Dr. Lecter has taken over my life
I have a huge crush. Again. And this time it ain't no catboy.
HANNIBAL LECTER <3 <3 <3 *fangirlfangirlfangirl*
And with that, I may have you (and myself) slightly concerned about the health of my survival instincts. He is a serial killer, a cannibal, and has no reservations about biting your face off. He would kill me and eat me and for the love of Pete, he's old. And he's not like Sean Connery, who is quite conventionally handsome. Anthony Hopkins looks like a teddy bear. But for some reason, I was never attracted to Sean Connery as anybody, but I am to Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
Perhaps it is because the combination of Hannibal Lecter being such an intriguing antagonist and Anthony Hopkins being such a damned good actor that pushed me over the ledge. Half the time I am squeeing over how awesome Dr. Lecter is, the other half I can't shut up about how amazing Anthony Hopkins is at playing him. He really brought that character to life and never before have I been rooting for someone who scares me shitless.
And the interesting thing is, I wouldn't even be obsessed if it weren't for Gong Li. I love her as an actress and I was staying up later than I should have, randomly cruising the internet looking for pictures. I am not attracted to her per say, just fascinated that a human being can actually reach that level of gorgeous. I was just about to exit out and go to bed when I stumbled across this picture:
...and nearly died from beautiful people overload. Gong Li is spectacular, of course, but that guy she's with!!!! So unbelievably handsome! So then I did what I typically do when I see a photo of a beautiful boy. I go and look for more.
An hour later, I had a bit of a collection and went to sleep still squeeing about how cute he is. Later, I called my friend and told her I now had to see the Hannibal movies because of Gaspard Ulliel, the sexiest male on film I've seen in a long time. My friend is an enormous fan of the Hannibal movies and was happy we'd finally found something to make me watch a scary movie voluntarily: female hormones.
So we sit down with popcorn and I hold on to a stuffed animal that will protect me from harm and a few hours later, I understand why this movie won so many Oscar awards. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster are phenomenal. And the cinematography is so amazing; I found myself believing every bit of it. But what really drove me crazy was the character Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
First off, let me say this: He is a bonafide creeper. But such a charming, witty, hyperintellectual creeper! Despite the fact that he is truly disturbing, there is something about his suavity and brilliance that makes me love him as much as I fear him every time. And his voice! I could listen to it all day. I think what struck me about him was how intentional everything he did was. I never had a moment where I felt like he wasn't ahead of the game. But how he played the game was what really touched a chorde with me. The director told Anthony Hopkins that Dr. Lecter saw himself as a good man, compassionate and a humanitarian. The slight downside to all this was that he was trapped in an insane mind. And you know, he ate people. (Come to think of it though, I do have my own thoughts on that...a later post, perhaps.) Anyway, this man is so smart, so demented, and so unsettlingly kind in some parts (albeit not many) that you just can't help rooting for him. And I suppose it helps that he is never the primary antagonist, who typically draws the more hostility than the ally you can never trust. He's very smart and resourceful, and I think it's because he's so capable that he seems just that much more twisted. And he's such a smartass...I always end up liking those characters.
We pretty much did a movie marathon where we watched The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal. I know that chronologically, they're all out of order, and ordinarily this would drive me nuts, but I really wanted to see The Silence of the Lambs first. I guess that's because, in a way, it is the original. I really loved all three, although Silence is unquestionably the best, in my opinion. The next day, I saw Hannibal Rising, which features Gaspard Ulliel, who was the main reason I began watching these films. If you'll let me be frank, it doesn't feel like a Hannibal movie. Gaspard is a good actor and I don't think it's even his or the movie-maker's fault, really. The story did not seem like a Hannibal story, it was too romanticized and I felt like the young man in this film would grow up to be a serial killer, but not Hannibal Lecter, M.D. LOL, oh the irony...I get into this tetralogy for Gaspard Ulliel!Hannibal and I come out obsessed with Anthony Hopkins!Hannibal.
I love the Hannibal character so much, I decided to read the books to learn more about him. I got them today at the library and can't wait to start. Sometime I'm going to re-watch all three movies (I feel I only need to see Hannibal Rising once...but if I really miss Gaspard and Gong, maybe I'll go back) and write LJ entries with reviews/commentary. There's just so much I want to say about them that will make this post longer than it already is. I hope I really will, though I'm not known for keeping up LJ entries on a consistent basis. I also know that the novel Hannibal had a controversial, different ending than what was in the movie, and surprisingly, I find myself agreeing with the movie over the book! It's weird, the book seems to have a Hollywood-esque "boy gets girl" happy ending that I would have hated a movie to do because it breaks the characters. The movie seems to keep the characters and their defining qualities intact. I wonder why this is, why the novelist would choose to take such a route. This is another reason I want to read the books, not only do I want to know more details about how they became who they are but also whether I can really buy what happens at the end.
HANNIBAL LECTER <3 <3 <3 *fangirlfangirlfangirl*
And with that, I may have you (and myself) slightly concerned about the health of my survival instincts. He is a serial killer, a cannibal, and has no reservations about biting your face off. He would kill me and eat me and for the love of Pete, he's old. And he's not like Sean Connery, who is quite conventionally handsome. Anthony Hopkins looks like a teddy bear. But for some reason, I was never attracted to Sean Connery as anybody, but I am to Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
Perhaps it is because the combination of Hannibal Lecter being such an intriguing antagonist and Anthony Hopkins being such a damned good actor that pushed me over the ledge. Half the time I am squeeing over how awesome Dr. Lecter is, the other half I can't shut up about how amazing Anthony Hopkins is at playing him. He really brought that character to life and never before have I been rooting for someone who scares me shitless.
And the interesting thing is, I wouldn't even be obsessed if it weren't for Gong Li. I love her as an actress and I was staying up later than I should have, randomly cruising the internet looking for pictures. I am not attracted to her per say, just fascinated that a human being can actually reach that level of gorgeous. I was just about to exit out and go to bed when I stumbled across this picture:
...and nearly died from beautiful people overload. Gong Li is spectacular, of course, but that guy she's with!!!! So unbelievably handsome! So then I did what I typically do when I see a photo of a beautiful boy. I go and look for more.
An hour later, I had a bit of a collection and went to sleep still squeeing about how cute he is. Later, I called my friend and told her I now had to see the Hannibal movies because of Gaspard Ulliel, the sexiest male on film I've seen in a long time. My friend is an enormous fan of the Hannibal movies and was happy we'd finally found something to make me watch a scary movie voluntarily: female hormones.
So we sit down with popcorn and I hold on to a stuffed animal that will protect me from harm and a few hours later, I understand why this movie won so many Oscar awards. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster are phenomenal. And the cinematography is so amazing; I found myself believing every bit of it. But what really drove me crazy was the character Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
First off, let me say this: He is a bonafide creeper. But such a charming, witty, hyperintellectual creeper! Despite the fact that he is truly disturbing, there is something about his suavity and brilliance that makes me love him as much as I fear him every time. And his voice! I could listen to it all day. I think what struck me about him was how intentional everything he did was. I never had a moment where I felt like he wasn't ahead of the game. But how he played the game was what really touched a chorde with me. The director told Anthony Hopkins that Dr. Lecter saw himself as a good man, compassionate and a humanitarian. The slight downside to all this was that he was trapped in an insane mind. And you know, he ate people. (Come to think of it though, I do have my own thoughts on that...a later post, perhaps.) Anyway, this man is so smart, so demented, and so unsettlingly kind in some parts (albeit not many) that you just can't help rooting for him. And I suppose it helps that he is never the primary antagonist, who typically draws the more hostility than the ally you can never trust. He's very smart and resourceful, and I think it's because he's so capable that he seems just that much more twisted. And he's such a smartass...I always end up liking those characters.
We pretty much did a movie marathon where we watched The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal. I know that chronologically, they're all out of order, and ordinarily this would drive me nuts, but I really wanted to see The Silence of the Lambs first. I guess that's because, in a way, it is the original. I really loved all three, although Silence is unquestionably the best, in my opinion. The next day, I saw Hannibal Rising, which features Gaspard Ulliel, who was the main reason I began watching these films. If you'll let me be frank, it doesn't feel like a Hannibal movie. Gaspard is a good actor and I don't think it's even his or the movie-maker's fault, really. The story did not seem like a Hannibal story, it was too romanticized and I felt like the young man in this film would grow up to be a serial killer, but not Hannibal Lecter, M.D. LOL, oh the irony...I get into this tetralogy for Gaspard Ulliel!Hannibal and I come out obsessed with Anthony Hopkins!Hannibal.
I love the Hannibal character so much, I decided to read the books to learn more about him. I got them today at the library and can't wait to start. Sometime I'm going to re-watch all three movies (I feel I only need to see Hannibal Rising once...but if I really miss Gaspard and Gong, maybe I'll go back) and write LJ entries with reviews/commentary. There's just so much I want to say about them that will make this post longer than it already is. I hope I really will, though I'm not known for keeping up LJ entries on a consistent basis. I also know that the novel Hannibal had a controversial, different ending than what was in the movie, and surprisingly, I find myself agreeing with the movie over the book! It's weird, the book seems to have a Hollywood-esque "boy gets girl" happy ending that I would have hated a movie to do because it breaks the characters. The movie seems to keep the characters and their defining qualities intact. I wonder why this is, why the novelist would choose to take such a route. This is another reason I want to read the books, not only do I want to know more details about how they became who they are but also whether I can really buy what happens at the end.