I should be working instead of writing this post
Not wanting to pay more dollars to see Avengers again, I decided to have a little Other Movies Featuring Paul Bettany fest.
So far:
The Reckoning (rewatch)
Still an interesting movie that brings to life through costumes and set design a time period not often seen on screen outside of Ingmar Bergman films, with interludes of real beauty. Tom Hardy's turn as a seductress in a play: still mesmerizing. Willem Dafoe's accent: still baffling. Matthew McFadyen as the king's justice: still oddly anachronistic. Vincent Cassel's evilness: still chilling. Paul Bettany's face performance: still intense. And the plot about the powerful exploiting the disempowered: still depressingly relevant.
Did I mention obsessive gif-staring?
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
I can't with those sideburns / that hair in general. But movie!Maturin was quite a lovely character, all surgeon's hands and physician-scientist's brains.
This was an excellent example of how to make an action movie with solid characters who both drive and enhance the action. I honest to goodness teared up a couple of times, at least once concerning the Galapagos plot.
Dipped my toe into the waters of Aubrey/Maturin fic, with detours into Jack/Stephen/Sophie(/Diana), which there ought to be more of. Bookmarked these:
Duende by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin, with the soulbonding and the swordsman
The Undiscovered Ocean by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin shipwrecked intimacy
The World Turned Upside Down by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin genderswap babyfic
Listening by astolat - OT4
Husbands and Lovers by [orphaned account] - Jack/Sophie, Stephen/Diana, not a happy ending
The Lesson by MissIzzy and Improving Lessons by ariadnes_string - Jack/Sophie/Stephen, in which Stephen demonstrates to Jack how to please a woman, and Sophie enjoys the ride
Some of you were surely in the fandom when it was still going strong. Recall any good ones?
Inkheart
This was really lovely! I mean, it had its issues, and lovers of the original books were disappointed, and RottenTomatoes gives it a 38% rating, but the premise was interesting and dear to the hearts & fantasies of readers, and one of the main plots revolved around the coming of age story of a girl who wanted to be a writer. Paul Bettany as the morally ambiguous Dustfinger was a real treat-arguably the best part of the movie-and not entirely because of the long hair and shirtless fire spinning. Fun slashy relationship with Farid, too.
These two fics on the AO3 were particularly lovely:
You People With Hearts (Need Never Fear) by antistar_e - Dustfinger/Meggie, over the rainbow after a brush with death
Fade Away by Whreflections - Dustfinger/Resa, making the most of what they have
The former makes me want to try the books. I suspect the narrative style is similar. Of course, I stepped into the Earthsea trilogy last week and should probably finish that first. But obsessive!brain wants it now. Sigh; we'll see.
Priest
Generic, formulaic action film on par with I, Frankenstein. Had to turn on subtitles because it was impossible to make out all the Super Serious Growling. Points in its favor: vampire Bill, playing a vampire victim! Christopher Plummer! Brad Dourif! Points not in its favor: everything else, including Bettany's gravelly American accent. Not even the vampires or his face could save this one.
Still to go: Wimbledon (rewatch), A Beautiful Mind, Legion, A Knight's Tale, Mortdecai… Thank you, county library system.
.
Something about all this has caught the obsessive part of my brain, and I've been preoccupied for days with thoughts and images of his various roles, including returning repeatedly to certain animated gifs. This couldn't have come at a worse time; I'm in the midst of two packed weeks at work and don't have brain space to waste on this. But that's probably exactly why it's happening now. Maybe it's even coming at the time I most need it.
So far:
The Reckoning (rewatch)
Still an interesting movie that brings to life through costumes and set design a time period not often seen on screen outside of Ingmar Bergman films, with interludes of real beauty. Tom Hardy's turn as a seductress in a play: still mesmerizing. Willem Dafoe's accent: still baffling. Matthew McFadyen as the king's justice: still oddly anachronistic. Vincent Cassel's evilness: still chilling. Paul Bettany's face performance: still intense. And the plot about the powerful exploiting the disempowered: still depressingly relevant.
Did I mention obsessive gif-staring?
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
I can't with those sideburns / that hair in general. But movie!Maturin was quite a lovely character, all surgeon's hands and physician-scientist's brains.
This was an excellent example of how to make an action movie with solid characters who both drive and enhance the action. I honest to goodness teared up a couple of times, at least once concerning the Galapagos plot.
Dipped my toe into the waters of Aubrey/Maturin fic, with detours into Jack/Stephen/Sophie(/Diana), which there ought to be more of. Bookmarked these:
Duende by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin, with the soulbonding and the swordsman
The Undiscovered Ocean by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin shipwrecked intimacy
The World Turned Upside Down by astolat - Aubrey/Maturin genderswap babyfic
Listening by astolat - OT4
Husbands and Lovers by [orphaned account] - Jack/Sophie, Stephen/Diana, not a happy ending
The Lesson by MissIzzy and Improving Lessons by ariadnes_string - Jack/Sophie/Stephen, in which Stephen demonstrates to Jack how to please a woman, and Sophie enjoys the ride
Some of you were surely in the fandom when it was still going strong. Recall any good ones?
Inkheart
This was really lovely! I mean, it had its issues, and lovers of the original books were disappointed, and RottenTomatoes gives it a 38% rating, but the premise was interesting and dear to the hearts & fantasies of readers, and one of the main plots revolved around the coming of age story of a girl who wanted to be a writer. Paul Bettany as the morally ambiguous Dustfinger was a real treat-arguably the best part of the movie-and not entirely because of the long hair and shirtless fire spinning. Fun slashy relationship with Farid, too.
These two fics on the AO3 were particularly lovely:
You People With Hearts (Need Never Fear) by antistar_e - Dustfinger/Meggie, over the rainbow after a brush with death
Fade Away by Whreflections - Dustfinger/Resa, making the most of what they have
The former makes me want to try the books. I suspect the narrative style is similar. Of course, I stepped into the Earthsea trilogy last week and should probably finish that first. But obsessive!brain wants it now. Sigh; we'll see.
Priest
Generic, formulaic action film on par with I, Frankenstein. Had to turn on subtitles because it was impossible to make out all the Super Serious Growling. Points in its favor: vampire Bill, playing a vampire victim! Christopher Plummer! Brad Dourif! Points not in its favor: everything else, including Bettany's gravelly American accent. Not even the vampires or his face could save this one.
Still to go: Wimbledon (rewatch), A Beautiful Mind, Legion, A Knight's Tale, Mortdecai… Thank you, county library system.
.
Something about all this has caught the obsessive part of my brain, and I've been preoccupied for days with thoughts and images of his various roles, including returning repeatedly to certain animated gifs. This couldn't have come at a worse time; I'm in the midst of two packed weeks at work and don't have brain space to waste on this. But that's probably exactly why it's happening now. Maybe it's even coming at the time I most need it.