The Hangover with Bradley Cooper

I really have to see this movie again. Not too soon, but after I forgot some of the jokes. I don’t know why a friend of mine said this film wasn’t that funny: I was laughing my butt off during the entire movie.

I like Bradley Cooper. I have been watching him act since Alias (2001-2006). The first role I had seen him was of a very nice guy. He played the best friend to Jennifer Garner’s Sydney. Then I saw him as the ultimate asshole in the Wedding Crashers that gave hell to Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s characters. His roles haven’t exactly been very difficult or diverse but he is believable and fun to watch whether he is a nice guy or the jackass. He has given the performance that his roles required him too. In The Hangover he is neither a sweetheart like his Alias character Will Tippin nor a psycho. He is a nice guy at school- he is a school teacher. And with friends, he is the ultimate party animal who is never shy of speaking his opinion or making fun of his friends.

The plot gives enough potential for a good time: The groom-to-be Doug, his future wife’s wacky brother Alan and Doug’s two oldest best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu. Phil is married with a kid and there’s no way he is going to miss a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Stu has been with his dominating, bitchy and controlling girlfriend for 3 years and though he is planning to marry her, he is also more than glad to be in Vegas whereas she thinks he is in Napa Valley. Alan is….Alan is a hilarious sight to look at. He is not normal and not very predictable, to say the very least. Doug seems like the most normal man among them. He is ready to commit and is happy to be getting married, despise Phil’s ranting about how awful marriage is. So they get on the car Doug’s father-in-law gives him they head out.

It all starts harmlessly but funnily enough. They get dressed, have drinks and go out. The movie cuts to the morning after. The room has been thrashed, there is a hem walking around, there are women leaving and when Alan goes to the bathroom there is real,life-size tiger waiting for him! In a panic he wakes Phil up. They are all suffering from the worst hangover, and worst of all Doug is nowhere to be seen. There is a baby in a closet and no one can recall anything!

So they put they heads together and try to trace their steps back. Three best-men and no groom!

When the movie finished, my stomach was hurting from laughing too hard. While the concept of a Vegas bachelor party gone awry is not original, what happens to the guys are. Another interesting thing about their story is that we don’t know what happened and they don’t know what happened. Every piece of the puzzle is more entertaining than the one before. Of course it is below the belt, crude and sometimes well…the movie takes it too far but it doesn’t matter in he end ’cause you just had a blast watching it! One of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

END NOTE: The movie was written and directed by Todd Phillips who also co-wrote and directed Old School and Road Trip. Road Trip was OK, and Old School was really funny. However I think I prefer Hangover. See it.

The Hangover: The baby belongs to a woman who....Nah, I am not gonna say it.

Funny People with Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Eric Bana

I was really looking forward to this movie. I had seen the trailer and I thought : “Cool! We are going to watch a half-funny, half- dramatic film!” Well the movie was a little dramatic and a little funny but that’s all. And that can’t really get you through 153 minutes (146, if it is not unrated). I am not saying it was all bad, but there were so many unnecessary scenes and so many useless lines- it just doesn’t work.

So George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a successful, highly popular and very rich comedic actor. He has come a long way from stand-up comics. He doesn’t have a problem picking women and all looks fine for him-until he goes to the doctor’s and finds out he is terminally ill. He examines his life. He realizes he has screwed up when he ruined things with the love of his life, Laura (Leslie Mann). Laura left George when he cheated on her and went on to marry an Australian called Clarke (Eric Bana) who apparently cheats on her too. But she has two kids with him…

George doesn’t have any real friends either. When he goes back to the stage for live comedy (probably for nostalgic reasons), he meets a clumsy,not-so-funny Ira and for some reason decides to have him work for him. Ira is ecstatic- he is writing jokes and assisting his favorite funny man.

Ira has two close friends: Leo (Jonah Hill) a comic a little funnier (supposedly) than him and Mark (Jason Schwartzman) who plays in a sitcom that Ira can’t really stand to watch.

So the movie concentrates on relationships and trusts the dialogs: Between George and Ira, Ira and his buddies, Ira and Laura and later on my favorite : when Clarke comes from a business trip to find George and Ira at home with his wife and kids.

There are things I like about the movie, I can’t say I despised it. Let me write down the likes first:

+ Eric Bana: Don’t tell me it is because he looks good because he doesn’t , not here. But he is a good actor and his role & over-the-top Australian accent is funny. He is a real Aussie but that’s not how he actually speaks…And there were some good jokes that came from Ira about why they shouldn’t mess with him.

+ Seth Rogen: I normally don’t like him. I despised his character in Knocked-Up, he just wasn’t funny. But in this movie, he is the only character that is well…humane and at least slightly likable. With all his failures and good intentions, he was fun to watch. He has also some funny takes on who makes it successful in life. And Ira’s stand-up scenes at least one or two funny moments.

Dislikes:

- Leslie Mann’s Laura: She was fine and likable at first but later she just got…OK, so she can forgive a cheater ex (Adam Sandler) because he is dying. Fair enough. But then he gets better and she suddenly acts like he is the one that got away and her husband is an asshole..and..yeah the problem is Clarke isn’t actually that big an asshole, he is certainly not worse than George. So you sympathize with…no one, really! Ira is OK but then he really acts like a crybaby most of the time and you just want him to tell George to stick it.

-The Brat Pack: I don’t have anything against Brat Packs or crude comedy- as long as the combination works. I like the group of Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson and well, I adore Old School. But if you are going to throw in lots of swearing and abrasive language, please make sure it is funny!

-The stand-up acts: The movie involves so many scenes with them. It just slows the movie down. Really slows it down, because they are just not funny 99% of the time.

- Duration : You really shouldn’t have a story pretending to be profound for 153 minutes, when you could have a much more effective and much funnier story told in 90 minutes! I thought it was ironic. In one scene Laura tells George to cut the swearing and he jokes that then he wouldn’t have a third act. I wish Leslie Mann had told the same thing to real life husband Judd Apatow. Yes, brat pack and family members….Ouch!

In wish I had known the movie was Judd Apatow’s and his brat pack’s.His movie making is just my style. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy 40-year-old virgin, the movie had a lot of funny moments. But I was really bored during Knocked Up. It wasn’t funny, I didn’t like any of the characters and if a comedy doesn’t make you laugh, you feel bad. I have nothing against Sandler- I actually really like some of his movies, like The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, The Longest Yard and Anger Management. But the elements in the movies just don’t work. Indiviudally, Bana,Sandler and Rogen are good. The idea of the story is fine. Cameos are fun. But..that’s pretty much it. And it certainly didn’t help that I watched this movie on the same day I watched Hangover. Hangover is my next post- it is directed by the Old School director Todd Philips. And it is a perfect example of how you can be crass and funny without being boring and irrelevant.

Gerard Butler hosts Saturday Night Live

Have you seen Matthew Perry’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip? It is a solid drama that takes you behind the scenes of a sketch-comedy TV show and shows the interesting yet frustrating life of its makers. The fictional comedy show epicted in the series really remind me of Saturday Night Live. Maybe they were inspired by it, I don’t know. I guess it can be pretty challenging to come up with funny ideas week after week. As a result, you can’t make everyone happy and you can’t make everyone laugh till they cry with every sketch. So while it is fun to check out Saturday Night Live once in a while, I am not a regular viewer. It is not always funny, hell- not all sketches in one night can always be funny. Hey, my favorite comedian is Jim Carrey and some of his stints there sucked!

That being said, I love seeing Gerard Butler on TV. He is very funny and has a good sense of humor: The guy knows how to entertain. So I checked out how funny Butler could be in such a different format than he is used to. He has played in a lot of movies and tv shows that belong to different genres but this is his first time hosting (and acting in) a show like this.

THE INTRO:

Gerard Butler singing The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera

Now, my favorite moment might be when Gerard first comes to the stage. He looks fun, cool and handsome. And he starts with how proud he is about being the first Scot to host SNL. He does later categorize his movie parts into two parts: the ones where he wears a shirt and the ones he doesn’t. So he decides to make a little tribute to the Phantom of the Opera-and starts singing The Music of the Night. Of course then people in funny costumes (tributes to Attila, Beowulf and Grendel) and other action movies come and try to kill him- but he manages to dispose of them, while maintainig his beautiful singing voice. But him singing a serious opera song with Vikings and ninjas attacking him and him fighting them on stage is hilarious. Just when he thinks he is safe and is joined by one of the female regulars of SNL, she takes out a dagger and tries to stab him while shouting: “Take your shirt off!! Take your shirt off’!”. I had fun!

So take a look at what happened with the ones that feature Gerry:

Randy and Greg:

Wasn’t funny. Was weird enough though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-C0T-3fVwk&feature=related

The Beauty and the Beast

Gerard Butler is playing the Beast! Ha- bloody ha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syyvucpbAlQ

- As ridiculous as it sounds, Gerard Butler plays the beast. But the funny part about this stint is that The Beast thinks he is the pretty one. Imagine the shock of The Beauty when she finds out!

Cottage Cheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3wvt4mI2DA

I honestly have no idea why this is supposed to be funny, but the weird secretary’s shrill of a voice still haunts me. I go around the house imitating “Thomasssss…. Thomasss…. Look!”

300

Gerard Butler makes a parody of his character in 300 and the movie itself. This is priceless!

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbjLDQFskJE

(* This link also includes and starts with the Scottish translation sketch.)

I am not that much of a fan when it comes to 300 though I appreciate the hard work and talent that has been put into the movie. Hell, Butler himself went through an excruciating exercise routine to get the body he had as Leonidas the King of Sparta (he worked out up to 6 hours a day) and all the soldiers were similarly well-built. It also takes one hell of an imagination to act in front of a blue screen all the time, since most of the background was added afterwards. But I am not crazy about the movie. And the parody is just hilarious. It rotates around the “fact” that how gay the 300 men were. You really should see it. All jokes are funny. Loved it.

Leonidas: 40% of Sparta considers homosexuality an illness.

A soldier: 40% of Sparta doesn’t believe you were born in Greece!

Leonidas: (takes out a stone tablet that his name is carved on) I have a birth certificate!!!

DAVEHEART

Daveheart is a hilarious Braveheart parody. Now Braveheart is my favorite movie. I love everything about it, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good parody. This one is hilarious. If you haven’t seen Braveheart, a quick reminder: William Wallace is an actual Scottish hero, portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie. The English rule unfairly and violently. Wallace marries the girl he loves secretly because The English are known to invade weddings and claim the bride. But they kill her and in order to take revenge, he gathers the Scots into an army. The movie is famous for one of the most inspiring battlefield speeches. In the movie, soldiers are scared and Wallace turns unwilling peasants into brave warriors. So yeah- there is no Dave in the movie. :D.

SOLDIER: How can we surrender? The English deflower our virgin brides on their wedding nights!

DAVE: Well, first of all none of your wives were virgins on their wedding nights. There’re six girls in our village and like a hundred guys…So noone is a virgin.

Gerard Butler is supposedly Dave, William Wallace's cowardly brother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDEEnT7LzjU

THE TRANSLATION

Gerard Butler joins the news as himself, and wants to talk to his family in the heaviest of Scottish accents and asks the anchorman to translate. Of course the translation is a little bit different…

Butler:… most fun I have had since I made 300. Man, that movie was great.

The Anchor: … most fun I have had since I made 300. Man, that movie was gay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbjLDQFskJE

WHITE PETE

OK- I have no idea how this stint is supposed to be funny – but Gerry’s weird singer character and his mimics can put a grin on your face. Oh, and I don’t know what James Franco is doing there- but I like the guy, so…yeah, that’s about it.

P.S: The one with The Rock: Now the first sketch doesn’t involve Gerry but I really enjoyed it: Barack Obama is having a difficult time with the healthcare reform – people just want him to fail. So he gets really angry and angry- and…remember what happens to the Hulk? Except Obama doesn’t turn into a green giant of a man but to The Rock- Dwayne Johnson. Now- yeah, that does intimidate the White House guests…

OK, WOW!!!

It is an award-winning short movie from 1999 and it really inspired me to make and watch short movies. I don’t usually think that a powerful story can be told in a little over 13 minutes, but this film just does it. Despite the bad image quality (the only way to see this film was through youtube for me), I was hooked. I wish it had been longer and I really wished it was a theater released full-length film. It is just another example that shows why Gerard Butler is never going to be typecast. We have seen him act as muscle-bound epic heroes (Attila, 300), as a loving husband with a great sense of humor (P.S. I love You), a wiseass guys’ guy that gives relationship advice (The Ugly Truth), a seemingly perfect family and career man who just might not be actually that great (Butterfly on a Wheel) and well a phantom (The Phantom of the Opera)…The list goes on.

In this movie, Gerard Butler plays Peter, a struggling novelist who is depressed, furious and desperate. His career hasn’t taken off, and moreover his wife and kid have left him long ago. He is lonely and extremely frustrated. He has a gun in which a he puts one bullet and starts to play Russian Roulette while visiting his wife and his agent. And while the ending might not be a shock, it still blew my mind- the way it is presented is just brilliant.

The only fault I can find with the movie is that it is too damn short. Kudos to Paul Black, the writer and director, and to Gerard Butler.

You can watch the whole movie online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiCw8V_pF9o

 

my previous posts on Gerard Butler and his movies:

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/gerard-butler/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/attila-2001/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/the-ugly-truth/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/lara-croft-tomb-raider-the-cradle-of-life/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/dear-frankie-2004/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/beuwolf-and-grendel-2005/

http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/girls-and-badasses/

A Perfect Getaway with Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Mila Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez and Chris Hemsworth

 

for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGdcG76uyNc

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney ( Mila Jovovich) are newlyweds who are in Hawaii for their honeymoon. However the exotic backpacking/trekking vacation gets a little complicated when they learn that there is a couple who have been murdering people on the island. They have met two couples so far: Kale and Cleo – a hitchhiking couple they might have annoyed: the guy seems to be holding a grudge against them and Nick (Timothy Olyphant) & Gina (Kiele Sanchez)- who have actually joined their vacation plans. They seem fun and friendly, yet their eccentricities might be bordering on dangerous.

Now we as the audience know that there’s a murderous couple. We start to play a who- are- the-killers game. It is fun and it is not meant to be disturbing or scary. It is an intriguing movie with amazing scenery. It is more of an adventure than a thriller with interesting characters. I especially enjoyed Kiele Sanchez’s and Chris Hemsworth’s performances- though Chris doesn’t have that much screen time, he is good at arousing suspicion. He is a talented Australian who I hope we will see more in the future.

The movie is by no means perfect and it doesn’t have the potential to be a cult movie. I don’t mean to give spoilers but you might feel some dialogs could have been better structured. But…forget about what you might call plot holes and just enjoy.

Chris Hemsworth in A Perfect Getaway

Timothy Olyphant

Have you seen “The Girl Next Door” ? It is a fun comedy: a teenager (Emile Hirsch) falls in love with the girl next door (Elisha Cuthbert). The problem is she’s a porn star and her producer Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) doesn’t have any plans of letting her live a cute fantasy with her boyfriend. It’s a funny, harmless little movie and this is the first movie I have ever seen Timothy Olyphant in. The thing is I just thought Kelly was a nuisance and a morally corrupt character and didn’t think much of him. It wasn’t a difficult role. And I didn’t even find him remotely attractive.

Timothy Olyphant in The Girl Next Door

And I completely forgot about him. Then I saw Catch and Release.

CATCH AND RELEASE (2006)

Timothy Olyphant and Jennifer Garner in Catch and Release

I actually didn’t even recognize him. He didn’t look that different and it wasn’t like he had a wild change with his image. But this role was completely different.

Gray is barely hanging on. Her fiancé has just died, she is broke and his friends are basically are all she’s got. So she moves in with Dennis and Sam. And Fritz is sticking around for some reason, though he seems to be getting on everybody’s nerves. Gray has accidentally witnessed Fritz having sex at the funeral and she has been mad at him ever since. But as time passes, Gray discovers some truths about her dead fiancé and realizes that maybe he wasn’t as great as he thought he was. First she finds out he has a secret account she never knew about and has been regularly sending money to a person- and then she learns that person is the mother of his child. To make matter worse, he has been cheating on her. While Sam is lost in his own depression and Dennis seems way too considerate for a friend, it is Fritz that helps her cope with these new facts and helps her have fun. Fritz may not be perfect, but he is not the jerk she thought he was.

Timothy Olyphant as Fritz

The minute you see Fritz, you just want Gray to get over her fiancé’s death and her hatred for Fritz soon and well, hang out with Fritz so that he will have much screen time. He is good-looking, fun and whatever stupid things he might have done, it is not that easy to judge him since he has lost a close friend and everybody has a different way of coping. And you want her to stop mourning when you realize the guy was a tw0-timing liar and had been with another woman for years without her knowing it. And the more you know Fritz, the more like him. He is fun, sweet and well gorgeous. So it is weird falling for your fiancés friend and him falling for you, but it is a fun,emotional film. It is not original but then I don’t think it ever tried to be. It is also a question of how well we really know the people we think we know really well.

Below is the link to one of my favorite scenes. Gray has just found out that her fiancés kid is much younger than Fritz initially told him,which means he had been cheating on her for years. Fritz was just trying to soften the blow on her. Now, she is very mad at her fiancé- which is good, so she doesn’t really feel guilty about Fritz. The scene also happens to be one of the best kisses in a movie. Impulsive and passionate, and still managing to be gentle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9lt4v04FTA&feature=related

DEADWOOD (2004-2006)

Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock in Deadwood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guxNtlktMbU&feature=related

It’s a western/drama/thriller and Timothy Olyphant is one of the leads. If you have seen Deadwood after Catch and Release, it is a lot more surprising to see Timothy go all wild west on his audience. As Fritz, he was an advertising hotshot with a place in Malibu. Here, he is a much more complicated character as the Sheriff. He is not nearly as composed, and as a modern man for his time, he seems to have a hard time excepting the horrifying level of crime and violence going on in the town. He has 0 tolerance for betrayal and he prefers speaking his mind to acting diplomatically. The show has two seasons and it is highly rated.

The movie also uses a very free language, meaning: brace yourself for some R-rated dialogue. Note that one of the characters’ names is Swearengen and it is not a coincidence.

Live free or Die Hard

Timothy Olyphant as the villain in Live Free or Die Hard

 

There are two impressive things about Timothy, one about his looks and one about his acting. Now, Timothy is normally a young-looking actor. In Catch and Release, I just couldn’t believe he was 37! However a year later, he plays the villain in the 4th movie of the Die Hard series and he suddenly looks seasoned. He didn’t age overnight,of course. He is just really good at adapting to his role. He had to be a guy who seeked vengeance for what felt like wrong doing on his part and he just takes this revenge thing on everyone. It just wouldn’t look convincing if he looked like a man fresh out of college; his nemesis is Bruce Willis, for god’s sake! However, Tim’s character is one of the coolest, most cold-blooded villains seen on screen- and he brought the role facial expressions I had never seen him do before. I don’t know a lot of actors who can do that. Yes, there are a lot of good actors but their expressions/way of acting don’t really differ that much or cease surprising you at one point. The last time I was pleasantly surprised like this was by Robert De Niro’s performance in Stardust- I have seen his 3 decades of movies and it was the first time a role of his and his portrayal surprised me.

It is not just Tim’s performance though. Live Free or Die Hard is a solid action movie. It sure includes some physically impossible stuff but hey it is John McClane we are talking about, it is expected. The explosions and chasing and plotting are great. The villain is not just muscles, but brains- who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty/bloody when he needs to. His smooth delivery and coolness make an impressive, chilly effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khwHUyt-CYQ&feature=related is the trailer.

HITMAN (2007)

Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47 in Hitman

 

Hitman is based on a very popular computer game. Agent 47 has been raised as a kid to be the perfect assassin. No emotions, no complications. Just get the mission, get it done, and get out. An impressive bank balance, no conscience and no emotions. He can get himself out of any danger and you seriously do not want to mess with him. However some people do, and things go awry. After all, the people who “programmed” him have forgotten that no matter how “mechanic” they trained him to be, he is still human. He is also surprised to see he has some feelings he can’t define, which starts after meeting his female target: a Russian hooker (Olga Kurylenko), whose political figure boyfriend might very well involved in the conspiracy.

I actually laughed when some people commented that Timothy’s acting was flat. Did they pay attention to anything going on in the movie? 47 was raised to show and feel no signs of emotion. He is based on a computer character. He is supposed to be flat. But later with the Russian girl, he starts to feel a variety of mixed emotions and he portrays the different levels of reaction perfectly. The movie is fast and it is entertaining as hell. We go to different places in the world, including Russia and Turkey with the characters. There’s lots of action- both with weaponry and fighting. There is also a subtle sense of humor and it is fun to watch Agent 47 begin to change and how he deals with himself. A scene where she’s trying to seduce him and he gives her a sedative shot to get her off him is just plain hilarious. There is also a fun nod at the computer game. I like mindless action. Bring it on!!!

Trailer for the Hitman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUAURAgF2Kc&feature=related

A link for one of the best scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9EyP38SIM&feature=related

A PERFECT GETAWAY (2007)

A Perfect Getaway with Timothy Olyphant

Timothy is featured in the show Damages, but I already wrote about it. So I am gonna end the post with one of his latest movies, a thriller called A Perfect Getaway. I just got my hands on the movie and haven’t seen it yet but am quite looking forward to it. With this, Timothy is back to his familiar gorgeous look- which suits the exotic and dangerous vacation theme of the movie.

The great thing about him is that he is a very versatile actor. I could only feature some of his films here. He has had no problems playing a bisexual character falling for his gay boyfriend’s female best friend (Advice from a Caterpillar), a cold-blooded villain (Live Free or Die Hard), a highly professional killer (Hitman), a misunderstood nice guy (Catch and Release); an annoyingly slick TV reporter with no moral principles (Bill), a sheriff in the old west (Deadwood), a drug dealer (Go)….Well the list speaks for itself. It is great that he is very good-looking, and that he doesn’t show his 41 years- which gives him the opportunity to play more kinds of roles.

It is also impressive that he is married with 3 kids and that he has been married since 1991. He has been around for a while and it seems like the movie-makers seem are smart enough to take advantage of this skilled actor. Hope he gets the credit he deserves.

Timothy Olyphant, 90s. I don't really see much of a difference...

 

my post about Timothy in Damages: http://inthenameofmovies.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/damages-when-your-favorite-big-screen-actors-go-tv/

“Nothing like a bad ass to make a girl’s heart beat faster.”

The quote above belongs to Gerard Butler. He said it in an interview about dating and he does have a point. This might be the reality for some women, just like there are men who are just drawn to bitchy and manipulative women who break their hearts. The idea that women just love and can’t get enough of bad boys has inspired endless songs, books and scripts. But one group’s reality is another group’s myth. For me, it is a myth. It’s an excuse for men who do not want to understand what a girl really wants or to give themselves an excuse to act like jackasses. Here’s a quote from the hilarious TV show Friends- which I love:

Chandler: You are such a nice guy means I am going to be dating leather-wearing alcoholics and complaining about them to you… (season 01,episode 03, part before the opening credits)

Now, most of you probably know that Chandler was not a leather wearing alcoholic and he was a reasonably nice guy but his dating record sucked because he just couldn’t handle it when a girl actually acted normal. He once obsessed over a girl not calling him and waited by the phone for days and when it turned out that she really didn’t get his messages so she came to see him, he labeled her desperate and was turned off. Mind you, this is the same guy who stared at the phone for days!!!

I don’t like bad guys. I love hot men, which is not the same thing. A man isn’t hot because he is bad. Acting like an asshole is a turn-off, at least for me. Take Jon Bon Jovi for an example. I love the fact that he is happily married (and to his high school sweetheart that is) with kids – not because my biological clock is ticking or something (I don’t want kids like ever and I am in no rush to get married) but because it is impressive when a rocker that famous and that gorgeous can be loyal and committed, which makes him seem even more attractive to me. Now, I don’t know if he has cheated. I hope he hasn’t- if he has- it takes some serious hotness points. Sure, I will still think he is gorgeous- but I wouldn’t respect him the same. And if a guy cheats, he deserves some serious ass- kicking and to find himself out the door, hot or not.

Jon Bon Jovi. Now Jon has been married to the same woman since 1989. Hats off.

My point is?

Loyalty= Hot

Bad Ass Behavior such as Cheating = Not!

Maybe we help inspire bad boy myths as well. I mean we watch movies and fall for characters like Patrick Swayze’s Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing.

Patrick Swayze symbolized everything a woman could want in a man. He had been happily married for over 30 years with his wife when he died. He has been with her since he was 19. Now, that's hot.

Johnny does wear leather and boy, does he look good in it. He is handsome and beautiful. He is a dancer so he does have the body to die for. He sleeps around with the women at the holiday resort he is working at. Now, why shouldn’t he? Women want him. But girls do not fall for Johnny because of it. They fall for him because he is a nice guy and he just stops messing around when he starts dating Baby (his love interest in Dirty Dancing). That’s what makes his character so irresistable- the commitment he makes, even though every female wants him. A good face and a body are fine features, but it is the romantic gestures we love. Oh, and how vulnerable he can be despite the muscles is also very adorable,in the sexiest way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1OGN-1QhHI This video shows one of the million reasons why women of all generations love Johnny Castle.

The Ugly Truth shows that the truth doesn’t have to be ugly if you can get the person you want and get them by being exactly who you are. The overly confident, sexually experienced and very good-looking character Mike Chadway is all fun and games and teaches Abby  (Katherine Heigl) how to manipulate a guy, talks openly about every dirty thing that crosses a guy’s mind. But when he actually starts to like Abby, his confidence disappears. The scene where he is trying to get the guts to go to her room and tell her how he feels is what makes the character Mike so likeable. Sure, Gerard Butler is always hot – so naturally Mike is a hunk, but it is not until Abby sees what he is like with his nephew, that she starts to like him. In the beginning of the movie, Mike just stops being sexy the minute he starts talking.

Who wants a guy who talks about blow-jobs,wedges and asses for fun and for a living???

Gerard Butler is hot. So is his Mike Chadway in the Ugly Truth. But there are all lovels of hotness. And the cuter Mike acts, the hotter he looks.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HxWSEu-pF4 is the link to the dance scene in the Ugly Truth. After this scene, Abby just struggles with her self not to make out with Mike and of course can’t help it in the end. Not because he is a jerk. But he can so dance.

Some guys are so attractive that you think they are probably jerks. The ego issues and all that. What’s really hot  is a guy who is not really bad guys but just is misunderstood. You see, Gerry- we don’t like you because we think you are a bad-ass. We like you because you are funny, you can make fun of yourself and you are nice to people. And it is OK if you are sleeping around, you are single!!!

Anyway, if the whole badass theory was entirely correct, romantic comedies with all the romantic good boys wouldn’t be such a profitable industry. You can look like a bad boy. It is hot. Being one, not so much!

Vampires are mesmerizing beings. They’re labeled the undead, since technically they are neither dead nor alive. They mostly have a great sense of style and just are hot. Of course there is the whole ick factor of blood-sucking and all, but overall, they bring charisma, charm, lust and seduction to the screen. Many actors have taken on roles as vampires either in TV shows or movies, but right now this is a movies blog so we are going to go strictly film on this one. Now of course it is impossible to cover them all, so I am going to mention some of the most remarkable ones and if you disagree or think I’ve left some important ones out, well- please share :)

1) Interview with the Vampire (Based on the novel by Anne Rice)

Tom Cruise as Lestat in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire

 

The first Vampire I met on screen was Anne Rice’s Lestat, portrayed by the skilled Tom Cruise:

link for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGkBMe3j-Sk

Now, the trouble with Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Lestat- probably it has to do with the script, I haven’t read the novel, so I wouldn’t know how Anne Rice meant him to be- he brings humor to the story. Lestat isn’t scary. Oh sure, Brad Pitt’s Louis was rightfully scared when Lestat was sucking the life out of him, but Tom Cruise with blond hair and terribly white skin does not equal something of a cold, Scandinavian or in our case a vampiric beauty. Tom is good with jet black, short or a little longish hair like he has in Mission Impossible 2 or Jerry Maguire. Well, I hadn’t initially found Tom’s look funny, I just thought he wasn’t exactly scary or desirable. But here’s what happens: He picks Brad Pitt as his life partner. I have no objections as in picking a guy like Brad to spend eternity with, let’s face Lestat could do a lot worse. But, need I remind you Lestat is a male undead? Sure, a vampire is a sexual being and he could be as gay or as bi as he damn pleases. But a male vampire (Tom Cruise) siring another guy (Brad Pitt) is not exactly a girl’s fantasy. Well, it is not mine anyway. You haven’t picked up on the vibe? Watch closely. Lestat addsa little girl played by Kirsten Dunst to the group  and she keeps acting like a total brat. So Lestat gets pissed and threatens her with bringing home a sister. Dad Tom, Mommy Brad – and kid Dunst. One small, weird vampire family. Well, it didn’t hurt that the movie also features Antonio Banderas as a Vampire with beautiful long hair. But mind you, Banderas’ Armand is not nearly as destructively gorgeous as his El Mariachi in Desperado. There’s something wrong with the vampires in this movie. They are pretty. But they are not sexy.

Brad Pitt as Louis in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire

Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview with the Vampire

Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire: the "happy" family

2) BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA

Gary Oldman as Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula

Now Dracula is the ultimate myth, legend, fantasy. Dracula is the most famous Vampire of all times. Many versions have been written since Bram Stoker’s and many actors have played him. And this one with Gary Oldman is sort of fun. The cast is great. It has Winona Ryder as Dracula’s love/lust interest, Keanu Reeves as her fiancé and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. The problem is Dracula seems much too much like a cartoon character. The movie was directed by Francis Ford Coppola ,however it more feels like a Tim Burton movie. And I think I would have liked it more  if it had been a Tim Burton movie and with Johnny Depp as the Dracula. Gary Oldman is a fantastic actor but this movie is listed as a horror romance whereas the way it has been shot and acted out as a parody. Or maybe it just feels that way because it was short in 1992 and the effects aren’t that good. There is also a very superficial on my part that Dracula is very ugly for the most of the time. You saw the picture above, right?

here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2-ZMhxTUs

 

Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula

 

 

3) DRACULA 2000

Gerard Butler as Dracula in Dracula 2000

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oprkYnHObk

Now, this Dracula is fun. It is not scary or that much exciting, but it is fun. After all, we have young women being trapped,seduced, fed on by Dracula. And Dracula is Gerard Butler. Now, we shouldn’t have any lack of masculinity or charisma issues, right? But there’s something off about this particular vampire. He is supposed to be the perfect seducer. And fine, sure he looks a lot better than most of the people you would meet in a bar- but I am not sure I would have recognized Gerard Butler, had I not known he was in it. This clean- shaven face makes him look too young- and he is kinda young himself- and too innocent. However I was checking out stuff with Dracula 2000 and I came upon his audition, where he looks utterly different. He has long hair, a beard and he looks like he could be the perfect Pirate of the Carribean- minus Jack Sparrow’s a little eccentric behavior. I am posting the link, but I will put an image just to give you the picture. Gerard Butler appears in this video very similar to his image in Attila. And below is how he was in Attila.

Gerard Butler as Attila in Attila. But of course he is not playing a historical hero in the audition- he is darker,much darker- And I think this look could serve him better as a vampire.

 

 

link for Gerard’s Dracula Audition on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk3syqGaPN8&feature=PlayList&p=8981B582471B3361&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31

4) QUEEN OF THE DAMNED

Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned

video from the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1HcYmlBq4&feature=related

I think Stuart Townsend makes the perfect Lestat. Of course I’m biased, not because I’m a great fan of Stuart – I became fan after this movie, but because this movie captures the goth and rock spirit that comes with the vampire territory. Here when Lestat wakes up, he also sort of takes a hard rock band under his wing and becomes their singer. The whole world falls in love with this vampire and his music. Rockstars have tons of groupies and many front men are considered as sex symbols. They have added the dark side and the allure of the vampiric quality and bingo! You have a vampire movie with a really cool soundtrack and a vampire that can really seduce. It is not highly rated but I believe this movie to be very underrated. If you like Vampires and hard rock, you will enjoy this movie.

 

P.S: I’m not including Twilight because I have already done a number of posts on Twilight and Edward Cullen.

 

 

Rob Pattinson is a pretty boy. He is cute. Sure he can be beautiful, graceful and alluring. He is dreamy as a man can get when he stops being Rob and becomes Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. Edward is elegant, deep, intense and captivating. You see, guys can understand why a woman can find Gerard Butler handsome. Look at The Ugly Truth. Look at Lara Croft The Cradle of Life. He is as manly as one can get, with a great frame and the acting that can make him cute and sexy at the same time. Or look at Hugh Jackman. Look at his role as Logan in Wolverine. But even when they are not playing certain characters, they maintain those good looks and charisma.

Now, I loved Pattinson in Twilight. He is the perfect vampire. He is a seductive creature by nature. He also plays a 17-year-old going on 90- which adds wisdom to his character. And he really isn’t 17 but early 2os, so you don’t have to feel a little ashamed about falling for an actor that young. But when he is not Edward, the magic disappears. Now, I know there are many Robert fans out there who will want to shoot me just for making this comment but this is the way I see it: He is a kid. He is young, he got way too famous way too soon and he is both embarrassed and bored by the attention. No matter how grounded you are, I don’t think it is possible not to let all that fame go to your head. Fair enough. I’d be bored too if I suddenly become this person everybody was dying to get a piece of or suddenly had to dress up and go to award shows and be handed awards by Denzel Washington. No,wait-(this is how my friend was defending Edward when I said I find him cold and just cute off the movie screen), I actually wouldn’t. I’d love it if Denzel knew my name and even though the show is just MTV’s popularity contest, I’d not care. But Edward was just like a bored kid among “pretentious” adults and just looked like he didn’t belong there. C’mon,it is MTV- if you have become a world-wide celebrity, that’s exactly where you belong. You are supposed to lay back and enjoy.

But if I want to see Pattinson hot, and not just cute- if I want to see him intense and not just funny, all I have to is wait for the New Moon and catch another glimpse of Twilight. Let me visualize my point for you:

 

 

The Cute Robert Pattinson

 

 

The intensely gorgeous Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)

 

 

 

 

Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft

Lara Croft is originally a video game and this is the second movie based on the VG character of the same name. I haven’t seen the first movie, but after seeing this one, I do want to see it. It’s by no means one of the best action/fantasy I’ve ever seen, but it is fast and fun- which is what I wanted to get from this movie anyway. It’s directed by Jan de Bont, who is actually more famous as a cinematographer than a director. He has worked on Lethal Weapon 3, which remains one of my favorite action movies. But I find him to be a talented director as well. Ever since he has directed the amazing Speed with Keanu Reeves in 1994.Sure Speed 2 was awful, but I’m willing to forgive him for that. Speed did rock. And although Lara Croft is no Speed, it is enjoyable.

Lara Croft is a British archaeleogist. She is also very fit, has amazing stamina and can kick anyone’s butt. Angelina Jolie is perfect in bringing a video game character to life; I have always thought her big eyes and extra full lips looked outer worldly anyway. The movie could very well be a spy flick because it does involve traveling around the globe, British Intelligence, a menacing scientist,Chinese bad guys and more. Of course it doesn’t lack sexual tension and intense chemistry since Lara picks her partner in this mission: Ex-marine-turned mercenary Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler for help). The mission is very difficult, if not impossible. They need to find Pandora’s Box before the scientist and his men do. And Lara isn’t exactly trusting her ex.

The movie isn’t trying to be intelligent. It doesn’t take itself seriously. It is strictly entertaİning. Kick back, and enjoy!

Gerard Butler as Terry Sheridan in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Lara Croft. Who better to play the hot and smart archaelogist than Angelina Jolie? The British accent suits her.

Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) and Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler)

This is not a deep film. Enjoy your action scenes and eye candy. It provides enough steam for both sexes.

Guns and Croft.

Terry apparently did have some free time in his hands to work out.