JMS, Plagiarizing Himself
For the last couple of months, I've been boggling at the positive buzz surrounding Clint Eastwood's The Changeling, for the simple reason that the script is by J. Michael Straczynski. Was it possible, I wondered, that in the decade since Babylon 5 went off the air Straczynski had learned how to write dialogue that didn't make its hearers simultaneously cringe and guffaw?
The film's IMDb page would seem to indicate otherwise:
The film's IMDb page would seem to indicate otherwise:
Christine Collins: I used to tell Walter, "Never start a fight, but always finish it." I didn't start this fight, but by God I'm going to finish it.
That settles it: it's going to be impossible for genre fans to watch this film without laughing inappropriately.
Comments
I suppose the great maker would argue that since only a limited audience got to appreciate the line when Sheridan uttered it, there is virtue in repeating it for a wider hearing by the movie-going public.
"We didn't start this fight, but we certainly have to finish it." -- Tony Snow, Jewish World Review
"As in 1941, we did not start this fight. But, by God, we are going to finish it." -- Patrick Mullins, Capitalism Magazine
"Israel did not start this fight, but I think they are going to finish it." -- Rod Amis, Huffington Post
"Conservatives, this has to be a call to arms. You didn't start this fight, but by God, you can finish it." -- Christopher Cook, Modern Conservative
Admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of B5, so to me the line sounds like a generic piece of rhetoric.
Saida
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