Live action?
Animated, yes. No, no, no to live action.

I know there are some Monk fans here, so . . .



Monk star Tony Shalhoub jokes with a cake knife as he celebrates the 100th episode of the US detective comedy with cast and crew in Los Angeles. The actor received his sixth Emmy nomination on Thursday.



How can a ring be a villian?!

Gollum? Yes.
Sauron? Yes.
Saruman? Yes.
The One Ring? No.

It's the malevolent force that drives the film along, though, isn't it? It prevents Isildor from dropping it into the fires of Mount Doom, abandons him when he is attacked, drives Smeagol to murder and madness, nearly does the same to Frodo, and is generally responsible for all the death and destruction in the films. I'd say it qualifies as a villain.

I understand what you are saying, but the ring doesn't have free will of its own, it's an object that has been imbued with the essence of its creator - there is part of Sauron's will in the ring and that is what poisons everything around it.

I've always viewed the ring as being an extension or part of Sauron.

Beaker gets his own Youtube channel

Brilliant!

I agree. It would be like labelling 'evil' as one of the best movie villains.

Or the Death Star.

There were a number of very good villains missing like:

Hannibal Lector
Norman Bates
Michael Corleone
Nurse Ratched
HAL 9000
Travis Bickle

They're not super villains.

Oh yes they are...

I'd have to agree, but on the flip side, there are some who did make the list that I wouldn't class as being super-villians either (and I'm not thinking of The One Ring!).

I also wouldn't count Travis Bickle as a villain. He's an anti-hero, if anything.

I can't say I look on HAL as being a villian either, he's just a broken computer!

They obviously haven't seen Night Of The Hunter or Die Hard.

I only just found this, how is Green Lantern one of the fifty greatest comic book characters of all time? How?

There are some very 90's cretin-comic choices in there as well.

Exactly what I was thinking.

If this is the case then the bomb under the bus in Speed is also a villain.

No, it's not. The bomb is a plot device that sets things in motion, the Ring is an active player in events that bends them to its whims. It is as much a character as Gollum, more so than Sauron and less so than Saruman.

They've not seen Lord of the Rings either, if they think the Ring is a villain.

How can a ring be a villain? That's just stupidityness.

I hate Superman, he's rubbish.

He lacks a nemesis who's anywhere near his equal. It never seems feasable that the enemy might win, all battles come down to "here's some new version of Kryptonite for Superman to sweat over for a few panels until he punches the Sun in half or something equally stupid".

Yeah, because that Doomsday, he's a pussy.

You've got to admit, his name does sound like overcompensation.

Nah, I like my superheroes human, fallible, cynical and bitter. Superman was brought up by a loving couple of barnyarders eating wholesome American pie, there isn’t even much evidence he’s a good journalist.

He's only 1 character though. Other than the fight to the death with Superman (both of whom survived it, so it's hardly a mutual fight to the death), nobody can do anything to him without pulling the old Kryptonite card.

Superman and Batman Vs Aliens and Predator is the only good story I've read of him, and most of that's down to how cool it is to see Batman fight Aliens. Superman just spoils things when he turns up by ending it all.

His weakness is how entirely good he is, and as such he is taken advantage of by the baddies. You could say his conscience is his biggest enemy, otherwise he'd just smash holes in the heads of all his enemies. I mean if he wasn't such a nice guy, in a couple of minutes he could locate them all, kill them all and then be back home.

That's not to say he isn't a cock.

That reminds me, I have posted this before but not for nearly 2 years so people might have missed it.

Superman is a dick. Some of them are hilarious.

This is my favourite:

I. Love. This.

This is entirely the problem, but it entirely depends on how it's handled by the comic writer/film director/graphic novelist. In Return of the Dark Knight for example he's shown as fallible and is almost defeated on several occasions. Similarly in Bryan Singer's recent movie he is cleverly outwitted by Lex Luthor and the scene on the island where Luthor's pathetic goons are kicking Superman to near-death i found absolutely heartbreaking. The fact is that you never expect Superman to get beaten so when an idea comes along to defeat or destroy him it makes the emotional impact much more severe.

However, I agree that most of the time Superman is boring because he can do anything. I think a lot of Marvel's characters are better than Superman, as they create more emotional depth and have more interesting battles and powers. Being able to do everything is just a bit dull.

Exactly. And that's just why I don't read many of the comics/watch the movies, so forgive me anyone if you feel my statements are inaccurate, because I've not really read a whole bunch of the material.

Because it's shite.

I think the reason why Superman II - and various episodes of Smallville - work so well is because when Clark is pitted against someone from Krypton, there is a real threat to him - they have the same powers he does and they can give him a good kicking.

Against pretty much everyone else, they have to roll out the kryptonite and that get's old very fast.

I like Superman though because I like the idea of a hero that isn't corruptible, and who can inspire others to better things. The lack of a tormented side or shady side may make him less realistic, but surely the idea of a superhero, which is possibly the ultimate form of escapism, isn’t just about someone who can fly, but about someone who is better or more perfect than we are?

I know its not perfect from a story telling point of view, as it does leave writers limited with what they can do (which is why Clark has ended up being possessed or on red kryptonite so often in Smallville), but at the same time I think there is a place for a hero that is a bit better than the rest of them.

ETA:



If you've not read it, how do you know it is shite?!

It was meant in a jokey way.

Those are all good points, Raven. I'm not sure Superman deserves the No.1 spot, but he's still deserving of recognition. It's a good job other comic characters aren't like him, but I suppose having one of him is good.

This more or less gets down to what I like about the character. My favourite Superman story is A Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and it deals with precisely this idea of Superman and the way in which other people view him. I also think that he's an incredibly limited character and that even the best writers struggle to get something interesting from him, but I can't help but love the big guy.

It's also worth noting that Superman makes more sense whenever he teams up with/fights Batman, as it allows for an interesting dichotomy and conflict between two distinctly different ideas of heroism.

i don't really like superman, at all, but i do like the concept of an incorruptible, almost infallible hero, who struggles with not being able to do enough, with his powers, and finding himself challenged by his own personal attachments to humans and allowing them to get in the way of his heroic activities...

I think he is deserving to be honest, not because he's the most original or entertaining, but because of what he has done for the comics industry. The 'S' symbol is the most recognisable logo in all of comics, even more so than Batman's bat, and ask most people to name a comic character and Superman will be the answer that you receive. Also, Superman was the first comic book character to really take over multiple mediums and start trends: movie adaptations, TV cartoons, action figures, t-shirts and annuals to name a scant few of 'his' empires.

The Big Blue Boy Scout may not have the best comic book series (which I reckon is the X-Men series) or be the most entertaining character, but in terms of importance he really is leaps and bounds ahead of almost everyone. Batman and Spider-Man have started to maybe get close because of their recent film success, but they're still way behind. To be honest, I think Superman Returns is one of the best films of the last 3 or so years and arguably the best comic book film made in the last 20, X-2 and Batman Begins being the only serious challengers (I haven't seen the Dark Knight if you're about to raise that). In terms of sheer importance to comics, he is numero uno.

RSC ban Sci Fi Memorabilia for Hamlet.

I think this is a good thing.

I have to say, I think one of the best Superman stories I've ever read wasn't actually in a Superman title. It was a one off story in Ennis and McCrea's quite wonderful Hitman called Of Thee I Sing and it's more about how Clark Kent has to deal with peoples expectations of him as Superman and how he can't always meet them.

If anyone is interested I can PM you a linky to it.

I think that's a bit OTT myself.

For some fans this may be their only chance of actually meeting either actor in the flesh, and whilst I can understand them being annoyed with idiot fan boys (and girls) who come loaded down with their entire collection to be signed, surely a more sensible approach would be to say they will only sign one or two items each?

one for shack...

That picture reminds me of something ...


Cathy?

Someone should write "Doctor Who" on their arse and see if he'll sign it. I bet Patrick Stewart would. I nominate Lewis.

Didn't he have a website a while back asking for donations to save his house as someone had shafted him out of a load of money?

yep, his dad screwed him over. he also got himself involved in a sex scandal and tried to sell the footage to make money. it didn't really work...

Arf.

It may also be to discourage people just turning up to get things signed rather than actually going to see the play. If a person has seen Hamlet and wants something signed they can pick up a programme or have their ticket signed, it is not saying fans won't be able to meet them.

That's not quite what I was saying. I know people will still be able to meet them, I'm not suggesting this will stop that, my point is - for some fans - they may want to get a DVD or book signed, and this may be their only chance to do that. Restricting people to programs and RSC material only is being a bit heavy-handed.

Precisely how far away from the theatre do the rules apply? Is there an exact yardage?

I never knew Rhys Thomas was married To Lucy Montgomery... And with a baby, too.

Awwwww.