#i love max phillips for many reasons
I just figured out why I love the portrayal of Max Phillips so much compared to Pedro’s other rolls. Max Phillips is all big motions and broad gestures and powerful expressions. He takes up space, he moves through the frame, he draws your eye. You know how movement in a painting or photo draws your gaze to move through the work? That’s how I feel watching Bloodsucking Bastards.
Let’s compare to the other characters.
Oberyn: coiled and collected, ready to strike whenever he’s on screen. No bold movements until the fight. Even his extreme emotions arent so unbridled. The twinkle in his gaze is hot and dangerous but so carefully contained.
Whiskey: he’s acting the whole time, the boldest moves we see are the bar scene and then in the med bay when he starts chatting up Ginger. Otherwise it’s all carefully controlled. He struts, but he’s purposefully not trying to draw your gaze.
Ezra: ok, the suit weighs him down, yes, but even before he starts being warn down by the infection, he’s more subtle in his movements. He’s living a life a survival, which comes to him as staying low until it’s time to strike, so no big moves or grand gestures. He just…flows with the current and prays it takes him to safety.
Javier: we see some of the most motion from him, what with all the running and screaming and, ehem, other activities. And he definitely takes up space, but it’s all out of despiration and drive, and Javi doesn’t enjoy a moment of the fighting. You can tell he’s tired.
Marcus Pike: Well, I blame the writers for this. He’s not the main love interest so the writing has him more contained, less developed, because it’s all supposed to be Jane in the end. But even so, even when Marcus is showing off, taking down the baddy and absolutely puffing his chest out, his still controlling it, keeping it reigned in. He’s a Very Serious FBI Agent.
Tovar: a man who doesn’t like to make a scene. Carefully calculated and would rather fly under the radar. Even his fighting, while skilled though it is, isn’t flashy or showy. The most movement we see is really when he goes matador on one of the monsters. Again, movement catching your eye.
Moreno: I mean, he spends most of the movie sitting around with a headache, so I can’t say much here. It’s a child’s movie, after all. Apples and oranges.
Maxwell: drama, yes, but its strained the whole time to the point where you almost don’t want to look at him. The used car salesman vibe is similar, but Lord strikes me different, probably because we are far more acutely aware of how little he can back up his words. But even in his most dramatic moment, televising his desire for wishes world wide, he’s not really moving much. It’s all wind, even when he’s prowling towards Diana. Hot, absolutely, super captivating, no not really.
Max Phillips is completely unrestricted in everything he does. He’s not even really acting, as far as evan or amanda are concerned, he’s just leaving out key details. It’s not an act, it’s a used car salesman bid, but that cocky, slimey demeanor is backed by, ya know, being able to eat you…so…. yeah, I like Max because it’s just so unrestrained,unbridled, unrestricted. It’s fun and captivating to watch,and it’s so unlike his other roles. I love it.
