Seductress Pick: Abbie Cornish

Cornish in Somersault (2004)

Only once in a great while does an actress come around that completely challenges the landscape of performance in cinema in that time. And just as Barbara Stanwyck or Glenda Jackson or Catherine Deneuve did in their generations, Abbie Cornish is accomplishing currently as a consummate professional and master of her craft. For all of the Kristen Stewarts, Keira Knightleys, and Mila Kunises of our generation there is quietly creeping up behind them a marvelous force that refines the idea of being a female on screen with great finesse and utmost integrity. 

Cornish in great confluence with her co-star Heath Leger in Candy (2008)

Even though her salary is probably not close to half of what any of the aforementioned actresses tally, her legacy is what's really going to pay off in the end. I knew that Abbie Cornish was unique from maybe the first 5 minutes that I saw her on screen, and I mean really unique not just 'oh that's a new kind of sexy'. What Abbie maintains is a complete understanding of femininity which includes the struggle and irreverent power that comes with that. This is really what separates the actors from the 'stars' and what creates actual longevity in this business. Now, I'm not saying that stars can't be serious actors, nor am I using the term 'serious actors' in a pretentious, annoying, Yale drama school/Addison DeWitt kind of way. Cornish's performance reminds me of Gena Rowlands who is arguably the best actress in the English language, and also at the same time is completely reminiscent of someone like Liv Ullman. There's a quiet consciousness that is always self-aware and self-reflexive, and it's not just because she gets to play roles along those lines. Even when Cornish was in garbage like Stop-Loss (2008) she allowed for her vulnerability to carry the bullshit lines she was forced to say. Where the filmmakers had failed to give her character any compelling characteristics or even an arc, she was able to connect the dots and create a cohesive and endearing performance even though she was a supporting player. 

Cornish as the paragon Fanny Brawne, whom she played to nuanced perfection in Jane Campion's Bright Star (2009). Photographed in period costume she reminds one of Liv Ullman in Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers (1972)

The way she carries herself boasts that she is all at once completely confident and yet spontaneous, sensitive to what any new situation or project could bring, which gives off the impression that she's fearless, and if you look at her CV, that's basically what she is. Everyone in this business has to do crap to pay the bills here and there, we can't all stick to Jane Campion films. Even Holly Hunter had to make A Life Less Ordinary (1998). Cornish is certainly not above that, no one is. But then she makes films like Bright Star (2009) or better yet she starts out with a bang in an unforgiving and devastating film like Somersault (2004). 

Still from Somersault (2004) with Sam Worthington.

Somersault is easily the best film of that year, and the character Cornish plays is beyond memorable. Ironically, it's a character we've seen over and over and over again; a troubled teenager who runs away from home and slowly self-destructs from excessive drugs, sex, and alcohol eventually leading to a bittersweet redemption of sorts. And yet it's totally new and vital when Cornish plays this character and that's a gift very few people that young have. She plays a 16 year old with the mentality of a 35 year old, while herself only being 20. She understands what sexuality actually stands for from a feminine gaze in the cinema and instead of exploiting it or making it ironic by turning it into melodrama (I'm talking to you, Keira) she quietly guides you through her own journey of self-discovery and by the end of it, you walk out convinced. I was, and I know she's a home wrecker and everything, but as long as she keeps pushing out performances like she has been, it doesn't matter a bit to me.

Below some trailers to help illustrate my point. 

Seductress Pick: Jennifer Lawrence

Barely out of her teens and already a major force in the industry, it seemed strange for this burgeoning seductress to at first even to be considered for LionsGate's much awaited adaptation of the insanely successful runaway hit The Hunger Games. They were probably pulling for Ellen Page, or Kristen Stewart as strong, sensitive, and uniquely versatile Katniss Everdeen. The next big ingenue role in town, and no one saw it coming. But I have faith that J-Law will prove wrong even the biggest of nay-sayers. 

She came from virtual obscurity, and landed her big break just last year in Winter's Bone (2010) when playing the desperate but strong Ree, a girl who has literally nothing to lose, prowling around the Ozark mountains in chase after her phantom meth-maker father. It was bleak, depressing, and difficult, and yet everyone left asking themselves, who is that blonde girl and why am I suddenly obsessed with her? Subsequently the *seemingly* timid Jennifer received an Oscar nom, well deserved,  but NO ONE expected she's dress head to tow in a skin tight, backless, burnt-umber Calvin Klien number on the red carpet looking like the rogue baby of Marlene Dietrich and Jessica Rabbit. That's when she went form that new girl with major acting chops from that tiny movie that gets all of the oscar nominations and no wins to 'oh my god we need her in our film, no matter what. Call her agent like now.' 

She's dangerous but she is not a femme fatale, she's flirtatious, but she's not the 'other woman', she's elusive, but she tough as nails. This kind of confidence makes her the perfect candidate for seductress picks. It's great that I get to focus on an actress who from the time she was born to us on the screen, and has the ability to draw even the biggest skeptics in. We are always left guessing, and because we now expect her to wow us with something new, which she has in the upcoming Like Crazy (2011)  and the widely anticipated Hunger Games (2012) hopefully cementing her cult status and knocking K-Stew off her pedestal. People want to hire her, and when she appears in Maxim soaking wet and half naked in a compromising pose, it doesn't matter, because she appears so confident and intelligent that no one can touch her. She's looking she slated to start take over at an minute, oh and keep in mind she's like 19 years old. 

She is classically beautiful, curvy, long wavy dirty blonde hair and pail stark blue eyes, full lips and a husky sultry voice. But she's not afraid of changing it up and not always looking like a Florentine Botticelli statue. She's almost other-wordly. She is the aphrodite being born amidst a plethora of scripts and cameras, and in this chaos the eventuality will i hope be some unusual but perfectly fitting element in cinema that an industry doesn't understand, and yet can't live without. I think for this time, she's that anomaly that has always existed in the industry. The kind of versatility she is able to produce while keeping a concrete sense of her 'brand' is what makes a seductress. 

Seductress Pick: Rob Lowe

No I don't have things mixed up, I feel I really have to talk about Rob Lowe and his quest to find his inner goddess. He is hands down one of the most beautiful things ever put on this earth to torture us regular folk, and retains a level of...i don't know how else to put this...softness. He has a relentless androgynous   appeal, which keeps him somewhat effeminate but in a good way. It doesn't make him any less of a man, in fact, i believe it makes him even more appealing, if that's even possible, and now breaching his late-mid-40's, he's getting even better.
In terms of filthy behavior, this guy has a gold medal. He's made a sex tape with himself and two drunk chicks, been accused of sexually harassing a nanny that works with his kids, and had simulated sex with Demi Moore in an old-timey bathtub. But in the midst of behaving like a world class cad, he's single handedly giving us more reasons to watch television more than the writers of Saturday Night Live. From The West Wing, to Brothers & Sisters, to now Parks and Recreation, Mr. Lowe is just as riveting as he was 20 years ago with feathered hair and lip gloss in St. Elmo's Fire.
From the tabloids, we can discern that he is a horny dirty man, but he's the prettiest piece of tail this side of John Hughes' movies. He's never grown a filth beard nor gained any chub weight that went straight to his tits, he's remained a consummate master of cinematic eye-candy, with loathsomely perfect features and a devastating bod. Any woman who comes into the misfortune of acting opposite Rob Lowe knows that he's going to be the lovelier of the two. That's what makes a seductress. Garbo, Dietrich, Monroe, and now...Lowe. His skin is soft, his eyes, sparkling with longing, his lips, pouty and doughy, those kind of lips you just want to gently nibble on because they look like they taste like candy, and his general demeanor connotes something that you just want to hug nakedly until the end of time. God gave us a gift everyone just enjoy it. 

Seductress Pick: Mila Kunis

Pillow-lipped Ukranian import Mila Kunis has barely breached her late-20's and is already a beautifully formed seductress in the tradition of exotic pre-code era femme fatales and devious-eyed vamps. Her name already sounds like some awesomely filthy sex act (example: bro, i totally got mila kunised last night, it was out of this world.) but then, again, so does my name. But anyway, she's come a long way since her start back in the late 90's as the pretty but ridiculously annoying girl on That 70's Show to where she is now. In the middle of all that she had a period of what i like to call bring the 'I-would-rather' girl. This meaning that she wasn't the lead for quite a while but when juxtaposed to even the likes of Natalie Portman (Black Swan, 2010) and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2008) you still found yourself for some reason thinking; 'hey, you know, i would rather do Mila Kunis in this movie, not sure why, but i prefer her'. Don't deny it, she won you over. 

But let's get one thing straight. When you were sitting at home back in 1998 after your last study hall period with a tube sock, a box of tissues, and a bottle of Johnson & Johnson watching That 70's Show, little did you know that the girl you were about to spank it to was FOURTEEN! So congrats Mila, you started your career as a seductress by making half the male population in the United States felons. Not a bad start. 

She fibbed to the producers and wrote on her paperwork that she was legally an adult which was apparently a pre-requisite of auditioning, and was spunky and fresh faced enough to get away with it. 

She kind of disappeared off the radar for a while afterwards, if in tangible form only, considering she for 10 years portrayed the very ironic role of Meg Griffin on Family Guy (which will always make her cool with me no matter what). 

She definitely had that hot chick/shrill voice thing down to a science, but as she grew up she seemed to tone it down, and by the time she reappeared opposite Jason Segel in FSM, she was the reincarnation of Dolores Del Rio, Bettie Page, and Theda Bera with perky boobs and a rad sense of humor. 

By now, everyone has taken notice and she's no longer a supporting player to other pretty girls, but is a seductress in her own right, and I believe she's earned it. Even though Friends With Benefits (2011) got pretty awful reviews, the chemistry between Kunis and Justin Timberlake is pretty obvious, and it proves that she can now hold her own as a romantic lead, even though she might need a bit more time refining her seductress skills. She's well on her way. Here's a hint as to why we should have seen this coming. Angelina Jolie played hot-mess junkie supermodel Gia Carangi back in 1996 in made-for-tv movie Gia. Guess who played her as a kid? There you go. 

What's really appealing about her is the elementary and simple mix of charm, beauty, and humor. It's been a triple threat since the dawn of time, and very few women are ever able to truly master it, those who do have been magical on screen, and I have a feeling that soon she'll be reflected upon in the same way. Good luck Mila. Na'sdrovya!

Evan Rachel Wood: Working Her Way Up the Cult Ladder.

Because I just blogged regarding beautiful Evan Rachel Wood, and have had a few glasses of wine deciding to watch Marilyn Manson videos from the mid-90's, I thought why not blog about it.

We all remember 'Thirteen', the brilliantly directed film by Catherine Hardwicke, who went on to make the first and only acceptable version of Twilight. After this, ERW starred in the absolutely fucked in all ways rendition of the worst Beatles songs known as Across The Universe. She played a down and out beatnik searching for the meaning of life (how original) and eventually transformed into a quasi flower child born from the mind of increasingly random Julie Taymor, whilst making the worst possible covers of classic Beatles' fair and awkwardly french kissing Jim Sturgess like its two middle school students trying it for the first time.

She started out very bohemian looking with long hair and innocent eyes, until her beau Marilyn Manson started transforming her into a younger thinner version of his ex-wife, burlesque performer Dita Von Teese, and in my opinion, it's just not working. The camp style, gaudy make-up and cabaret background only works on seasoned veterans like Dita, not high-school drop out bohemian Marie Claire fodder that is ERW. But to give her some credit, she is working on it. If you look at pictures of her currently, you would not be able to tell its the same person from Across the Universe but in all fairness, all actors involved in it should disassociate themselves from that travesty. Only time and wonder bra's will tell if ERW can truly be reformed from mediocre hippie-ish teen queen to bonafied camp princess complete with oxygen-constricting corsets, and silk eye-lashes, but I'm rooting for ya boo. 

I'm not sure if this is a good or bad influence on her progression but she currently keeps a relentlessly on-again, off-again relationship with cult icon Marilyn Manson, who aside from not being at all relevant anymore, is working on his career as...as a movie star. Whateves.  Who cares...
But he should consider himself lucky because he gets to go home every night and bed a young, beautiful, and seemingly fiesty 23 year old in his probably lavish and pimped out boudoir .
Though it does seem like he's pulling a Donald Trump here, where his wife just gets a tad past her expiration date, and he gets a new one, and immediately begins to transform her into a younger, perkier image of his old wife. In my opinion, without her soon to be hubby full-on Svengaling her (he IS 20 years older, so i'm sure there's an oedipal influence in that relationship somewhere), she could come up with a pretty rad sexual identity; something that is not tiredly 'brave' nudie shots in Mildred Pierce, to the awkwardly simulated sex scenes between her and Manson in his video for Heart-Shaped Glasses when they are both covered in blood, reaching some kind of feral orgasm...nuff said. Poor girl needs a proper mentor. Someone like Tim Gunn, Simon Doonan, or the ghost of Tennessee Williams would do wonders, but I see lots of potential, if she didn't currently annoy me as much.

Seductress Pick: Vivien Leigh

This is a character study on Vivien Leigh, one of the most profound actresses to ever grace the silver screen and my personal favorite.  Vivien Leigh is a very interesting character to consider. There have been many conflicting views on what she was personally as well as professionally. What I have found through research including documentary and biography sources have concluded to be contradictory. Though I feel I have come upon certain aspects of her personality from which I can write a cohesive developed character. 

Vivien was a young girl raised in an atmosphere based on mannerisms and everything that we can attribute to the superficiality of the upper-clas of England at the time (the time being the beginning of the 20th century). Both of her parents were not only well-off, but exheuted all aspect of the English upper class. 

What is most fascinating about this woman is her raw determination. When she first laid eyes on her first husband, a barrister named Leigh Holman, she bowed that she would marry him, even though knowing that he was at the time engaged to someone else. This is the same attitude with which she pursued her great love, Lawrence Olivier. When she first met him, a friend had to remind her that she was already married after she had exclaimed that she would make him her husband. The fact that he was already married to actress Jill Esmond was of no consequence to her. This could be viewed as profound selfishness and disregard for others, and at the sam time can be attributed to a woman's determination to get what she wants. 

What is an interesting question to consider is what was more important in her life. Did she persue Lawrence Olivier because he was a successful actor and she believed that they would mesh well together, or was she in love with him. 

One story is that she was completely dissatisfied with married life. Not only that, she was also dissatisfied in a home life, being a wife and mother. When she gave birth to her daughter Suzanne, she wrote in her diary; "had a baby" and that is all. Her biggest concern was her career. 

This determination led to her obtaining the most coveted role in American film history up to the point; Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind". Even when she was an unknown English stage actress, she had related to friends that it will be her part, no matter what. 

This is what I would like to explore in my interpretation of her character. Nothing mattered but for rising to the top, achieving what she felt she was worthy of. Her first husband was in the way, whom she subsequently divorced, and eventually, her great love, Lawrence Olivier became "in her way" as well. 

The only thing that stifled her was her mental illness, even that she would not allow to stand in her way. I do not believe that it was her intension to be famous, to be a star. But I do believe that her indelible determination was attributed to the fact that she was so incredibly independent and saw greater things for herself than just a barrister's wife, a mother, or the wife of a famous actor. She wanted to be an original, and her achieving that lead to her demise in means of her personal life. 

Even in her worst state of manic depression, she remained a seasoned professional. She had undergone everything form psycho-analysis to electric shock-treatment, sometimes at the same time that she would be working on a film. Her drive to succeed eclipsed any pain that she might have gone through personally, and herein lies the paradox. 

Though Vivien was driven, she was stiffeled. The greatest thing in her life that was stifling to her drive was her mental illness. People who know her well recount how terrible her condition was. She would explode on people and be incredibly rude to others. Once she gained composer of herself she would take time to write to them and apologize. But regarding this, her focus was her career. In the depths of the worst parts of her mental illness she still appeared in many plays, working herself to pieces as it were, disregarding her need to get well and focusing on what she felt she needed to accomplish. 

There is a very interesting dichotomy between Vivien and one of her most significant roles in both theater and film. Lawrence Olivier called "A Streetcar Named Desire" "that awful play", even though he had directed her in it in England. He thought that the character of Blanche was so close in frailty and misunderstanding that Vivien was at that point and believed that it was her total immersion in this role that had completely had pushed her over the edge.