Movies you've recently watched

[Martinus]

Sounds like a load of bullshit.  Great, larger-than-life, heroic characters are a staple of human storytelling.  Whining about 'Mary Sue'-ism comes off as a bunch of losers trying to be too cool for school.  I am less than surprised that the term came from Trekkie fanfictioneers.  What's worse than a bad fanfiction writer?  The kinds of people who get pissy and judgemental about the quality of characterization in fanfiction.

A Mary Sue is not a larger-than-life heroic character.  It is a flawless fantasy character the author usually wishes he/she was.  Hence the character just isn't very interesting.

Yeah, that's why I thought that a character of an old lonely guy who singlehandedly defends an Asian community against murderous gang, while using a rifle and getting to shout "get off my lawn" seems rather Mary-Sue-ish of Eastwood.

[Martinus]

Sounds like a load of bullshit.  Great, larger-than-life, heroic characters are a staple of human storytelling.  Whining about 'Mary Sue'-ism comes off as a bunch of losers trying to be too cool for school.  I am less than surprised that the term came from Trekkie fanfictioneers.  What's worse than a bad fanfiction writer?  The kinds of people who get pissy and judgemental about the quality of characterization in fanfiction.

A Mary Sue is not a larger-than-life heroic character.  It is a flawless fantasy character the author usually wishes he/she was.  Hence the character just isn't very interesting.

Clint Eastwood's character in that movie is a highly flawed individual though, so Marty's characterization is wrong.

A Mary Sue does not need to be flawless in the sense of being perfect and devoid of any character flaws. He or she is "flawless" in the sense of being like the author only "cooler".

Clint Eastwood is an old libertarian gun nut. He makes a movie in which he plays an old libertarian gun nut who manages to singlehandedly defeat a gang, while looking cool and uttering cool catchphrases. That's the very definition of what a Mary Sue is.

Now, I haven't seen the movie and I base this on the trailer only - so I may be wrong - but that's how it comes across.

[Martinus]

Incidentally, a Mary Sue is not always a bad character, and sometimes a Mary Sue can be also a great character in its own right.

Examples of such "successful Mary Sues" (although some would argue that this actually prevents them from being Mary Sues) imo would be Sandman (from Neil Gaiman's graphic novels) and Therion Lannister.

[Josquius]

A Mary Sue does not need to be flawless in the sense of being perfect and devoid of any character flaws. He or she is "flawless" in the sense of being like the author only "cooler".

Clint Eastwood is an old libertarian gun nut. He makes a movie in which he plays an old libertarian gun nut who manages to singlehandedly defeat a gang, while looking cool and uttering cool catchphrases. That's the very definition of what a Mary Sue is.

Now, I haven't seen the movie and I base this on the trailer only - so I may be wrong - but that's how it comes across.

Nah. He doesn't really do that, he just sort of stumbles into it. I don't want to give away spoilers but the idea of it being a geriatric Eastwood shoot em up is wrong.

[Alatriste]

A Mary Sue does not need to be flawless in the sense of being perfect and devoid of any character flaws. He or she is "flawless" in the sense of being like the author only "cooler".

Clint Eastwood is an old libertarian gun nut. He makes a movie in which he plays an old libertarian gun nut who manages to singlehandedly defeat a gang, while looking cool and uttering cool catchphrases. That's the very definition of what a Mary Sue is.

Now, I haven't seen the movie and I base this on the trailer only - so I may be wrong - but that's how it comes across.

Nah. He doesn't really do that, he just sort of stumbles into it. I don't want to give away spoilers but the idea of it being a geriatric Eastwood shoot em up is wrong.

Yeah, dead wrong.

Eastwood's character is depicted with a lot of symphaty, but it is so far from being flawless, than the mere idea is somewhat funny. And the trailer is incredibly misleading... probably trying to attract the 'Dirty Harry' and 'Unforgiven' fans to the cinema.

[The Nickname Who Was Thursday]

So Marty, you're saying George Martin wishes he was 3 feet tall? 

[Neil]

Sounds like a load of bullshit.  Great, larger-than-life, heroic characters are a staple of human storytelling.  Whining about 'Mary Sue'-ism comes off as a bunch of losers trying to be too cool for school.  I am less than surprised that the term came from Trekkie fanfictioneers.  What's worse than a bad fanfiction writer?  The kinds of people who get pissy and judgemental about the quality of characterization in fanfiction.

A Mary Sue is not a larger-than-life heroic character.  It is a flawless fantasy character the author usually wishes he/she was.  Hence the character just isn't very interesting.

Clint Eastwood's character in that movie is a highly flawed individual though, so Marty's characterization is wrong.

A Mary Sue does not need to be flawless in the sense of being perfect and devoid of any character flaws. He or she is "flawless" in the sense of being like the author only "cooler".

Clint Eastwood is an old libertarian gun nut. He makes a movie in which he plays an old libertarian gun nut who manages to singlehandedly defeat a gang, while looking cool and uttering cool catchphrases. That's the very definition of what a Mary Sue is.

Now, I haven't seen the movie and I base this on the trailer only - so I may be wrong - but that's how it comes across.

Except it wasn't written by Eastwood.  He's not the author.  It was written by some 40-ish guy from Minnesota, years ago.

It's still a stupid term, and it gives the impression that those who use it are just trying too hard.

[Martinus]

So Marty, you're saying George Martin wishes he was 3 feet tall? 

You are an idiot.

[DisturbedPervert]

Now, I haven't seen the movie

What a surprise.

[Neil]

So Marty, you're saying George Martin wishes he was 3 feet tall? 

All that weight would look ridiculous on a man that short.

[Jos Theelen]

Also the beginning of Eastern Promises, which I had not seen before.

Can anyone tell me why London streets have those zig zag white lines on them?  Are you supposed to slolum through them?

No parking there, near pedestrian crossings, iirc

[Admiral Yi]

No parking there, near pedestrian crossings, iirc

thanks

[grumbler]

Marti, I very much enjoyed your absurd "Mary Sue" hijack, even though you don't understand what a Mary Sue actually is, and hadn't actually seen the movie to which you were applying the term!

There is amusement to be had just from observing the extent of your ignorance on the topic.  Thanks. 

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Watched "Georgia Rule" last night. Lindsay Lohan goes to Idaho and gives a Mormon a BJ, in a boat.

also stars Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman as older Bitches.

6.5 chick flick cliches slamming into each other at the bathroom mirror while drunkenly applying mascara outta 10

[Admiral Yi]

Speaking of Mormons I recently learned that Aaron Eckhart was/is a Mormon.