A Brit a Day [#951]

Till now, I haven't given these photos of Tom Hiddleston much of a second glance because his face is sort of artfully obscured in them.  But by now, I think I have his features memorized, so...enjoy--these are rather pretty.

A Brit a Day [#950]

I've made no secret of the fact that part of my attraction to Henry Ian Cusick is that he reminds me so much of my father.  My father would have been about Ian's age when I was 8.  My father wasn't much of a crossword doer, but he was addicted to a word puzzle called Jumble that appeared in the newspaper every day.  Here and below, Ian looks like my dad would have, sitting across the den from me, doing his daily puzzle.

A Brit a Day [#949]

Hi honey I'm home...and none the worse for my travels.  Matt Smith is no doubt on the set of 'Doctor Who' above.  Otherwise, what would you do if you saw a man in this shape casually sitting in your local park?

A Brit a Day [#948]

I'm taking off the next 2 weeks to spend some time with family.  Here, load up on handsome men.  That should keep you going for a while....

Yeah, thought you'd be okay with that.

A Brit a Day [#947]

A study of wings by incredible artist Alicexz, found on Tumblr.  I think this would be especially meaningful to fans of 'Supernatural?'  So I don't know if anyone associated with today's post is actually British!  The Wikipedia describes Jensen Ackles [who plays Dean Winchester] as "of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry." [Aren't we all?]  That's close enough for me.  And I would have sworn after seeing "P.S. I Love You" that Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has played the Winchester boys' father, was Irish.

A Brit a Day [#946]

Benedict and blanket.  Anyone know what movie this is from?  This image makes such a lovely post.  And it foreshadows Sherlock's appearance at Buckingham Palace wearing only a sheet.

A Brit a Day [#945]

OK, hang on for dear life because this is a long and speedy train of thought here:  Friday night I saw 'The Loneliest Planet,' probably the angstiest film of the year.  The entire cast [basically an ensemble of three actors] was amazing, but Gael Garcia Bernal, with maybe a dozen words of dialogue in the whole movie, manages to bear the weight of the entire world with his movements, posture, and face.

It blew me away.  It reminded me of how much I need to see 'Y Tu Mama Tambien,' the film in which Alfonso Cuaron directed Bernal to much acclaim.  And then I started thinking about how much I like Alfonso Cuaron--he directed an episode of the obscure 'Fallen Angels' with Alan Rickman and Laura Dern in a classic noir story, "Murder Obliquely." [Look straight down now for Rickman in jammies, and don't forget to hold onto something as you do--]

Oh, and of course he directed HP3.  And Prisoner of Azkaban is, visually and narratively, my favorite HP movie.  You've got the classic lecture in which Snape instructs the class to 'turn to page 394.'

You have ominous meetings of all kinds--

And you have Snape showing us how a real man takes care of the kids--and if you should happen to see 'The Loneliest Planet,' you will understand how this screen cap brings us full circle, but I better shut up because it would be too easy to get real spoilery here about all that.

A Brit a Day [#944]

Happy Birthday, Terence Davies [November 10, 1945]!  Terence Davies is the director of such beautiful movies as 'The Deep Blue Sea.'  Terence completely gets what it is to be a Brit.

It's also Neil Gaiman's birthday.  Get a tissue and read this tribute here:
http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/35396308672/an-open-letter-to-my-boss-friend-on-his-birthday

A Brit a Day [#943]

I'm all touchy-feely for some reason this week.  I actually downloaded pictures of  3 or 4 cute babies I don't even know from the internet the other day.  I had to restrain myself from asking to hold a stranger's precious little bundle of joy at my doctor's office yesterday. So here is Tom Hiddleston with someone's adorable family.  I don't usually post pictures of children--the kids didn't ask to be on my blog, you know?--but these guys look pretty safe within the large circle of Mr. H's arms.  And it seems to me that kids are the most genuine and gentlest of fans.

A Brit a Day [#942]

Making this movie [The Girl on the Train] with Henry Ian Cusick looks like it was a whole lot of fun.  I have no idea what the guy is holding up behind Ian in the top picture.

A Brit a Day [#941]

Photos leaked [?] [!] from the set of Doctor Who a while back show the doctor in a sassy new coat.  As in, 'I don't think this is just Matt in his own coat.'

A Brit a Day [#940]

Today is the day we Yanks elect our next leader.  This lovely piece by artist Max Kennedy is entitled 'Don't Go.'  That is my battle cry today--'President Obama, don't go!'

A Brit a Day [#939]

A brooding man, a purple shirt, and Victorian wallpaper.  This combination just does something to me.  I think this pic is the banner for a page of a Benedict Cumberbatch appreciation blog, benedictcumberbatch.co.uk, but for the life of me I can't remember which page this morning.  Try this one:

http://www.benedictcumberbatch.co.uk/interviews/eye-on-emmy-benedict-cumberbatch-on-playing-sherlock-at-50/

A Brit a Day [#938]

It's so funny how no one has to tell you who this is--even out of context, I would know an articulated Severus Snape paper child anywhere.

A Brit a Day [#937]

I've been working on a piece for the Saturday Editor's Choice part of the blog about a British-American artist, illustrator and author named Jack Coggins.  I'm not finished with it, but here's a great example of his work and a little bit about him from the Wikipedia--

The contact with such visionary thinkers complimented his exposure to the German V-2 rockets in Europe and served to strengthen his growing interest in space travel, rockets, and science fiction.[1] In 1951 and 1952, Coggins collaborated again with Fletcher Pratt on two classic books: Rockets, Jets, Guided Missiles & Space Ships, and By Space Ship to the Moon. The books were released amidst the great wave of interest in space travel sweeping the United States and the rest of the world in the 1950s,[1] and they were published in several countries and translated into other languages.[30] These books made the prospect of space exploration seem a practical possibility. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists used the books to demonstrate their ideas to Congressmen when seeking funding for the space program,[2] and there are many NASA scientists today who retain fond memories of the influence the books had on their careers.

A Brit a Day [#936]

Does physical flawlessness always include being good at table tennis?  I just need to know.

A Brit a Day [#935]

Henry Ian Cusick is going to have a 3-episode run on 'The Mentalist' beginning later this month.