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He presented the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. I traditionally watch the show every year since I was a little kid and I don’t remember having been entertained this much. His theatrics, jokes, presence were all just brilliant. He danced and sang like a pro. He was genuinely funny- I think the only guy who could do a funnier job is Jim Carrey but then again I am not sure Jim could pull of the dancing routine like Jackman.

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway at the 2009 Academy Awards

hugh-jackman_beyonce-knowles_8st-academy-awards — Who would have thought? Beyonce and Hugh dancing together

It is amazing how far Hugh has come in his career. Not that he doesn’t deserve all of his popularity, but I just hadn’t seen it coming when I first saw him in the 2001 movie, Swordfish. Since then he has been in rom-coms, dramas, thrillers and action movies. He has done theater and played the lead in hit Broadway musicals. He has done movies both in his hometown Australia and in Hollywood. Though his biggest and role has been of Wolverine, one of the most popular characters in the X-men series. Although arguably Meg Ryan was the more famous one when they starred together in the 2001 flick Kate and Leopold, right now Hugh Jackman has a much stronger status.

He is just one of the lucky men in Hollywood whose adored both by men and women; by critics and movie-goers. He is breathtakingly gorgeous. I haven’t yet met a girl who thinks that he is not attractive. I remember being in the movie theater with two girl friends of mine, watching Swordfish. We have absolutely the most opposite taste in men yet we all simultaneously agreed that Hugh was hot. On the top of all this, he is a family man. He has been married to his first and only wife since 1996 and they are raising their kids together. Oh,well-as I said, everyone loves him. And his masculinity and strength are not questioned by his fellow co-stars. Ryan Reynolds– who plays Wade Wilson actually said that Hugh would probably win, were they to engage in wrestling.

Of course there are some of his old projects that I couldn’t get my hands on (like some of his earlier Australian work) and some movies of his that I didn’t enjoy all that much, such as The Fountain and Deception. But mostly, his movies entertain. They take you from your reality to the movie’s and he makes you believe whatever reality his movie is representing. Since this guy has done so much, I think it’s best if we just consider some examples from this decade.

X-men (2000)

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He plays Wolverine. He’ll continue to play the role for three more movies, the second and third parts of the trilogy and X-men origins: Logan/Wolverine. He likes to be and work alone but he needs to join in the mutants team for the sake of Prof. Xavier and he also has the hots for Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who is married to another X-men mutant: Scott/Cyclops (James Marsden). The plot is just to good to go into the specifics and X-men shall have their own posts.

Swordfish (2001)

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John Travolta makes a great villain. He’s tough, he’s crazy and he’s fun to watch. You just keep your fingers crossed that hacker Stanley Jobson can pull off everything so that he can save himself and others from the potential wrath of the psychotic Gabriel (Travolta) and his not so pleasant surprises.

(2001) Kate & Leopold

MPW-16315 — Romcom queen Meg and the guy of every role Hugh.

Kate (Ryan)’s neighbor/ex-boyfriend Stu (Liev Schreiber) discovers a time travel portal and manages to be tracked down by someone from 1870s: Leopold. Leopold’s process of adjustment to today’s life in New York is hilarious. Meanwhile, Kate is thinking that she always has attracted crazy men. After all, Leopold acts just like himself. Still, Leo is handsome, gentle and has a unique character. Little does she know that the uniqueness does comes from a different era…

Van Helsing (2004):

Jackman plays the famous monster hunter Van Helsing, fighting the ultimate bottle with the help of Anna (Kate Beckinsale)

(2006) The Prestige

Hugh_Jackman_in_The_Prestige_Wallpaper_1_800 — Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in The Prestige, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine.

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play the rival magicians- one has the ultimate secret of a breath-taking trick and the other will do anything to get it. Great twists and turns however the ending really let me down.

(2008) Australia

australia_movie_poster_1 — Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Australia. Two of my favorite Australians. Both are great actors and both are gorgeous. Perfect combination.

It’s not your typical Buz Luhrmann movie. It is epic and in some senses it i much more traditional than his other works like Romeo and Juliet or Moulin Rouge. However it is beautiful- with performances and cinematography.

Pre-World War II. British Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) comes to Australia to meet her husband and manage the land but she finds that her husband is dead and the natives are being abused. Along with the help of the loner/free-spirited cattle driver Drover, she needs to save her cattle and from an enemy.Not to mention the growing attraction between her and Drover (Jackman)…

Hugh Jackman is of course not exactly resting. He has many movies in (pre-) production stages and Wolverine II is one of them. At 41, he is at the peak of his career and his looks. He enjoys all the perks of fame without letting the whole concept get to his head. I just hope that he never tires of acting. And how lovely it would be if I ever got to see him live on Broadway.

I thought about writing a “what on earth happened to you” sort of article for Tom Cruise, just like I did with Mel Gibson, but I thought it wouldn’t be fair. Because although Tom makes us question his sanity with his extreme commitment to Scientology and all the weird gossips going on around him, I still like him as an actor. Unlike Mel, Tom has not appeared in many movies that I don’t like, because apart from Eyes Wide Shut and War of the Worlds, I pretty much like all his work. His appearance also improved as he got older- from cute to sexy and attractive. In fact, the only problem I have with his appearance is his height. His 170 cm.s (5’7″) is not exactly star material. But hey, the guy is one of the richest in Hollywood and I believe his movies deserve that popularity.

My fav. look on Tom. Can be seen in Mission Impossible 2 and Vanilla Sky.

I started to question his sanity after he broke up with Nicole Kidman. Sure heightwise they weren’t the most compatible, Kidman being 179 cm.s (5′ 10″) but lookswise, hell they looked so beautiful together. And they were married for what? 11 years? I know relationships go awry all the time and marriages are even harder but still…If they stuck together that long in Hollywood, there must once have been so strong between them. Now he is married to Katie Holmes.

Tom with Kidman — Tom with ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

If people are going to complain about Matthew McConaughey or Kate Hudson or Ryan Reynolds taking on the same roles, playing the same people, they should really take Katie Holmes to the top of their list. When I was about 14 or 15, I liked Dawson’s Creek. First 2 seasons or so were good-until it became a partner-swapping story. Oh, you know: three guys, 3 boys. Intra-group dating. You imagine the so-called drama and the complications. And Katie Holmes’ pouting. Oh my God, she was- and is- so annoying. She really has one facial expression. Her movie roles did not bring out anything new and for me, Tom’s marrying Holmes seemed like a step down. Nicole’s beauty and versatility as an actress and then to Holmes…Oh well, they seem happy together so I’ll shut up about it. But of course Katie added another thing to the list of things I don’t like about Cruise. Plus, everything about their relationship was so in our face, they were so hard to avoid. There was a time we talked about his movies right?

So leaving his personal life aside… Sometimes I think 80s and 90s were much better times to become stars. Think of Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise- I am thinking it will be hard- if not impossible- to reach this kind of popularity and make this much money for male stars. Tom has evolved-both in appearance and acting-since his Risky Business days. He has played in comedy, drama, thriller, war, action and so on. He was nominated for an academy award for 3 times (2 for best actor and 1 for best supporting role). His harmless feel good movies such as Cocktail and Risky Business are classics. No need to mention Top Gun made him. Even though I find most Oliver Stone movies pretentious, I was genuinely touched by Born on the 4th of July. List goes on. But my favorite Tom Cruise ever is Jerry Maguire. It is one of the loveliest stories ever written and although it made me a follower of its writer/director Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire remains my fav.

Let’s take a trip in history:

(hey I can’t include everything, you know he has been in a lot of films!!!)

Tom Cruise as a teenager who gets to party home with friends and a hooker. 1983. Risky Business.

Flying School. Lots of action. Romance. Classic Tony Scott film. 1986. — Flying School. Lots of action. Romance. Classic Tony Scott film Top Gun. 1986. There is Val Kilmer too!

Dustin Hoffman won Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the autistic older brother to Tom Cruise's character. It is an amazing road trip. Fun and deep. 1988. Rain Man is a should-see.

A young man is too willing to go fight in Vietnam. But then he loses a lot. in the war and his return makes for a great anti-war battle. 1989. — A young man is too willing to go fight in Vietnam. But then he loses a lot in the war and his return makes for a great anti-war battle. 1989. Tom Cruise was directed by Oliver Stone. Might be the only Stone movie I ever liked.

Military Drama/ Thriller. Amazing cast: Nicholson, Moore, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland. 1992.

First movie of the triology based on the popular tv show of the same name. I prefer the second and the third. 1996. — First movie of the triology based on the popular tv show Mission Impossible. I prefer the 2nd and the 3rd. 1996.

Sports manager J. Maguire takes a big risk when he cares for his clients. He gets his ass fired and a life changing journey starts. I will write its own post. 1996. — Sports manager Jerry Maguire takes a big risk when he cares for his clients. He gets his ass fired and a life changing journey starts. 1996.

It is just a wonderful epic. Lots of action, great cinematography. Saw it 2 times at the theater. 2003. — The Last Samurai is a gloriously wonderful epic. Lots of action, great cinematography. Saw it 2 times at the theater. 2003.

Yes, I still love his movies. As long as he doesn’t talk about his “religion” and stops trying to prove how much he loves Katie on Oprah (remember the time he jumped around on the couch???) , I’ll be fine.

Hugh Jackman: My favorite Australian ever

Tom Cruise: The Actor Movie-Goers Love to Hate and Hate to Love