercy. Sway: Can use fear and intimidation tactics if they wanted to. Purity: Pretty much concerned with drinking blood. Physical Prowess: Stronger than humans. Name Coolness: “Nosferatu” sounds cool. Created by: Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. Portrayed by: Danny Huston played Marlow, the vampire leader, in the movie. The other Nosferatu were Megan Franich (Iris), Abbey-May Wakefield (the little girl vampire), John Rawls (Zurial), Andrew Stehlin (Arvin), Tim McLachlan (Archibald), Ben Fransham (Heron), Kate Elliott (Dawn), Allan Smith (Khan), Jarrod Martin (Edgar), Sam La Hood (Strigoi), Jacob Tomuri (Seth), Kate O’Rourke (Inika), Melissa Billington (Kali), Aaron Cortesi (Cicero), and Matt Gillanders (Daeron). Graphic novel: Vampires flock to Barrow, Alaska where the sun sets for about 35 days, allowing them to feed without the burden of sleep to avoid lethal sunlight. When the vampire elder Vicente learns of this plan, he travels to Barrow to end the feeding, in order to preserve the secrecy of vampires. Because of the cold, the vampires’ senses are weakened and a few of the town's residents are able to hide. One such resident is Sheriff Eben Olemaun, who saves the town by injecting vampire blood into his veins. He uses his enhanced strength to fight Vicente, saving the lives of the few remaining townspeople, including his wife Stella. Suffering the same weakness as all vampires, Eben chooses to die and turns to ash when the sun rises. Dark Days: The follow-up series to the original graphic novel featured the exploits of Stella Olemaun after surviving the attack on Barrow in the original series. After publishing an account of the attack, 30 Days of Night, Stella draws the attention of the Los Angeles vampire population, as well as the lover of Vicente, the head vampire from the original series. Learning that there may be a way to bring back her former husband Eben, Stella strikes a deal with vampire Dane, who seeks revenge for the murder of his mentor by Vicente. The two form a brief romantic relationship. Stella exchanges proof of the existence of vampires for her husband's remains, in the hope of bringing him back from the dead. She double-crosses the vampire party, blowing up a large number of them in a house, before successfully resurrecting Eben. The two reconcile for a moment before the still-vampiric Eben lunges, fangs bared, for her throat. This series also serves as an introduction to the vampiric FBI agent, Norris. Annual 2004 was a 48-page one-shot released in January 2004 by regular 30 Days of Night publisher IDW. The issue features four short stories, each written by Steve Niles but featuring different illustrators. The first, "The Book Club", is illustrated by co-creator and original 30 Days of Night artist Ben Templesmith. It involves a suburban book club's discussion of Stella Olemaun's book (also titled "30 Days of Night"). This arouses suspicion about a shut-in neighbor, leading to his murder by the unruly book club. The second story, "The Hand That Feeds", is illustrated by Szymon Kudranski and features Dane seeking a hand transplant from an eccentric doctor. "Agent Norris: MIA" features the pencils of Brandon Hovet, and depicts agent Norris's transformation from a "scout" or "bug eater" to a full-blown vampire. The final tale, "The Trapper", is illustrated by Josh Medors. This story introduces John Ikos, a Barrow resident turned vampire hunter (and a main character in later series). 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow: This was another sequel to the original series by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. Return to Barrow features Brian Kitka, the brother of a victim of the attack on Barrow in the original miniseries. Kitka becomes Barrow's new sheriff after moving there with his son to investigate his brother's demise. Kitka’s skepticism about the claims of a vampire attack disappears when he discovers his deceased brother's journal, which includes a full account of the attack. He finds himself protecting the town along with John Ikos. This story features the return of several characters from the previous series, including Eben and Stella who save John's son from the vampires. 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales marked the first time a writer other than Niles would work on the series. Throughout the 8 issues of Bloodsucker Tales, two stories were told. The first, "Dead Billy Dead", was written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Kody Chamberlain. This serialized story featured a young man named Billy who was turned into a vampire and later kidnapped, along with his girlfriend Maggie, by a vampire-obsessed scientist. Meanwhile Goodis, a police officer whom Maggie had called when approached by the vampiric Billy, discovers Stella Olemaun's book. The second story, “Juarez or Lex Nova & The Case of the 400 Dead Mexican Girls,” was written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by 30 Days of Night veteran Ben Templesmith. This story depicted Lex Nova's investigation of the disappearance of hundreds of girls in Juarez, Mexico. A group of vampires called the Zero Family Circus arrives in Mexico at the same time, believing the deaths to be caused by an estranged vampire. Annual 2005 was a 48-page single issue of 30 Days of Night released in December 2005 by IDW. It tells the story of John Ikos leaving Barrow and going to Los Angeles in search of Agent Norris. While in Los Angeles, John Ikos meets Billy (from the "Dead Billy Dead" story in Bloodsucker Tales) and Dane, and does battle with a gang of vampires going by the name The Night Crew led by a vampire called Santana. 30 Days of Night: Dead Space: After a self-imposed hiatus following the tragic events of the last shuttle mission, NASA prepares to launch the Icarus on a simple mission to help restore the nation's confidence in the space program. But their worst fears are realized when it's discovered that something has gotten aboard the shuttle, something ferocious, something with fangs and a taste for blood. 30 Days of Night: Spreading the Disease: This new series picks up with Agent Michael Henson from the Dead Space series being sent off to exile in Alabama after trying to get people to take the vampire threat seriously. He is contacted by a mysterious caller that suggests the questions of ‘why someone would want to put a vampire in space’ still needed to be answered. So Henson takes the time he has before checking in at his new office to try and follow the fangs. This leads him into a much bigger and far more dangerous situation. 30 Days of Night: Eben and Stella: In the waning moments of Dark Days, Stella managed to bring her vampire husband Eben back from beyond, only he came back hungry. This miniseries fills in the black gaps between that tale and Return to Barrow. It is co-written by Steve Niles and Kelly Sue DeConnick and illustrated by Justin Randall. 30 Days of Night: Red Snow: 1941. Hitler's Operation Silver Fox has failed, but the war on the Eastern Front drags on as the Russian winter starts to bite. British military attaché Corporal Charlie Keating observes the war from the Soviet side, making sure crucial supplies get through to aid Stalin's front in the battle against the Nazis. With luck, he too will survive to see the end of the war. But something else is out there, and they're not the Nazis. No matter how hard humanity tries to kill itself, something else does it better. Written and illustrated by Ben Templesmith. 30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow: After years of attacks, and several without, the citizens of Barrow have become united against random attacks on their city by the undead. Unfortunately the same does not apply outside of Barrow or the rest of the mysterious Arctic Circle. Written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz. Film: Barrow, Alaska is preparing for its annual "30 days of night," a period during the winter when the sun will not be seen. People who don't want to suffer the extended darkness leave for Fairbanks or other parts south. As the town gets ready, the Stranger (Ben Foster) rows ashore from a larger ship, then trudges towards Barrow. Once he arrives, he sets about sabotaging the town in the belief that the vampires will make him one of them if he helps them with their plans. He steals and destroys most of the cell phones, destroys the town’s only helicopter and kills all of the sled dogs. Barrow's sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) investigates these crimes. As he does so, he learns that his estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George), who moved out of town awhile ago, missed the last plane out of town and will have to spend the 30 day period in Barrow. Although they try to avoid one another, when Eben confronts the Stranger in the town diner, she helps subdue him and take him to the station house. From the jail cell, the Stranger taunts Eben, Stella, Eben’s teenage brother, Jake (Mark Rendall) and grandmother, telling them that death is coming for them. Just then, vampires attack the local telecommunications center and power supply, rendering the town dark and cut off from the outside world. Eben goes to the telecommunications center and finds the operator's head on a spike. He and Stella then go through town, trying to find the ones responsible for the gruesome crimes. Meanwhile, the vampires, led by Marlow (Danny Huston) attack the town. Marlow speaks in an ancient, guttural language, clarified by subtitles; the other vampires shriek. He tells them after they feed on the humans to take off the head, to make sure that there will not be any more competition. Unless they are shot in the head, bullets are useless against them, and they slaughter most of the town, including Eben's grandmother. Those who survive congregate in the diner. The vampires attack Eben and Stella but Beau Brower (Mark Boone Junior), the local snowplow driver, rescues them. They too go to the diner. Everyone decides to go to the boarded up house of someone who had left town earlier that day. The house has a hidden attic where they will be able to hide. Marlow finds the Stranger in the jail and, rather than turning him into a vampire as the Stranger wished, kills him instead. Marlow orders the vampires not to turn anyone into a vampire; they will slaughter the town and then disappear in order to preserve modern humanity's belief that vampires are the stuff of bad dreams and nothing more. Over the next week, Eben, Stella, Jake and seven others stick it out in the attic. They fight about leaving but most stay; only Wilson and his senile father, Isaac are lost. Eben ventures out to try to help a stray survivor and learns that beheading the vampires will kill them. When a blizzard hits, Eben and the others use the whiteout conditions to make it to the general store. There, a young girl vampire attacks them, wounding one of them. The whiteout conditions end, preventing them from making it back to the abandoned house. Eben decides everyone should go to the police station. He will provide a diversion by running to his grandmother's house to retrieve an ultraviolet lighting system she used to grow marijuana. Eben makes it to the house, turns on the generator and turns the light on the vampires who have followed him. It hideously burns a female vampire named Iris, forcing Marlow to kill her. Eben escapes the house but the vampires are in pursuit. Beau comes to the rescue again, killing many of the vampires with his backhoe. He crashes into a hotel and then ignites a box of dynamite using road flares, trying to kill himself. His ploy is unsuccessful though as Beau lives through the blast and Marlow crushes his skull, but it gives Eben the time to make it to the police station. There, the wounded member turns into a vampire. With some shred of his humanity left, he asks Eben to behead him. Eben complies. Two more weeks pass. Stella and Eben find his deputy, Billy Kitka (Manu Bennett), signaling them with a flashlight from across the street. Eben and Stella make it to Billy's house. When the vampires attacked, he killed his wife and daughters but his gun became jammed when he tried to commit suicide. Stella and Eben take him back to the station house. There they learn that the others have made it to the utilidor, a power station that controls the oil pipeline, the only structure that still has power. Eben, Stella and Billy begin to sneak towards the utilidor. Stella stops to rescue a young girl who is being stalked by a vampire, Zurial (John Rawls). Eben and Billy try to distract him while Stella gets the girl to safety. Instead, Billy and Eben are separated. They both eventually make it to the utilidor, but another vampire follows Billy inside. Eben is happy to see the rest of the survivors have made it alive. The vampire attacks Billy, ripping into his neck and dazing him. When the vampire turns to attack Eben, Billy gets up and knocks it into the gears of the utilidor's pump, shredding the creature. Billy's arm gets caught in the gears as well and his entire forearm is completely gone. Billy screams in pain as Eben tries to calm him down. Eben then realizes that Billy's screams become vampiric shrieks. Eben is then forced to kill Billy with an axe - chopping off his head. The sun is due to rise in a few hours. The vampires decide to burn the town to cover their tracks. Stella radios to Eben that she and the young girl are hiding under an abandoned truck across the street from the utilidor, the flames rapidly approaching them. Realizing he cannot beat the vampires as a human, Eben injects himself with Billy's infected blood so he can fight them as a vampire. He and Marlow fight a vicious battle. As the battle comes to a close, Marlow charges Eben as Eben throws a punch. The punch runs through Marlow's mouth and out the back of his head. Leaderless, with the sun about to rise, the other vampires disappear. Eben and Stella watch sunrise together. While Stella rests on Eben's shoulder, they share one last kiss. Stella holds Eben strongly in her arms as he lets out a bloodcurdling scream and is turned to ash. As the movie ends, Stella closes her eyes as she cradles Eben's ashen corpse. Over the years, vampires have been portrayed as romantic figures. They live in castles, drink blood, and seduce humans into their world, which is usually seen in Anne Rice novels and “Dracula.” These vampires are nothing like those vampires. They don’t care about any of that Lord Byron romantic crap; they just want to suck blood from humans. And, they are ruthless and cunning in their killing. They choose a town that won’t see sunlight for a month or more, cut off all its contact to the outside world, and destroy any means they have to escape. Then, they attack the people of Barrow without mercy. They are the most badass vampires around. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 17, 2008 13:38:34 GMT -5
91. M. Bison Who is he: the final boss of Street Fighter II, leader of the criminal syndicate Shadaloo What is he from: Street Fighter II; the Street Fighter movie, animated series, anime movie; Street Fighter II V (anime TV series). What has he done: killed Chun-Li’s father, tried to take over the world (movie), tried to destroy the world (animated series), brainwashes Ken to kill Ryu (anime movie), nearly kills Chun-Li (anime TV series). Intelligence: Military and criminal intelligence Power: Runs a criminal organization. Vileness: Will kill people or have them killed without a second thought. Sway: Can have people killed. Purity: Whether it’s world domination, world destruction, or just someone dead, he will stop at nothing to have it done. Physical Prowess: Is large, strong, and wields the Psycho Power, an evil energy which manifests as blue or purple flames and electricity. Name Coolness: Despite his name also being animal, it’s still pretty cool. Note: In Japan, he is known as Vega. However, when Street Fighter II was released in American, it got changed to M. Bison, because the character that was called M. Bison in Japan resembled Mike Tyson. Out of fear for legal action from Tyson (that was probably not the only thing they were afraid Mike Tyson would do to them), Capcom changed his name to Balrog, gave the Japanese Balrog the name “Vega,” and the Japanese Vega became “M. Bison.” Created by: Capcom. Portrayed by: Raúl Juliá played him in the live action 1994 movie. Sadly, it was his last role, and the movie sucked. Neal McDonough will play him in the upcoming movie “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.” Bison has been voiced by Tom Wyner (the English dub of “Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie” and Street Fighter II V), Richard Newman (the animated TV series), Tomomichi Nishimura (Alpha series, EX series, Marvel vs. series, Namco x Capcom), Kenji Utsumi (Street Fighter II V), Norio Wakamoto (Capcom vs. SNK series, SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom, Capcom Fighting Evolution), Banjō Ginga (CD drama), Takeshi Kusaka (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie), Antônio Moreno (the Brazilian dub of “Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.” The video game: M. Bison's first chronological appearance is in Street Fighter Alpha 2, which takes place in the years preceding Street Fighter II. He is the head of an elusive paramilitary enterprise known as Shadaloo. Throughout the Street Fighter series, Bison's headquarters is shown to be located in Thailand. His origin is a mystery, as is the source of his powerful telekinesis. At some point in the past, Bison discarded what he considered the “weakest” parts of his soul in order to master Psycho Power. These fragments later reshaped themselves into a woman named Rose, the physical manifestation of Bison's 'good' energy. Bison is responsible for the murder of Chun-Li's father, an Interpol agent who was investigating Shadaloo. Seeking revenge, Chun-Li joins Interpol as an adult and vows to avenge her father's death. After Bison begins attracting attention from the U.S. military, two Air Force officers named Guile and Charlie infiltrate Bison's unit. Charlie is later killed in action, resulting in Guile's intense antipathy toward Bison later on. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Bison constructs the Psycho Drive, a machine which will exponentially increase his Psycho Power. By this time, Bison's power has begun to exceed the limits of his own body. In searching for a new host, Bison orders his scientists to engineer a body for him to harvest. However, the result, a clone named Cammy White, resists Shadaloo's programming and escapes the facility. M. Bison then turns his sights to Ryu, one of the most powerful fighters in the world, as a possible host body. Bison captures Ryu and subjects him to intense mind control. When Sagat objects, M. Bison sets “Evil Ryu” loose on him, joking that Sagat will finally have his rematch. With Sagat’s urging, Ryu regains his senses and fights off his brainwashing, forcing Bison to retreat into the Psycho Drive. The machine restores Bison's power, but only forestalls his inevitable deterioration. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Charlie and Chun-Li team up with Guile in an effort to demolish Bison's headquarters. In order to hold Bison off, Charlie continues to fight him even as the base is set to explode, eventually sacrificing his own life. With his body destroyed, M. Bison possesses Rose and inhabits her body until his scientists can forge a new one for him. Bison reemerges in Street Fighter II with a newer, gaunt appearance, the result of transferring his mind into a new shell. His Psycho Power is severely depleted as a result. He is finally defeated by Akuma, who attacks him with the signature move, the Shun Goku Satsu. Bison is not heard from in Street Fighter III, and Chun-Li's mid-boss dialogue with Urien in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike suggests that Shadaloo was dismantled. Bison is set to return in Street Fighter IV, but it is not known how he survived Akuma's assault. Live-action movie: The movie takes place in the fictional nation of Shadaloo in South East Asia (the movie was shot in Thailand, and maps at the beginning of the movie show Shadaloo occupying a segment of modern-day Burma). After months of fighting, a multinational military force of the Allied Nations has managed to enter the city of “Shadaloo City.” The Allied Nations is fighting against the armed forces of drug-lord turned General M. Bison, who has recently captured a couple of dozen AN workers. Bison makes his demands in a live two-way TV broadcast with William F. Guile (Jean Claude Van Damme), the regional commander of the AN forces. If he is not paid $20 billion in three days he will kill the hostages and the world will hold Guile and the AN accountable. Guile’s assistant Cammy (Kylie Minogue) is only able to partially trace Bison’s signal. From that it can be determined that Bison's hideout is somewhere in the river-delta region outside Shadaloo City. After one of the thugs of Victor Sagat (Wes Studi), head of the Shadaloo Tong, attempts to assassinate Guile, which Guile himself quickly foils, he figures out that Sagat is the arms-supplier for Bison. Guile attempts to infiltrate Ryu Hoshi (Byron Mann) and Ken Masters (Damian Chapa), two foreign operators who were arrested along with Sagat while fighting a cage match, they had tried to cheat Sagat beforehand by selling him fake weapons, and Sagat was not amused, into Sagat's gang. He decides to stage a prison-break and his own death in order to find out the location of Bison's hideout. Guile's plan hits a snag when a GNT News Reporter Chun-Li Xiang (spelled “Zang” in the film; Ming-Na), who is out for Bison’s blood, finds out that Guile is alive and with the help of her partners, Sumo wrestler E. Honda and professional boxer Balrog, attempts to kill Bison and Sagat with a truck bomb while they are engaged in arms trade at a thieves' camp. The explosion destroys much of Bison's arms cache but fails to kill the dictator. The plan thus fails (in part because Bison and Sagat are tipped off by Ken), and Chun-Li and her friends are captured. Ryu and Ken are welcomed as Bison troopers. Once in the fortress, they free Balrog (Grand L. Bush) and Honda (Peter Navy Tuiasosopo), and the four of them go to “save” Chun-Li, who is delivering an unexpectedly severe beating to a surprised Bison. Unfortunately, the arrival of Honda, et al interrupts Chun-Li, giving Bison a chance to escape and trapping the five of them in a room flooding with gas. A bug Ryu and Ken carry with them is tracked by satellite, which also detects the explosion at Bison's camp, and the AN is able to locate Bison’s headquarters in an abandoned temple. Since Bison's air defenses are too deadly, Guile orders an amphibious assault on the base. As the troops comprising the strike force stand in salute and are preparing to march out, a group of peace negotiators arrives to inform Guile that the invasion is no longer authorized, since the ransom demand is about to be paid. Guile protests what he sees as appeasement and decides to go ahead with the assault. Meanwhile Guile, T. Hawk (Gregg Rainwater), and Cammy head up river to lead the attack in a stealth-boat, which they use to blow up part of Bison’s radar system. Bison notices the attack and manages to compromise the boat's stealth-mode, making Guile a perfect target. The boat is blown out of the water but Guile and his comrades escape in time. Guile heads in to Bison's fort alone while T. Hawk and Cammy stay and wait for the rest of the attack-party. Guile falls in to the laboratory of Dr. Dhalsim (Roshan Seth) where he encounters his friend Carlos “Charlie” Blanka (Robert Mammone) who has been warped in to a powerful beast. After realizing that Bison attempts to use Blanka to execute the hostages he hides in Blanka’s incubation chamber and takes Bison by surprise. Unfortunately he is not able to prevent “red-alert” from going off and Cammy and T. Hawk end up in a tight spot. The attack party is not far behind and the battle begins. While some of the heroes try to free the hostages, Ken wants to leave the battle now that the military is there. Ryu disagrees and goes back in to fight, but as Ken is leaving, he sees the monitors of the cameras spread out through Bison's base. He sees Sagat and Vega trying to ambush Ryu. Ken goes back in to help Ryu, and the two of them defeat Vega and Sagat after an intense fight. Meanwhile, Guile and Bison engage in a one-on-one fight. Guile seems to be winning, but then an automatic revival system brings Bison back to life and charges his body with great amounts of electromagnetism, allowing him to shoot lightning bolts and fly across the air. After taking a serious beating, Guile manages to kick Bison and sends him flying against his gigantic monitor wall. As he crashes, there are severe electrical disturbances which destabilize the power system of the base. As the base sounds the alarm, the heroes find and release the hostages just in time, and everyone evacuates. Guile reluctantly decides to leave Bison behind rather than rescue and hand him to the authorities, and flees. Guile manages to find the laboratory and talk to Dhalsim and Blanka one last time before he is forced to leave them behind; Blanka, now a warped beast with red hair and green skin, cannot return to human society changed like this, and Dhalsim decides not to leave Blanka to die alone and to pay for his own part in having done this to him. When the temple comes crashing down after an explosion everyone thinks that Guile is dead, but then he appears from amongst the smoke. The movie ends semi-humorously, after Guile converses with everyone they see the last ruins of the temple fall and take their familiar win poses as the camera freezes and fades out. In some releases of the film, at the end of the closing credits we find ourselves back at the ruins of M. Bison’s lair (or what’s left of it), as the main computer announces that its batteries recharging from solar power and it begins fibrillating Bison's heart with electricity. As a close up of a computer screen reveals a readout: “initializing... run programs... world domination, replay,” Bison’s fist smashes through the rubble, having been resurrected. The computer greets him: "Welcome back General M. Bison.", thus setting the scene for the sequel animated series. Animated series: Bison's portrayal in the US Street Fighter series is considerably close to the portrayal of him in both the live-action movie and significant aspects of the video game. His primary nemesis is Guile, as in the movie. In the first season, Bison's attack on Chun-Li's village (referenced in the movie), appears in a flashback, revealing how he killed Chun-Li's father, who attacked him in futile defiance. The second season explored Bison's relationship with Cammy in the same manner as the games and in the anime movie, with Cammy being triggered as a "sleeper agent" in the opening episodes. She discovers the truth about Bison in the series finale, but not before she reestablishes her romantic bond with him. Bison seems to worship a Thai deity that instructs him on what to do with his resources, and in the finale, Bison convinces himself he has been told to destroy the Earth through the launching of nuclear missiles. A final battle with Guile, Cammy, Chun-Li, Sagat, and Cammy's former teammates concludes with Bison being eaten alive by his own computers, aborting the launch and seemingly killing him. Anime movie: The movie begins with the main protagonist Ryu facing off against Muay Thai champion Sagat. With the thunder roaring in the background, the two fight an epic duel. However, despite his renowned strength and abilities, World Warrior champion Sagat finds himself losing the battle. Channelling his chi, he unleashes his built-up internal energy at his challenger. Ryu evades the blow, but Sagat knocks him down with a couple of kicks. Sagat attempts to finish Ryu off. However, Ryu counter-attacks by unleashing his chi in the form of a Shoryuken, inflicting a severe wound on Sagat's chest, a wound that later becomes Sagat's trademark scar. Enraged, Sagat charges towards Ryu, determined not to lose. Ryu, seeking his inner calm, gathers his internal energy and unleashes it in the form of a Hadouken. The battle is over. However, unknown to the combatants, the fight was being recorded and analyzed by a Monitor Cyborg transmitting the data to Shadowlaw headquarters and its leader, M. Bison who would later order a manhunt for Ryu and recruit Sagat to become his "special soldier" alongside Vega and Balrog. Several years later, and Ryu, the legendary "Wandering Warrior" now travels the Asian continent in search of battle. On the other side of the world, Ken, Ryu's old training partner, friend, and rival, finds himself dissatisfied with the lack of challenge. Eagerly desiring a rematch with Ryu, he reminisces over his childhood experiences. Bison gains an interest in Ken after seeing Monitor Cyborg footage of him fighting T. Hawk and notices that Ken uses the same style as Ryu. Rumors of an underground terrorist organization named Shadowlaw that has unleashed several attacks on worldwide governments and political figures attracts the interest of Interpol. Chun-Li, an Interpol agent with a personal score to settle with Bison, finds that Shadowlaw has been abducting and, sometimes, brainwashing Street Fighters from around the world to use as assassins. Seeking the help of Guile, she enlists his help in locating Ryu. While gathering information on Ryu's known whereabouts, they also warn other Street Fighters, such as Dee Jay, to look out for Monitor Cyborgs in their general vicinity (Chun-Li even demonstrates it to Dee Jay at the expense of a cyborg in disguise by kicking its head off). This attracts Bison's attention, and he subsequently dispatches Vega to New York to ambush Chun-Li. Vega ambushes Chun-Li in her apartment, and they engage in a vicious, and bloody duel (in a bit of fan service, Chun-Li is wearing nothing but her undergarments and an oversized, loose-fitting t-shirt throughout the battle). The fight takes its toll on both fighters, but Chun-Li emerges as the victor by literally kicking Vega through the wall and sending him falling to the street below (via the Lightning Kick), albeit at a heavy cost: she passes out from blood loss and slips into a coma just as Guile arrives to help. Due to the change in circumstances, Guile continues the investigation in place of Chun-Li, vowing revenge for what Bison did to the both of them. After learning of Ken's whereabouts, he heads over to Seattle. Ken, meanwhile, is driving home after dropping off Eliza, to whom he has just proposed. On the way, though, he's ambushed by Bison, who captures him easily. Guile arrives after Bison's jet flies away only to find Ken's vacant car in the middle of a deserted road. With no other choice, Guile heads to Southeast Asia in the hopes of getting to Ryu before Bison does. Bison, however is aware of Guile's intentions and sets out on an intercept course with Ken in tow. Sagat begs Bison to allow him to fight Ryu again, but Bison (who loses his patience) reminds Sagat that he has orders to go to New York to take care of Cammy and Vega (since Vega failed to kill Chun-Li). Out in Southeast Asia, Guile finds Ryu and warns him of the plot and the possibility that Ken may have been brainwashed. At that point Bison arrives. He and Ken step out of the jet. Controlled by Bison's Psycho Power, Ken fights with a seething rage. Ryu, unwilling to hurt his friend, does not fight back. Bison defeats Guile easily, while Balrog and E. Honda fight (while rolling off the mountain in the process). Meanwhile, Ken beats Ryu savagely, all the while Ryu attempts to awaken his friend. Memories of the past wreak havoc on Ken's mind, and finally, through flashbacks of his past with Ryu, Ken succeeds in breaking the Psycho Power. Bison appears and uses his Psycho Power to shock him, and tosses him into the forest behind the battlefield. With no help at hand, Ryu takes on Bison alone and is beaten back. Ken awakens, and discovers he cannot move his legs, but finally manages to climb to the top of a hill and see Ryu defeated by Bison. Upon seeing this, Ken uses his training under Gouken to regain full use of his legs and rejoins the battle. Aiding Ryu, the pair succeed in defeating Bison with a combined Hadouken, although the Shadowlaw leader is nowhere to be seen as the Hadouken flies into the jet, which explodes. Ryu and Ken assume that Bison has been defeated, and E. Honda reemerges carrying Guile and Balrog's bodies to witness the end of the spectacle. Later that night, a combined Interpol and Military air strike successfully locates, bombards, and destroys Shadowlaw's main base of operations. Guile returns to the hospital, shocked to find that Chun-Li has died, only to discover she was only joking, and they playfully embrace upon celebrating Bison's defeat. Ryu and Ken say goodbye once more after eating at a restaurant, and Eliza arrives to pick Ken up. Ryu begins his journey anew. That is, until he sees a huge truck heading right for him with Bison (who apparently teleported himself sometime after the Hadouken hits him and before it hits the jet) in the driver's seat. Enraged, Ryu prepares for another fight against the Shadowlaw leader. Anime TV series: Bison first appears watching the fight between Ken and Vega. Ken wins, and Bison, impressed with his skills, wants Zoltar, his assistant, to get his doctors to work on his recovery and bring him to his villa. Ryu continues to practice the Hadouken on the beach by the hotel he is staying in. Ken and Vega are taken into different rooms for recovery. Chun Li, finding this suspicious, questions Bison's doctors. The doctors give Ken a shot which makes him sleep. Bison enters the room after that and tries to take Chun Li to his villa. Chun Li refuses to go, and begins to attack Bison. Bison hurts her pretty badly, as the episode ends. Bison and Chun Li fight. Chun Li hits Bison twice, but just as she is about to escape, he teleports in front of her and strangles her until she loses consciousness due to lack of oxygen. Bison, realizing he went berserk with his Psycho Power, tells his assistant, Zoltar, to bring Chun Li and Ken to his villa. Ken's father, Mr. Masters, sends two special commandos from the United States military, Guile and Nash to rescue Ken from Bison. The reason Mr. Masters found out about Ken's abduction is because Bison called him and demanded a $1,000,000,000 ransom in exchange for Ken. The money was needed because it would give Bison and Shadowlaw the money they lost when Dorai shut down Ashura. Guile and Nash enter a helicopter after being briefed by Mr. Masters's friend from college, in order to go quickly to Spain to rescue Ken from Bison. On the beach, Ryu is attacked by the Shadowlaw wrestler Zangief, who was sent by Bison to take Ryu to Bison's headquarters. Ryu resists Zangief, and the episode ends. Ryu and Zangief fight for a brief time on the beach, but Zangief, with the help of the Shadowlaw driver, knocks out Ryu and puts him in the truck in which he came in. Just as Zangief puts Ryu into the truck, Guile and Nash land nearby, and Zangief and the Shadowlaw driver quickly escape with Ryu before Guile and Nash can confront them. Guile and Nash search the castle that Vega and Ken were in before being worked on by Bison's physicians to see if they can find Ken. The place is thoroughly cleaned out, and thus their search is futile. Meanwhile, Ryu and Bison fight each other as Ryu awakes to find himself in Shadowlaw's headquarters. Ryu fights Bison to no avail, as Bison easily overpowers him. Ryu is taunted by Bison into using the Hadouken, and when he is about to fire it, Bison uses his Psycho Power to cause Ryu to lose control of the Hadouken. The Hadouken explodes, and this, combined with the energy of Bison's Psycho Power, knocks Ryu unconscious. Ryu has the cyberchip planted on his forehead by Bison. Zoltar created the chip to create Shadowlaw warriors for Bison. These cyberchips control the subject's higher brain functions, and thus as long as the cyberchip is on their forehead, Bison can control the subject as he pleases, as Zoltar demonstrates by getting a test subject to bang his head against the wall and kill himself. With Ryu under Bison's control, and Ken unconscious and chained in a bed, Guile and Nash will have to hurry in order to rescue Ken from Bison. Bison orders Ryu to focus his ki to do the Hadouken. Ryu keeps doing the Hadouken for quite a while, and Guile and Nash infiltrate the fortress to get inside and rescue Ken from Bison. Ken slowly but surely summons enough rage to use the Hadou Shoryu to break the wall between him and Ryu. Ken, after breaking the wall, tries to convince Ryu to come with him, but Ryu doesn't answer, and stands there glaring evilly at Ken. Ken notices something is wrong with Ryu, but doesn't know what. The episode ends after that. Ryu and Ken fight each other in a heated battle. Ryu easily overpowers Ken, as Ken refuses to fight his best friend. However, Ken eventually hits Ryu in order to defend himself, at which point Bison tells Ken that he and Ryu were born to fight this fight. The fight goes on between Ryu and Ken after this, as Ken tries to convince Ryu to snap out of it, but to no avail. Finally, Guile and Nash, having successfully infiltrated Shadowlaw fortress, go their separate ways to find Ken. Guile runs into Zangief along the way, and he initiates a fight with him. The fight between Guile and Zangief continues, as Guile continues to struggle in defeating Zangief. Guile manages to defeat Zangief after a while though. Fei Long and Cammy continue their fight, with Fei Long determined to protect Dorai from Cammy. Ryu and Ken continue their fight as well, with no signs of it coming to an end. Ken continues to try to convince Ryu to turn back to normal, though to no avail. Eventually, Nash fights his way into the control room of the fortress, where he finds Bison. He confronts Bison boldly, shooting a bullet into his heart. Bison uses his Psycho Power to render this bullet useless. Afterward, Bison attacks Nash relentlessly, and eventually chokes him. Nash doesn't survive the choke, and dies because of it. Ryu and Ken continue their fight, as always. Nash is killed by a chokehold Bison puts on him. Guile eventually finds his way into the control room, where he finds his friend Charlie Nash dead from Bison. Guile, realizing Bison killed Nash, rushes in to attack him with an extreme rage. Bison uses his Psycho Power to blast Guile back to the entrance of the room, where Guile stays for quite a while. Ryu and Ken finally finish their fight at the end of this episode by using the Hadou Shoryu and the Hadouken against each other. The resulting blast of energy knocks the cyberchip off of Ryu's forehead, and thus he returns to normal. Guile gets back up from Bison's Psycho Power that he was previously hit with, and stands again to face him. Bison is amused by this, but sends Chun Li to fight Guile as he doesn't have time to fight Guile personally. Ryu and Ken eventually meet up with Guile and Chun Li in the control room of the fortress. Their reunion is short-lived, however, as Bison's eagle head transports Guile and Chun Li outside to continue their battle. It also teleports Ryu, Ken, and Bison into the focal point of the universe where all the power in the universe flows, although this is not seen until the next episode. Guile and Chun Li battle outside, while Ryu, Ken, and Bison in the focal point of the universe, basically just another dimension that Bison's eagle head sends them to. There, Ryu and Ken seem destined to lose, because of Bison's overwhelming Psycho Power. Ryu and Ken's fighting abilities are no match for Bison, and Guile is losing tremendously to Chun Li, since the cyberchip has made her a much more powerful opponent than she was without it. Bison uses his Psycho Crusher and Double Knee Press attacks to overpower Ryu and Ken, severely wounding both of them. They eventually find the strength needed to carry on thanks to their Hadou powers. Ken uses the Hadou Shoryu to weaken Bison substantially (and this also knocked the cyberchip off Chun Li's head), allowing Ryu to finish him off with a Whirlwind Hurricane Kick, followed by a Rising Dragon Punch, and then finally a Hadouken. The Hadouken connected because Bison was distracted at the time, as he was charging for another Psycho Crusher attack. After Bison is gone, Ryu and Ken go back to America, then Ryu sails to an unknown location, though it is presumably his home in Japan. M. Bison is the would-be dictator of the world. He’s cruel. He’s ruthless. He just looks evil. His ambition is to take over the biggest governments in the world by planting members of his underground crime syndication, Shadowloo, in important law enforcement positions. Shadowloo is into everything, from drugs to weapon trafficking to money laundering and forgery. When he learns about the competitions that have been sponsored by Geese Howard, he is intrigued at the thought of a potential partner in crime, and someone he can use to help locate powerful fighters fit for joining his Shadowloo army. M. Bison wields a power that he refers to as Psycho Power, to launch devastatingly painful attacks at his opponents. M. Bison has been portrayed as an evil man in pretty much everything he has appeared in. This isn’t really surprising. He was made to look evil since he is the final boss of Street Fighter II, and video gamers don’t want some wimpy looking dude at the end of the game. And, yes, he got a bad rap thanks to the Street Fighter movie and animated series, this wasn’t the case in the anime version. In both the anime series and movie, he is portrayed as an evil psychotic bent on destroying anyone who gets in his way. Not only is huge and can destroy a person with ease, he’ll also brainwash people and use them to kill their own friends. The man has no moral compass. Even though it sucked, the Street Fighter movie had a pretty good quote that sums up who M. Bison is. It comes during the scene in which Chun-Li tells Bison that she wants revenge on him for destroying her village and killing her father, and he reveals that he doesn’t really remember it. She asks why, and his response: “For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me... it was Tuesday.”
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 17, 2008 14:14:04 GMT -5
90. Luther Who is he: Leader of the Rogues. What is he from: “The Warriors” What has he done: Shot Cyrus and framed the Warriors for it, causing them to become the target of every gang in New York. Intelligence: Street smarts. Power: He’s the leader of his gang. Vileness: The reason for his actions: just because. Sway: I doubt he has much sway. Purity: Doesn’t seem very obsessive. Physical Prowess: Carries a gun and comes off as a coward. Name Coolness: “Luther” is a pretty badass name. Created by: Sol Yurick (novel), David Shaber and Walter Hill (screenplay) Portrayed by: David Patrick Kelly. “Luther” is his most famous role, and he has the line in the movie: “Warriors... come out to play-ee-ay!!”, which he says as he clicks three bottles together. Kelly also improvised Luther's “come out to play-ay” taunt, basing it on an intimidating neighbor of his. Cyrus (Roger Hill), the leader of the most powerful gang in New York City, the Gramercy Riffs, calls a midnight summit for all the area gangs, with all asked to send nine unarmed representatives for the conclave. The Warriors, a gang based in Coney Island, Brooklyn, is one such gang. The eloquent and intelligent Cyrus tells the assembled gangs that a citywide truce is needed, and that the gangs can control the city, pointing out there are 100,000 of them and only 20,000 officers in the NYPD (five to one). Most of the gangs cheer Cyrus' ideas, but during his speech one gang passes a gun to their leader, and he kills Cyrus. Panic ensues. The murderer - revealed to be Luther (David Patrick Kelly), leader of the Rogues gang - is seen in the act by one of the Warriors. Immediately after, the NYPD rushed in from all sides, which led to a chaotic rush to escape the premises. During the chaos, Luther screams that the Warriors are responsible for killing Cyrus, though this is only heard by Cleon, the Warriors' leader. While the Riffs beat Cleon (Dorsey Wright), and the police arrive to break up the gathering, the other eight Warriors escape the melee and debate what to do. Meanwhile, the other gangs, most based in Manhattan, regroup at their respective headquarters. Masai, second-in-command of the Riffs, takes charge as their new leader, and declares a bounty on the Warriors. This sets the entire city's gang population out hunting for them, with a seemingly omniscient radio DJ (Lynne Thigpen) reporting on the events. As the Warriors make their long and difficult journey back to Coney Island, the Riffs are visited by an anonymous member who attended the earlier gathering who witnessed Luther firing the gun. The Riffs realize the Warriors are innocent, and they head to Coney Island. When day breaks, the Warriors finally arrive home but quickly have more trouble, as Luther and the Rogues are waiting for them. The two gangs meet on the beach, where Swan suggests he and Luther fight a one-on-one duel. Luther pulls a gun, but Swan quickly throws a knife into Luther's wrist, disarming him. Before more violence has a chance to happen, the Riffs arrive on the beach and acknowledge they have learned the truth of Cyrus's murder. The Riffs' new leader compliments the remaining Warriors on their skills and lets them go. As the Riffs swarm on the Rogues, the Warriors head off down the shore. Luther is such an asshole. He’s a weasel and coward, but that’s not what makes him such a good villain. That would be the murder of Cyrus, the gangland leader. He shot Cyrus in cold-blood and did no real reason. This pretty much ends Cyrus plans for a truce among all the gangs. Then, he pins the murder on the Warriors, which leads to the Riffs, Cyrus’s gang, to put a bounty on their heads. Now, every gang is out to kill the Warriors, and they slowly cross the dangerous Bronx and Manhattan territories, narrowly escaping police and other gangs every step of the way. At the end, when the Warriors and Rogues meet to fight on the beach, Swan suggests they fight one on one. However, Luther pulls out a gun. Obviously, he doesn’t believe in a fair fight. However, the Riffs do learn that Luther killed their leader; and Luther and the Rogues the punishment they deserve. Even though he doesn’t get away with it, Luther manages to cause a lot of chaos by simply doing act of violence. That is the mark of a great villain.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 17, 2008 15:06:25 GMT -5
89. The Wicked Witch of the West Who is she: A witch. What is she from: The Wizard of Oz (novel) and several adaptations of the novel What has she done: Sent an army of flying monkies to steal Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Intelligence: Doesn't seem terribly bright, but not an idiot; she's just a bit too focused on evil. Power: Beyond her magical powers, she's not much a force, counting on her minions to do a lot of the dirty work, and she melt when water is poured on her. Vileness: Willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, including terrorizing friendly animals and little lost girls. Sway: One of the last people you ever want to be stuck in a dark alley with; fiercely intimidating. Purity: Full of jealousy and hatefulness, this woman is bent on causing chaos wherever she can. Physical Prowess: She's ugly as sin with a matching black heart, even has the warts and hat to complete the wardrobe, though you could probably take her in a fight. Name Coolness: Sounds pretty cool, and pretty much implies she’s evil. Created by: L. Frank Baum. Portrayed by: Eugenie Besserer most likely played her in the 1910 silent film “The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz,” but there is no definitive proof as to who the cast of that film was. Margaret Hamilton played her in the 1939 movie, and her portrayal as the Wicked Witch is the most famous. In many people's minds, her representation of The Wicked Witch has become an archetype for human wickedness. Mabel King played her in “The Wiz” Broadway play and 1978 movie. Elizabeth Hanna did the voice of the Witch in the English dub of the 1982 anime. Naoko Kouda voiced the Witch in the 1986 Anime series. Idina Menzel, Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Murney, Stephanie J. Block, and Kerry Ellis have all played her in the Broadway play Wicked. Tress MacNeille was the voice of the Witch in the early 1990s animated series. And, Kathleen Robinson played her in the 2007 TV miniseries Tin Man, and Karin Konoval played the Evil Witch who posses her and turns her evil. The Oz Books: the Wicked Witch is the one witch in Oz whom the Wizard of Oz fears after the Wicked Witch of the East is destroyed. He managed to defeat her with simple magic tricks in spite of her making use of the Winged Monkeys that she commands through the power of the "Golden Cap," for the second time. With the first command, she seized control of the Winkie Country in the western part of Oz, where the Wizard never ventures, considering himself quite vulnerable to her. When young Dorothy is dropped in Oz by a cyclone, The Wizard promises to help her return to her home in Kansas if she and her ragtag group of friends kill the Wicked Witch. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion journey toward her castle and are attacked by wolves, crows, bees, and her Winkie slaves. Dorothy and her companions defeat each threat, but are eventually subdued by her third and final permitted use of the Winged Monkeys. Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion are carried to the Wicked Witch's castle. However, The Wicked Witch cannot kill Dorothy because the girl is protected by the Good Witch of the North. She enslaves her and tries to force the Cowardly Lion into submission by starving him, though Dorothy sneaks him food. When she succeeds in stealing one silver shoe, by making Dorothy trip over an invisible bar, Dorothy angrily throws a bucket of water onto the Wicked Witch. It causes the witch to melt. The Wicked Witch's dryness was enumerated in some clues before this. She carries not the traditional broom but an umbrella. Furthermore, when Toto had bitten her, she had not bled; her wickedness had dried her up long ago. W.W. Denslow's illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz depict the Wicked Witch as a paunched old woman with three pigtails and wearing an eyepatch; her good eye gave her the visual powers of a telescope. She is afraid of the dark, and for that reason, never went for the shoes while Dorothy was sleeping. Her position as ruler of the Winkies was awarded to the Tin Woodman, who moved the capitol out of her castle because it was too damp. The 1910 silent film: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” features a character similar to the Wicked Witch of the West, identified in intertitles as "Momba the Witch". (Compare the character Mombi from The Marvelous Land of Oz.) In the film, Momba has an unspecified hold over the Wizard, who promises his crown to anyone who can release him from Momba's power. As in the novel, Momba captures Dorothy and her companions, and is destroyed when Dorothy throws a bucket of water over her. The 1939 film: While this relationship is not mentioned in Baum's books, in the movie, the Witch is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East, who is killed when Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz. The Witch asks aloud, "Who killed my sister?" (albeit with more calculation than sorrow). As a result, The Wicked Witch of the West's role is made more prominent as she seeks revenge against Dorothy for killing her sister. When Dorothy claims the death was an accident, the Witch of the West replies, "Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too." It is from this movie that popular culture gets the oft-quoted phrase, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" Later, when she sends her aerobatic apes to capture Dorothy, she stands by the window shouting, "Fly! Fly!" repeatedly. This too is a very well-remembered quotation of hers. The most memorable quotations, when Dorothy accidentally threw water on her, was "You cur-sed brat!, look what you've done!, I'm melting!" "What a world! "Who would've thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!" The convenient positioning of the bucket in the Witch's castle is not handled realistically, but with the situation now Dorothy's dream, that is of little relevance. Rather than carelessly harassing Dorothy in the middle of cleaning, the scene now occurs in a hallway where Winkie guards have blocked her from all escape routes. In spite of the Winkies serving the Witch only out of fear, the screenplay states that they were to look as much like her as possible, and uses the word "inhuman" to describe them. The Witch also has a counterpart in the Kansas world: a rich, grumpy single woman named Almira Gulch who seeks to have Dorothy's dog, Toto, put down. There is some ambiguity as to whether Gulch turns into the Wicked Witch of the East or of the West in the Tornado scene when Dorothy sees her transform in the window. However, It is often said that during the transformation you can clearly see the ruby slippers indicating that it may in fact be the witch of the east. It can be argued both ways. The Wiz: The Wicked Witch Of The West is given the name Evillene, and is the malevolent ruler of the Winkies. She is the sister of Addaperle, Glinda, and Evvamene, the other three witches of Oz. In the film version, she runs a sweatshop under Yankee Stadium, with the slogan, "Manufacturers and Exporters of Sweat," and extracts it not only from the Winkies, but the Crows, the Poppy Girls, and the Subway Peddler. Her magic creates urban variations on the Hammer Heads (sent by the Subway Peddler), Fighting Trees, and Kalidahs, all in the Subway system. The 1982 Anime: The Witch is purplish-skinned, white-haired, and wears an eyepatch. Her telescopic eye, however, is replaced with a magic mirror. Her soldiers are completely magical, disappear at her demise, and quite distinct from the Winkies, whom she uses only for labor. She wears an old-fashioned peasant dress. She also has a staff which is the source of her magic. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz anime series: the Witch is purplish skinned, with long white hair, but much thicker than in the 1982 anime, and with a blood-like red streak. She has both eyes, and she dressed in a long, black hooded gown. The bucket of water does not do her in, but only starts the process. The scene occurs in the castle kitchen. The witch backs away from Dorothy and inadvertently flips ladleful out of a pot with her shoulder, which causes her to steam and decay as if hit with acid. Dorothy state she now understands that water is the witch's weakness and smashes a large jugful on the ground. This version gives the witch the most prolonged and dramatic death scene of all versions. Wicked: Gregory Maguire's successful 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West takes the familiar Oz story and turns it on its head, with the Wicked Witch (given the name Elphaba) as the novel's protagonist and Dorothy as a hapless child. Born with hydrophobic green skin and shunned because of her differences, Elphaba is a misunderstood child who grows into a brooding and very mischaracterized young woman rebelling against an oppressive dictator, the Wizard of Oz. Maguire's story was developed into a Broadway musical, Wicked, in 2003. Idina Menzel won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Elphaba. 2005's Son of a Witch is the sequel to Wicked, focusing upon Elphaba's purported son, Liir. Tin Man: The 2007 mini-series, re-imagining of Baum's story world that makes allusive references to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, includes an evil witch character (played by Karin Konoval) who is referred to as "The Evil Witch of the Dark". Discovered in a cave by descendants of Dorothy Gale - the young princess Azkadellia and her little sister DG - this witch possesses Azkadellia and turns her into a tyrannical sorceress. It is not clear whether this witch is related to the original Wicked Witch of the West, but an ancient inscription in the cave refers to "light conquering darkness", and the old woman says to the girls when they find her that she has been waiting there many years. She also later makes references to, "waiting almost 500 years," and other sayings to further suggest she is the same witch. The most common speculation is that since Dorothy Gale does in fact turn out to be the ancestor of DG and Azkadellia, then the Witch who lost to Dorothy was sealed away and has returned to try and destroy OZ once again. At the end of the series, the witch is exorcised from Azkadellia and melted by the destruction of a machine she is using to bring eternal darkness over the Outer Zone. The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the classic villains. Pretty much everyone knows who she is and associates her with evil. The most famous representation of the Wicked Witch is in the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. The portrayal pretty much left witch forever associated with wickedness and evil ways. Ever since then, she has been portrayed as an evil bitch in practically every adaptation of the Wizard of Oz. Only two adaptations have portrayed her in a sympathetic way: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Broadway musical based on the novel, Wicked. In both, she is portrayed a misunderstood girl who was not born evil but rather “made” that way by her political enemy, the Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, this hasn’t really changed the way she has been portrayed in later, most notably Tin Man, in which the Witch, known as Azkadellia, is a huge bitch hell-bent on destroying Dorothy and her friends. And, most likely, the Wicked Witch will continued to be shown as an evil witch for a long while.
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