happy happy joy joy (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} adinfinitum) wrote,@ 2008-12-27 13:16:00 |
|
| Current music: | the cure - why can't i be you |
| Entry tags: | film: benjamin button, picspam: attractive malefolk |
this charming man, part deux
AMAZING. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. On a completley superficial level, I was constantly distracted by how stunning Cate Blanchett is, and oh my goooooooooooodness, when Benjamin finally got old(/young)? SO MUCH PRETTY, MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE IT. The scenes of them in their duplex with Twist and Shout playing turned my insides to jelly. BRAD'S LITTLE TWIST ON THE MATTRESS! God, they were just so lovely together, weren't they? I love it when Brad Pitt proves to the world that he's more than just a pretty face. He was so fantastic in this, I can't even begin to say.
I really wanted to see this but at the same time I was kind of wary about the length at first, but BOY WAS I WRONG. It literally needed every single minute it had. I haven't read the F. Scott Fitzgerald story (I meant to before I went, but I totally forgot!) but in the first half, I definitely felt his style and personality conveyed through the film, which I thought was such an amazing feat. And also, I don't know how they did this, but watching the first half/first two thirds, it literally felt like I was reading a book. I was just overwhelmed by this almost magical feeling-- it's so hard to describe! But then once we moved into more recent history it felt like a movie movie, which just further emphasized the theme of the passing of time, and life, and how people and places and things evolve and change (and in many ways, don't change) over time. God, the themes they delve into in this were so resonant and moving I don't even know if I can really elaborate on them because they're such a jumbled mess in mind. But the fact that the hurricane was Katrina and we're to presume most of the people in that hospital died, and Benjamin's story was lost and gone forever? Incredible. The recurring images of the sea and storms and the contradictory nature of life, in that we have no idea what experiences await us, and yet we all know what our ultimate fate will be? And GOD, the way they represented time and integrated the past and present, and fiction and reality was remarkable. And at the same time, conveying so wonderfully the history of New Orleans without slapping us across the face and saying HEY THIS IS A STORY ABOUT NEW ORLEANS. Because it wasn't and yet it was? It was a story about life and what it means to be alive. And even though so much of it is about loss, it's really about the endurance and resiliance of the human spirit in the face of a cruel and indifferent nature.
I WANT TO WRITE AN ESSAY ON HOW WONDERFUL THIS FILM IS! Because each moment that passes, more and more of it falls into place in my mind. And all of the characters were such perfect, crystalline people, and the way they used symbols and imagerey was so striking! It literally felt like I was reading an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, which just blew me away. I wish I could be more substantive and concrete with what I thought! Blerg. All I know is that seeing Benajamin become a child and walk down the street with Daisy made me cry. THIS IS WHAT FICTION IS MEANT TO BE. This is it.
With that said and done, I NOW PRESENT PART ONE OF MY HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU ALL! I recognize that this won't necessarily hit the spot for everyone on the flist since I know at least a few of you don't swing this way, but hopefully the pretty will be appreciated nonetheless! One of these days I'll get around to doing a picspam of my favorite ladies as well, I promise.
Anyhow! About a year ago, I put together a picspam of my absolute favorite thing in the whole entire world: A WELL-DRESSED MAN. What started out as My Favorite Men Wearing Beautiful Clothes somehow turned into a celebration of men in general? BECAUSE WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE? The few things that will eternally frustrate me about them (their stubborn inability to just get a fucking clue? their inferior intelligence? LOL I JUST WENT THERE) are almost always overshadowed by the fact that they are just such lovely creatures! Walking around in tailored suits and oxford shirts and form-fitting crew neck sweaters, and oh boy, wearing sunglasses that say so much about them while also always, always, always making them look infinitely hotter than they already are? Don't get me wrong, the number one x238942890 thing that I find attractive in a guy (and I'm not just saying this) is their intelligence/sense of humor (it's a tie). HOWEVER, being really attractive and having good taste in clothes never hurt anyone, did it?
MY INTRODUCTION IS SO LAME, I NEED TO STOP. I should have had thecolorbetween write an ~honorary preface~ because she's so good at them! Plus, she gets it. AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT, CLAIRE? Next time.
Let us begin with (suprise!) BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL MEN IN BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL SUITS! I started by grouping these according to theme but that...didn't last long. Somehow I don't think you guys will really mind. OH AND ALSO: I definitely put this together at random times and didn't size all the pictures appropriately, so pretend like everything is uniform and pretty, 'kay?
Um, I feel silly starting this off with Brad Pitt given the incredible picspam that
captaincatapult recieved in the gift exchange, but LOL WHO CARES. This may not look like it's beige, but trust me, it totally is. And as I notice his stubble (nnnggghhhh why do I find stubbly faicial hair so excruciatingly wonderful?) and buzz cut, I'm wondering what you all prefer: short hair or long? Facial hair or clean shaven? It definitely depends on the guy, sure, but for the most part, I prefer grown out hair (not too long, but not too short-- long enough to be hot/adorable if he doesn't make it in the morning and to necessecitate him to actually make it before he goes out) and a bit of a stubble. OH LORD, THE DIGRESSIONS ARE ALREADY HERE. This is going to be a long spam.
I KIND OF MADE MYSELF LOL BY INCLUDING CHACE AND MCSTEAMY. But! It would be downright criminal to not include that shot of Chace, so. Oh, and hiiiiiiiiiiiiii Diego Luna, I don't appreciate you enough. And just for the record, it's taking every ounce of strength I have to not launch myself at that photo of Lee Pace!. His perfection makes me so :D I get kind of D:? True story.
SO CLASSY. I know that lighter suits are generally for the daytime, but I feel like grey suits kind of walk the line. Depending on the shade, I guess? And they're just so versatile! You'd think it would be super lame and boring (c'mon, it's grey) but something about them just drive me crazy. As a side note: RDJ's eyes are super pretty and the vague hint of WTFery on Gosling's face kind of cracks me up. Plus, CLOONEY! Is it not cool to like George Clooney? I don't know, nor do I really care. Sure, he's obvious and there are about 23849302890890 middle-aged, Oprah-watching housewives who would gladly leave their husbands to become his mistress/have his babies!!!11! but he has such a classic appeal to him. He's like an updated verison of the suave, debonair leading men from the 30s/40s, and he's also super talented! IT'S ALWAYS THE TALENTED ONES THAT GET ME.
I cannot tell you why I think pinstripes are so hot, I JUST DO. If you could help explain this mystery of life to me, it would be much appreciated.
Surprisingly, not my favorite? But I've definitely been conditioned to find them ~charming~. TAYLAH KITSCH! I see you there.
They're alright, but HOLY SMOKES, REALLY INCREDIBLY HOT WHEN UNDONE, I WILL TELL YOU THIS. I also think they look insanely classy when sported by the right guy to the right event. I definitely prefer regular ties, but I have to give a shout out to the really cute lacrosse player in my grade in high school who occasionally wore bowties and proved that (a) people other than Steve Urkel can pull them off, and (b) they can actually be really hot? Even if he was dumb as a board D:
I SHOULD JUST STOP AT THAT PICTURE OF LEE PACE!. THERE'S NO NEED TO CONTINUE, IT'S UTTER PERFECTION.
This fellow is why I'm jonesin' for my friend to come back from vacation ASAP so we can pick back up with the first season of GG. (I THINK HE'S REALLY PRETTY, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED.)
LOL I THINK DANIEL CRAIG LOOKS LIKE A FISH, THUS I CUT OUT HIS FACE. I'm mean and horrible, I know. BUT HEY, HE CAN STILL WEAR A SUIT LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS.
CLIVE OWEN, I SOMETIMES FORGET YOU EXIST AND THAT MAKES ME SO SAD. I kind of feel like he shouldn't be allowed to smile in any of his photoshoots though. I just want him to be smouldering and slightly sinister-looking at all times. I detect a slight hint of a grin here? It's strange, I don't think his photoshoots really convey how attractive he is. Random but true: his new movie with Julia Roberts looks good!
THREE-PIECE SUITS: CLASS OUT THE ASS.
I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS ASSERTION, BUT I THINK MY NEXT SECTION WILL PICK UP WHERE THIS LEFT OFF. I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ENOUGH CAPSLOCKED WORDS IN ALL THE UNVIERSE TO CONVEY HOW RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING I FIND THESE GLORIOUS CREATIONS.
IS IT WEIRD THAT I FIND MEN MORE ATTRACTIVE IN CLOTHES THAN OUT OF THEM? AND THE MORE LAYERS THE BETTER, THANKYOUVERYMUCH. Really now, how are vests so hot? I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. IT'S JUST...NNGGHHH. And oh my goodness, IDRIS ELBA? I have no clue when this happened, but I secretly (not-so-secretly?) find him extreeeeemely (and take heed: I do not use this word flippantly because it makes me kind of uncomfortable? SO YOU KNOW WHEN I SAY IT, I REALLY MEAN IT) extremely sexy. THERE, I SAID IT. Also, sweater vests are lovely and Johnny Depp is begging for me to jump him in that photo. (It would be my pleasure, sir!)
I used to have a huuuuge thing for tweed (in general, not just on guys) but that's died down considerably as I've gotten older. I don't know why though? It might be because it became more popular so we saw more of it around in the past few years. Regardless, I still appreciate it, but it must be annoying for guys to wear tweed suits.
How is it that one little button makes such a difference? TELL ME PLEASE, I NEED TO KNOW.
So all the dudes here are wearing jackets as well, which, y'know, is always ace in my book. But the best thing about oxford shirts is the fact that you can WEAR THEM WITH ANYTHING. Don't get me wrong, guys, t-shirts are great, but why don't you trade some of them in for a few more pairs of these? Just a thought?
OH GOODNESS, I WISH I COULD ACTUALLY TELL YOU WHY I LOVE SWEATERS SO MUCH. It must be the layer fetish I have? D: I wish I were normal.
So there are probobably 234893280 photos of pretty men wearing the perfect pair of jeans, but I got lazy and impatient, so you'll just have to settle for these. Or we could make this interactive and you could contribute your favorite photos? PERHAPS.
Now! On to accessories!
I wanted to include a photo of Adrien Brody (WHO I LOVE) and his dog, but he has a chihuahua, which I don't find cute AT ALL? I'm generally not a dog person, but I'm willing to make exceptions for the really cute ones. (HEE, BLUE!)
LOL CHACE CRAWFORD TRYING TO BE FIERCE IS CRACKING MY SHIT UP.
HEE, these photos were faves back in the day.
THESE TWO ARE THE ESSENCE OF BFF4L.
So it's a total coincidence that all of these are of dudes with those really clunky, highly stylized specs. I think it's generally really hard for anyone to pull those off, but when they do, it looks quite good? But really, slap anything on Depp's or Lee Pace!'s face and I'll think it's the hottest thing since sliced bread.
All men should be required by law to wear scarves. JUST A SUGGESTION. Maybe we should petition Congress? Ballot measure anyone?
OMG, HATS ARE SO AMAZING. THESE ARE ALL FEDORAS, BUT REALLY, 99.9% OF HATS WORN BY MEN MAKE ME :D, WINTER HATS AND BASEBALL CAPS PARTICULARLY. (I think that 0.1% represents cowboy hats? I'm sorry, but I'm physically incapable of finding them attractive.)
La la la la la la la la. It's funny though, whenever a guy I know has actually had the balls to get a hat like this and wear it, I've totally made fun of him for it. I don't think it's the fault of the hat though! I just don't think they suit everyone and certain personality types should just steer clear. Except in the case of my man diva friend who got one-- it totally suited his personality, but it turned this wonderful little accessory with a lot of character into an agent of sleaziness? I just imagined him wearing it to some gross club picking up gross girls and I was immediately turned off. Which is kind of strange given that I'm sure lots of ~average joes~ who get hats like this are like that...IDK. WHATEVER CAN WE JUST DIRECT OUR ATTENTION BACK TO IDRIS ELBA? He looks like a total pimp (no, literally, a pimp) but I'm strangely okay with that? AND HI PENN, I REALLY LOVE THOSE PHOTOS OF YOU (sweater and hat! And sans tie! Deadly combination.)
Lupayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. AND YO, RYAN GOSLING DOESN'T REALLY LOOK LIKE HIMSELF HERE. He looks like a travelling musician or something. It's cute.
Not exactly high fashion, but I can't hate on them! They're like a dude staple, and when guys care enough to get cool ones that aren't too outrageous, it can be pretty amazing. Plussssssss, utilizing the hood in said hoodie is always quite aesthetically pleasing, and slightly badass.
The hot factor of leather jackets is essentially a universal invariant.
WILL AND JADA! WILL AND JADA! And baaaaby McGosling! And just because Hugh Dancy is Hugh Dancy and I think him and Claire Danes are super cute, I included them as well. BUT WAIT, WILL AND JADA. Can I just say I love the fact that Jada dresses him? And always matches his outfits with what she's wearing? They're so wonderful!
HI C. BALEZ, LONG TIME NO SEE. For the record, I included my favorite photos of him in the last one, so I only skimmed over him here. SORRY, DUDE.
Booth/D.Bor wants to know why he's not featured here.
LULZ, THAT PHOTO OF DENZEL IS NOT ACTUALLY THE ONE I WANTED TO USE BUT I COULDN'T FIND A GOOD ONE. Am I the only one who is filled with such ridiculous happiness whenever that man smiles? He's just so genuine! I feel like his whole personality and everything he is shines through his smile and the way his eyes crinkle at the edges.
Obvs, not just for dudes. But I really enjoy watching them play? (WHY DIDN'T I INCLUDE ANY FOOTBALLERS HERE? Oh well, next time.)
See? I'm not a total snob when it comes to this stuff!
As long as he doesn't flat iron it, ADRIEN BRODY HAS A WONDROUS HEAD OF HAIR.
AS A FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, I DO NOT CONDONE THE ACT OF SMOKING. I think it's awful and I'll never ever ever understand why people would willfully pollute their bodies and dig their early graves. HOWEVER. I still find photos of dudes smoking to be frighteningly attractive? I WISH I HAD MORE STRENGTH TO MY CONVICTIONS.
PHEW. DONE. Hope you all enjoyed it! I'll try to get the next stuff out soonish? And YO IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED YOUR SECRET SANTA YET, GET ON IT, PLZ! You've got all today. :)
