16 Days of Birthday, Day 10: My Many Man-Crushes

I'm not gonna lie, I genuinely find a lot of men in the film industry to be rather good looking. Usually, when I like an actor enough, I start stalking their IMDb pages and looking for movies I can watch with them in it. While you might just dismiss it as a creepy teenage obsession, these little love affairs I have with people I don't even know have their advantages. For example, there are some movies that I would have missed without stalking their IMDb pages. And yes, that's what I'll be taking a look at today: the movies I love from the actors I love that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Because I'm both a shallow person and I want an excuse to look at hot pictures (jokes...).

As you can clearly see in my sidebar, I've got a little obsession going with Ralph Fiennes at the moment. Over the past few weeks, I've watched quite a few of his movies (Schindler's List twice...I can't get over how unbelievably good looking he is in that movie even though he's so evil). But a couple of nights back, I watched this movie called Strange Days. When I cleaned the shelves at work during the holidays, I stumbled upon this DVD, which has probably been there for years, and was drawn in by the name 'Ralph Fiennes'. I finally got my sister to get it out for me (it's an R18 for pretty obvious reasons) and pretty much went into it blind. All I knew was the fact that it starred Ralph 'sex on legs' Fiennes back in his early days, and it was written by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Once I finished this movie, I was so glad that I watched it, but kinda sad that it isn't widely-known. Holy crap, this movie was adrenaline through and through, with it's sci-fi brilliance and a bit of originality that seems to be lacking these days. Seriously, you need to see this movie. It's directed like a man would direct it (Kathryn Bigelow is my idol!), it requires a bit of brain power, it's totally satisfying in the end and Ralph Fiennes is literally at his best (both looks wise and acting wise - he's BADASS!). And hey, it was made in the year I was born.

Now Cillian Murphy is a guy who I feel everybody should obsess over, because he's got some great, severely underrated movies out there. I've seen a whole lot: Sunshine, Peacock, Red Eye, Perrier's Bounty, The Wind That Shakes the Barley...but one I hold close to my heart is Breakfast on Pluto. Between me being jealous of how pretty Cillian looks as a chick and how flawlessly he plays his role, there is some genuine heart and whimsy in this movie. It's a film that doesn't take itself too seriously, which eventuates in a whole lot of flaws, but Patrick 'Kitten' Braden is one awesome character. He's one which is fearless, always happy and usually does the right thing, even though people don't believe in him. This is probably the best example of what Cillian can do...

We all know Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He is the guy who experienced a huge boom in his career thanks to an indie romantic comedy called (500) Days of Summer. But we also all know that he has been around forever. From the time he was working on the really cool TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun to being Christopher Nolan's latest go-to actor, JGL has working at a damn good filmography. I'm a huge fan of Brick, a modern day film-noir set in a high school. Who knew that high school could ever be so dirty? To this day, I still have these resounding nightmares about how interesting Lukas Haas is as 'The Pin'. Maybe there's someone like him around Dannevirke and I just don't know it.

Andrew Garfield is a name you should all probably know by now. Last year, his career sky-rocketed thanks to some movie about a website called The Social Network. People loved him, just not enough to give him an Oscar nomination. One movie he did win something for, though, was Boy A. Back in 2007, he got a BAFTA for his brilliant performance in this made-for-TV drama about an ex-con trying to make his way in the world. Young Andrew was at the beginning of his career then, but he looks like he's been acting for most of his life in films just like this. It's a heart-breaking and gritty story, which takes it's time to unfold the story behind the story, which leads the viewer to draw their own conclusions about Garfield's character. I do have to wonder how Andy will handle The Amazing Spider-Man, because in Boy A he exhibits some really good acting skills that aren't perhaps the best for a superhero (or a teenage boy, for that matter). Anyway, I'm sure he'll rock.

So yeah, I'm pretty sure that Michael Fassbender is going to be in everything soon. Everyone wants a piece of him...or to be one of his many teeth. I admit to falling prey to his charm and badassery in X-Men: First Class, and I'm slowly making my way through his awesome filmography. One of his films which I particularly liked was Fish Tank. This movie is one which has become pretty well known, especially since Fassy's instant rise to fame thanks to being Magneto. The film mainly focuses on a rebellious teenage girl, with Fassy playing her mother's new boyfriend. Let me tell you, while this guy seems like a real family man who only means good, there is plenty of creep in him. Fassy and his young co-star Katie Jarvis make for a great duo inn this perfectly realistic and gritty look at a teenager trying to find her place in the world.

I don't really know what to ask here...ah, maybe...has a love for any particular actor introduced you to something special?

Rewind--Boy A

or: Another Andrew Garfield movie.

One word to sum it up: Intense.

Until Andrew Garfield got his huge Hollywood break in that really small film that know one has heard about, The Social Network, people weren't really aware of how much of a great actor this young chap is. Unless, of course, you live in Britain. While most people are caught up in 'the star of the moment' side of Andrew, few realize that Andy was 'the star of the moment' back in 2007 when he starred in Boy A, his first feature film/starring role, which saw him receive a BAFTA for Best Leading Actor in a TV-movie. So his performance in The Social Network can suck it, because his performance in this movie was, quite frankly, the bomb.

The film opens with a scene between Terry (Peter Mullan), a case worker who works on ex-prisoners and helps them gain a better life on the outside, and his latest project, Jack (Andrew Garfield). From this first scene, which shows just how clueless but haplessly innocent he is when he beams over a pair of new shoes. Jack has been in prison since he was young for a horrible crime he committed when he was just a child, and has been released under the new name 'Jack' and is sent to live in Manchester, where no one is aware of his identity or what he has done in his past. Here's where a romance comes into the equation: Jack meets a beautiful coworker, Michelle (Katie Lyons), and though their encounters are initially awkward, the two are soon in a serious relationship. This isn't the only good thing which comes Jack's way. Jack becomes a hero by saving a young girl who was in a car accident, and everyone is singing his praises.

Not a film to be a happy story about a bad guy turned eternally good, Boy A spends it's time unfolding the story behind the story, which eventually turns out to be pretty darn horrible and causes the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what they feel for the protagonist. Boy A also serves as a gritty allegory for the past catching up with someone in the worst possible way. Cleverly edited sequences of flashbacks, present time and even fantasy make up this movie to be a high brow TV movie that is significantly slow in pace, but also a gripping morality drama. The ideas which it explores and it's refreshing take on an oft-trodden topic are nothing short of impressive, plus the fact that it has a few tricks up its sleeve and a killer ending which make this a very watchable film.

The arc of this film, really, is Andrew Garfield. As the film unfurls, so does his character, but you can't help but only see the good side of him thanks to his enlightening performance. Like most of his other work, his subtlety is really overpowering, and he uses his weakness as a weapon to get us to all fall in love with him. And it's impossible not to. This film saw the birth of a star. Unfortunately it took until now for the rest of the world to come to the party (me included, but hey, it only came out on DVD here a year or so ago). His performance is the highlight of the film, and sometimes carries it through the few lulls in the script and whatnot. It's not a one man show though. The supporting cast do an excellent job, especially the kids who play out Jack's past. Boy A serves as further proof that the Brits are never people to do things half way, and deliver an engrossing, slightly sad drama about someone just trying to make up for all his mistakes.

THE VERDICT: Andrew Garfield's brilliant central performance gives Boy A the lift it needed, but the film is a surprisingly brash and gripping watch.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

(see what that means)