Gabriel Macht - One of the Earlier Hunks in Sex and the City

 I am currently watching the first season of Sex and the City and I discover one of the cuter hunks introduced in it, Gabriel Macht!  He does look older now, but the twinkle in his eyes are still there - and yeah. he still looks hot.

In his episode, Gabriel's character is a 'modeliser' - someone who only dates and sleeps with models.  Lucky models!  And he videotapes the acts with these women - as mementos! Shades of Hayden Kho!

Ai Ai De Las Alas - Finally A Comedienne Snags A Best Actress Award

I haven't yet seen the last installment of Ang Tanging Ina - Last Na 'To, but I'm just happy that Ai Ai has finally won the Best Actress award that she really wanted to win.  Like Hollywood, even our local counterparts do not easily give acting awards to our comedians or comediennes. The truth is, I think it's harder to make people laugh, than make them cry!  So I think if a top comedian or comedienne does a really memorable sketch - that an acting award or at least a nomination - should be given to him or her.  In comedy, it's so easy to see if it fails since you don't get laughs.  But when you do, then you know, the comedy sketch works!

Indonesian Bombshell Rahma Azhari

 I didn't know that a chick as sexy as Rahma exists in Indonesia!  I've always known the country as a moderate Islamic country, so I'm really surprised that the likes of Rahma Azhari can survive in a predominantly Muslim country.  She is definitely hot - and her supposed links with Azkals coach Simon McMenemy has been the talk in Indonesia, especially that Rahma is game enough to give little hints through her Tweets about what is transpiring between the two.  She is definitely playing both naughty and nice - wise enough to titillate the Filipino fans of the Azkals team and her own Indonesian audience.  Well, what's wrong with two gorgeous single people having fun in a bar?  We all do that, right?

Simon McMenemy - The Azkals Equally Hot Coach

Well, well, well!  Our hunk-filled Azkals football team, also has an equally hot coach - Simon McMenemy!  That's good to know!  This is definitely a team with lots of eye candy!  Anyhow, Simon now is the talk of the town because of some photos taken with him and Indonesian bombshell Rahma Azhari.  Apparently, talks about a relationship is rife because of some loaded Tweets emanating from Rahma, like "Yes, that him....MeMenemy feverrrr.....:)'.

DVD Review: The Quiet American

Since it was a quiet Christmas day in the house, I decided to pop in one of my DVDs in the pile beside my bed.  The lucky DVD was 'The Quiet American', a movie that was shown way back in 2002.  And was I glad, I decided to watch it tonight!

The movie started quietly, and I admit I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. I did get a few details in the beginning though - Michael Caine's character was a British journalist based in Vietnam, Brendan Fraser was an American who just arrived there, and Phuong, Michael Caine's Vietnamese lover.  However, soon as Michael Caine's character snoops a story in Phat Diem, that's when the action starts!

In my opinion, it is one of the best movies that Phillip Noyce has directed - and I love this guy's work!   I've enjoyed this year's Salt as well as some of his classics like Patriot Games, Dead Calm, Clear and Present Danger, The Bone Collector and Rabbit Proof Fence - so I knew I was in for a treat.  I like the way he built up the story, starting slow and quiet - and building up the action with a crescendo of powerful revelations that I myself was shook up!

Oh yeah, Hollywood has lectured me on the Vietnam war, but what happens here happens about 12 years earlier - and it uses the CIA interventionist plotline once again.  That's been done before.  But what makes the movie more interesting was the love triangle that develops between the three people with Phuong, deciding later on in the movie to choose Pyle, Brendan Fraser's character.

I like the way Brendan hides his true character - and the way Michael uncovers the truth!  I also look with nostalgia at a Vietnam that is now so different from the present one.  Interestingly, Communism doesn't even triumph almost sixty years later.  Capitalism is still the model the Vietnamese chooses in the end.  



 

Kadima Dabo: Mister France 2010 - Second Runner Up

 Kadima Dabo, was the second runner up in Mister France 2010.  He has very strong masculine features - and those eyes, quite tantalizing!  The top three choices were ok, and they represent now the diversity of the men in France!

Thomas Fontaine - Mister France 2010 Runner Up

 Now why didn't Thomas Fontaine win the title of Mister France 2010? If I were able to vote, I would vote for him.  Thomas represented the island of Reunion in this Mister France edition.  He's hot, isn't he?

Mister France 2010 - Anthony Garcia

 While I was listening to a French TV show just now, I stumbled upon a competition called Mister France, where twelve men, representing the different regions in and outside of France, were competing for that title.  The winner in 2010 was Anthony Garcia and he will host the Mister France 2011 competition.  These guys really look hot in their Speedos and incidentally, two Miss Frances were among the judges in the 2010 competition.  Why don't we have a Mr. Philippines version?

Let Me In - My #1 Movie of 2010

#1 Let Me In

Oh yeah, after much internal deliberation - this was the movie I really enjoyed watching this year! Well, it's not unique to find horror movies in my yearend Top 10 list but I think it's rare for a small horror movie to make it to the top of my list. I first heard of the original of this movie, I think, last year, since it had so much buzz, but since it was a Swedish film, and Americans hate to read subtitles, Hollywood just had to make their own English-speaking version!

Well, I do like the Hollywood version, and I think it stayed close enough with the original Swedish version. I think my attraction here to the movie lies in the fact that the writer does not romanticize the vampire. The filmmakers just plainly show what vampires are really like. No Tom Cruise here or Brad Pitt-like characters from those Anne Rice novels. Here is just this wicked female vampire preying on the affections of a loser male. Which makes it fascinating to watch - at least for me! I was really scared when I was watching it!

The Fighter - My #2 Movie of 2010

If someone told me January of 2010 that a boxing movie would land as my #2 movie of the year - I would've rolled my eyes at him in disbelief! But yes, like in 2009 - another movie surprises me and even if there are boxing scenes here which I would normally not watch - it's actually the story of the family behind it that makes this movie pretty interesting!


Well, this movie should win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Leo. That was just wonderful acting from both actors! Well, they should also get a Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and another Best Supporting Actress nomination for Amy Adams. As I posted earlier - this should be the movie to beat in the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Acting (Picture). There's almost no close competition!


Movies about family - if well done - and without any hint of hypocrisy or Hollywood glam - always takes my breath away! And although this movie is set in an unglamorous place in America - the realistic portrayal is just very moving!

Up In The Air - My #3 Movie of 2010

When I saw the trailer of this movie, earlier this year, I was immediately touched by it, since I used to travel a lot - so that that scene where George stereotypes travelers was something I really enjoyed a lot! I love some of George Clooney's work and some I don't - but in this one - he once again endears himself to me - with his wonderfully understated acting - in the end - you'd just want to hug me.


I love the script and I think the Oscars made the right decision to nominate George's two female co-stars, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga for Best Supporting Actress. Their stories truly anchor the movie since George's character's real life is just all about flying! One thing shocking for me here is that I really felt sorry for George's character! Imagine feeling sorry for George Clooney! Now that's a good movie material!

The Social Network - My #4 Movie of 2010

Probably the most 'relevant' movie of the year - now with the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, as Time magazine's Person of the Year - would the Oscars be far behind in making this movie, the Best Picture of 2010? That would be the most attuned decision the Academy will have made in a long long time - voting for a movie that is most attuned to what is happening now - not a period movie - or an adaptation of an older material - something that is happening now!! Wouldn't that be great!!


Most critics have voted for it Best Picture of the Year, so it should be a shoo-in for nominations as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Mark and that British actor for Best Supporting Actor. Also, I think this movie should win, hands down, the Best Adapted Screenplay award because the script is so witty and fast and juicy - if I were an actor, I would've loved to play the part of Jesse or Justin Timberlake, who was awesome in this movie!


As for me, the Oscar Best Picture and Best Director and that Screenplay award should be given to this movie. Of course, I haven't seen most of the eligible movies nominated yet so it's a raw decision. However, David Fincher's latest works have been great and he continues to outdo himself in making a tight, tense yet entertaining movie in this one!

Inception - My #5 Movie of 2010

I predict that this movie should win Best Original Film Score (Hans Zimmer's work here is brilliant!), Best Original Screenplay (talk about the layers and layers and layers you'd have to uncover to understand the movie!) and all the special effects awards. That should be at least five Oscars for this movie. Simply, one of the most original and most clever movies released in a long, long time! Anyhow, even if they don't win in those categories , they should at least get nominated.


Also, it should be a shoo-in for Best Picture and Best Director. Among the cast, Leo and Marion, in my opinion, have the best chance of snaring an acting nomination - but I don't think it's the acting that moves the movie - it's the clever story and the jaw-dropping special effects! And I just watched it in 2D!

El Secreto de Sus Ojos - My #6 Movie of 2010

I love world cinema, but this year, I didn't quite get a chance to see so many since my schedule was so full. Anyhow, I did catch this movie during the Spanish Film Festival here - and I loved it! It's 'The Secret Is In Their Eyes' from Argentina - and it's quite moving since the action goes through different layers - and there's always something you'd discover as the plot unfolds - something shocking or revealing - which makes you reflect on the characters' actions - and in this case - I left the theater not knowing if I should feel pity, anger or sadness for the antagonist in this movie. Well, the question could also be - in the end, who was the real kontrabida?


No wonder the Oscar voters nominated it for Best Foreign Language Film! Deservedly so!

Letters to Juliet - My #7 Movie of 2010

Well, there's always one rom-com on my year-end list and this year, the honor goes to Letters to Juliet. I also came into the theater without any expectations - and I came out happy and satisfied - so that I watched it again, bringing my mother along - and she enjoyed it too - since she's been to Italy before.


Well, I like the movie so much it reached #7 on my list for these three reasons -


1. Italy is just so beautifully photographed here! The sunlight, the grapes, Verona - sumptuous viewing!


2. Amanda Seyfried's beady eyes!! Don't you just want to root for her! And that cute British actor who played her new boyfriend! Hot!


3. Vanessa Redgrave's impeccable acting. If I were an actor, I would say yes immediately to a project where she's in. She's a model of understated acting and her enunciation is just intoxicating - the cadence of her words, the way her eyes light up at just the right word - wonderful to watch!

Here Comes the Bride - My #8 Favorite Movie of 2010

I learned later on that this movie was originally an indie movie but the feedback was so strong during its limited run, so that a big studio decided to distribute it, resulting in it raking in a lot of moolah just through the sheer power of word of mouth!! Everyone was just talking about it!

Because of this movie, Pinoy lingo became enriched again with new lingo like 'Pak' and 'Achieve na achieve'! FB was abuzz with these bywords during the weeks the movie was shown in Manila. Everyone just had to try saying those funny words for their posts. I know I did!

Well, this was the first time I saw Angelica Panganiban do comedy and she's so funny in it! One of the few young actresses, in my opinion, who can do both drama and comedy well. Eugene Domingo is always in top form and she doesn't disappoint here! If there was only one reason you'd watch this movie - watch it because of her!

There was eye candy galore as well - with Tom Rodriguez! All the main protagonists - all seasoned actors - did their comedic parts very well. I really hope award-giving bodies take notice of the comedic work of these people. I think it's much harder to make people laugh than to make them cry.

Cinco - My #9 Movie of 2010

Oh yeah, my #9 favorite movie is also a horror movie!! Well, I watched this movie without any expectations so it really surprised me that despite watching it three times, with different companions each time - I still enjoyed every single viewing of it! Imagine that! Well, let me recount the reasons why I like it -


1. The eye candy present certainly helped - Rayver Cruz is definitely hot hot hot in here and AJ Perez too! The one who directed Rayver and those 3 twinkies segments really know their gay audience!! Good job guys!


2. Since I rarely watch local TV shows I rarely get to see some of the more popular actresses act - and though the critics were savage here - I actually enjoyed watching them. Oh well, to each his own taste. I liked Mariel's segment since she played the bitch part well. And I've always been a fan of Jodi Sta Maria so I also liked her segment too. I didn't find their acting bad at all!


3. This was also the first time I've seen Pokwang act - and she's good! Her segment was both funny and scary and having Zanjoe Marudo as eye candy also helped!


I guess the formula here is -> eye candy + a little comedy + a unique plot = good horror movie, at least the Pinoy version!

Coming Soon - My #10 Movie of 2010

#10 - Coming Soon from Thailand


I saw this movie through DVD only and I decided to watch it one day, around 9AM, while I was waiting for the guys who were going to help me clean the bodega. And was I glad I watched it during the day!!! The first scene alone is scary - so I'm sure that if I watched it at night - I would be curling in bed and covering my eyes with my blanket. With full stereo sound on, it would really be scary since I'll be the only one watching it!! Yikes!!


The Thais really know how to make horror movies and this one is one good example. I like the hanging scene in the beginning and also in the end when they try to explain everything. Gave me goosebumps since the actress there was really dying during the filming. Crazy isn't it? Also, all the abd things done to the kids, not really my cup of tea - but this is a horror movie and violence against children is - well, simplify horrifying!


It also helped though that the main Thai actor was cute - like a taller Mark Herras! This movie had a limited run in the local theaters but I failed to catch it. My loss!!

Nick Youngquest - Aussie's Rugby Hunk

Nick Youngquest has appeared in several gay publications but still remains as an unknown here in the Philippines. It's because, the sport rugby has almost no fans here and it was only a few months back when I realized we even had a rugby team - and yeah, there were hunks galore in it!  However, for Vic and me, the French publication Dieux Du Stade is our Bible and we always subscribe a copy chaque annee!!  Oh well, I'm just happy to read that Nick is no homophobe and takes all that adoration at him by the gay populace in stride.  Don't worry Nick, the gays discover your first, then the straight crowd soon follows!  You'll get your girl soon!

NIck Gruber: Calvin Klein's Latest Squeeze

I want one of these too when I turn 67!  Talk about being a bad boy at that age!  Oh well, who am I to judge!  The reality is, I will definitely be like Calvin Klein too when I reach that age.  What I find weird though is that Calvin could really look like Nick if he were Nick's age!  To date someone who could look like you when you were younger is just a bit creepy for me.  Oh well, I am really envious so I am saying these things.  Nick is hot, hot, hot!

One of the Women in 'The Fighter' - Amy Adams

Well, she is actually the reason why I watched 'The Fighter'.  I'm not really into boxing movies, and the last movie I watched with the same theme, was The Fight Club - and that was because Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were there!  I guess, I was just curious as to why Amy Adams got a Golden Globe nomination for this movie.

Well, I would not be surprised if Amy gets her third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for this movie. She just nails the role hands down! There is no hint of that cutesy pregnant woman in Junebug, nor that singing princess in Enchanted or that scared nun in Doubt. Here, she is all feisty and sexy and those scenes she had with Mark were really hot! Sometimes seeing them in their undies look better than a really nude scene!

I love her flirting scene with Mark, in the bar, and that scene where she and one of Mark's character's sister have a catfight on her porch.  They really go at each other and try to punch each other's lights out!

Mark Wahlberg Sizzles in 'The Fighter'

We are privileged to see Mark Wahlberg shed off his shirt again, twice this year, in fact!  Earlier this year, in Date Night, he was always shirtless, which was good for us!  He certainly looked delish there!  In The Fighter, since he's a boxer, he had to have a lot of shirtless scenes.  Which again, is good for us!  My friend said there was even a scene where he was just in his skivvies, which I think I missed since I was answering a text message (grrrr!!!).  Oh well, I will buy the DVD copy so I can check that scene out.  For purposes of reminiscing, I found a picture of Mark in Boogie Nights - now that's where he really lets it all hang out!!

Micky Ward - The Boxer Featured in 'The Fighter'

I rarely feature athletes in this blog but after I saw the movie, The Fighter, I found it imperative that the story of the boxer, Micky Ward, who is the central figure in the movie, find his own space in my haven of hunks.  The movie has gone on to get its share of Oscar nominations in 2011. 

As of now, it's the most nominated movie in the 2011 Golden Globe Awards.  A talented boxer, Micky had to fly under the radar of his more flamboyant brother, and in this riveting drama, the conflict of loyalty to family and that pursuit of that elusive dream play out.  Mark Wahlberg does a good job portraying Mickey, and although I had a hard time watching the boxing scenes, I think they were authentic enough to show how Micky fought and the techniques he used in subduing his opponents

The Hunks of Our Own Azkal Football Team

Finally, football gets the attention it deserves, now that a band of boys get to the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup.  And since the team members are mostly photogenic, it got the country excited for a while, for a sport that normally takes a backseat to basketball.  Another team of Filipinos did win another world competition but since it was mostly a team of not-so-photogenic players, it didn't quite grab the imagination of the country's middle class.  Anyhow, here's a glimpse of some of the hot players in our country's football team -

Phil Younghusband

Neil Etheridge - this is our team's goalkeeper - how I wish I were the ball!

Jason de Jong

James Younghusband

Six Degrees of Separation from Rob Da Silva of 'Lagpas'

 I am not surprised that one of my good friends, Francesca, would be the one to introduce me to Rob.  Francesca brought him to the house so that Vic could photograph him.  It turned out that he had appeared in an indie movie, earlier this year, entitled Lagpas.  I remember seeing that movie and I do remember that each actor there, had to show his schlong while taking a shower.  I guess Rob did too!  He's smaller in person though and really fit - and shy.  He said though that he did not really have a nice experience doing the movie and he felt that the movie producer didn't quite market the movie properly.  Or maybe he meant him.  Vic though is interested in using Rob for our clothing line and I think he's right for it!  He could be a draw too in our fashion shows!

Fitness First Diary: Ample Eye Candy in Fitness First the Fort

It was models galore last Friday night at Fitness First The Fort.  I had dinner later that night so I just did the treadmill and when I got to the locker room, there were several models there changing.  Lucky me!  Talk about working out your eyes!  James Zablan looks hot because he's tall and I like his ass, especially when he bends down to change. Yum yum!! Kris Melendres bulge is nice!  I like that these guys have no qualms changing along with the rest of us.  Anyhow, they have great bodies, so really, no need to be ashamed about anything!

Hot Single Mom in 'The Next Three Days' - Olivia Wilde

 She comes into the movie midway, as she sees Russell Crowe's character in the playground along with the young son.  The first thing you notice about her, are her eyes!  And then that beautifully shaped face!  Anyhow, she only has a few scenes in the movie although she has some dialogue though.  Her character kinda knows something is brewing but is not too close yet with Crowe's character to be let in on the secret.  Well, she is very pretty and could do a slew of roles since she can be European too.  See how her face also changes when she changes the color of her hair.  I think she looks more sympathetic blonde and looks more bitchy when it's black.