I absolutely fell in love with Dick Winters but didn't follow up on the actor til I finally saw Dreamcatcher and enjoyed him both as Jonesy and as Ister Gay ("DUDDITS!"), followed that up with Keane, which was impressive, but also uncomfortable for me to watch. Followed that up with TFS, got frustrated maybe twenty minutes in, wasn't digging any of the characters, and shut it off. I've been leery of checking out anything else he's done, but now I've got my eye on The Baker (!!!) and The Situation.

the point that he's dreamy and has a huge fangrrrl base because of this character and yet I am totally turned off by it?

Yikes. I loved Lewis's performance in TFS but seriously. Soames is clearly portrayed as a controlling monster for most of the series. I loved watching him, because Lewis made his monstrosity compelling to watch and there were plenty of other sympathetic characters around in the series to balance off his villainy. However, near the end of the series -- NOT the first series, but the second one that deals with the offsprings -- Soames does get some perspectives into his own wrongdoing. It doesn't excuse him for his early behavior, not at all, but because the character has been so damn rigid, that small amount of thawing feels like a sea change. Lewis is... well, rather magnficent in those scenes. I'd thought Soames despicable through and through, yet still found myself quite moved, despite myself.

... but clearly, if there are people who consider someone like Soames Forsyte as romantic and dreamy, they are seriously messed in the head.

I doubt seriously that people who like the actor actually could find it in their hearts to like the (not-awesomely) villainous character he portrays. (Unless, as noted, they are craxxy.) But I know plenty of people who would watch actors they like in stupid or venal or even badly-written roles, just because they like the actor.

(*cough* Plei *cough*)

The thing I liked about Soames Forsyte was that he always looked like he was wearing a girdle under his clothes. Not in a bent way, but in a way that the character's uptight and unbendy personality showed through in his posture and bearing.

Haven't seen any of this Forsyte thing, or any of Life.

Mostly I know and love Damien Lewis as Dick Winters. I thought he was good in Dreamcatcher, but thought the movie was ultimately pretty crappy (even though it started out okay).

What can I say? It's a sickness.

I used to watch bad Lifetime movies for Blair Brown.

OTOH, by doing that, you do get occasional gems, like that 1994 Romeo and Juliet (the one starring the chick from Cracker who became Lily Potter and Colin Firth's hotter, more talented younger brother) that made me actually not hate either Romeo or Juliet, and in fact moved me muchly.

So I saw Michael Clayton. Quick thoughts:

1) If you watched any of the extended promos for the movie (particularly the ones shown on TNT, you are overly spoiled for the movie. I saw that promo after I saw the movie and damn it has nearly every key plot point in the entire movie laid out in that promo.

2) I enjoyed the movie, it had solid acting, but the plot is very basic and not at all complex. The movie needed another 30 movies of character development and another layer of plot before I would recommend it as an excellent movie.

It was enjoyable, I was entertained, but I think the movie was overpraised by many critics.

I know plenty of people who would watch actors they like in stupid or venal or even badly-written roles, just because they like the actor.

This is me, until I get burnt by too many bad ones ("Water's Edge" and "The House Next Door", I'm looking at you).

In this instance I've been reading a lot of different boards (IMDB, Life's OB, DL.net (*coughIamNOTobsessedcough*) etc.) and there seems to be overwhelming love for Soames. Maybe they really are discerning viewers who really mean "DL's performance as Soames was as compelling as Soame's himself was horrid" when they say that it was this character/role that turned them onto DL.

I'm definitely not knocking people watching crap for the appreciation of a favored actor, just trying to understand this Soame's love I've been seeing around. And as far as I know, TFS is a really good mini-series, just not my cup of tea.

I just came back from watching the adaptation of The Jane Austen Book Club. I was in a mood for a feel-good (but non-stupid) chickflick and this was perfect. It's got a very likable cast, some nice dialog, and an overly-tidy ending, but eh. I still liked it lots.

Hugh Dancy, who had always struck me as one of those bland British pretty boys destined to swan about in neckerchiefs and breeches in limp second-rate periodicals until they develop a beer belly, is COMPLETELY ADORKABLE in the role of the sole male member of the book club. Wow. I seriously wanted to reach into the screen, grab him and take him home with me. Is Grigg in the book as adorable? I guess I'll find out, since I went off to the Barnes & Nobles next to the theater and bought the book.

Vonnie, you should rent Evening if you want to see more of Dancy acting people's socks off—his performance in that struck me as one of the better ones.

He was very good in the recent Broadway revival of the World War II play, Journey's End . He got a Tony nomination, if I recall, though did not win.

Personally, I love him from Ella Enchanted anyway. Because that movie is awesome.