Five Hottest British Actresses

There is something undeniably irresistible about hot British actresses. Sure, part of it is the accent, no doubt. It is a real turn-on. But there is something else that makes guys fantasize about these beauties. In interviews, most seem so prim and proper that it makes you suspect that there might be a bit of a freak inside there; a part that you would love to bring out.
That is the dream, at least. British actresses have been coming across the pond even more in recent years and many times you would not even know that a favorite new actress of yours is a Brit until you end up hearing her interviewed on a late night talk show.

Kate Beckinsale – Kate is at the top of the list and she has been for some time. Although she is approaching the big four-O, Becks is as hot as ever. She is kind of like the British Jennifer Connelly; she is a woman who has kept her natural beauty intact over the years. Her mainstream American exposure came as Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck's love interest in the 2001's "Pearl Harbor.” Her sexiest role was as the sexy vampire warrior Selene in the first two “Underworld” films – a role she is set to reprise in 2012's “Underworld Awakening.” Her skin-tight, black latex/spandex/something-ex costume from “Underworld” shows off one of her best features – her terrific bum. Kate will also be starring as bad girl Lori in the “Total Recall” remake next year.

Keira Knightley – Keira has not been around forever, it just seems that way. She is still a mere lass of 26 and is a very accomplished actress. She burst upon the scene as damsel in distress Elizabeth Swann in 2003's “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” It turns out Keira could more than take care of herself as she wielded her sword, her wit and her incredible hotness in increasingly skimpy outfits through the first three “Pirates” films. She played sexy bounty hunter Domino Harvey in 2005's “Domino,” and has several films coming out in the next year. Keira is a straight-up fox who should be steaming up the big screen for many years to come.

Hayley Atwell – If you want humps and lovely lady lumps, Hayley's got them. This curvacious Brit has a body that just will not quit. She caught American eyes as Agent Peggy Carter in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” This beautifully well-endowed Brit is an actress you just can not take your eyes off of and seems destined to head straight to the top of A-list actresses.

Gemma Arterton – This 25-year-old bombshell got her big break as new Bond girl Strawberry Fields in 2008's “Quantum of Solace.” She followed that up with two hit films in 2010 when she appeared in “Clash of the Titans” and “Prince of Persia,” both of which allowed her to showcase her sexy assets in nicely revealing costumes. She also got erotic in “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” that same year as she had some fairly graphic nude scenes. This daughter of a maid and a welder who grew up in public housing in England has really made it big.

Emma Watson – Little Hermione sure has grown up. At  21 years old, Emma has spent half of her life playing the cute know-it-all sidekick to Harry Potter in all eight Potter films. With the Potter series over, Emma is moving her career into more adult-oriented films. She will appear in “My Week With Marilyn” at the end of this year and will star in the film adaptation of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” in 2012. The young hottie also models and is a student at Brown University (currently taking a break).

Film Review - Captain America: The First Avenger

 So far, so good for The Avengers this summer. Thor’s a pretty cool guy and now it’s Captain America to show off what he’s got. Sure, he comes with the superhero standards – buff body, noble intentions and a sleek costume – but other than that, he’s nothing more than a poster boy for Marvel movies. Steve Rogers makes for a better propaganda symbol than superhero.

Chris Evans is Steve Rogers, a Brooklyn native desperate to serve his country. Sadly, his intense determination isn’t enough to make up for his slight stature and asthma, amongst other physical deficits, and his enlistment application is stamped with a big red F, time and time again. It isn’t until Steve crosses paths with Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) that he finally gets the chance to prove himself, well, an enhanced version of himself. Erskine straps Steve to some high tech contraption, pumps him full of glowing blue fluid and so Captain America is born.

Meanwhile, Hitler is building the ultimate weapon for himself, or so he thinks. The Nazi regime funnels resources into their deep science division, Hydra, in hopes that the unit’s leader, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), will deliver a power the Allies cannot defeat. Problem is, Schmidt is obsessed with some sort of otherworldly power, a power his cohorts don’t believe in. When Hitler attempts to shut Hydra down, Schmidt, or Red Skull, is ready to take the reigns and conquer the world for himself. The only one who can stop him? Guess who.

Sure, Steve Rogers is a noble character and his dream of joining the army is endearing, but the entire first act of the film is tainted by poor CGI. Little Steve looks more like a character out of a Tim Burton animation than he does a legitimate smaller version of Evans. In fact, the character would fit perfectly in Tarik Saleh’s Metropia. The only time the pre-Captain America Steve looks legitimate is when his back is to the camera and that’s because that’s the only time he’s 100% a real person.

Things get much better once Steve emerges from the Erskine pod. A mix-up lands Steve in an army propaganda play rather than on the battlefield and that’s where the power of the cheesy time-lapse montage kicks in. We follow Steve from show to show as he gets into the gig and builds an audience. However, when he takes his act overseas and performs for the soldiers, he’s stopped dead in his tracks, as is the film. The switch is so abrupt between goofy wannabe soldier and man on the front lines that it’s hard to digest. Sure, Steve is far more muscular and has super strength, but what does this guy know about infiltrating a heavily armed compound? And who taught him how to parachute out of a plane in the midst of an airborne firefight?

Of course, any superhero film comes with some believability issues, but that’s the challenge, to overcome them and Captain America just doesn’t pull it off. Much of the blame belongs to some terrible effect work, in terms of little Steve and beyond. It’s so glaringly obvious when practical stunt work is used as opposed to CGI, it’s distracting and takes you out of the film.

In terms of the performances, they’re one note almost across the board. The only person that’s the slightest bit engaging and alive is Toby Jones as Red Skull’s right hand man, Dr. Arnim Zola. He’s a bit of an enigma and the fact that you can practically see the wheels turning in his head makes you desperate to get inside it. Otherwise, Captain America offers up a bunch of straight shooters. Evans is the noble hero, Weaving the dubious villain, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky, the loyal sidekick and Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, the Captain’s crush. They’re playing superhero movie stereotypes and make no effort to take them further.

However, again, this is a superhero movie we’re talking about and that also inherently has the power to be somewhat entertaining when working with the basics. There are some visually stimulating action sequences, cool costumes and poignant hero-saves-the-day moments, but otherwise, Captain America has little to nothing to offer. Then again, there is that teaser for The Avengers after the credits.

Starring: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough

Film Review - Captain America: The First Avenger

 So far, so good for The Avengers this summer. Thor’s a pretty cool guy and now it’s Captain America to show off what he’s got. Sure, he comes with the superhero standards – buff body, noble intentions and a sleek costume – but other than that, he’s nothing more than a poster boy for Marvel movies. Steve Rogers makes for a better propaganda symbol than superhero.

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