A couple of awesome things!

[mithen]

--min_taiwan has some beautiful Arthurian Trinity art up!  They all look so gorgeous (I love the way Kal's curl dips below his crown, eee!)  Check it out!

--arch_schatten  shared this page with me:  Crying Men.  Basically it's for a photo exhibit, they asked various actors to cry for the camera and the results are incredibly striking.  I'm especially taken with Willem Dafoe's sort of "Wait, don't take my picture now when I'm actually racked up, wait until I'm crying attractively" look, and Laurence Fishburne, OMG.  Also, I want to cuddle Jude Law and take him home and feed him cookies.  Tim Roth, Sean Penn, Robin Williams, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig (who looks like he's been crying for hours, "Take his picture already!" said arch_schatten )...  it's a really visually amazing thing.  We spent much of the afternoon debating who was being sincere, who was "faking it," who was proud of producing a Single Emo Tear (I'm looking at you, Kristofferson and Christiansen!), and what kind of sad each of them was aiming for.

Comments

[genclay.livejournal.com]

Those photos are great, and yeah, I just wanna hug Jude law to. I think it's the setting of the stairs. It reminds me of where i would go when I was upset as a child. I will say the Downey Jur one kinda freak me out. It said soft porn rather than art to me. It made me feel uncomfortable.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

You're right, Law's choice of setting really ratchets up the tension! And I'm very ambivalent about the Downey, he seems to be hamming it up on purpose to defuse any emotional impact, which is...kind of cool but also kind of off-putting. Crying doesn't have to girly, you know...

[fictionalknight.livejournal.com]

Seeing some of these guys crying is...completely heartbreaking. And some just look sort of laughable, like they've never been able to produce a tear all their life.

who was proud of producing a Single Emo Tear (I'm looking at you, Kristofferson and Christiansen!)

Yeah, I bet Hayden Christiansen was pleased with himself... His normal range of emotion lies between neutral and...neutral. Not to mention I don't think I've ever seen him looking natural in anything. (I realize some of my friends will want to shoot me for saying that of Anakin Skywalker, but...heh.)

RDJ... dang... that's a hot pic! I can't see if he's actually crying or not, though - of course, I didn't really look at his face. Mostly his legs. :fans self:

I could have done without seeing Dustin Hoffman shirtless... The pics of Daniel Craig and Jude Law completely broke my heart. And Paul Newman's I can't stop looking at, though it really makes me sad, for no logical reason - perhaps simply because he passed away? I'm not sure, I just keep staring at that one.

Oops... I need to get to work. *lol* Thanks for sharing these, it made for an interesting coffee break! :D

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Seeing some of these guys crying is...completely heartbreaking. And some just look sort of laughable, like they've never been able to produce a tear all their life.

I know! Some of them just kind of rip my heart out and some I'm like, "You don't mean that." :) But they're not the same ones for everyone, interestingly!

Newman's is interesting...I agree, it's terribly sad, in part just because he's gone now. And he's got a face with so much character...

(How I wish they'd asked Bale!)

[fictionalknight.livejournal.com]

(How I wish they'd asked Bale!)

..this suddenly makes me want to go through his movies and find images to post. *giggles*

Robert Downey, Jr.: postmodern odalisque

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Laurence Fishburne: Jesus Christ
Dustin Hoffman: i'm buff now, plzkthnx
Steve Buscemi: really sexy no matter what anyone says
Ben Stiller: is cheating

to me the Daniel Craig one was the most powerful. and i miss Paul Newman.

Re: Robert Downey, Jr.: postmodern odalisque

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I agree on all of the above! Ben Stiller looks like "I can't cry on command. I guess I'm pathetic. Okay, take a picture of that." Daniel Craig...I couldn't look away, wow.

Re: Robert Downey, Jr.: postmodern odalisque

[silvercat17.livejournal.com]

Cheating nothing. Ben Stiller is totally smirking there.

[starsandsea.livejournal.com]

Wow, that one of Daniel Craig is just... wow! I agree with 22by7 that's the most powerful pic for me. I also like the Jude Law one! I think it's his huddled up body, aww. :(

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Jude Law and Sean Penn really get me because of their body language...it looks so defeated, somehow. Daniel Craig's direct, "Yeah I'm crying, what about it?" look undoes me as well!

[snake-easing.livejournal.com]

Have to disagree about Christiansen--he looks abstracted and crushed to me. His eyes are even puffy.

Laurence Fishburne is amazing. I've remembered him since I saw them all in London, when the exhibition opened.

Robin Williams looks like his cat just died.

Tim Roth looks like he just found out that life is meaningless.

Kristofferson is faking it, though. Robert Downey Jr. is faking it with style.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I'm torn on Christiansen! The single tear seems a bit much, but...I agree with you about the eyes. It isn't his fault he's so darn pretty...

That's funny, my husband said exactly the same thing about Tim Roth! Then added "Laurence Fishburne looks like he's just realized life is meaningless...and is going to kick your ass for revealing it to him."

Robert Downey Jr. is faking it with style.

Downey's is amazing and kind of disturbing...I feel like he's poking fun at the whole thing, which kind of de-stabilizes the whole project, which comes back around into being kind of cool again...

[icarus-chained.livejournal.com]

Then added "Laurence Fishburne looks like he's just realized life is meaningless...and is going to kick your ass for revealing it to him."

Yes! Exactly!

[sara-lakali.livejournal.com]

OMG, those are awesome!

I don't know how I'd judge who was really crying and who was faking it. All (well, almost all) these guys make huge pots of money faking all sorts of emotions for our (my) entertainment.

The Robert Downey Jr. one seemed more symbolic than anything, physical nakedness reflecting emotional exposure. The one I loved the best was surprisingly, Steve Buscemi. He looks like he's really falling apart there, to the point where he doesn't care if anyone sees him with snot running down his face and his hair all disarrayed because he's been pulling at it.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

The Robert Downey Jr. one seemed more symbolic than anything, physical nakedness reflecting emotional exposure.

Yeah, vejiicakes posted another photo from the same shoot and he does seem to be aiming for that, maybe? I agree with you about Buscemi, too. He seems really distracted and despairing.

I kind of wish we could see videos of them working themselves into crying...but that would be kind of terrifying to wacth!

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realized that photoshoot by RDJ was a crying one! As far as I knew, it was just.. sexytiem RDJ. Like so:



:3

Jesus, Forest Whitaker T_T And surly crying Daniel Craig-!

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I think I prefer this picture! Maybe because I can see his face more clearly, and he looks really sad. And, uh, continues to be mostly naked, a bonus.

Forest Whitaker looks really impressive, with that anguish that contorts your face until it almost looks like laughing. Whew.

[icarus-chained.livejournal.com]

Crying Men is a gorgeous, gorgeous thing. A really beautiful thing. Some of them ...

Tim Roth and Daniel Craig hit hardest, with me. Most raw emotion, I think. Oddly, part of that seems to be the rings, for me. Both of them ... Craig looks like a policeman is sitting in front of him, having just told him his wife has died. Roth is later, after the police have left, but the same emotion.

Fishburn ... yep. Definitely about to kill someone for making him cry.

Downey Jr ... I think he thought it was a different kind of photoshoot. -_-;

Del Toro and Leguizamo have a very dispondant air that hits hard, and the body language with Law and Byrne is a masterwork. Especially, as has been said, the stairs with Law. My sister's first response is 'He looks like a kid trying to block out the sound of his parents fighting.' Ouchie.

Have to say, though, Buscemi looks more like he has a hangover, and Dafoe like he just woke up.

Newman ... what can you say? Pure class, and sadness.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

Oddly, part of that seems to be the rings, for me. Both of them ... Craig looks like a policeman is sitting in front of him, having just told him his wife has died. Roth is later, after the police have left, but the same emotion.

Huh! I hadn't even registered the rings, and yet I think you're right that they add an extra dimension to it.

Downey Jr ... I think he thought it was a different kind of photoshoot. -_-;

LOL, I suspect so. Um...maybe he usually does cry naked and tangled in the sheets?

My sister's first response is 'He looks like a kid trying to block out the sound of his parents fighting.' Ouchie.

Yeah...yeah. He looks so young and vulnerable... Very impressive.

[vigilante-wake.livejournal.com]

Wow. Leave it to Mina to find something that awesome.

It seems like most people think Robert Downey Jr. is hamming it up, but I found his portrait rather haunting because I think he looks very Christ-like. Only on a bed instead on a cross. Maybe it's the cloth draped over him.

And speaking of religious symbolism, Laurence Fishburne looks like a saint or an avenging angel with that halo of a window behind him. It's made even more interesting by the fact that he appears to be in a public restroom.

And Daniel Craig oh my God. His eyes are so swollen and puffy. You're right that he looks like he's been crying for hours. And Tim Roth breaks my heart.

I love how some of them *coughWoodyHarrelsoncough* are just doing "This is my sad face."

I can't even focus on Robin Williams's face because I'm too distracted by his MASSIVELY HAIRY ARMS.

As for Hayden Christiansen, his Single Emo Tear fits quite well with his acting style :P Also, his lips match his shirt.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

It seems like most people think Robert Downey Jr. is hamming it up, but I found his portrait rather haunting because I think he looks very Christ-like. Only on a bed instead on a cross. Maybe it's the cloth draped over him.

I'm very torn abour RDJ! The other picture that vejiicakes posted worked better for me, I think.

The "halo" behind Fishburne is kind of cool, isn't it?

Woody Harrelson, lol. "I'm bummed"!

Robin Williams's arms are so distracting! I suspect that's why he's crying. "OMG, my arms!" :P

Christiansen's lips kind of distracted me from anything else about his picture. So...so very bee-stung...

Mina always finds the best links!

[shardsofblu.livejournal.com]

The ones of Daniel Craig and Jude Law are just heartbreaking, kinda reminds me of a couple of real life occasions I've witnessed myself. Man, it's still so hard to actually see a guy crying.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I know! I kept kind of wincing and looking away--even "acting," I assume there's some real emotion you have to access to cry, so...

[shardsofblu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I once read an interview where they stated sometimes the actors would recall their own personal grief when they have to do scenes like that.

[mithen.livejournal.com]

I would think you'd have to! I wonder if you could just...make your eyes well up on command? It seems implausible!