TV Dramas – like porn, in a way

[donnaimmaculata]

Seeing as a big part of my data (shows! films!) might be lost, I need something to cheer self up. Fortunately, I made some caps before my disk died, which I can now use to discuss a deeply disturbing fetish:

Anyone who's followed this LJ for a little while might have noticed that I use it primary to talk about my crushes on fictional characters. And apparently, in many instances what gets me crushing is period clothing. - Give the man a cravat and boots, and I'm his.



And so I watched "Casanova", where David prances around in fancy Chinese silk, superb blouses and boots, and I was his forever:



While indulging my David obsession, I watched Blackpool, where I was introduced to David Morrissey, whom I liked. His character, Ripley Holden, really is the soulmate of "Life on Mars's" Gene Hunt, only with a crazier dress sense and a pink wife.



Also, he sings and dances



with David Tennant

and I kinda loved him. But not quite.

It took me a couple of years and "Sense and Sensibility" to truly submit to Mr. Morrissey, which might or might not have something to do with the fact that he wears marvellous sleeves and indulges in some bodice ripping.



And speaking of Gene Hunt: While I did madly love him in "Life on Mars",



it did not make me crush on him (I was busy crushing on John Simm, who's the only one on this list who didn't need a cravat and boots to convince me. You go, John!).



It was "Cranford" that did the trick.



Where he was all masterful and authoritative and wore a fantastic pair of boots. And a cravat.

And so - I should have perhaps have mentioned that earlier - I rewatched "State of Play", which I can only recommend to everyone, because it's just like porn, only with fully dressed people. (They say it's got a good plot, too.)



I had originally watched it for John Simm.



I then had to watch it for David Morrissey



and for Philip Glenister.

Who is masterful and authoritative and flirts with Della. "That's not all you've come here for, is it?" he purrs down at her. (This is actually true.)

Also, while rewatching "State of Play" a hundred times, you might notice things that you have never noticed before.



Like DCI Bell wearing a wedding ring. (Despite the fact that he totally hits on Deall. Filthy swine.)

"State of Play" also has James McAvoy in it, who's very, very cute and flirty.

Here, he flirts with Copy Shop Guy for information:



Copy Shop Guy is smitten (and rightly so).



So, while watching "State of Play" for a) John Simm b) David Morrissey and c) Philip Glenister, I did notice James McAvoy's Dan, but he did not quite get me.

It took "Becoming Jane" and a cravat



(or rather: the lack thereof, considering that his first appearance is topless) for me to become completely smitten with James McAvoy at last.



Tom Lefroy plays cricket (looking rather déshabillé. - WTF is that with the lack of cravat? Isn't that a bit too racy?) and flirts with Jane Austen's brother Henry, who spends a good portion of the film commenting on Tom's nakedness ("Displaying to advantage, Lefroy!") and trying to get him naked. ("Time for a swim, I think. […] There's a decent spot of river down there.") (I didn't cap the naked scenes, sorry.)



Tom also sweeps into the frame and Jane off her feet at the ball. Ah, Mr. Lefroy!

On a side note: While I was busy crushing on James McAvoy, I could not entirely ignore Joe Anderson, who plays Jane Austen's brother Henry and flirts with his older cousin, Comtesse De Feuillide. Actually, I liked their story much better than the main story. Also, I totally love the Comtesse. She's gorgeous, and I'm very glad she seduced her younger cousin. You go, Eliza!



And guess what? I rewatched "State of Play" for James McAvoy. (It's a really good show, with a good story and stuff, really.)

His character, Dan, is a cocksure, hotshot journalist with Daddy Issues - on which I will elaborate in a minute, but let me first point out that, while Dan flirts with everyone in sight, John Simm's Cal McAffrey totally hits on Dan:



"Ring me when you're on the lookout for a bigger adventure, Dan," he says while patting Dan's stomach. (This is actually true.)

Rewatching it was very rewarding, because I noticed some things that escaped me before, when I was focusing on Simm/Morrissey/Glenister, only not in a threesome kind of way, because, IIRC, the three of them don't really have any scenes together.

But there is some marvellous interaction between James McAvoy's Dan and his father, played by the supremely cool Bill Nighy.

(Surprise: Actual plot details ahead!) See, Bill Nighy didn't really want his son to work for him (he's the editor), but John Simm, who totally fancies Dan as proved by the stomach patting above, convinced him to give Dan a chance. Here, Dan has just told the other journalists what he knows and is very proud, because now Daddy has to take him seriously at last. "Result!" says Dan, riding on the high of his success. "Now, would that have made any sense to you if I hadn't been here tonight?"



And in the blink of an eye, Daddy totally puts him down: "Don't kiss your own arse until you get us a name," Bill Nighy drawls, and Dan's face shatters.



It's such a great moment, because the dialogue and plot continues, and none of the others pay any attention to Dan and his father. - The focus is on John Simm's Cal, who is instructing the others as to the proceedings, and everyone is gathering up their papers and things and getting ready to leave, and the camera pans around and Dan and Bill Nighy are just sitting there not really doing anything and have no dialogue - but Dan's expression is just so fantastic. He looks as though he couldn't believe what he's just heard. He's actually proved that he's good at his job and not just a "loudmouth bloody typist", as his father had so eloquently put it, and it doesn't count for anything.



And then Bill Nighy winks at him and you almost miss it (unless you have rewatched the show for hundreds of times, that is), and you know that all will be well with these two.

And indeed, by the end of the last episode, when the story is water-tight and being wrapped up, and Bill Nighy is standing in the door to his office, looking over his kingdom, he catches Dan's eye:



and Dan beams at him:



Right. So that was my review of "State of Play" - the James McAvoy perspective. Considering the track record, "State of Play" and I are not done yet.



There's still the Very Hot Lawyer left to crush on



as well as Pete, who's got some of the most fantastically dry lines in the show. ("Not a wanker at all" - about Dominic Foy and his car.) And does an amazing drunk.

But back to James McAvoy. Seeing as my crush on him is in full swing now, I have been catching up on other stuff he's done and have finally watched "Last King of Scotland". It's a very good film with a powerful story and a brilliant Forest Whitaker and suchlike.



And just like John Simm in "State of Play", Forest Whitaker is completely smitten by James McAvoy and, on their first encounter, asks him to take off his shirt. (This is also entirely true.) If there was a "Last King of Scotland" fandom, it would brim over with Daddy-Issue fics, with an abusive Forest Whitaker and an innocent and weepy uke James McAvoy. He'd probably be forced to wear a leather collar and chains around his wrists.



Gillian Anderson is impressed.



And when James comes out of the bathroom, with dripping wet hair and looking extremely predatory (the director's own words!), she is very, very tempted, but - for reasons I cannot fathom - remains firm and leaves. Honestly!



I would like to point out that, apart from a cravat-and-boots fetish, I've also got a very serious collarbone fetish. Seriously, a pretty (meaning: pointy) collarbone makes me swoon like anything. And young Mr. McAvoy here displays a very fine specimen, which actually casts a shadow when backlit. I can't even start to express what that does to me.



Here's another example (Macbeth).



And just for the heck of it: a gratuitous topless pic to end this post.

Right. So, considering that I really seem to like a man in a cravat, I should find a way to convince my RL acquaintances to maybe wear one, for me. However, I fear that if I ask a guy to wrap a piece of cloth around his neck, he’d end up thinking that I’m into some weird asphyxiation play and run away screaming. Just my luck!

Comments

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

It's Sunday night here, and I'm working like mad, which is why I needed to spread some joy.

I highly recommend Blackpool, if only for the karaoke sex scene and for David Morrissey's fantastic larger-than-life character. And David Tennant puts things in his mouth all the time.

There's also some plot in there to hold the important scenes together.

[dementedsiren.livejournal.com]

.....
........
...

I'm sorry, but you lost me at "karaoke sex scene".

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you can find it on youtube. The song in question is "Squeeze me, please me", if you want to go looking for it.

It's very, ah, rewarding, to say the least.