001 Five Books
1. The Usual Suspects, by Ernset Larsen
This is actually the super technical film book I had to read for my high school film class. It... well, rambles at times, but it poses some very interesting ideas. Granted, I don't agree with everything it says (I'm... not sure if he's love with Keaton? I need more proof?), but for the most part, it's a helpful tool for picking apart his character.
"The only thing he's afraid of is himself: what he is capable of, to get his way, to stay on top, untouched."
"Spacey sometimes strikes the kind of absent-minded self-amusement that registers convincingly as memory. Verbal is only a conman, but he enjoys the con. Spacey suggests the pleasure Verbal finds in his work of misdirection."
And such. But this isn't the quote section, now is it?
2. No Exit, Sartre
(Actually, Verbal's guilty pleasure is probably French philosophical literature. Mes chers frères, n'oubliez jamais que la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas! I imagine he finds plays more fun to read than novels, probably because of how they treat dialogue.)
3. The Stranger, Albert Camus
4. The Dain Curse, Dashiell Hammett
5. ...I'm actually at a loss, here. Anything else would be dishonest. ._.;
002 Five Songs
1. Murder By Death- "A Masters in Reverse Psychology"
fill the lamp up with kerosene and toss the rest in the hall // just coat the walls // and strike the cigarette when you hear them coming // we'll pray for them and stay with them till the poor little bastards die hand in hand // we'll never forget them when they're gone
2. Rolling Stones- "Sympathy for the Devil"
Let me please introduce myself // I'm a man of wealth and taste// and I laid traps for troubadours // who get killed before they reached Bombay
3. Scissor Sisters- "I Can't Decide" (Okay-- ha ha-- this is just silly.)
I can't decide // Whether you should live or die // Oh, you'll probably go to heaven// Please don't hang your head and cry // No wonder why // My heart feels dead inside // It's cold and hard and petrified // Lock the doors and close the blinds // We're going for a ride
4. Murder By Death- "The Desert in On Fire"
I'll leave a trail of fire across this desert // just to see the desperation in your eyes// you think you've suffered, well you ain't seen shit yet // the pain won't set in for a long long time // I've fought off angels with my hands behind my back // I've set the heavens all on fire
5. Radiohead- "The Trickster"
Long white gloves // Police tread carefully // Escaped from the zoo // The perfect child facsimile // It's talking out the world // talking out the world
003 Five Movies
1. The Usual Suspects
Shit, man, really?
2. 3:10 to Yuma
"A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher." 'Nuff said.
3. Reservoir Dogs
Gotta build me my crime vocab. >:(
4. Citizen Kane
This is... uh... yeah.
5. Pulp Fiction
004 Five Images
OneTwoThreeFourFive 005 Five Quotes
I'm going to follow Tod, here, and select quotes from his canon that I like to keep in mind when I'm writing him, mostly to keep up with his voice.
"Keaton always said, 'I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him.' Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze."
"It didn't make sense that I'd be there. I mean, these guys were hard-core hijackers, but there I was. I wasn't scared, I knew I hadn't done anything they could do me for. Besides, it was fun. I got to make like I was notorious."
Dave Kujan: Verbal, you know we're trying to help you.
Verbal: Sure, and I appreciate that. And I wanna help you, Agent Kujan. I like cops.
"A man can't change what he is. He can convince anyone he's someone else, but never himself."
"He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. 'Rat on your pop, and Keyser Soze will get you.' And no one ever really believes."