<p>I enjoyed the favorite movie line thread. It got me thinking about characters in great movies that inevitably were headed for an early demise (and maybe little on-screen time). I nominate these;</p>
<p>Miles Archer, The Maltese Falcon. What a sucker!
Captain Quint, Jaws. This guy went down biting, er ah, fighting.</p>
<p>The Black guy; the low-ranking tech in any science fiction movie; the best friend; any young woman in her underwear in a horror movie.</p>
<p>Not so much in the movie version, but in the original Star Trek. “Crew Member No. 5” or some such billing when Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and the aforementioned Crew Member No. 5 beam down to a hostile planet. </p>
<p>That led to some great scenes in the satire movie “Galaxy Quest” where one of the hanger on fans (Guy Fleegman), suddenly finding himself in a real-life science fiction adventure, freaks out because he realizes he’s “that guy”. A great running joke. </p>
<p>Guy Fleegman: “I’m not even supposed to be here. I’m just “Crewman Number Six.” I’m expendable. I’m the guy in the episode who dies to prove how serious the situation is. I’ve gotta get outta here.”</p>
<p>[the crew is on a shuttle descending to an alien planet]
Guy Fleegman: I changed my mind. I wanna go back.
Sir Alexander Dane: After the fuss you made about getting left behind?
Guy Fleegman: Yeah, but that’s when I thought I was the crewman that stays on the ship, and something is up there, and it kills me. But now I’m thinking I’m the guy who gets killed by some monster five minutes after we land on the planet.
Jason Nesmith: You’re not gonna die on the planet, Guy.
Guy Fleegman: I’m not? Then what’s my last name?
Jason Nesmith: It’s, uh, uh - -I don’t know.
Guy Fleegman: Nobody knows. Do you know why? Because my character isn’t important enough for a last name, because I’m gonna die five minutes in.
Gwen DeMarco: Guy, you have a last name.
Guy Fleegman: DO I? DO I? For all you know, I’m “Crewman Number Six”. </p>
<p>[later] Gwen DeMarco: Let’s get out of here before one of those things kills Guy. </p>
<p>Guy Fleegman: I’m just a glorified extra, Fred. I’m a dead man anyway. If I’m gonna die, I’d rather go out a hero than a coward.
Fred Kwan: Guy, Guy… maybe you’re the plucky comic relief. You ever think about that? </p>
<p>Jason Nesmith: Ok, here’s the plan: first, Fred, we need a diversion to clear these things out of the compound, then Gwen, Alex, Fred and I go down to get the sphere. Any of those things come back Tommy, give a signal. Guy, you set up a perimeter.
Gwen DeMarco: Why does this sound so familiar?
Tommy Webber: “Assault on Voltarek III”. Episode 81 I think.
Guy Fleegman: We’re doing episode 81?
Tommy Webber: Whatever, the one with the hologram. The wall of fire.
Gwen DeMarco: How the hell is Fred supposed to project a hologram?
Guy Fleegman: We’re doing episode 81, Jason?
Jason Nesmith: It doesn’t have to be a hologram, just a diversion.
Guy Fleegman: Jason, are we doing episode 81 or not?
Jason Nesmith: It’s a rough plan guy, what does it matter if we’re doing episode 81 or not?
Guy Fleegman: BECAUSE I DIED… IN EPISODE 81! </p>
<p>I seem to have merged this thread with the great lines thread! Sorry, but that movie did just a hilarious job of spoofing those poor, doomed, “Extra Crewmen”.</p>
<p>Angel!
(Rent isn’t out yet but will be in 9 days…
)</p>
<p>Not so much a “favorite,” but Jennifer Cavalleri in Love Story.</p>
<p>I couldn’t wait for her to go…</p>
<p>Never read the book.</p>
<p>Originally went to see the movie because I was told there was a good hockey scene in it.</p>
<p>While it’s not such a terminal doom, Charlie Brown is my favorite perpetually unlucky character.</p>
<p>On the more tragic level, anyone from the city of Troy (first their city is doomed to be decimated and then they are depicted in that awful movie–truly a tragedy)</p>
<p>lderochi: I love that scene in Galaxy Quest. I thought that movie was hysterical!! Especially since I was never really a Star Trek fan, I loved how they poked fun at those formulaic episodes and crappy acting ;)</p>
<p>“Galaxy Quest” was an odd movie for me to watch. It gave me one of those “These are my people” moments. I’ve been to many SF conventions as one of the panelists…not so much in the past 10 years but it’s a milieu I know intimately and one I may yet return to if some writing gets finished. What’s even funnier is that I know the Associate Producer who isn’t an SF fan at all…just about died when I saw her name scroll by on the screen.</p>
<p>Add to the Ali McGraw LOVE STORY list…
Julia Roberts as Shelby in STEEL MAGNOLIAS. I was hoping her characters in Erin Brockavich, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and Ocean’s Eleven would croak, too, but noooo such luck. :p<br>
Debra Winger as Emma in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. In my alternate ending, Jeff Daniels catches her disease, and they both die. Yay! </p>
<p>Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING. The kitchen was scary, the freezer was scary, the carpets were scary, the shrubs were terrifying, and how long can it take for a crazed psycopath to freeze to death, anyway?! :eek: </p>
<p>I always enjoy seeing the aliens get blown up or sucked into space in the ALIEN movies, especially Sigourney’s alien offpsring who gets sucked out of the window in ALIEN RESURRECTION. Cool! In the original ALIEN, I was glad to see Ian Holm as the creepy scientist, Ash, finally get turned into a puddle of curds and whey. ;)</p>
<p>Steve Buscemi as Carl in FARGO. The scene where Steve Buscemi’s leg is shoved into the chipper…a Coen Bros. classic.</p>