Profile: Tony Leung Chiu Wai

I had the luck of watching Red Cliff (2008) recently and even though it may have moments that are uneven or at times undone by its own CGI, I was very caught up in the characters and story. Watching it, I marveled at the always incredible Tony Leung. Leung is an actors actor, he is surely one of the best working today in any language and I'm more than willing to put him amongst the top actors ever. From action to drama to comedy, Leung always delivers a performance that makes you feel there is so much more going on under the surface.

Just look at In The Mood For Love (2000). What he and equally gifted Maggie Cheung give to the audience in that film is as close to transcendental as it gets. They do so much without saying a word that the mind races and eyeballs almost explode to keep up with it. Wong Kar-Wai's camera works so beautifully with what they are displaying that it almost reaches cinematic nirvana.

So without further lamentations, here is a photo tribute to Tony Leung Chui Wai.

INFERNAL AFFAIRS (1998)

HERO (2003)

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)

LUST CAUTION (2007)

2046(2004)

HARD BOILED (1992)

RED CLIFF (2008)

Do I have a bit of a man crush on the guy? Sure, but it's hard not to when someone can display such charm and a sense of ease on the screen that can be matched by very few. He is an actor who is under appreciated in this country and it is a real shame considering all of the talentless celebutards that we pay to see up on the screen.

(My apologies for the use of celebutards. It is from way to much time spent working at TMZ.)

Profile: Olmos Famous

I was watching Battlestar Gallactica the other night and marveling at Edward James Olmos. So here is a quick look at some of his career choices told in photos.

Zoot Suit 1981

Blade Runner 1982

Miami Vice 1984-1989

American Me 1992

The Road

To El Dorado 2000

BSG 2004-2009

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2008

It's a pretty eclectic body of work. This doesn't even include Stand And Deliver (1988) which garnered him an Oscar nomination for best actor, Triumph Of The Spirit (1989), Wolfen (1981), My Family (1995), Selena (1997) or a ton of stage work as well as directing.

If there is one regret I have, it's I wished just once he'd have punched Don Johnson during the Vice years. Look at Olmos on that show. Every glance at Johnson is seething with hatred, or maybe that's just me projecting.

Profile: Oh, Rita

I've always been fascinated with Rita Hayworth. An amazingly beautiful woman who had a low self esteem. It's one of those things that baffles me. It always fascinates me when beautiful people are self conscious. I think it's a thing that makes most average folks like me scratch their head. Plus, she was married at one point in time to Orson Welles and then Prince Aly Kahn. That's just nuts!

So, I was watching Affair in Trinidad (1952) earlier and was still blown away at her incredible beauty. The film itself is mediocre. It is called a rehash of Gilda (1946), but I also see quite a bit of Hitchcock's Notorious (1946) running through its veins.

Too much yacking. I just wanted to run some photos of this beautiful woman.





















She used to say, "Men fell in love with Gilda, but they wake up with me." It's funny, sad and shows that there was a very complex woman all in one small statement. She does not fail to continue to impress.