Alan Moore, the British writer of the comic books Watchmen, Swamp Thing, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and From Hell, and perhaps the greatest writer in the industry, talks about his views on religion , including why he worships a sock puppet snake. He manages to work Paris Hilton into the explanation. Warning, some mild Bush bashing for more conservative viewers.

V for Vendetta came out in Japan yesterday and I saw it this afternoon. I'm a big fan of the graphic novel and I'd read about most of the changes made in the course of adaptation, so I was uncertain whether I'd like it, but I thought it was an excellent film. Even the changes that I thought were unnecessary were handled much better than I expected. I didn't like idea of a V-Evey romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it was done. Of course now I can't stop picturing V doing DDR. I think they softened V's character, though. In the graphic novel, he's much more of an explicit anarchist. He didn't just want to tear down the fascist government and restore democracy, he wanted to inspire the people to create a new kind of society. I also feel that the movie lessened his moral ambiguity and made him more human. The movie certainly does present him with some moral ambiguity, but I thought it was more prominent in the graphic novel. I also wish they'd included more of V's speech when he blames the people for letting Norsefire take power. It's one of the best speeches Alan Moore's ever written. I loved how the film presented Valerie's letter, however. It was one of the most affecting scenes that I've seen in a long time. Also, the Benny Hill scene was hilarious.
The best part is that I now have a V mask, which I've dreamed of owning since I first read the graphic novel. Japanese theaters usually sell movie merchandise after the show is over, so I was able to buy a one. I also picked up a Japanese movie poster.
Surprisingly, I actually want to see The Da Vinci Code, despite my distaste for the unhistorical conspiracy theories that it's been spreading. The cast looks good and it seems like it'll be a fun pulpy movie. I hear that one of the villains is a creepy albino monk, which can't help but intrigue me. I remember Weinberger saying that he liked the book, which I thought was surprising.