What I Watched -- Tristan + Isolde

It all started when his book came out. James Franco wrote a book of short stories called Palo Alto: Stories, which is where he grew up. It got mixed reviews - a few saying it was great, most saying it was a good start for a new writer, and a few saying not to bother - but it piqued my interest. He's a talented and workaholic guy, but seems to be handling things quite well. James got his undergraduate degree in English with a concentration in creative writing at UCLA in 2008. He got an MFA from Columbia University's writing program, spent some time at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and is currently working on a PhD in English at Yale and attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Holy cow. And I thought I was busy! The buzz about the talented Mr. Franco continued when he and Anne Hathaway were chosen to co-host the Oscars, which S has gotten me watching.

So I guess that is a long-winded way of saying I've been hearing a lot about him lately, so decided maybe I should see some of his movies. This one is a dark ages Romeo-and-Juliet saga, except instead of faking her own death, this Juliet (played by the lovely Sophia Myles) marries Romeo's adoptive father. By accident. Oops. You know that's not going to go well.

A quote that I totally loved - Isolde says this to Tristan not long after they meet: "You're so sure of things. Your certainty is like armor. I wish I had that."

Bottom line: other than seeing the pretty faces of James and Sophia, there isn't much reason to watch this movie. (Actually, Rufus Sewell looks decent too. He's an odd one - sometimes he looks super creepy and weird, but sometimes he looks rather handsome. I think the buzz cut suits him.)

P.S. Does it bother anyone else when they have the names and images backwards on the movie cover? See how it says "James Franco" above Sophia, and "Sophia Myles" above James. I hate that.