Uniformed Characters United by Fuzzy Faces

‘U’ is for “Unity” and “Uniform” as it relates to movie characters with memorable moustaches or beards today in my A to Z Challenge post. Facial hair, or what the The Bumbles calls “Fuzzy Faces” is the highlight of this week’s Monday Movie Meme so here are my picks for characters that sport these looks and made it work for them. These characters also have something else in common......costumes. They each wear some type of extravagant costume that the average personal would not normally wear walking down the street in real life.

Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series

We must not forget the facial hair worn by a modern day pirate that actor Johnny Depp made so famous. Jack Sparrow’s moustache and beard gave him a little goatee action that become one of this character’s signature styles throughout those “Pirates of the Carribbean” movies.

Erik Heller in “Hanna” (Now Playing in Theaters)

He has enough hair to share while living with his daughter out in the woods of Finland. I recently went to the movies to check out “Hanna” and this Erik Heller looked much better when he reduced the facial hair down to a little stubble.

I imagine that all of the hair he was sporting in the movie’s opening scenes would’ve got in the way of his butt-kicking tasks.

Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy

Played by Viggo Mortensen, the facial hair on Aragorn not only made him look sexy but also gave him a rough appearance that was suitable for his particular “Lord of the Rings” character.


What movie characters with facial hair would YOU add to this list?

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Olympic-Eligible Movie Characters who Run the Show

‘O’ is for “Olympics” today, specifically in the running category selected by The Bumbles for this week’s Monday Movie Meme. Here are movies that, according to the Bumbles, make my “feet tired just watching them.” It’s not necessarily the films that cause a tired feeling. These movies have characters whose running scenes reach Olympic proportions, putting them in a position to give medalists like Carl Lewis or Joanna Hayes a run for their money. Pun intended.

Runaway Bride

Julia Roberts’ character becomes famous for leaving men at the altar, but it’s the way she does it that makes these exists memorable and the talk of the town. After running with no concern about who or what she knocked down in the process, this bride eventually obtains a more effective means of transportation...in a four-legged variety!

The Bourne Supremacy

Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, a character who does a lot of running in this movie. Sometimes, its for recreation or exercise such as the earlier scenes where he is running on the beach in a peaceful state, with what seems like no worries in the world. Most of the time however, Bourne is running for mere survival. He runs from the cops, he runs from contract killers, he runs from the Goverment......it is the type of experience where a phrase like “running out of breath” may not even begin describe what this man is feeling. Bourne is running out of more than that. He is running out of breath, time, friends, resources, passports, blood (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then watch the movie) and energy.

The Graduate

His car may have run out of gas but Dustin Hoffman’s character has not run out of love...or at least, the pursuit of love. The last scenes of this movie contain so much running, it makes me exhausted but also sympathetic to his mission based on the circumstances and events that went down prior to his running journey.

Can YOU name some characters who could compete in the running or Track & Field category of the Olympics?

This post also is part of my participation in the A to Z challenge during the month of April.

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International Awareness of 'Desert Flower' & Waris Dirie

Based on a best-selling novel of the same name, “Desert Flower” tells the real-life story of Waris Dirie from Somalia. After being circumcised as a toddler and then sold by her father at the age of 13 to be the fourth wife of an older man, she fled Africa and then worked as a maidservant.

Waris Dirie was later discovered by a fashion photographer and went on to become an supermodel. Instead of discussing her experience of going from poverty to walking down runways around the world, she tells her story of being mutilated at five years of age (or 6 or 3? some sources, including the film's website differ on the exact age and while I do have the Desert Flower book that was published, I didn't read it yet) in the Somali desert.

The “Desert Flower” movie focuses on childhood trauma, womanhood and many other important issues that are relevant behind the fame, fortune and glamour of this particular high fashion model. It is something worth watching because the story not only reminds us how different our cultures are but at the most basic level, we are all human beings who should understand how certain experiences such as what the Waris Dirie went though change women's lives forever. “Desert Flower” stars actress (and Goodwill ambassador for maternal health) Liya Kebede and is presented by National Geographic.

It is Now Playing in select cities in the U.S. and other places around the world. The producers and/or National Geographic encourages those who wish to see this movie to call their local movie theaters and request it if it is not available on your area.

Here are the upcoming Dates:

April 1, 2011
Irvine, CA at Westpark 8
Palm Desert, CA at Cinémas Palme d'Or
San Rafael, CA at San Rafael Regency
Chicago, IL at East River 21
Portland, OR at Fox Tower Stadium 10
Houston, TX at Edwards Greenway
Palace Seattle, WA at Pacific Place 11

April 8, 2011
Boise, ID at The Flicks
Boston, MA at Kendall Square 9
Charlotte, NC at Regal Cinemas Manor Twin

I chose to highlight this “Desert Flower” movie as a part of this week's Moday Movie meme because The Bumbles selected a topics about flowers. This blog post also features “Desert Flower” because Waris Dirie worked as an ambassador for the United Nations to speak out against genital mutilation, bringing an international element to the movie.....which can be in tune with my choice to make “I” stand for “International” during this year's A to Z Challenge.

Maybe I also posted this because when I received a message about it screening in a local theater, I was shocked about this new movie coming out...not because of the subject matter but because it was based on a book that someone told me to read a long time ago and it still sits in my apartment collecting dust (that was figurative, not literal....the book is in very good shape).

Anyway,

What do YOU think?

Is this a human right's issue that all countries should be concerned about?

Should those who do no live in countries where this is a normal practice ignore the subject?

Should there be just as much effort to spread awareness about the effects, if any, of male circumcision as there is about the handling of little girls in Africa who are being mutiliated by people who do not have any medical experience to perform such an act?

Should female circumscision be accepted so long as it is performed by medical professionals in a doctor's office, hospital or other medical setting?

When I was in school studying film, I was approached by a fellow student who I believe was from New York City, to write a screenplay for this movie. She claimed to know Waris and is the reason why I bought the book (because I wanted to figure out what this was all about) but many, (MANY!) years later....I still haven't opened it up to read even one page of it.....and now I sorta wish that I took it more seriously.

Then again, things (supposedly) happen for a reason, right? Maybe this girl didn't know Waris and was trying to make a movie of her own based on the book. Maybe she wanted me to write the screenplay so that she could sell it for another project or to gain industry connections for future projects. Or, maybe she was for real and I missed out on an opportunity.

Should've-could've-would've!

No one will ever know!

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