The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen began as a 1958 novel, then a 1960 British film, which inspired a comic book series from 1999-2019, and another film in 2003. It might be set to return to the screen in the future. Let’s go back to the beginning before we go back to the future. British author Bertram…
Author: f&m
Hugo Weaving – advocate for epilepsy awareness
Australian actor Hugo Weaving is best known for his work in movies such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), three of The Matrix movies (1999-2003), The Lord of the Rings movies (2001-2003), Captain America (2011), and The Dressmaker (2015). He is less known for promoting awareness about his epilepsy. His British parents were working in Ibadan, Nigeria, when Hugo Wallace Weaving…
How to reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman – make Crêpes Suzette
Crêpes Suzette are so magnificent that one taste can ‘reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman’ says chef Henri Charpentier, credited (although disputed) with creating the recipe. Henri Charpentier (1880-1961), the world’s first celebrity chef, wrote in his 1934 autobiography Life à la Henri, that he created the French dessert (crêpes with a sweet fruity sauce that is…
Sir Michael Caine – forever iconic, forever imitable, forever a gentleman
Double Oscar-winning British actor Michael Caine is often described as “the pin-up for gentlemen around the world.” There’s something about his laconic accent, his youthful charm, and his sharp style, that has kept in in the spotlight for seven decades, appearing in more than 160 films – he says as many as 175 if uncredited…
Overcoming men’s resistance to regular health check-ups
Why are men resistant to health check-ups and visiting their doctor regularly? Do men value prevention over cure? A 2022 Cleveland Clinic survey of 1,000 men in America found that 53% of them did not seek to get regular health check-ups and screenings. Men of colour were even less likely to see a doctor regularly…
Idris Elba – promoter of diversity
British actor Idris Elba is not afraid to take on epic roles. Think of his biographical portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the 2013 film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – the life of anti-apartheid activist and the first black head-of-state and president of South Africa (1994-1999) and the 2015 American war drama Beasts of No Nation about a young…
Sir David Attenborough – the environment whisperer
Sir David Attenborough, the environment whisperer, is well-known for his long and enduring career as a nature documentary film maker. British David Frederick Attenborough (1926-) began broadcasting as a nature historian for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the 1950s. His first job as producer-presenter was a three-part nature program called The Pattern of Animals in 1951…
Clint Eastwood at 91 brings modern masculinity to the screen
At 91 years old, actor and director Clint Eastwood is still bringing his quiet intensity and modern masculinity to the big screen. His latest film is “Cry Macho” in which the nonagenarian filmmaker returns to 1970s drama. Film critic Eric Neuhoff says of “Cry Macho” that “there is in this pure and simple film, a…
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Stephen Vizinczey: Non-conformist, great and late at 88
Two men, who found fame in the 1960s – one in film and the other in literature – died in the past month in 2021 at the age of 88: Jean-Paul Belmondo, the French actor known for his portrayal in the 1960 film Breathless, and Stephen Vizinczey, the Hungarian-American author, for his novel In Praise of Older…
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United striker, wins twice where it counts: 2020 his best year
Marcus Rashford, at 23 years of age, is a Manchester United footballer, but more than that, he’s a man of action. A gentleman with a cause. Born in 1997 in Manchester, England, he has West Indian heritage with his grandmother born on the island of Saint Kitts. He has two older brothers and two older…
Young Indian Asrar Khan Usmani is a certified animal healer and rescuer
Asrar Khan Usmani is twenty-two years old from Bangalore in India. People call him the Spiderman of Bangalore, or Spiderman of Bommanahalli, because he risks his life, and climbs buildings, to save animals – mainly cats, dogs, birds, and monkeys. ‘When I go up, I don’t think about how to come down,’ he says, because…
Monsieur Arsène – Paris: French beard and face products
Launched in December 2018 in Paris, France, Monsieur Arsène is a high-quality, ethical range of products dedicated to men’s beard and face maintenance. Laurent, the creator of Chez Monsieur Arsène, aims to offer a sleek, minimalist range, focusing on the luxury of the experience, and not the advertising, nor extensive packaging: a zero-waste goal. Laurent quickly discarded…