Heroes and Villans

Just finished watching the new movie called "The Adventurer"...it had promise, but ultimately in the end it flopped.  Too many gaps in the story line...and the story moved too slow.  As for heroes...well Captain Will did light a spark of a man who always came to the rescue, and the bad guy could not defeat.

But I stand that at least in television series...no "good" guy still exists, and the bad guy always prevails. 

As for movies, there is Wolverine.  Out of...four movies if I am correct...Wolverine has never backed down, never been beaten, and does not run from danger...even if it is to save someone he doesn't know...in fact, he even defends a bear from poachers.  Wolverine takes care of his own, and does it speedily and with his own justice.   He doesn't question "why", he just knows what needs to be done and he does it.

I think that is why the latest edition of "The Lone Ranger" was considered a flop (with Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer).  People are no longer ready for a hero that believes in the law, does kill bad guys (but only when needed)...and cannot be bought or sold.  Maybe that is why Tonto was so sad in the end...there were no good guys left.  For me, it was one of the best movies of 2013, and one of the top movies I've seen.  As with Tonto, who had seen the time of his people pass, so did the time of a movie like this.

So again, where does that leave us? and again, I say, "I don't know".  I am going to go watch G.I. Joe Retaliation...and I am sure at the end I will say...how can that many soldiers miss so many enemies with so many bullets.  Go figure.

Maybe one day they will bring back "The Young Riders"...I remember Hickock never backed down from a fight, never lost, and stood up for what he believed in regardless of the odds.  But alas, "Hickock" (Josh Brolin) went on to wear a suit in black to save aliens that were killing humans...like I said - go figure.

Green Arrow

What ever happened to the good guy? or more importantly, what ever happened to the good guy wins?  or how about the good guy was willing to do whatever it took to save his friends...or even someone he may not have known?

It seems those days are gone forever.

Having finished the second season of Green Arrow, which was painstakingly like listening to fingernails on a chalk board, all I want to do is watch a Chuck Norris movie....preferably, "An Eye for an Eye"...where the good guys win...and big time at that.

A recent Facebook comparison brought to light something I suppose I'd thought about but not said in all this - Zombies used to be ugly....now they are pretty; Vampires used to be scary...now they are handsome (or at least supposed to be), werewolves were vicious (not cuddly) and aliens were so bad they had acid for blood....they weren't blue and you didn't want to become one.

I suppose one could argue this is the desensitizing of America...maybe, maybe not.  Or that "they will call evil good, and good evil"...maybe, maybe not.

We have Hulu Plus, thousands of TV series at your fingertips.  And you know what...not one of them has a true "good guy" anymore...(again, "good guy" is defined as the guy who wins in the end).

There is actually an underlying theme in all of them:  No one wins in the end, the situation is hopeless, there is no good guy (there really isn't even a bad guy for that matter), you end up rooting for the bad guy because the good guy is too much of a wimp anyway,  and they have no way to defend themselves.  Hmmm...now there is the underlying theme in all this (and if you don't think the government controls the movie industry...think again).

However, for the sake of my argument here, I'll try and keep this superficial...if I can.

In 2006 BBC came out with a new series "Robin Hood"...and I was like "wow, that sounds good".  I can always go for an archer picking off the evil minions of the Sheriff of Nottingham as he terrorizes the Merry Men of Sherwood forest.

Now, where to begin...

First, there are no "merry" men.  They fight amongst themselves.  Little John would more like to take a swing at Robin and knock him out cold (which he did), than take on  the Sheriff of Nottingham (which he is a coward to do so).  (By the way, whatever happened to the loyal sidekick like Tonto? even they don't exist anymore).

Then Robin uses a Saracen bow...of all things? What ever happened to his long bow?  And Robin Hood can't kill...he can only wound.  Yes, seriously, Robin Hood is a pacifist.  Whatever happened to Errol Flynn?

OK, so let's compare archers.  Bring along the Green Arrow in 2012.  I tried the season opener, but preferred the Oliver Queen of Smallville, so it was not until 2013 that I revisited Arrow.  Finally, a good guy, or so I thought.  At least he wasn't a pacifist, and he took out the bad guys (well, almost, he did let Deadshot live, but that ended up being a good thing...read on).

But then something happened in Season 2...now Oliver can no longer kill and has become a pacifist...he abhors guns (although his bodyguard uses one).  How good is a super hero if he can't kill evil?  Pretty worthless in my book.  So again, I find myself rooting for the bad guys...they always win, and are not cowards...they don't question their actions, and they are better than the good guys, because the good guys are pacifists.  Does all of this make sense? Probably not.

So who is the hero in Arrow?  Definitely not Oliver Queen.  Try the Black Archer for starters.  He was the one who saved Thea when Oliver couldn't protect her, and he was the only one who never lied to Thea, even though Oliver had on many occasions.  Now think about this, why did Oliver want to kill the Black Archer?  Because he wanted Thea to know Oliver was lying to her.  So who's really the bad guy here?

And who bales Oliver out in the end?  The daughter of Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins.  When Oliver is in trouble, they come to his aid...and neither do they hold a grudge against Oliver, even though Oliver holds a grudge against them.  Odd how the bad guys can now forgive when the good guys can't.  In the end the League of Assassins do what Oliver could not...save the city.  And it is the League of Assassins who promised to protect Sara, because Oliver could not.

And back to Deadshot...yeah, he even plays a role in saving the city...holding no grudges against Diggle, even though Diggle tried on many occasions to take him out.  And no, that was not even the first time Deadshot had helped the "good" guys at that (by "good" guys...the ones who for a whole season kept trying to knock Deadshot off).

And now, what about Slade Wilson?  So at the end of the season we finally find out why he wanted to kill Oliver....because Oliver stuck an arrow in his eye while he was pinned down and helpless.  Now, who wouldn't want to get revenge on someone who stuck an arrow in your eye while you were on a sinking ship and they left you for dead.  So was Slade really the bad guy?  It definitely proved Oliver to be a coward.

So, in the end who do I root for? The Black Archer of course! He is the only one who has beaten the Green Arrow...and mark my words, he will do it again in Season 3.


Now, where does that leave us with heros and villians?  Nowhere, to be honest.  Chuck Norris is retired, Clint Eastwood is too old, and The Duke is dead.  Long live Clayton Moore.  Sorry to hear of the passing of Tom Laughlin in December 2013.

If anyone knows of a series (modern) where the hero wins in the end...reply to this post.  I won't be holding my breath.

So for now, I am left with Doctor Who...yes, one has to go all the way to Britain to find a hero, because America no longer knows how to make shows with heroes.  At least the Doctor does always win in the end...but always at a great loss too.  Hmm...maybe that is why American television gave up on heroes, because the losses were too great...at least the Green Arrow would second that.

Where have all good men gone

Where's the street wise Hercules

 To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

The Last Ten Years by Kenny Rogers

Bonnie Tyler - I Need A Hero Lyrics

Artist: Bonnie Tyler
Album: Miscellaneous
Genre: Rock

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Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the Gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
(Larger than life)

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/bonnie-tyler/i-need-a-hero-lyrics/#0i0VI2dXovmTW86G.99

Bonnie Tyler - I Need A Hero Lyrics

Artist: Bonnie Tyler
Album: Miscellaneous
Genre: Rock

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Play Song

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Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the Gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
(Larger than life)

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/bonnie-tyler/i-need-a-hero-lyrics/#0i0VI2dXovmTW86G.99

Bonnie Tyler - I Need A Hero Lyrics

Artist: Bonnie Tyler
Album: Miscellaneous
Genre: Rock

Heyo! SONGLYRICS just got interactive. Highlight. Review: RIFF-it.
RIFF-it good.

Play Song

Listen while you read!

Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the Gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
(Larger than life)

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/bonnie-tyler/i-need-a-hero-lyrics/#0i0VI2dXovmTW86G.99

                            

The Impossible Girl...

So who was Clara Oswin Oswald?  For all the guesses...well...she was Clara Oswald.  I was wrong on every count.

Clara was just a normal person, who to save the Doctor's life (and technically all of humanity and the universe itself) jumped into his tears (also known as his timeline), thus shattering her into every aspect of the Doctor's life.

So who was Clara Oswald? No one special, just Clara Oswald.

Now, how does John Hurt fit into the Doctor?  I'm not even going to hazard a guess on that one.....

Shuffle...

You know how once in a while a movie comes along and when you are done watching it, it's like "wow, that was a good movie..."...

..well such was the case with the recent movie called "Shuffle"...

(Now, if you ever plan to watch it, don't read on - this is one movie you will never guess the end, until the end.  I guarantee it.  No, I really do.  Don't read on and spoil it if you plan to watch it one day - this is the only movie I've seen that you won't know what is going on till the very end...)

OK...if you've read this far, then read on...

Shuffle starts out with a man who is falling asleep, talking to a Psychiatrist...all he knows it that when he falls asleep he wakes up in a different year of his life...sometimes younger, sometimes older.  The first memory he has of any age is a memory of 92...then the next 8 years old...and on it goes...

Well, needless to say, he falls asleep while talking to the Psychiatrist and wakes up in another year.  These are the only memories he has, but as he jumps from age to age, he can build on the memory before...meaning he doesn't forget when he falls asleep and jumps again...

At some point during this process, he meets a little girl at a wedding (he learns that he is a wedding photographer) and she says "pay attention, someone's life is at stake"...then walks away...

Unable to take notes (every time he falls asleep and wakes up, he can't take anything with him) he begins to take mental notes of similarities and the obvious, looking for clues on who is in need of help.  Most of his jumps occur between 8, 26 and 30.

Through this process he deduces that his dad hates his wife, and believes he is going to murder her.  He has only one clue about the day she dies...it is the day that she gives him a watch as a gift...which turns out to be (later in the movie) on Christmas night.  Lovell (the man's name) does everything to stay with his wife until midnight...but as the end of the day draws to a close, his wife decides to go for a jog with her dog because of an earlier fight with his father.

The dog breaks away, and Grace (his wife) runs into the street and is hit by a car.  Lovell rushes her to the hospital where she is in need of life saving surgery...but because of Christmas, the only doctor on staff cannot be found (which turns out to be Lovell's dad).   His wife dies, and Lovell forever decides to never speak to his dad again, blaming him for her death.

So Lovell knows he has failed to help the person whom he loved, and that the "jumps" will now stop, since she has died...but they don't.

Lovell continues with the jumps to different ages...finding out he fathered a son after his wife's death, and forever deciding to have no part in his life.  Believing now that it was not Grace, but his son that he must save, Lovell makes an effort to reconnect with his now 17 year old sold Kevin, only leading to dire consequences, and making the situation with his son even more estranged.

Having failed both his wife and his son, Lovell is driving down the road when he falls asleep and hits a car head on...

It is there that time stops, and Lovell has an out of body experience.  He meets Grace (who died 4 years before) and as they talk, he realizes she was the little girl at the wedding and that it was him (Lovell) that needed saving, because he became so bitter after the death of Grace.

(...and you think this is the end...but no...)

Lovell then jumps back into his body, and survives the crash.  From that day forward, he vows to be a better person.  He goes on to take medicine to prevent himself from falling asleep, decides to be part of his sons life at an early age, remarries, and has two children.  He reconnects with his father and makes him a viable part of his life.

(...and you think this is the end...but no...)

And then the end comes...

...as an old man in bed, having lived a full life, now 92, and he dies.  And then it is something that Grace said when her dog died...about how your whole life flashes before your eyes before you pass away...

...no one ever said it would be in order... : )

Clara is River Song...

So, my latest theory on who Clara Oswin Oswald is (Doctor Who, Season 7)...is River Song.

This is not necessarily a new theory, or even an original theory...many Whovians have already proposed this...however, I think I supply an angle on "why" that no one else has proposed...

River Song, the child of Rory and Amy (Melody Pond...which by the way I guessed before they told in the episode A Good Man Goes to War), does have Tardis Dust in her, and can regenerate like the Doctor.  The are the same, yet slightly different, so the laws of physics may not apply exactly the same to both.

So here is my theory...

The Doctor has used it before, The Master also used it when the Doctor first met him?  What is it? 

The Chameleon Arch...aka...the Pocket Watch...follow me on this...

The Doctor can't figure out who Clara is...everything seems normal.  That is exactly how the Master was when they first met...to the Doctor he seemed like a normal human being.  If Clara is River Song acting under a Chameleon Arch...the Doctor would not notice unless the Pocket Watch turns up.  Supposedly there were only two Chameleon Arches left...the Master had one, which went back with him into the Time War when the Doctor destroyed the White Point Star, and the other one possessed by the Doctor himself, whom he gave to Timothy Latimer.

Living under the Chameleon Arch, some powers of the Doctor remain, even though appearing in human form (i.e., maybe that is why Clara continues to die, but the Doctor finds her alive in another time period).and also keeps the memories of the individual it is hiding (what does Clara continue to say..."..and remember...")

So let's say River Song (who can travel through time with a Vortex Manipulator) somehow got the last Chameleon Arch from Timothy Latimer because she needed to hide?

Yes, I know there are still a lot of unknowns and things aren't quite fully explained...but this is my latest theory...and I am sticking to this one...

...until the next theory comes along : ) (Which I am already working on...)