The Bald and the Beautiful

I read V for Vendetta a few years ago, during a time when I tried to read as many popular graphic novels as possible, and quite enjoyed it, but I'm very surprised they're making it into a movie all the same.

Particularly considering that the hero, the "V" of the title, is essentially a terrorist. Now, granted, he's bringing down a corrupt, totalitarian government, and he's pursuing his quest for selfish, personal reasons rather than on behalf of, say, Allah. But still, any film making any terrorist seem at all sympathetic is going to be a hard sell in 2005 America.

It helps that the film was written by the Wachowskis, the bizarre bearded brothers who brought you passable-to-good movies like Bound and The Matrix and miserable disgusting failures like The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. And that Matrix video game no one plays.

It also helps that it stars a bald-but-still-sexy Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea and Hugo Weaving. Oh, and the trailer kicks ass. It looks pretty stylish and cool, and not campy, which is your biggest fear when talking about a movie about a guy in a white mask throwing daggers at people. Here's hoping it works.