A Salute to Men

Joann's previous post got me thinking about men. Yeah, well nothing really all that new there but this is a particular breed of male specimen. Not only was her post spectacular eye candy (yum) and economically educational (who knew there was a correlation between men's hair and the economy?) but it also reminded me of real men. In the 50s we had big strong men who took charge like Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, Fred McMurray, Gregory Peck, Rock Hudson (yeah, I know, but a girl likes to still dream sometimes!) and even Lee Majors as a young man in Big Valley was a strapping dude who could take charge and care for his family when needed.

Today's leading men are a little different, often with youth at the center of the showcase and adolescent naivete (think Zac Ephron) still prevalent in most adult male roles. Well, I want to give a nice salute to all those men out there in the background. The ones who exude that raw sexuality and strength of a man but I'm going to post some guys who haven't been at the forefront of moviedom but ones you still may have seen them from time to time.

Thomas Kretschmann

Films: Resident Evil Apocalypse, Blade II, Wanted, Immortal Ad Vitam, Valkyrie, Next, King Kong (2008), The Pianist, U-57

A friend of mine and myself were recently chatting about this studly fellow from Germany and I had to pop in some faves that he was featured in. I first saw him in Resident Evil Apocalypse during the time of my first novel and he was the perfect corporate villain for my heroine. With a sleek accent, suits and a calculating demeanor I didn't like his character as a person but yet I was so oddly fascinated by him at the same time. Since then he's popped up in various roles to leading, villains and supporting but Thomas K has always exuded that strong sex appeal. I couldn't even recognize him in Blade II as the heavily prosthetic villain Damaskinos but man did he play that role like nobody's business!. I'm reading my friend's book now and her hero is inspired by Thomas K and I'm just loving this story so much, seeing him is just the cherry on top!

Thomas K was the lead in the futuristic sci-fi cgi eye feast Immortal Ad Vitam and he never looked good. Check out a great fan vid of the movie.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Films: Serenity, Children of Men, Inside Man, American Gangster, Dirty Pretty Things, Talk to Me, Four Brothers, Kinky Boots, 2012

This handsome multi-talented hottie first came to US via Joss Whedon's Serenity, the big screen adaptation of the Firefly universe. Chiwetel was the cold-hearted killer The Operative yet he still exuded a charm even as he valiantly defended his lethal actions.

After leaving his stage career behind, Chiwetel has been coasting through various UK and US roles often dropping his accent (bummer) with ease. I love love loved him Love Actually (the whole movie is win) and it was quite a shock to see him as a gangster in Four Brothers. No matter whether he's a villain or a hero, he has a quiet passion about him and can take charge of the situation in any way needed. Chiwetel is one of the stars in the upcoming 2012 movie and I can't wait to see him. Sadly enough he'll have his US accent but a gal can always pretend otherwise. ;-)

David Wenham

Films: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers & The Return of the King, 300, Van Helsing, Australia, Public Enemies, Better Than Sex

Oh David, where have you been all my life. I first saw this very yummy Aussie like the rest of the world in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and he really shined in The Return of the King. David's Faramir was the whipping boy to his older brother Boromir. Always in the shadow of his brother (played by fellow manly hottie Sean Bean) I couldn't help feeling poor Faramir's dejection and watching him being berated by his father which lead to him signing up for a suicide mission was all the more heartbreaking.

David has that sexy, sophisticated charm like the other gents. He can show vulnerability in his characters, strength and ultimately take charge of things when it all comes down to it. Sadly I haven't seen David in much else but I've got my eye on other things to check him out in, including a certain romantic comedy. ;-)

Sam Worthington

Films: Bootmen, Terminator Salvation, Avatar, Clash of the Titans Remake

Sam is a newbie to the blockbuster side of cinema and a welcome addition indeed. I first saw this Aussie babe in this summer's Terminator Salvation and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen if I tried. Throughout the movie, Sam had this raw animal nature from when he was on death row even to when he was unsure of himself and his place in the near future when he wakes up not quite human. He's a strong hero who radiates heat, sensuality and machismo, the good stuff we like in our heroes. ;-)

I can't say enough good things about Sam. But actions speak louder than words and you can check out Sam in this winter's Avatar directed and written by the man himself, Mr. James Cameron.






Lastly, to found out the five (or else this could be a very very long post!) we got:

Alexander Skarsgard

Films: The Last Drop, Kill Your Darlings, Generation Kill, Zoolander

What can I say, I'm on a True Blood kick and what better way than to go out on a paranormal note then with an actor bringing a sexy Alpha vampire to life! Alex S. first caught US audience's gaze as a male model in Zoolander. Not unsurprisingly, Alex's tall, lanky figure got him many runway appearances and a good amount of movie roles in his native Sweden.

Recently, Alex bulked up a bit to become the sexy, cold yet (as we saw a few episodes back) sensitive vampire Sheriff; once a Viking warrior in the middle ages. Alex is one sexy guy through and through and he can jump into intimating an Alpha with a snap. One of the draws in the Sookie books is Eric Northman, a guy who can take control and who's been around so long, he just no longer cares about piddly little human ways. Alex embodies this well on the show and I can't wait to see where he takes Eric and what roles he plans to take on next.






Okay, I have to sneak one more in there and it's:

Oded Fehr

Films: The Mummy and its sequel, The Mummy Returns, Resident Evil: Apocalypse & Extinction, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

I loved him since the Mummy movies and Resident Evil and I've so wanted to see more of him as a sexy leading man. He also has a strong masculine presence that's irresistibly charming and confident. I was so bummed to not see him in the Mummy 3 (which paled in comparison to the other movies) although I knew they were switching locations. A shame because we never knew what happened to his character after 2. Hopefully we'll see more of Oded in the future. Shirt optional.





Let's hear it for your fave manly men that aren't really A-listers, but they are out there making waves all the same. ;-)