Sunday Outing

I got to go to a movie yesterday, a real, adult movie. Not a kid in sight, not even my own. Babysitting was gratis - friends of our are cinematically incompatible (he likes swords, fighting, dramatic conflict, she likes movies where everyone is nice. Even Disney offerings are too conflict-ridden for her). So he took me to see Kingdom of Heaven while she took MonkeyBoy to 4 parks and Starbucks (actually, I believe MonkeyBoy set the pace - she was pretty worn out and he still had lots of energy when they got home. I should have warned her not to let him order more than a double espresso - those triple shots just get him wired).

The movie was good, perfect for Sunday afternoon escapism. Lots of swording, pretty horses, noble ideals and base treachery, high-falutin' dialogue ... much better than the reviews had led me to expect. Orlando Bloom is awfully pretty, although they did their best to make him look tough and rugged (it didn't work). Love-interest-wise, however, pretty doesn't do much for me. Yes, he's aesthetically pleasing, and I suppose if he wanted to hang about my garden looking decorative I wouldn't object (well, until the paparazzi started trampling the flowers). I much preferred the dark and brooding Guy de Lusignan - Marton Csokas, last seen sporting flowing blond tresses as Celeborn in Lord of the Rings (I spent the entire movie trying to figure out where I'd seen him before, but had to resort to IMDB when I got home). He's much better looking as a brunette, IMO.

And the young actress who played his wife, Eva Green, bears an uncanny resemblance to Isabelle Adjani: