A Brit a Day [#37]

I'm bringing Henry Ian Cusick back today to expand on his role as Nat in the movie-in-my-head of Daphne du Maurier's 'The Birds'.

A Brit a Day [#36]

Eddie Argos.
This is from Art Brut's first trip to LA, I think. Eddie had just written a song called 'I'm Considering a Move to LA.' And for all intents and purposes, he did [consider a move to LA]. The picture was taken in front of the liquor store right next to The Viper Room. To the best of my knowledge, Art Brut has never played The Viper Room. Someday.

A Brit a Day [#35]

Henry Ian Cusick.

Last night my daughter let me read what she's reading in her English class. She just read the short story 'The Birds' by Daphne du Maurier. I never knew 'The Birds' was a story before it was a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, let alone a story by such a master as du Maurier. I love Hitchcock--at times he is my favorite director--but I think his movie 'The Birds' is just scary and gross. So my mind was ripe for a new interpretation when I read the story.

The main character of the story is farmhand Nat, who is also a husband and father to two small children. Nat is heroic in a fatalistic and practical sense. In the movie in my head, here is Henry Ian as Nat in the fields in happier times, in the autumn before the odd winter winds began, before the scores and scores of gulls rode the waves, waiting for the turn of the tide.

A Brit a Day [#34]

Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook. I have a long standing relationship with 'Peter Pan'. It was my favorite animated Disney movie as a child, complicated by the fact that I lived in a pre-VHS era; I was at the mercy of Disney's distribution schedule and could only see PP when it was in theatres. Karma reversed itself one summer when I thought I'd been hired to paint scenery for summer-stock at Penn State and arrived to find that I'd really been enslaved to the running crew. Then I got to see the musical version of the stage play everyday for about 5 weeks, twice on days with matinees. One of my backstage jobs was handing Captain Hook the bomb.

A Brit a Day [#33]

Here's an update to my recent post about Dan Radcliffe's movie 'The December Boys': I was curious and checked Amazon. Apparently it went straight to DVD when it was released in 2007. It would have never occurred to me at the time that the film would bypass a theatrical release. Film distribution is a fickle sport.

A Brit a Day [#32]

We've seen a lot of the dapper Bruce Wayne incarnation of Christian Bale; today I thought we'd go frowsy. Here he is in '3:10 to Yuma'--a fantastic film. Love, love, love a man on a horse.

A Brit a Day [#30]

Another great photograph by Henry Diltz featuring Davey Jones and iconic fangirls of the 1960's.

A Brit a Day [#31]

Today is Sunday, so this must be Alan Rickman. I started composing this post on Friday, so that's what the blog robot thinks it should be dated. But trust me, this is Sunday.

I decided it was time to get a bit more organized. Otherwise, I have started to agonize that I'm not doing the rotation fairly. So I've set up a schedule. I'll stick to it awhile and see how we like it.

Sunday=Alan Rickman

Monday=Christian Bale

Tuesday=Daniel Radcliffe

Wednesday=Jason Isaacs

Thursday=Henry Ian Cusick

Friday=Eddie Argos

Saturday=Editor's Pick, e.g. Davey Jones, Alex Turner, James Blunt, etc.

A Brit a Day [#29]

I haven't updated my Daniel Radcliffe file since 2006. He was making a movie in Australia then called "The December Boys." I was really looking forward to it, but it was never released in America, and as far as I know wasn't seen anywhere else. That was prime-picture collecting time in the life of a Dan fan--he was still just a beautiful teenage boy.

Hadrian's Wall--part 3

After he stitched up my arm, Dr. Ethan Forester set it gently in a sling. As he was making his final notes in the chart, I sighed "Oh no, I never did get through the window to get my keys. I'm still locked out."

"What are you doing here over the break anyway? Aren't you scared of being in the dorm by yourself?" he asked.

to be continued...

A Brit a Day [#28]

Henry Ian Cusick: My favorite Brit for A-Brit-a-Day. He's Scottish of course, that definitely keeps him near the top of the list, and otherwise....just look at him. This happily married father of three had as one of his first major film roles the part of Jesus Christ in 'The Gospel of John.' He recently described himself as someone who was "a struggling actor in the UK" who got cast in a hit show ['Lost'] and now his life has changed completely. I think he is truly grateful for all that.

A Brit a Day [#27]

Professor Snape....protecting children. 'A Brit a Day' is brought to you this evening by a surge in my hormones.

A Brit a Day [#26]

Christian Bale: Remember the scene in 'Laurel Canyon' where he and the [other] beautiful medical student talk dirty to each other in the front seat of her car in a parking deck. Prophetically, she was in the driver's seat.

A Brit a Day [#25]

I tried like mad to find a way to justify this post as A Brit a Day. Jack Simpson is an incredible designer of men's dresswear. I re-invent my wedding memories every time I look at this clipping. His suits are so flattering to the male shape. But he is all American. I couldn't find a Brit connection. Here is the next best I can do: Jack Simpson, not this one, was a legendary golfer in Scotland in the nineteenth century. If you want to know more about him, try the wikipedia. If you want to see more Jack Simpson gorgeous designs go here:
http://jacksimpsoncouture.com/