Most obscure trend:

Actors from Down Under with Tattoos All Over

What is it with actors from Australia/New Zealand and tattoos this past year? Illustrated mates popped up so often that even "Memento's" memory-free protagonist could keep track of them.  First up is Australian actor Guy Pierce in the thinking film goers noir, "Memento." With a short term memory of only three minutes, tattoos help keep him motivated to find his wife's possible killer. In short: he's lost his palm pilot and then some.

In addition to Pierce's human post-it note, Eric Bana portrayed real life Aussie convict turned cultural hero in "Chopper." The movie's tatts emulated the real fellow's epidermal inscriptions.

 

Finally, in "Training Day," Cliff Curtis played a tattooed Chicano. Makes sense they would cast an actor from New Zealand in this role. No Chicano's anywhere near L.A.

Obviously, all these examples could not be coincidental. We feel they represent an undeclared tribute to the 10th anniversary of Russell Crowe's breakthrough role as a vicious tattooed skin head in "Romper Stomper," which was released on DVD in 2001. Still, with four tattooed tough guys, that's a lot of ink injected for one year.

At least Rod Steiger in "The Illustrated Man" (1969) and Robert De Niro in "Cape Fear" (1991) had the decency to wait 20 years between total body tattooite takes. Fire up the laser, boys, it's a new century.
Runners up, Most Obscure Trend:

Can there really be a trend that is more obscure than this???

 

www.skinema.com © 1996-2008 Vail Reese M.D. Dr. Reese's office