Movies with Narcisistic characters?

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Nov 26 - 6PM
Susan32
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War and Peace

Since Leo Tolstoy was a major Narc, why not choose his "War and Peace" as a singular example? The ex-Psych prof loooved "War and Peace" so much, clinging to it jealously (tho I have a copy of my own, thankyouverymuch) that he did NOT want us to have it in common, as a common, shared experience. He wanted to be its sole proprietor&interpreter... how dare I interlope by reading it&doing something of my own with it, a la MacGyver. In Sergei Bondarchuk's "War and Peace" (1968), the most expensive movie ever made, he wisely cast similar-looking actors to play the cerebral Narc Prince Andrei and the psychopathic Anatole. They could pass as twins. Now, this is the trailer for the 2007 miniseries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z6S2X1j8yw There's the cerebral Narc Prince Andrei, who fears&hates the body, who emotionally abuses his pregnant wife Lisa then abandons her to go off to battle to seek glory. In one speech, he says he's willing to sacrifice his family for fame. Lady GaGa's FAME MONSTER was right. Pierre Bezhukov is more of a somatic Narc, indulging in gluttony, drinking, gambling, and womanizing. He's also anti-social. He withholds sex from his beautiful wife Helene... yet he has no problems having sex with his wife Natasha (once she has become fat&homely) Dolokhov, Anatole Kuragin, and Captain Tushin (whom Andrei defends) are all psychopaths. Natasha is slowly destroyed. She goes from being spirited, loving life, singing to being fat, homely, and as Tolstoy writes "her soul was no longer visible." When she is engaged to Prince Andrei, he abandons her to tour Europe, leaving her to the psychopath Anatole who takes advantage of her (causing her to attempt suicide) She ends up married to Pierre. She loses everything that made her beautiful&appealing. Nicholas Rostov, Natasha's brother, triangulates his poor sweetheart Sonya (an orphan) with Princess Mary Bolkonsky. Even after he's married (he keeps Sonya around as a nanny/housekeeper, just as Tolstoy kept his serf girlfriend Axinya&their son, dangling them before his wife Sofia) He ends up marrying Mary for her $$$, and because she has the spirituality he lacks. They tend to fight more whenever she's pregnant. Nicholas Rostov is as dismissive of Mary's feelings as was her misogynistic father, the old Prince Nicholas Bolkonsky (she does marry her father) It would also make a great GLEE musical. Matthew Morrison would be an amazingly hunky Prince Andrei- with Lea Michele as Natasha, Cory Monteith as Pierre, Jayma Mays as Lisa, Chord Overstreet as Nicholas Rostov, Neil Patrick Harris as the reformer Speransky, Jonathan Groff as Anatole, and Dianna Agron as Mary. I can see it now.
Nov 28 - 8PM (Reply to #45)
Susan32
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Infamous fans of Tolstoy

There was a Serbian war criminal who hid out over the past 15 or so years, disguised as a professor. He committed terrible crimes against humanity during the Bosnian/Serbian conflict. He will now be tried by the International Criminal Court... and he was an expert on Tolstoy. I don't remember his name. The Oslo shooter named "War and Peace" as one of his favorite works. Many books were forbidden under the Soviet regime-such as Sofia Tolstoy's diaries (after all, Vladimir Lenin deemed Leo Tolstoy "mirror of the revolution"), the works of Dostoevsky, the Gulag Archipelago. Under the reign of Joseph Stalin, he FORBADE "War and Peace" from being banned and it was used as propaganda during WWII.
Nov 21 - 11AM
Susan32
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Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is torn between her cerebral Narc husband Alexei, who compartmentalizes&condescends, and her somatic Narc lover Vronsky. The novel makes the narcissism even more clear. Alexei rages at women when they weep in his presence, he refuses to talk about feelings with his wife. Vronsky sees people as objects-and when one of his fellow soldiers tires of being treated as an object, he rages at Vronsky. Constantine Levin&Princess Kitty are portrayed as the Family Values counterpoint to Anna&Vronsky. Now, in the novel, Levin laughs at how Kitty gets engaged in domestic matters (she laughs at his agnosticism), he rejects her when she tries to get emotionally intimate, he accuses her of bad motives when she offers support when his brother Nicholas is dying. Levin runs away when his brother is dying and when his wife is giving birth. Levin is afraid of life&death. In one movie version of "Anna Karenina",Kitty tries to practice oral sex on Constantine on their wedding night, since she read in his sexually explicit diaries that he enjoyed it. He coldly says "I don't want YOU to do it." He coldly refuses to consummate their marriage on their wedding night. He sexually rejects her, and ends up sitting by her bed, wide-eyed and scared, while she's asleep.
Nov 21 - 3PM (Reply to #40)
Susan32
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Anna Karenina loves Boromir...

Who wouldn't? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK5byeKdgIo Anna Karenina... torn between her narcissistic husband and her narcissistic lover... and who might be a Narc herself. This version has Sophie Marceau as Anna Karenina and Sean Bean as her lover Vronsky.
Nov 21 - 6PM (Reply to #41)
greengirl91
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I heard about Ana Karenina,

I heard about Ana Karenina, seems interesting indeed.
Dec 3 - 8PM (Reply to #43)
Susan32
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Constantine Levin argues with everybody

A good analysis from an online literary study site: http://www.shmoop.com/anna-karenina/constantine-dmitrich-levin.html Constantine Levin is portrayed as the good, peasant-loving nobleman, in contrast to the sensual man of war Vronsky and the cerebral bureaucrat Alexei Karenin. But Constantine Levin has a common NPD trait-he loves arguing&stirring up fights. He finds his honeymoon humiliating°rading, and can't stand it that his young bride Kitty wants to be with him. She craves emotional intimacy, closeness... he finds it disgusting. When his brother Nicholas is dying, Constantine angrily accuses her of not wanting to be alone. He fights with anyone&everyone. Including his wife.
Nov 21 - 8PM (Reply to #42)
Susan32
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Tolstoy's War on Love

Ns/Ps wage war on love because they see it as weakness. This is an excellent essay at the PBS website on "Anna Karenina" as well as the Narc Leo Tolstoy's marriage. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/anna/ei_war.html I'm annoyed when people contrast the sensuous adultery of Anna&Vronsky with the so-called "Christian love" between Constantine&Kitty. One could say that Constantine&Kitty represent a proto-Anna&Alexei. The lack of emotional intimacy. The same huge age difference (Alexei is old enough to be Anna's father, Constantine remembers Kitty being an infant when he was a teen) The husband's condescension. Anna&Kitty are wed to father figures. At the wedding, the priest sighs sadly, the guests notice Princess Kitty's tear-stained face, and Kitty is an object of pity-compared to a lamb headed to the slaughter. I've argued that the unhappy, emotionless marriage between Anna&Alexei Karenin is what Constantine&Kitty Levin will become. It's a window on the unhappy main couple's past. Alexei Karenin is a St. Petersburg bureaucrat, ossified in his ways. He likes talking philosophy&science, but has no grasp of music&the arts (tho he is very rigid in the latter) Constantine Levin fancies himself a philosopher.... yet he can't "understand" music. They both fear their emotions. Alexei kicks weeping women out of his office;Constantine runs away from his dying brother&his laboring wife. Alexei finds his wife's emotions&affair inappropriate. Constantine finds death&childbirth undignified&horrific. He can't face his newborn son... just as he couldn't face his dying brother. Oprah rightly recommended "Anna Karenina." Reading it still moves me to tears (I was assigned it during the final D&D with the ex-Psych prof, ended up writing an unintentionally personal essay that might as well have been more of a memoir than a thesis) It saved my life,in its own way. I remember joking ironically in class that like Anna, I had fallen for the cold, intellectual, emotionless Alexei instead of the sexy virile Vronsky(!!!)
Nov 20 - 4PM
Susan32
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America's Next Top Model

What a better place for NPD than "reality" shows with their oversized egos. They're competitions. There are Good Guys, Bad Guys, the Situation and Snooki. America's Next Top Model:All-Stars, currently on http://www.hulu.com has Bianca, who is DEFINITELY a Narc and a diva. She refuses to advertise her scent in a tub because she's "above it",she calls herself THE Model... and she is the one to whom Tyra shows the door. Well, every cycle of America's Next Top Model is full of NPD... because it's all about image and drama.
Nov 19 - 10PM
ValiditySeeker
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The Black Swan

Anyone see this? The ballet director pitted dancers against one another in order to coax competition between them in order to get a better performance out of them for his own glory. When the (forcibly) retired dancer played by Winona Ryder steps in front of a moving car in order to kill herself, he showed no remorse. In fact, he seemed excited that she would be so devastated to lose him. The understudy laced the lead dancer's drink with Ecstacy in order to make her late for the rehearsal and the mother of the lead dancer (Natalie Portman) was an aging narcissist determined to live through her daughter's success. She was jealous of her daughter and tried to feed her cake (not on a dancer's diet) and locked her in the room on the night of the opening, telling her that she wasn't "ready." No wonder she went nuts- she was surrounded by nothing buy narcissists.
Dec 11 - 5PM (Reply to #37)
Susan32
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Tchaikovsky-he practiced NC!

Pytor Tchaikovsky should be a model for those of us struggling with NC. Leo Tolstoy ripped into Pytor for how he conducted his music schools, he opposed children being in choirs. Tolstoy was against music in general-not just "Kreutzer Sonata." Tolstoy was also homophobic; Tchaikovsky struggled with being gay. Tchaikovsky's brother, Modest (not making this up), invited Sofia Tolstoy to a performance of "Sleeping Beauty." Sofia left in the middle of the ballet because she found it boring. Talk about rude. So, Tchaikovsky practiced NC. He changed his daily walk in Moscow to avoid running into Tolstoy. He didn't mind changing his routine in order to save his sanity. Yes, the composer of "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker" practiced NC!
Nov 21 - 6PM (Reply to #36)
greengirl91
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Black Swan certainely.. This

Black Swan certainely.. This and the movie "Carrie" - where the mother is a religious maniac Narcisist, and projects nto her daughter her fears, and controls her, and doesn`t let her live..could be movies made about my mother.
Nov 18 - 10PM
greengirl91
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- Up in the Air - with George

- Up in the Air - with George Clooney, shows the patters of Narcville, the advantages AND disadvantages. There`s a certain loneliness feeling that that movie left me with, you can almost feel it through the screen. If you`ll ever see it, you`ll understand what I`m talking about. In fact, anything with George Clooney! He deserves a reward as one of the heavy kings of Narcville Hall of Fame. - Alphie - with Jude Law. Aww, haven`t seen all of it, but there`s definetly a LOT of Narcisism there, for everyone! - Many movies with Tony Curtis. I can`t give a straight example of a movie, because he portraied so many Narcisistic characters! I`ve seen a documentary abut him as well, and he had the classic dominant over-religious mother, with schizophrenic tendencies, and an absent father. Aside from that, it is well known he was a heavy womanizer, many, many failed marriages, and abandoned children! Loved, adored as a public figure, hated and estranged by his family and kids. Sounds familiar? Yep, Narcville.
Nov 20 - 4PM (Reply to #33)
Susan32
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George Clooney

"Up in the Air" has the theme of two Narcs who find each other- Clooney and Vera Farmigia. It's no wonder they're soulmates, they bond, and understand each other. They're really made for each other. When Vera's character talks about her "real life" with her husband&children, she's no different from the compartmentalizing, cold Clooney. The original "Alfie" stars Michael Caine and Shelly Winters. It's excellent. Michael Caine isn't as hot as Jude Law... but it's all about NPD. There's a particularly moving scene when Alfie is stuck outside a church in the cold while his former girlfriend&her husband are celebrating the baptism of their child. Moving for the swinging '60s.
Dec 6 - 5PM (Reply to #34)
Marlinmom
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Frequent flyers!

I happen to be reading this in a hotel on a business trip, and I remember watching Up in the Air with my N husband and he sort of shut down while he was watching it; i think it reminded him of too many things he did on the road (he was cheating on me with a colleague at the time I later learned). (just paused to collect my room service tray -- no kidding). I've always marveled at the funny affinity programs for business travelers and how seriously they take them. it seems so stupid to me, but my husband was fixated on making sure he always got the extra benefits he was supposed to get from the airlines or hotels. like WHO CARES??? they once sent a certificate when he hit the 100K mark or some stupid accomplishment that only reminded me how much stuff I had to do when he was gone...in the movie the woman's mirroring of his narcissism was so chilling to me at the end, I ended up actually sort of liking Clooney because it seemed like he had generally come to care about her and she turned the tables. but the affinity programs so appeal to the N's need to have special attention and service. no dummies in the marketing departments. remember the scene where he orders three dinners to max out his points? My N could never do anything in moderation. once he liked something or got attention for it, he had to have three versions in all colors. The other day I found all the "Beanie Babies" he would bring our daughters when she was about 7 or 8...I soon realized it was less about making her happy and mostly about the competition among the dads to get the ones that were hard to find. Anyway, Up in the Air a very insightful and indeed sad movie for those of us who know these people
Nov 18 - 8PM
greengirl91
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- Transiberian - Eduardo

- Transiberian - Eduardo Noriega, plays a "delicious" Narc by the way there, a thief. It`s useles to say I was hyptonised and watched that mvie a coupple of times just for the sake of that man. If I think twice, NOT reccomended really, because instead of making you give up Narcville, for me the portrait and the actor is a bit too triggering! But it`s on the N Mvie list eitherway, and the movie it`s pretty alright per total. - Crazy Heart - a movie with Jeff Bridges, interprets a country singer. I haven`t wached it, but knowing the actor type and seen some scenes, totally seems like a Narc character. Oh, and Colin Pharell plays a role there too.
Nov 18 - 6PM
Susan32
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The Last Station

An amazing movie starring Christopher Plummer as famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, and Helen Mirren as his wife Sofia. Leo Tolstoy was a major Narc-and as for Sofia, one could argue she was a Narc who wed him for his fame&money, or because of his treatment, became one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2woUBZLxa4o It's a movie worth watching.
Nov 17 - 8PM
Susan32
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Twilight series

Since "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" is opening tomorrow, why not? Bella is torn between two predators- the werewolf Jacob and the vampire Edward. Edward is a controlling stalker, and Jacob nearly forces himself on Bella. When Edward inexplicably abandons Bella, she is only capable of "seeing" Edward when she's attempting suicide (riding off a cliff, etc) Edward encourages Bella to be self-destructive. On the wedding night, the newlyweds have such strenuous sex that furniture is broken and Bella gets bruises. Edward tries withholding sex. He ends up impregnating Bella, and the childbirth kills her. In the end, Bella is turned into a vampire who finds the scent of her father's blood delicious. Only her miraculous self-control keeps her from having her father for lunch. Bella becomes a predator. She prefers "eternity",frozen in time with Edward. And this is shown as the Ideal Romance to teenaged girls.
Nov 18 - 8PM (Reply to #29)
greengirl91
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No, no don`t tell me, I still

No, no don`t tell me, I still wanna see the last Twilight part, lol!! But a big YES, to Twilight, the relationship between Bella - Edward totally. I remember a quote: "What a poor stupid lamb" says Bella, "What a sick masochistic lion", says Edward. Yep. Narcisistic cold vampire falls "in love" with the lost little girl, Bella. I totally love Kristen Stewart though, as a young actress she has great potential.
Nov 17 - 6PM
Susan32
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Deep Water

The disappearance of Donald Crowhurst in 1969 remains an enigma to this day. In the competition, Crowhurst was considered the "mystery sailor." He had no genuine seafaring experience... yet he longed to complete the voyage around the world. He left behind his wife and 4 children. He wooed his future wife by telling her that she'd marry an impossible man&everybody would love her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePAfjxI4rws The trailer shows that the documentary (that wisely steers away from sensationalism&Bermuda Triangle speculation) is about the collision between the True Self and the False Self. Crowhurst tried to portray himself as a hero, knowing it was completely deceitful. In the end, it destroyed him.
Nov 14 - 7PM
walking_on_sunshine
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Greengirl, I was also going

Greengirl, I was also going to say " fear" . This is an awesome movie ! I only saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and its from 1996. Even the trailer still sooks me. Anyone who hasnt seen this movie go check it out.I think its all on youtube. It helped me alot.
Nov 14 - 7PM (Reply to #26)
greengirl91
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YES, it`s very very

YES, it`s very very realistic..it actually shows you gradually, the differences between the world they show it to you, and THEIR world, that they actually live in.. I lived that. Another that comes to my mind is in "Original Sin" - the character Thomas Jane, a sadistic Narcisist, who chases and tells his target woman "that he is her first man, and it will be her last!"..and that "nobody loves her, nobody but him!" . Yeah. Also in that movie you have the chance to actually compare, what a healthy man in love (played by Antonio Banderas) behaves, and a controlling lover.
Nov 14 - 2PM
Deidre40
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Great thread idea! :=) I

Great thread idea! :=) I thought of Fatal Attraction…and what comes to mind is…who was the narcissist? Lol Michael Douglas’ character, or Glenn Close? Hmmm…
Nov 14 - 5PM (Reply to #24)
greengirl91
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Both!!

Both!!
Nov 14 - 2PM
Susan32
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Movies with Narcs

An Education- Peter Sarsgaard as a totally creepy middle-aged Narc who seduces a teenaged girl. She's devastated when she learns he's already married, with a child. Hit a big close to home for me when I learned the ex-Psych already had a girlfriend. Valmont- It's another version of "Dangerous Liaisons",except Colin Firth (rather than John Malkovich) stars as the seducer Valmont. Deconstructing Harry- Woody Allen as a cerebral Narc who lives in his head. A friend of mine said during the final D&D that the ex-Psych reminded her of Wood's character. The Last Station- Biopic of the final days of Leo Tolstoy. The movie sheds some light on Leo's narcissism, as well as his wife Sofia's histrionics. Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren are amazing as the Tolstoys. Shows the results of being married to a Narc for 48 years. Apartment Zero- Colin Firth stars as Adrian LeDuc, a cerebral Narc, whose roommate is a somatic Narc (and former death squad soldier) While the roommate gets off on sex&seducing his fellow tenants, Adrian gets off on violence&has identity issues. Adrian confuses real life with the movies. The English Patient- Colin Firth. Again as a Narc. A chunky one who is so angry at his wife's infidelity with Count Almasy, that he crashes the plane, and kills himself in the process. Maybe he's more of a psychopath because he destroys himself- and injuries his wife&her former lover-in the process. Shakespeare in Love- Joseph Fiennes as a Narc Shakespeare, who doesn't bother to tell his lover Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) that he's married. She's devastated after she gives her virginity to him. Colin Firth stars as a money hungry Narc, Lord Wessex, who marries Viola for money. Deep Water-A documentary about Donald Crowhurst and his mysterious disappearance in the mid-Atlantic. He conned people about his race around the world. He desired fame. He ended up going mad... and vanishing. When he courted his wife (who bore him 4 children),he told her "You will marry an impossible man and everybody will love you." Now his abandoned trimaran, the Electron, lies on the beach of one of the Cayman Islands.
Nov 14 - 6PM (Reply to #16)
greengirl91
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Susan, thank you for your

Susan, thank you for your elaborate answer, do I guess correct, you`re a fan of Colin Firth? I could add to the list, with him, "The Girl with the pearl earing" - he plays an artist there, but if you notice, there are Narcisistic traits, and there is even a quote "we are all objects to them, can`t you see", from one of the characters.. The English Patient, I believe I saw that one as well, when I was younger..the weird thing with me is, as noticing all those characters, I had crushes on so many bad-guy types, celebrities/people, I mean that was an "obligatory condition" (!!), if I sit and realise now. Most of the men I madly loved since now were Narcs, or toxic, they HAD to be bad, for me to love them..they had to be as*holes. That`s why I knew the whole story was ging to be, before it was gonna start..because I picked them subcounsciously, on purpose. I knew all the "puddin lovin" was fake, I was waiting for the moment when the mask would eventually fall..I knew they were bad for me from the start. That`s how ex N was. Sorry for too much details, I have a ittle light bulb moment here right now =) Oh, did I mention I had a loong time crush on the actor Gary Oldman?? Geesh. Tkae a look at his filmography, and most of his roles are villans, lol.
Nov 14 - 6PM (Reply to #18)
Susan32
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Comparisons

The ex-Psych prof was often compared to Colin Firth in terms of looks. There was a surprising physical resemblance... and the joke was that the ex-P was Colin Firth's fatter, less attractive, and definitely less talented half-brother from New England. Ironically, Colin Firth's father... and the ex-P's father... are both teachers. In "Soldier Sailor Tinker Spy",Gary Oldman stars as a narcissistic spy who's trying to figure out who the mole is within MI5. He plays on people's weaknesses. Colin Firth stars as a frustrated bisexual spy, who, when the man doesn't reciprocate his affections, seduces the man's wife. I've had a crush on Colin Firth (and so does the singer Adele)... and interesting he got an Oscar for being a good guy, for once. (And Mr. Darcy ends up being a good guy, saving his beloved's sister from a Narc) During the final D&D, I was joking that the ex-P would be played by Colin Firth. My friend responded, "Isn't he kind of bland?" My response was that the blandness was the point. The ex-P was a total bore. Except Colin is handsomer, talented, slimmer, has good dental hygiene. I've fallen for the Bad Boy in movies... but in real life, it doesn't work that way. It's real life, not a soap opera.
Nov 14 - 7PM (Reply to #19)
greengirl91
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I knew it, haha! :) Colin

I knew it, haha! :) Colin Firth played a good guy in "The Journal of Bridget Jones" as well, and the Narc was played by Hugh Grant, you have probably seen it. Oh, Gary Oldman has tons of Narc characters! Sid Vicious, Dracula, but I admire him very much the way he portrays them, a true chameleon. And I agree with your last paragraph! It`s time for me t cut loose the chains of bad men/figures in my life.. I can admire those damn vampires/ Narcs from the distance, I don`t dare to come close to any of them!
Nov 14 - 7PM (Reply to #20)
Susan32
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Oscar-winning performance

Around the time of the final D&D, the awful cyberpunk Western movie "Wild Wild West" (starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, and my then-crush Kenneth Branagh) was filming outside Santa Fe (where I was then living) Branagh&Firth are contemporaries. They both starred in "A Month in the Country." They started out in costume dramas. But Branagh decided to go for a cheesy big budget take on a campy '60s series. Firth stayed in costume dramas. I predicted that Firth would win an Oscar. Remember, I was at a low time in my life. Thinking about the future was not my thing. I wanted to survive from one day to the next. The fire at Santa Fe's film ranch during the Wild Wild West filming was prophetic... it was a catastrophic flop. I remember when it was front page news. In the local paper. I haven't seen Bridget Jones (my sister has)-it looks like good fun. A COMEDY. My sister gushed over "King's Speech"-but I think it might send my hormone levels thru the roof. The REAL George VI was NOT that hot. Not at all.
Nov 14 - 7PM (Reply to #21)
greengirl91
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Oh, you should definetly

Oh, you should definetly check "The Diary of Bridget Jones", it`s funny and it`s a plus, if you`re a Colin fan! I haven`t seen "King`s Speech", but heard it`s pretty popular. And Oh, I KNOW (!!) how these feelings and states are, especially with characters/actors we love..I used to be a die hard fan of the musician Jack White, but because he resembles so much my ex Narc, I avoid listening to the music! I`m contempt admiring from the distance now, and hope one day I`ll be ready to welcome in my life a non-narcisistic healthy man. Maybe when I`ll become fully healthy myself :)
Nov 15 - 3PM (Reply to #22)
Susan32
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Spending the night with Colin...

Wouldn't have me feeling degraded and used the next morning. I'd still respect myself. Colin Firth didn't publicly humiliate me, go on a smear campaign, lie about himself, call me a slut. During the final D&D, I remember telling my friend that Colin was not at fault. Besides, he was on the other side of the Atlantic. He couldn't be. I never declared my love to him anyhow. I recently watched "Another Country",and Rupert Everett has this great speech about living an honest life. Colin Firth is totally inattentive;his face is in a book. He stars as Rupert's Narc-y friend who betrays him. Colin's character is a total Narc;he tells Rupert how he prefers masturbation, and merely sees his girlfriend as a sexual outlet, and walks around with a bust of Lenin. Rupert tells Colin off so well! Quite superb. Watching Colin Firth is a superb, cultured, properly English way to maintain NC.