Jeremy Bates's Blog: Latest News, page 6

Villains have more fun. That’s what they say. Imagine being a blonde villain…the fun just wouldn’t stop, would it? But I think it’s true. Villains get to kill, steal, disembowel, do whatever they want–and if you don’t like them? F*** you. They don’t care. They’re villains.

Heroes, on the other hand, have to live by a moral code. They have to be sympathetic, relatable. Because if you can’t sympathize or relate with the hero–and he’s not an anti-hero–the book or movie is going to bomb.

Anyway, I was watching a movie the other day, I liked the villain, and it got me thinking about who were my favorite bad guys. Mind you, the list I’ve comprised below is subjective. Everyone has their own favorites. And I’m not listing the best villains of all time. Yeah, The Wicked Witch of the West in the original Wizard of Oz might have been pretty evil, but that was back in 1939. I don’t think I’ve even seen it. I don’t really watch movies older than 1980.

So–on that note, here are my first five!

#1: Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Star Wars: A New Hope.

Okay, 1977. Whatever. But Lord Vader deserves the number one spot. He made being bad cool, in the same way Walter White does in Breaking Bad. The way he could choke you just by lifting his hand in the air: awesome. And the fact you never saw his face (until the end of Return of the Jedi) only added to his mystique/bad-ass factor.

Best quotes:

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force.”

“You underestimate the power of the dark side.”

“I am your father!”

#2: Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Easily the scariest villain for me growing up. I watched all these flicks at sleepovers because I wasn’t allowed to watch them at home (strange how anything seemed to go at sleepovers). One scene still sticks in my mind. Part three, Dream Warriors, with Freddy as a puppet master manipulating a kid like a puppet, but instead of strings he uses the poor kid’s veins.

Best quotes:

“Welcome to my world, bitch. I should warn you, princess… the first time tends to get a little… messy.”

“Wanna suck face?”

“Pretty graphics.”

“You’ve got the body, I’ve got the brain.”

“Welcome to prime time bitch!”

#3: Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth). Rob Roy.

This one’s not as well-known–and clichéd–as the rest on this list, but Archibald is one of my favorites. If you don’t know the movie, here’s the blurb: In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced into a Robin Hood lifestyle to defend his family and honor.

Archibald works for the man Rob Roy (Liam Neeson) borrowed money from, and he’s out to get it back. He’s a womanizer, a rapist, a total prick, and perfectly villainous. A great movie and a great role.

Best quotes:

“Think of yourself a scabbard, Mistress McGregor, and I the sword. And a fine fit you were, too.”

“Love is a dung hill, Betty, and I am but a cock that climbs upon it to crow.”

#4: Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), Silence of the Lambs.

No surprise here. Just think about that tongue-clicking noise he makes!

Best quotes:

“I do wish we could chat longer, but… I’m having an old friend for dinner.”

“Okey-dokey.”

“Is this coincidence, or are you back on the case? If so, goody-goody.”

“Bowels in or bowels out?”

#5: Max Cady (Robert De Niro), Cape Fear.

This film had a great premise: A convicted rapist who, using mostly his newfound knowledge of the law and its numerous loopholes, seeks vengeance against a former public defender whom he blames for his 14-year imprisonment due to purposefully faulty defense tactics used during his trial.

It also raises a couple salient points such as: If the police can’t help you, who can? And if you’re not safe in your own home, where are you safe?

De Niro was a psychotic creep!

Best quotes:

“It’s not necessary to lay a foul tongue on me my friend. I could get upset. Things could get out of hand. Then in self-defense, I could do something to you that you would not like, right here.”

“I’m Virgil and I’m guidin’ you through the gates of Hell. We are now in the Ninth Circle, the Circle of Traitors. Traitors to country! Traitors to fellow man! Traitors to GOD! You, sir, are charged with betrayin’ the principles of all three! Quote for me the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct, Canon Seven.”

Thanks for reading!

Villains have more fun. That’s what they say. Imagine being a blonde villain…the fun just wouldn’t stop, would it? But I think it’s true. Villains get to kill, steal, disembowel, do whatever they want–and if you don’t like them? F*** you. They don’t care. They’re villains. Heroes, on the other hand, have to live by a moral code. They have...

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