Top 10 Coolest Men in Hollywood Movies

This is a list of male actors who are just outright cool. The actors were all picked from modern movies and they all have one thing in common: they have played the coolest people on film. From cool to coolest, here is the list:
10. Pierce Brosnan

54 year old Pierce Brosnan was born in Ireland. He first shot to fame playing Remington Steele in the television series of the same name. Before his contract on the show was up, he was offered the role of James Bond in an up and coming film, but he was unable to break his contract. The suave actor finally played the role of Bond in Goldeneye, and he played Bond for a further four films (the last being Die Another Day). In 2004, Brosnan was voted “Best Dressed Environmentalist”.

9. Jack Nicholson

70 yo Jack Nicholson is probably best known for his role in Stephen King’s The Shining in which he plays Jack Torrance, a writer who moves with his family to a hotel which is shut for the winter. While he is there he goes insane due to ghosts in the house. If you haven’t seen this film – you absolutely have to. It is one of the best thrillers ever made (probably because it is directed by Kubrick). Nicholson has been nominated for 12 Academy awards and has won three. He is considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. It is alleged that he has had sex with over 2,000 women.
8. Brad Pitt

43 year old Brad Pitt made it to this list because of one film: The Fight Club. Pitt plays an incredibly cool guy living in an abandoned house. In his spare time he makes soap from fat stolen from a liposuction clinic – so he can (ironically) sell the rich women their fat back. Another reason that Pitt is cool is that he is predicted to play the role of John Galt (the hero) in an upcoming trilogy of films aiming to bring Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged to the screen. His wife, Angelina Jolie is already signed to play the part of Dagny Taggart.
7. Johnny Depp

44 year old Johnny Depp is well known for a diverse range of films, from dark movies like From Hell, and Sleepy Hollow, to childrens films like the Pirates of the Carribean and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp is a very diverse actor who spends half of him time living in France and the other half in the United States. He part owns a restaurant in Paris with Sean Penn, John Malkovich, and Mick Hucknall. He also plays the guitar and is very good friends with Marilyn Manson.
6. John Travolta

53 year old Travolta shot to fame with his dance moves and singing in the 1970s through films such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever. After a series of flops in the 80s (following his last hit film Urban Cowboy), Travolta’s career had a downturn. Fortunately, in the 90s he made a comeback with his role as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (the reason he is on this list). He was nominated for an Academy Award and he returned to the A-list. The only unfortunate aspect of John Travolta which keeps him lower down the list than he could be,
5. Edward Norton

37 year old Edward Norton is on this list for two reasons: American History X, and Fight Club. For both of these films Norton went from a puny whiny actor to a buff muscleman. He exuded hatred in American History X (which has one of the most gruesome scenes in a modern film – think sidewalk and teeth) in which he played a white supremacist. In the fight club he plays the alter-ego of Brad Pitt’s character and lives with him in the abandoned house. Norton refuses to embrace his celebrity status and he contributes to many charitable organisations, both money and time.
4. Christian Bale

33 year old Christian Bale was born in Wales, Great Britain. He has an incredible cult status on the internet and in 2007 IMDB users voted him their favourite actor ages under 40. For his role in the Machinists, Bale lost sixty pounds (27 kilograms) taking his weight down to 120 lbs (54 kilograms). Bale is most well known for his roles in American Psycho and Batman Begins where his part saw the Batman Franchise take a turn toward a much darker side. The film was an enormous hit and he will reprise his role in 2008 in The Dark Knight. If he fulfils his contractual obligation to play the role for a third time, he will be the first actor to play Batman in three films.
3. Samuel L. Jackson

58 year old Samuel Jackson makes this list for his character in Pulp Fiction. In the film he played Jules Winnfield. His character has some classic quotes such as: “Yolanda, I thought you said you were gonna be cool. Now when you yell at me, it makes me nervous. And when I get nervous, I get scared. And when motherfuckers get scared, that’s when motherfuckers accidentally get shot.” Jackson also appeared in two of the new Starwars films and a variety of other films in which he often plays a gangster. Jackson is bald in real life and usually wears wigs in films. He is an avid golfer.
2. Vinnie Jones

Before you start reading, check out this picture. 42 year old Vinnie is the guy in front. Onscreen and off, Vinnie Jones takes no prisoners! That photo is taken from when he played Soccer for Wimbledon (they won the FA cup in 1988). Vinnie was born in Watford, London and is well known for his intimidating demeanour on screen. He has stared in films such as Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels, and Snatch. in 2006 he played Juggernaut in X Men: The Last Stand. Unfortunately Vinnie has had some difficulties with the law: in 2003 he was convicted of Air Rage and in 1998 was convicted of assaulting his neighbour. In 2005, he became president of the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society.
1. Bruce Willis

Two words: Die Hard. For that reason alone 52 year old German-born Bruce Willis takes top spot. However, Willis has starred in an enormous number of highly popular films such as Sin City, Lucky Number Slevin, The Sixth Sense, and The Fifth Element. Willis was married to Demi Moore for thirteen years. Bruce is the ninth highest grossing movie star of all time. He is known as a keen supporter of the US military and is has been very public in his belief of various conspiracy theories and political views. On April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game vs. the Toronto Raptors on TSN Willis caused a furore by quoting a catch phrase from his Die Hard films, “Yipee-ki-yay motherfucker”.
That is the list! If you don’t agree with my selection, tell me about it in the comments.

Top 10 Female Directors

For decades, the world of directing was a male dominated landscape.  While there have been female directors since the inception of cinema in the late Nineteenth century, few have ever garnered the same success or recognition as their male peers.  This list is devoted to ten of the greatest female directors who ever lived.  They were women who challenged the medium and helped innovate it throughout the decades.  This list is arranged chronologically from when they released their first film.

10. Alice Guy-Blaché

Alice Guy-Blaché deserves the number one spot on this list simply because she was the first female filmmaker…ever.  Over her entire career, she had a hand in the production of over 1,000 films.  Between the years 1902-1906 she directed more than 100 synchronized sound films, a herculean achievement given the technological limitations of the day.  Originally working in France, she played a pivotal role in the development of narrative film-making.  After marrying, she moved to the United States where she founded the Solax Company, the largest film studio in America before the advent of Hollywood.  In addition to being a director, she was a screenwriter who penned many of her films.  Sadly, Alice Guy-Blaché has largely faded into obscurity.

9. Leni Riefenstahl

Originally a dancer and actress, Leni Riefenstahl began her life as a film-maker by directing Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light).  From there, she became one of the preeminent German film-makers of the era.  Her masterpiece was a documentary on the Nuremberg Rally entitled Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will).  Despite its subject matter, the film has since been heralded as one of the most important and influential documentaries ever made.  The film revolutionized the documentary.  She continued her work with the seminal documentary feature Olympia, which covered the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.  This massive feature, nearing almost four hours in length, once again has come to be regarded as a masterpiece of documentary film-making.  Due to her connections and avid support of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler in particular, Riefenstahl became a post World War Two-pariah.  She would only direct two films after the war.  Despite her politics and the content of her work, Riefenstahl has been accepted as one of the greatest female film-makers to ever live.

8. Maya Deren

Maya Deren was a woman of many talents.  She was an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and photographer.  But she is perhaps remembered the most for her innovative and avant-garde films.  Maya Deren was one of the cinema’s greatest experimental film-makers.  Her two most famous works are Meshes of the Afternoon and At Land.  The first was a surreal piece that was circular and highly symbolic in nature.  Meshes of the Afternoon has since been come to be accepted as one of the greatest experimental films ever made, gaining the admiration of such artists as David Lynch.  At Land was a dream-like recounting of one woman’s strange adventures in a quest for self-identity.  Since her death, Deren has been widely accredited as a key figure in both experimental and independent film-making.

7. Agnès Varda

Few female film-makers have been as widely beloved and imitated as Agnès Varda.  She was one of the central members of the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) cinema movement along such legendary talents as Chris Marker and Alain Resnais.  Her films were highly personal, artistically stunning, and extremely influential, inspiring the members of the French New Wave film movement who would go on to permanently change the status quo of the cinema.  Her most famous films, La Pointe Courte and Cléo de 5 à 7, were touchstones of French cinema.  Never afraid to turn the camera on herself, she was a master at both narrative films and documentaries, creating some of the most challenging examinations of French society such as The Gleamers and I and Vagabond.

6. Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow is probably the most well known entry on this list for her masterpiece The Hurt Locker which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Director.  Bigelow holds the distinction of being the first female to ever win the Best Director award.  But while she may have only reached major mainstream success in the last decade, Bigelow has been making films since the early 80s.  Her two other major successes were the action-packed Point Break starring starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves and the bleak military thriller K-19: The Widowmaker.  She is now hard at work on her next project, a film about Osama Bin Laden which is scheduled for release in 2012.

5. Jane Campion

One of the most critically acclaimed female film-makers in recent history, Jane Campion has a distinguished career of directing bold and artistically stunning films.  While she stresses that she doesn’t identify herself as a feminist film-maker, her films are full of fiercely strong, independent women who often clash with society.  She gained early notoriety for Sweetie, a black comedy about a severely dysfunctional family.  However, notoriety turned to fame and acclaim with the release of An Angel at My Table, dramatization of the life of famous New Zealand author Janet Frame.  However, her most famous work is The Piano, a film about the tribulations of two women in nineteenth century New Zealand.  The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and snatched three Academy Awards.

4. Lone Sherfig

The Danish director Lone Scherfig has just begun to receive acclaim and fame in the States with the release of her film An Education.  The film was the story of British journalist Lynn Barber’s early life and her quest for identity.  However, for those who know a thing or two about European cinema, Scherfig has been one of their most acclaimed female directors.  She first gained recognition for Italian for Beginners, a film that was made as part of the Dogme 95 movement.  This comedy won the hearts of audiences at the Berlin Film Festival where it won the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear.  She would continue to make several critically acclaimed films such as Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself.  Her most recent film, One Day starring Anne Hathaway, is set for release later in August of this year.

3. Claire Denis

Since the start of her career, Claire Denis has created a large body of work that examines the West’s place in other countries.  More often than not, her films involve immigrants or characters living in Africa, not doubt inspired by her own childhood living in colonial African countries in the Fifties.  Her debut film, Chocolat, was a participant in the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and examined a French family living in Cameroon.  Her most famous film, Beau Travail, was an existential exploration of a group of foreign legion troops living in Djibouti.  More recently, she has earned international acclaim with her films 35 Rhums and White Material.  In addition to her large body of feature films, Denis has an impressive collection of short films and documentaries to her credit.  With an eye for careful cinematic construction, Claire Denis is one of Europe’s most important modern auteurs.

2. Mira Nair

Originally a documentary film-maker from India, Mira Nair has established herself as one of India’s greatest directors, regardless of gender.  Her breakout work, Salaam Bombay!, which documented the lives of children living in Bombay, won her international accolades from the Cannes Film Festival, Montréal World Film Festival, and many other film organizations.  She delved into the world of fiction film with Mississippi Masala which starred Denzel Washington.  Since then, she has proven herself to be a cinematic chameleon, able to change and adapt to different genres and cultural settings for her films.  Her more notable works include Monsoon Wedding, an examination of Indian cultural traditions set against an arranged marriage ceremony and Vanity Fair, an adaptation of the William Thackeray novel which depicts the trials of social hierarchy in post-colonial England.

1. Sofia Coppola

The only daughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola has had the burden of living up to one of the most towering legacies in cinematic history.  If her recent work is any indication, she is quickly becoming a fitting successor to her father.  While her first film, The Virgin Suicides, was a minor commercial and critical success, it wasn’t until 2003 with the release of Lost in Translation that she received major attention.  Her next film, Marie Antoinette, was cooly received by both audiences and critics.  However, it was her latest film, Somewhere, where she proved that she was not a one-hit wonder.  The film won the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, making her the first female American director to win the prize.  At only 40 years old, Sofia Coppola has a long, and rich, career in directing ahead of her.

10 Best Young Actors in Hollywood

Hollywood has a whole new generation of young actors who are ready to enter the spotlight. As much as we would like Tom Cruise or Jim Carrey to be young forever, this is obviously impossible. Hence, we have to start taking a look at the fresh faces in Hollywood. Which ones will turn out to be the next big money makers in the industry? Here is a selection of 10 talented young actors, of whom we expect a lot:

1. Dakota Fanning (born 1994)

Dakota Fanning really deserves to be on top of this list.  At 17, she is already old in Hollywood, having played with such great actors as Tom Cruise, Robert de Niro, Kurt Russell or Denzel Washington. She is unanimously described as an amazing actor and a real professional. Kurt Russell, who worked with her when she was 9 years old said:  ”I guarantee you, (Dakota) is the best actress I will work with in my entire career.” This, I think, says it all. We expect to see great things from Dakota, as she makes the first steps into more adult roles.
What she is known for : Twilight Saga Braking: Dawn, Eclipse and New Moon(2012-2009),  The runaways (2010),Push (2009), War of the worlds (2005) and Man on Fire (2004), to name just a few.

2. Robert Pattinson( born 1986)

Robert Pattinson is an English actor, but not just that. He is also a singer and a model. While his singing and modelling career are a mystery to me, I do know that he is an exceptional actor, whose career is only starting to boost. He focused on the “Twilight Saga”, where he had (as you definitely know) the leading male role. This role brought him worldwide recognition.  While the saga in itself is controversial (the girls think it’s wonderful while the majority of the guys hate it), his acting was undeniably exceptional.
Other movies you know him from:Water for Elephants (2011), Remember Me (2010), Little Ashes (2009)

3. Jesse Eisenberg (born 1983)

This is one of the young actors who definitely have “the spark”. When playing in an average movie, he transforms it into a hit (see” Zombieland”), which says a lot about him. I do expect him to have a wonderful career, as he got not only talent, but charm as well. We mostly think of him as a dorky kind of teenager, so it is interesting to see what his future roles will be like, as he is now too old for playing teenagers.
We know him from: The Social Network (2010), Zombieland(2009) and Adventureland(2009)

4. Emma Roberts (born 1991)

As the daughter of Eric Roberts and –of course- the niece of Julia Roberts, her path in Hollywood could not be smoother. Even if she had no talent, she would still be considered great; however, she was certainly blessed by the gods with beauty and talent. This 20 years old rising star is not only an actress, but a singer and a model as well.
What she is known for: the television series “Unfabulous”, as well as Scream 4 (2011), The Art of Getting By (2011),It’s kind of a funny story, Twelve(2010) and Valentine’s Day(2010).

5. Daniel Radcliff (born 1989)

The cute little boy we used to call Harry has grown into a handsome young man. He has the looks and he definitely has talent, so his future career looks promising. However, he will most probably be stuck with the “Harry Potter” emblem for the rest of his life. After 10 years of interpreting this role, we can’t really see him as anyone else than Harry. He will probably have to work twice as hard as his colleagues to prove that he can overtop his previous performance. With a movie in post-production (“The Woman in black”), he seems to have already crossed the border.

6. Kristen Stewart (born 1990)

She is another young actress whose early career was marked by a role, namely that of Bella Swan, from the “Twilight” saga. With the entire family working behind the camera, she thought her own future will be that of a movie director. However, her talent was spotted by an agent since an early age, and she began having minor roles in movies since 10 years old. Today, gorgeous Kristen is already a very promising actress. We sure hope to see her in even better movies that really highlight her unique acting style.
What else she is known for: On the road (2011), Welcome to Rileys (2010), The runaways(2010), Adventureland(2009), Jumper(2008).

7. Mia Wasikowska (born 1989)

Mia is one of the great young actresses in Hollywood and she is known best for having performed wonderfully in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”. This Australian beauty started her career in television. She was seen then in the HBO television series “In treatment”. Her fresh look and her skilled performances will definitely insure her staying in Hollywood for a long while and I personally can’t expect to see her acting again.
Where you know her from: Restless (2011), Jane Eyre (2011), The Kids Are All Right (2010), Alice in Wanderland(2010).

8. Michael Cera (born 1988)

This Canadian with Italian roots is really a funny young man. He is a bit quirky as well, which only makes him even more appreciated. I estimate that he will become a great star, one of the representatives of the next generation of comedy actors. His roles so far prove that he’s got what it takes and he is known to have loved acting since as early as 3 years old, so he will probably continue to work hard in order to improve and be successful.
You saw him in: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Youth in Revolt (2010), Year One (2009) Juno (2007) and Superbad (2002).

9. Emma Watson(born 1990)

Emma Watson grew up playing Harry Potter. She was cast for the role of Hermione Granger when she was only 9 years old and had no acting experience. At 21 years old, she is now worldwide famous and an acknowledged actress. After 8 Harry Potter movies, she is now ready to try something different and we will see her in “The Perks of being a Wallflower”, which is now in production and will be released in 2012.

10. Shia LaBeouf (born 1986)

Shia was first seen on the screen as one of Disney Channel’s star. However, he received much more important roles later on and he is now one of the young actors who are seen as rising celebrities.  Shia is not only a handsome, charming man but he also made a great impression worldwide, with his recent leading roles in Transformers.

10 Funniest Movie Monsters of All Time

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What could be funnier than scary movie monsters that aren’t scary at all? Some of these guys were supposed to be funny; some were created with the best intentions –that is, to really frighten their audience but were not very inspired and some can hardly be called “monsters” (see the Robot from “Robot monster”) because they could not even scare a baby. Here are, thus, 10 of the funniest movie monsters of all time:

1. The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful  Wizard of OZ (1939)

2. The Gremlins (1984)

3. Aliens from Mars Attack (1994)

4. The CHUDs from C.H.U.D(1984)

5. The robot from Robot Monster  (1953)

6.  The Ghost from Ghost Busters (1984)

7.  The Clowns from Killer Clowns from Outer Space (1988)

8.  Audrey Junior  from Little Shop of Horrors(1986)

9. Warwick Davis from Leprechaun (1993)

1o. The Thing from the Swamp Thing (1982)

10 Most Recognizable Movie Villains

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A movie that gives us a hero that everyone loves is a good movie. But a movie that gives us a villain who is remembered for generations is even better. The following are baddies that have been resurrected Halloween after Halloween. They are the stuff that our nightmares are made of. They are the characters that we are terrified to meet in a strange hotel or a galaxy far far away. But for some of us, these are inspirations; characters that we wish we could be.  We hope, though, that emulating these villains only go as far as dressing up as them for Halloween.

1. Darth Vader

Darth Vader, the Jedi Knight, who just could not resist the dark side of the Force. For those who have seen only the prequel films, you will probably remember Darth Vader as the very impressionable and quite emotional Anakin Skywalker. These films basically explain why Anakin went from good to evil. These days, Darth Vader is pretty much synonymous to evil. Ask anyone what villain that he can name off the top of his head and you will be met with this Dark Lord’s name as the answer. Aside from the name and his deeds, his looks are pretty much memorable, too; the cape, the imposing stature and THAT helmet make up one unforgettable villain.

2. Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter was the incredibly scary psychiatrist who made Clarice Starling’s life exciting. We mean that in the most villainous sense. Hannibal was a character created by novelist Thomas Harris. He has not exactly stated who the inspiration was behind the character but he has said that he was inspired by several murders that he covered while he was still a crime reporter. What makes Hannibal Lecter a popular film villain is mostly due to the way Sir Anthony Hopkins portrayed him on screen. Without a doubt, Hopkins made Hannibal Lecter a memorable character, from the creepy eyes to the voice. His performance earned him an Academy Award.

3. Voldemort

He-who-must-not-be-named deserves a spot on this list. Even though his name is more familiar to younger generations, people of all ages are certainly aware of the very bad wizard who has tried his damnedest to slay Harry Potter. Voldemort is also a character that was first introduced to us through the written word. Ralph Fiennes gives a convincing performance as Voldemort in the films. Evil deeds aside, Voldemort also looks like pretty much what you think scary wizards look like: black flowing robes, pasty complexion, dirty teeth and fingers, and a face (or nose) that you won’t soon forget.

4. The Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West sure made Dorothy’s life hell, didn’t she? There have been several versions of this wicked witch in film but it’s the 1939 adaptation that’s probably stuck in our minds. In this version, the Wicked Witch of the West has green skin, black clothes, and a pointy hat. She also had a stooped back. These days, when you think of witch, “pointy hat, black clothes, and green skin” probably spring to mind right away. That is how big of an impact this baddie has made on popular culture. Of course, she makes a famous villain because she was just well… wicked. She sure made Dorothy’s journey across Winkie Country difficult.

5. Norman Bates

Norman Bates was the psycho in Psycho. This is a character that you probably keep in mind when you’re out on the road and you need to drop by a hotel to rest your weary eyes. Hopefully, you are lucky enough not to meet this kind of creature. Norman was a disturbed man who had a twisted upbringing. He killed his own mother because of jealousy and kept her body in their house. He then developed a split personality, one of which was that of his mother. In the film, he kills a motel guest as his mother. The investigation of said murder led to the discovery of the matricide he committed and to his capture.

6. Nurse Ratched

From the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Mildred Ratched represents the villain drunk with power. She is the head nurse of a mental institution in Salem, Oregon. She basically makes the lives of patients hell. She has control over medicine, food, and privileges of the patients. If she finds a patient not to her liking, she does whatever she wants. She uses drugs and other controversial forms of therapy to keep the whole institution in order. She loses her voice in the end due to a scuffle with Randle McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) but he lost a part of his brain in exchange.

7. Freddy Krueger

You can’t be a villain who can invade dreams and not be part of this list. He is basically an undead man who looks particularly horrifying. He has a burned face and a brown leather glove with metal claws. First introduced in the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street, this dream stalker is now one of the most recognizable villains in movie history. He’s a baddie in the dream world and he was actually a real villain in “real” life. He was a child murderer. Freddy was killed off in the 6th A Nightmare on Elm Street film.

8. Mr. Potter

Dubbed the “meanest man in town,” Mr. Potter is also another character drunk with power. If you want to see how a truly heartless man acts, Mr. Potter is your best reference. In the movie, he is a banker, slumlord, and mill owner. This is a character who is good with making and handling money but is generally a cold and evil man. Being the businessman that he is, Mr. Potter’s major motivations are greed and money. He may do something that can be considered good but he always has ulterior motives. He will do things only if he earns from them.

9. The Terminator

The Terminator is a cyborg assasin from the future. He is a recognizable villain for many reasons other than what’s stated in the previous sentence. For one, Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator is quite unforgettable. Another is that he was a relentless killer. His command was to kill Sarah Connor. With the help of a telephone directory, he kills two Sarah Connors before finding the correct target. Being the killing machine that he was, he would have continued killing a hundred Sarah Connors before locating the right person.

10. Annie Wilkes

Annie Wilkes appears in the film Misery. She was beautifully portrayed by Kathy Bates. The actress won an Academy Award for this role. It was well-deserved since she gave a truly scary performance as the disturbed Annie Wilkes. She is a crazed serial killer with victims amounting to 70 people. Her demise was brought about by a series of events involving capturing her favorite writer, breaking his ankles, cutting off one of his thumbs, and many other horrible acts.