Hollywood Hotshots Take On The Villains Of Cinema Past

The New York Times was looking for a cool idea for a photo essay that was to appear in their annual Hollywood issue. What they came up with is absolute genius. "Touch of Evil" is a fun photo project that portays some of Hollywood's current best and brightest stars as the prototypical villains of cinema. The Madman. The Sociopath. The Home Wrecker. The Business Tycoon. These are the types of roles that have scourged films since the begining, and these re-enactments bring back some wild memories from the past. Click after the jump to see the photos from the shoot...

The Vanity Fair 'Hollywood Issue' Cover... Yes Please!!!

Left to Right: Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Franco, Jennifer Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, Olivia Wilde (Holy.Shit.WOWWWW), Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones, Garrett Heldlund, Noomi Rapace, and Robert Duvall as the Bartender(in the background).

I can see they are going with a young Hollywood theme here (except for Duvall), which is fine, but I only have one question: Where is Natalie Portman, any of the Harry Potter and /or Twilight stars, and Emma Stone? How can you leave those guys out, with all they accomplished this year and all they got lined up next year... Who do you guys think VF forgot for this years cover? Tell us in the comment section below.

New York Times Magazine: The Hollywood Issue - A Slideshow Of Stars

This weekend's NY Times Magazine is the annual Hollywood issue, and this year the magazine has invited some of this years brightest and best film stars to participate in a cool photo/video shoot. Film writer A.O. Scott provides this introduction to the photo/video project:

In the past, we have invited the year’s great performers to be themselves for the camera and, on video, to talk about what they do. This year, we asked them to do it: to show us — in a few gestures and with a few props but without dialogue or story — what acting is. And here they are, striking some of the classic attitudes of cinema, turning their bodies and faces into instruments of pure, deep and enigmatic emotion. — A.O. Scott

There are some big names here: Legends like Robert Duvall and Michael Douglas, hot young stars in the making like Jennifer Lawrence & Jessie Eisenberg, top of their game stars like Natalie Portman & James Franco, and CCD's favorite vampire/12 year old female crime fighter Chloe Moretz. There are 18 pics in all... hope you enjoy them. You can see the photos by clicking here & the videos by clicking here. Pick up the Sunday NY Times so that you can get all of the other Hollywood related goodies. Who looks the best in these pics? Which ones do you guys love or hate? Let us know in the comment section below.