Screenhead

After covering the final season of Robin Hood on DVD, it’ s kind of fitting that we’d get a copy of Beyond Sherwood Forest, thanks to the crew out at Anchor Bay.

And at first glance, Beyond Sherwood Forest looks like it might be the worst sort of nonsense.  It was a SyFy channel movie, after all…those very seldom go well.  And this one even more outlandish than most.  Who pitched “it’s Robin Hood, with dragons!” and actually got away with it?

That’s basically–if a bit facetiously–what we’re dealing with here.  This time, the Sheriff of Nottingham has managed to lay hands on a dragon, and not surprisingly AT ALL is using it to dispatch lifetime nemesis Robin Hood.  But this time around, Robin’s not just out stealing stuff and giving it away, he’s also out to find out the truth behind that dragon and protect his longtime love Marian from being married off (no pun intended, at least I don’t think so) as part of a political alliance.

First, I’ve always enjoyed the performances of Julian Sands, starting with the work he did in Warlock and…well…other.  He’s been in several movies, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.  Still though, I know he’s put forth a lot of great performances and it’s always good to see him show up.

Second, this is actually better than you might think it would be, especially on first examination.  I mean, come on–it’s ROBIN HOOD, with DRAGONS.  This should be the CHEESIEST thing ever conceived of by man, but it’s actually pretty good.

Oh, sure, it’s not the best thing I’ve seen lately but it’s still pretty decent.

So how do you grade a movie like this?  Well, the Screenhead Ten Scale and I have been here before, so it’s pretty easy for us to say that this one pulls down a seven out of ten.  Much better than average but nothing hugely special.  Beyond Sherwood Forest is a fun movie, and you should enjoy it, at least as a rental.

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Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer (Oscar winner Russell Crowe), previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

This might be the TV spot that will play during the Superbowl.

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The Super Bowl commercials are considered the Academy Awards of advertising, and these commercials are often so good that some people, like myself, ignore the show itself and just watch the ads.

Of course, those sponsors pay huge prices for those ads, so they ought to be good. Many movie studios try to get their blockbuster movie to be seen by the millions of people watching.

I’ve learned what movie previews will be shown during this event:

The Last Airbender
Shutter Island
Iron Man 2
The Wolfman
Robin Hood
Despicable Me
Alice In Wonderland
Prince of Persia
Toy Story 3

Source

Popularity: unranked [?]

The crew out at Warner Brothers sent me a copy of Robin Hood season 3 on DVD, a monster box set of FIVE DVDs.   And contained on these five DVDs is one of the greatest television shows I’ve seen in some time.

Today we’re talking Robin Hood season 3, from the folks out at BBC America.  I used to follow this regularly back when I had BBC America on Dish, but I fell out of the habit.  Thus, when I had the opportunity to rejoin the fray, I jumped on it.

And I’m glad I did.  We join our heroes in mid-fray against an increasingly desperate Sheriff of Nottingham.  The Sheriff’s angered a whole lot of folks in his war against Robin Hood, and even the usurper Prince John is furious.  Thus, the tactics the Sheriff finds himself using are steadily more obscene and horrifying.

Sure, there’s a measure of predictability at work here–if you thought Robin Hood might, you know, LOSE at some point you really don’t understand the whole concept–but it’s still spectacularly entertaining.  Filled with action, some drama and a soupcon of comedy, this may well be one of the best shows on television, and it’s an import.

Even with the predictability factor, it’s still got plenty of dramatic tension.  Even I wondered, on several occasions, would Robin and company escape whatever new trap set up for them?  And yes, the answer so often was yes.  Should have expected no less, frankly.  But it’s just that incredible cinematic quality to this, as narrow escapes are made and arrows go flying around and unbelievable things happen almost semiminutely that makes me enjoy this show so very much.

The Screenhead Ten Scale shares my affection for this wonder and gives it an eight out of ten for being all kinds of fun packaged in five handy DVDs.

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From the publicity boys:

Ridley Scott’s movie chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

The poster is a teaser, so it’s pretty mild in promoting Robin Hood.  But I like the poster and it does draw my interest.

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Robin Hood UK and Ireland movie trailer is much better than the first trailer released in the states.  UK trailer shows Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion donning armor and using a bow and arrow while we witness the tyranny of England through the eyes of Robin Hood.  Robin played by Russell Crowe is more of a vigilante on a mission to save the common folk of England from injustice. 

In this movie trailer it is obvious that Ridley Scott created a more violent film than the earlier trailer. 

All in all, the second Robin Hood movie trailer is worth a look here at Yahoo Movies UK and Ireland.

I am sure we will see more of Robin Hood in the months to come with a release date set for May 14, 2010.

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Ridley Scott’s direction is all over this teaser trailer.  It’s suspenseful and mystical to the core. Nohow is it like any other Robin Hood movie with a visceral nature to the overall look of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, thought hey don’t look too merry to me.

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A while ago I posted some photos of Robin Hood that weren’t official. Now there are several photos floating  around the Internet that are official. First Showing pointed them out to me.

This one I posted here is Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, this is her first photo, we haven’t seen her until now. Blanchett looks wonderful with the long, flowing dark red hair, a favorite trait of Maid Marian.  The other photos floating around are of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, riding on horses and fighting like Gladiators. Oh, did I mention Robin Hood is directed by Ridley Scott.

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ComingSoon.net has a bunch of Robin Hood set photos. It appears they were taken during a rather large shooting day(s).  Most of the photos have Russell Crowe on the horse or walking with his sword. Click on Crowe’s horse to see more.

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Word comes from The Hollywood Reporter that William Hurt has joined the cast of Ridley Scott’s upcoming Robin Hood film.

The upcoming action-drama, penned by Brian Helgeland, takes a more realistic look at the famed outlaw.

Hurt will play William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke, a hisotrical figure who was one of the most powerful men in Europe at the time.

Other cast members include Russell Crow, Cate Blanchett, Scott Grimes, Mark Strong and many others.

Filming has already begun in the UK.

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