Real Men No.1
My sources of entertainment are dwindling. What is one to do when this happens? You find other ways to occupy your time. So here it is: Real Men.
Real men aren't heroes. Real men are complicated, and take pride in their work. Real men are considerate of women, but don't put them on pedestal. A real man is the first to slap a lady if she deserves it. Trust me, plenty of women would benefit from a good slap.( This does not mean beat the living shit out of, and shouldn't be done on a regular basis. This should be only used in severely dramatic situations for best results.)Real men can dress themselves according to the situation at hand. If you're going for a bike ride, by all means wear your leather jacket. If you're going to a nice dinner please at least wear a jacket that goes with your pants and nice shoes ( no trainers!). Real men can ride a horse, shoot a gun, and can listen to reason. Real men do what they believe is right, no matter what any one else says. Real men can hold their liquor and not make a fool of themselves. Real men can accept defeat. Real men are simply human beings who have the benefit of a brain and some basic morals. All these qualities ( and some not mentioned) combine to make an interesting character. These are the qualities which some major movie stars made millions off of. By carefully analyzing what it is about people who attract you, you can find a sort of formula for what traits are successful. The reason I am writing about men in particular is because in my opinion men are continuously undercut in films and animation today.
However this was not always the case. Hollywood's golden age produced a plethora of great roll models for boys. Things change. I want to create a character based on these characteristics of a man, with out being cliche, boring, or predictable. So I am studying not only the mental characteristics of great Hollywood leading men but also the qualities that made women swoon over them. It's not always the hero type that women want. I think a lack of women directors,producers, department heads in Hollywood has contributed to a distorted view of the sexes. Most characters are primarily defined by their sex. Leading men must be heroes. Women must be attractive, and of high moral standing unless they are to be killed off or suffer from some other horrible fate. If my study of the male sex perhaps I will move on to the feminine category of our race. So here is the first installment.
Steve McQueen:
Of course he had to be first. Look at the title of the blog, (duh). Needless to say he is my favorite actor. He constantly cheated on his wife, did loads of drugs, slapped and punched women on screen ( which were real, not faked or staged, I've seen interviews with the women on set) did his own stunts, could out quick draw a gun faster than almost anyone, worked out with a bus stop sign, had over 100 motorcycles, and was once considered the most popular actor of all time. I drew a picture of him here:
McQueen often played the anti-hero and came from a method acting background. I absolutely adore this man, and always will no matter what he did. If he were alive today you better believe I would break him out of the old folks home and take him for a spin on the old Bonneville, we would end up married a week later, and I would have his babies. But he died before I was born so this will never happen. Good movies to see with Steve in them are, Bullit, The War Lover, The Get Away, and The Great Escape. You tell me why his character is so attractive, even while robbing a bank.
Next on the list is Charles Bronson. A real Man's Man. He grew up in a mining town some where in America and he worked the mines with his dad as a child. He joined the military and used the GI bill to go to Art school in LA. Someone in LA discovered him and he became a huge star. Bronson turned down Sergio Leone's offer to star in a Fist Full Of Dollars, the film which made Clint Eastwood such as star. Any way, Bronson had a tendency to play roles which took full advantage his bulky physique. Anyone who has seen either The Magnificent Seven ( where Bronson is introduced while chopping wood with a poor excuse for an undershirt on) or The Great Escape( Bronson digs in a tunnel and is sweaty and covered in dirt the whole movie) knows the degree to which his body was used as a tool to gain roles. One interesting fact is that both these guys are relatively short both Steve and Bronson were only 5'10", but the angle of the camera can make them appear as if they were giants.
I drew a picture of Bronson as well, but instead of looking like the ruggedly handsome man he was he looks like a happy Mexican. Oh well you can't win them all. I'm going to pretend that I've captured the essence of his looks, or something. OK fine, it's not my best drawing. Give me a break I haven't even started art school yet. I have zero formal training, so go to hell.
Tell me who you think is worthy of being a Real Man? Why, what makes an interesting character to you? Is it someone with lines so good you wish you could be them just so you could say them in front of the whole world, such as Bogart's famous "Either you do it my way or you don't do it at all!"
Let me know what you guys think!
Real men aren't heroes. Real men are complicated, and take pride in their work. Real men are considerate of women, but don't put them on pedestal. A real man is the first to slap a lady if she deserves it. Trust me, plenty of women would benefit from a good slap.( This does not mean beat the living shit out of, and shouldn't be done on a regular basis. This should be only used in severely dramatic situations for best results.)Real men can dress themselves according to the situation at hand. If you're going for a bike ride, by all means wear your leather jacket. If you're going to a nice dinner please at least wear a jacket that goes with your pants and nice shoes ( no trainers!). Real men can ride a horse, shoot a gun, and can listen to reason. Real men do what they believe is right, no matter what any one else says. Real men can hold their liquor and not make a fool of themselves. Real men can accept defeat. Real men are simply human beings who have the benefit of a brain and some basic morals. All these qualities ( and some not mentioned) combine to make an interesting character. These are the qualities which some major movie stars made millions off of. By carefully analyzing what it is about people who attract you, you can find a sort of formula for what traits are successful. The reason I am writing about men in particular is because in my opinion men are continuously undercut in films and animation today.
However this was not always the case. Hollywood's golden age produced a plethora of great roll models for boys. Things change. I want to create a character based on these characteristics of a man, with out being cliche, boring, or predictable. So I am studying not only the mental characteristics of great Hollywood leading men but also the qualities that made women swoon over them. It's not always the hero type that women want. I think a lack of women directors,producers, department heads in Hollywood has contributed to a distorted view of the sexes. Most characters are primarily defined by their sex. Leading men must be heroes. Women must be attractive, and of high moral standing unless they are to be killed off or suffer from some other horrible fate. If my study of the male sex perhaps I will move on to the feminine category of our race. So here is the first installment.
Steve McQueen:
Of course he had to be first. Look at the title of the blog, (duh). Needless to say he is my favorite actor. He constantly cheated on his wife, did loads of drugs, slapped and punched women on screen ( which were real, not faked or staged, I've seen interviews with the women on set) did his own stunts, could out quick draw a gun faster than almost anyone, worked out with a bus stop sign, had over 100 motorcycles, and was once considered the most popular actor of all time. I drew a picture of him here:
McQueen often played the anti-hero and came from a method acting background. I absolutely adore this man, and always will no matter what he did. If he were alive today you better believe I would break him out of the old folks home and take him for a spin on the old Bonneville, we would end up married a week later, and I would have his babies. But he died before I was born so this will never happen. Good movies to see with Steve in them are, Bullit, The War Lover, The Get Away, and The Great Escape. You tell me why his character is so attractive, even while robbing a bank.
Next on the list is Charles Bronson. A real Man's Man. He grew up in a mining town some where in America and he worked the mines with his dad as a child. He joined the military and used the GI bill to go to Art school in LA. Someone in LA discovered him and he became a huge star. Bronson turned down Sergio Leone's offer to star in a Fist Full Of Dollars, the film which made Clint Eastwood such as star. Any way, Bronson had a tendency to play roles which took full advantage his bulky physique. Anyone who has seen either The Magnificent Seven ( where Bronson is introduced while chopping wood with a poor excuse for an undershirt on) or The Great Escape( Bronson digs in a tunnel and is sweaty and covered in dirt the whole movie) knows the degree to which his body was used as a tool to gain roles. One interesting fact is that both these guys are relatively short both Steve and Bronson were only 5'10", but the angle of the camera can make them appear as if they were giants.
I drew a picture of Bronson as well, but instead of looking like the ruggedly handsome man he was he looks like a happy Mexican. Oh well you can't win them all. I'm going to pretend that I've captured the essence of his looks, or something. OK fine, it's not my best drawing. Give me a break I haven't even started art school yet. I have zero formal training, so go to hell.
Tell me who you think is worthy of being a Real Man? Why, what makes an interesting character to you? Is it someone with lines so good you wish you could be them just so you could say them in front of the whole world, such as Bogart's famous "Either you do it my way or you don't do it at all!"
Let me know what you guys think!