When Real Things Happen to Imaginary People

[flamingsword]

A friend of a friend was trying to defend Batman's honor and tell me that Batman didn't have PTSD, and that because he was a fictional character his actions obviously made sense within his fictional world. I countered that real-life crazy people perform actions that equally make sense in the fictional world that they have in their heads. Also, how does that explain canon psychopaths? Are they insane only because the text says so?

By denying that the reactions of characters in fiction would be the reactions of nonfictional people in those environments, he has challenged me to create a list of fictional environments in which people are still people, both crazy and sane. Basically, he doesn't want to have to admit that Batman is a wackjob, and I will grind his faulty logic to paste. Wanna help?

Akira
Boondock Saints
Cube
The Dark Knight
Donnie Darko
Gattaca
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Interview With The Vampire
Jurassic Park
Practical Magic
A Scanner Darkly
Serenity

What are your favorite movies? Do they belong on my little list? Are there characterization flaws that you'd like to point out in that list? Talk to me!

Comments

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

Whether it says so in that particular piece of work or not, whatever it may be, the foundation of Batman's character is the stuff that MAKES whackjobs. There's not much of an argument against that.

And, being purposely vague for the sake of not spoiling...people do NOT get killed with toilets anywhere near often enough in the movies.

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

Tangent: That last bit always makes me think of "Dead Like Me".

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

DLM had me at hello for precisely that reason.

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

Yeah... the "Oh shit" look on Ellen Muth's face is priceless. Have a couple friends who use it specifically for an "oh shit" icon.

I haven't seen it in ages, though... I should get caught up.

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

That whole cast was fabulous, and the whole show was fabulous, even with the big gaping logic and plot holes. *sigh* Three seasons was not long enough..

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

I stopped having cable after the first. Wasn't even sure how long it went...

IMDB is my friend... that's been quite a while without cable...

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

I don't have cable either; I missed the original run. Netflix is a girl's best friend!

Have you ever seen Six Feet Under? Very different but just as good caliber, IMO...

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

I think I caught a season or two of that as well as Queer as Folk and The L-Word. Liked all of them.

Heh. When I did have cable, I watched Cartoon Network, HBO, SHO, Discovery, and History. That was about it.

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

The last time I had cable I think I referred to it as "Hot and cold running Law and Order", because you could pretty much watch that anytime you wanted to. So...I watched all channels that showed Law and Order at some point, FX for The Shield, USA for Monk , and I think that was about it. I had free HBO for two years (Time Warner pissed me off. They were sorry.) and I watched a little Carnivale but nothing else.

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. Carnivale. I rather liked that one, too. :)

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

Good stuff! I like surreal, Twin Peaks-esque TV.

[flamingsword.livejournal.com]

I think PTSD is the start of Batman's character, and that his adopting and bringing a pre-teen into a vigilante lifestyle proves that he's extremely dissocial. Who endangers a child because they can't get their goth superhero on? Shut up emo!Batman, nobody loves you!

I KNOW! Or televisions, but Gross Point Blank is set in this world. :(

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't care in what universe the people get killed with toilets. It just plain doesn't happen often enough. :-)

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

Jacob's Ladder
Arlington Road (admittedly not Sci/Fi)

And to get away from Tim Robbins, how about...

Spider-Man (all of them)
American History X (admittedly not Sci/Fi)

Those are all good movies, but among my true favorites? You be the judge:

Blade Runner
5th Element
X-Men (all of them)
Lord of the Rings

And you already mentioned several of my favorites... but those are the others I think of off the top of my head.

[flamingsword.livejournal.com]

I'll have to see Jacob's Ladder, but Blade Runner should go on the list. Everything else either happens in the "real" world, or has characterization flaws that make the people in them not ring true. Peter Parker isn't complicated enough, and the X-men movies have plot twists that make no sense in the context of their characters motivations.

LOTR, though. Hmm. I'll have to think about it, but urban fantasy vs. real urban life is easier to draw the parallel. I am that lazy.

[daddio914.livejournal.com]

Well you shouldn't have to work too hard to prove that Batman is batshit.

Jacob's Ladder may be too much of a mind-fuck for what you have in mind, but I do highly recommend watching it. :)

[sushi-slave.livejournal.com]

This is quite awesome. Let me think on it and I'll get back with you.

[dyingfire.livejournal.com]

See my list in comments on Myspace. Yes I am that lazy!