Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Which movie character...

...would you journey back in time, naked, to save?

Even if they didn't eventually save the world like Sarah or John Connor. And why? It can be any character from any movie. Just save them in the comments from whatever threat they might be facing. (Yes, The Terminator franchise is still on me brain. Here are my write ups of the 1984 original and the 1991 sequel)

37 comments:

James Colon said...

I would save Billy Costigan (Leo DiCaprio) from THE DEPARTED. I wasn't even a particular huge fan of the film, but for some reason, no other movie character's death felt more unjust then when he goes toward the end of the movie. I'm sure there's a better answer if I think long enough, but this is the first one that comes to mind.

PIPER said...

Good question.

I can only think of real life situations where I would travel back and save them.

I would go back and save John Belushi from dying.

I would also go back and save Diane Keaton from all the bad movie decisions she's made in the past decade or so.

From a movie, I would go back and save Virginia Hey in The Road Warrior. She was a tragic beauty and I remember being crushed when she was killed atop that semi.

E Dot said...

Jack Nasty. I mean, Jack Twist.

Janice said...

Ummm...Satine? Save her from consumption (bringing with me that handy little field kit) and save her for...myself?

Runs Like A Gay said...

I'd go back naked and force some medical attention on James MacAvoy in Atonement (and get someone else to prevent Keira Knightley from going to that tube station during the bombing).

If any film characters ever deserved their fake ending it was them.

Peter Chan said...

Conrad Jarrett from 'Ordinary People'... always had a crush on him. I can bitchslap his Ice Queen mother for him. Being Naked? Just added bonus you're giving me there, Nat.

Shawn said...

Jack Dawson (Titanic) - Because Leo and Kate need a happy ending. Because Revolutionary Road was NOT it.

Robbie *and* Cecilia (Atonement) - I'd go farther than Runs Like A Gay and help Robbie out before he was falsely accused. Maybe tell him to NOT GIVE THE LETTER to Briony.

Wash (Serenity) - Because he's a leaf in the wind, goddamnit! And because he and Zoe needed to procreate! The tragedy!

Jordan Wellin said...

The entire cast from "Letters from Iwo Jima"....all 265,000 of them that died (or thereabouts).

Anonymous said...

Selma from the United States and all the characters from Requiem for a dream from addictions

Glendon said...

How about Jesus from the Passion.

NATHANIEL R said...

Piper... i support your decision to help Diane Keaton and if your time travel bubble allows for an additional future savior i shall transport back with you to help her.

e dot i don't think Jack Twist wanted to be saved from Ennis del Mar.

runs here's to fake endings!

shawn oh!!! a baby Zoe/Wash. [sniffle]

Bailey said...

I'm pretty sure I would have to save Buddy from Fried Green Tomatoes. Chris O'Donnell was far too cute to die.

Sparky said...

Easy one... Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It must be bunnies.

Anonymous said...

I'd save María de Medeiros' character from Bruce Willis' likely future beating in Pulp Fiction.

NATHANIEL R said...

bailey I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT HIM.

sparky -- anya is my favorite. are you trying to butter me up?

Iggy said...

Oops, that anon 5:05 was me.

Chris Na Taraja said...

I'm torn between 2 situations...

1. I want to save Daniel Craig from getting his balls beaten in Casino Royale. Since he's already naked, my naked appearance shouldn't be too much of a shock in the middle of the film, not to mention convenient.

2. I also want to save Thelma and Louise from the end of their movie. But I would probably need Willow or Wesley to join me and open up a window to an alternate universe to catch the car. Because I, like Thelma and Louise, wouldn't want the cops to catch my naked ass.

CrazyCris said...

Definitely Wash in Serenity! Or Tara on Buffy? Or Fred on Angel? Damn Joss Whedon for making this such a hard choice!!!

Wayne B. said...

I'd go back in time to save Selma from "Dancer in the Dark." I feel for her struggle and think she doesn't deserve the fate that the film deals her.

NATHANIEL R said...

but Chris Daniel Craig likes getting roughed up in the movies. See also: Elizabeth, Love is the Devil, the other Bond movie, etcetera.

crazycris in conclusion: Joss Whedon is totally an evil god to his character creations.

Derreck said...

hmmm...i'd love to think about this some more, but right now it would be:

Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) from THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. He was a bit of a dick in his last few moments, but damn! the man had charisma. It was just too easy to fall in love with him. Plus, he was just the personification of sex. I'd like to give him the chance to at least make up with Tom (Matt Damon) who desperately loved him. I would be too happy to see him give Tom a hug and tell him it will be alright.

Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) from THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. I know i mentioned this movie a while back, but i'll mention it again. I would somehow save Robert from whatever killed him and time travel again so he and Francesca (Meryl Streep) could finally be together.

Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) from MYSTIC RIVER. Jimmy (Sean Penn) literally got away with murder twice, so saving Dave would be a good idea. Plus, his kid won't end up without a father and with a crazy mother like Dave did. No. You know what? i would time travel and save Dave from going in the car with the child molesters and end the whole mess altogether...though it will be hard for him to listen to a naked me.

Ben said...

I'd tell Julian (Julianne Moore) in Children of Men to duck. Then I'd go and rescue Julianne Moore's other characters from all the terrible things they face: society, motherhood, Hannibal Lecter. It's a shame that in The End of the Affair when she tries to save Ralph Fiennes that it turns out so badly for her really...

Karen said...

Good question, I'm not sure though.

www.reelartsy.com

Jordan Wellin said...

Oh, Ben! Great choice with Julianne Moore. Not only is she the most screwed actress by the Academy, but in all of her roles, she plays a thankless character. Yes, her death was so shocking in 'Children of Men.' She had been on screen for, what, all of 10 minutes up until that point?

FrenchGirl said...

Bambi mother!

Kamila said...

Excellent question. I would save Satine from "Moulin Rouge!".

NATHANIEL R said...

pomme --- you would risk the forest naked? good luck. Avoid poison ivy

Julienne said...

Sgt. Elias from Platoon.

but..naked?

NATHANIEL R said...

that's the way time travel works!

haven't you watched the terminator movies? ;)

Shawn said...

Haha. I just realized we're supposed to be naked. So maybe NOT Jack Dawson because then I would die.

I'd still save Robbie. Being naked in front of James McAvoy is no problem.

And yes, I would save all those Joss characters--Wash, Anya, Wesley, Cordelia, Tara, Fred, Penny, and on and on and on...

Andrew K. said...

I will safe Katherine Clifton in THE ENGLISH PATIENT. Being naked would be perfect, as we would be in the cave, it will be dark perfect for doing fun stuff. I don't think any other character death in a film made me so sad, although Robbie and Cecilia are a close second.

Andrew David said...

A lot of great answers in the thread (Billy Costigan, Selma, Robbie + Cecilia, Wash) but I think I might go with Boomer from Battlestar Galactica. Not from her death, which was earned, I'd go back earlier and try to stop her changing the way she did.

Joe Kuster said...

Hmmm..

Bonnie and Clyde--if someone has to bring about "justice," they at least deserve a fair trial.

Marion Crane/Psycho--the poor woman didn't really deserve watery death for what she did. Plus, then Norman wouldn't have been caught, and, God help me, I'm almost more sad that he didn't get away. Anthony Perkins is far too charming to rot in a cell.

Danny Vinyard/American History X--Because, dammit, everything just got a little better for the most unpleasantly idiosyncratic family in the Venice Beach area, and now all of that progress is gone.

Joe Kuster said...

...Incidentally, being naked during any of those scenes would be a bit ridiculous. Though, I suppose if Janet Leigh's doing it, it's good enough for me.

Chris Na Taraja said...

OH yes, I just saw Elizabeth for the first time, only about a week after seeing Casino Royal, and thought Daniel Craig must love to get beat up.

let me be perfectly clear, I won't save him from most of the beating, I'm just going to be there to take him home afterwards and help him heal.

E Dot said...

@Nathaniel R - No, I wouldn't save him from ENNIS. I'd save him from crazy road-side homophobes who killed him at the end so he can BE with Ennis.

Anonymous said...

I know this has been said before... but I would save Billy Costigan...
His death gets me every time.
One time I watched the movie on a bus full of people and when he got shot everybody gasped.