Toned...

Real friends stab you in the front...

Whenever I watch a movie or new television show, what grabs me most is tone.   I love a show that can immedeately set a distinctive tone.  I just finished the first season of The Shards and in the first few minutes, I was instantly taken back to a time in my past, a time I'd mostly forgotten about until tuning into the show.

I think those of you who grew up in the 80's and 90's know the tone, or feeling I'm talking about.  Long before the plethora of procedurals on television, and the advances in forensic technology, many of us as teens were obsessed with serial killers.  I don't think it was until the O.J trial in the mid-nineties, that most of us knew a lot about DNA.  Before then, at least it seemed to us at kids, it was much easier to get away with murder, or in the case of serial killers, multiple murders.

I was fascinated with the subject, not so much out of interest, but out of fear.  Serial killers were often on the news, and  also often the topic of conversation between my friends and I.  I remember many nights walking home alone, or even with a friend, that we'd terrify ourselves that there was a serial killer in the woods just waiting to slice and dice us up.  We'd usually scream, then run the rest of the way home.

We'd even discuss the subject in school, both with friends, and even with teachers in class. I remember reading articles and books on the subject, mostly in the library, most memorably Elliott Leyton's Hunting Humans.  I don't know how many nights I went to bed petrified over some movie or TV show I'd just seen about a serial killer.

We don't hear too much about serial killers anymore, the peak period seemed to be in the 70's and 80's.  Of course the carnage hasn't stopped, it's just morphed into other forms of violence, most notably, school shooting.  I tend to believe there are as many 'serial' killers today, but due to the forensic advances, they're less likely to leave a body to be found.  There are still hundreds of thousands of people reported missing each year, I just think serial killers now carefully dispose of their victims, instead of leaving them out as trophy's to be found.

As skillfully as Bret Easton Ellis and Ryan Murphy set the tone in the pilot, for me, they quickly fumbled the ball.  The first episode had a captivating mix of horror and terror with character driven storytelling.  There was also a big dose of camp, but that was initially secondary.  By the third episode, sadly camp took over and the dread I felt watching the first episode had disappeared.

The stories quickly became confusing, with a convoluted story mix making it difficult to see which crimes and actions were connected to the serial killer 'The Trawler', and which were about the characters and friend group.  I watched closely, but I'm still not sure which story pieces, (like the horsehead) were connected with what killer.  I guess we were supposed to be confused, or think they were all the same, but that was never made clear.  In addition, certain elements of Ellis' novel were left out of the television show, I'm assuming most, like not killing Robert Malory, were dictated on a possible second season.

I did enjoy the show overall, the first half much more than the last few episodes. I was however, left feeling a little flat.  The last episode may have worked for a novel, but for a television show, (especially without a concretely scheduled second season) did have me wondering if  I wasted my time.  I did however get into the story, the visuals and LBGTQ elements.  

I also thought the cast was solid, especially Igby Rigney as Bret.  Initially, like many, I was really liking and rooting for Bret.  By the end, through both the writing, and Rigney's portrayal, my feelings certainly had changed.  Still, Ryan Murphy did give us Bret in his tighty whites, as 'brief' bookends in both the first and last episode.  If you haven't seen the show, or want to see Rigney in his undies again, check out more on FH HERE:

Igby Rigney: In Brief

 I always brought my own tensions to wherever I went.

Although I had conflicting feelings about The Shards, I didn't about star Igby Rigney who played Bret.  Rigney had a challenging task playing a character who in some ways was both the hero and the villain, the protagonist and the antagonist, well, at least one of them.  As a writer, Bret was also directly driving the story.

I'd never heard or seen Rigney before The Shards, although one of his projects, the mini-series Midnight Mass, is on my list of shows to watch.  I think part of the reason was that the character of Bret reminded me a bit of myself in high school.  Not the creepy part, (I hope) but the writer part, and the part of Bret that never feels a true part of the group.  His sexuality also of course played a role, but Bret actually seemed to maneuver through those complexities more smoothly than I did.  I certainly wasn't bedding multiple hotties,  and rich married men in my teens.

I also looked a bit like the actor, and had his exact same hair style through most of my teen years.  I however, went to high school in the 90's, so can't blame the 1980's on that overly dramatic side part I styled and sprayed each morning before heading to school.  

Given it was a Ryan Murphy produced show, a little gratuitous skin was certainly not surprising, but Rigney in tighty whities and black briefs was also accurate for the time period.  I don't think I knew there was underwear for guys other than small briefs until I got older and realized not everyone wore the multi-colored six-pack brief packs that my mother gifted me with every Christmas.  I played sports and spent a fair amount of time in locker rooms, and briefs did seem the undie of choice for most of the guys in my school.  I wouldn't be caught dead in loose boxers, those were what I thought only old men work and boxer briefs were just taking ofg due to Marky Mark.

Igby Rigney on Instagram

Mitchell Slaggert in Landman

I put together this piece last year, after seeing clips and images of the ultra hot Mitchell Slaggert in Landman.  Slaggert played Ryder, (great name) in four episodes of the Paramount+ western series.  I forgot about the piece as I haven't yet watched the show, and forgot about it until scanning my 'draft' posts earlier this week.

Although I haven't watched the show, the scene is really hot, and I did know of Slaggert, mostly his work as a model.  Although I've seen a few of his television his appearances, I knew him primarily as the face, and of course the body, for his work with Calvin Klein underwear.  Images of Slaggert, and his tight blue boxer briefs, were in everywhere a few years ago, and left a marked impression.

Mitchell Slaggert on Instagram

Landman

Just Because: Domhnall Gleeson

'My character appears for the first time from the bathroom...naked.  A decision was also made by somebody else that he should be hairless from the neck down.'

Domhnall Gleeson

I've been inspired to create quite a few posts lately based on episodes of The Graham Norton Show.  The London based chat show has been on for over 33 years, so there are still tons of episodes I have to watch.  As far as those I've found, I am up to season 33, the shows last season, but season 34 starts later this month, so I'm sure there are more posts to come.

The Paper

The Proficient Norton knows how to get a good story, and the celebrities he interviews often share stories of their on-screen nude scenes.  Recently, on a season 33 episode, Graham was joined by actors Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy,  Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and singer Taylor Swift. I've loved Gleeson since seeing him the 2013 rom-com About Time, alongside Rachel McAdams.

I featured Gleeson on FH back in 2017, but at the time, the only nude scene I could find was from the film Unbroken.  Given the horrific nature of the scene, I chose not to feature Gleeson's glutes.  His appearance on Norton however, had me looking for more...

Black Mirror

Gleeson shared the story of filming a 2013 episode of Black Mirror. (above)  In the episode, it was decided he should appear completely naked and completely hairless from the neck down.  Sadly, it doesn't appear that they showed anything from the waist down on film, (that I could find) so all that shaving Gleeson did below was never seen by the audience.  Still, it was a funny story, especially about his prepping for the scene over lunch that day.

I did however, check out Crash Pad, the 2017 comedy that featured quite a bit more of Gleeson's anatomy.  Thankfully the producer and director didn't insist the Irish actor be hairless and we gor a few peaks at his ginger pubes. 

Crash Pad

A hopeless romantic who thinks he's found true love with an older woman learns that she's married and that the fling is merely an instrument of revenge against her neglectful husband.

Nicola Perot in Seitentriebe

A long-married couple turns to a therapist for help as they make an attempt to stimulate their love life.

Over the years, I've featured actors, movies and television shows from all over the world.  It's still rare though, to feature an actor and project that originated in Switzerland.  Maybe it's because of the population.  Switzerland's population is only slightly larger than that of New York city, and given the cash need to produce a movie or television show, it's natural fewer projects are made in smaller countries.  The Swiss film industry is also regional, and heavily reliant on public funding and cultural grants.

One project that I did recently take note of was Seitentriebe. (aka Monogamish) Seitentriebe is a Swiss drama and romance TV series that ran from 2018 to 2019 with 16 episodes over it's 2 seasons.  Swiss actor Nicola Perot was not a lead in the show, in fact he appeared in only one episode in the show's first season.  As you can see however, Perot's appearance was a memorable one.

Despite working professionally since his late teens, there's not a lot of info about Perot out there. Although his resume is impressive, he avoids the on-line limelight and has mostly stayed off of social media.  There are a few interviews out there that I found, mostly with Perot discussing his love of being an 'international' actor.  Perot works throughout Europe and is fascinated by taking on characters who speak different languages, and the connection between personality with language and location.  Even though most won't understand the dialogue in the clip, I'm guessing you'll still enjoy the visuals.