In this episode, we kick off our “Villains We Love to Love” arc, with a look at Doctor Evil.
I love the podcast, thanks guys. After listening to the topic this week, I had a comment. The scariest villains we see are not the ones that destroy for no reason. The scariest villains are those who have a different view on life, and cannot conceive of anyone feeling differently. The villains that long for world domination are not as scary because we just want the protagonist to beat them. Sauron (LoTR), Mr. Shadow (5th Element), or the Daleks (Doctor Who) are great for a story because we WANT the hero to win at the end. If the hero failed when facing those villains, the universe is destroyed and the story instantly ends. Villains like the Goa’uld (Stargate), the Borg (Star Trek:TNG),Magneto (X-Men). or Doctor Doom (Fantastic four) are frightening because of their belief AND the narrow world view that cannot comprehend any other choice.
That being said, my favorite villains are the highly intelligent villains with great comprehension and little empathy. Villains like Hannibal (Silence of the Lambs), Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes), Wednesday (American Gods), Dracula (the first and only book), or Frankenstein’s ‘monster’ scare me. They scare me because their success is possible and their worldview can be understood, even if it is not agreed with.
as alway, good stuff folks.
regarding how to pronounce the Ouya gaming box, I’ll have to defer to “Macho Man” on that one 
OB
A quick note about the Olympics and the fact that most Olympians don’t medal.
Here are some telling stories of the games by Mitch Albom (Heart of the Game).
My most memorable quote of Mitch’s article:
"The story I refer to happened one afternoon far from the Dream Team hysteria, in Barcelona’s Olympic stadium, when a British sprinter named Derek Redmond pulled a hamstring midway through a 400-meter heat. He fell to the track as if he’d been shot. His Olympics were over.
But his moment had just begun.
As Derek waved off the medics and tried to hop to the finish, his father, Jim Redmond, a heavyset machine-shop owner, burst from the stands and ran onto the track. He somehow reached his son, who buried his head in his father’s shoulder to hide his tears. Then the two of them, the father supporting the son, inched their way to the finish line so that Derek could say he finished the race. The crowd rose for the slow-hobbling men and roared as loudly as it would for any champion."
/reach for tissue.
OB
Red Dawn was my first PG-13 movie.
I believe all of the Native American characters in Dances with Wolves were played by actual Native Americans. President Rosalin’s character was supposed to be white as she was adopted by the tribe after her family was killed by a different tribe. I could be wrong, but just a quick glance at the cast list showed the main Native American characters were played by Native Americans.
On Red Dawn, I’m very wary of this remake. Since North Korea doesn’t have a chance in hell of actually invading America, they’ve come up with some sort of macguffin tech the bad guys have that somehow shuts down our comms or other stuff. I think this is already a fail in the works.
I love the original. I watch it again at least once a year. It’s a suprisingly good movie once you handwave some parts of the premise. Despite the fun moments of the teen heroes fighting back, its a dark and sometimes ugly film. There are hints that Lea Thompson’s character suffered a rape or attempted rape prior to being hidden away. C. Thomas Howell executes someone who used to be a friend. They spend most of the movie cold, hungry and depressed. They hear of or even see friends and loved ones gunned down by firing squads. The majority of the group dies before the end. It is a sad movie about the horrors of war and what it would be like for American kids to become guerrilla fighters. It just happens to have some kick ass moments and a group that is easy to cheer for. It is definitely a different movie when you watch it as an adult than when you saw it as a kid.
My biggest fear is that this movie will lose all the “ugly.” I’m afraid it’ll be a cleaned-up, 'splosion-filled, flag-waving movie about a group of teens that turn into badass soldiers. I’d be suprised if they kill more than one or two of the cast.
I’m hoping I’m wrong, but I’m not optimistic.
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