On Alan Rickman

As the postscript on my last entry suggested, I will watch just about any movie if Alan Rickman is in it. I'm not sure when my fascination with Alan Rickman began. It's not a silly-woman-swooning-over-Brad-Pitt thing (although Mr. Pitt's just super as eye candy, tyvw, as is his woman - but that's another story). But I just love to watch Alan Rickman perform, in any role. It's as if I know it's him, and he's an amazing actor, and yet I almost always suspend myself totally and believe him in the role, as the character. And, well, his performance as Snape just really appealed to me on certain levels, in ways that I wish I could act sometimes as a teacher. While at the same time I got a lot of vulnerability from his depiction of Snape, too. Well, anyway, I could wax on for hours about Alan Rickman as Snape.

I enjoyed him in Dogma and Love Actually, endured Galaxy Quest for him, and loved Michael Collins, which you should see if you haven't (said the nerdy Irish-lit-loving woman), but I think my favorite is Sense and Sensibility. It's got Emma Thompson as a bonus, and I'm a big fan of hers, too (oh - The Remains of the Day!). Sense and Sensibility is a perfect storm for me - Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, AND Jane Austen. Good times, good times.

If you haven't seen Sense and Sensibility, that's your homework. Seriously. Alan Rickman's performance as Colonel Brandon was exquisite - he captured the emotional tenor of his character so well, and was an excellent casting choice. And after you finish that, you can come back and tell me how much you enjoyed the movie.