The Pitters' Place

What is it about movies that feature semi-charming yet absolutely sociopathic murdering anti-protagonists that we find so appealing? Taxi Driver, American Psycho, Nightcrawler, The Dark Knight; these are all generally considered great movies featuring main characters who either kill or show a strong desire to kill. I love them all. There's something eerie about it. Do we really enjoy watching the sport of killing when it's fictitious? Is it that they get to exhibit something we wish we could? Not necessarily the killing (obviously), but maybe the disregard of emotion, or society or some shit. I dunno. Just thinking while I'm watching American Psycho. Maybe we are supposed to be rooting against them the whole time, but they're mostly presented in if not a redeeming light then at least an apathetic one. Are we supposed to watch Lou Bloom and consider him an example of what not to be? How not to act? Yes, of course we don't want to go out and kill people for no reason, but then why isn't the film directed that way? Why give him any sense of charm at all? What makes people relate to Heath Ledger's Joker if we aren't supposed to emulate him? Surely movies are meant for entertainment, but what makes us entertained by these characters? An inner desire to drive against the accepted norms? Even if we don't act on them? What makes the murdering psychopath interesting?

I don't get the title.

It's a recurring line in American Psycho. It's Patrick Bateman's standard excuse/alibi.

Are you implying that The Joker is the protagonist of The Dark Knight?

Breaking Bad is an interesting case. They actually manage to make it so that as the main character grows more evil, you start to dislike him more and root against him, as opposed to identifying with his badassery.

Gendo wrote:Are you implying that The Joker is the protagonist of The Dark Knight?

No, but he is a main character.

Gendo wrote:Breaking Bad is an interesting case. They actually manage to make it so that as the main character grows more evil, you start to dislike him more and root against him, as opposed to identifying with his badassery.

Yeah, Walt definitely gets less likable over time, but that's mostly attributed to what the world of crime has exposed him to and forced him to do for the sake of money and therefore his livelihood, at least partially. And certainly at the beginning of his criminal career he was presented as relateable etc.

I remember having a discussion with DA about the similarities and differences between Lou Bloom and Walter White. It's somewhere around here....

Yeah I remember the conversation. About whether Lou Bloom grew as a character or not.

Natural Born Killers

It was horrible but I couldn't stop watching so yeah, we humans like darkness.

That's a good one. Ever seen Kalifornia? It's similar but better.

No, but I did watch every single youtube video of 9/11 on 9/11 and I became so mentally sick it took a couple days to recover. I don't know why we do that to ourselves. We are fascinated with morbidity and not just the over the top examples like American Horror Story but films like Titanic and The Day After Tomorrow and other natural disaster films.

That's why it called a gapers delay anytime there is an accident on a highway, everyone slows down not just because of the emergency crews but so they can get an eyeball on the accident.

God damn it I hate that shit. Even the most minor, non-injurious accident will make people slow down and make me late. Erg