What Movies Make You Feel Like A Man?

[jsoto81]

So we had a thread about what movies cry and that got me wondering about what movies make you feel like a man? What movies get you just pumped up and thinking or feeling like "grrr-arrr yeah that was great"?

For me it's any James Bond movie (but mostly with Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig), after seeing any of those movies I want to through on a suit and just go at it, you know. Drive sports cars that I'll never be able to afford and just get any woman I want.

After that it's fight club. Once again after that movie I feel so much like a man, but this time instead of being sophisticated and daring, I just want to beat the crap out of something. I have the urge to fight and get the crap beaten out of me.

And last but not least, most recently was 300 (I love historic epic movies and this is no different). Just something about it, maybe because it's 300 men (even though in real history it was 300 spartans and some 1000 athenians) defending their homeland from the enemey and (I won't spoil the ending). My family has been in America since the time of the mayflower, we've defended our home and had a family member fight in every single war/battle this country has ever been in and my father's family were knights in spain. So I guess it's the generations of soldiers coming out of me when I see movies like that.

How about you, what movies make you feel like a man when you see them?

[AllieSF]

Good question. I find that I like movies and books that have the opposite effect and make me act more like a woman. Thinking and relationship flics. Maybe the Harrison Ford movies being the college professor who has these great adventures in exotic lands. I love exploring and these seem to fit right in, just like me being on this site!

[false_dichotomy]

I agree, 300 definitely made me feel like going out and doing something manly. But I feel more "manly" after watching movies/reading books with male characters I want to emulate, or male characters who remind me of myself, rather than action films with a lot of butt-kicking.

[Abraxas]

I just finished watching Terminator 2: Judgement Day, a half hour or so ago. Always love that film. Makes me wanna get out and climb on a motorbike and shoot big guns at metal people. *grin*

Another one which probably doesn't actually qualify, is 'Shine.' It just makes me feel, well, firstly envious. Secondly it always makes me want to go and bash out some amazing piano music (which is why I'm envious-- cos I can't). It always gives me a lot of energy, watching that film. First time I saw it, I was sitting in my room playing air piano on my bedrail, until I was sweating. It was awesome. Watching any really great pianist does that to me, and that film's just full of great piano playing (although piano snobs will tell you it's crap-- I say to them, 'well, can you play it? Thought not.').

[pocoyo]

I just finished watching Terminator 2: Judgement Day, a half hour or so ago. Always love that film. Makes me wanna get out and climb on a motorbike and shoot big guns at metal people. *grin*

Muahaha Good choice there
*coughsoneofthebestfilmsevercoughs*

Cool question Jsot!

Yeah I feel like that basically every good action film I watch lol!
Always have done.

(Although some resonate more than others).

Man I love action films!

Infact, I fancy some butt-kicking now, just thinking about it!

*leaps up to kick some butt..... remembers the bleeh feeling in his head and flops down again*

... meh....

hehehe


[SIZE="1"]By the way, shut up Abraxas...! You can't play amazing piano? My fat little *SS![/SIZE]

[Kate Simmons]

It's okay to be cool and kick butt Ben but even though I am a genetic guy, I use Patton's tactics and try to fight "smarter" (getting the other poor b***ard to die for his country). Nothing can get the old juices flowing like a good fight though and Sal can lick her weight in wildcats (and Klingon warriors, jagh luHoHmeH jagh lunejtaH). Okay, maybe I'm "Barbie on steroids" but I know where you are coming from and agree with you and I love a cute guy who kicks butt.

[Abraxas]

[SIZE="1"]By the way, shut up Abraxas...! You can't play amazing piano? My fat little *SS![/SIZE]

Cannot, either. I can play moderately well, and maybe a few things that may or may not make you go 'wow' but I'm certainly no... bug. I don't even know the names of any totally amazing piano players. *snort* There are five-year-olds who can play better than me. Granted, not many, but there are some.

[janedoe311]

when I watch macho movies. Do not see myself as the man like in Bond. Not sure why (I love women and do not like men) and sure would not tell my wife!

Saw Casino Royal in the theater with my wife,(think we have seen maybe 3 movies in 9 years without the kids.) Did not see myself as Bond, I am not a violent person and am a vegetarian because I like animals so he is a bit of a brute for me, even if I was a women. Of course his bond girl died. Did figure she would, so it was no surprise. Trying to think when I saw myself as the male hero in a movie. May take sometime to think about it.

[jsoto81]

Awesome everyone. It's cool to see everyones answers.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a brute (but all the action movies I watch associate with the hero) I see myself as the protector. And I love chick flicks too, once again as the I guess you'd call hero that always gets the girl. I'm a romantic at heart and love taking care of women. Opening doors, flowers for no reason really. But If i'm forced to fight I will.

I loved the Tomb Raider movies too. I think I'm gonna buy them again but this time on HD.

[Question Mark]

Hehe. I always like the underdog myself. Ever since I was young, I always identified with him. A good example of the character, if you want to get into really old movies, is Seven Samurai. Toshiro Mifune's character is the definite underdog.

The rookie's a good one too.

[AERIN]

The Molly Maguries of course!

[Charleen]

Two movie series I love- the Blind Swordsman from the 50's, 60's, and the Thin Man. Hey, I ain't never said I was normal! Or sane!

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Hehe. I always like the underdog myself. Ever since I was young, I always identified with him. A good example of the character, if you want to get into really old movies, is Seven Samurai. Toshiro Mifune's character is the definite underdog.

The rookie's a good one too.

I own 'Seven Samurai' but have yet to watch it! I almost forgot! I guess the idea of sitting for 3 and a half hours kinda turned me off a bit. But dang, it's like supposed to be one of the best movies ever! I'm a gonna watch it when I have a free day - or two (It took me 2 days each to watch all of 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Deer Hunter' which were both killer long films...I couldn't sit for that long...plus 'Deer Hunter' was REALLY boring).
Thanks for reminding me about 'Seven Samurai', Question Mark!

[CaptLex]

I own 'Seven Samurai' but have yet to watch it! I almost forgot! I guess the idea of sitting for 3 and a half hours kinda turned me off a bit. But dang, it's like supposed to be one of the best movies ever!

It's a classic - and so is the remake, "The Magnificent Seven". Like most classics, it may turn out to not be your cup of tea, but everyone should see it at least once. For the record, I enjoyed both movies.

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

It's funny... even as a GM I don't know if I have a solid answer to this question (and I have a friggin' huge DVD collection too...).
Braveheart comes to mind (that made me want to go out and fight wars and stuff... And I don't even own that one...). 'Sin City' sticks out a little (Bruce Willis was just such a buff bad-ass in that...). Oh! 'Desperado' and 'Once Upon A Time in Mexico' kinda touched my manly side. So did 'The Rock' and 'Con Air'. 'From Dusk 'Til Dawn' did a good job of that too. (Vampires, gunfights, cute girls, manly men...it kinda fits the bill...).

I suppose anything with a good gunfight, swordfight, fistfight, barfight, dogfight (aerial warfare...oooo!), catfight (girls fighting...oooo!), or, well...any fight in general probably helps make me feel manly when I watch a movie. Any movie with huge explosions also tickles my manhood too (that sounded kinda gross...). But then huge explosions tickle my fiance's fancy too and she's truely a GG...

It's really hard to say though... I don't honestly have a good idea. You've really got me thinking now... I'll have to pay attention next time I watch a good flick!

I'd love to reccomend any David Lynch film here (as his unoffical and self-nominated fan PR rep) but they're all pretty androgynous ('Wild At Heart' kinda comes across as somewhat manly. You could say the same for 'Lost Highway' too) and pretty confusing, mind-screwing rides, too. They're definitely not James Bond or Die Hard films, but I like them a lot in general - as a guy or girl.

Anyhow, Nicolas Cage is great in 'Wild At Heart'. If you can take a little confusion and a strange mix of 'The Wizard of Oz', 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (another pretty good manly film), and 'Snatch' (Yet another good one! Same with 'Crank' (I have to buy that one!), and 'Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels'), then I highly reccomend 'Wild At Heart.' Good film, good film...

("This is a snakeskin jacket. To me, it's a symbol of my individuality and personal freedom." - Sailor (Nicolas Cage) from 'Wild At Heart.')

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

...but this time instead of being sophisticated and daring, I just want to beat the crap out of something. I have the urge to fight and get the crap beaten out of me.

Man, I wish I could feel that! When I watched 'Fight Club' I just thought: 'Wow, I wish there was a real fight club! Maybe I should start one! But then I probably would take a hit and cry like a kindergarten girl.' I guess I'm not cut out for fighting and getting the crap beaten out of me. I'd like to be, but I guess I'm too timid for that.
Although...it would be cool to start a fight club in my basement...

"Yeah...uh, Mom, Dad? I'm gonna bring a bunch of strange local guys downstairs later tonight for a, um...bingo tournament. It could get a little rowdy. Oh, and don't be afraid if the police show up. They'll be here for the tournament too. I gave them free admission. There's a $5 cover otherwise. Oh, and the paramedics...um, they're here in case someone swallows a bingo chip or something like that. Oh, and could you run to the liquor store and pick up about 10 kegs? That'd be great. I've got to instal padding on the walls... For what? Oh...nothing. That reminds me, I'd better lay sawdust down, too..."

Now that would be totally awesome. Of course, I'd probably be sitting on the sidelines in a recliner (or throne) sipping Heineken enfemme, wearing an evening dress and heels... and toting a handgun, or a shotgun, or grenade launcher. Why? Just because I could! (Hey, I've gotta feel a little manly somehow, don't I? And what if one of the gents tries to get fresh with me...? But then, I suppose putting a 2 foot wide hole in his torso wouldn't be the best solution, though...).

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

I think I found myself a pretty near definitive answer to the question - 'What movies make you feel like a man?'

The answer for me comes in two words...

GRIND. HOUSE.

I just saw this flick last night and HOLY CRAP was it phenomenal. It was easily TWO (as it is a double-feature) of the best action/horror/suspense movies I've ever seen.

The features in review:
1. Terror World: Zombies, Military ops, gunfights, more zombies, hot girls, buckets of gore, still more zombies, big explosions, and it's directed by Robert Rodriguez! What man could ask for more?

2. Death Proof: Hot girls, a psycho stunt-man, fast cars, more hot girls, high speed car chases, quite a bit o' blood (I'm kinda a gore-hound...), crashes at 200 m.p.h., really, a lot of hot girls, sneseless violence! And it was done by Quentin Terintino! Again I ask - 'what man could ask for more?'

I actually had to restrain myself from kicking random people's asses (well not really, but I could have use some random zombie asses to kick) on my way out of the theater. And on my way home, I stuck the cruise at 65 m.p.h. so I wouldn't max the spedometer on my sister's (yeah I rock! I'm driving my sister's car! Mine dead!) car and inevitably get a speeding ticket...BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOOOOOO WORTH IT!

So yeah, Grindhouse made me feel like a man...but it also REALLY brought out the bad girl in me too, so I don't know if it can really count in my case...but I still enjoyed it a lot. See it if you haven't!

[CaptLex]

1. Terror World: Zombies, Military ops, gunfights, more zombies, hot girls, buckets of gore, still more zombies, big explosions, and it's directed by Robert Rodriguez! What man could ask for more?

2. Death Proof: Hot girls, a psycho stunt-man, fast cars, more hot girls, high speed car chases, quite a bit o' blood (I'm kinda a gore-hound...), crashes at 200 m.p.h., really, a lot of hot girls, sneseless violence! And it was done by Quentin Terintino! Again I ask - 'what man could ask for more?'

Um . . . how about hot boys? I've seen quite a few Rodriguez and Tarantino flicks, so I know what you're talking about, but the hot girls don't do it for me. At least Rodriguez had Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Well, I've never been a huge fan o' boy's myself, Cap'n (Ahoy!) but let me think...

Terror World - One very hot guy sticks out. A gun toting, knife wielding badass named Wray in the movie. He was exceptionally cute, even by my standards. Thin, tan-skinned, muscular, dark and mysterious, takes care of his girl, never misses a shot with a gun (seriously - he never missed in the movie; no Hollywood School of Shooting for this movie character). I think he'd be right up your alley, Lex.
...*checking on IMDb to see who played him*...Ah...he was played by Freddy Rodriguez.

Death Proof - No one guy really sticks out. There were probably a few cute guys, but they were really more filler than anything else (you know, just the obligatory college guys at the bar). I mean, they were cute, but the only guy really focused on in Death Proof was the psycho stuntman guy. Not that (at least to me) cute...'less you like older guys with scars running down their faces. He was REALLY sweet and charming though...'till he tried to kill you in or with his car...
Ah...and he was played by the infamous Kurt Russel.

I hope this helped you Lex. I shouldn't have been so biased and just mentioned 'hot girls'. There were some hot guys, too.
...
Sorry Lex, there were no pirates in either movie, though...
...
But, see Grindhouse!

[CaptLex]

Sorry Lex, there were no pirates in either movie, though...
...
But, see Grindhouse!

Ha, ha . . . I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and do without pirates this one time then. Thanks for the rundown on Grindhouse - especially with particular attention to the hot guys. I know Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under (and he is a cutie) and Kurt Russell is getting older, but he's still got it. I'll have to check it out.

[Violetgray]

Guy movies? I'd like to recommend

Conan the Barbarian

Hot Fuzz (out now, from the makers of Sean of the Dead see this movie!)

Bad Boys II

The Protector (with Tony Jaa)

300 (just watching this movie will cause you to grow a pair)

To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar (Just kidding)

Ong Bak (More kick ass Muay Thai action)

The Transporter (1 or 2)

Pitch Black. (Best Vin Diesel role ever)

Notes on a scandal (again, kidding)

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Um . . . how about hot boys? I've seen quite a few Rodriguez and Tarantino flicks, so I know what you're talking about, but the hot girls don't do it for me. At least Rodriguez had Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

My last post was quoting this one, CaptLex, I hit 'quick reply' instead of 'quote'.

But yeah...'Grindhouse' had 'hot boys' in it too. If you liked any of Rodriguez or Tarantino films in the past, you'd love this one.
...and Tarantino's 'Death Proof' in 'Grindhouse' was better in my opinion than 'Hostel' - which happened to be a movie with quite a few of your hot boys in it...too bad it was also the bloodiest, most sadistic movie I've ever seen... I mean, yeah...I enjoy my share of blood being spilt...but Hostel took it way too far...

I was going to list other movies I liked with hot boys in it for you Lex, but I can't think of any right now... Wait!: 'Dark City' has a cute main guy...um, 'Lost Highway's main character was pretty cute...'Go' has a few cute guys in it... 'Crank' for sure (I love Jason Statham!!!! If I really liked boys, I'd be soooo after him...manly, English, mature, helluva personality...MAN!) had one, the Hellraiser films (C'mon...you know 'Pinhead' - Doug Bradley - is a hottie! I think he is at least, ya know, for an older dude...but I'm a psycho...). There's probably others, but those are a few I could pull off the top've my head. Oh, one of the main male characters from 'The Eye' (a Chinese horror film) was cute...but then I've always been more attracted to Asian men than other boys...I don't know why...

[nancy58]

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?

[ZenFrost]

Movies that make me feel manly are the ones with blood, guts, gore, explosions, blood, stunts, gunfights, explosions, sword battles, blood, monsters, and explosions. I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy and horror (especially horror), but I also like Action/Adventure and other such films. I like movies that make most women cringe, so that adds to the manly alure of a hardcore violent film.

A few particular films I like are Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Silent Hill, and like John, I also like Dog Soldiers (okay, so I love Dog Soldiers... in a manly way).

[xsideburnsx]

When I was a kid, I use to watch a lot of horror flicks with my brothers. I think it was always the fighting movies that got me feeling like a man. Watching Stallone in Cobra made me get up and go punch my brother in the face. Watching Van Damme in Bloodsport and Kickboxer made me put down a blanket and start fighting with my brothers.

Now as an adult, I still have the same tendencies at times. Whether it be through angry music making me drive too fast or angry movies getting me pumped up, it makes me want to go pick a bar fight haha. I restrain myself mostly to my punching bag. I guess I'm a total brute around men, but I'm a total sap with the ladies.