On this week’s edition of the Weekly Blend Audio Show, we jokingly came up with a Friday Night Double Feature on the spur of the moment. The idea came about from discussion of Ryan Reynolds and how it was difficult to find a picture of him online where he had a shirt on. The ladies like Reynolds and want to see those ripped abs of his, making a more clothed picture a rarity in the online world.

I tossed the idea aside after the show was done with no real interest in pursuing a double feature about topless guys. Then I got to thinking: I probably wouldn’t stop from doing a double feature about topless girls, so why not put together a Double Feature for the ladies. At the same time, half-male nudity doesn’t mean I have to pick base pictures. In fact, the two I had picked were already pretty good pictures, so why not move ahead with that?

So now you know how this week’s Double Feature came about and why I’m running it. If shirtless guys aren’t for you, these pictures are still worth watching. If they are for you, then you have the added bonus of some eye candy to go along with interesting stories, strong characters, and quite a bit of blood, weapons, and special effects.



The Amityville Horror (2005)

Since Reynolds was the inspiration for this week’s double feature, it only seems right to start with his movie. Initially I was skeptical about a remake of The Amityville Horror, and then I realized it was a knee-jerk reaction. After all, the original Amityville wasn’t that strong a movie; it just had built up a cult following over an extended period of time. Opening my mind to the idea of a remake, I found this picture was actually pretty good. Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George take their family out to a new house – one they don’t realize is haunted. While the spirit of a little girl attempts to save the family’s children, other ghosts start driving Reynolds mad. The result is a psychotic episode that rivals Jack Nicholson’s in The Shining. Reynolds leaves behind his sardonic, quippy reputation and picks up an axe instead. For the ladies, the actor is in his pajama bottoms, and no shirt, for quite a bit of the picture. I know Weekly Blend co-host Margaret Williams loves this picture for that reason alone.





300

If Ryan Reynolds isn’t enough for you, our second movie goes into overkill, as few of the men in the movie wear more than a loincloth. That alone qualifies this film for this week’s list, but this is also one of 2007’s best movies. The comic book adaptation really shows what a sword and sandal movie can be as it depicts the battle of Thermopylae where three hundred scantily clad Spartans stood against an army of Persians. At the center is Gerard Butler who, despite his lack of coverage, absolutely exudes leadership and confidence. Butler’s King Leonidas is the kind of man that could convince just about any three hundred men to grab weapons and march to their death. But these aren’t just any three hundred men. These are Spartans, leading to some of the greatest combat sequences to be shown in recent years. Take away the half-dressed men, take away the swords and the special effects, and at the heart of it all you still have real emotion: the love of a king for his people, enough to sacrifice his own life; the love of a king and a queen, separated by miles. 300 may have gotten on this week’s list for it’s men, but it’s a movie worthy of any Friday night.




Other eye-candy: Troy, Ben-Hur, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time in Mexico




Enjoy our Double Feature suggestions? and maybe we’ll use them in a future column.