Of Visual and Hormonal Gratification

One day I heard this in passing " Beauty is skin-deep but ugliness goes right through to the bones". Now I am not being a sexist but after spending three years in a government engineering college I know how to call a spade a spade. " Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" said Keats. I think if Keats were to spend one year in this college then he wouldn't care much to sound politically correct. So bereft of any visual gratification I look up to the celluloid to calm my agonized hormones.

Now suppose I had a surreal experience like that of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill, I really wouldn't have given a damn who the screen goddess was. But coz I am the one writing this blog instead of any other screenplay writer I get to select my favorites. Here are my TOP 15. Kate Winslet reigns, rest are not in any particular order.

KATE WINSLET
"Tis indeed a miracle, one must feel, that such a heavenly creature is real". She stepped into stardom in Heavenly Creatures with this famous line. I have been in love with her since 1997 ever since the titan-red haired beauty Rose DeWitt Bukater gazed with apprehension at the massive bulk of Titanic. There is simply no woman on earth who can compare with this ethereal beauty. No actress brings the screen to life as her, no one sets up such a tangible connection with the audience as her.
May it be her bohemian roles in Quills or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or a caring mother in Finding Neverland,a condemned SS Guard in The Reader or a woman whose marital life is in shambles as in Revolutionary Road, there is unmatched pleasure in the simple act of watching her.

NICOLE KIDMAN
A pretty face in Days of Thunder, I had not noticed her much until the sultry scenes in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. I had not been aroused that much since the scene where Kate Winslet poses nude in Titanic. But then I was blasted off my feet by Moulin Rouge. Man what a musical!! Then my respect for the histrionic skills of this long legged beauty grew with her brilliant performances in The Others, The Hours and Cold Mountain.

JULIA ROBERTS
She is not that a beauty. Truth be spoken, I don't like the lanky and gawky look.
But what would I not give for a date with Vivian Ward of Pretty Woman( arguably the most famous hooker of all times) or Anna Scott of Notting Hall. Boy that " I am just a girl asking a boy to love her" line nearly moved me to tears. :P

ANGELINA JOLIE
Forget her movies. Her histrionic skills only impress in The Changeling and the classic Girl, Interrupted. But those pouty lips which invite legions of men to drown in them, those sultry looks and that figure to die for, these are my main interests in a Jolie starrer. And yeah I don't think I need to mention Original Sin. Did they use body doubles in those extensive scenes? :P

MEG RYAN
Not just America's sweetheart but mine too. No one plays that girl next door image better than this doe-eyed beauty. That fake orgasm in When Harry met Sally to the so confused girl in Sleepless in Seattle to the pugnacious book store owner in You've got Mail she always captures the heart with her pasty pudding looks, that heart warming smile and a good dose of romance and comedy.

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES
Well I also don't remember her much for her acting skills. Barring Traffic, Intolerable Cruelty and Chicago there have rarely been eye-catching performances from her. But she is grace and imperiousness personified and possesses an incredible screen persona.

SHARON STONE
Nothing much to say about her than that famous leg crossing scene in Basic Instinct. Personally I thought the movie conveyed more trauma and pain in its erotic scenes rather than lust.

RENEE ZELLWEGER
Her diminutive eyes and chubby countenance make up for a heady combination that never fails to allure you. From Jerry Maguire, Casino, Bridget Jone's Diary and Cold Mountain I have always enjoyed watching her.

MERYL STREEP
She is not a beauty but what an actress she is!!! Her mere presence lifts a movie out of mediocrity and she has got an unprecedented 15 Academy Awards nominations to do the talking for her.

JULIANNE MOORE
She is so goddamn beautiful. Heart-breaking even at this age, her divine presence is unforgettable in Boogie Nights, The Hours and Far from Heaven. In the last mentioned movie she probably delivered one of the most remarkable performances in recent memory.

AUDREY TATOU
Probably the best known french actress, her performance in Amelie left one short of words. Her sweet, cute and ludicrous imagination combined for a character which not only garnered rave reviews but also etched herself forever in the audience's minds. Why the Oscar went to No Man's Land is unfathomable.

RACHEL WEISZ
Along with Kate Winslet she is the one actress I would give my arm away for a date. Quite underrated,her roles in The Constant Gardener, About a Boy and Runaway Jury are quite commendable besides the unforgettable Mummy.

LIV TYLER
Just one scene in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring where her character Arwen challenges the Nine to cross the river and claim Frodo. The rest is cinematic nirvana. That timbre in her voice and that haunting beauty.

MARISA TOMEI
No had stripped better since Demi Moore when Marisa Tomei bared all in The Wrestler. I think she deserved an Oscar for this performance more than My Cousin Vinny where she is almost unrecognizable. She also looked gorgeous in Anger Management and What Women Want.

MONICA BELLUCCI
Last but not the least, Monica Bellucci is the sexiest woman alive. My first memories of her are from a photo shoot where she was only clad with caviar leaving little to imagination. What a subject for the camera!