V for Vendetta

Okay, having coaxed a few brave souls into going with me, I managed to see V for Vendetta at the Odeon in Oxford last night. And to be honest, I don't know why it's been slated so badly by the critics - it's probably the best and most faithful adaptation of an Alan Moore comic for the screen that I've seen in recent years. (Mind you, considering 'From Hell' and 'LXG,' that's not saying much.

Yes, it was Hollywoodified in places, and the political and ideological references were about as subtle as an anvil. But most of the essential core scenes and characters were present, along with the main themes and aims, and indeed, I thought some of the shortcuts taken to trim the story were quite sensible, really. Plus, there was swordfighting, and gratuitous references to The Count of Monte Cristo, which is one of my favourite stories ever. So, it gets my vote - go see it.

Meitantei Holmes

I just got a chance to see an episode of Famous Detective Holmes (Sherlock Hound), which is a Hayao Miyazaki directed anime, in Japanese, with anthporophic animals (dogs, in case you couldn't guess) as Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and others. And it is OMG so cute! Holmes and Watson meet, charmingly, on the gangway of a Dover ferry! They fight Bengal pirates, shaking hands with each other in the face of almost certain death! And then at the last moment, the day is saved - by the British Navy! (Huzzah!) And as an added bonus, Mrs. Hudson is a feisty young widow! I think I'm going to like this little series...