Ahhh… weekend is just around the corner, always a good thing. Just to change things up, I thought I post a question for you dear readers, ‘coz it’s Friday and we all want something fun on Fridays.

I have no qualms to fess up that I have quite a few, heck perhaps half of my DVD collections are probably comprised of them. They’re not only fun for pure indulgence sake, but also quite handy. They’re the kinds that can spice up any routine cardio workout, or offer the perfect antidote for a cold, rainy afternoon. It’s no surprise that one flix I’m going to highlight today involve a certain Scot best known for playing a Spartan King =)  No, it’s not 300, though that’s a pretty good one to pop in during a workout naturally, but it’s the 2001 USA network TV miniseries Attila — where he plays another warrior King — that’s easily one of my ‘guiltiest.’

Check out the trailer below:

It’s not aiming for historical accuracy by a long shot, but that’s a given on a production like this. I mean just look at the guy portraying Attila himself. Wikipedia describes the historical figure as “short of stature, with a broad chest and a large head; his eyes were small, his beard thin and sprinkled with grey; and he had a flat nose and tanned skin, showing evidence of his origin.” Well, Gerry Butler looks incredibly tanned for sure, looks like he had been baking under the Mediterranean sun non-stop for a full straight month. But short he ain’t, nor the rest of the description matched him in the slightest. Just take a peek at the illustration here and compare it with the promo shot of GB for the movie here. That never fails to make me chuckle.

Despite some cheesy dialog, the flick itself is quite entertaining, not bad at all for a TV movie. The cast include Powers Booth (whom I’ve never seen before but is pretty good here), Steven Berkoff, Tommy Flannagan, and Tim Curry. As you probably know, Berkoff is the actor who gave Butler his first ever acting job on the London stage.

I even spotted Isla Fisher, Sacha Baron Cohen’s gal pal, as one of Attila’s many wives. I never noticed her before, but then again she hasn’t made it big until fairly recently. But the star is definitely Butler — there’s that wild and raw quality about him that’s perfect for playing Attila. Plus, he’s never looked as good as he did here, his gray/green eyes looked even more piercing with his darker complexion and jet black hair. His commanding screen presence is what makes him so captivating to watch, it’s no surprise to me that his breakthrough role five years later had him playing another military leader. So thanks to Ralph Fiennes for casting him as Roman general Tullus Aufidius in his Coriolanus project. I’ll never tire of watching Butler being all raw, intense and powerful… now, having him go toe-to-toe against Mr. Fiennes is definitely icing on the cake!

Anyway, enough about that. Now, it’s your turn, readers. I’d love to hear about your guilty pleasure!