robin hood.

saw the new robin hood movie today - it was excellent!  definitely way better than i thought it would be - quite a clever and inventive story of the man before he became an outlaw, and quite different than gladiator+1100 years!

geez, life in the middle ages really was quite bleak and grotty.  the movie had the appropriate new additions of no-tights russell crowe and sword-wielding cate blanchett.  but for all the dirt and unshavenness and, well, sword-wielding (and arrow-slinging!) it wasn't too much.  this robin hood, surprisingly enough, had no flying limbs (or heads, in the rather horrifying style of mel gibson and the patriot).  and the beautiful cinematography was gorgeous.  the lush green landscape of late twelfth-century england (rolling hills and forests and forests and forests), the bright gold and burgundy of the coats of arms rippling in the wind as their riders charge into battle...it was enough to recall the glory of the legend who was robin hood and make us temporarily forget why we would never want to live back then.

and mark strong as the bad guy, again.  and bald, again, like in sherlock holmes.  i wonder if he is just naturally bald now?  or maybe he just shaves his head because it makes him seem more evil.  (after seeing him in so many roles like this, it's going to be hard to see him in the kate beckinsdale version of emma).

robin and marian, as romantic as ever, despite the general grottiness of the middle ages!