Day 18: My Kind of Pictures (requested by aardvarkinmud)

aardvarkinmud What pictures do you like to look at? 

This question really made me think and I wasn't sure why kind of pictures to talk about, so I've divided it up. First of all I'm going to talk about paintings, then abstract images and then photos.

Paintings

I'm very much a lover of classical art. Rob and I have been known to go to the National Gallery and spend five hours going round the older sections with the audio tour. I love just sitting and looking at the paintings while listening all about them. I love epic paintings that tell a story and I find some of the early religious work absolutely beautiful. Below are some of my favourites.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche 1833

I remember seeing this painting when I first visited the National Gallery on a school trip when I was seventeen. I stood in front of it for ages and it made a huge impression. I have never forgotten it and I have to go and see it every time I go to the gallery.

Samson and Delilah by Rubens

I love the colours in this one. There is so much stillness and tension as Samson's hair is cut.

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Piero del Pollaiolo

This one has so much going on and the aspects of all the men firing arrows as Saint Sebastian as incredibly interesting. I know that it all has a meaning because I listened to it last time I was in the National Gallery, but I can't remember exactly what it was. All I know is you can go barely a room in that section of the gallery without coming across another Saint Sebastian; he seems to have been a very popular subject.

The Death of Actaeon by Titian

Another tragic painting, but with so much life and interest.

Ophelia by John Everett Millais

I love this painting for all it's detail and emotion. I saw it in an exhibition at the Tate Britain. The fact that the model was ill because she lay in the water so long for the painter to finish the work and her father charged him for the doctor's fees just add to it's realism.

Abstract Images
I'm not much of a fan of abstract art, but I do rather like Jackson Pollock. The way he used colour and shape is simply fascinating.

I find a lot of abstract art boring (and this is just my opinion, I know some people really enjoy it), but I could look at a Pollock for hours. Abstract art with something of an organic feel is by far my favourite when it comes to paintings. However, I also like computer generated art. I love fractals.

I find the endlessly repeating patterns restful and intriguing. The fact that you get fractals in nature is also fascinating (and tasty as in the example below :)).

Photos

Now I'm going to be shallow :D. I've done the arty bit and I do like to look at arty photos too, but one of my great joys is looking at photos of my favourite actors. Guess who's first!

Tom Hiddleston in rehearsals for Coriolanus

Dylan O'Brien from Teen Wolf

James McAvoy from Children of Dune

Tyler Hoechlin from Teen Wolf

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock

I could go on, but we'd be here all day :).

Review: Thor The Dark World

Title: Thor The Dark World
Rating: 12A
Cast:
Chris Hemsworth ... Thor
Natalie Portman ... Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston ... Loki
Anthony Hopkins ... Odin
Christopher Eccleston ... Malekith
Summary:
Faced with an ancient enemy that even Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and reconnect with his estranged and imprisoned brother, Loki, to save all nine realms.

First off I will hold my hand up and say I am a huge Marvel movie fan and an even bigger Tom Hiddleston/Loki fan, but I LOVED it.

Where the first Thor movie was lacking (and I loved that too, but I can still see it lacked something that Avengers had) this film did not. It is spectacular and fast paced and it will make you cry, probably at least twice.

My first impression brought to mind a phrase I see on Tumblr a lot, even though it's totally out of context: "Wow that escalated quickly". Normally this is used when a situation goes from one extreme to another, but I thought it when I saw Asgard. Can we say 'bigger budget'? Where as in Thor Asgard was pretty and golden, it felt very stage like, in Thor II is feels real. Just seeing it for the first time I believed it was a place where people lived and where some went about their normal lives rather than running around being heroes all the time.

This film was altogether bigger than it's predecessor: bigger scenery, bigger emotions and bigger action sequences. This is a full on movie from start to finish. It also didn't go quite how I expected either and it was even better than I had hoped. In the poster Jane looks like a damsel, but believe me, she has her part to play as well, much more so than in Thor.

I have seen several reviews that had said Loki steals the show and I partially agree, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact he is the prefect foil for Thor. I have seen interviews where Chris and Tom have said Thor defines Loki and Loki defines Thor and this movie really shows that. Chris Hemsworth is magnificent as Thor; he is brave and true and not at all the bumbling idiot he was at times in Thor. He shines and he is a wonderful, wonderful hero. The we have Tom as Loki, who is sassy, vicious and yet so, so broken. Both Thor and Loki have depth and they are brilliant.

The mortals are also wonderful: Jane, Darcy and Eric are brilliant. Yes, Jane is having a bit of a crisis over Thor, but it doesn't stop her doing what she does best: science. If you put her, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in a lab together they would take over the world in a matter of days. I loved the scene where the healers are looking at Jane - I won't give it away, but it is a beauty.

Wow, is Odin a hypocritical old bastard. It's easy to see where Loki gets his attitude to mortals and yet Odin can insult Jane, but Loki gets locked up for playing at being a god. No wonder Loki is a basket case. Anthony Hopkins is great as ever.

Then we get to Christopher Eccleston as Malekith. He was a decent baddy, but frankly he could have been anyone. When you stand Malekith next to Loki you lose a dimension. He's evil and powerful and clever, but he just doesn't match up. He has no hesitation, no other motivation than I hate Asgard and I want the universe back my way. He could have been any other big bad with a weapon of mass destruction because there was never any question about what he might do. This doesn't make him a terrible character, he's just no where near as interesting as the rest.

The best bits of the film are undoubtedly when Loki and Thor are on screen together. We get to see the brothers not the enemies and it is brilliant. I adore how it played out and I want more, so much more.

Hogun got a bad lot in this movie, but Fandral, Volstagg and Sif all had great parts to play. The timing when Thor has to ask Loki for help is just brilliant.

So yes, I loved the plot, I loved most of the characters, I loved the acting, I loved the costumes and the sets, I loved the humour. It's a great movie, go see it.

MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER - highlight to read

One thing I do want to know is why there are at least three things I have seen in trailers that aren't in the movie.

Heroes and Villains Blog Hop

Welcome to my post for the Heroes and Villains Blog Hop, I do hope you enjoy my selection. If you click the link or the image you will be taken to the master post for the hop run by Dani and Jackie.

First the Villain

So I really have to wax lyrical about my favourite villain, but before I do I have to say, I'm not usually into villains. I can appreciate a good one, but they are very rarely my favourite character. This gentlemen is definitely my favourite, hands down, without any competition.

The villain I am talking about is Loki of Asgard, adopted son of Odin and true son of Laufey, of the Avengers movie universe.

We first meet Loki in the film Thor. Now I am not going to lie, the first time I saw Thor I was not impressed, in fact I complained about it on my LJ, but the second time I saw it I realised something fundamental, I had been paying attention to the wrong brother. King of ironic given the overall plot of Thor.

In mythology Loki is the trickster god and he is the trickster in Thor as well. He is the younger brother, the shadow to Thor's heart winning bravado, and the brains of the operation. Thor is not an imbecile by any means, but he is brash, loud, proud and a bit of a tit at the beginning of the movie. Thor ends up banished, Loki finds out he's adopted and a Jotun (Asgard's ancient enemy) and winds up king, because Odin falls into Odinsleep and you can just tell that's not going to end well.

What I love about Loki is how broken he is. In Thor he could have become a laughing lunatic (which if you look at the original script is how he was written), but he doesn't, he just breaks more. He is the lost son trying to prove he is worthy, even if he goes about it in entirely the wrong way. Loki's actions ultimately make Thor a better person and at each point, if one thing had been different, Loki could almost have come out the good guy.

It also helps that he's played by Tom Hiddleston who is one of my favourite two actors ever (check out my Tom Hiddleston label to find out why). Tom's range and love for the character is what makes Loki so engaging to watch. Loki has depth and it's impossible to simply hate him no matter how bad he gets. Tom is also gorgeous, which helps :).

Loki's second outing comes in The Avengers and he's changed a bit by then. We're never shown quite what happened to him as he fell through the void or everything the Chitauri did or did not do to him, but he's more than a little crazy.

Personally I think a lot of the Loki we see in The Avengers is an act. The plan was too complicated and too full of holes to actually be viable and I'm a firm believer he wanted away from the Chitauri and back to Asgard and attacking Midgard was a good way to do it.

That's not to say he's still not more than a little cracked. He kills lots of humans and doesn't seem to give a damn about it. Loki is way over the line and a long way down the path to becoming the creature of chaos he's supposed to be. However, even after all he does he's still my favourite character. He has moments where there is sanity in his eyes, moments when Thor's words almost get to him.

I think Loki is playing the long game and I can only hope the movies continue to build his character in Thor 2: The Dark World, coming in November. Here's a little piece of artwork I did just after The Muppets came out and Tom Hiddleston raved about the movie on Twitter - since Tom's going to be in the next Muppet movie I think it's doubly relevant :).

Now to the Heroes

I can't choose just one for this, so I am going to list a few :).

Thor

I couldn't really have Loki without Thor and I think he's an idiot in the beginning of the movie that bears his name, but then that's the point. The way Thor grows as a character is superb and I love him in his own movies and in The Avengers.

He is loyal and brave and courageous; he loves deeply, will walk through hell for his friends and he's awfully pretty as well. I am very much looking forward to seeing the more mature Thor in The Dark World.

Aragorn

He's my favourite character from the Lord of the Rings movies. He's handsome, brave and downright badass through the whole thing.

What I find amusing is that I don't really fancy him when he's dolled up as king, I prefer the scruffy ranger hands down :). He's also the crossover character, the one who is human, only not quite and I love that about him. I really wish Tolkien hadn't written the appendix about him and Arwen, because they have such a fabulous romance.

Buffy

How could I have a list of heroes without Buffy? She was a revolution and a truly great character. The fact that she is not perfect, she is not the ultimate brain as well as being the ultimate slayer.

I love her for her faults and for her strengths. She's a teenager and she acts like one. Sometimes she sulks and yet at other times she shows more bravery than most people could ever imagine. She is strong yet vulnerable and she is always ready with a one liners.

Black Widow

I'm not totally obsessed with Marvel, promise, but I couldn't leave out Black Widow. This is one woman who can take on gods and win. She is totally awesome and she has no super powers. Her abilities are human and so well honed that she is a master assassin.

In a fight you want this woman to have your back.

Sapphire and Steel

These two are from an British 80s TV show and are an integral part of my childhood. They are agents of an unknown force for good and are elements as their names suggest. Some might say they are not heroes, but if Black Widow counts so do these two. They prevent destruction when time breaks through into the real world causing all sorts of supernatural events. If you have never seen this show and you enjoy sci-fi with a touch of paranormal that will scar you for life, this is the show for you. They keep talking about a remake and I think it would be really good.

Belgarion

This boy is from The Belgariad by David Eddings and I so, so, so love him as a character. He is just a boy dragged into events he cannot understand; in his case, the ongoing war between Light and Dark that has been raging for millennia with gods and wizards and demons and devils. The Belgariad is by far and away one of my favourite book series of all time. When he turns out to be far more than just a orphan farm boy it's not a surprise, but it is perfectly done and still he's more confused than competent. He faces a destiny that would scare the bravest warrior and he really doesn't know how to be a hero.

I could go on, I have so many favourites, but I'll stop here. Thank you very much for reading. I look forward to seeing everyone else's choices in the hop.

Tom Hiddleston as The Laughing Cavalier

So I’m doing this puzzle of the Laughing Cavalier and then I came upstairs to touch up a book cover I’m working on and this happened instead. Y’know, like it does.

(I was watching this art show the other day where this chap in the know was saying how the whole painting is basically a love letter).

I can claim I was just exercising my photo editing skills, but that would be a lie ;).

May I present, Tom Hiddleston as the Laughing Cavalier, you know, simply because...

T is for Tom Hiddleston - Blogging from A to Z April Challenge

Thomas William Hiddleston - so the other day I spent three hours sorting out my Avengers photo folder (which consists mainly of Mr Hiddleston) so that I could pick photos for this post. I have so many that Win8 was refusing to index them so I could see which was which.

The piccie to the left is Tom playing Henry V in the BBC's Hollow Crown season.

So why do I think Tom Hiddleston is brilliant?

Let Me Be Shallow for a Moment

Let's start with the obvious: he's a bit of a dish :). Whether clean shaven, blond, brunette, curly haired or with it straightened, he's very nice to look at.

About the Man

Tom is intelligent, funny, caring and a complete gentlemen. He's not only a great actor, he's also a wonderful human being. I shall share some examples to illustrate my point.

Intelligent

Tom has a double first from Cambridge in classics; he got one of his first acting jobs because he could improvise in Ancient Greek. He speaks several different languages and has given interviews in Spanish. He also writes articles for various publications in which he is most eloquent.

Funny

This is a man who is not afraid to make an idiot of himself on TV and have a good laugh. He did an interview with MTV After Hours where he Loki'd Josh Horowitz. They gave him a false moustache which he named Wendy.

There is an article about it and the fan project it spawned here if you would like to know more.

Tom is also always smiling and laughing and even his laugh is rather unique. Here is a man who smiles with his whole face.

Caring

Tom recently went to Guinea for UNICEF UK to help publicise their work and see all the good they were doing with under privileged children. He also did the Live Below the Line challenge early to help publicise it and raise money for UNICEF UK.

He got a lot of stick for 'playing at being poor' by some naysayers which totally wasn't what he was doing - it boggled my mind, really it did.

Complete Gentleman

This is the man who, on the red carpet at the MTV Movie awards, realised that one of the interviewers was really, really cold, so took off his jacket and let her wear it while she was interviewing him. At a different awards he also brought another interviewer (male this time) soup, because of a conversation they had had on Twitter. Frankly, Tom's a sweetheart as far as I can tell.

His Acting Is Amazing

And now, onto what attracted me to him in the first place, his acting. He came to fame through playing Loki in Thor and The Avengers, but Tom has a much wider range than that. He studied at RADA and spent a long time on stage before appearing in several British TV shows, including Wallander with Kenneth Branagh (who became a kind of mentor and helped him get the role of Loki), Cranford, Suburban Shootout and many more.

I saw him on stage doing Stories Before Bedtime at the Criterion Theatre, where he read Tennessee Williams' Kingdom of Earth and totally knocked my socks off. To the left is a piccie of him on stage at the event. If you would like to listen to it, the Criterion has a pod cast of it on this page. Just scoll down until you see the piccie of Tom to the right and that's the correct one. (It's the whole thing so you'll have to forward to get to Tom's bit).

He's also an experienced Shakespearean actor, having played Prince Hal in Henry IV and Henry V in the BBC's Hollow Crown series, as well as several other roles on stage.

Tom can carry off the role of an insane god (Loki in Thor), a British officer on the front line in World War 1 (War Horse), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Midnight in Paris), a Swedish detective (Magnus in Wallander), a historical gentleman (William Buxton in Cranford) and anything else he chooses. His back catalogue is varied and incredible to see.

I could literally go on about Tom all day. His fame is growing all the time and yet he remains humble, gentlemanly and lovely as well as a brilliant actor. I cannot recommend his work more and he also sets a great example as a human being.

Have you seen Tom's work? Did you like it? Who are your favourite actors?

If you would like to see what all of my posts will be about in advance, click here to see my theme post.
My twin and I are also doing the A to Z Challenge over at our fantasy erotica blog: http://fantasyboysxxx.blogspot.co.uk/

Tom Hiddleston dream - had to share :)

Had a Tom Hiddleston dream last night and it was so weird I had to share ::g::. Beware, this is a trip into my subconscious, sometimes a very wacky place.

It started off fairly normally, a friend and I (no idea who the second person was, I just knew there was someone with me) were in London. Even though it looked much more like Amsterdam or Haarlem, wide spaces between rows of buildings, impeccably clean, lots of bright sunshine and canals (it was the canals that gave it away), my brain insisted it was London.

Over the course of a few days me and my friend kept seeing Tom, mostly in nice coffee shops. My own bias kept showing because half the time he had a glass of wine in his hand even though I know instinctively one of the sightings was at about eight in the morning. (Don't ask me how, I just knew okay! ;)) He went from blond curly haired Hiddles to current hair and back again several times during this part of the dream.

Then this is where is started to get strange.

Suddenly, for no reason my dream decided to share, I'm walking down a road with Tom. He decides to do this odd balancing act on a metal beam next to this big house next to water and then dives into the canal. At which point I had the bright idea of pointing out that I couldn't do that so how was I supposed to follow him.

He gave me a look, y'know, a Prince Hal stern look, as he got out the other side, which was kind of nice since he was dripping wet, and then did something weird with the metal work so it made a little bridge to the front door of the house. He then came back through the canal (I'm blaming a soaked Hiddles fetish) and led me through the house explaining it was the only way to the other side of the canal. At this point I started trying to work out why we couldn't use the perfectly good road next to the house, but like a good Brit, didn't think I should mention it.

Then it gets weirder.

My invisible, just-know-he/she/it-is-there friend is back and we're following Hiddles down a road towards a huge shop. He's off in front making a huge gaggle of Japanese school girls all dressed like Sailor Moon and carrying Sharpe memorabilia (no I have no idea why Sean Bean memorabelia turned up at that point, I can only think it might have been some connection like, Hiddles = Shakespeare = Macbeth = bad Sean Bean production) die of giggle overload.

Then we get to the shop and I'm like, ooh, Forbidden Planet type shop (I'm blaming Moonlettuce for this reference) and I'm all excited, but we walk in and we're in a huge train station or something, no sign of the shop at all. My invisible friend has gone again as well (probably eaten by rabid Japanese fangirls ;)) and I'm disappointed for all of five seconds because then Hiddles is talking to me again and all is well.

He tells me he's actually one of three identical triplets and we're going to meet his brothers. One's a doctor and the other is a PhD physicist or something like that and he tries to say he's the thick one of the three. So I pointed out the double first from Cambridge and all the languages he speaks and he blushes beautifully at the praise and ... the bloody alarm went off!