The "Flaming Hot...Five Reasons Why" Tag // In which MC gets uncomfortable for your Entertainment

Sup, guys.

Because, flames, fire, you know....
I've been wanting to use this gif for FOREVER and now is as good a time as any.

Sorry that it's been a while! How is the shortest month of the year going for you? I had masterful plans for posts in January and thought I was going to hit my 500th post, but, as you can see, that didn't happen. I wanted to embrace my break as much as I could and I started writing tons of different posts but just never finished any of them. Which means it's too late now for the Smashing and Dashing Character Awards 2022. But maybe next year! It means that I have a lot of good content coming in the future. Someday. I just need to finish them. 

I got back to school and classes and rehearsal have been amazing and just completely consuming. It's nice that I wasn't type cast because it is so hard to be a character who is ambitious and disdainful and never smiles until bade to do so. Hard but oh so fun. I'm putting that all aside for the most brief of moments to get this post up.

I may be living the fire side of this up a little bit...

I got tagged. Yes, I have a ton of tags, but this one seems apt for Valentine's Day (which we are pretending this is closer to). Hamlette tagged me for the "Flaming Hot...Five Reasons Why" tag.

This is a very foreign topic for me, and I wasn't planning on doing it, but my sister texted me (from two states away) and said she had seen Hamlette's post and I HAD to do it. So if this is your jam, thank my sister.

When I try to imitate other people...

The Rules:

-You must add the name of the blog that tagged you AND those of the Thoughts All Sorts and Realweegiemidget Reviews with links to ALL these sites.. and use the natty cat themed picture promoting this post. 

-List 5 of your all-time swoon-worthy characters from TV or Film, i.e. crushes/objects of your affection. And do mention the actor or actress who plays them, as you might like James Bond as played by Timothy Dalton and no one else, etc., etc. 

-Add 5 reasons why you love them, in five sentences.

-Link to 5 other bloggers. 

-Add lovely pictures, gifs or videos of those you selected. 

-Oh…and post these rules.

So, first I want to talk about how weird this is for me. Last year, Olivia did a post on if fictional characters were her "type", and let's just say I HAVE NEVER RELATED SO MUCH (especially because one of the characters she listed is one of the characters I included in this post). You should go read that post to save me my pains of typing. I'll type anyway, but still, go read what she says.

Okay, so, something that I don't do is fall in love with fictional characters. Do I get more invested in their own stories than my real life? Yes. Do I generate actual feelings or crushes for them? No, not really. It's very rare if I do. For three big reasons:

-I adopt characters. I think of them as my sweet children. Post on that HERE.

I may or may not have another post like that in the works. One that may include this golden boy...

-I do not have crushes on characters I relate to.

-I am not attracted to characters I ship with someone else.

See, I don't do this. Source

What about when I relate to a character? What about if I am a character 100%? Then I still ship the two characters, but am not myself personally interested in the love interest. I ship the love interest with that version of me, but not the version of me I am living. Apparently not everyone else does this? This is the weird thing? Story of my life. I have a lot of strange opinions on shipping that I will maybe one day write about further.

(Has this developed into if I am interested in someone in real life then I start shipping them with someone else? That's a strange logic you used...)

I say this to myself on a daily basis.

On a related note, I just cannot image myself in a relationship? I can barely handle my life as it is. I am not that much of a romantic person. I mean, once I get behind I ship I am FULLY in (guys, the amount of space my OTP takes up in my heart is unhealthy), but real life I've always been the person to be like, "gross, kissing." Yes, apparently I am 5 at heart.

This is about the level of my romantic soul.
Kat is an Icon.

The final straw was actually that Katie answered this tag, too. I was like, "Okay, if she can, I can." Katie's the epitome of cool and you should go check her blog out.

And I'm probably overthinking this a lot. These characters are people I have not adopted, I don't relate to, and they don't have any romantic interests. You would not believe how long it took for me to come up with this. The way I approach this leaves a select few people, because most fall into those three categories. And then people falling into the right age range narrows it down again. And I didn't want to talk about anyone I'd already mentioned on this blog (for those of you keeping track, that would be Artie and Elwood). When my sister texted me I told her I had thought of two. So she tried to be helpful by suggesting the following: Robin Hood (Errol Flynn portrayal), William Turner, Legolas, Jimmy Stewart just in general, Jess Mariano, Tristan Dugray, and Philip Carlyle. Which are all wrong. So much so. To which I told my sister:

Which means, she and I have very different interpretations

But enough procrastination. Here they are. They are listed alphabetically by the movie/franchise they are from because that's a tiny part of organization I can control.

Michael McCandles (played by Christopher Mitchum) 

from Big Jake (1971) 

Shortly before I watched this movie I thought, "everyone has crushes on fictional characters"...and proceeded to find I could not think of any myself for the life of me; then in rode Michael on his motorcycle. This movie is rough because it's about a family trying to rescue a kidnapped child, and Michael is part of that family as he's the boy's uncle. While the rest of his family has hard edges (typically found in westerns) he has a light and jubilant spirit.

He has hope and bravery to make things right again and he is the glue that holds his brother and father together while they search for his nephew. He's smart, knows what he's up against, and knows the assets his family carries: he respects his father and throws in humor, like, "the next time I won't take off my goggles."

(I thought 5 sentences would be easy, but one character in and I'm already struggling with writing too much. I am going to be utilizing correct and incorrect uses of colons and semi colons from here on out.)

Don Pedro (played by Denzel Washington) 

from Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

The prince is charming to his core and that charm holds more weight because he knows when to laugh and when to be serious. He isn't perfect as there is a time where he believes what his eyes tells him and is unjust when it comes to condemnation, but he repents for his hasty movements. 

This gif has both my possible love interest and one of my babies....

His actions are regal and he has loyalty and concern for his soldiers who are all his deepest friends. He helps set up two other couples in this story and is an utter sweetheart. He's also a lonely soul that makes me feel so sorry for him because when times are quiet you can feel the heaviness of his heart, and that comes from more than war and dealing with his brother.

Colonel Fitzwilliam (played by Anthony Calf) 

from Pride and Prejudice (1995) 

A common question is, "who's your favorite Austen hero?" with the connotation that that would be "who would you marry?".  My favorite is probably Colonel Brandon, but I would not be interested in him, because MARIANNE; the answer to the implicit question is Colonel Fitzwilliam. His one purpose in this story serves to tell Elizabeth the details about Mr. Darcy, but I'm always thinking, why don't we see more of him?? 

He's sweet, charming, though obviously we are not at the same level because he "has to marry well". He's got pride and ambition, but he's got a jolly spirit and he would always make you smile with his good humor.

Lando Calrissian (played by Billy Dee Williams) 

from STAR WARS.

Lando has a sketchy history like Han, but he has smoothed out more with his gained authority. The characters are upset by his actions in the first movie he appears in (rightly enough), but everything he does is for the people he is governing. Once he learns who keeps their word in politics, his motivations shift to fix the mistakes he made. 

He has an epic blue cape, so what's not to love?

He has a strong work ethic because he helped Cloud City become what it was and also ascends the ranks quickly to become a general. He has charm a plenty and loyalty; when the time calls for it, he is the one you can depend on. 

Albert Narracott (played by Jeremy Irvine) 

from War Horse (2011).

What's more attractive then a guy who just really loves his horse? It's adorable. He's willing to work with Joey and do things that people said was impossible or would kill them both in the process. The earnest pleading that Albert does on Joey's behalf is enough to soften the heart of an officer to ensure the best treatment will be given to Joey. I have to stop talking about this movie before I burst into tears out of my love for it, but yes, a part of that is that Albert is fantastic.

And yes, Joey's just going to chill in this pictures, too.

If, IF, I were to break my rules, it would be for: Neal Caffrey from White Collar (because I still haven't really met Kate I'm not shipping them but what makes Neal so lovable is his devotion to Kate, so that cancels that out...). Or Peter Lawford's character, Johnny, in Easter Parade because Peter Lawford. But yay, we're done with this torturous post (fine, that was a little fun...), so I can stop thinking about it.

Overall, my darling Enjolras sums up a question I ask every day:

I'm not that sensitive to the sufferings of many. Named "love". Happy Valentine's Day, folks.

Just like Enjolras is a revolutionary, I'll be one to break the rules and not tag anyone. Because I don't want to shove this on anyone else if it makes them uncomfortable.

I hope you all have enjoyed seeing my squirm, yay. Thank you for reading, though, and I'm impressed if you made it through all my burns and roasts (sorry, had to get one more in with the theme...). Do you guys know any of these characters? How do you feel about them? How often do you fall for fictional characters?

Thank you Hamlette for helping me break out of my comfort zone and actually get a post up!

Do you know what I love? My readers! I hope you guys are all doing well! Take care of yourselves and know that you are fantastic. Ciao!

Chloe the MovieCritic

5 Favorite Female Characters Tag // A Sneak Peek of What's to Come

Hello, friends of the internet!

Yeah, Carmelita is NOT one of my favorites...I just wanted to use this gif. Not that ANY of you are "cake sniffer"s.

In June of 2021, I wrote a post about some of my favorite fictional male characters, and ever since then I've wanted to do one for women. I have written pages of the names of wonderful female characters, but never have found the time to write down why I love them so much. There's just so much to say! When I saw McKayla fill out this tag, I wanted to do the same. I'm not cutting the list down, I'm giving myself 5 more options! You'll see another list full of 10 sometime in the future, but this is just a taste of what's to come. The appetizer to the entrée, if you will.

For awhile I debated if I wanted to talk about more famous characters here, or more obscure. Finally, I've gone with the top five that I really wanted to write about, who actually lean more on the obscure side. They're all my favorite though, all my number one. I couldn't possibly rank these wonderful ladies!

That's how I feel about all of these characters. If they left, their respective worlds would fall!

Ella (from Cinderella (2015))

She is the heart and compassion and bravery, which makes sense because her motto is "have courage and be kind". She is so full of grace. I've talked about before how I want to be her. She gives smiles freely. She makes the best of her situations. Some may say she just takes what is given to her and doesn't try to improve her life. I argue with that, because she does exactly what us writers do: she dreams. We can go through life bitter about what we don't have, but Ella doesn't. She remembers better times, and if she could go back to when her mother and father were alive she would, but she does not let that get in the way of living. 

Hope is essential for me, and Ella lives in hope. It's not as valued in this society, but it's what gets me through my days. She revels in the moment whether it's admiring a paper butterfly, reading a story, or going to a ball, she lives it to it's fullest. Her beaming smile is what changes the whole room, not what she's wearing. It's her energy that brings the people around her to life. Can you blame Kit for falling in love with her? (Yes, I had Kit in my list of favorite men. They are also in my favorite couples. They are just amazing, okay?)

Ugh, now I want to watch this movie again.

Ella (from Cinderella (2021))

Uh, MC, you JUST talked about Cinderella. I did. But I also want to talk about Ella from the newest movie version of Cinderella, the 2021 Amazon jukebox musical. I'm planning to do a review on this, so I won't say too much, but I'll just keep it to the main character.

Ella here is SO DIFFERENT from the 2015 version, and I also want to be like her. I want to have the heart of 2015 Ella, and I want the energy of 2021 Ella. They are basically opposites, but that does not make either of them bad or wrong. They are both so wonderful, especially because they are both so kind to all around them. 2021 Ella has goals in life and is willing to work hard for them. She chooses herself and her capabilities instead of falling into the role the world has assigned to her. She is not someone to be rescued, but someone who has purpose. 

She is the dictionary definition of spunky and just so fun to listen to (which is what makes Robert attracted to her initially, and can I just say I LOVE THIS. Because why wouldn't he be??). She is clever, has great banter, but is never cruel or demeaning in her humor. She is on a mission to bring her art to the world, and as a writer I admire her determination. She does not give up on her dreams. She is looking to change the view of women in the world (which, as a business person, this movie speaks to me deeply). Also, she gets so excited about everything. There are some people who think one shouldn't get thrilled at small things, like clothes, but are you living a boring life? Are you not seeing wonder in the smallest things like caterpillars and mice?

Prudy (from Support Your Local Sheriff (1969))

All the western talk last month got me thinking about how much I love Prudy. She is no nonsense. She has a clear head even when no one else does, especially about what is mature. Something I love about her--and something I think a lot of people love about Anne Shirley, myself included--is how many messes she gets into. She sits in a tree dripping wet. She sets her skirt on fire. I get into those kinds of scrapes all the time and she is so relatable. She's also admirable because she tries to explain herself in those situations, where I would just run and hide for the rest of my life. 

Prudy says what she's thinking. She's plucky. She will get a job done when no one else will. She takes action, and by that is the richest girl in the territory. A lot of people discount her as the mayor's silly daughter who says and does silly things, but I think she is absolutely charming. Charming in a rustic way, and I love the combination.

Penelope (from Penelope (2006))

I like to watch this movie yearly every fall, so I'm purposely hyping myself up. I love Penelope so much. All her life she's been told something is wrong with her: her nose. Her family was cursed and she bears the brunt of it. But, she doesn't see what the big fuss is about. And frankly, I don't either. Penelope is so stinking cute! Do you guys see these pictures? The real curse is the way she is treated, locked up away from the world, always on the search for the person to break the curse. But that doesn't stop her from trying to interact with the world. She learns French. She loves horticulture. She is naturally curious and wants to see what the world has to offer. 

This movie is so much about self discovery as Penelope breaks out of the box the world has put her in. She learns to cast off the descriptions people have written for her, and write her own story, forming herself to be what she wants. And what she wants to be is who she has always been: a girl with a beautiful heart and face. Whereas most of the world only looks skin deep, she finds the deeper part of people and finds their worth, even when they don't see hers. She's funny, talented (beats people at chess, you know), and gives people chances. She is a sweetheart in every way. 

Madam Simza (from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)).

I admit it: I don't know why I love Madam Simza so much. She's gorgeous, caring, and prepared for anything. Her life as a gypsy has made her resourceful. Some would think she's a small side character in this movie, but she, Sherlock, and Watson are a golden trio. They are in the action together and she is vital to the plot. 

She'll allow people a certain degree of unbelievably (someone's going to read her fortune instead of the other way around? Good luck with that), but she also trusts these strange detectives when no one else does. She cares deeply about her brother and will do anything to find him. The heart of a revolutionary, she has mellowed to find what she can change, and life has taught her the difference between recklessness and honor for a cause. I'm out of words, guys, but just understand I love her a lot.

There you have it! I quick peek at some of my favorite female characters. Any guesses for who's on my other list?

My sister made me a new header, and I'm putting it up this month because August just screams Studio Ghibli to me. Do any franchisees do that to you guys?

Do you know and love any of these as much as I do? Do you ever love characters without having any reasons? Do you like more than one version of the same character? Who plays your favorite version of Cinderella? That story has been a lot on my mind recently.

Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic