I am Sherlocked.

In Love Actually, which is one of the very few soppy films I adore, Hugh Grant said "We may be a small country, but we are a great one. A country of Shakespeare, Churchill, The Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter, David Beckham's right foot, David Beckham's left foot come to that..." And it's all true. So, I suppose, being labelled "the fastest growing British national treasure" by most of the country's media is something.

And I have to be honest. I AM Sherlocked.

How can I not be? The mutant eyes. The razor sharp cheekbones. The voice... Oh the voice... The offspring of James Earl Jones and Alan Rickman. Their only worthy heir. And the impeccable acting. I mean, I do love a good looking man (actually, in his case he's quite odd looking, but hopelessly charming). But if the acting is not solid, then the image eventually fades from memory. Anyway, everyone is talking about him these days. Benedict Cumberbatch. Why not me??

OK. I admit it. It takes me a while to catch on to new things sometimes. I'm skeptical about new stuff. I hadn't seen Sherlock. But he is the kind of face that stays with you. I knew I had seen  him somewhere but I could not place him. Then I saw Star Trek Into Darkness. That monologue. The precision in which he uttered every word. The tone of his voice. The composure. The look on his face after he speaks the words "My name is Khan". I never thought that such theatricality could be injected into a Hollywood blockbuster. After that, I was captivated.

Later I realised I had previously seen him in War Horse. He had a small part, like all of the other wonderful but (in this film) "dispensable" actors. At the time, I was fixated on Loki (the lovely Tom Hiddleston). Then came Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. A brilliant film based on the spy novel by John le Carré. What a cast. Two generations of excellent British talent. And my... Did he deliver... He so held his own next to the giant that is Gary Oldman.

So eventually, I got to where I should have been three years before. I watched Sherlock. And I was awe struck. Mind, one has to always give credit where credit is due. Had it not been for Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat for creating the concept, the ever so brilliant Martin Freeman offering great support to both Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch (apparently the two are close friends) and the quality that is presupposed whenever the BBC is involved in a production, the success of the series may have not been as gargantuan. Still, I have no doubt that Ben (can I call you Ben?) would have nonetheless been nothing less than perfect.

He has been at this acting thing since the early 2000's and has only now started to prove that he is in fact an asset to his country and to his art. I have immense respect for him and his work and so many things I still want to write. Maybe in a later blog. I am hoping to see him bring to life one of his dream roles this autumn. He is scheduled to play Hamlet. A dream for him and a dream for me.

An education...

A blog. I never thought I would ever start my own blog. Because who will want to read what I have to say anyway? Plenty of people, hopefully.

I don't have many talents. My dad was a talented man. He could speak seven languages and would have been fairly fluent in Ancient Greek and Latin had he someone to converse with. He could draw and paint, he could play anything on the piano just by listening to it. He was a mean cook and he was the most educated man I ever knew. And he was a good man. And my dad. And I miss him... Anyway, as you might have guessed, I didn't get any of my dad's talents. But I have passions... I am passionate about animals. Dancing. I love dancing. and, as it turns out, pop culture. Especially movies.

I am not going to claim that I am one of those cinephiles that has watched all of Akira Korosawa's films, which I no doubt should. Or that I can give you a semiological analysis of Hitchcock's "Rear Window". I'm more of a contemporary sort of film lover. I love big explosions, axes and bows, crime solving and above all, I love good acting. And actors.

I know a lot about actors. I know their names. I know their ages. I know the films they have starred in. Where they come from... their stories. And if I don't know, I make damn sure I learn. I watch films while scrolling through IMDb and Wikipedia. And I learn. And it stays with me. Forever. I never forget.
And this is what this blog is going to be about. My passion. Actors. Films... I am going to share all of that with everyone who cares to read about it. In a very "everyday" manner. Obviously, I do not know everything. But I learn. I learn fast. And if anyone ever cares to share an opinion, I am more than willing to read about it. So I can learn some more.

So, here it goes... Let the games begin. And may the odds be ever in my favour!!!!