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Post by pitbulllady on Sept 25, 2014 22:40:20 GMT -5
Additional comment: I'm not implying that a group of humans invading would have to be a cult... BUT, this does make me think of how mesmerizing Howie Mandel was as Ralph Roberts, in the 'Monk' episode, "Mr. Monk Joins a Cult" (Episode 11, Season 6). It's hard for me to place my finger on it... but Howie Mandel might make a good voice-over candidate for one of the human villains. That coolness and overconfidence in Ralph's demeanor, like when he rubs the charcoal on Adrian's left palm and says "Dirt on your hand, brother.", or when he says in an almost hypnotic voice "You're with me, now... drop the wipe.", that kind of charismatic voice, that overconfidence might make for an interesting villain as well. Imagine this guy's reaction to learning that monsters collect laughs (or screams) from children to power their world! You just WOULDN'T guess in a million years that a monster as humiliated as Randall, all covered in hearts... the invisible monster... the beaten and banished one of the monsters... could actually defeat this guy. But alas, Randall turns out to be his undoing... that ONE thing he never saw coming. Literally. I remember that episode and honestly being surprised that Mandel could nail a creepy and dangerous character so well, given that he's mostly known for comedies. pitbulllady |
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Post by randallsnape7 on Sept 27, 2014 3:21:37 GMT -5
I KNOW! Isn't that just amazing?
There's something about that particular episode that really lingers and stays with me, long after it's ended. (I regularly watch my DVD series of 'MONK' all the way through, which usually takes an average of about a year and a half to make it through all 8 seasons.)
AGAIN... in all honesty, Randall's joining the Roar Omega Roar fraternity was NO different than Adrian Monk joining the Sisters of the Sun. All borne out of a simple, naked yearning to belong to a group and fit in... even though that group was made out of untrustworthy people walking down the wrong path. ANYONE who makes that old statement of Randall being a 'social climber' should watch 'Mr. Monk Joins a Cult', because it just goes to show you that no matter how good or 'squeaky clean' you think you are... it is always possible for someone to find that one weak spot in your character, at just the right time, and then start to exploit it.
To focus more on Howie Mandel's character... he really does a pristine job at having that mesmerizing, initial charm down when you first see him, and yet be creepy and dangerous at the same time. The cinematography used in his scenes almost make this episode feel longer than the others, because the story really takes its time to unfold. Having seen EVERY other previous episode up to that point on my first viewing, I already figured early on that the memory of Trudy is what would ultimately snap Adrian out of it - no surprise there.
The more I think about it, the idea of Howie Mandel playing one of the human villains actually has real potential. Everyone - mostly, Randall's haters - who walk in to see the third movie will already have that bias kicked in, you know? Loads of people will have already convinced themselves "Whew! Don't know who the bad guy is, but he couldn't POSSIBLY be worse than Randall, who tried to kill Sulley and torture Boo. I just HATED that guy! HOPEFULLY, we won't be seeing him again. Monstropolis is better off without him! Etc., etc.", but THEN...
...some guy like Howie Mandel comes on, acting like 'Mr. Clean' from the Human World, having that serene look about him, like the guy just visited Bounty Beach from 'Donkey Kong Country 3', or just had a pineapple smoothie from some sun-kissed cabana - ANYTHING to totally mislead the majority of viewers. In all honesty, one of the Disney Company's biggest flaws is this consistent representation of evil being so shallow. We all know the villain is ALWAYS marked by angry features right off the bat, and has to have that stereotypical 'evil cackle' or laugh. Quite specifically, the louder he is, the more evil and 'bad-ass' he has to be, right? Oh, REALLY? That could add up to an adolescent who got a bad night's sleep, or someone sat on their rubber duckie, or got their panties are in a wad! (LOL) To me, the fact that Randall is so high-strung is FURTHER evidence that he - despite all myths and appearances - is really just... in a manner of speaking... 'human'. True, he's a monster... but he shares our own human flaws - in each and every one of us, and it's such a rich and noble thought that Randall is on his own private, personal journey toward forgiveness and redemption... to one day rise above all of his hurts, mistakes, and humiliations... and finally find true, genuine friendship at last.
I totally agree with you that the best representation of evil in films are the wolves in sheep's clothing, the cool and confident. The handy card-dealing whiz, the crafty magician, or the Chessmaster. The madness isn't external, it's internal... and they're there, pulling all the strings.
We all know the last third of the film has to zero in on Randall 100%, revealing that the whole story DOES revolve around him, and start bringing about that healing and forgiveness between him, Mike, and Sulley... but the first two-thirds will have to take us on a sort of 'penultimate' journey - a necessary evil - in which the humans get to do whatever they please in the Monster World and seemingly get away with it. BOY, oh, boy... those Randall-haters won't know what they're in for!
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