picspam: five reasons why alan rickman is fucking awesome.
"I do feel more myself in America. I can regress there, and they have roller-coaster parks."
Alan Rickman is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE actors. Is it that silky voice of his? His ability to play both incredibly charming heroes and devilish villains? Or just the fact that he oozes talent and intelligence and British snark? I think it's a combination of all of the above. So, since I've been thinking about how incredible and varied his career has been, I thought I'd do a small picspam/tribute to one of my fave leading men.
reason #5 why alan rickman rules:
he makes playing a tragic hero
look good...
Colonel Brandon of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is one of my absolute favourite romantic heroes in fiction. Colonel Brandon is way up there with the likes of Mr. Thornton (North and South) and Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), because not only is he A) a true refined gentleman, B) really sexy in white cravats and silk vests, and C) noble, self-sacrificing, and still scarred from a truly tragic past, he's also hopelessly in love with Marianne, and devotes himself to helping her in any way he can. Colonel Brandon's love for Marianne is so sweet, so poignant, and so GUH-worthy, I find myself (yet again!) wishing I could switch places with Kate Winslet. When he staggers back to the manor, a sick and unconscious Marienne in his arms, I about die. And then, at the end of the film, when he's reading her her favourite book of poetry, when he sends her the pianoforte she's longed to have for months.... OMG, COLONEL BRANDON, PLEASE TURN YOUR PUPPY DOG EYES MY WAY.
reason #4 why alan rickman rules:
he's severus motherfucking snape, yo
My fellow Potterfiles will agree with me when I say this: Severus Snape is one of the most multilayered, tragic, angsty, terrible antiheroes in all of fiction/literature. Snape is somehow both an inveterate asshole you love to hate, a biased and cruel villain, and a wonderfully scarred hero of epic proportions. HE DID IT ALL FOR THE UNREQUITED LOVE OF LILY POTTER. He killed Dumbledore in order to save everyone else! He kept Harry safe for all of those years, he played the double agent in an extremely dangerous game, and he ultimately sacrificed himself to avenge the love of his life. HOLY CRAP, SNAPE, HOW ARE YOU SO INCREDIBLE?!!? And thus far Alan has done a superb job of showcasing all of Snape's complexities and contradictions. He somehow even makes the slimy greaseball charming and magnetic. I am going to lose it when he meets his maker in Deathly Hallows. ;_____;
Also, he makes Snape pretty damn hilarious when it comes to his constant badgering of Harry and Co.
reason #3 why alan rickman rules:
who else could play the VOICE OF GOD??!?
HE'S THE METATRON, BITCHES, BOW DOWN AND SHOW SOME FUCKING RESPECT!
Dogma is a HILARIOUS movie. As someone who was once a Christian and have always had issues with the religion, this movie is a favourite of mine for what should be obvious reasons. Not only is it sarcastic, cynical, hilarious and crude, it also raises some VERY INTERESTING POINTS and sparks some super heated discussion and thought. And when you need to find someone to play the sharp and snarky voice of God, where else can you go but to Alan Rickman? He makes the Metatron imperious, witty, and also incredibly intelligent and empathetic. I love when he first shows himself to Bethany, proving he's not there to rape her by showing that he's "as anatomically correct as a Ken doll"; then when he teleports them to a Mexican canteena for tequila and some biting conversation; and he completely won me over when he appeared to a crying Bethany who had just learned she had the fate of humanity on her shoulders, managing to comfort her and show that the Voice of God has a heart, too. LOVE LOVE AND MORE LOVE.
Also, he has some really amazing fucking wings. X^D
reason #2 why alan rickman rules:
he's not afraid to do genre
BY GRABTHAR'S HAMMER, BY THE SONS OF WARVAN, Alan Rickman can truly do no wrong. Voice of God? Sure, no problem. Severus Snape? Easy. A conceited actor who hates the scifi show that made him famous? Or a paranoid, manic-depressive, and suicidal android? Checkity check check! It's so hard to find actors that are willing to do any kind of movie -- so many of the Hollywood hunks stick only to romcoms, or action flicks, or serious dramas. Alan has no qualms or restrictions: as long as the script's interesting, he'll do ANYTHING. And I love that about him. I love that he'll do Shakespeare on a London stage, and then turn around and play a wizard, or a comedic robot, or a sadistic villain. And, as if that wasn't enough, he's equally talented at playing serious OR slapstick. Galaxy Quest is one of my favourite scifi movies, because I love how it lovingly mocks the insanity of fandom, and yet is also a solid genre film in its own right. And Alexander/Dr. Lazarus is one of the best things about the movie. And while the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy adaptation didn't blow my socks off, I did enjoy it more than most, and I thought Alan did a grand job as Marvin the Android. ♥!
AND
reason #1 why alan rickman rules:
he can play a scene-chewing villain
that few could ever rival
OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. I LOVE THIS MAN WHEN HE PLAYS AN ASSHOLE. SERIOUSLY. If that means that I'm damaged goods, or a creeper, or just weird, I DON'T EVEN CARE. When he's playing evil and malicious and vengeful, it just does things to me. It's the voice, it's the facial hair, it's the sneer and the clothes and the cocky, sarcastic witticisms. Alan's villains are of the highly intelligent, highly competent type -- and there aren't any sexier, truly. Whether he's wearing a sharp suit, medieval cloak, or a cowboy hat in Australia, YES PLZ. I just love loathing him when he's up to no good, and he has some of the best one-liners and moments of scene-chewing rage ever recorded on film. This is a villain any hero would be glad to have as an arch-nemesis, and his monologues are stupendous. Hans Gruber was all silky, tricky malevolence in Die Hard; the Sheriff of Nottingham was sneaky, cruel, and somehow extremely compelling and charistmatic -- especially when compared to Kevin Costner's bland Robin -- in Robin Hood; and Elliott Marston was all cool, cocky, greedy, racist cruelty in Quigley Down Under. I love all of those movies, and a large degree of that love is thanks to Alan. SO THANK YOU, ALAN. ♥
IN CONCLUSION:
ALAN RICKMAN CAN -- AND WILL -- CUT YOUR HEART OUT
WITH A SPOON IF NECESSARY. BE HONORED IF HE DOES SO.