Two.

Jake Gyllenhaal.

Anyone who knows me should know my love for Jake. I don't exactly keep quiet about it. It actually started about August 2006, when a re-viewing of Donnie Darko truly opened my eyes to his complete and utter lovability. His performance, in its combination of heartbreak, teenage quirks and altogether weirdness, amazed me, but Gyllenhaal also made to steal my hurt with one look of his beautiful, doe-blue eyes.

If he couldn’t get any more perfect, he also happens to be a lovely person, a down-to-earth guy, somewhat of a fool in love (aww), and a great brother to his cool cat sis, Maggie. He is, in short, one of the sweetest men I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life, and it just makes sense that this total niceness is represented in his amazing looks. His floppy brown hair is natural, sexy, stylish, and a total mark of his Jake-ness. I know for a fact that me, many of my female friends, and basically, the entire gay population, want to run our fingers through that hair.

And, there it is. The reason I love Jake so much; the gay thing, his performance as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain. I saw this movie in a cold January afternoon this year, and I can honestly say that my viewing of the film has changed my life. For one, I started this blog to (mainly) try and get Jake that Oscar. And throughout Oscar season, I brought every single issue of Premiere, Empire, Sight & Sound, Vanity Fair… the lot, just for the occasional picture of Jake they showed. Yep, I am that much of a Gyllenhaalic.

Talent plays a huge part too. Jake has given some amazing performances already, but the one that I’m going to rave about is… yep, you’ve guessed it. I love his turn so much that I have written millions upon millions of posts about them, in the past. So do check them out. http://zummer.blogspot.com/2006/03/filmmakers-i-adore-jake-gyllenhaal.html is one, http://zummer.blogspot.com/2006/09/10-sexiest-film-characters.html is another, http://zummer.blogspot.com/2006/05/my-10-favourite-male-characters-in.html is another.

Er, yeah. I’m all written out, really. I just want to bathe in his beauty, really, from his twinkling, large blue eyes, to his fine-but-not-OTT muscles, to his smile, his face, etc… I wish I could quit it, but I can’t. So there.


P.S. A lot of people do Jake love better than me. Check out Jake Weird and Jake Watch.

Oh, and, for you Oscar watchers...

BAFTA released their list (all films they're considering).

http://www.bafta.org/site/page320.html

11:14
12 and Holding
16 Blocks
36 Quai des Orfèvres
37 Uses for a Dead Sheep
Akeelah and the Bee
Alien
Autopsy
All the King's Men
Alpha Male
American Dreamz
American Haunting, An
Ant Bully, The
Apocalypto
Arthur and the Invisibles
Aryan
Couple, The
Ask the Dust
Atomised (Elementarteilchen)
Babel
Ballad of Jack and Rose, The
Ballets Russes
Be With Me
Beerfest
Being Cyrus
Benchwarmers, The
Big Nothing
Black Book (Zwartboek)
Black Dahlia, The
Black Sun
Blood Diamond
Bobby
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Break Up, The
Breaking and Entering
Brick
Brothers of the Head
Buenos Aires 1977
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Candy
Cars
Casino Royale
Charlotte's Web
Child, The (L'Enfant)
Children of Men
Clerks II
Click
Cockles and Muscles (Crustacés et Coquillages)
Confetti
Container
Covenant, The
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul
Curious George
Da Vinci Code, The
Dead Man's Cards
Death of Mr Lazarescu, The (Moartea Domnului Lazarescu)
Deep Water
Departed, The
Devil and Daniel Johnston, The
Devil Wears Prada, The
Diameter of the Bomb
Dirty Sanchez
Don't Come Knocking
Down in the Valley
Dreamgirls
Driving Lessons
Echo Park L.A.
Eight Below
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Eragon
Esma's Secret (Grbavica)
Factory Girl
Fanaa (Destroyed in Love)
Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,
The Fateless (Sorstalanság)
Fearless
Firewall
Flags of Our Fathers
Flushed Away
Fog, The
For Your Consideration
Forest for the Trees (Wald vor lauter Bäumen, Der)
Forty Shades of Blue
Fountain, The
Freedomland
Friends with Money
Frozen
Frozen Land (Paha Maa)
Fun With Dick and Jane
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Gabrielle
Ghosts
Glastonbury
Good Year, A
Goya's Ghosts
Great
Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, The
Grizzly Man
Grounded
Gypo
Happy Feet
Hard Candy
Harsh Times
Heading South
History Boys, The
Holiday, The
Hollywoodland
Hoodwinked
Host, The (Gwoemul)
Hostel
I Saw Ben Barka Get Killed (J'ai Vu Tuer Ben Barka)
I Was Jonathan Pitt
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Ice Harvest, The
Imagine Me and You
Inconvenient Truth, An
Infamous
Inside Man
It's a Boy Girl Thing
It's Winter (Zemastan)
January 2nd
Joy Division
Junebug
Kabul Express
Keane
Kidulthood
Lady in the Water
Lady Vengeance (Chinjeolhan Geumjassi)
Lage Raho Munnabhai
Lake House, The
Last King of Scotland, The
Last Kiss, The
Lemming
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Life and Lyrics
Little Children
Little Fish
Little Man
Little Miss Sunshine
Lives of the Saints, The
London to Brighton
Lost Embrace (El Abrazo Partido)
Love + Hate
Man Push Cart
Manderlay
Marie Antoinette
Miami Vice
Mind of Her Own, A
Mischief Night
Miss Potter
Mission Impossible III
Monster House
Mountain Patrol (Kekexili)
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont
My Angel (Mon Ange)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Nacho Libre
Nativity Story, The
Never Say Goodbye (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna)
Night at the Museum
Night Listener, The
Night People
Notes on a Scandal
Notorious Bettie Page, The
Offside
Omen, The
Omkara
Once in a Lifetime
Open Season
Over the Hedge
Page Turner, The (La Tourneuse de Pages)
Pan's Labyrinth
Paper Clips
Paradise Now
Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl
Perfume - The Story of a Murderer
Pervert's Guide to Cinema, The
Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, The (L' Accordeur de Tremblements de Terre)
Pierrepoint
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Plague, The
Poseidon
Prairie Home Companion, A
Prestige, The
Pretty Persuasion
Puritan
Pursuit of Happyness
Queen, The
Rabbit Fever
Rang De Basanti (Paint it Yellow)
Red Road
Renaissance
Rent
Requiem
Right at Your Door
Rocket Post
Rocky Balboa
Rollin' with the Nines
Romanzo Criminale
Running with Scissors
Russian Dolls
RV - Runaway Vacation
Saw III
Scanner Darkly, A
Scenes of a Sexual Nature
Secuestro Express
Seducing Doctor Lewis (Le Grande Séduction)
Severance
Shanghai Dreams (Qing Hong)
Shortbus
Silent Hill
Sisters in Law
Sixty-Six
Snakes on a Plane
Snow Cake
Snuff Movie
Squid and the Whale, The
Starter for Ten
Stay
Stormbreaker
Stranger than Fiction
Stray Dogs (Sag-haye Velgard)
Superman Returns
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Tell Them Who You Are
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Terkel in Trouble (Terkel i Knibe)
Thank You For Smoking
Thief Lord
This Film is Not Yet Rated
Three Times (Zui Hao Shi Guang)
Tideland
Time to Leave (Le Temps qui Reste)
Tristan + Isolde
Trust the Man
Truth, The
U.S. vs John Lennon, The
U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha
Ultraviolet
Unconscious (Inconscientes)
Unfinished Life, An
United 93
Upside of Anger, The
Ushpizin
V for Vendetta
Venus
Volver
Wah-Wah
Warrior King (Tom Yum Goong)
West Wittering Affair, The
When a Stranger Calls
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Wicker Man, The
Wilderness
Wind that Shakes the Barley, The
Wolf, The (El Lobo)
World Trade Center
X-Men: The Last Stand
Yours, Mine and Ours
Zathura: A Space Adventure
Zidane - A 21st Century Portrait (Zidane, un Portrait du 21e Siécle)
Zoom

Thoughts? Comments?

Three.

Leo D.

I'm not in a particularly writing-orientated mood, so I'll just say these things:
1) I love him mainly for his hotness during the 90s, but he's still fine.
2) Excellent performance in The Departed. Not bad looking there, either. (Oscar buzz, please.)

3) Hottest in William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet.

I've had very Leoish posts in the past, so for a more adequate installment of him, check out: see where he came in the top performances of the 90s, and again, He was the second sexiest film character of all time, and, best of all, an entire post dedicated to him.

The others: Four, Five, Six, 8 and 7, 10 and 9, 15 to 11, 20-16, 29-21, 30, 40-31, 50-41, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71, 90-81, the other end.

Tags: Leonardo DiCaprio, movies, Scorsese, Shakespeare, hotness, sexy, Oscars.

Books.

1. One book that changed your life?
The underrated masterpiece that is Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar. Along with breaking my heart, it changed the way I behaved towards people. I repented my sins, and actually felt remorse for anything cruel I’ve ever done to the underdog – basically, this book showed that you might think it’s funny to make fun of someone unpopular, but it’s not nice for them, even if they try to hide it. This book’s by far the most compelling, majestic novel I’ve ever read in my entire life. Although it’s written for the 11-14 year age bracket, I recommend it to the world. It’s mesmerising. And the ending, oh, the ending! I’ve never wept so much in my entire life.

2. One book that you have read more than once?
Well, I don’t keep tabs on how often I read books, but I know for a fact that Namedropper by Emma Forrest and Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella are two pieces of chick lit that are like the film Legally Blonde to me – I read them whenever I’m down, and they cheer me up totally. Those aside, I’ve also read all six of the Harry Potter books an uncanny amount. I just adore them, and each time I read them, I dig out something I had never noticed before. That’s beautiful. And lastly, Persuasion by Jane Austen. Chicklit for the Georgian women, I love the character of Anne, and I don’t even judge her for rejecting the hot solider dude initially because he wasn’t rich enough. Money matters for ladies (and I mean that in a totally non-WAGgish way.)

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
Probably… Lolita by Vladmir Nabakov. An odd choice, yes, but it’s just so rich, deep, profound, and heartbreaking. I could never get tired of reading this.

4. One book that made you cry?
LOTS of books make me cry, OK? Firstly, the aforementioned Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes. Then… Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. I actually cried quite a few parts in this novel, from the part where he ran to see her, but she’d already left, to the execution at the end. I also cried a little at the ending of Robert Swindell’s Abomination, when the dude started talking about love and his feelings for Martha. That was so tender and sweet, that my heart completely welled up. And lastly, and yes, I know this is a weird one, I cried at Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, when Griet began talking about how she realised that he never really cared for her.

5. One book that made you laugh?
I laughed at Six, though I don’t think I was meant to find it funny.

6. One book you wish had been written?
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. I could just see myself writing that book.

7. One book you wish had never been written?
A bit of an odd reason, but The Great Gatsby. Good book, yes, but I realise that my essay on this book was probably the reason I didn’t get an A* for English Lit. And that stings.

8. One book you are reading currently?
I’m reading the play of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Atomised by Michel Houellebecq and Little Children by Tom Perotta.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
Oooh… probably anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that I haven’t yet read, because he’s the only author that I’ve loved everything from so far.

10. Pass it on.
Luke. Yes, you know you want to.

Crouchie is cute.

Wow, Wow, and Wow.

Pan's Labyrinth = best film of 2006. Don't question it, just accept it. A

I also saw Casino Royale today. B

And... I also saw Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. I'll give it a B-, because it amused me, but it was pretty stupid.

I'm seeing this tomorrow.

So excited. (though it means I'm missing Manchester utd vs. Chelsea at Old Trafford so Martin or Sina, text me the score please?)

By the way, is Shortbus appropriate for a 16-year-old? If it's just got sex scenes, I can deal with it, but I don't like it when sex is made all disturbing. OK, that sounded air-heady.

It's just that it's been picking up some great reviews, and I just need to know, come Dec. 1st (when it arrives here), if it's worth sneaking into.

Bennett Miller is bungable.

“Bennett Who?”, I hear you ask. Why, that’s Bennett Miller, director of Capote, of course. I don’t generally go for director dudes, but during my obsession with Oscar season this year in an attempt to see my Brokeback see justice (which it didn’t), Bennett Miller was a man who grabbed my attention a surprising lot, sometimes even steering my attention from the beauty of Jake Gyllenhaal. As with his Capote screenwriter and buddy Dan Futterman, it’s quite hard to find pictures of Mr. Miller (though at least Futterman has had a few acting gigs), but if you can, it’s so, so, worth it, because this man is very fine indeed. I don’t know how to describe it, just… enjoy.

OMG. Robert Altman dies.

(Click on title for newslink.)

Oh. At least he got his Honoury Oscar this year.

Sorry, I'm quite disorientated at learning this.

Reel Fanatic has a great post on the man.

R.I.P.

Two FYCs I made.

What do you make of the FYCs, and what do you make of the movies?

Soundtrack Reviews: V.

I think the last time I reviewed soundtracks, I was in China. It’s been that long. (Read ‘em and weep.) So be kind to me if I’m a little ring rusty. I’ll get there eventually.

To redeem my crappy writing, I’ve uploaded some of the songs from the soundtrack (the ones I consider best) for your listening pleasure. So you see, it’s not all bad.

Vanilla Sky (various)
Tom Cruise’s playboy lifestyle gets a hip, eclectic soundtrack with “All the Right Friends” from REM to the melancholic, wistful Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead. Many of the songs here stand out for their random lyrics, and I speak chiefly of Paul McCartney’s Oscar nominated song, Vanilla Sky. But who needs sense when his vocals are so sublime, the guitar so perfect? The tonal modulations that feature in the film echo in the music too, as Salsbury Hill switches to the freaky “I Fall Apart” by Julianna Gianni. Overall, the OST is of high quality, though some of the songs which featured in the film did not really deserve a running time on the CD. That said, Mondo ’77 has a funky beat, Have You Forgotten is a nicely laid-back track and one of my favourites, Jeff Buckley even makes an appearance, with his song Last Goodbye. But, like with Cameron Crowe’s other film, Almost Famous, the song which dominates for me is sung by the incomparable Todd Rundgren, in his rendition of one of my favourite songs of all time, Can We Still Be Friends. Sing along, everyone. B+.

The Virgin Suicides (Air)
Ah, Air. Air, Air, Air. One of the few things I could abide about the cringeworthy Lost in Translation, this French, blissed out dream band is too good to be true, and their score to Sofia Coppola’s debut transforms it from a well-delivered story about alienated schoolgirls to a near-masterpiece, effortlessly cool, and one of the sexiest films of the 90s. The soundtrack opens with Playground Love, an ode to 10CC in its cheesy-slow chords and vocals, but one that sets the tone for the movie, with a tune so hummable that it reoccurs later in the soundtrack, sin vocals, in Highschool Lover. Along the way, there are some oddities that even I can’t endorse (The Word Hurricane and Afternoon Sister come to mind here), but overall, this is coolness in the making. And yes, I realise I’ve said that word too many times already, but it just… is. What other way is there to describe Clouds Up, a melody so, well, cool, that it’s been pinched for the advert to Spooks? :P A-

Volver (Alberto Iglesias)
In my review of the score to The Constant Gardener, I spoke of how that film didn’t feature his best work, and it was Almodovar’s Hable Con Ella that this man’s strength was shown. Well, where Almodovar found his niche in Volver, so has Iglesias. Being a violinist and a guitarist myself, I was obviously highly orgasmic when I heard the pizzicatos in the background, and it resonates throughout the score, because this is actually my sixth favourite film score to feature pizzicato of all time. And whilst it would have been easy for Iglesias to just bung in random plucks for the sake of it, the score here accompanies the film and the mindset of the characters together, crescendos and diminuendos and all. No instrument feels out of place and every note accompanies the other perfectly, and this is accentuated in the lovely Comida Casera, where clarinet, cello and pizzicato dance around beautifully. The reason terms like “eargasm” were created, you just never want it to end. What a pity it is, then, that the album has to end on two non-Iglesias tracks, Las Espigadoras and a Good Thing, the latter sounding so cheap and un-Almodovar that you wonder how the hell it got onto the soundtrack. A-.

Best of these OSTs…

01. Highschool Lover (Air, The Virgin Suicides OST)
02. Comida Casera (Alberto Iglesias, Volver)
03. Can We Still Be Friends (Todd Rundgren, Vanilla Sky OST)
04. Clouds Up (Air, The Virgin Suicides OST)
05. Vanilla Sky (Paul McCartney, Vanilla Sky OST)
06. Volver (Estrella Morente, Volver)
07. Where Do I Begin (The Chemical Brothers, Vanilla Sky OST)
08. Playground Love (Air, The Virgin Suicides OST)
09. Everything In Its Right Place (Radiohead, Vanilla Sky OST)
10. Las Vecinas – Variacion (Alberto Iglesias, Volver)

Tags: movie music, music, Tom Cruise, score, free, Virgin Suicides, Air, cool.

Six.

Gael García Bernal...




































































.... es muy caliente. (and that is all.)

Goodbye, Mystic Dollar Redemption.

New url!

Ethan Hawke & the Goldplated brothers as we enter the top 10 in search for fineness.

10. Ethan Hawke (actor, Before Sunset, Assault on Precinct 13)

Yes, I know he was a git to Uma, but you must admit, he’s a fit git. Also one of my favourite modern actors despite many describing his style as “pretentious” (and I must say, his books actually are quite psuedo), I think he first came to my attention when Channel 4 showed Gattaca one night and Great Expectations the other, and I was all, “Hey, it’s the same dude.” And the two characters played by Mr. Hawke in these movies were pretty alluring, one of them even making my Top 10 Sexiest Film Characters list. Of all his film appearances, he’s always been a nice one to look at, but I feel his hotness is accentuated whenever he’s working with Thurman, because their chemistry is just so great. Pity about Tarantino. Now, Mr. Hawke is attractive ordinarily, but what makes him even more so is his fantastic ability to work a suit, his classy choice in film roles (let’s not talk Taking Lives Here), and lastly, his portrayal of one of the most “real” movie characters of all time, Jessie in Before Sunset and Before Sunrise. Smart, sensitive, a little insecure, but utterly, utterly, sexy.

09. Darren Tighe and Nicholas Shaw from "Goldplated"

(Like with Theo & JJ, I’m pulling the “They’re the same person, k?” line again.)

I feel really guilty for actually even admitting to watching this show, let alone being attracted to not one, but two of the men on it, but alas, that’s just the way of the world. The two characters/men who I'm endorsing here are both members of a rich but deeply unhappy family, though the two brothers could not be more different. Justin (as played by Nicholas Shaw) is a choice I’m sure at least some teenage girls will agree with me on. With a touch of the ne’er do well, he’s flirtatious, raffishly charming and gives the impression of someone who can get away with murder by simply smiling. Nice. And Darren, which is quite possibly the second most cringeworthy choice of “eye candy” that I have in my top 10, basically just drew my attention in the interesting storyline of the possible infidelity with his daughter’s Art teacher, is just someone who tickles my fancy for reasons I can’t explain. Maybe it’s his blue eyes. Yum.

If you've just joined this blog, then you've missed most of the fun. Everyone else so far: 15 to 11, 20-16, 29-21, 30, 40-31, 50-41, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71, 90-81, the other end.

Tags: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Nicholas Shaw, Darren Tighe, Goldplated, Before Sunset, movies, men, English, TV, teenage, horny, sexy, cool, cute, banana, blue+eyes.

Five More Cuties before we reach the top 10.

Basically, here are five men that I consider extremely, extremely fine (and all five are talented as well! Wow!), and I'm sad that they can't grace the top 10. But, alas...

15. Bobby Cannavale (actor, Snakes on a Plane, The Station Agent)
Cuban. Italian. Was the main reason I watched Will & Grace a while back, and was so utterly adorable in The Station Agent in his Crouchness, and also quite a sexy policeman in Snakes on a Plane. Someone who I love for their goofiness, though I doubt he’s like that in real life. Not that it matters, because he is hawt.

14. Samuel Barnett (actor, The History Boys)
Well, I’ve ranked him 14th after seeing him in just one film, so it must say something about the dude. Basically, I loved him in The History Boys, his sweetness, his kindness… I just wanted to hug him. The epitome of someone who was born ahead of their time in The History Boys, he sang, had a sexy British accent, harboured a crush on one of his fellow male students and was an intellectual. What more can a girl ask for on the eye candy front?

13. Eric Bana (actor, Munich, Troy)
He’s just really fine. I don’t know how else to put it. Eric Bana’s one of my conventional choices, and I’m not ashamed of liking a mainstream dude when they’re as hot as this. I also love the intensity that he brings to his performances, Munich, Troy, even Hulk, and his Australian accent and wonderful ability to work a suit doesn’t do any harm either. I don’t quite see how he was cast as Henry VIII, though…

12. Philipp Lahm (footballer, Germany, Bayern Munich)
The pint-sized, right-footed left back who loves to entertain us, my pick for the hottest footballer not in the Premiership. One of the best players in and the opener to the World Cup, one of the cutest non-English speakers trying to speak English, and has the sweetest eyebrows ever, a huge smile. Basically, insanely cute. Just look at him! Aww. (He’d better win FIFA player of the year 2006.)

11. Danny Futterman (actor/writer, Capote, "Will & Grace")
Basically, my favourite multi-tasker. I loved the echoes of My Fair Lady in the four episode “Fagmilion” he appeared in on Will & Grace, where he was transformed by Jack and Will from a beast into a beauty. And how beautiful he was. But the real reason I love Dan Futterman is because he was one of the dudes who got me, like, really interested in the Oscars. When he found out that he, an actor, did the script for Capote, I just knew that I wanted to know more. I mean, beauty, talent, and the ability to multitask? Mr. Futterman sure is special.

So. As of tomorrow, I shall be counting down my top 10. Come on. It's your last chance to guess my top 10.

I shall be watching this tonight.

I’ve seen it a couple of times before, really like it. But, alas, Rachel didn’t deserve her damn Oscar. :(

What did you make of it?

Random Quizzies.

They're fun! Try them!

Your French Name is:

Laetitia Martin

What's Your French Name?

You are a Brainy Girl!

Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books. You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

You Are a Winter

You look ravishing in: Black, burgundy, emerald green, hot pink, icy colors, navy blue, red, royal purple, and white

What Season Color Are You?

You Are Not a Gold Digger

You go out of your way to take care of everything in your life. Including money - which you've got plenty of, thank you very much. And you have no intentions of being a trophy girlfriend for some bald guy. Just make sure that hottie you met isn't scheming to be your boy toy! As a successful woman like you knows, gold digging goes both ways these days.

Are You A Gold Digger?

Your Gemstone is Ruby

Daring, ethusiastic, and spontaneous. You are energetic and passionate, with an appetite for life.

What Gemstone Are You?

Also, go here: http://www.metro.co.uk/awards, and vote in favour of Peter Crouch and against Russell Brand & Pope Benedict XVI, please.

More Handsomeness.

16. Jude Law (actor, Breaking & Entering, The Holiday)
17. Hayden Christensen (actor, Star Wars, Shattered Glass)
18. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (footballer, Sweden, Inter Milan)
19. Eric Close (actor, "Without a Trace")
20. Peter Sarsgaard (actor, Jarhead, The Dying Gaul)

Everyone else so far: 29-21, 30, 40-31, 50-41, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71, 90-81, the other end.

Isn't this a stunning photo of London, by the way?

29-21 of The 100 Most Handsome Men.

Want to get this finished so I can start on yet another top 100 countdown I have planned - my 100 favourite films.

So. Deep territory now. Firstly, I just wanna say, check this out and give me your thoughts. Good? Bad? Ugly? And also... I'm kind of ashamed to say this, but The Sound of Girls Aloud is actually puh-retty cool.

29. Topher Grace (actor, In Good Company, P.S…)
28. Tom Cruise (actor, Mission Impossible III, Vanilla Sky)
27. Daniel Bruhl (actor, The Edukators, Goodbye Lenin)
26. Cillian Murphy (actor, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Breakfast on Pluto)
25. David Tennant (actor, Harry Potter IV, Doctor Who)
24. Xavi Hernandez (footballer, Spain, Barcelona)
23. Kaka (footballer, Brazil, AC Milan)
22. Will Smith (actor, Hitch, I, Robot)
21. Wentworth Miller (actor, Prison Break)

So. Whadya think?

So. FYCs.

Two FYCs I came across today. Both for the same lady, but slightly different...






Which are you leaning towards?

I gotta say, I find Kate Winslet a talented but very overrated actress.

What about you?

Hitchcock is THE master.

He has been hailed the master of suspense. He said that “Drama was just life with the dull bits left out.” And, despite the uber-elitist AFI hailing him one of the best directors of all time, I still greatly enjoy his work. For me to overlook that huge problem (I loathe AFI like I loathe They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?), is a true testament to his good work. I thought I'd revisit the master as part of Pasquish's blogathon.

There was a short space of time before my 14th birthday when I really started noticing Alfred Hitchcock’s genius. I had watched a couple of films before and enjoyed them, but never really loved them. It was around this time that I started getting into classic films, and I thank Hitchcock for introducing me to them.

The first one that I took an immediate shine to was his adaptation of Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, in which Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine take the leads. Though an early effort from Hitchcock, this masterpiece was every by the sophisticated, glossy audience-manipulator that Hitchcock would later go on to make. Hitchcock has consistently coaxed good performances out of his cast, and here, Joan Fontaine is superb in her jittery twitchiness. Hitchcock personally told everyone on the cast to treat her cruelly so her performance would be more “real,” and though this was somewhat mean, the results are clear.

Slickness ensued with his first colour film, Rope, an ingenious little invention where it has the appearance of all being shot in one long, shot. The acting from the two men/boy was not as great as it possibly could have been (though Farley Granger did great work on Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train), but James Stewart gave one his best performances, thus making the slightly-surreal situation more realistic, and the film a rewarding experience.

Two of Hitchcock’s earliest films, The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, are two that I feel are criminally underrated. Both were made in England, before he went to America with plans of taking over. The 39 Steps was an endlessly entertaining thriller-comedy, and whilst it may not have had the big-name casts and expensive locations that would later be present in his work, this film does feature the themes of loss of assumed identity and betrayal, two very Hitchcock-esque themes, and the quick, lively pacing works only to its advantage. The Lady Vanishes, which was made on a very low budget, has effects that were ahead of its time, and featured an extremely charming performance from Margaret Lockwood as the feisty heroine.

An early film of his own that Hitchcock was less pleased with, The Man Who Knew Too Much, would later go on to be remade by himself in Technicolor with James Stewart and Doris Day. The first had been too quick-paced and snappy, with a rather odd performance from Peter Lorre, but this one entertained perfectly, with a nice little song (Que Sera, Sera), thrown in. With a larger scale, the Albert Hall scene truly shone in this film.

Hitchcock is a very consistent director. Like anyone, he makes mistakes (Under Capricorn, Stage Fright and Frenzy didn’t impress me at all), but of all my favourite filmmakers, he has made the most films that I rate 8/10 or more. Sometimes he might resort to use his crowd-pleasing formula, as in Shadow of a Doubt or Suspicion, to produce, atmospheric, jumpy thrillers, but sometimes he’ll fancy a challenge and create a film that sets the standard in cinema.

James Stewart and Cary Grant are Hitch’s two key collaborators. The former uses his “Aww shucks” demeanour perfectly in each of his performances, balancing good-guy innocence with what is relatively rare for Stewart in anything other than Hitch films, intensity. In Rope, he played a very un-Stewartish role, as a cynical intellectual, but witness the passion behind his little monologue in the final act. He would visit this type of on-screen persona again in 58’s Vertigo.

Cary Grant is in Hitchcock’s films as more of romantic model. In Notorious, he had appropriate coldness as Ingrid Bergman’s heartbreaker, slowly falling in love with her but unwilling to show his feelings. And in the light To Catch a Thief, Cary Grant was basically playing himself. He was twice Grace Kelly’s age at the time, but Hitchcock did the wise thing of pairing the two together, and together, they deliver escapism at its most fun.


1954 was a great year for Hitchcock, where he collaborated with leading lady Gracy Kelly twice. First was smart men-getting-what-they-deserve Dial M for Murder, which sported an excellent premise and a genuinely dislike villain in the scheming husband. Then came Rear Window, which, on top of being completely thrilling, featured some of the best chemistry in a Hitchcock film between Stewart and Kelly, and was also beautifully shot. This time, Hitchcock was not afraid to make his viewers think, and Rear Window has been deemed voyeurism, and poses the question, are all humans, like L.B., just voyeurs into other people’s worlds? Who would have thought that a film set in just one room could be so rousing and intelligent? All the experience from doing this with Rope and Lifeboat came together, and Hitchcock invents his best film, sophisticated, compelling, and the work of a master.

Two popular Hitchcockian themes are secrets and obsession. These feature heavily in his well-crafted masterpiece, Vertigo, which features the best dream sequence in the history of cinema. Kim Novak plays the mysterious female lead with conviction, and haunts, even though she does not say a word for the first 50 minutes of the film. Being Hitchcock, nothing in the film is as it seems, but all the better for it, as he weaves tension, deliria, human emotion as well as visual style.

As far as the 60s went, Hitchcock wasn’t on his amazing form, but still managed to make two films that I enjoyed – The Birds, and Psycho. The Birds was eerie, quite beautifully, and managed a few scares, and Hitchcock’s influence on cinema is evident even today, if you compare this film to the likes of say, Signs. I’m not as big a fan of Psycho as the AFI are, but it was genuinely creepy, and nobody could make a better Psycho than Anthony Perkins. Though I still maintain that the book was better.

Sadly, the greatest film director to live is no longer with our. But his influences still are. Spielberg, Shyamalan, and various other thieves name him as an influence. But they will never match his masterworks, because I know for a fact that this man, someone who can make you think, be entertained, feel and be afraid all at the same time, is in a class of his own.

Best Films
01. Rear Window
02. Rebecca
03. Dial M For Murder
04. Vertigo
05. Strangers on a Train
06. Spellbound
07. Notorious
08. The 39 Steps
09. I Confess
10. The Lady Vanishes

Best Direction
01. Vertigo
02. Rear Window
03. Psycho
04. North by Northwest
05. Rebecca

Reviews of Hitch's films: Dial M for Murder

30. Alessandro Nivola.

Junebug, Goal, or whatever, he's like, fine.

(I'm in a good mood because Parent's Evening was wonderful, and therefore am giving Mr. Nivola some space all to himself.)

P.S. I'm going through my old Photobucket account. Which of these 10 random pictures do you like the most?
01. This?
02. This?
03. This?
04. This?
05. This?
06. This?
07. This?
08. This?
09. This?
or
10. This?

(If you want an explanation of why a picture is there, feel free to ask.)

Marilyn Monroe, what a class act.

“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss, and fifty cents for your soul.”

“I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.”

“I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful.”

Christmas is Near.

Download this song. Seriously. Excuse the fact that Sarah McLachlan has the same surname as an extremely crappy actor, just enjoy this song. It's beautiful.

Christmas soon.

The History Boys

Sorry I haven't written a decent film review for so long. Blame School. That, and the fact that I just haven't bothered. :)

It’s Sheffield, early 1980s, and eight talented students have achieved top grades at A-level and have Oxbridge in their sights. The problem? “They’re clever but they’re crass.” So along comes Stephen Campbell Moore, a radical History teacher to change their manners, style, and even teach them to change History... Sadly, the boys’ new found adoration for History and the musings of Nietzsche mean that their interest in the lessons of homosexual teacher Hector (Richard Griffiths, excellent) is displaced, and this film, with its many themes lined up, examines the school, its students and learning History.

The History Boys is a film I connect and love for many reasons. The performances are stellar, and Stephen Campbell Moore and Samuel Barnett are standouts in the film, for their portrayals of the creative, innovative teacher and the sweet, sensitive gay teenager respectively. Samuel Barnett especially; he basically owned this movie, and every scene that he was in, I adored. He gives his gawky character such a tenderness of spirit and kind soul that it’s impossible not to love him.


But every member of the cast is a treat to watch; Dominic Cooper embracing the lead with vivacity, charm, and that raffish charm of an 80s teenager. Richard Griffiths is also excellent, and lends some warmth to his potentially disturbing portrayal of a man with an unnatural penchant for groping his students in return for a student-led lesson such as “How to use the present subjunctive in a French brothel”. The cast bind the wonderful Alan Bennett script together beautifully, and the chemistry and rapport between all the characters is unmatched, natural, and a total delight to watch. This by-the-book adaptation of Bennett’s play doesn’t add anything to the play, but that’s simply a good thing, because the genius and vibrancy of the play is fabulous already.

Though depicting a High school in the 80s, I could still connect with this movie with my 21st century ideals. The teacher/student frictions and development of their relationship and respect is well-drawn and intelligent. The wit in which the process of getting into Oxbridge is shown, is reflective of nowadays, and there are one-liners here that are bound to raise a smile (“History? It’s just one f-cking thing after another, isn’t it?). Lastly, a cool 80s soundtrack guides our protagonists through the story with ease and warmth.

A fantastically enjoyable, uplifting experience, The History Boys can be enjoyed by everyone, from a Cambridge-educated boffin to someone who just wants a laugh. You’ll end up being drawn in by each character, hoping for their successes, and being moved by the relationships depicted in the movie. The best film of the year so far; it even makes you remember the good things about History...

Beautiful woman...

Pity about the film

The 100 Hottest Celebrities: 70-61.

Ladies, I am so good to you. Not only do I list the babes (as well as their profession in case there's someone else in the world with their exact same name), but I browsing the net for hot pictures of them to! Wow.

70. Matthew MacFadyen (actor, Pride & Prejudice, "Spooks")
69. Philip Seymour Hoffman (actor, Capote, The 25th Hour)
68. Joaquin Phoenix (actor, Walk the Line, The Village)
67. Hugh Jackman (actor, The Prestige, Scoop)
66. Paul Thomas Anderson (director, Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia)
65. Elijah Wood (actor, Sin City, Green Street)
64. Aaron Lennon (footballer, England, Tottenham)
63. Paul Rudd (actor, "Friends", The 40-Year-Old Virgin)
62. Brad Pitt (actor, Babel, Ocean’s 12)
61. Clive Owen (actor, Children of Men, Closer)


And do continue trying to guess mine. So far the guesses have been decent. But too short. :P

Disorientation.

Current mood: odd. I had a great day at the cinema, then went to a friend's house and saw an old "chum". (yes, them). It was so uncomfortable. But sort of a relief too. It's hard to explain. But I feel totally disorientated, and this emotional chess actually makes me miss the easy-to-translate days of getting pissed off at my Year 11 form tutor, or getting embarrassed at getting caught knitting by my MacroEconomics teacher.

Song to represent my mood: Please Please Please (Fiona Apple.)

Download it if you so wish.

Lyrics:

Please please please
No more melodies
They lack impact, they're petty
They've been made up already
Please please please
No more maladies
I'm so tired of crying
You'd think I was a siren
But me and
everybody's on the sad same team
And you can hear our sad brain screaming
Give us something familiar*
Something similar
To what we know
already
That will keep us steady
Steady
Steady going nowhere

Please please please
No apologies
At best they buy you time
Until you next step out of line
Please please please
No more
remedies
My method is uncertain
It's a mess but it's working
And
maybe if you tried it out
You won't like it when you're crying out
Give
us something familiar
Something similar
To what we know already
That
will keep us steady
Steady, steady
Steady going nowhere

Please
please please
No more melodies
They lack impact, they're petty
They've been made up already
Please please please
No more maladies
I'm so tired of crying
You'd think I was a siren
But me and
everybody's on the sad same team and
You can hear our sad brain screaming
Give us something familiar
Something similar
To what we know already
That will keep us steady
Steady, steady, steady, steady
Steady going
nowhere

Please please please
No apologies
At best they buy you
time
Until you next step out of line
Please please please
No more
remedies
My method is uncertain
It's a mess but it's working
And
maybe if you want to try it out
You won't like it when you're crying out
Give me something familiar
Somethin' similar
To what we know already
That will keep us steady
Steady, steady
Steady going nowhere

So, the films I saw today were

So, the films I saw today were ...
Little Children
Curious, very curious. Essentially, I feel let down, as I was greatly anticipating this. What let me down the most? Newman's score. I really had convinced myself that this would be his path to an Oscar, and the score just didn't do enough to be worth even a nomination. Anyway, that aside, I was pretty disturbed by a lot in this movie. I think we all see now that comparisons to American Beauty were inaccurate, as the two movies are totally different, except in the ending, which I thought was quite well done. Performance wise, Winslet was very good in her nuance, and my pick for third or forth best Lead Actress this year. Patrick Wilson was impressive, and Connely made the most of her limited screen time. However, I think Jackie Earle Haley gave the best performance in the movie as the paedophile, and the part with castration was just disgusting. Everyone in the audience groaned. Anyway, as I said, very curious, well made and some parts were excellently handled. The narration, however, I felt, did nothing for the film. A weird movie. B.

Borat
Hilarious. Stupid, but utterly, utterly, hilarious, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Whilst watching it, I laughed so much, I choked on my popcorn. Not for the easily offended, very un-PC, and makes a joke of things from Judaism, to the war in Iraq, to racism. But it is hilarious. In retrospect, you’ll scold yourself for finding something so immature so funny, but fun whilst it lasts. A-

I'll Empty You.

Your delicious
Dreaming
Slack jawed
Green eyed
Rub my nose in
Icing sugar
Smooth as
When this cold
and deadly
Blade
Kissed the fruit
So soft
And gently breathing
Under your skin

Oh I'll empty you
I'll empty you
As empty as a
boy can be
As empty
As a boy can be

Very sexy.

November Has Come!

I completely forgot to mention this!

Anyway, a pretty picture of the season to mark the occasion:



Well you know, november has come
When it´s gone away..



November Blues.

The 100 Hottest Celebrities.

Men, that is. As it's the first time I've done this, I don't know how you'd like it done. For the first installment of babes, just click on their names for their pictures. But if you would rather I just show the pictures, tell me and I'll do that.

OK. Enjoy!

Oh, discalimer: I realise that most people aren’t likely to love this list. Oh well. In my defence, I am a hormonal teenager. Who really likes her men. If they’re called Peter Crouch. And I don’t necessarily like the personalities of a lot of these people, or their work (Ashton Kutcher, Keanu Reeves, the list goes on). I think it’s important that we get that clear.

100. Mark Wahlberg (actor, The Departed, The Italian Job)
99. Paddy Considine (actor, Dead Man’s Shoes, My Summer of Love)
98. Salomon Kalou (footballer, Ivory Coast, Chelsea)
97. Michael Pitt (actor, Last Days, The Dreamers)
96. Adam Brody (actor, "The O.C.")
95. Andy Lau (actor, House of Flying Daggers)
94. Mark Ruffalo (actor, Just Like Heaven, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
93. Andriy Shevchenko (footballer, Ukraine, Chelsea)
92. Ashton Kutcher (actor, The Guardian, "Punk’d!")
91. Owen Hargreaves(footballer, England, Bayern Munich)


So... comments! Can't see why I like them? Ask and I'll attempt to explain. Want more of a certain person? Ask and ye shall receive.

Will Jake top?

Well, will he?

November 3rd, ladies. That's tomorrow, by the way.

So... where will Jonathon be?

Friday 3rd November: New Top 100 Countdown. Except this time it's a little less talent orientated. It will be...

100 Hottest Celebrities

It shall be nice.